Tag Archives: story collection

Reality Intrudes

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I had been considering a pb edition of Tales From the Black Dog, and after some nudging from outside I had decided to see if it was possible. Turns out it isn’t. The minimum (physical) page count to make a pb of anything is 24. While the book has 28 pages of material, it all fits on only 16 physical pages.

So. Upshot is, the pb isn’t happening. I was even doing (obviously) made-up quotes for the back cover. That was fun, but it’s a no-go. A little bummed about it now, but that’s the way things stand.

FWIW, I did do a dramatization of the story “Star Light, Star Bright” on YT. Follow the link if you’re curious.

Something Old, Something New

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It has occurred to me that there’s a side-effect to discontinuing the email list. Pictured above is the cover to the bonus book that went to anyone signing up. Now that the list is no more, the book is no longer exclusive to it. Also, since I put this collection together I’ve written four or five ( I lost track) new stories in the series. So I will be adding those and putting out a new edition.

With a new cover, I hasten to add. Never was happy with this one.

PSA or Blatant Commercialism — Why Can’t it Be Both?

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3rd Story CollectionThis is an excerpt from thePublisher’s Weekly review of ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER OF HEAVEN–“Gods, mortals, and entities somewhere in between provide provocative reflections on human nature in this breezy collection of 14 fantasy stories… The title story is a delightful folktale meditation on the mysteries of love and friendship. Parks (Hereafter, and After) relates these tales in a lyrical style that is sympathetic without being sentimental, straddling the boundary between the realistic and the romantic.”

Never mind all that. The unique thing about this particular collection, my most recent, is that it was my first regular hardcover. The trends and realities of current publishing also dictate that it will be my last. Any other books/stories appearing in hardcover, like the Yamada novel from PS Publishing in the UK, will be strictly limited editions and, to be blunt, a bit pricey. There were only so many of this regular hc printed, and when they’re gone, that is IT. No more. It’s trade paper and ebook from here on out. That’s not a sad thing, it’s just the way things are, but if you’re one of those readers who just like a book in hardcover, now wouldn’t be a bad time to pick it up. End of PSA. Or commercial. Whatever this is.

Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Prime Books.

Afterwords to “Worshipping Small Gods”

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These are the afterwords/author’s notes I wrote for the stories in my second collection, Worshipping Small Gods. They didn’t appear in the actual book for two reasons. 1) There wasn’t room and 2) They hadn’t been written yet. I think the second reason is probably the one that matters. Some readers are interested in this kind of thing, some aren’t. If you fall in the “aren’t” category, you can bail now. Fair warning. Continue reading →