Curs the Fear

First of the Year 2014

Dear Cassi,

I can feel it, the stink of fear welling up in my gut as I put on that blue uniform and make my way to work. My hands are shaking and my body is numb. I looked at my scarred face and remember the events of the previous morning wishing the attack hadn’t happened.

I was injured by a client. I work with the homeless. I work with drug addicts and violent cases and knew that this was a likely scenario. The only thing is that I hadn’t expected the safety measures at my work to fail leaving me alone to deal with the event.

I was injured on the morning of the 31^st of December and went to the Emergency Room to get checked out. I came back to work the night of the 31^st cursing myself for the fear and the pain. I was cursing myself for the feeling in my gut that made it hard to go on.

I thought I was stronger than this, little sister,

Richard Leland Neal

Short Stories

It comes a time in my life that I have to look at things from another standpoint, and where as I have always wanted to be a novelist novel writing is hard, hit or miss, and time consuming.

So it came to me that so long as I was hammering away on the latest draft of a novel I should try to market the parts that fail to fit as short stories.

Short story writing is only lucrative if you write a great volume of publishable work. I think if your work is really something it may get further publication, but this is an area of publishing I have yet to explore.

If this piece sells I will make about one hundred and thirty dollars. Not enough to make it minimum wage.

27^th October 2011

Dear Editors at (Science Fiction Magazine),

I am an unpublished author in any paying market, but I did place a few poems in my High School publication back in the day.

My story is called ‘Live or Die’ and runs 2,427 words. It is science fiction in that it is set on an alien world and involves alien monsters.

You can probably guess that there is more from this universe and with this character, but I felt this to be a good point to start.

Thank you for your time

Richard Leland Neal