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Where to find Dave Summers' short fiction
and poetry in print or on
the web
Below is a listing of current and favorite short stories, poems, and maybe
even an essay or two. When possible,
I'll provide links to the magazine or anthology's homepage or other
ordering information. For those who are looking for a complete list of my
stories, poems and essays, there is a
complete bibliography that is current to the end of last year.
Recent Publications
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"War Zone" appears in A Taste of Armageddon edited by Carol Hightshoe.
The pirates of the Legacy enter a war zone to find out what they can salvage, only
to find two apparently peaceful planets. Captain Ellison Firebrandt thinks they might be
ripe for plucking until his shuttle vanishes off the surface of the planet with the woman he
loves inside. Advances in modern war techniques have led many to "cleaner" and "cleaner" weapons. Countries have created missiles that can pinpoint a room within a building -- greatly reducing the risks to non-combatants in a war zone. In the Star Trek episode "A Taste of Armegeddon" Captain Kirk challenged that war had to be messy so that people had a reason to avoid it. In this collection 11 authors look at ways that warfare will advance in the future -- from a war that has determined safe zones that cannot be attacked to a virtual war where a law still exists that can require one-tenth of the population to be killed to a closed meeting room where world leaders order the destruction of their own people to show just how far they will go in attacking the enemy. Whether you agree with war or not, these stories will cause you to pause and think about the ways in which war is waged. You can read more about the anthology at the Wolfsinger Publications website. A Taste of Armageddon is available at Amazon.com in print or in Kindle format. |
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The wolf has long been a source of folklore and mystery. Sometimes reviled
and feared. Sometimes revered and loved. The wolf's fate has intertwined with
our own. Follow the latest myths and legends of the wolf as written by Science
Fiction, Fantasy and Horror authors. Edited by M.H. Bonham, Science Fiction and
Fantasy author and editor, you'll discover that as the dusk fades in the night,
you'll hear the wolfsong calling you into stories of the imagination. Within the
anthology's pages, you'll find stories by Diana Pharoah Francis, Irene Radford,
Laura J. Underwood, Keith Gouveia, Carol Hightshoe and more. WolfSongs - Volume 2 contains my story "The Clockwork Lobo." Set in 1876, this is the story of Ramon Morales and Fatemeh Karimi when they arrive in Mesilla, New Mexico. With little money in their pockets, Ramon sees that there's a bounty on wolf carcasses. Fatemeh doesn't believe that killing the wolves is right. Ramon decides to go hunting anyway. The wolf he finds is unlike any he has ever encountered. WolfSongs - Volume 2 is avalable at Amazon.com in print or in Kindle format. |
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"Locator Beacons" appears in Full-Throttle Space Tales #5: Space Tramps
edited by Jennifer Brozek. In this story, the pirates of the good ship Legacy attack a
cargo ship from Alpha Coma Berenices. Just before they board, the crew abandons ship, leaving
behind a cargo that seems ripe for the plucking. Fortunately, they also find a stowaway who
points out that the crew left locator beacons in the cargo. Space Tramps is the fifth anthology in the Full-Throttle Space Tales series. It is a collection of 16 campfire stories about tramps and vagabonds in outer space. Among the authors in the collection are Nayad A. Monroe, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Nathan Crowder, and Brandie Tarvin. Space Tramps is avalable at Amazon.com and BN.com. |
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Set in October 1876, my story in Science Fiction Trails #7
is called "Day of the Dead." An ancient and highly intelligent alien called
Legion is exploring Earth and gets curious about the Day of the Dead ceremonies
taking place in Mesilla, New Mexico. Legion is a lifeform that uploaded himself
to a computer many centuries before and exists as a swarm of nanites. When he
enters the brain of a reporter, the townsfolk think he's possessed by demons.
