The long-suffering public went along with billboards and singing commercials; they tolerated half a dozen sales pitches in a half-hour radio or TV show; they suffered stoically through the "hard-sell" and the "soft-sell." But when the hucksters turned the wild blue yonder into a vast television screen, they howled.

Mary might have learned a more ladylike trade, but one thing is certain: she had a shining faith in that space guy from Earth. Now, about that cake she baked.

Did you ever wonder what might happen if mankind ever exceeded the speed of light? Here is a profound story based on that thought--a story which may well forecast one of the problems to be encountered in space travel.

Many men have dreamed of world peace, but none have been able to achieve it. If one man did have that power, could mankind afford to pay the price?

A story from Phantom of the Louvre & other tales
Great achievements arise out of a myriad of small conversations, and sometimes something good comes from being just a little bad: Wil Arnot Barnes. [author points and shouts "hey look, an airship"] ~5,170 words

A Star Guardian Story (2)
Brian continues his travels among the stars.
Added Chapter 30

Chapter 30 is in the queue for posting. I did not know I would make it this far. Thank you for the recent positive feedback. Be sure to keep the safety enabled on your jetpack, while in the elevator...

A story from Phantom of the Louvre & other tales
Bunny Boyce was happy to serve in a unit where aeros didn't crash: they had landing incidents. On a New Year's test flight, both his attitude and luck began to change. ~ 4,000 words.

Hunted and hated in two worlds, Hradzka dreamed of a monomaniac's glory, stranded in the past with his knowledge of the future. But he didn't know the past quite well enough....

So, I've set up this series to organize the current run of steampunk shorts. While some are directly related to another story, reading order is not critical. That PL## jazz is just the order they woul ... more

A misterious man seeks the truth behind the tales of a so-called white feather hex but carries a very different purpose.

A story from Phantom of the Louvre & other tales
It's 1957. In a Toronto waterfront warehouse, a group of automatons are having a religious experience. WHAT? ~4,700 words.

The shortest distance between two points may be the long way around--and a path of dishonor may well turn into the high road to virtue.

He was Earth's secret weapon, as deadly as a sword--and two-edged!

The Flight of the Wicked Flea has been posted. It is the second of twelve stories with a common background. Many will end up here in the next few months. Anyone have thoughts on the value of setting u ... more

A story from Phantom of the Louvre & other tales
London, 1829. Two criminal enclaves battle for supremacy south of the Thames. Second in a steampunk collection from 2015 (notice: no real or virtual steam was applied in this particular story). ~5,200 words.

A scientist is hunted for what he has created.
Added Chapter 21

When adopting a pet, choose the species that is most intelligent, obedient, loyal, fun to play with, yet a shrewd, fearless protector. For the best in pets--choose a human being!

A man is taken then returned. He's not the same or is he? Now with a lot of questions he leaves earth to search for the only other one like himself, so far.
Added Chapter 17

Like many, my first exposure to the possibilites in a radical reshaping of the past was "The Difference Engine". My long time goal of writing science fiction turned to telling steampunk tales. Eventua ... more

Some problems are perfectly predictable--yet not in the sense that allows a preprogrammed machine to handle them--

To all who didn't know him, Curt George was a mighty hunter and actor. But this time he was up against others who could really act, and whose business was the hunting of whole worlds.

You can't blame an alien for a little inconvenience--as long as he makes up for it!

An old veteran walks to the wall of remembrance and remembers. --- A short little piece that I had to get down tonight so it may be a bit rough but I hope people see it for what it says.

In the jungle the vicious man-killer is king, but what chance would a tiger have in the Times Square traffic.

Why shouldn't a culture mimic another right down to the last little detail? Because the last detail may be just that--the final one!

Bradley had one fear in his life. He had to escape regeneration. To do that, he was willing to take any chance, coward though he was--even if it meant that he had to become a god!

Chapter 21 is in the queue. Brian gets to eat pizza for the first time. He shares a coffee with the royal princess. Have a great time. Make sure the blaster is pointed away from you before you press the trigger.

Fourth story now posted, and I see a dozen or so have at least opened it. Hope you get something worthwhile out of it. So far, out of 700-plus downloads over four stories, I've only had one comment. ... more

Sometimes you find what you were looking for in high school. ~ 4300 words.

Ezekiel, they say, "saw de wheel"--but he saw somewhat more than that. And Orton suggests that what he saw made perfectly good sense. to the understanding!

Stark disaster to a brave lad in space may--to the mind that loves--be a tragedy pridefully concealed.

The climate was perfect, the sky was always blue, and--best of all--nobody had to work. What more could anyone want?

Amy Ballantine has a talent... and sometimes it lets her know more than she needs to know.

Take two men and one girl--the eternal triangle--and mix well with an oscilloscope gone haywire. What comes out? With ingredients like these, the result is adventure, terror and, of course, romance.

What more fitting place for the last man on Earth to live in than a museum? Now if only he could avoid becoming an exhibit himself!

The Altarai arrive to strip mine the planet, and it's very much the end of life as we know it. But, hey, even all-powerful aliens can get bored and run into trouble. And then humanity's remaining one per cent becomes part of the solution. [about 3,000 words]

Yet another story from 2017 is in the hopper. Companion story to "A Burning Love ...". I struggled with that temporal perspective thing that happens when one set of characters lives 60 years and anoth ... more

Of course using live bait is the best way to lure dangerous alien animals. unless it turns out that you are the bait!

Being two men rolled out of one would solve my problems--but which one would I be?

To spread Mankind to the stars carries a high cost in lives--and not all of them are human!

A man with a past, not tied to anyone makes a startling discovery that changes his life and his perceptions of it.
Added Chapter 67

I just posted chapter 15 of Star Guardian 2. I hope you enjoy it so far. I have not had so many comments recently, which leaves me curious if I am doing OK or have I lost you? Is there something I nee ... more

Just submitted A Burning Love Upon A Ravished Land (another piece from 2017) to the queue. Two years ago, I was not really satisfied with the finished story, but couldn't see what the problem was. T ... more

My first post here. Hunger, Hunger, Sister Anne was on top of a stack of short stories that needed that final pre-launch going-over. Committing to posting pushed me to wrap the story (instead of rethi ... more

Whitney and Tommy Leighton are more than they appear to be. The twins were born in our dimension, but it wasn't just a birth. It was a rebirth. They originated in a another dimension that runs along the same parallel as ours. In the other world, Whitney is a Baran-Dok-Toi Prim warrior, and Tommy is a Prectock, but they know nothing about that. Other than the strange dreams that Tommy is beginning to have.
Added Chapter 7 (final)

I put another chapter in the queue. I am doing about two chapters in a week recently, which is more than I had planned. By the way, I recall in Star Trek TOS the Gorn, which I thought would be a good name for a drinking establishment.

A Twinfinity Story (4)
The steely requirements from a Prim warrior from where she originated. The elusive advice from a prophet she once fought side by side with. Whitney Leighton has vowed to return to Kat what Isolem Treff took from her, but Isolem has also vowed to end the twins before they can foil his plans. The twins may believe they have the upper hand, but Isolem took more than just a piece of Kat. He took a part of the twins as well and he is more of a threat now than he ever was before.
Added Chapter 25 (final)

'A Prim and a Prophet' ends April 1. No April Fool. 'The Arena' will start April 3. This is the last Twinfinity book available right now. I am working on another which has the Twinfinity characters, b ... more

Hi gals and guys, I have posted a couple stories I got motivated to write. There will probably be a few mistakes in there but nothing too prominent. Enjoy what I am writing and have fun. Thanks. Chaon.