Christopher J. Burke

06/28/2026: Contract Signed -- And Covers!

I have signed the contract for stories to appear in A Heart for Hounds and More Hearts for Hounds. Both stories are reprints: "The Dog Listener" (the Bucket version) and "My Damned Best Friends" (from Burke's Lore Briefs Volume 1).

I'm thriled that both books were funded and that both of my stories made the cut so I'll have one story in each.

And here is a look at the two covers!

05/09/2026: A Heart For Hounds Kickstarter -- A "Project We Love"

The Kickstarter for the new eSpec Books charity anthology for rescue dogs, A Heart for Hounds has launched as it was named a "Project We Love"!

I submitted two stories to this anthology, and, hopefully, one of them will appear in this book. But Wait! There's more! If the stretch goal is unlocked, a second volume of stories will be produced, as was the case with "More Futures for Ferals" last year! So I could, possibly, see a story of mine in each book!

I'm not counting any chickens, but that would be nice, should it happen.

04/30/2026: Reviewing Some of my Reviews

Every now and then, I check for reviews on different platforms to see what readers have to say -- and to see if I have any readers. This was a nice review that was left a couple years ago for In A Flash 2020

I know that any one particular individual will have favorites and least favorites among the 20 stories in IN A FLASH 2020, but I'm always curious which ones are favorites.

04/27/2026: An Anthology for the Puppies Out There

Last year's two anthologies, A Future for Ferals and More Futures for Ferals did well enought that eSpec Books is doing another anthology (or two) for dogs.

I've submitted two stories (both reprints) for consideration and, hopefully, at least one will appear in the book. Odds are that both won't be accepted unless there are enough submissions for a second volume. It's a charity anthology, so it's likely that it will be heavy with reprint stories.

More details as I know them.

04/25/2026: Meet the Author on Saturday, April 25!

Weather permitting, I'll be at a flea market at St. Dominic's RC Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

I say "weather permitting" because I'll be out on the sidewalk in front of the church, most likely near 85th Street (on 20th Avenue) in a small space between a tree and a parking regulations pole. Cozy. (There will be a lot of vendors outside and even more in the gym inside.)

Come by and say. It's starts at 9 am, and I'll be there for a couple of hours. I'm on my own, so there will be no one to walk my table if I need a break. That's means I'll probably pack it in by 11 am or possibly noon.

04/02/2026: The (Currently Untitled) Burke's Lore Compilation is Almost Done

I mentioned previously my decision to combine all five Burke's Lore Briefs fantasy books into one volume with new material. And that's just about done. When will it be published? I don't know right now because I might not be the one publishing it.

I'm considering retiring the Burke's Lore Briefs title, or at least suspending it, for a while. I like that the covers look the same, but I'm not convinced that my cover idea actually works.

However, if I try a new design when I do some sci-fi books, then I'll probably want a new series title to go with it. I'm not going to go back and change the first five covers. Besides, this will allow readers to start collecting the new series with Number 1 again. (That's important for some people.)

I have ideas in mind, but nothing that I'm going to share until I'm much further along.

03/25/2026: Five Burke's Lore Briefs books done. Next up ...

I have five Burke's Lore Briefs fantasy books completed. The volumes are themed with angels/demons. vampires, humorous LitRPG adventures, young superheroes, and older/retired supervillains. There were too many of those last two to combine in one book.

Besides, I liked the pairing of the titles, Tomorrow's Heroes and Yesterday's Villains.

What's up next?

There could be a compilation book of the five volumes with new material, but looking to NEW stuff, I have options.

First, create books with some of the science fiction flash stories that I have out there. If I want to go with themes, I'll need to write a bit more because I just don't have as many.

Second, I need to write more stories in general. My "trunk" has few entries left as many of the stories that had been making the rounds have finally found homes. And I have idea that has sat in the "to be written" folder for too long. And as happy as I am for the magazines that have published me, there are a few markets that I'd love to crack.

Finally, there's a chance that I could co-author some stories with Stephen P. Burke. My older brother left behind stacks of notebooks filled with unpublished (and some unfinished) manuscripts, handwritten in a script that would give a nun a heart attack as she was reaching for her ruler. There's some work to do, but transcribing will be the first step.

And, hopefully, this all starts to happen Real Soon Now.

