James Pyles's Blog, page 22

Does Santa Claus Climb Down Broken Chimneys?

“Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child, Holy Infant so tender and mild…” Derek crouched by the fire barrel rubbing his hands together while Anna sang Christmas songs to her little girls. “Another homeless fucking Christmas,” he muttered. Old Saul backhanded him on the shoulder. “Hush and let those babies dream.” “It’s all crap,” Derek hissed […]

One Winter Evening

Soren basked in the candles’ glow as he had for so many years during this season. He neither celebrated the Hanukah lights nor the birth of the “Light of the World,” mercy forbid. The presentation “Artwork by Candlelight” was a centuries old family tradition and he must leave soon. Explaining his presence would be awkward. […]

Review of “Shoot the Devil 2: Dark Matter”

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. I woke up this morning to find a wonderful review of the Christian SciFi anthology Shoot the Devil 2: Dark Matter by Ginger Nuts of Horror. “Dark Matter” features my short story “The Heavens Shall Declare His Glory.” Tales by Richard […]

My SciFi Drabble “Hunter” is Available at “Martian Magazine”

Martian Magazine publishes science fiction drabbles every Monday and Friday. I somehow missed that one of my drabbles was going to be coming out on Monday, November 30th. This is the value of practicing drabbles and concise writing. Click the following link to read my 100 word SciFi tale Hunter.

The Old Shoe

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Alan sat in the laundry contemplating the last moments of his life. It was cold outside, and not just because of the weather. You see things differently sitting on the floor. All these different types of footwear, all for different occasions […]

Review of “The Soldier: Rise of the Jain, Book One” (2018)

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Last night I finished Neal Asher’s novel The Soldier: Rise of the Jain, Book One (2018). This one was harder for me to get into than some of the others. I’ve read a number (but only a fraction of those published) […]

Flowers and Rust

Things like the “flower Datsun” weren’t all that unusual, but people seemed to make a big deal over them. “There’s worse ways to repurpose your old rig.” He paused on his walk to regard the object. No doubt someone’s attempt at art or maybe a commentary on the environment. “Plants are wilting and the chassis […]

Caught in the Time Loop of Science Fiction Fandom

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. There seems to be an ongoing war debate on social media about whether or not science fiction is inherently liberal/progressive or conservative. I should say that “woke” is the more common word used for “liberal” or “progressive” although the two terms […]

Leap into the Panderverse: The End of Quantum Leap

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. I really thought One Night in Koreatown was going to be the Let Them Play episode for season two of the current version of Quantum Leap starring Raymond Lee and Ernie Hudson. I thought this because of how the showrunner and […]

My Drabble “Butterfly” a Favorite in “Pocket SciFi: Drabble Contest One”

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. I received this wonderful compliment on Facebook this morning (see the image above). As you may know from this announcement, nine out of ten of my submissions to “Pocket SciFi: Drabble Contest One” was accepted for publication. You can find this […]