James Van Pelt
An interviewer asked the author if he wanted to be the next Stephen King: he said, "No, I want to be the first James Van Pelt."
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James Van Pelt fell in love with Zenna Henderson, Ray Bradbury, Ursula le Guin, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey and a host of others when he started reading. In elementary school, he told his mom he wanted to grow up to be a Ray Bradbury, like Bradbury was a job instead of a person. His work has appeared in Asimov's, Analog, Clarkesworld and many other venues. Stories have been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies and gathered in five of his collections. He has been a finalist for the Nebula, the Sturgeon Award, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. He recently retired from teaching high school English (37 years), to write full time.
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Titan Descansos
Published Jan 9, 2021 · 2,085 words (8 minutes) · 76 views
Science Fiction siblings near future first contact space flight
Have you ever seen little crosses or bunches of flowers by the side of the road and recognized the tragedy commemorated there? This is a way to recognize the dead, to mark the spot of their unexpected passing. It seems a very human thing to do. And so, when we go deeper and deeper into space, what parts of our humanity will we take with us. Will we recognize it when we find it?
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Fiction
Neoteric Urban Archaeology
Published Dec 28, 2020 · 1,232 words (5 minutes) · 90 views
Science Fiction first contact Urban science fiction
Part of the joy of archaeology is that every artifact tells a story, but not all archaeology requires an ancient site where the scientist carefully brushes dirt away from a fragile find from the deep past. People leave artifacts and other physical remains wherever they go. Even an abandoned house in a crummy part of the city can contain story treasures.
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Echoing
Published Dec 10, 2020 · 4,602 words (17 minutes) · 120 views
Science Fiction snow storm christmas starship depression drugs home sickness truck
A long-haul truck driver in a snowstorm, a desperate teenager at a holiday house party, and a starship captain lost in the universe meet on Christmas Eve. It's amazing how quickly technology dates a story. You have to remember the once ubiquitous Windows 3.1 starfield screensaver to picture a key image in this tale.
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Christmas Stalking
Published Dec 5, 2020 · 1,834 words (7 minutes) · 173 views
Fantasy Humor christmas Mafia santa clause toys hit man
No one thinks about Santa's economic impact, but you can be sure that some people, some very bad people, aren't happy that he gives all those toys away for free.
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The Road's End
Published Nov 10, 2020 · 3,116 words (12 minutes) · 168 views
Classic Fantasy Literary Fiction kingdom epic fantasy marriage adventure retirement
Carrie Vaughn wrote a beautiful story called "Strife Lingers in Memory." It appeared in Realms of Fantasy, as this story did. Carrie looked at epic fantasy, like Lord of the Rings, and asked what happens to the heroes after the battles are done? I loved the question, so I wrote my answer to the question. "The Road's End" is also in a conversation with Tennyson's poem, "Ulysses." How can an old man put aside his adventures when his entire life is based on the idea of "not to yield"?
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The Children's Collection
Published Oct 29, 2020 · 3,878 words (15 minutes) · 85 views
Fantasy Horror cthulhu library librarian
A young librarian makes his way to a backwoods, New England town to take his first job. His clientele, though, is . . . odd. What kind of books do they want? How is he to serve?
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Ghost Ship
Published Oct 21, 2020 · 4,223 words (16 minutes) · 1 like · 154 views
Fantasy pirates haunting pirate ship
Perfect for Halloween! A haunted ghost ship, pirates, and a little girl who just wants to go home.
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Rock House
Published Oct 16, 2020 · 7,429 words (28 minutes) · 225 views
Classic Fantasy Horror Edgar Allan Poe House of Usher old loves libraries Books reading literature
An old college buddy contacts Allan to visit the “strange edifice of my rock house home,” as he put it, and to “salve my maladies and afflictions.” Intrigued and troubled, Allan takes up the invitation. What happens after is a deep dive into literature, obsession, and a desire for permanence.
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Writing Advice
Published Oct 7, 2020 · 1,202 words (5 minutes) · 1 like · 200 views
Science Fiction metafiction apocalypse Writing advice
Writers hear much advice at conventions. Everyone has an opinion on how to walk the writing tightrope, but sometimes the advice just sounds wrong. I was listening to a panel of editors when one weighed in with what she pronounced as an inviolable rule, "Never start with the weather," which gave me, of course, the first sentence of this story.
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Mambo No. M51
Published Sep 23, 2020 · 3,535 words (13 minutes) · 1 like · 172 views
Science Fiction Romance music stars astrophyics pop star
Someone once described "obsession" as a form of mental disease, like OCD. Everyone needs to have interests, but when those interests overwhelm balance in a person's life, they become a problem. But doesn't that mean that if you have any interests at all that you are on the road to being overwhelmed by them? Doesn't that mean we all are, just a little, mentally diseased? What we desire and how we behave towards those desires are a part of "Mambo No. M51."
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