James Pyles's Blog, page 74
January 1, 2020
Patron exclusive “CLOCKWORK DRAGONS” advanced sneak peak story
Zombie Pirate Publishing is running a promotion on Patreon. Sign up for as little as one US dollar, and gain exclusive access to their soon-to-be published CLOCKWORK DRAGONS: A Fantasypunk Anthology. It features my short story “The Mechanical Dragon” What does steampunk and dragons have to do with each other? Either wait until January 15, […]
Stop Me From Falling Published in “The Devil’s Doorbell”
It’s been out for over a month, and I never heard a peep from the publisher. My “signature” vampire romance is one of 16 tales told in Hellbound Books Publishing’s The Devil’s Doorbell: An Anthology of Darkest Romance. For those of you in the UK, here’s where you can buy it. Plus, here’s an excerpt: […]
“Bloody Valentine” Acceptances
Dear James Thank you for your submission to the Dark Valentines Flash Fiction Horror Collection. These are the perfect amount of dark and depraved and we loved your entries. We are pleased to let you know that your story(s) Reaper, Playtime and New Heart have been accepted. Congratulations on your acceptance! Remember Dark X-Mas? The […]
December 28, 2019
Movie Review of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
DISCLAIMER: This film review is loaded with spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet and want to be surprised, don’t read any further! Yes, I went to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker today with my son, my grandson, and my son’s girlfriend. What I’m about to say will probably annoy or […]
December 26, 2019
“Dark X-Mas” Anthology Has Nine 10-Star Reviews!
The 48 hour promotional offer of Dark X-Mas Holiday Drabbles: 100 Word Holiday Horror Stories is about to end, and I thought I’d do some checking. Seems the anthology, which features two of my Christmas horror drabbles, has garnered a whole 10 reviews, 9 of them five stars. The 10th is a one star by […]
December 24, 2019
The Colony Trees
Sonia watched the last of the trees lift up and fly away. It had been her fantasy ever since she was five and first heard that Mars hadn’t always been able to support life. She had joined the junior Arbor Society when she was eight, became a regional counselor at twenty, and now at thirty-five, […]
Short Story Review: “Suppose They Gave a Peace” (1992)
The latest tale I read in The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century edited by Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg is Susan Swartz‘s 1992 short story Suppose They Gave a Peace. It’s an anti-war Vietnam era tale as seen through the eyes of a family in Ohio in the early 1970s. Frankly, […]
December 22, 2019
“Dark X-Mas” Bargain!
I just found out that the ebook for Eleanor Merry Presents: Dark X-Mas Holiday Drabbles will be offered absolutely free on December 25th and 26th. I’ve contributed two “dark” Christmas tales among the vast multitude of 100-word tales of Yuletide horror. Give or get an instant and free Christmas gift on the 25th or a […]
December 21, 2019
Review: “The Lucky Strike” (1984) by Kim Stanley Robinson
I’ve been reading the anthology The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century edited by Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg. The edition I have was published in 2001. I checked it out of my local library, and besides a bit of water damage, it seems to be missing the table of contents. The […]
Conquistador
Juan’s flight from his native Briviesca to Asunción in Paraguay was grueling, especially after two layovers. He was grateful to find a cab to take him the sixteen miles into the city. “Senor wants to be taken to the river? No particular place?” What passed for Spanish in this country seemed almost barbaric to Juan. […]