10/21/2025: Walkin' In Brooklyn and on WCBS-TV

I didn't mention at the time, but in late August, I was interviewed by Hannah Kliger from WBCS-2 News in New York about my walking all the streets of Brooklyn. (I haven't finished it yet, but I'm more than halfway there.)

The story finally aired on September 12, 2025 on the 6pm news and was repeated at 11pm (and excerpted on Saturday morning!). The piece can be found on their website. The transcript has a little more information than the final news story. I assume things were snipped at the last minute for time. The story can be seen here: Local teacher walking every block in Brooklyn finds forgotten history along the way .

10/20/2025: Feral Cats are Here!

The are two charity anthologies from eSpec Books, A Future for Ferals and More Futures for Ferals, are out now!

You can find them on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Future-Ferals-Charity-Anthology-Book-ebook/dp/B0FSYM6S13, and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FT1PTV5G.

10/5/2025: Feral Cats are Coming!

The are two charity anthologies coming soon from eSpec Books, entitled A Future for Ferals and More Futures for Ferals.

I'm thrilled to announce that I have stories included in each book. A brand-new story, "Nine-Tenths of the Law", will appear in the former, and a reprint story, "The Thing About Humans" will appear in the latter.

Here's some obligatory promo material!

Coming September 15, 2025! Available for pre-order on Amazon!

In particular, a young lady who liked vampires left and came back because she had no money. She also brought back her younger sister, who like the cover of the angel book.

And today, someone came along after I folded up the table and rang my bell. (I'm glad I was home!) We chatted about my books. He asked the best book to get to find my voice, and I told him A Bucket Full of Moonlight, which he then bought, and I signed for him. I hope he enjoys it.

08/30/2025: Cover Reveal

Burke's Lore Briefs: Yesterday's Villains

The long-awaited follow-up to Tomorrow's Heroes will soon be here!

Coming September 15, 2025! Available for pre-order on Amazon!

In particular, a young lady who liked vampires left and came back because she had no money. She also brought back her younger sister, who like the cover of the angel book.

And today, someone came along after I folded up the table and rang my bell. (I'm glad I was home!) We chatted about my books. He asked the best book to get to find my voice, and I told him A Bucket Full of Moonlight, which he then bought, and I signed for him. I hope he enjoys it.

08/24/2025: Meet the Author!

I haven't participated in anything fancy for authors. On the other hand, for the past five or six Sundays, I have sat outside my house with a table, inviting people to Meet the Author.

I've spoken to a few people who've stopped to chat. And after a while, I've managed to sell a few books. Nothing that I'll retire over, but I'm meeting the neighbors and, hopefully, making a few new fans.

In particular, a young lady who liked vampires left and came back because she had no money. She also brought back her younger sister, who like the cover of the angel book.

And today, someone came along after I folded up the table and rang my bell. (I'm glad I was home!) We chatted about my books. He asked the best book to get to find my voice, and I told him A Bucket Full of Moonlight, which he then bought, and I signed for him. I hope he enjoys it.

07/21/2025: Just Back from Readercon

This past weekend, I attended Readcon 34 as a spectator, not a participant. Still, I had a few chances to chat with people about my books. (And, on Saturday, pictures of most of my books appeared on the back on my T-shirt!)

I left a handful of (x, why?) bookmarks, which had this website URL written on them, on the "freebies" and all of them were taken. So if I found this page from that bookmark: WELCOME!. Feel free to say "Hi!" in email or sign up for my mailing list. (You won't get a lot of mail, I assure you.)

Am I going back next year? That remains to be seen. This was basically a "bonus con" for me because other plans during the year had changed, and I've never been to Boston before.

I did walk part of the Freedom Trail and climbed aboard the USS Constitution. Pictures will likely appear soon on social media.

07/12/2025: I Appeared on News 12 Brooklyn This Week

I appeared in a human interest feature on News 12. It wasn't about my books (although I'm wearing an "Ask me about my books" T-shirt), but about my walking.

Rob Flaks of News 12 saw a post of mine on reddit where I gave an update on the walking I've been doing in Brooklyn since I started keeping track in May 2019. He came along with me for part of my walk in Crown Heights on Thursday.

The story appeared on Friday morning. The comments were amusing and somewhat typical.

I have a walking blog, Walkin' In Brooklyn, that can be found at http://walkininbrooklyn.blogspot.com .

