“Androids & Aliens.” J. Scott Coatsworth’s New Collection is Out!

Posted on December 16, 2022 by jeffbaker307

My friend J. Scott Coatsworth has a new collection out!

I could gush and babble about this collection, but I’ll let Scott tell it.

Androids & Aliens is Scott’s third short story collection – eight sci fi and sci-fantasy shorts that run the gamut from cyborgs to (comedic) alien invasions:

Rise: The rise in sea levels caused by climate change swallowed Venice beneath the lagoon half a century ago. But what if we could bring it back?

Ping: I was a real estate agent by day, and a museum curator in the evening at a sci-fi museum. What I saw one night changed everything.

What the Rain Brings: Miriam struggles to make a living in post-climate-change Vancouver. But her friend Catalina has it even worse in the Arizona desert. So Miri hatches a plan.

High Seven: Zan dreams of making full reals – immersive live virtual reality skins – but his low score may doom him to a life of cheap coding.

Full Real: Dek’s given up his life of spying for the city. But one more case awaits him. Will he regret it more if he takes it, or turns it down?

Shit City: The Bay Area is being walloped by a hurricane, and seventeen-year-old Jason Vasquez has been relocated to a refugee city in the Nevada Desert. Will it be temporary shelter, or change his life?

Firedrake: Kerry has always wondered about his deadly powers. But a mysterious bunch of violet roses starts him on the path to discovery – even if he’s not sure he’s going to like what he finds.

The Last Human Heart: I’m one of the Remainers, the few cyborg humans still living on this busted planet. But if my still-human heart finally gives out, I may not live to find out the truth about who I am.

This is the first time all of these stories have all been collected in one place, and the first publication of the Pacific Climate Tryptich – What the Rain Brings, High Seven, and Full Real – in any form.

I’ll blurb a little here myself: Scott is an author Mike Resnick thought highly enough of to buy and publish his stories. Anything Scott writes is worth reading.

Here’s the buy links for “Androids and Aliens.”

https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com/book/androids-aliens/?fbclid=IwAR2eQl2Fne23cCaBfFKPNrWOl31VJaBHh6PWXtaOqAqFG7slSLPdXe7CoiY&cn-reloaded=1

Posted in Books, Collection, Fantasy, Fiction, J. Scott Coatsworth, LGBT, Promo, Science Fiction, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

Surfboards and Mystery! Flash Fiction Draw Challenge for December 2022—The Results!

Posted on December 12, 2022 by jeffbaker307

Photo by Chelsey Horne on Pexels.com

The draws for the December 2022 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge were: A Mystery, set on (or around) a Merry-Go-Round, involving a Surfboard.

E. H. Timms wrote “Surfing the Net.” https://thinkingthinking123.blogspot.com/2022/12/flash-fic-challenge-surfing-net.html

And I wrote “Round and Round She Goes.” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2022/12/10/mystery-on-a-merry-go-round-flash-fiction-draw-challenge-story-for-december-2022-from-jeff-baker-december-10-2022/

Again, my thanks to everyone who participated this year and we’ll be back in early January for more fun!

And how about you? It’s not too late for you to write a story for this month or any other month and post it in the comments!

On behalf of us all, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted in E. H. Timms, Fiction, LGBT, Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, Mystery, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

Mystery on a Merry-Go-Round. Flash Fiction Draw Challenge Story for December 2022 from Jeff Baker. (December 10, 2022)

Posted on December 10, 2022 by jeffbaker307

Photo by PRAPHAPHAN WONGSAWAN on Pexels.com

Round and Round She Goes

by Jeff Baker

Author’s Note: The draws tor the December 2022 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge were: A Mystery, on a Merry-Go-Round involving a Surfboard. I set my happily-ensconced private eyes Josh and Adam on the case. Here’s what happened.

Josh hung on to the end of the surfboard with one hand and clung to the carved horse he was sitting on with the other as the merry-go-round at the middle of the carnival spun around and around. He was ready to puke. And he really, really hated carousel music.

“I think we lost them,” Adam said hanging on to the other end of the surfboard. They hoped the body of the big carved horse hid the board from anybody watching.

“We’re just lucky they didn’t get a good look at us, or any look at us.” Adam said.

“Yeah,” Josh said queasily. “All they know is we’ve got the surfboard.”

