My Short Stories

2023

“Where No One Sleeps” in Andromeda Spaceways

Caterina’s dead husband walked with her out of the vineyard and up into the hills.

Buy the issue here.

“Duet for a Soloist” in Electric Spec

“Are we really identical?” Nina had planned the question for weeks. They were pinning up notices about a missing boy from Pizzicato Crossing. Nina wanted to try something, but Lena had to think it was her idea, or she’d never agree.

Read the story here.

Find out more about the world of Cantabile here.

2022

“Roomba Requires Your Attention” in Kaleidotrope

The Big Tech billionaires were still arguing over whether artificial intelligence would destroy the world when the AI apocalypse began in my living room.

Read the story here.

The story behind “Roomba Requires Your Attention”

2021

“Noa and the Dragon” in Artificial Divide, Edited by Robert Kingett and Randy Lacey

When the fever passed, Noa woke to darkness.

Buy the anthology from Amazon, B&N, or Bookshop.

The story behind “Noa and the Dragon”

“Moon by Moon We Go Together” in Triangulation: Habitats, Edited by John Thompson and Diane Turnsheck

Blue bounced off the shuttle, partly from excitement, partly from the low gravity.

Workers passed her, unloading supplies. One waved Blue toward the habitat, and over her radio, a girl said, “Hi there! I’m Penny. Come on in. We’ll get you situated.”

Buy the anthology from Amazon.

The story behind “Moon by Moon We Go Together.”

“Harmonies for Cadence” in The Voyage YA Journal

I run through the night. I wish I had a lamp. I wish for a map, a blanket, water. But there was no time to pack. All I have is a handful of maple sugar candies and the little book Istvan shoved into my coat before he dragged my hood up and pushed me outside, shouting for me to run. Run now! They know about my Harmonies. They want to kill me.

Read the story here.

The story behind “Harmonies for Cadence.”

Read more about the world of Cantabile here.

2020

“A World in Seven Flames” in Twilight Worlds: Best of New Myths Volume II, Edited by Scott T. Barnes, Marta Tanrikulu, and Susan Shell Winston

Listen.

The beginning was silent, dark, cold.

Mother Flame and Father Song wove our world from music and fire—

A crackling, sparking melody.

Buy the anthology from Amazon or B&N.

The story behind “A World in Seven Flames.”

Read more about the world of Cantabile here.

“A Valentine’s Fear” in Every Day Fiction

The line for the fear merchants stretched three blocks. Juana’s hand sweated in Nick’s as they inched forward.

Read the story here.

The story behind “A Valentine’s Fear.”

2019

“If Only a Word for All Things” in Cast of Wonders

I hunched my shoulders and leaned closer to the automatic ticket machine. I punched in the date and time with tense fingers, chose the train I wanted, and stuffed some crumpled Euros into the slot. At any moment a carabiniere would take one look at me, know I was somewhere I shouldn’t be, and march me right onto the train back to Assisi. But I wasn’t running away, not really. I was going to Paris to find Maman and bring her home. We needed her home. Her and her magic words.

Read or listen to the story here.

The story behind “If Only a Word for All Things.”

2018

“The Year of Salted Skies” in Andromeda Spaceways

Third runner-up, The Dell Magazine’s Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing, 2014

It rained the night my sister took Tariq Linsgrove into her bed.

Buy the issue here.

The story behind “The Year of Salted Skies.”

2017

“Polaris in the Dark” in The 2018 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, Edited by Corie Weaver and Sean Weaver

The Grand Three-Ring Railroad slowed as it coiled into Saturnalia’s airlock. Amélie crouched under the galley counter. In the main compartment, music and chatter burbled, dice rattled, and Jupiter’s tail thumped the wall.

Buy the anthology from Amazon or B&N.

The story behind “Polaris in the Dark.”

“Seven Signs Your Roommate Is a Vampire: With Additional Advice on Surviving Orientation If It’s More Complicated” in Andromeda Spaceways

By the end of orientation, Rose was positive her new roommate, Ellie, had a secret, and she was pretty sure she knew what it was. Then she found the dandelions in the freezer.

Buy the issue here.

The story behind “Seven Signs Your Roommate Is a Vampire.”

2016

“Dissonance” in Abyss and Apex

Tavery was late to rehearsal the day after the fire, but only half the orchestra had even come. Too many Harmonies were destroyed when the instrument house burned, and too many people were now grieving. No one was in their seats except Last Clarinet. The clarinet wasn’t really her Harmony. It was easy to hear, the way she determinedly squeaked her way through a set of arpeggios–no Resonance with her instrument at all. Tavery understood her, struggling with an instrument she felt Dissonance with long after her peers found their Harmonies. It had been like that for him when he was her age.

Read the story here.

The story behind “Dissonance.”

Read more about the world of Cantabile here.

2014

“The Collector” in Cast of Wonders

Maddie died that night fifty years ago. Car accident. Drunk driver. Fifty years and worlds ago, Maddie Collins died, and the Thief couldn’t think about her, not tonight, not ever again.

Read or listen to the story here.

The story behind “The Collector.”

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