06/08/2025: A Future for Ferals Kickstarter

A Future for Ferals will be a collection (Update: TWO collections!) of SPECULATIVE FICTION cat stories in honor of cat rescues everywhere, past, present, and future.

And I should have 1 or, possibly, 2 stories in either or both of these books. I've submitted a new story involving feral cats in a fantasy town, and I have granted the use of "The Things About Humans" from In A Flash 2020, which may be used.

These will be charity books and the proceeds will go to rescue organizations. I've already pledged to support the first book and will "add-on" the second one, now that it has been unlocked. Please, do likewise.

Information about the Kickstarter can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/e-specbooks/a-future-for-ferals

05/22/2025: Burke's Lore Briefs 4: Tomorrow's Heroes is Out Now

I am aware that I am a little behind in updating this blog. After a long delay, the fourth book in the Burke's Lore Briefs series is out! The theme is Supers and there are many Supers stories to save you from a boring evening, including the anchor story, "Bargain-Bin Costumed Heroes". Every hero has to start somewhere. Every story has a beginning. And coming this summer will be the follow-up: Yesterday's Villains!

(Click on the image!)

2/22/2025: Burke's Lore on YouTube!

Greeting all Lore-iors, and, yes, I'll come up with a better name if one of you doesn't first.

Months ago, I set up a channel on YouTube to start a "Burke's Lore Podcast". That hasn't happened yet. Yet.

In the meantime, I have been using it for excepts from my stories and books. Feel free to follow it.

Will the podcast happen? Definitely by summertime when I'm out of school. (Teachers look forward to summer vacation more than the students do -- some of them are on vacation all year round!)

12/31/2024: The Second Issue of BURKE'S LORE BITES was Mailed Out

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025! (Almost!)

If you're on my mailing list, you should have received the second issue of Burke's Lore Bites, containing the recent news and the bonus story that I promised to the people who signed up to receive mailings in the first place. If you haven't received one, send me an email. The system isn't automated. I'm doing it myself for the time being. I should probably automate it -- but why pay for something that no one is using? Sigh.

11/10/2024: New Reviews TIMES Two

The math is me is strong. It's in the name. Nevertheless ...

I discovered this past week that a review of Burke's Lore Briefs #2:"Portrait of a Lady Vampire & Other Vampiric Cravings" appeared on the Paranormal Romance Guild blog. Honestly, not a place I existed to find myself, but I'm excited to be there! The "times two" is because the review was picked up by Liminal Fiction.

Here's a highlight:

Please, read the review. It's not a spoiler, I hope, to say that the reviewer enjoyed "Vampiric Cravings" the best.

I love the feedback. I had another reader tell me why they enjoyed "Lord Matthias" the best. What gold I could mine from that is that everyone has didn't preferences for what makes a good story.

I'll also point out that there is a bonus story in the book, "Last Dawn", that appears in In A Flash 2020. The review didn't mention it. Likewise, another review of "A Heavenly Date / My Damned Best Friend" doesn't mentioned "My Own Personal Hell" from A Bucket Full of Moonlight. Both stories are complete. I may have to rethink my "bonus story" policy. I wonder if people skip them like previews for new books.

11/07/2024: The First Issue of BURKE'S LORE BITES was Mailed Out

If you're on my mailing list, you should have received the inaugural issue of Burke's Lore Bites, containing the recent news and the bonus story that I promised to the people who signed up to receive mailings in the first place. If you haven't received one, send me an email. The system isn't automated. I'm doing it myself for the time being.

10/27/2024: News of TWO Books

Book 1 of 2 News: A Little Fantasy Everywhere is now on Amazon in paperback, although the cover image isn't loading. I have a story, "What You Needed", in this. There will be a launch party at Philcon next month.

Book News 2 of 2: 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42² popped up on Amazon but it won't be released until next month. It's 42 micro stories of 42 words in 42 categories by 42² authors. I'm 2 of them (writing under 1 pen name). If you like microfiction, check out the ebook. https://www.amazon.com/42-Stories-Anthology-Presents-Book/dp/1990589243 If you like coffee table books, go for the print edition!

10/13/2024: World Fantasy Convention 2024 at Niagara Falls Next Weekend

From Thursday through Sunday, I'll be at the World Fantasy Convention in Niagara Falls, NY. As of this notice, I'm not on any panels, but I will be part of the mass Autograph Session on Friday night. I'll have plenty of books to purchase and sign. Stop on by!

