As I hoped, I was able to put the finishing touches on my
collection called Micro Weird: Tiny Tales
of the Strange over spring break. It is now available for both Nook and
Kindle, at 99 cents. There are fifteen stories and a postscript about flash
fiction. It’s over 10,000 words total but only about 8,000 of that is fiction.
There’s also a section telling “about” the stories, which is something I like
to do and something I like to read from other authors.
You all know I like variety in my writing. Well, this is the
most varied collection I’ve yet put together. There’s some stuff in here that
would be considered horror, albeit mild, some SF stuff, some humor, a
children’s story, and a number of pieces that are really unclassifiable. I
suspect there’s some things that will surprise even those who have read most of
my previous work. Most of the pieces in Micro
Weird were written in the last couple of years, but a few stories go back decades,
including one (revised) that dates from the early 1980s. Only three of the
tales have been previously published, and only one in anything some of you may
have seen.
Despite the variety in the stories, there are two things
that hold the collection together. First, all the stories are short, with the longest
being about 1200 words. Most are quite a bit shorter. These days, these lengths
are identified as either flash fiction or micro-fiction. Second, all the pieces
strive for a twist ending.
The cover photo was taken by Lana outside Meteor Crater a couple
of years back. We saw what looked like a giant picture hanging on the wall, and
a man leaning “through” the picture smoking a cigarette. The “picture” was
actually a rectangular opening in the brick wall. It was rather surreal to see,
though. Lana did the blacking out of the figure so he’d be in silhouette, and I
did the lettering. I used her “Gimp” program to manipulate things and it seemed
far superior to Paint so I’m going to download a free copy of it for myself.
I hope you enjoy Micro
Weird. I had a lot of fun writing these tales. If you want, you can pick
‘em up at:
As always, thanks for reading!
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33 comments:
Looks very cool!
Just downloaded it! Congratulations, Charles.
Sidney, thankee.
Alex, thanks, man. Hope you enjoy.
Just got it. looking forward to it.
I can't get the Amazon link to work?
Congrats, Charles, nice going!
I just bought it, Charles! Congratulations! I love the cover. :-)
Snagged a copy today.
And I've been thinking ... Charles, why don't we grow our beards longer and see if we can talk the A&E folks to give us our own show kind of like "Duck Dynasty." We could be the Book Barons or something, and between writing go out in the woods and shoot at stuff. Or something. ;-)
Congrats ;) btw, what's the hardest prt about making a twist ending?
You are so productive and creative :-)
OK I picked it up for 3 reasons.
1) You are very strange
2) The guy smoking the cigarette could have been me in my hat and coat
3)I read the first story (see number 1)
Paul, thanks, man!
Riot Kitty, hum, I'll check it out.
Oscar, thanks. I appreciate it.
Vesper, thankee. Lana does some nice photos.
Ty, you know that sounds like a really good idea. I've been thinking a reality show about writers might be just the thing. I'm certainly crotchety enough.
Deka, thinking of a twist that readers won't see coming. The simple twist is picked up too easily by modern audiences.
Cloudia, so it seems sometimes. Not always from my perspective, though. :)
Mark, yeah, that guy did look quite a lot like you. Yes, I am pretty strange. :)
Congrats to you! :<)
Will grab in a few, Charles. Looking forward to it.
Geraldine, thanks. I appreciate it.
David Cranmer, thankee, man
congratulations, Charles, and good luck with the sales.
i like flash fiction a lot!
(reading and writing alike)
there was a Hungarian author Örkény István (Orkeny Istvan), whose most famous publication was a collection of flash fictions he called 'one minute proses'. i guess there is a translation available.
if you are still on a reading binge, i do suggest seeking his work. most of the pieces deal with human behaviour, and most of the stories are set in real life events of the mid-20th century.
Szelsofa, I'll check it out. definitely sounds interesting!
Looking forward to reading it.
Thanks, Charles. I am picking it up today. I particularly look forward to reading your humour and children's stories. And thanks very much for the newsletter too. I was able to open the non-Drive file.
Richard, thanks, man.
Prashant, yes, when I went to send it, that drive thing popped up. I didn't understand it but thought it was just part of the new gmail thing and didn't realize it would be a pain. Hope you enjoy Micro Weird.
Congratulations! It sounds like a great collection.
Congrats on the new book. Just bought it!
BTW, saw in your previous post that your son is in Lafayette. My daughter lives there. Fast paced little city but the traffic is horrific.
Golden Eagle, thankee!
Jessie, yes, Lafayette is a very busy city, but quite cute. I really like the ULL campus.
I'll get on it ~ look forward to it. Also, I must add Days of Beer to the mix.
I would also like to add a 25th hour to each day & set it aside exclusively for reading.
Kudos ~!
Congratulations! Lana sure did a great job on your cover photo.
Will have to get this one for sure.
Erik, that 25th hour would be the greatest invention ever!
Snowbrush, she's an awesome photographer!
Patti, thankee!
Oh, cool! I'll be sure to get it. I always enjoy your work, Charles.
Oh, cool! I'll be sure to get it. I always enjoy your work, Charles.
I've been on about a book a week pace for the last year or so. I keep looking for new things, which is why I got back to Goodreads recently. I'm looking forward to trying something different.
congrats! that sounds like a cool collection. short stories definitely hold my attention better than long ones, especially when you don't have a lot of time at once to read.
RK Sterling, thankee. I appreciate the kind words!
Travis Cody, yes, I saw you on Goodreads. I enjoy the site. Does give me pretty good information.
Greg, my reading time seems more and more constrained these days.
So I manned up and just searched on Amazon and bought it. Cheers!
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