Atomic number fourteen

“Welcome to Equinox DC, the oldest financial software in the market,” said the old one with his big head, a rotund middle and long white beard. He looked wise and fragile. “I am Chief Endless Forloop. And you are?”

“Decimalus, your lowly servant.”

“Pleased to meet you, Decimalus. I expect you know that the software is for debit and credit and balancing sales ledgers and all that sort of thing? A right haven for us software program bugs, it is. We bugs are what keep this entire software from perfectly balancing its accounts. Heaven forbid if the software starts working correctly, it'll be a catastrophe...

Read the full story in the July 2011 issue of Lightning Flash Magazine

or

Request to read the original story via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

3000 words Humour/Fantasy/Science Fiction
UK publication

***********************

Words from the Wise

"I very much like your imaginative tale of software bugs. The character names are pretty awesome too, I think."

Dan

Editor

Lightning Flash

"I like the plot"

Julie Ann Dawson

Editor

Bards and Sages

"It's an amusing idea"

Christopher East

Fiction Editor

Futurismic

"The subject matter is of interest to our readers and the story is well written"

Anonymous

Editors

Alternative Coordinates

"There's a good idea here"

Michael Colangelo

Editor

Ideomancer

"Thanks for an interesting story such as this. As a software engineer by day, I enjoyed the comparisons with Newton's laws."

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Editor/Publisher

Bull Spec

"We enjoyed reading it"

Sue Babcock

Editor

Silver Blade

"It's a good story overall, I certainly liked the personification of bugs, especially with a background in systems"

J. E. Taylor

Assistant Editor

Allegory

"The story caught our attention"

Adrian Simmons

Editor

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

"You have a well written and original story"

Michael C. Pennington

Editor

Aurora Wolf Journal

"It is a cute story"

Stephanie Ann Johanson

Assistant Editor

Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine

"It is a nice idea and there is a nice level of humour to the piece"

John Kenny

Editor

Albedo One

"This was a fun and light-hearted fantasy piece about personified computer bugs"

Djibril Alayad

Editor

Future Fire

The bugs shall inherit the earth

We are discussing the company’s new security policy. It looks like everyone from the Window Cleaner to the Project Manager has an opinion to give. And everyone agrees that the ground-breaking new security measures are a faith-shaking employee-unfriendly move. (What is debatable is whether the Project Manager manages to get as much work done as the Window Cleaner.)

“Those turnstiles are the limit”, says one. “I’d like to see them have a fire drill now, with the fire escapes under construction and an access card required just to leave the building!”

Nodding of heads all around and general...

Read the full article in the Summer 2011 issue of Strange, Weird And Wonderful

or

Request to read the original article via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

800 words
Nonfiction
US publication

My trip to Mars

I own a spacecraft. It’s called, um, ASpacecraft. I use it for (what else?) space travel. I keep it in the paper-clip box at the bottom of my desk drawer. The paper-clip box is nearly empty, just a couple of paper-clips left in it, so ASpacecraft fits in pretty snugly. I store it at the bottom of the desk drawer to keep it away from the prying eyes of my younger brother. (Actually, I don’t really have a younger brother, but if I did, I’m sure he would have prying eyes.)

ASpacecraft has taken me on many an interesting journey through space. It’s a pretty little thing, red in colour, with cute little antennae...

Read the full story in the March 2011 issue of Lightning Flash

or

Request to read the original story via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

1645 words
Humour/Science Fiction
US publication

***********************

Words from the Wise

"I really liked your little story. I'd love to publish it."

Dan

Editor

Lightning Flash Magazine

"Very, Very, Very amusing. Seriously, it's quite funny."

Geoffrey C. Porter

Editor

Untied Shoelaces Of The Mind

"I absolutely love the cute images, great wit, and casual voice this piece displays... taking us on a tour of a bizarre place... Definitely a world worthy of an adventure!"

Ty Drago

Editor

Allegory

"I really enjoyed the story... You latch onto a voice that not many could make work and run with it flawlessly... a certain winner."

D.F. McCourt

Editor

AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review

"This piece was charming, a lot of fun, and a delight to read. We enjoyed it."

Djibril Alayad

Editor

Future Fire

"An interesting short story. I do like Calvin and Hobbes, and the "younger girl's voice" really comes out. Some of the details, such as the feet tapping of their own accord on account of the low Mars gravity, were quite memorable."

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Editor

Bull Spec

"It would make a good children's book"

Sue Babcock

Editor

Silver Blade

"Your story has some lovely ideas and images in it"

Ellen J. Allen

Editor

Hub

"It is an interesting story. I like the concept of a portable spacecraft that can transport you anywhere."

Anonymous

Editor (1 of 4)

Winged Halo

"I really love the voice"

Anonymous

Editor (2 of 4)

Winged Halo

"It's a cute idea"

Anonymous

Editor (3 of 4)

Winged Halo

"Amusing... and sustains the voice well"

Zara Baxter

Editor

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

"The story is well written"

Anonymous

Editor

Alternative Coordinates

"'Cosmic Cacoethes' is a very charming story. It's a really good story."

