Originally appeared in my newsletter from July 23rd. Some bits might not make sense out of context!
First off, People Skins, Volume 1 has been EXPANDED to twice it’s original size. It now features 10 short stories, instead of 5.
Talk about thick-skinned!
Grab your free copy of the new edition right here for some brand-new stories set in Boston, Russia, and some very dangerous woods…
But make sure you come back because I’ve got a new story for you right here as well, and lots more to read in the links at the bottom.If you can “face” it, of course…
Flash Fiction: How To Save Face On A Date
Alan didn’t know what to wear for his first date in years.
Should he dress to remind her that he had been famous, or should he pretend to just be a regular guy?
People were fascinated by celebrities. It might give her a kick.
Although, perhaps he should let her get to know him before reminding her what the newspapers had said.
It had started in school. He’d got in trouble when the boy behind him was talking during class. The teacher had blamed Alan, and Alan’s parents had come to demand an apology.
The teacher apologised and insisted that it was only because Alan had “no face.”
In the mirror at home afterwards, Alan could see it was true. He couldn’t have picked his own face out of a lineup of suspects.
He looked like everyone else and nobody at all. For a while he had overcompensated, wearing the most flamboyant clothes he could find (a zoot suit he’d found in the bottom of the “Please Take!” box at the charity shop, Hawaiian shirts with purple tuxedos, overalls sewn out of curtain fabric, which had had cartoon horses on it.
Then he’d overcompensated even more, and his distinctive style had meant the police soon caught him.
Since they had released him from prison, he’d been wearing simple T-shirts and jeans.
Having no recognisable face turned out to be a blessing as he rebuilt his life.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if it would excite her to know she was having dinner with *that* Alan Benson!
Or would she run away screaming before he could tell her she had nothing to worry about?
He didn’t do that anymore. He liked being “No Face.”
He wouldn’t try to take hers.
Oh, and…
Research!While doing some research on book clubs for the next Alumière story, I came across the following Wikipedia article about the Right Book Club, which was set up to counteract the influence of the (more popular) Left Book Club. It looks like books have been political for a lot longer than most people today realise. Crucially, however, they can be dated back to about 1900, so I don’t have to edit them back out of The Squared Circle!
Read!Like me, J.F.Penn is also offering FREE short stories via Bookfunnel, which you don’t even have to sign up for. Get A Thousand Fiendish Angels right here!!
Read!
Writing group buddy G.M. White has you covered if you’d prefer a bit more swordly swashbuckling with your fantasy. Get the first novella in his Royal Champion series, The Swordsman’s Intent straight from the author’s own website!
Read Or Listen!
Finally, Tim Waggoner is in Apex Magazine with “In the Monster’s Mouth”, which you can read or listen to over here!