Adam grinned at Josh as the merry-go-round slowed down. “For better or worse, remember?”

“Including spinning horses!” Josh said managing a smile.

Josh and Adam’s detective agency had been hired to find the gaudily-painted 6’ surfboard which their client, Convy, said had been stolen.

“I inherited it,” Convy said. “My Great-Uncle was a collector. Collected all sorts of things.”

But the board was never delivered to Convy; it had been stolen from the warehouse. Josh and Adam had tracked the owners to the carnival and had found it on sale at a booth and had bought it for $150. Probably from an associate of the thieves who wasn’t in on it.

“Six feet long and they call it a short board,” Adam grumbled.

They were carrying the board away when they heard the commotion from the booth. Apparently the thieves had shown up, found the board had been sold and were understandably upset. Josh and Adam had ducked through the crowd with the board when they had the wild idea that they could hide a gaudily-painted surfboard on a gaudily-painted merry-go-round. Especially if it was spinning.

They had bribed the operator to let them be the only people riding it and had gotten on with the board. Amazingly, it had worked.

So had Adam’s research on Convy’s Great-Uncle. He’d been a collector all right, but not of surfboards. He’d collected art.

And the painting on the board had been done by Pablo Picasso.

Josh and Adam grinned as they stuck the board in their car’s backseat and drove away. Their client would more than be able to pay their fee, the $150 and their expenses.

—end—

Posted in Fiction, Josh and Adam, LGBT, Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, Mystery, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

Rainbow Snippets Visits a Selfish Giant. Oscar Wilde for Christmas from Jeff Baker. December 10, 2022.

Posted on December 10, 2022 by jeffbaker307

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

Every week we post six lines from a work of ours, a work-in-progress or published or a recommendation of someone else’s work with at least one LGBT character. Posted at Rainbow Snippets here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/963484217054974

Last year I got a good response to posting part of Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost” for the Holiday Season. Of course, none of his stories really have open LGBT characters but he IS Oscar Wilde. Last year’s tale fit in with the tradition of ghost stories for Christmas, this one has snow and something more appropriate for the season.

I first read “The Selfish Giant” fifty-two years ago as a picture book (with the full text) and it remains one of my favorite stories by the Irish master. Or one of my favorite stories period. I recommend anything he wrote and here’s a link to the story the snippets come from: https://www.wilde-online.info/the-selfish-giant.html

Every afternoon as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant’s garden.

It was a large lovely garden with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into fragrant blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. “How happy we are here!” they cried to each other.

Here’s a little more of Oscar Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant.”

One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish Ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.

“What are you doing here?” he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

Sounds a little like the 19th Century version of “Hey you kids! Get off of my lawn!” But let me assure you, what follows in this story is very touching and very lovely. And I think, perfect for this (or any other) season!

On behalf of my Husband Darryl (and Oscar Wilde) I wish you all the very best for the Holiday season and the coming year. (2023!!!)—–jeff

Posted in Christmas, Fantasy, Fiction, Oscar Wilde, Rainbow Snippets | 6 Comments

“At Least the Natives are Friendly.” Cool Down With Friday Flash Fics for December 9th, 2022 from Jeff Baker.

Posted on December 9, 2022 by jeffbaker307

At Least the Natives are Friendly

by Jeff Baker

Zack could hear the scraping sounds echoing from the other driveways as he joined his neighbors in attacking an icy car window with a scraper.

“Swell,” he grumbled through the scarf covering his mouth. “Eighteen light-years from Earth and I still have to do this every morning.”

He looked around the neighborhood, rows of irregularly-shaped domed houses reminding Zack of the houses in that ancient Dr. Seuss Christmas cartoon. Snow in the yards and on the roofs, oddly-formed pink trees and driveways shoveled clear by neighbor kids, some of them with furry faces.

Streets clear, thank heaven, he mused. That was one good thing about living and working on a planet where it was winter four fifths of the year.

He pulled down his scarf and blew into the air; he could see his breath just like back on Earth. Oh well, at least the pay was good.

Zack had shipped out on a star freighter when he was sixteen and had worked his way across the solar systems as far away as he could get from his abusive family. He hadn’t minded being on his own and when the opportunity to run the warehouse on Blumenstuck had come up he’d jumped on it, When he’d been told it was winter most of the year there, he’d shrugged.

