For 2017 I resolved to finish a novel I had been working on/not working on for several years and to write one short story each month. I have more than met my goals. The novel is finished and going through edits and rewrites and I have 14 new short stories and revived and revised three old stories. 'The Soring' was written in June and was sold to Crimson Streets at the end of July.
The story was inspired by a freelance job where I came across the horrific practice of 'soring' Tennessee Walking horses. Most of ya'll know I am a huge fan of Fort Worth and Fort Worth history. 'The Soring' is one of the few stories I have written not set in Fort Worth, but, the hero, Major David Broiles, is a Fort Worth transplant to LA. Of course, if you know a little Fort Worth history yourself, you'll know why he is nicknamed Major, even though he never even had a cup of coffee in the military.
I hope you enjoy reading 'The Soring' as much as I enjoyed writing it, and please, check out the other fine stories in Crimson Streets. The editors and publishers are stand up people that obviously recognize quality writing.
Major David Broiles was an erstwhile motion picture producer turned drunkard. He did the occasional low level surveillance work for McGee. After securing a little liquid breakfast, Major scrambled to meet McGee for a job. It seemed simple enough. All he had to do was watch one apartment for comings and goings, particularly, that of a chemist who may or may not have stolen a formula. After McGee gives him the low-down and vacates, things are very quiet. Too bad for Major David Broiles it won’t stay that way. With awesome art by Jihane Mossulim, you can read it only at http://www.crimsonstreets.com/2017/12/10/the-soring/