10/04/2024: A Little Fantasy Everywhere is Now Available on Amazon

The light-hearted fantasy anthology "A Little Fantasy Everywhere", from Jersey Pines Ink, is available now on Amazon.. This collection contains my flash story, "What You Needed", which was a fun story to write.

The link is https://www.amazon.com/Little-Fantasy-Everywhere-Beverly-Haaf-ebook/dp/B0DJ685NQQ.

09/28/2024: Exclusive Interview with Paul Semel

Earlier this month, I was interviewed by Paul Semel about A Bucket Full of Moonlight.

The interview is on his his page.

Check it out!

In other news, my flash story "Death's Last Man" was published in issue #5 of the comic "Deadweights", published by Ahoy Comics. My story is text with an illustration, not a comic story.

09/01/2024: A Bucket Full of Moonlight is Now Available!

This is a reprint announcement. I updated this page, but the announcement is now here. Did I not click "Save Changes"? I have no way of knowning.

But it any event, A Bucket Full of Moonlight is now available for purchase on Amazon!

In other news, my flash story "Death's Last Man" was published in issue #5 of the comic "Deadweights", published by Ahoy Comics. My story is text with an illustration, not a comic story.

08/18/2024: Achievement Unlocked: Copies of A Bucket Full of Moonlight are Signed!

A LOT has been going on lately. Sorry that I haven't been sharing as much as I could as often as I should!

For starters, yesterday I was at a signing party where several authors from the recent Kickstarter event got together to sign the books for those people who backed the campaign. And I got my author copies of A Bucket Full of Moonlight along with the extras that I purchased for myself.

These books will go on sale on Amazon starting in September, just two weeks away!

In other news, my flash story "Death's Last Man" was published in issue #5 of the comic "Deadweights", published by Ahoy Comics. My story is text with an illustration, not a comic story.

07/27/2024: Burke's Lore Briefs 3: I See What You'll Do There is Out Now

As the title says, the newest entry in the BURKE'S LORE BRIEFS series is now available as a paperback or ebook. And it's available in Kindle Unlimited.

A little late, but today, Saturday, July 27, 2024, Burke's Lore Briefs Vol 1: A Heavenly Date is FREE to celebrate the new book's release!

07/18/2024: COVER REVEAL! Burke's Lore Briefs 3: I See What You'll Do There!

The third entry in the BURKE'S LORE BRIEFS series will be available on Thursday, July 25, 2024. Here is a sneak peek at the cover. (Some modifications might happen before then.) And it's available for pre-order. Click on the image below!

07/03/2024: AHOY! New Story Purchased!

First, my apologies to what few readers I have, but the Kickstarter for my new book, A Bucket Full of Moonlight took place this past month. It just ended. It funded with lots and lots of extras and freebies. This makes me happy. I wish there were more of you here to enjoy the news.

Second, Comics Ahoy purchased a story from me that will be published last this year. And I can mention it because I not only signed the contract, but I also got paid. And I will say that it's the best payday I've received since I sold an article to Mad Magazine. (It was nowhere near what I made for Mad, just saying, but it was the best per word rate that I'll get for a long time to come.)

More about this story when the issue comes out. I can't wait to see my story in a comic. That's something new for me!

05/20/2024: NEW STORY PUBLISHED

When it rains, it pours with the news. Also, ALWAYS check your Spam Folder. I went looking for anything relating to "submission" or "story" that might've been sent there by accident. As luck would have it, there was an email from an editor from two days prior. The editor had used a different email address and the message included two links, so hotmail decided that it must be spam. Those two links were to a digital copy of Sci-Fi Lampoon Magazine, Spring 2024 and to the site where the book (and the magazine is thick enough to be a book) can be purchased!

Let's get that out of the way first. Their page is SciFi Lampoon dot com.

And that issue contains some wonderful stuff, as seen in these images below:

05/18/2024: Story excerpt on Substack: "Familiar Feeling"

A con report is coming -- and, yes, it should've been here a week ago, at least -- but in the meantime, check out a story excerpt on my Substack.

The lead-off story in "In A Flash 2020" by Christopher J. Burke (eSpec Books) takes place at the Carrowmore School for Magic and Wizardry, somewhere north of New York City. Second year students summon their first familiars. Or attempt to, at any rate. What the results will be, who can say? But it's a Familiar Feeling.

