In visions of the dark night

    I have dreamed of joy departed-

   But a waking dream of life and light

    Hath left me broken-hearted.

--From "A Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe

Dreams were a frequent subject for Poe. I believe he had at least four poems with the word dream in the title. Many of his poems relate or create a dream-like experience.

I just finished reading the Sultry Murder Jazz anthology. "A Stardust Memory" is the last story in the book--and the last line of the story is a fabulous close to the anthology. I commend the editor on selecting the story and for its location in the book. Here's the picture that goes with it.

We have two winners in the flash fiction contest. I have links to their stories farther down. They're each getting an autographed paperback.

While "A Stardust Memory" just came out, I have another story coming out next month. It's in the Wyrd Warfare anthology and is entitled "Seventh Hussar and Aide to the Mage." The editor contacted me and said the story needed more French. I entirely agreed. In fact, I had held my French and Napoleonic nerdery largely in check when I wrote it, realizing that not everyone enjoys a sprinkling of French expressions and odd Napoleonic trivia in their stories. I was overjoyed to add some appropriate French phrases, and I look forward to reading the whole anthology. No doubt, the pictures will be awesome. The editor's assistant also put me onto this: Horse soldier, horse soldier by Corb Lund. It has become the newest addition to my music library.

This morning I submitted "Three Dollar Credit" for consideration in the Magic Malfunction anthology. My skirmish team was unanimous in recommending it for publication. We'll see what the editor thinks.

I'm currently working on a short story that features my protagonist from Smoke, Noah Vale/Duncan Kane, along with Pip, and a few familiar faces in addition to a cat and the newest noir dame to come into his life. I'm anxious to see where this one leads.

If you're into my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series, although the sale has ended on the first three books, the last two remain on sale at 99 cents each--Truth in Flames and Crisis in Fire and Snow.

For the Fun Fact portion of the newsletter, let me refer you to something I wrote last week about the Howe Brothers. Not from the law firm of Dewey Cheatem and Howe, but the British General and Admiral back in 1775 and 1776.

These giveaways and discounts are available for another two weeks:

Looking for non-human characters in fantasy and sci-fi?

Falling into fantasy books on sale here.

This one is brand new: Free Sci-fi and Fantasy for March

If you're wondering what you can do for me, don't forget that you have the power to post a nice review or even just a 5-star rating. Paperbacks and ebooks make great gifts all year long.

Speaking of great stories, don't forget to enjoy these two flash fiction winners by Susan Johnson and Marica Bernstein.