Hardbroiled shout-out

In "Murder on the Menu," Kevin Burton Smith gives a shout-out to Hardbroiled (Betancourt & Co., 2003), an anthology of private stories I edited in which food plays an important role.

38

I received my 38th acceptance of the year this afternoon, this time for a ghost story about coming to grips with the loss of a loved one that I wrote in 2003.

Published 2x

My story "Two Men with Chocolate" appears in the October True Confessions, and my story "The Pirate and the Bartender at Halloween" appears in the October True Story.

Reviewed

At Erzabet's Enchantments, Erzabet Bishop interviews Sedona Fox, a contributor to Cowboy Lust, and then follows the interview with a review of the anthology.

In the review she mentions five stories as her "absolute fav's," including my story, "Drought." Read the interview and review here.

37

I received my 37th acceptance of the year this evening, this time for the 1,500-word Thanksgiving-themed confession I submitted a couple of days ago.

36, published, and free

My erotic romance "Picture Perfect," about a widow and a younger man, has been reprinted in Cougar and Kitten, a five-story mini-anthology that's free for Kindle users today through the 21st. Learn more and get your copy here.

35

I received my 35th acceptance of the year yesterday, this time for a 2,500-word bit of crime fiction.

Published

My erotic crime fiction story, "Late One Night at the Tourist Court," about a mid-40s bank heist and what follows, appears in the just-published anthology Past Pleasures (Xcite Books), edited by Elizabeth Coldwell.

Thirty-Two

I finished and submitted my thirty-second short story of the year this evening. This one's a 1,500-word Thanksgiving-themed confession.

"Young Man's Game" reviewed

Fangtasia reviews Model Men, an anthology edited by Neil Plakcy, and my story "Young Man's Game" is one of a handful of stories singled out for special attention. Among other things, Fangtasia writes:

"...this one snagged my attention because of the romance, the luscious outdoor sex, and the older characters."

Read the entire review here.

Microchick reviewed

Kevin Tipple reviews Microchick, a collection of my previously published erotic science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories, and concludes:

"The tales in Microchick are good ones. All are complicated and frequently have multiple twists that encourage the reader to consider other possibilities. Microchick: Erotic Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror is another very good read from author Michael Bracken and only intended for adult readers."

Read the entire review at Kevin's Corner.

Microchick is only available in electronic formats, so look for it wherever eBooks are sold.

Writing a Strong Female Protagonist

Here's a photo and brief description of the "Writing a Strong Female Protagonist" panel at last weekend's ArmadilloCon in Austin. A careful examination will reveal that I'm the only male member of the panel.

Free mini-anthologies

My erotic crime story "Late One Night at the Tourist Court" appears in the mini-anthology Cherry Ripe (Xcite Books). The Kindle edition of Cherry Ripe will be free at Amazon August 4-8. Learn more here.

My erotic story "Boys of Summer" appears in the mini-anthology Stud Poker (Xcite Books). The Kindle edition of Stud Poker will be free at Amazon August 7-11. Learn more here.

33, 34

My 33rd and 34th acceptances of the year are reprints. This is turning out to be a good year for reprints.

"Lost Soul" reviewed

My short story "Lost Soul" is reviewed by Stephanotis at Long and Short Reviews. Stephanotis sums up with

"'Lost Soul' is a snappy, quick read for mystery lovers who are short on time. I’ll definitely be looking for more stories by the author." 

Read the entire review here. Purchase the story here.