James Pyles's Blog, page 141
July 3, 2018
Stones
The beautiful park, the gentle couple strolling just ahead of him, the cool of the summer evening only made a dull impression on him, all because her blood had added one more stain to his soul. “She was only three years old, God. Why did that butcher have to murder her?” Detective Keith Simmons was […]
July 2, 2018
Hope is Being Sucked Out of Life One Person at a Time
I don’t know if I successfully communicate this on my blog, but I do try to understand people who aren’t like me. I may not always agree with them, but I want to know where they’re coming from. After all, I’m not the sole source of human knowledge, and I’m not the ultimate moral and […]
Demon With A Glass Heart
18 October 1964 “My name is Trent, and at last I know who I am or rather what I am. It will be dawn soon and I’ve accomplished my mission here. I retrieved my missing three fingers, stopped the Kyban incursion from a thousand years in the future, and destroyed their time mirror. Now I […]
Lunar Manqué
He called himself Manqué Manx because no matter how much resolve he managed to muster in any state of emergency, he would ultimately falter. This time though, facing the unknown adversary entrenched in the Plinius crater between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquilitatis, he couldn’t afford to wring his hands in desperation and let government red tape […]
July 1, 2018
Whose Voice Is It, Anyway?
The chart posted above was acquired from the article If You’re Not Sure How a Male Author Would Describe You, Use Our Handy Chart over at the Electric Lit online magazine. As I understand it, the chart was created as a gag, and I found it pretty funny. In fact, I toyed with the idea […]
595 Hitori Kakurenbo
The Occultist had been a small child when he was last here. He remembered playing in the yard, ringing the now rusted bell next to the forlorn gate, playing behind the trees out back, and eating pizza with his Grandpa on the shaded patio. All of his memories of this home were happy and joyful […]
June 30, 2018
The Fall of Iran
“Our star is falling from the sky, President Rouhani. These power outages are simply the latest sign.” “So it’s not merely increased energy consumption and this cursed heat wave, Reza. Does SAVAK have any indication this is the work of the Mossad or CIA?” “Nothing conclusive. It is true that the US and Israel have always […]
June 29, 2018
What’s Wrong with Putting Religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories?
I just finished reading a blog post called Of Permanent Things, Part II written by my friend and Holocaust educator Dan Hennessy. It reminded me of the importance of including religious and spiritual themes in fiction writing, including science (speculative) fiction and fantasy. I’m in the process of producing first drafts of two novels. The […]
June 28, 2018
Last Stand
“Archers! At the ready!” Petran gave the command to his meager squad of elven soldiers as they formed a perimeter around the five Davidson children and the magician Raibyr. Nine-year-old Taylor was at the center with his siblings when he remembered he also had his bow and arrows. The wind was frigid and fierce, which […]
June 27, 2018
Encouragement, Discouragement, and the Impostor Syndrome
Every day the Medium Daily Digest appears in my Gmail inbox, giving me the opportunity to read articles from various progressive voices. If you’ve read other of my social commentaries on this blog (not the hottest of topics among my readers based on the statistics, “likes,” and comments), you know I sample a wide range […]
