For the past five months, I have been making most of my news updates and announcements on my official Google+ Page, but do not worry because here is another blog post!
Here's what's been happening: not much. Work on Chapter VI of Armed with Wings has been at a standstill for these five months, but I do plan on returning to it after I complete "Nesborne." Then, there is that: "Nesborne" is the title of my Halloween short story for this year, my first one since 2010 ("The First Hour"). The story is a lengthy sci-fi thriller about the fictitious town of Nesborne, Illinois, and how a group of high-schoolers discover that an alien invasion is not on its way; instead, they discover that an alien invasion is already there....
Finally, today marked the official release of my newest short story, "Duck Season," written last week in two days (July 1-2) for the first-ever official Zelda Universe Forums Art Collab, which is essentially the same thing as ZU's Writing Contests, except that all art forms are accepted and there is no competition. Basically, it's an art show! The theme for this month was "Seasons."
"Duck Season" is what I consider to be my greatest masterpiece thus far. In 2,360 words, it tells a story so deep and so powerful that it has reportedly made most of the people who have read it thus far at least shed a tear. Personally? As soon as I finished typing the last word, I broke into sobs. Simultaneously, I was grinning from ear to ear, so it was pretty weird. But pretty amazing. "Duck Season" is written like a children's story, so the language structure is pretty simplistic (although some more advanced vocabulary is used occasionally throughout). However, the story itself, and its young characters and its conflicts, are as deep and complex as almost any piece of short adult fiction. It also marks the first time that I have used a plot device symbolically, meaning that "Duck Season" has the most intentionally-placed symbolism out of any of my stories thus far, which only adds to the emotion.
The story follows a young boy named Martin as he meets and gets to know a young girl named Angie by the bank of a duck pond in the local park. They quickly become best friends, and they spend their weekends playing in the park by the side of the pond. How could they ever drift apart?
It is my deepest wish that you enjoy "Duck Season" and that it has as much of an effect on you as it did on me and some of those readers whom I sent the story to before release.
By the way, I will be recording audiobook versions of both "Star Crash" and "Duck Season" after I return from Vermont, where I am currently participating in a program for high school students at a college (to help prepare us for college). Stay tuned!
P.S. If you are interested, you should check out the July Art Collab exhibit on ZU! All of the work submitted is top-notch!
P.P.S. "Duck Season" will also be coming to Figment soon! Not yet sure about a deviantART release.