My Short Story "Nello's Liner Notes" now Available for Free at The Wax Paper!!!

My process for writing fiction is pretty laborious. Novels take many drafts and several years. Short stories can take just as long.

Such was not the case for my short story "Nello's Liner Notes," which came out a year or two ago at The Wax Paper.

As much as I love The Wax Paper's newspaper-y format, I'm always a little disappointed when I can't send a link around of a newly-published piece. Well, The Wax Paper has recently published "Nello's Liner Notes" online, which is great because I finally get to offer it to you.

"Nello's Liner Notes" is told by Nello Van Hansen, lead singer of Comatoast, and it's about his inability to get his band's debut album in the can.

So, give ten minutes to "Nello's Liner Notes," and let me know your thoughts.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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My Review of Spent Saints by Brian Jabas Smith

It is my pleasure to bring you my review of the debut short story collection Spent Saints by Beat Angels lead singer Brian Jabas Smith. 

You can pick up your copy of Spent Saints at Indie Bound.

My review.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art


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New Short Story "Nello's Liner Notes" Published by The Wax Paper!!!

I got to meet Hans and co., the fellas who put together the broadsheet lit mag called The Wax Paper, at AWP last February. This mag had accepted my short story "Nello's Liner Notes" for publication a week before, so it was great to get the chance to thank them in person and to get to know them a bit.

When I heard one of them was from Chicago, I of course had to ask, "Cubs or Sox?"

One said, "Sox."

The other, "Indians."

So, we didn't talk much about baseball after that.

These two have put together a fantastically cool lit mag, and if you subscribe, you'll get to read the lost liner notes of one Nello Van Hansen, the finest budding songwriter in southwest North Dakota, whose magnum opus Havi-g Said That never quite made it to press. Where's the "n," you ask? You have to subscribe and read the story to find out!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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My Piece on the Writing and Publication of my Story "Waiting for the Answer" (City of Weird) up at Necessary Fiction!!!

I'm always fascinated by the elements that make a story go--whether it be a book, a film, a TV show, an essay, or something else--and I'm at least as fascinated by what's missing when it doesn't quite.

The latter was the case with my story "Waiting for the Question," also known as my Alex Trebek story, which I worked on for years until it finally came together and was published in the brand new anthology City of Weird, brought to you by Portland publisher Forest Avenue Press.

Necessary Fiction has done me the honor of publishing my short essay on the process of writing and publishing "Waiting for the Question," which includes details of how Forest Avenue's Laura Stanfill and Gigi Little emailed Alex Trebek to get his permission to publish the story in the anthology. Yeah, that's gonna work, right? Read on, my friend, and be amazed.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Forest Avenue Press's City of Weird anthology.

Because What's Weirder than Alex Trebek?

About five years ago, I sat down to write a story about Alex Trebek.

This story would be different from so many of my other short stories because it would come from an idea.

I didn't write from ideas. I didn't like ideas. Everyone had ideas. I wanted to be different.

My idea was I wanted Alex Trebek to show up to an apartment complex, squat down, and sort of study the distance from this position. Think of it as a contemplative pose. He'd grab his lip, absent-mindedly pinch it, look off into the distance, and stay there for a long time. I just wanted his presence in this pose in this story, kind of like the old man in "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," but I wanted it to be Alex Trebek, and I wanted him to be squatting, and I wanted to see what would happen.

This is why writing is so wonderful. You decide you want things a certain way, and that's the way they are. At one point, the story was called "A Very Old Game Show Host with Enormous Wings." I just wanted it that way, and it was so.

So, I wrote the story, and I liked much of it, and didn't like other parts of it, so I rewrote the other parts several times over the course of about five years, and eventually I had a story, now called "Waiting for the Question."

That was when I heard about Forest Avenue Press's City of Weird anthology.

(There's a whole section that should go here about the acceptance of this story by City of Weird, but that portion of the tale is coming out later this month at Necessary Fiction, so you'll just have to understand it's coming down the pipe, and I will check back in here when it's up.)

What you need to know now is Forest Avenue Press's City of Weird anthology is available for sale, and it's where you can read my Alex Trebek story "Waiting for the Question" and 29 other stories all set in Portland, and by some very respect fiction writers. It's a real honor to be included, and I think, somewhere, Alex Trebek is happy about it too.

