In my post Writers’ Trust Gala eternal free drink brain miasma, I’ve got some pretty damn good news to report. Right before I dressed up like an adult last evening, in a sweet vest and all, I signed off on a story of mine, Montana Border, that is slated for publication in the June 2015 issue of The Walrus.

This story is one of the most recent I’ve written, and it was read by literary champion, professor, and editor Nick Mount, and considered with a few other stories I’ve tried to drum up since the summer. Pretty much, I have this novel that never went anywhere (yet), about a washed up cage fighter who does muscle-work for some local criminals, and tries to keep his young family in food and under roofs. My editor at Biblioasis, the estimable John Metcalf, thought that this could be mined for some more material, in short story form. So, this one came about as a sort of possible history of the main character in that book.

In any case, I am real excited this story got picked up, and find it hard to believe that you’re gonna be able to buy a magazine at the grocery stores that involves legal and illegal MMA fights, biker revenge, teeth getting surgically removed from knuckles, and a ginger nurse with a shotgun. It’s a pretty long one, likely just under 5000 words when all is said and done. So, you’ll get some pages to cherish the misery and mayhem.

Again, Nick Mount has read a few stories and I’ve got to hand it to him for doing some work to just get the story in before the publication of my fiction collection, Debris, in fall 2015. Of course, The Walrus gets work from some damn good writers and has just a few spots in a year, so I didn’t know if I’d squeak in there before the collection is published. Nonetheless, it worked out. Massive thanks to Mr. Mount and everyone else that helped find a spot for it. Not gonna lie, there’d likely have been a bunch of head-sized holes in my drywall had I written something maybe good enough to print, but didn’t have the months left to see it in those pages. No worries though, thanks to Nick and the other Walrusers.

That’s the news I got for now. More to come soon hopefully. Keep the dream alive and whathaveyou…

Hardcastle