The Farmington Writers Circle Meets Tonight at 7:00 pm at Hastings Hardback Cafe

image001The next meeting of the Farmington Writers Circle will be on Thursday, March 10, at 7:00 pm at Hastings Hardback Café on 20th Street in Farmington, NM.  The topic will be a continuation of the February topic on how to set up a blog and will be led by Phil Slattery, owner of this blog.  The discussion at the last meeting concentrated on a broad strategy behind setting up a blog followed by some work on individual websites as well as questions and answers.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  There is no charge.  The March session will concentrate on more details involving the use of WordPress as a blogging platform.   You may want to bring your own laptop, though this is not a requirement for attendance.   Please contact me via this website with any questions.

“A Good Man” Has Been Published at Fiction on the Web

Phil Slattery hiking in the Bisti Wilderness near Farmington, NM, circa 2013
Phil Slattery hiking in the Bisti Wilderness near Farmington, NM, circa 2013

Today, my short story, “A Good Man”, was published at http://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk.  Many thanks to Charlie Fish at Fiction on the Web for publishing this, one of my best stories.  “A Good Man” is not horror, but a modern crime drama.  Mr. Fish describes the story thus:  “On the day before her death from lung cancer, Christopher’s mother tells him a secret about his father that may change his perception of his parents forever…”   Doug Hawley, in the first comment on the story notes:  “Lots of detail examining an old question of how do you judge a person’s life. It left me wondering.”

Please drop by Fiction on the Web any time and check out “A Good Man”.

Publication Announcement: “A Good Man” to Appear in Fiction on the Web, March 8

Writing at Hasting's Hardback Café, October, 2015
Writing at Hasting’s Hardback Café, October, 2015

I just received word that my short story “A Good Man” will appear at www.fictionontheweb.co.uk on March 8.   Many thanks to Charlie Fish for selecting one of my most recent and best stories.

“A Good Man” is not a horror story, but a violent drama of love and a spiraling cycle of revenge set in Farmington, New Mexico in the 1960’s.

Please drop by Fiction on the Web on Tuesday the 8th (or any time) and check out their wonderful selection of stories.

The Farmington Writers Circle Meets Again on March 10, 2016

image001The next meeting of the Farmington Writers Circle will be on Thursday, March 10, at 7:00 pm at Hastings Hardback Café on 20th Street in Farmington, NM.  The topic will be a continuation of the February topic on how to set up a blog and will be led by Phil Slattery, owner of this blog.  The discussion at the last meeting concentrated on a broad strategy behind setting up a blog followed by some work on individual websites as well as questions and answers.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  There is no charge.  The March session will concentrate on more details involving the use of WordPress as a blogging platform.   You may want to bring your own laptop, though this is not a requirement for attendance.   Please contact me via this website with any questions.

The Next Meeting of the Farmington Writers Circle: March 10, 2016

image001The next meeting of the Farmington Writers Circle will be on Thursday, March 10, at 7:00 pm at Hastings Hardback Café on 20th Street in Farmington, NM.  The topic will be a continuation of the February topic on how to set up a blog and will be led by Phil Slattery, owner of this blog.  The discussion at the last meeting concentrated on a broad strategy behind setting up a blog followed by some work on individual websites as well as questions and answers.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  There is no charge.  The March session will concentrate on more details involving the use of WordPress as a blogging platform.   You may want to bring your own laptop, though this is not a requirement for attendance.   Please contact me via this website with any questions.

New Fiction by George Gad Economou: “It Was Raining…”

Neon Shroud by Phil Slattery
Neon Shroud
by Phil Slattery

It was raining, and it was night; I remember it perfectly, as if it was yesterday, although it was a long time ago. Or was it? I don’t know any longer.  Time has stopped being important. I was sitting there in the mud, crying.  No flowers, only a few trees, and it was gloomy.  I had just buried her…for the third time. The sky mourned for her loss and for my soul.  I wanted to open the grave, and bury myself next to her, but I couldn’t.  Doing so would mean seeing her.  I got up, wishing to run away.

#

How did I let it happen? I can’t even remember. It seems like yesterday I saw her for the very first time, but when time stops, everything is yesterday. There is no timeline. Her smile was so perfect, it warmed my heart. Just watching her smile, and I knew I would die a happy man. There was someone else enjoying her smile. I stayed, because we fell in love. When did it happen? Was it when we first kissed? Or was it before? She kissed me, because I was important. And then, something happened.

