Like in many professions, writers have to hustle to get their stories out there. Though we would all love to be best-selling authors with household name recognition, the hard truth is that the vast (vast, vast, vast) majority of writers struggle to get even the occasional short story sold or novel published (unless they do it themselves.) So, when I was asked by a publisher to write a story for their anthology, I not only jumped at the chance, I reveled in knowing that I didn

First encounters with the unknown call forth exciting tales full of magic, horror, humor, and suspense. What happens when aliens,...