November 10th, 2022

Short Story “The Action” in Hermine Annual 3

So I haven’t published short fiction in five years. That’s weird. I did write a novel, or several drafts of one–soon I’ll write another draft and maybe eventually publish the thing. Or not. Who is to say! But that took a lot of my fiction-writing energy. I also wrote a diary-type memoir, coming to a bookstore near you next spring. So I don’t think I’ve been lazy or anything–it’s just that I miss short stories, my first and somewhat purest writing love.

Which is why it means a lot to me that my short story “The Action” is published in Hermine Annual 3 out this month at this link and in more discerning book and magazine shops. It’s so nice to be in the short fiction game again, at least a little. And while the diary memoir is about the pandemic and the general tumult of the past 2.5 years, “The Action” is gently inspired by a slightly earlier tumult. The pandemic is so big it has a way of blocking out the previous wild stuff that happened–I like to be reminded of it, now and again.

If you’re curious, below is a paragraph from the story–one of my favourites from early in the piece. I guess writers are not really supposed to have favourite paragraphs, in a kill your darlings way or in a parents don’t have favourite children way but–whatever, I often do.

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They are approaching a large high fence with no obvious breaks in it, which Joe worries about. He can usually climb a fence if he has to—he’s clumsy and not in great shape, but not terrible. Today, though, his shoes are muddy and wet, and he wore tighter, stiffer jeans than he really should have for a long march, much less climbing anything. He shouldn’t have tried to look hot. And he actually doesn’t, anyway, is the worst part—the wind is messing with his hair and he had to zip his coat against the cold, but it looks better open. And who will care how well the jeans fit when he’s falling off the fence?