Arkham Files: Chaos Conundrum

Something strange is going on in Arkham. If you've already visited the New England college town, you're not surprised. After all, this is a place where an extraterrestrial is the head librarian, traveling via wormholes is routine, and a talking armillary sphere guides the team. But hang on, even Neal and his friends are perplexed. That can't be good.

Winner Takes All

Olivia is one frustrated vampire. The mystery witch who has been plaguing her and her friends with magical creatures issued a "Winner takes all" challenge months ago. Why hasn't she struck? Olivia, the grad student with an attitude, has a theory. Only half in jest, she laments the witch will spring something to wreck her finals. She doesn't realize how close she is.

Jagged Shoals

Jagged Shoals is the 17th work in the Six-Crossed Knot series. I was inspired to write the story by two canon references in Time's Convert, the fourth All Souls novel. Much of that work is devoted to the early history of Marcus Whitmore. Marcus was a young medic during the American Revolution. Matthew Clairmont met him while serving as an aide to the Marquis de Lafayette. Matthew was impressed by his skill. After observing Marcus heal the marquis, Matthew often sought Marcus out to treat injured soldiers. Toward the end of the war, Marcus caught a fever in Yorktown. Matthew happened upon him when he lay dying in a makeshift ward. Matthew explained he was a vampire and offered to make Marcus one. When he said he'd send Marcus to a university to be trained as a doctor, Marcus agreed.

Skating on Thin Ice

In this latest installment to the Caffrey Conversation series, the story opens, as is often the case, with Neal and Peter at work. But this year, their offices are at Winston-Winslow instead of the Federal Building. Neal joined Henry's company a little over three months ago. For Peter, it's only his second week at his new job. The year is 2007, four years after Neal accepted Peter's offer to work at the FBI. Will the year ahead bring as many changes as last year did?

Candy Hearts 2023: 5 new stories!

For several years I've written stories for the annual Chocolate Box exchange. The exchange moderators needed to skip this year, and instead a new Candy Hearts exchange took its place. The prompts were excellent, inspiring me to write five stories. In previous years I posted descriptions that included how the stories measured up in terms of diversity, and I'm continuing that tradition again this year.

Here we go, five new stories!

Sucker for Love

In this Writing Year of the Giraffe, Penna and I continue to be tempted by the low-hanging fruit of our various series. But we also hope to stretch our necks to grasp unfamiliar fare. The writing exchanges are a great way to explore different fandoms and themes that we wouldn't normally pick. My assignment in the recently concluded Candy Hearts Exchange is a case in point.

Valentine Treats

In Caffrey Conversation, Mozzie celebrates Valentine's Day by issuing a special blend of his honey wine. I like to issue stories instead. I posted my latest valentine today: Puzzle in Pink in the Ghostnet series. Love is in the air for the residents of Drexford. Or is it? Readers of the previous Ghostnet story, Grinch in the Night, know that a mysterious entity identified by their gaming avatar of Morgana le Fay has taken perverse delight in teasing Tess and her friends. Are magical forces at work once more?