However, a healer named Fatemeh Karimi risks the ire of the townspeople to help
the reporter. Also in the issue are stories by Jennifer Brozek, C.J. Killmer, David B. Riley and more. Science Fiction Trails #7 is avalable at Amazon.com in print or in Kindle format. |
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Healing Waves is a benefit anthology for the victims of the earthquake
and tsunami that struck Japan in the spring of 2011. This is an eclectic collection
of stories, essays, memoirs, poems and artwork. All of the proceeds from e-book
sales go to GlobalGiving.org's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. My story in this collection is called "Experiment in Survival." The story was inspired by the tale of a samurai named Minamoto no Raiko who is said to have battled a spider demon. In Vampires of the Scarlet Order, the vampire Draco speculates that the spider demon might have been the creature the vampires called Iktome. In this story, we hear the tale of Raiko's battle with Iktome, a frightening creature who really only wants to help humanity. Healing Waves is available at Amazon.com and Smashwords. |
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Zombie crime fighters, politicians, soldiers, rescuers--but a Zombie prom
date or bowler? If you're looking for Zombies, prepare to be ZOMBIEFIED! Two
dozen amazing zombie stories sure to breathe life back into the Undead. If you're
looking for stories that shamble, groan, and eat brains, you're sure to
become ZOMBIEFIED. This collection features stories by Dayton Ward, M.H. Bonham,
Carol Hightshoe, Laura Givens and more! At TusCon in 2010, I was on a panel about surviving the zombie apocalypse that went in some fun and wild directions. After that panel, I had an idea for a story that warned of the zombie shortage that might come after the zombie apocalypse. Shortage you ask? Well, let me just say, reading this anthology is one of the only ways I know to be prepared for every possible zombie contingency. Zombiefied! An Anthology of All Things Zombie is available at Amazon.com and Smashwords. |
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Be Wary and Beware.... There are tales that every parent knows and must pass on to their child... Tales of
warning and terror...of those who break their vows and kill for no reason other than malice. Tales of saving
the lovely princess from a prince that is much less than charming...and what it takes to bring her home, of
rescuing babes from parents not fit to raise them, and the reason no supernatural can truly win a bargain with
such vile creatures. These are Human Tales. Tales by: Ivan Ewert, Matthew McFarland, Seanan McGuire, Ari Marmell,
Chuck Wendig, Sara M. Harvey, Spencer Ellsworth, Ryan Macklin, Jess Hartley, Shannon Page, Dylan Birtolo,
Deborah Brannon, Alma Alexander, Renee Stern, David Lee Summers, James Sutter, Nathan Crowder. My story in this collection is called "The Griffin's Tail" and it was inspired by a little known fairy tale collected by the Brother's Grimm called "The Griffin." In the original, a young farmer boy seeks the hand of the princess. He's sent on a quest to pluck the tail feather of a griffin. The griffin's wife helps the boy and he goes on to live happily ever after with the princess. But what about the griffin? What was the deal with the iron man that confronted the boy early in the story? Why does a griffin have a human wife? I turned the story around and told it from the point of view of the griffin and his "wife". Griffins should definitely beware of scheming humans and farmers on quests! Human Tales is available at Amazon.com. |
Ramon Morales and Fatemeh Karimi have just arrived in Los Angeles. The year is 1877 and they are out
of money. Ramon finds a job aboard a ship hunting for Mexican pirates. However, it turns out these
pirates have unexpected, advanced weaponry. My story in this issue of Science Fiction Trails
is called "The Pirates of Baja" and it was inspired by my love of Jules Verne and 20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea. In this story, you can get a preview of my forthcoming novel Owl Dance.
Science Fiction Trails is available at
Amazon.com.
"Hungry are the dead, unable to be sated. Still their nation grows." Winifred LewisEvery culture has its tales of ghosts and ghoulies, dead things that stalk the night to prey upon the living. Stories of these creatures have been told around campfires from time immemorial, lending an added chill to the darkness beyond. They have been the subject of countless songs and poems. What is it that the living find so fascinating about the living dead? That is a question the authors in this anthology will leave you to answer. They're just happy to add to the mythology in this collection of poetry and short stories featuring "zombies, vampires, ghosts, and other dead things that want to eat you."
This collection features my short story "City Project" which was inspired when Las Cruces installed new storm drains in the cemetery behind my house.
The Hungry Dead is available at
Amazon.com.
A young boy recalls his first memories from the year 2020. This boy is never allowed out to
play or meet other children. Is his scientist father clueless or abusive? Or, is something
entirely different going on here? That's the premise of my story "The Revelation of Thought"
that appears in 2020 Visions.In this volume, the writers look forward a mere decade and present stunning scenarios, reveal exciting possibilities and warn against the harrowing pitfalls that may lie just a few steps ahead of us. What will life be like ten years from now? Sixteen writers including Mary Robinette Kowal, Sheila Finch, Ernest Hogan, Emily Devenport, and David Gerold offer their own mind-bending answers to that question, their spectacular 2020 Visions...
2020 Visions is available at Amazon.com.
Forthcoming Stories and Poems
"The Vrykolakas and the Cobbler's Wife" will appear in an upcoming issue of Cemetery Dance Magazine. More information about the issue as it comes available. Set in Greece at the beginning of the twentieth century, the story was inspired by a Greek folktale related in Montague Summers' The Vampire in Europe and tells the story of a cobbler who was turned into a vrykolakas and then comes back to haunt his family.
"Luftgeist" is scheduled to appear in the All Soul's Day issue of Hungur Magazine published by Sam's Dot Publishing. In this story, the vampire Desmond Drake makes a quick escape from Nazi Germany in 1937 aboard the Hindenburg but finds himself face-to-face with a creature possessing greater powers than the Third Reich.
Selected Earlier Publications and Where to Find Them
Story: A Specter in the Light |
Story: Amazons and Predators |
Poem: Skinwalker |
Story: Hijacking the Legacy |
Story: Cherry Blossoms in the Springtime |
Poem: A Tale of Three Worlds |
Story: An Asteroid by Any Other Name |
Story: Through Fire and Snares |
Poem: A Tale of Three Worlds |
Story: Jiang Shi |
Story: The Slayers |
Stories: "Cinnamon Hot Chocolate and Gold" and "Night of the Long Run" |
Story: The Persian Witch |
Story: Electric Kachinas |
Poems: "Pluto and Charon" and "The Spaceport" |