Mermaids, Goats, and Frank Sinatra
Adventures Magazine Issue #17 is now
available!
I am so excited about this book! AdventuresReads publishes quarterly
anthologies of new and classic stories. My dad has been in a bunch of past
issues, and for the first time, he and I are published in the same book! (Along
with Charles freaking Dickens. Crazy!)
My story is called "Mermaid Show." It's a
pulp mystery based on a radio drama from the 50s called Rocky Fortune (starring
Frank Sinatra). Lately, I've been writing a lot of stuff with public domain
characters, and it's been a blast every time.
Here's an excerpt if you wanna see the
style:
***
He meets me at the entrance, where
plastic mermaids smile down at us from pillars on either side. His handshake is
wet and clammy, which seems appropriate.
“Glad to be here,” I tell him.
He takes me inside and gives me a
quick tour of the place. “We run a tight ship around here,” he says. (He doesn’t
mention the “sinking” part.) “And I expect only the best. At first, I wasn’t
sure about hiring you on, considering your status.”
And what status is that?” I ask him.
“As a card-carrying member of the frequently
unemployed.”
I don’t like the insinuation. I
probably have more work experience than all his other employees combined.
“Correction,” I say. “I like to refer
to myself as frequently employed.”
“Touche,” he says. “Well, welcome
anyway.”
We pass through the front courtyard,
where one lonely security guard is napping on a stool.
So far, the place doesn’t inspire a
lot of confidence. I see broken turnstiles, cracks in the concrete, and a
wooden cut-out of a cartoon tuna that would look a lot more inviting if it
still had its head.
We reach the food stalls (not very
appetizing) and the toilets (even less appetizing) before we get to the main
attraction: a huge water tank where the mermaids do their show. Whatever money
Gus saves on everything else goes straight into that tank. It’s filled with
giant clams and pirate chests and other aquarium regulars. No mermaids, though.
Not yet.
“Beautiful, yeah?” Gus says. “Just
wait ’til you see it in use. My girls put on one hell of a show.”
***
Fun, right? I really tried to emulate
the rhythm of the radio show (which is all on YouTube if you want to check it out).
Anyway, please spread the word on this anthology. It's a real labor of love for OffBeatReads, and I'm really happy with how it all came together.
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