Published

My story "Black Mack" was reprinted in the recently published horror anthology Deadhead Miles.

"Because," I said.

Over at SleuthSayers.org there was a recent discussion about dialog tags. I joined in and, I think, summed it up best:

"If a speech tag draws attention to itself, it draws attention AWAY from the dialog, and if a speech tag is used to prop up weak dialog, then the problem isn't the choice of an unusual speech tag, the problem is weak or poorly written dialog. 

"As a writer, then, your goal should be to write dialog so good it doesn't need speech tags to prop it up."

Thirty-eight

I finished and submitted my thirty-eighth short story of the year this evening, a 3,500-word Spring Break confession that I started November 13, 2012.

Thirty-seven

I finished and submitted my thirty-seventh short story of the year this evening. This one's a 3,500-word confession I started February 15, 2011.

40

I received my 40th acceptance of the year today, this time for what may be the world's only erotic story about gay surfing vampires.

Interviewed

There's a brief interview with me on ncreadergirl's blog in conjunction with the publication of Ignite!, an anthology of erotica for mothers. Read it here.

Thirty-six

I finished and submitted my thirty-sixth short story of the year this evening. This one's a 4,000-word confession I started January 9, 2012.

Thirty-five

I finished and submitted my thirty-fifth short story of the year this evening. This one's a 2,000-word confession I started April 18, 2009.

39

I received my 39th acceptance this evening, this for the confession I submitted on the 11th.

Published 2x

My story "Don't Judge a Book" appears in the January True Confessions, and my story "I Need a New Boss" appears in the January True Story.

38

I received my 38th acceptance of the year this morning, this time for a 3,500-word confession.

Thirty-four

I finished and submitted my thirty-fourth story of the year this morning, a 3,500-word Valentine's Day confession I started writing on February 16.

37

I received my 37th acceptance of the year this evening, this time for a New Year's Eve confession.

Reviewed

Karielle reviews High Octane Heroes (Cleis Press) at Books a la Mode and has this to say about "Big Guns," my contribution to the anthology:

"Big, brutish Special Agent Howie is THE man of our unnamed narrator's naughty fantasies. When, on her bartending gig, she finds herself in the middle of his undercover assignment, he not only saves her life, but also teaches her exactly what fantasies are made of. I liked the sensuality of this story, and how it leaves a lot to the imagination."

She gives my story and the entire collection eight out of ten hearts. Read the entire review here.

Guest post

Today I take John Floyd's spot at SleuthSayers, a group blog by and for mystery writers, when I write about how to "Market-First, Write-Second." Read my guest post here.

Published

My story "A Roomful of Santas" appears in the December True Story.

36

I received my 36th acceptance of the year this evening.

Thirty-Three

I finished and submitted my thirty-third short story of the year this evening. This one's a 4,300-word erotic vampire story.

Published

My erotic story "Feelings" appears in the current issue of Clean Sheets. Read it here.

Random thought

I plan to found a new company called Michael Enterprises, or ME for short, so the next time someone says, "You're not the boss of me!" I can look them squarely in the eye and say, "Actually, I am."