Alex Korovessis

Editor

Kasma

"This was inventive"

Elizabeth Bear

Associate Editor

Ideomancer

Cosmic cacoethes

I own a spacecraft. It’s called, um, ASpacecraft. I use it for (what else?) space travel. I keep it in the paper-clip box at the bottom of my desk drawer. The paper-clip box is nearly empty, just a couple of paper-clips left in it, so ASpacecraft fits in pretty snugly. I store it at the bottom of the desk drawer to keep it away from the prying eyes of my younger brother. (Actually, I don’t really have a younger brother, but if I did, I’m sure he would have prying eyes.)

ASpacecraft has taken me on many an interesting journey through space. It’s a pretty little thing, red in colour, with cute little antennae...

Read the full article in the February 2011 issue of Expanded Horizons

or

Request to read the original article via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

1940 words
Humour/Science Fiction
US publication


Read an independent review at The Portal.

***********************

Words from the Wise

"I really enjoyed your story, and found it fun to read. I'd love to publish it."

D. Ash

Editor

Expanded Horizons

"Very, Very, Very amusing. Seriously, it's quite funny."

Geoffrey C. Porter

Editor

Untied Shoelaces Of The Mind

"I absolutely love the cute images, great wit, and casual voice this piece displays... taking us on a tour of a bizarre place... Definitely a world worthy of an adventure!"

Ty Drago

Editor

Allegory

"I really enjoyed the story... You latch onto a voice that not many could make work and run with it flawlessly... a certain winner."

D.F. McCourt

Editor

AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review

"This piece was charming, a lot of fun, and a delight to read. We enjoyed it."

Djibril Alayad

Editor

Future Fire

"An interesting short story. I do like Calvin and Hobbes, and the "younger girl's voice" really comes out. Some of the details, such as the feet tapping of their own accord on account of the low Mars gravity, were quite memorable."

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Editor

Bull Spec

"It would make a good children's book"

Sue Babcock

Editor

Silver Blade

"Your story has some lovely ideas and images in it"

Ellen J. Allen

Editor

Hub

"It is an interesting story. I like the concept of a portable spacecraft that can transport you anywhere."

Anonymous

Editor (1 of 4)

Winged Halo

"I really love the voice"

Anonymous

Editor (2 of 4)

Winged Halo

"It's a cute idea"

Anonymous

Editor (3 of 4)

Winged Halo

"Amusing... and sustains the voice well"

Zara Baxter

Editor

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

"The story is well written"

Anonymous

Editor

Alternative Coordinates

"'Cosmic Cacoethes' is a very charming story. It's a really good story."

Alex Korovessis

Editor

Kasma

"This was inventive"

Elizabeth Bear

Associate Editor

Ideomancer

"I really like your sci-fi story"

Dan

Editor

Lightning Flash

The bugs shall inherit the earth

“Oh, hello. Have you only just arrived?”

Her voice was musical, the enunciation perfect with the vowels flowing like honey oozing from a squeeze-easy bottle. The pretty young thing fluttered her eyelashes coyly and stood taking in the newcomer’s appearance with the frank curiosity of a scientist on the verge of discovering a new disease.

Before the newcomer could reply, he heard an agonised yell nearby. A heavy body crashed through the dense silicon-copper-resin foliage and landed with a loud plop! at his feet. This recent arrival, with his big head, a rotund middle and long white beard...

Read the full story in the August 2010 anthology A World Of Their Own

or

Request to read the original story via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

3935 words Humour/Fantasy/Science Fiction
US publication

***********************

Words from the Wise

"I like the plot"

Julie Ann Dawson

Editor

Bards and Sages

"It's an amusing idea"

Christopher East

Fiction Editor

Futurismic

"The subject matter is of interest to our readers and the story is well written"

Anonymous

Editors

Alternative Coordinates

"There's a good idea here"

Michael Colangelo

Editor

Ideomancer

"Thanks for an interesting story such as this. As a software engineer by day, I enjoyed the comparisons with Newton's laws."

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Editor/Publisher

Bull Spec

"We enjoyed reading it"

Sue Babcock

Editor

Silver Blade

"It's a good story overall, I certainly liked the personification of bugs, especially with a background in systems"

J. E. Taylor

Assistant Editor

Allegory

"The story caught our attention"

Adrian Simmons

Editor

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

"You have a well written and original story"

Michael C. Pennington

Editor

Aurora Wolf Journal

"It is a cute story"

Stephanie Ann Johanson

Assistant Editor

Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine

"It is a nice idea and there is a nice level of humour to the piece"

John Kenny

Editor

Albedo One

"This was a fun and light-hearted fantasy piece about personified computer bugs"

Djibril Alayad

Editor

Future Fire