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…

Prompted Flash Fiction (eagle, end of dock, cup) — It’s funny what you get used to living in Alaska. Take bald eagles, for instance. When somebody from the Lower 48 comes to visit, they about wet their pants every time they see a baldie. …

Four brief reflections on my interior life — Somebody Tell Me I used to change towns every time I changed girlfriends. These days, friends say I change plans more often than they change lanes. Never gonna get anywhere like that. They say. They’re right. Problem is, I lack the guts to trust my dreams. Somebody tell me how to change that. Thursday Morning Coming Down

Prompted Flash Fiction (exhaust fan set screw, rat, Gary, Indiana) — He’d had a name once, but nobody ever used it, so by the time he left the rose bush and the field behind, he no longer knew it. He’d been born alone, the only singleton in the colony’s memory. Some said he was cursed, and even those that didn’t go…

An Oilfield Love Story — The rig was broke down and it wasn’t our job to fix it, so Tommy and I were sitting around drinking coffee and talking to Shorty about his whore. Tommy drove the loader. He’d called Shorty over when he found out I hadn’t heard the story. “It was right after…

Prompted Flash Fiction (1970s vintage KISS lunch box, rhino, cruise ship) — Chris was sitting in the shade of an umbrella on the lido deck of the Norwegian Saphire, sketching the famous arch, the one everybody had to have a selfie with, when some kid he didn’t know walked up to him and said, “A rhino’s running loose in Cabo.” “What?” The…

Friends and fun on the western edge of Reno — Mama Bear’s. Great name for a bar. Belongs to the owner’s dog. The owner this woman Deb, she’s nice. From my house, I walk across the alley, through the gas station parking lot, and across the street to drink beer and watch football. …