(If you’re wondering what happened to yesterday, refer to my rules for this challenge. -HP)

Penny Broken was livid, but no one understood exactly why. Even fewer were concerned except to duck whenever she would throw something or raise her voice. As the ranking superior, minding her meant keeping to themselves and doing exactly what they were told. Broken was not known for her restraint, and was…

There were about as many coins as she could count in as many pockets as hands existed. Reaching through the mud to grasp them, to wipe off the sticky gore, only to see they were as blank as the fingers she had held just hours ago. A day? A half? Aaran pulled the blanket away from her body, sweating and uncomfortable. She put hands in her hair and heard the familiar humming of the motors in the…

Live right now on Wattpad is Sector Bomb, featuring Aaran Coates and Buddy Namiki in their search for cause of the attack on Sector 9. WordPress doesn’t like embedding … so here’s an excerpt and a link to the story:

http://embed.wattpad.com/story/24135823

“Been waitin’ for a limb like this for years.” Her eyes were clear, examining the arm. “He’s a talented craftsman. When I look at it I feel…

A sample of Ahead on Machined Shoulders available now at Wattpad:

[May is the wife of Remy Therison, Aaran. At least in a full prosthetic she can protect herself. Convincing her to keep a bodyguard is not an enviable task. One I've been charged with by Garen many times.] [Not to be insensitive about her whole body being turned into stock-and-shelf parts,] I retorted. [She's always had a dim idea…

On it’s face; Carrying on Anyway

So no quality reviewers. I’ll admit it; but there’s lots to do, so, moving on. Requiring approval has never been a thing for me. All that being said, I have been getting quite a lot thanks to Twitter. What useful tool! More the flavor is followers who think I have money (to spend on them) or might be a source of profit (ditto).

That’s a strange thought, though certainly a welcome one. I’m not one…

Resolute Gait, Wispy Child Excerpt

Eight cruisers had somehow veered into a Hauler robot dragging twelve long tons of raw NA-16 through the middle of Angel City North and right across my doorstep. The first smacked into the Hauler, and from my ground level office I heard the groan and wail. Haulers sometimes develop personalities, and even a few like to adopt emotive traits.

Plasteel doesn’t burn, especially the kind they use in…

Excerpt: Stand A Lone Girl

From the latest short story to be featured in Bold Curves, an excerpt of “Stand A Lone Girl”:

Favors. I don’t need favors.There was a catch in my shoulder I needed my favorite—and only—tech to grind out, but he was busy offside having the corners of his head filed down by some Crown military officials for daring to step outside the lines. Reggie didn’t want to give me a favor; she was too…

Anthologizing: Coates and Yyone Alloy

So basically~~~ I’ve been writing like a madman, new short stories for the Bold Curves Anthology. Here’s a sample from the first story, Coates and Yyone Alloy where Aaran is dealin’ with Jareth’s brusque regard for her … attitude.

“You get any messages while I was offline?” He handed her a neon-pink note. “Yeah, just one.” Gazing at the scrawl, she realized it read something to the effect of: Neo…