Filing Jointly — a tax crime poem for 30 Days of The 5-2

Filing Jointly No matter what the Fed says, we always put the tax deadline in the calendar on the 14th so it sounds like a Valentine's Day date to review our year in April. This year is special because I am doing it alone, remembering him, accounting for his actions, and mine, itemizing all the entries. It's an emotional audit. I tear up as I write off the axe I'd hit him with, along with all the other tools I used afterward as "business expenses"; and I smile when I enter the checks I received from his life insurance --…

Horror Stories for Xmas 2018!

Editor Kevin Kennedy is back with yet another batch of horror stories for xmas with Collected Christmas Horror Shorts Vol. 2, now available on amazon.com in ebook and paperbook formats. It includes a paranormal story by me I think you'll enjoy called "Catching Santa" and the entire collection is a great way to bring in the holiday spirit (literally). Publisher's Description: Some people love Christmas for religious reasons, others prefer it for the food, drink and parties, but for some other people, it's just another time of year to get up to mischief. This anthology is filled with tales of…

Exploring Dark Short Fiction Series 2018: Kaaron Warren #2 & Nisi Shawl #3

Following up on the success of the first study of contemporary writer Steve Rasnic Tem, 2018 saw the publication of two new entries into the Exploring Dark Short Fiction Series published by Dark Moon Books: Primers to Australian author Kaaron Warren (#2) and -- just released this December -- Afrofuturist Nisi Shawl (#3). Smartly edited by Eric J. Guignard and gorgeously illustrated by Michelle Prebich, these books are an excellent way to get to know (or if you know them, to better understand) the pre-eminent writers of SHORT STORIES in the horror genre, because they feature five-to-six selected stories that…

Joltober 2018

I often intermittently post dark poetry and sick "very short stories" (sometimes called #vss) on social media, but to celebrate Halloween season this year, I've decided to post a new "jolt" each day to my twitter account throughout October 2018. Since my friends at Raw Dog Screaming Press helped instigate me, I thought it would be fitting to call it "Joltober" in tribute to 100 Jolts, which they published originally 14 years ago! Keep your eyes on this for a new horror story posted daily throughout this October ⚡️ “#Joltober: A Horror Story a Day for October (2018)”https://t.co/J3R4IpjcXr— Michael Arnzen…

HWA Poetry Showcase V

[NOTE: Submissions are now closed and the book is being edited now published in Fall 2018!  Preview the TOC. Read my Goodreads review. ] April is National Poetry (& Poetry Writing) Month -- and the Horror Writers Association is celebrating with a call for submissions of poetry to their next anthology, the HWA Poetry Showcase V! Deadline is end of April 2018. Guidelines appear down below. I'm on the jury vetting the entries alongside Mercedes Yardley and editor Stephanie Wytovich. You do need to be member of the HWA to be accepted, sure -- but...If you're a pro horror writer,…