Short Stories Found

Nothing is more disappointing than a lost story.  Digital files are so impermanent but seem so safe.  Copy the file to a backup disk, move it with your documents to a new computer and save on a floppy.  "Save on a floppy?" you ask.  Yes, for some reason it was once thought that portable disks were a means to store your work.

I had two stories that ended up saved to a 3.5 disk for safety.  Only when you do to retrieve them for publication, it seems that technology has passed you by.  I have two desktops in my home and four laptops as well as five tablets and six smart phones.  None of them have 3.5 inch disk drives anymore.

So when I went to upload the story "The Cove" I was thwarted.  It only existed on an old disk, which I no longer had the means to access.  I asked friends and family and struck out.

I then dug around.  I had to have a hard copy somewhere.  Not in my files.  Not in the box in the garage.  Sadly, not at my desk where I put all my hard copies.

So instead I decided to write another story and let it go.  I pulled out my laptop which was too heavy to carry around and began to cull out the unnecessary documents I was carrying around.

Sweet!  I had a hard copy among the very old files.  So, though the upload of stories meant for October are not yet there, they soon will be.

Here is to Short Horror and Suspense

When I was growing up I would read Tales From the Crypt, The Haunted House and The Witching Hour comic books with delight.  I watched old episodes of the Twilight Zone, Night Gallery and The Outer Limits.  I loved them.

As I grew older I began reading short stories by Ray Bradbury and Stephen King.  I started with the Illustrated Man and Skeleton Crew, found Night Shift and couldn’t wait until a new collections like Everything’s Eventual would be published so I could devour them.  I branched off to Clive Barker and though it took far too long, found a fountain of short stories of  terror and suspense by Richard Matheson. 

I pull them our of my library and reread them frequently.  Outside of these well known masters of horror and suspense, I have had difficulty finding a wellspring of short stories to enjoy.

I wrote a number of stories myself, and though I was successful in publishing a non-fiction book with Time Warner and have had numerous how to articles appear in magazines, I never succeeding in finding the right venue for publishing my short fiction.  However, the delight in every reaction I get when I have shared them with friends and family.

That is why I deciding to create Twelve Twisted Tales.  First, I wanted to share what I had written beyond friends and family and secondly to connect with others who enjoy writing in a genre that doesn’t get much print space.

This is an experiment.  One that I hope turns into an opportunity for people to read, share and maybe even sell their work.  How that is done is an evolving plan.

Visit www.twelvetwistedtales.com an sample of few stories there.