One strange day in the midst of the 20th century, a pink star lit up the night sky. From then on, the out-and-out Man has been a fading breed. The star's so-called 'gender-rays' disrupted the natural sex and sexuality of the human race, and some generations on the terms 'man' and 'male' are practically gone from the English language. Nowadays, young boys gro...
Lauren’s hackles rose when she heard the creak in the hallway. It was five o’clock in the morning and her son, Jaime, wouldn’t be back from his father’s for another few hours, so she should be alone in the house. And the sound wasn’t from the house settling. She had lived in this house long enough to know its noises and this one was definitely man-made. Her...
I confess it freely and deny it not--I am a quibbler, and I love to quibble. That's copy editing. I say I won't mess around with plot, character or continuity. Those are the provinces of the author. I do the mechanicals--spelling, grammar, syntax, sentence structure. They are the off-putting little details that distract the reader, when the reader should b...
Coming back to the office on a Wednesday, when her plan had been not to return until Monday, was not too unusual. When things went critical it was understood that it didn't matter where you were or what you were doing, you got yourself into the office, it was why the job was so well paid, and the bonuses were so good. Andy her deputy was right, this was a bi...
He wanted them to marry but she was doubtful. This story is entirely fictional. Fiona Napier looked enquiringly at Tom Cassavettes as the car turned into the Docklands Airport. In reply he merely put a finger to his mouth which caused her to smile. This behaviour was all part of the suspense he liked to generate. Against her will Fiona found herself begi...
On occasion, I find myself exploring a strange town on my own. I travel (just a little) for work, mostly conferences or other trips related to my job. Since I often travel by myself, I've developed the ability to eat by alone in a restaurant while thoroughly enjoying myself in the process (as opposed to that obviously uncomfortable vibe that some solo diners...
In the end, you know perfectly well that you are the source of all knowledge that ought to be impacted into the world. You are intelligent, smart, and witty and you have things that need to be said. But how will you impact your brilliance into the world? WRITE A HOW-TO SOMETHING ARTICLE, of course! What is that, you say? You don't know how to write a how-to...
This will deal with a type of mind control fetish I'd like to call 'anti-social mind control', or 'patheticism'; more than just the depravity or eroticism of sexual desire in a functional, yet still conventional, construct, this is one that feeds on a desperation of power and control which is generally considered incompatible, minor, and superficial/non-erot...
Bree was going crazy. Sanity wasn't her strong suit anyway, but normally she could channel it into creativity or restless energy or, at the very least, a long, abusive hour at the gym. But everything she tried failed to clear the cobwebs in her head. She wasn't even sure she could pin down why she felt like the world was spinning out of control. It wasn't:...
I woke up the next morning to my alarm, rolled out of bed, and walked to the bathroom. As I shaved, looking at myself in the mirror, I wondered if last night was real, and if so...what was I doing? What were WE doing, Amy and I? Where was our marriage heading? Was this an exciting new chapter in our lives, or were things spiralling out of control? I certainl...