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                               WHERE IS THE GOVERNMENT? We all remember the devastating fires around Los Angeles where thousands of structures were destroyed. The last update I heard about progress in restoring the area was that 30 houses have been built out of the thousands destroyed. It was stated that one of the main stumbling blocks was insurance companies holding the policies of the…

It wasn’t too many years ago that we were inundated with stink buts. A gift from Laos. Fortunately, birds developed a taste for these odorous insects and the plague of stink bugs disappeared. This story was written during the height of the infestation. It was published by Cemetery Moon in 2116                                                      HE FLEW AWAY The stink bug invasion, a product…

BOOK REVIEW: THE DELUGE BY STEPHEN MARKLEY The Deluge is an excellently written book where the author takes a surprisingly accurate glimpse into the future. The book deals with the future of climate change and global warming. Surprisingly the author also has a massive fire which destroys Los Angeles. Among critical events the Capital is also taken over, but this time by an environmentalists’…

                            TRUMP TRUMPS BIDEN All through Trump’s administration that anything that goes wrong is Biden’s fault. Anything good is because of Trump. In all honesty Biden was far from perfect and his pardons and use of the justice department were far from above board. But how Trump handles these areas is a few orders of magnitude above Biden’s. Okay, Biden pardoned his son,…

French Creek is a local which really exists and the trail described is also real. There is also a destroyed structure along the trail. All this came together in my imagination and resulted in the story you’r about to read. Enjoy.                                                               The Legend                                                                    …

CATS EYES Joe Flannelly sat with his good friend, Howard Long, at their standard table in their favorite pub.  The first few rounds of beer went down easy and fast.  When Joe lifted his glass and said, “Here’s looking at you, Howard.” But Joe offered his toast without his usual cheerfulness. In reality, he had offered the toast out of habit putting little thought into it. Howard shook his head…

This is my first published story. Published by Enigma in 2003, a Philadelphia small publisher no longer is existence.                                                                                                                               REUNION The June morning was brilliant and clear with just enough of a breeze to keep you cool despite the predicted eighty-degree day.  At the age of…

                                  OUR DEMOCRACY IS DYING The direction in which this country is moving is both strange and disturbing. Since Trump became president the principles associated with our Constitution have been diminishing. And the separation of the three branches of government has become blurred. The primaries have become a killing field for Republicans running for office who have…

                                                SCRAPPING HISTORY Located on the eastern boarder of Newark is Newark Bay, a body of water leading out to the Atlantic Ocean.  I have always loved the smell of the ocean, the proximity of primal life.  However, by the time the ocean’s water mixed with the additions contributed by the factories, all that was left was a hint of what was once the…

When you’re old enough to look back. TRANSITIONS The years, they march unceasing,Dreams flare, then fade away,Some reach, some corner of my mindStill plays with yesterday. The years, they take their toll,Hopes dim, then fade away,My youth, now past now spentHas abandoned me this day. I pause, I catch the soundOf small children, my children at play,The world does comes full circle,I pause, not…

The Corner Bar recently accepted my short story, Cliff’s Note, and it has just been published. Here is a link if you would like to read it. Corner Bar Magazine The story appears in the 2026, April 30 issue.

WHERE’S THE INORGANIC? The next time you’re at the grocery store and you see a clerk near a product advertised as ‘organic’ ask where you can find the inorganic version of that product. Say an apple. To answer your question, he would have to take you to a display of plastic apples. You see, all food is organic. Now if they said the product was grown under organic principles, that would be a…

Accepted for publication by Bewildering Stories in July 2008. For those fans of horror, you may recognize multiple incidents described in this story which are not fiction.                                    FICTION SEEKING TRUTH Stewart Kingman was a very successful writer of horror stories.  What made his fiction popular was that the stories contained a glimmer of truth.  He always included…

                                 AI AND YOUR WRITING At a recent meeting of a writer’s group I belonged to we had an interesting discussion on the use of AI in one’s writing. One of the authors present was having a problem in determining if the question of using AI should be considered should come into play when considering a publisher. The problem considered what percentage of the manuscript…

Thoughts on current affairs.  4/12/2026                                     AMERICA RETURNS TO SPACE The entire country is in awe of our return to the moon and that now our curiosity about space has returned and I hope it is maintained. I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you a story I wrote sone time ago about a society which thought space exploration was a waste of time and…

               ANDY WEIR: PATRON SAINT OF SELF-PUBLISHING I nominate Andy Weir for patron saint of self-publishing. I sincerely think he has earned that title. Weir’s work first caught attention when he published some work online. Next came his novel, The Martian, which he self-published. That novel made The New York Times bestseller list and was eventually made into what became a popular…

Here is the story dealing with a planet’s decision not to invest in space exploration. Second Chance has been published twice. The first publication was by Books To Go Nowin2011 and the second by Separate Worlds in 2013.  Second Chance Richard Walsh, 95, relaxed in his backyard beach chair.  The air was crystal clear; this was highly unusual for the smog, blown in from the coastal cities,…