Noon in Florida doesn’t waste a word — I put everything I had into making Noon in Florida great. It contains 12 stories — about 6,000 words — of my best flash fiction. Here’s the blurb: Noon in Florida delivers realistic flash fiction with no wasted words. By turns angsty, empathetic, and eccentric, these minimalist short-short stories center on…

Relationship advice from a friend and a racing camel — **audio available on Kris Keppeler’s podcast, click here!** “Tom Marley is a racing camel,” Ahmed said. “The fastest in all of the Sinai.” “Tom Marley?” I asked. “Not Bob?” Ahmed appeared somewhat surprised by my ignorance, but the stupidity of tourists is known the world over. Ahmed patiently explained that…

It all started with windmills — Balls to the wall has nothing to do with testicles. Neither does balls out. Both expressions mean working at maximum effort or speed, and the balls in question are part of a device invented in the 17th century — the centrifugal governor. Please, allow me to explain. Centrifugal governors had some balls James Watt designed…

Going nowhere fast — Photo by Michelle Oude Maatman on Unsplash “Twenty to one,” Jace drawled, “Josie’s got nothin’ to listen to in her car ‘cept a disc full of my music.” I told him, “I’ve known you too long to take that bet.” Jace lurched his way behind the bar and damn near…

Prompted Flash Fiction (aardvark, chocolate bar wrapper, New York City) — It looked like a pig crossed with a possum. Or an extra-snouty armadillo stripped of its shell. The bottom of the hot-dog cart pressed its long, donkey-like ears to its back. Shifting tones of neon, brake lights, and turn signals washed against its straggly brown fur and its long, rat-like…

Does music really obliterate time? — Three of us stand around Dad’s hospice bed like background singers around a microphone, but we’re not harmonizing — not even close. Jack and Laura are fine with Dad dying, but it makes me want to scream. “He’s had a good life,” Jack says. He shrugs. “Mom’s already gone…” Laura…

Prompted Flash Fiction (tarn, ladybug, arrowhead) — Daniel couldn’t see the summit, couldn’t see his back trail. He could see wet bunch grass and agaves and rain-slicked rocks. Clouds and mist shrouded everything else, including the summit of Mount Tlaloc. Daniel sighed and turned his feet downhill. Several steps later, darkness loomed — a wall of rock…

Burgers and time zones — The little girl looks like my Gabby did when she was nine or ten — dark eyes, long pigtails. Chewed fingernails and ripped jeans. She’s drawing on the back of the kids’ menu, a line of eight or ten horses standing in an oval pasture. It doesn’t seem right that…

Prompted Flash Fiction (a coral reef, a Johny Mathis Christmas album, Asgard) — Transcript of Asgard Data Vault Item Access #AI5893–129FJ (Audio) You got that thing turned on this time? Yes, the recorder is on. Please describe the incident that preceded the disappearance of Thor and Loki from this Hall. I already told you what happened. You fucked up the recording and now…