[After her casual walk reveals a corpse, Ella suspects her new neighborhood has some unpleasant secrets. Fanny, a tenant one floor down, comforts her with tea and sympathy. To read previous installments, start with https://susanbassmarcus.net/first-paragraphs-of-a-new-scary-short-story%5D Fanny made excuses about an … Continue reading New Installment of “Only Regrets”
[Ella loves her neighborhood and her new home, but a mutilated body turns up in the trash-burner, site of her terrifying encounter with a beastly dog. The police will be in touch, but meanwhile her neighbor Fanny offers her some … Continue reading Ella’s Dilemma: more “Only Regrets” [working title]
Ella loves her new apartment. She has met neighbors Dave and Fanny and goes for a walk to explore the area. A vicious dog threatens her, but inexplicably stops and turns away. She plans to call Animal Control about it … Continue reading It Gets Worse – Another segment of “Only Regrets”
One of my friends used to post photos of her orange cat on Facebook nearly every day. She enjoyed describing his antics, especially at the end of the day when she would return home to his enthusiastic greetings. She confided … Continue reading If Only Cats Would Talk
Three writers volunteered to ‘Beta-read’ my first draft of A New ZooCatron, a fantasy novella about cat-like creatures arriving on Earth from deep in the cosmos. One of the readers is truly a rocket scientist and she pointed out the … Continue reading Getting It Right
For those who would like more information about beta readers, here are some references and a Wikipedia definition of the role: Continue reading You Asked about Beta Readers?
Hail to the Betas If you’ve been following my posts, maybe you’ve read all 20 chapters of A New ZooCatron, a novella in progress I serialized on this site. It’s about cats from far out in the cosmos who … Continue reading Hail to the Betas
Her belly was plump with toothsome kibblings and all her fur had grown back. She had at least six different soft places to sleep. Sometimes her translator decoded Steve’s sounds—he called them talk—but neither he nor the woman, whom he … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter 20: Are We There Yet?
The human’s smelly, noisy car was awful. Tepunia’s hackles rose and she was desperate to escape. Their box door would not open, no matter how many times she scratched it. She sniffed the floor but found no openings. How could … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter 19: What’s a Pet?
My ship is orbiting this hostile world. Its passengers need a new home and finding that home is my job. Look at me now. I’m letting everyone down. Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter 18: No Time to Rest