What the hey! Just like Wisconsin. Scraping the car window every morning was a pain, but the job wasn’t bad and it paid well and the Earth people shared the world with the Olarni, who had arrived on the planet two hundred years earlier, seeking a colder world. They liked the cold and were basically furry humanoids.

And some of them liked the Earth people.

Zack grinned. That was the real fringe benefit, one that made him stick with the job and the cold mornings.

He came home every evening to a sweet, warm, furry pan-sexual Olarni man who would make any world Zack was on feel like home.

Emidos had been raised on Blumenstuck and he loved it as he loved Zack.

And they both laughed at the name the icy world had been given by the Earth colonists who had seen it hanging in space like a flower. “ Blumenstuck” meant “flower piece.”

“Really cold for a flower,” they would laugh.

Zack was grinning as he finished scraping the windows and started the car.

—end—

Posted in Fiction, Friday Flash Fics, Friday Flash Fictions, LGBT, Science Fiction, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

“Eric’s Buddy” article on RoM/Mantic Reads by Jeff Baker.

Posted on December 7, 2022 by jeffbaker307

RoM/Mantic Reads (the E-Zine I’m a contributor to) has kindly posted my analysis of a Gay-themed episode of “That 70’s Show,” and how it could have been only the beginning! My thanks to Fiona Glass for maintaining the site! https://rommanticreads.wordpress.com/2022/12/06/jeff-baker-erics-buddy-a-deep-dive-into-that-70s-shows-gayest-episode/?fbclid=IwAR2zxopvqLVNyepfrVpyzsqeFRbtFlorGF0vvhZugfOBeNO-Ol5Tbe5KqtY

Posted in Essay, LGBT, RoM/Mantic Reads, That 70s Show | Leave a comment

Surf’s Up! For a Merry Mystery, for December 2022’s Flash Fiction Draw Challenge from Mike Mayak (December 5, 2022)

Posted on December 5, 2022 by jeffbaker307

Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, December 2022—-The Draws!

First, here’s the prompts for the December 2022 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge. Then my usual long-winded explanation:

A Mystery

Set on (or near) a Merry-Go-Round

Involving a Surfboard

Now, on to the details.

Hi! I’m Mike Mayak, I also write as Jeff Baker and I’m the current moderator for the monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, which was started by ‘Nathan Burgoine a few years ago and carried on by Cait Gordon and Jeffrey Ricker. It’s a monthly writing challenge mainly for stress-free fun that anyone can play.

Here’s how it works: the first Monday of every month I draw three cards; a heart, a diamond and a club. These correspond to a list naming a genre, a setting and an object that must appear in the story. Participants write up a flash fiction story, 1,000 words or less, post it to their website and link it here in the comments. I’ll post the results (and hopefully have one of my own written!) the week of December 12th, 2022.

As I’m no good making videos I did the drawing offstage and the results were the Five of Clubs (a surfboard), Six of Diamonds (a merry-go-round) and the Ace of Hearts (a mystery.)

So, get to writing and I’ll post the results next week!

Thanks for playing!

And here’s an addenda: I now have a Mastodon page/account for “Mike Mayak,” (MikeMayak@mastodon.lol) and I intend to keep this going through 2023!

See ya! ———-Mike

Posted in 'Nathan Burgoine, Cait Gordon, Jeffrey Ricker, Mike Mayak, Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge | 3 Comments

Rainbow Snippets Comes Between a Dragon and His Wrath, with Jeff Baker, December 3rd, 2022.

Posted on December 3, 2022 by jeffbaker307

Every week we post six lines from a work of ours, a work-in-progress or published or a recommendation of someone else’s work with at least one LGBT character. Posted at Rainbow Snippets here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/963484217054974

Stretching the definition of “six lines” again for this story of mine “Come Not Between the Dragon and His Wrath,” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2022/11/11/come-not-between-the-dragon-and-his-wrath-friday-flash-fics-for-november-11-2022-by-jeff-baker/ where Willie goes to show his ex-boyfriend Allan the dragon tattoo he got especially for his current boyfriend, Ian. I got a nice response from readers in that the exes had a good relationship. Title, of course, from Shakespeare. Here’s the snippet:

“Yeah, I know,” Willie said. “You guys came in here to eat a couple of months ago.”

