I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet, but I SOLD ANOTHER FREAKIN’ STORY!!!!! This will mark my second book publication (after “The Wrong Briefcase” from BULLET POINTS), and my second paid acceptance (after “Lie Beneath The Clay” from HandHeldCrime). I wrote the first draft of this story over 2 years ago, and when I did I was convinced that I was going to win the Shamus award for the Best Private Eye Short Story. Up until this point, however, I haven’t found an editor who felt the same way.

The story behind the story: I was running late to my writer’s group meeting when I got behind the definitied Sunday driver. Slowed down at every intersection (“Is this it? No, it must be the next one.”), started to turn then swerved back into traffic, etc. From nowhere a sentence popped into my head: “It’s tough to follow someone who doesn’t know where they’re going.”

For once I can remember every step in building the plot. Why didn’t the driver know where he was going? He’d only been there once, at night, and he rode with someone else. Where’d they go? To a party at a vacant house – the real estate agent let them in (I had a friend in real estate who used to do this). Why’s he trying to go back? Guilt. Massive, overwhelming guilt.

Throw in a little home cookin’, and there you have it. Look for the description on the Stories page soon.

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Mad props go out (as they are wont to do) to Miss Cashier, our Surreal Shark Toothpaste Referrer Of The Month. It’s nice to know there’s somewhere out there reading this; I’m not sure if that will inspire me to greater productivity or send my into a paralytic funk. I guess we’ll find out. Be sure to drop by her site and ask silly questions, and tell her I sent you. Actually, tell her John Eklund sent you; I don’t want to get in any trouble.