Halloween is coming

I've been really stressed out with dealing with a round of massive sickness at the house and my little guys continuing arthritic problems. I have managed to squirrel enough time away to edit some old projects and get them out there. I wish them well...

The air is crisp (a little too crisp this year) and the trees are almost all bare. Soon, we'll have to light the old grinning doorstep fools to keep back Samhain and all the ghoulies.

Trav

Hint fiction

Robert Smartwood has promoted this new type of fiction, called: hint fiction. It is a fiction story in 25 words or less. You can read more about it at:
http://www.robertswartwood.com/?page_id=8

I submitted two such stories for his proposed anthology this summer. I'm still waiting to see if mine make the final cut. It would be cool, if they did as Joyce Carol Oates and a lot of other famous people will be in the anthology, but I had fun challenging myself to this endeavor, anyways. If I don't make it, I'll post them here later. Until then, I came up with another one recently and I'll self-publish it here:

Hitchiking in a Red State

by: T. L. Barrett

Johnny knew he was in trouble when the driver said: "Look at all these lazy animals, just sleeping the day away on the interstate."

The End

Well, I hope you enjoy that bit of political fiction. I have not gotten much done this weekend on account of some friends stopping by and the little ones still recuperating. I'll catch you later...

Trav

Home with the kids.

Yep, home from work with the kids, again. My son Brahms has severe arthritis and it is acting up horribly. His twin may have pneumonia. Trying times. I am just thankful for the kind hearts in our life that give their love and time to help my little boy feel as well as he can. (He loved the card and the orange, Auntie Corey. You don't realize, perhaps, how rare that kind of thoughtfulness is. He will remember.)

It is ironic that my writing career's first gasp of life was inspired by the very hardship that we are facing going into another long cold winter. People always say art comes from pain. I guess the people are right. Speaking of "The China People of Oz", my wife, Sandra will be putting together a reading at the Davies Memorial Library in the White Village of Waterford as soon as I can get some copies of the Shadows of the Emerald City which is being published on the 15th of this month. If anyone would like to purchase a copy at that time, please contact me, so I will know how many I should get. I will update the blog with details when we get the final date and time for the reading.

I'm sending out a lot of stories, old and new, to all kinds of places. We will keep our fingers crossed for those.

I have decided my task for these dark months. My epic fantasy novel, The Vale of Shade, needs editing, a somewhat daunting task for it reads over 800 pages long, but it has to be done. It took me 5 years writing through house fires, births, illnesses, construction and moving, so it is really a work of blood, sweat and tears. It is also really, really good, and I have faith that you will be seeing it on the bookshelves in the next couple of years.

Well, I'm off to pick up another sick kid. Catch you later.
Trav

My second story to be published!

Sideshow fables has accepted my short story, "Number Seven was Empty", for issue #3 which should be out in March. It is a Circus Fiction literary magazine. You can find out more and purchase a copy eventually at:

http://www.freewebs.com/sideshowfables/

things just keep on rolling on...

really my first review

Well, I was wrong. I guess this was my first review. Wanderings Magazine editor, Mike Wever, seemed to like my story all right.

http://www.wanderingsmag.com/rvw_ShadowEmerald.html

My first review!

I know, this might sound like gloating. But I keep getting rejection letters that describe how wonderful folks thought my work is, but they just couldn't fit it in their conception of their anthology. One very kind lady told me that she loved my story, but couldn't accept it, because she didn't believe that people actually had psychic powers. I guess she never met the people I know. I spent the evening sending out some of my best and hoping for the same.

A magazine just published a review of Shadows of the Emerald City. It mentions four stories and one of them was one of mine! Wow. You can read about it at the following:

http://strangeweirdandwonderful.bravehost.com/3Site/Fall09.pdf

I am over the rainbow.

Trav

I will soon see print!

Hi,

I have been excited about the upcoming publication of Shadows of the Emerald City. It should be out October 15th. The table of contents is available to read on the NorthernFrights website. My story is smack dab in the middle. I am still waiting on a lot of other great anthologies I have submitted stories to. I woke up this morning with a headache and a great horror story in my head. It seems no matter how much fantasy I read, I keep coming out with the dark and spooky stuff. Well, I suppose it is the time of year. I also have had a lot of stress dealing with my little guy's arthritis condition. I guess I should sit back down and start hammering out these dark little gems soon. Well, I will keep everyone posted...

Trav