“I brought him in here to meet you,” Allan said, pulling his shirt down.

“Meeting the Ex,” Willie said with a grin. “Well, I hope he at least liked the restaurant.”

“Ian liked you,” Allan said. “I told him all about you.”

And that’s it for this week! Next week, something special for the holidays.

———-jeff

Posted in Fiction, LGBT, Rainbow Snippets, Romance | 2 Comments

Dig It Out With Friday Flash Fics. Getting a snack at the ballpark, from Jeff Baker. December 2, 2022.

Posted on December 2, 2022 by jeffbaker307

Dig It Out

by Jeff Baker

“Oh, wow! What is this? It’s goooood!” Herbie said pecking at the ground with his beak.

“It’s sunflower seeds. Somebody must have been walking across the ball field munching them and dropped a few,” Morton said, ruffling his wings to settle his feathers.

“Man! I never imagined pecking for food on the ground would be so much fun!” Herbie said. “I’m gonna like being a goose!”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Morton said. “Canada Geese live about twenty-five years in the wild. I remember reading that once, back when I read a lot!”

“Really?” Herbie said. “You mean, we don’t come back as geese again?”

“Sometimes.” Morton said. “But reincarnation’s a real crapshoot. Ugh! Speaking of which, watch where you step. Ick!” Morton shook a webbed foot. “That one was fresh!”

“You get that in a baseball field full of geese,” Herbie said, glancing over at the rest of the gaggle, munching at the brown grass near the fence.

“Yeah,” Morton said. “I wanted to be a wolf, but I keep coming back as a bird. My first goose though.”

“Yeah, I…Ow! What the heck is this?” Herbie said.

Morton waddled over to get a closer look at what Herbie had unearthed with his beak.

“Looks like a ring somebody lost.” Morton said. “Hmmmmmm…if this is gold it could be valuable. Of course, that doesn’t do us any good!”

“Gimmie a moment,” Herbie said. He picked up the ring in his beak and waddled across the field, setting the ring down on home plate. “There. Somebody will find it. Maybe they’ll even find out who owned it.”

“Depends on what they value.” Morton said.

There was a honking from the geese in right field.

“Sounds like somebody found bread!” Herbie said eagerly.

“Hold on!” Morton said. “Leave the bread. That stuff just gives us the runs. Ooooooooh! Look! Here’s some grubs!”

—end—

Posted in Baseball, Fantasy, Fiction, Friday Flash Fics, Friday Flash Fictions, Short-Stories | Leave a comment

“This Site Uses Cookies.” By Jeff Baker. (From a Wednesday Words Prompt.) November 26, 2022.

Posted on November 26, 2022 by jeffbaker307
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

This Site Uses Cookies

by Jeff Baker

(November 23, 2022)

“Woah!” Danny said, shielding his eyes from the light from the bare bulb in the ceiling. “What is this, an interrogation?”

“Let me get that,” Mr. Fordyce said, reaching up to pull the cord turning the light off. The desk lamp lit the small room enough for both of them to see around the office. Fordyce owned the company but he rarely was in the office on the back loading dock used by the night crew.

“You work here long?” Fordyce asked Danny.

“First day was today,” Danny said.

“Well, don’t believe every story you hear about the night crew being a bunch of druggies. They couldn’t get the job done if they were. Hey, cookies!”

There was a large, holiday-themed platter of homemade cookies setting there on the desk.

“I guess we help ourselves,” Danny said.

The two men each reached for the platter, then froze in mid-reach.

“Do you remember that old episode of…” Danny started to say.

“…Barney Miller!” Mr. Fordyce finished.

“With the brownies!” Danny said.

The two men stared at the platter.

“What the hey!” Fordyce said as he grabbed a cookie. Danny did too.

“Gooood!” Danny said taking a bite.

They each grabbed one more for their respective drives home.

—end—

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This story was written for a Wednesday Words prompt from Paula Wyant: https://ptwyant.com/2022/11/23/wednesday-words-413-11-23-2022/ The first day at a new job or school. Cookies. And, a bright light. For the record, this actually happened to me, but not on my first day on the job! —–jeff

Posted in Fiction, Paula's Prompts, Short-Stories | Leave a comment