The Pirate gives you sci-fi with a sense of fun. Much more optimistic than the horror shorts you may have heard from me recently.

The Blurb: What do you do when you are born in a paradise, that has never heard of the profession you born into?  You go with it, you play it to the hilt and you live you life by no ones rules but your own.

Want to know more about Flagship? Here’s how the editor, Zach Ricks, explain what they’re looking to put together:

With our first magazine, FlagShip, I wanted to hearken back to what some have called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. The people we regard as the grand masters of genre fiction, or a lot of them anyway, got their start writing in the “pulps”. There was a sense of optimism and hope in those old stories that I miss in more recent science fiction. Fantasy has been largely immune from this trend, so far as I know, but I worry about the negativity, the cynicism, and the pseudo-sophistication of the culture. In response to that, I have some specific things I want to accomplish.

He goes on to list 3 goals.

I love the optimism and the pulpy goodness of past masters and knew I had the perfect story. I’m glad that Flagship Magazine agreed.

The magazine is $1.99 for audio or etext versions, and $2.99 for both.

P.G. Holyfield will also be creating a clean, edited audio version of the story in the next month or so. I’ll see if I can add that to my feed as well.

Thank you to anyone who attended the reading.

The story is set in the world of Murder at Avedon Hill (available in print in 2010). The Tales of the Children anthology provides looks at the Children of Az. These gods are born into the world as men, unaware of their own origins and with their powers dormant until someone or something awakens them.

Here’s a quick look at the opening to Feverfew:

Feverfew Flowers

In a land of magic where gods are born to men the concerns of both must mingle.

The five curved peaks of Darsun’s Claws, beyond the mountains of Anarin, marked the boundary of man’s reach. Though an adventurous few sometimes risked the steaming vents and climbed among the rainbow hued pools to trade across the mountains, no one called it home. When the winter storms blew from Drakesmont, the tallest of all the Claws, strange-smelling mists hid beasts that stalked man’s tenuous claims.

The fury of one such blizzard echoed the storm that raged in Rondac Whitestaff’s heart. He leaned into the whipping winds. His feet crunched through layers of blowing snow. His breath puffed out in icy crystals that the wind greedily snatched away. On his back lay his son Alastair. The boy’s whining and crying had stopped and he had become so quiet that not even shivers disturbed him any longer. Rondac, the mighty warrior, was afraid to look back.

He rubbed a shoulder against his fleece collar to scrape away the ice that sagged over his brow. The frown of concentration remained as he studied the crystals of snow that blasted the land into uniform whiteness. “I’m losing them,” he whispered, and the wind raised a gleeful howl. He took a shuddering breath and collapsed onto his knees. His gaze hunted like a trapped thing, pacing between the white walls of the gorge and back as he tried to find a clue that would guide him. He had never failed. This was his place, where no one else belonged but he somehow thrived. He had brought his family to show them the mysteries; Alyssa had begged to see the colored smokes and bubbling hot springs.

He laughed harshly, thinking of his beautiful wife. The storm had caught him, that was the mistake that started it all, and they had been searching for shelter when the beast stole her away. He was Rondac, the man whose will carved a trading trail through these mountains. He led strangers safely through the mysteries of Darsun’s Claw. How can I fail my own wife?

. . .

Join P.G. Holyfield for the rest of the Tale. Wed, Dec 30th at 6:30pm Pacific at http://www.stickam.com/pgholyfield

Listen to my story Graveyard Shift (and Re-shift) as well as the three other stories contributed by Rhonda Carpenter, Arlene Radasky, and Michele Roger. All the stories are at HorrorAddicts.net

Vote for the story or stories that you liked best by emailing the host, Emerian Rich at emzbox@sbcglobal.net.  Write ‘WWW’ in the subject line. Include 1) The name, number, or author of the story you want to vote for 2) Your name or handle 3) Your mailing address (Only used if you should win).

This will be a tight race. Your vote is very important, and one lucky voter will win the prize box. It contains autographed books, audio cds, t-shirts, key chains, and other book-themed paraphernalia.

Undergrowth cover by K. Siegenthaler

Guilt and Pruners Don’t Mix:

Torsten is a xenobotanist whose specialization in dangerous plants has already meant hideous death for someone he loved.

The Lumentera is a beautiful specimen whose hallucinogenic and luminescent qualities make it an invaluable commodity. But when the Lumentera blooms, the bait is set in a mind game whose outcome is as uncertain as Torsten’s sanity.

In the planet of Scillia’s uncultivated forests, amputation, lost love, and unrequited desire play out. But is Torsten strong enough to grab hold of the new happiness offered to him? Or will guilt own him forever?

Where to Get It:

My newest short story, the horror sci-fi piece entitled Undergrowth, airs on Emerian Rich’s Horror Addicts podcast. I think the audio adds to the story, so definitely consider listening to the half-hour podcast story within her podcast. Be warned, some of the news stories prior to my interview are pretty gruesome.  If you love horror, listen to the whole ep. My brief interview starts 42 minutes in and the story is the last half-hour of the podcast.

You will love it!

I think that the audio is the finest I’ve done, I even took the time to add sound effects in the podcast, but I am also offering the text of Undergrowth on the Kindle for you to read (newly available as of March 24, 2011!). Check it out and let me know what you think. If you try both, I’d love to hear which you prefer.