Short Stories

See below for a complete list of: Kid Stories | Teen/YA Stories | Grown-up Stories | Media Tie-in Stories

Latest short stories placements:

"Future Dreaming" — to be published in the Climate Change Anthology by Frances Lincoln in UK. A young girl has frightening dreams about what the future may hold... but with the help of the new boy in her class, she realises that she can have an influence on the future.
"Bang!" — to be published in the first issue of the new horror/dark fantasy magazine Midnight Echo. It's due to be published on Halloween 2008. This is a humorous, dark fantasy story about exploding heads.
"Easy Capture" — to be published in 2008 in the third Reading Box by Teachers 4 Teachers Publications Pty Ltd. This is a story about a young girl alone on a space ship about to be boarded by pirates.

Kid Stories

Adventure Holiday, Orbit, March 2007 issue (Vol.92 No.2), NSW School Magazine. It's a science fiction story about an interplanetary holiday that goes wrong.
Adventures With Yen 1: Finding Yen, Tibbidy Magazine, #1, Jan 2008. This is the first story in what will hopefully become an ongoing series. It's a fantasy/adventure about two kids, a talking French Poodle and a genie named Yen.
Buried Treasure, Countdown, July 2005 issue (Vol.90 No.6), NSW School Magazine. It's about two kids searching for buried treasure on their grandmother's farm.
Dinosaur Bones, Reading Box Green, 2007, Teachers 4 Teachers Publications Pty Ltd. This is a humorous story about a kid digging up his back yard looking for dinosaur bones.
Dog Ate My Homework, The, Blast Off, February 2006 issue (Vol.91 No.1), NSW School Magazine. It's about a kid who has an amazing excuse for not being able to hand in his homework.
Easy Capture, Reading Box Red, 2008, Teachers 4 Teachers Publications Pty Ltd, yet to be published. This is a story about a young girl alone on a space ship about to be boarded by pirates.
Family Kitchen, The Big Ideas Book: Families in Focus, Harcourt Education, 2007. A very short story about changing perceptions over the generations.
Future Dreaming, Climate Change Anthology, Frances Lincoln, UK (yet to be published). A young girl has frightening dreams about what the future may hold... but with the help of the new boy in her class, she realises that she can have an influence on the future.
Great Dinosaur Bone Mystery, The, Blast Off, June 2005 issue (Vol.90 No.5), NSW School Magazine. Reprinted in Dinosaurs, BOLDPRINT, edited by Elizabeth Siegel, Rubicon Publishing Inc., Canada, June 2007. (This book is also due to be published in Spanish in mid 2008.) It's about a young girl trying to help her father find a missing dinosaur bone.
Great Golden Idol of Bob, The, Double Agents (part of Thrillogy), Edited by Paul Collins and Meredith Costain, Pearson Education Australia, August 2001. [Double Agents - ISBN:0 7339 2474 3, Thrillogy set - ISBN:0 7339 2466 2]
Kids In Space, Countdown, Oct 2004 issue (Vol.89 No.9), NSW School Magazine. It's a science fiction story about a class of kids visiting the International Space Station.
Next Step, The, Orbit, Feb 2004 issue (Vol.89 No.1), NSW School Magazine. It's a science fiction story about a boy communicating with aliens.
Market Day, Reading Box Red, 2008, Teachers 4 Teachers Publications Pty Ltd, yet to be published. This is a story about a girl wanting to buy a music book at a market.
Night of the Unright, Beyond the Grave, Edited by Paul Collins and Meredith Costain, Pearson Education Australia, August 2000. [Beyond the Grave - ISBN: 0 7339 1462 4, Spinouts Bronze set - ISBN: 0 7339 1435 7]
Paper Wings, Countdown, May 2006 issue (Vol.91 No.4), NSW School Magazine. It's about a young girl's flight of fancy.
Secret Agent Boy, Orbit, October 2006 (Vol.91 No.9), NSW School Magazine. It's about a boy training to be a secret agent.
Wish Upon A Skateboard, Orbit, August 2008 (Vol.93 No.7), NSW School Magazine. It's a fantasy story about two kids, a skateboard and a genie.

Teen/YA Stories

Dare To Swim, GROW: Under the Southern Cross, edited by Anne Hamilton and Lyn Hurry, Writerlynks Grow, 2008. This is a humorous story about trying to meet a dare. Purchase a copy of the anthology.
Game Plan, Trust Me!, edited by Paul Collins, Ford Street Publishing, April 2008. This is a science fiction story about two teens and the challenges they face in pursuit of a rather unusual goal.

Grown-up Stories

Bang!, Midnight Echo, #1, to be published on Halloween 2008. This is a humorous, dark fantasy about exploding heads.
Blue Eyes, Southern Blood, edited by Bill Congreve, Sandglass Enterprises Pty Ltd, July 2003. [ISBN: 0 9580739 0 2] A psychological horror story about a father and son. My wife, Kerri Valkova, provided the accompanying illustration.
Blue Moon Sonata, Redsine, issue #10, November 2002. A story of werewolves, music and higher education. This story is actually intended to be the first in a series of very loosely connected stories in a common setting.
Colonist and the Choirmaster, The, Fantastic Wonder Stories, edited by Russell B. Farr, Ticonderoga Publications, April 2007. A science fiction story about colonists visiting a far-distant planet, that isn't quite what they expected. Read the ASif! review of Fantastic Wonder Stories. BUY A COPY!
Just a Game, Dark Animus, Issue 10/11, Jan-June 2007 (although the online PDF issue was published at this time, the print version of this issue was finally published in June 2008). A horror story about black-market, virtual reality games. Read the review in Synergy Magazine.
Kanchanaburi Find, The, Ripples Magazine, Issue 2, October 2005. A science fiction story set in Thailand and inspired by my trip there.
Last Monk, The, Aurealis Magazine, issue #30, October 2002. This science fiction story was inspired by my visit to St Katherine's Monastery at the foot of Mt Sinai in 2001. My wife, Kerri Valkova, provided the accompanying illustration.
MTP, The Workers' Paradise,edited by Russell B. Farr and Nick Evans, Ticonderoga Publications, December 2007. MTP stands for Management Training Programme. It's an SF story set in the near future, where a company pays its employees with drugs as well as money. Order a copy.
Nigella and the Clockwork Man, Shadow Plays, April 2007. A dark, adult fairy tale about the lengths to which Nigella will go, to create her perfect man. Read the HorrorScope review of Shadow Plays. Read the Asif! review of Shadow Plays. BUY A COPY!
Shit Happens, Ripples Magazine, Issue 9, July 2007. A tongue-in-cheek science fiction story about unethical business practices, energy nodules and constipation.

Media Tie-in Stories

Machine Time, Doctor Who – Short Trips: Defining Patterns, edited by Ian Farrington, Big Finish Productions Ltd, March 2008. This anthology is a media tie-in book dealing with the television series Doctor Who, and is officially licensed merchandise. My story is a fourth Doctor adventure in which he encounters a mysterious man slowly being taken over by machines. Order the book from the publisher! or Purchase the book online through Amazon!

This anthology has just recieved a very favourable review in Doctor Who Magazine, #394, April 2008. Here's what it said about my story:
"It opens well with Machine Time, a compelling and creepy story of a universe threatened by voracious machines, and where individuals have only the vaguest hint of the results of their actions."

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Last Modified: Tuesday, 19 August, 2008.