Published Stories
From abroad:
“Masada by Moonlight,” Scarlet Leaf Review, February 2016
We never said thank-you
"Morocco Rococo," Carolina Crimes: Rock, Roll, and Ruin, October 2022
Blame it on hashish
“One of Ours,” Wild Violet Literary Magazine, August 2013
If you can’t beat ’em . . .
“Red Trees,” Fiction365, February 2013
When to face the music?
“Tea with Nelson Eddy,” The Corner Club Press, September 2011
Yes, that’s all there is
From the beach:
"A Colander of Peas," All My Good Habits I Learned from Grandma, August 2007
Kitchen rituals soothe a troubled child
“Goldilocks Grandparents,” Mystery Tribune 2022
What’s hers is theirs
“The Greatest Landlord on Earth,” The Dan River Anthology 2009, May 2009
Nothing lasts
"The Last Dream," Strange Mysteries 9, September 2022
Do dreams come true?
“Stepdaughter," Notes and Grace Notes, July 2011
A brilliant future cut short
“’Tis the Season,” Destination Mystery anthology, 2015
To give, he had to take
From the city:
"Alley Cat," The First Line, December 2002
Changing Mama's behavior takes some ingenuity
“At Least I’m Dancing,” Fresh Magazine, September 2012
What a man will do for love
"Beginner's Lessons," Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, May 2002
A novice private eye learns her trade
"Black and White," Stray Branch Magazine, May 2022
The party pooper prevails
“Cold Case,” Over My Dead Body, June 2015
Was it arson, revenge, or fun?
“Cruising Craigslist,” The Storyteller, April/May/June 2013
A bridal gown’s new lease on life
“The Day before Time Began,” Work Literary Magazine, August 2015
A burned-out diplomat ponders the tricks time plays
"Enough," The First Line, December 2006
We all have our limits
“Even Robots Screw Up,” The Write Launch, July 2018
How not to commit the perfect crime
"Gone Fishing," The Green Silk Journal, October 2009
Roger should have stayed dead
"Growing Pains," Orchard Press Mysteries, October 2008
The kid in trouble turns out to be trouble himself
"The Incident of the Rose," The First Line, March 2003
The power of old love letters
"Indispensable," Pages Penned in Pandemic anthology, January 2021
Some essentials should never be hoarded
“Intervention,” Carolina Crimes: 21 Tales of Need, Greed and Dirty Deeds. Lutz, FL: Down and Out Books, 2017
He shouldn’t have tried to intervene
"Just a Song," The Greensilk Journal, January 2009
And they're playing it every day
"Maude's Makeover," The Chick Lit Review, July 2008
The mousy one becomes a queen
“Memories of the Shed,” Gold Dust Magazine, Issue 28, Winter 2015
Evil lurks just inside the door
“Mrs. Morrison Throws Down the Gauntlet,” Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, July 2017
She was too busy to die
"Oops," Long Story Short, February 2010
It was wrong, but it sure felt right
"Ordering In," A Fly in Amber, March 2010
Mama's phone call brings a miracle
“Plain Vanilla,” Gold Dust Magazine, No. 27, Summer 2015
She done you wrong, Bill
“Remember What Happened to the Cat,” The Storyteller, March 2015
Secrets not told
“Spring,” Long Story Short, June 2015
She knows how to fix it
“That Hope-y, Change-y Thing,” We’ve Been Trumped anthology, September 2016
He promised to help
"A Trick of the Light," Strange Mysteries 2, April 2010
Her husband disappears … along with her identity
“What Is This Thing Called Like?” One Hundred Voices, an Anthology, Vol. III. Dover, NH: Centum Press, 2017.
Love’s lesser-known sibling
“The Year That Nothing Made Sense,” Fiction365, October 2012
Sometimes your instincts are right
From the countryside:
“Departure,” Broken Worlds anthology, 2015
She had to get away
"Creature of Habit," Sanctuary, Darkhouse Books 2018
A comfortable routine invaded
“Dumb Beasts,” The Storyteller, April/May/June 2014
Sometimes revenge is best not served at all
“Finding Avery,” The Saturday Evening Post, June 2016
Serving up New York attitude with Old South soul
“Glory Days,” Page and Spine Literary Magazine, May 6, 2017
Gone, but impossible to forget
“Growing Gills,” The Greensilk Journal, Fall 2010
What did you do in the revolution, Daddy?
“How Josie’s Problem Got Solved,” InfectiveInk, March 2016
The phone keeps ringing for someone else
“Last Room,” Long Story Short, January 2011
Homage to Edward Hopper in microfiction
“Noise,” Literally Stories, October 1, 2015 and Literally Stories: The Anthology, 2015
Nobody wanted this
“Requiem for a Racetrack,” End Notes feature in Page and Spine Magazine, April 20, 2018
It will never be the same
“That Old Black Magic,” Avalon Literary Review, fall 2017.
Coincidence or magic?
“They Eat Them in China," Dual Coast Magazine, Issue #3, February 2016
Shouldn’t the punishment fit the crime?
“Ticket to Heaven,” The Avalon Literary Review, Winter 2014
Will he hate her in the morning?
From the future:
“Ants,” The Bitchin’ Kitsch, September 2015
We don’t step on them
“Briar Patch,” The Radvocate, Vol. 14, September 2, 2016
Truth-telling has its price
“Elective Surgery,” Home Planet News, April 2014
To change their lives, he risked everything
“The Most Famous Person on Earth,” The Piker Press, October 26, 2015
The brave new world of social media
From the workplace:
“Bonnie,” Della Donna Magazine, July 2010
A name can be so misleading …
“Break It Gently,” The First Line, Vol. 18, No. 1, March 2016
Sometimes you have to opt back in
“The Business of Business,” Work Literary Magazine, January 26, 2015
Fatherhood and corporate crunch time
“Champagne Therapy,” Ideagems, October 2013
An old standard saves the day
“Change You Can Believe In,” The Bitchin’ Kitsch, April 2014
Sometimes, being invisible has its upside
The Chickens Are on Their Way Home,” Work Literary Magazine, January 2013
The axe often swings in a wide arc
"Department of Purgatory," Workers Write! Tales from the Capitol, April 2010
Some government jobs are hellish
“Desperate Times,” Work Literary Magazine, September 26, 2016
A desperate measure backfires
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell," The Oddville Press, March 2010
The high price of taking advantage of someone
“Risky Business,” Work Literary Magazine, July 2017
The cost of having fun
“Rules for the Company Picnic,” Work Literary Magazine, June 2016
Just a little head’s up for the summer
“Saving Mr. Higgs.” Page and Spine Literary Magazine, June 2016
Her dream comes true
“Splitsville,” Work Literary Magazine, December 2012
Could there be four more dreaded words?
"The Thing About Enemies," Work Literary Magazine, October 22, 2018
How best to deal with them?