Launching Short Stories

 

I published a little short story collection called Dark by Day, Dark by Night recently on Amazon.  Unfortunately, as a guy who attended high school in the late 1980s, some technical aspects of eBooks continue to elude me.  Thankfully, the table of contents actually functions and looks correct now.  If you caught an earlier version of the stories, this one is much improved.

They have interesting backstories.  "Stars Within the Glass" was initially acquired by a publication in Ireland, where all went well--until they began to like it a little too much.  (Reprinting in a collection without permission.) The "Blazing Darkness and Fractured Shadows" piece had its origins in a high school math class in Yakima, Washington, where I could not stay awake unless I jotted down fiction ideas.  Much to the benefit of the reader, the original version was lost in the intervening years, and it had to be rewritten from scratch.

So, without further ado, here is the new and working table of contents.  Several excerpts follow.  This story collection will be free to acquire on Amazon for a few more hours now.  PS.  One remaining (very silly) mistake remains, but I am not going to divulge it.  It will be fixed soon.  I must dislike working on Amazon's platform to such a degree that I am going a tad too quickly...

"Stars Within the Glass"

As he watched, the bottle was suddenly full to the brim of a pulsing fluorescent red liquid--at least he perceived it as liquid. Points of light, like stars, shone with a fierce brightness throughout, gliding this way and that within the confines of the glass. Bewildering lights and shadows played over the walls of the room. Strangely, the reddish light seemed to pass clean through some objects in the lab, but not others. David extended a shaking hand directly in front of one of the lights on the wall, but there was neither any shadow of a hand showing on the wall nor any faint light caught in his palm—only a sense of coldness. David was too mesmerized by the lights even to catch the strange scent of roses and pine emanating from the lit bottle. He stared transfixed at a single point of light while taking a tentative step towards where he thought the clipboard should be.

Erickson, Karl. Dark by Day, Dark by Night: A Collection of Short Stories and Essays (p. 8). (Function). Kindle Edition. 

"Blazing Darkeness and Fractured Shadows"

Derek slid into the pod’s comfortable pilot chair and watched the security squad board in an orderly fashion to the rear. They must have been tired, but they looked sharp and prepared. Even their dark blue uniforms were crisp and pressed. Each of the twelve carried a laser rifle, and Anne Jenson, who sat at the co-pilot’s station, held what was affectionately called the cannon. It was a weapon that could easily vaporize a heavy bulkhead with a single explosive shot, and it was self-charging in most environments. While it did its job well, it also posed a small radiation risk to the user. If it was necessary to use repeatedly, members of the team were trained to rotate usage among available personnel. In transit, it resembled a large shotgun connected to a collapsed heavy-duty tripod. Bright red warning symbols were visible on all its sides. Anne held it with ease. Her blond hair framed an attractive face, sternly set. Derek recalled the relationship they had briefly shared. He felt a momentary flash of guilt.

Erickson, Karl. Dark by Day, Dark by Night: A Collection of Short Stories and Essays (p. 22). (Function). Kindle Edition. 

"The Matter of a Small Gunfight"

“Don’t touch ‘em, boy,” the marshal warned sternly. “No worries, sir,” Benjamin replied. “I’ll just watch them properly.” And watch them he did. He couldn’t, in fact, avert his eyes from the pile of strange armaments. One revolver, in particular, had a handle that looked to be made out of polished white wood or perhaps ivory. Looking around furtively, Benjamin allowed himself to extend a shaking hand towards the six-shooter, but he didn’t venture more than the briefest touch. Something of the forbidden feel of the gun sent shivers down his spine. He wondered whether it had ever been used to shoot a murderer or maybe a horse thief? Someday, he hoped he would own a gun like that.

Erickson, Karl. Dark by Day, Dark by Night: A Collection of Short Stories and Essays (pp. 62-63). (Function). Kindle Edition. 

...and for the humor section.

"Take Your Trash to Work Day"

In an exciting partnership with the Portland Metro Area’s Tri-Met, Monday is Take Your Trash to Work Day!  While you can, of course, pile the garbage bags in your own vehicle when you leave for the office, may I recommend using convenient public transit on Monday?  When you climb aboard one of these luxurious and sparkling-clean buses, take your seat in confidence.  Don't worry about bothering people--sit next to anyone!  We all do our part to make Salem a better place. 

Erickson, Karl. Dark by Day, Dark by Night: A Collection of Short Stories and Essays (p. 80). (Function). Kindle Edition. 

DEI in the Context of Oregon State Priorities (A Guest Blogger)

 

As a way of introduction, what follows is a guest blog.  Before starting, though, I did a public records request of the state about a year ago concerning how many employees were working in a DEI capacity and associated payroll.  I was politely told to pound sand.  Today's blogger combed the internet to create an engaging visual and an accompanying short post on the topic.  First, however, an illustration that shows one of my concerns with DEI.  During the Great Potato Famine in Ireland, there were about a million souls lost in the home country and another million fleeing abroad to Britain, Canada, and the USA.  They would often arrive on our North American shores sick as dogs and without a penny to their names.  They began accepting the absolute worst jobs the nation had to offer from digging canals (Erie Canal, for instance) to constructing railroads.  Mass graves of Irish laborers are often found in the areas of these construction projects.  The startling truth is that even slaves held a monetary value to their "owners," but the Irish...they just kept coming.  They became seen as disposable people.  A somewhat similar history befell the immigrating Chinese.  If you have read my novel The Blood Cries Out, you learned about the ambush of a large number of Chinese miners along the Snake River in May 1887 (not too far from today's Imnaha, Oregon).  The point is that there were many different immigrant groups treated deplorably, yet DEI completely ignores the ones that don't conveniently fit its narrative.

Oregon’s DEI Staffing: A Costly Distraction from Core Services

In Oregon, the state’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has led to the establishment of specialized positions within government agencies. While these roles are often portrayed as essential for fostering an inclusive environment and carrying out the respective mission of each agency, the reality raises significant concerns about their necessity and impact.

The primary question is: Are these DEI positions effectively serving the public, or are they diverting resources from essential services? With state budgets under constant scrutiny, allocating funds to roles that may not directly contribute to public welfare is a contentious issue. The effectiveness of DEI initiatives in achieving tangible outcomes remains debatable, and without clear metrics, it’s challenging to assess their value.

Moreover, the creation of DEI roles can inadvertently lead to a culture of compliance rather than genuine cultural change. Agencies may focus more on fulfilling DEI quotas and meeting regulatory expectations than on addressing the supposed underlying issues of inequality and exclusion. This approach risks reducing complex social challenges to checkboxes on a form, rather than fostering meaningful dialogue and systemic reform.

In conclusion, while the intention behind DEI staffing is to promote fairness and representation, the actual impact on Oregon’s governance and public services warrants closer examination. It’s crucial to ensure that efforts to enhance inclusivity do not come at the expense of the state’s primary responsibility: delivering effective and efficient services to all its citizens.

A Few Words on Why I'm Not a Trekkie

I am releasing a short story collection on the market shortly, and several fall into the science fiction genre. This being the case, I am offering a link to my blog (from the collection's introduction) where I might more easily digress briefly about my feelings on the Star Trek franchise. Below is the paragraph I opted to remove from the introduction of my collection, as it was a tad distracting from the content as a whole.