05/02/2024: A BUCKET FULL OF MOONLIGHT PRE-SALE on Amazon!

I received the news this week that A Bucket Full of Moonlight is listed on Amazon and is available for pre-sale. The page says that the ebook will be available September 1, 2024.

And there's already a page for the book on Good Reads.

04/21/2024: Heliosphere Schedule, Piscatway, NJ, May 3-5, 2024!

SATURDAY

11:30 am - 12:45 pm - Boardroom A
The Myth of Writer's Block

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm - Salon D (Dealers Room) (and Salon A Flex Space if needed for overflow)
Group autograph sessions (if signing requested)

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm - Boardroom A
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Readings (you are sharing this block with 3 others)

5:30 pm - 6:45 pm - Salon E
My Disbelief Can Go But So Far...

SUNDAY

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm - Salon C
One, Two, Three, Many!

04/14/2024: Title and Cover Reveal! I have been teasing a full book of Burke's Lore and after a long non-chicken-counting phase, I am happy and proud to announce that the book will be happening! The title of the book will be A Bucket Full of Moonlight and it takes its name from one of the 30 stories within. Is it the best of the stories? That's for you to decide. But I thought it the best title to encompass the spirit of the entire book. I love the image (on the right) and think it captures the essence of the book. I cannot wait for it to join the other images on the top of this page. It will have science fiction, fantasy, spaceships, magic, superheroes and comedy. It will not be sporting the Burke's Lore logo because it's a different publishing company, and we don't want to cause confusion with the books. (I kind of brought this on myself with the self-publishing.) Nonetheless, I'll still be referring to it privately as "Burke's Lore", because, technically, it is. I'm Burke and this is my lore. More details as they are available!

04/07/2024: Burke's Lore #2: Portrait of a Lady Vampire & Other Vampiric Cravings is Out Now!

My apologies for not posting the Cover Reveal, which made it onto Facebook and Twitter. The only reasons I can give for my lapse are that this page isn't the easiest thing in the world for me to maintain, along with the fact that few, in anybody, actually reads it. (No one has ever actually told me that they had.)

The new book contains three stories. The title story previously appeared in the now defunct Daily Science Fiction. The other two started life as writing prompt responses that were much, much shorter than the file product.

And, like last time, there is a bonus story: "Last Dawn" from In A Flash 2020.

Here is the link:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWGVCGY5, or click on the image at the top of the page.

And thank you always for your support.

03/27/2024: Burke's Lore #2: Coming in April!

The stories are complete. The book is being set. The cover is on its way.

After a few real-world delays, and possibly some unrealistic expectations, Burke's Lore Briefs #2: Portrait of a Lady Vampire & Other Vampiric Cravings is close to publication. I was hoping that I could make it in March, but with only four days remaining and Easter weekend coming, that doesn't seem likely.

Better to do it right than to do it quickly.

But I still wanted to share the some news.

03/13/2024: NEW Story in Short Beasts Flash Fiction Literary Magazine

A new story "On My Shoulders", not based on any prompts, nor previously published, was posted today on Short Beasts Literary Magazine.

The link is https://www.shortbeasts.com/flash-fiction/on-my-shoulders/

This is a case study in why "gentle reminders" are a good thing. The initial blurb I read for Short Beasts stated that they may take up to five months to respond. After 160 days or so (according to my Excel spreadsheet), I emailed the editor to ask it the story was still under consideration or if I'd missed an email. I received a polite response a few hours later stating that my story was read and that they wanted to publish it (with a minor change, which definitely improved the piece), and here it is!

I'm hoping for a good year. In other news, I signed the contract for an anthology that will be happening later this year. And I have a story coming up in a future issue of Science Fiction Lampoon. So that's this credits in this one calendar year (not counting self-publishing and a recent reprint). That's a record for me!

02/23/2024: Story in Free Flash Fiction

My story "A Sliver of Pi" from In A Flash 2020 (eSpec Books) was re-published today at Free Flash Fiction today.

The link is https://freeflashfiction.com/fiction/a-sliver-of-pi/

02/20/2024: Substack

People say I need a Substack. So I got a Substack

The link is https://christopherjburke.substack.com/

01/21/2024: Mailing List!

NEW! Join my Mailing List!. Write "ADD ME" in the body of the text.
This is something I wanted to try out. Warning: It is not automated, so it may take a day before you get a response. All names on the account remain confidential and will not be shared or sold. Beta.