So, please buy the anthology and read my Alex Trebek story and get 29 other Portland stories to boot.

Also, there is a series of readings coming up to celebrate this offering, and I'm participating in two of them. However, the official launch party is this Wednesday at Powell's on Burnside, where my writing compatriot Mark Russell is reading with three other City of Weird contributors. I won't go into all of the revelry scheduled for the event, but let's just say it feels very much like you won't want to miss it.

So, don't miss it!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Forest Avenue Press's City of Weird anthology.

My Short Story "Tree Limb Chair" on Now Hear This

Hey, check out what happened to me.

Atim Udoffia Childers chose my short story "Tree Limb Chair" of all the stories in the world to perform at her show Now Hear This in Sacramento earlier this month. Here it is on YouTube. It's about the bonds that get formed in bands, and life, and how messy things get. What a surreal pleasure to get to hear one of your stories performed in this way, and musical accompaniment too boot! Think I'll watch it again. Thank you, Atim.

Here's the link. 

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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New Short Story by Me at Uno Kudo!!!

Very happy to have my short story "Reunion Tour" in the latest, greatest fourth edition of Uno Kudo.

Mine will be at my door by Christmas. So could yours.

Happy holidays,

Art

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Farallon, My Wayward Son

Just received my copy of Issue Six of the Farallon Review, which includes my short story "Tree Limb Chair" among seven other tales by the likes of Mary Volmer, John Gifford, Julie Woodside, Joey Garcia, Tigh Rickman, Dominic Foser, and Elena Mauli Shapiro. The issue is available by mail, at readings, special events, and the Avid Reader in Sacramento. See their website for details. 

If you take the plunge and regret it, I'll eat a bowl of bass guitar picks.
 
Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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Short Fiction Forthcoming by Me!

I spent the first decade of my writing life focused entirely on long fiction, but I was originally drawn to fiction by the short story. A few years ago, I started dedicating time to this genre, and it's now starting to yield results.

I have two such stories forthcoming. One is called "Tree Limb Chair," and it will see the light of day in The Farallon Review. The other is called "Reunion Tour," and it was just accepted by a lit mag called Uno Kudo. Both feature the same rock protagonist, Billy, who's trying to find his way forward after having a successful stint in a rock band. (Where do I come up with this stuff?)

I'll keep you posted on when and how you can read these stories, but know they're coming.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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What I'm working on...

...besides getting ready for my one-day self-publishing seminar at the Attic at the end of this month, where there is still room for you.

-Novel Four, which is about tribute bands;

-A short story about Alex Trebek and Arizona musicians that I think is finally done;

-An essay about my high school friend Randy and I going to see Stevie Ray Vaughan four times;

-An essay about Morrissey and chewing tobacco;

-An essay about why no one wants their novel called a rock novel;

-Ghost Notes the screenplay;

-A short story about Wrigley Field that is not even close;

-Badge review submissions.
 
Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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Vote for "Blameless"

This past week, my short story "Blameless" became my first ever published short story when Bartleby Snopes ran it at their web site. Bartleby Snopes runs eight stories a month, and at the end of each month you can vote for your favorite.

I've gotten into the spirit of this, and as of right now I'm second in voting. Today is the second to last day to vote. If you haven't already, could you take a few seconds and go vote for "Blameless" at this link? It very easy, and it means I'll be in Bartleby Snopes's year-end pdf, where they compile all the stories that win.

But the real winner is you if you decide to take a few minutes and read "Blameless" and the other October stories.

And don't forget to vote.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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Short Story "Blameless" Published At Bartleby Snopes

In 1992 I submitted a short story to five literary magazines. It was called "But God is a Deaf Old Fellow," and it was about the owner of a farm implement plant trying to bribe a minister into forgiving his sins. The story was never published.

This past week (20 years later!) saw my first ever short story published by a literary magazine. The story is called "Blameless," and it's about what happens when your drummer's girlfriend takes a shining to you. You can read the story online right now at Bartleby Snopes.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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October Preview

Here's what's coming down the pipe for me as far as online publications in October:

1) My first ever published short story;

2) My second ever published political essay;

3) A review of Dylan Hicks's 2012 rock novel Boarded Windows.

I was hoping to have some links for you, but nothing has solidified yet. I should have at least one by next week.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.