#

Her hand was raised from the ground. Again. She refused to stay down.  Too much fight in her. I couldn’t move. The earth trembled–it always did. I saw her.  She wasn’t smiling. She was furious. She stared at me, and despite the coldness of death, her dark eyes were still beautiful. She sat up, covered in wet dirt, rotting away. She got up, walked towards me. I was motionless, I couldn’t do it again. I was exhausted.

#

We said goodbye; I did nothing but cry and drink. For so long…yet it seems like a brief second. She returned to the life she knew, to what was familiar. And I cried. Then she returned. The gleam in her eyes.  The promises in her kisses. I was alive.  I was happy. I held her close in the nights.  I offered her comfort.  She warmed my heart.  She made me smile.  She left…again.

#

She was coming towards me. I raised the shovel.  My tears mingled with the rain.  I was covered in dirt. I hit her in the head.  And she fell down. Stopped moving. She would get up again, I knew it. It wasn’t the first time. I dug the grave…a new one. She deserved a new place. Maybe there she’d finally rest. I started digging. The rain got worse.  The wind was howling. I was all alone with her. It didn’t feel right.

#

She had regretted her decision; I wanted to rip my heart out and give it to her. It belonged to her, I had no use for my heart anymore. She didn’t want me in her life.  There was living without her. I tried, but I couldn’t. The knife wasn’t so sharp, so I failed. She laughed at me.  Was it then that it happened for the first time?

#

The grave was ready.  I stood in the hole. Perhaps, I thought, I should lay myself down, and let her find me. She’d come and destroy me, just as I had destroyed her. I climbed out of the grave.  I placed her carefully into the new resting place. I found a few flowers.  She always loved flowers.  I planted them above her. Maybe they’ll keep her company, I said to myself. I cried.

#

She didn’t laugh at me nor did she wish to say farewell. She wanted time to think. She thought it wrong, because she had left someone for me. And she couldn’t bear the guilt. I still wanted to give her my heart. I tried–no, I didn’t try to rip my heart out. I swallowed a lot of pills. Who saved me? I don’t remember who found me.  I hate whoever he was, ’cause he didn’t let me die. If I had, she’d be alive.

#

I watched the flowers, they grew. With every visit, they’d get even bigger, even more beautiful. She didn’t get up again. Maybe, she needed a place to call home, and the flowers did the job. I returned every night; sometimes, I wished she’d get up, because I wanted to see her. She never did. I never saw her again. Only in dreams…and they would often turn into nightmares.

#

She came to see me.  I was in a white room, and people in white robes were always talking to me. She cried, asked me why. I told her. She cried some more. I couldn’t cry, I had shed all the tears I had in me. She walked out when I asked her if she wanted my heart.

#

Next Meeting of Farmington Writers Circle Set for Tonight, February 11, 2016

Farmington Hastings Hardback Cafe
Farmington Hastings Hardback Cafe

The next meeting of the Farmington Writers Circle is tonight, Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. at Hastings Hardback Café on 20th Street in Farmington, New Mexico.  I will lead the discussion on establishing a blog and using it for publicity.  Everyone is invited to attend.  There is no charge and no membership requirements.  Please contact me via this website if you have any questions.  The Farmington Writers Circle is a group of local authors with an interest in publishing and marketing their works.  Authors of all genres are welcome.   If you would like to be on our electronic mailing list to be notified of upcoming meetings, please contact me.

Next Meeting of Farmington Writers Circle Set for February 11, 2016

Farmington Hastings Hardback Cafe
Farmington Hastings Hardback Cafe

The next meeting of the Farmington Writers Circle will be on Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. at Hastings Hardback Café on 20th Street in Farmington, New Mexico.  I will lead the discussion on establishing a blog and using it for publicity.  Everyone is invited to attend.  There is no charge and no membership requirements.  Please contact me via this website if you have any questions.  The Farmington Writers Circle is a group of local authors with an interest in publishing and marketing their works.  Authors of all genres are welcome.   If you would like to be on our electronic mailing list to be notified of upcoming meetings, please contact me.