01/19/2024: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have my Author Copies of Burke's Lore Briefs #1!

First, an update on my Free Book day: 28 people bought the ebook for free, and I got one review on Amazon from "Ken". Surprisingly (to me), I've sold more paperbacks than I have ebooks, excluding freebies. And I know at least two people who got their copies of my book before I did -- free shipping is a wonderful thing, but it isn't available with author copies. I had to wait.

That brings me to this picture, which I actually posted on social media a week ago.

I almost didn't buy them, but I'm happy now that I did. And I've already sold several to coworkers. I have to love my Math Department colleagues.

12/25/2023: MERRY CHRISTAMS, SEASONS GREETING, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, FREE BOOK!

Sorry for the last-minute notice, but as a gift to all who have found this page, today only, my newest ebook, my first self-published ebook, will be FREE to download from Amazon.com.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQGSFJ26

All I ask is that you read it -- it's short, so it doesn't have to go to the back of your digital TBR pile -- and, if you enjoy it, consider leaving a review or rating or Amazon or Good Reads.

You can even comment directly to me on social media. I'm (at)mrburkemath on most of the platforms that I'm on. (I'm u/xwhy on reddit.)

Thank you for downloading. Thank you for your support.

12/14/2023: BOOK LAUNCH

I self-published a mini-book, which is something that people have been telling me that I should do. This is not the book that I've been working on for a couple years now. That book is going to be called Burke's Lore, with a subtitle to be revealed at a later time. This book is the first in a series of short stories, about 6000 - 8000 words, and will sell as an ebook for 99 cents. Amazon let me add a paperback for no set-up cost, so I did. If you want a physical book, it'll cost $4.00 plus shipping, unless you find me at a convention and save the shipping. Here are the images of the covers:

First lesson learned: an ebook only needs a front cover, but a paperback needs a wraparound cover. When I uploaded the same image, Amazon's program zoomed in on it. It didn't look bad, but the text was mostly missing. So I uploaded the image without the text and used their programming to add the title and back cover text. Next time, I'll double the size of the image so I have a back and a front cover, even if the back is just grey or light blue or something.

More lessons to be learned in coming days, like, don't screw up the author name. It didn't include my middle initial on one version, which isn't a big deal, except that Good Reads now thinks that the two versions were written by two different people. Something to keep an eye on in the future.

Finally, these books are live, and you can buy them. It's 99 cents for the ebook (FREE in Kindle Unlimited) and $4.00 plus shipping for the paperback. If you enjoy them, please leave a rating, review or feedback on Amazon, Good Reads or anywhere on social media. Thank you in advance.

12/14/2023: Another Anthology

I received an email that I will be in another anthology, hopefully to be published mid-2024. Since no contracts have been signed, I don't wish to say much about it because I don't want to 'jinx" anything. But I will say that it was a flash fiction story of about 1,000 words, which will appear with other stories of similar length although I don't know how many.

12/06/2023: RIP Stephen P. Burke

My brother Stephen passed away this week. It was unexpected. He was being treated for a different medical issue. Then he went into cardiac arrest. He never woke up again. He was 72.

How do you remember a life is a few paragraphs? Stephen was my second-oldest brother in a large Irish family. My earliest memories of him are when he went away to Iona College but would be home on the weekends. I had his bed during the week. Stephen loved his comic books. He bought many and passed them down to his brothers. He liked to write, draw and act. It makes me wonder where I got all that from. He starred in a number of productions at Iona College, including The Man Who Came to Dinner, where he seemed to have drawn a lot of inspiration from my father.

If Stephen's writing was published in college, that's all lost to me. The only stories of his that I know of were the ones I published myself in Driving Tigers Magazine. In fact, his second story was so big that I had to make a fifth issue of the magazine just to include it in two parts. DTM was going to cease publication after one year because I didn't get enough subscritions for a second year.

My other memories, of course, are chess. Stephen tried to teach me before I was even in kindergarten (or so it seems) but I obviously couldn't master the game at his level. I couldn't even tell you what his level actually was, or how far ahead he could see my moves. In recent months, he told me that he has collectible chess pieces in his apartment, and he wanted to be sure that nothing happened to them.

Stephen will be missed. And assuming that I get my second book published, my third book, whatever it is, will be dedicated to him.

Good-night, Steve. I'll see you again.