Author: Michael Merriam

I’m lining up my next project. It’s been awhile since I’ve written a novel (I’ve been focused on novellas, plays, and spoken-word pieces) and I’m looking for a project that has the potential to get me back into a major publisher. I haven’t written a novel since the late-lamented monster-hunting barista project (which never seemed… Continue reading Today, We Chose A Novel

2013. Yeah. That was a thing that happened. On some levels it was a tough year. My raw writing metrics were the lowest since about 2005. I had the lowest raw word count for the year since I got serious about writing in 2002. On some levels it was a down year for writing. The… Continue reading Kiss Another Year Good-Bye: 2013 in Review

MinnSpec Showcase Reading 2013. Video of my reading an except from “Tenari” as part of the 2013 Minnesota Speculative Fiction Showcase. The full story can be found in my new space opera collection,Whispers in Space, available at Alban Lake Publishing, The SDP Bookstore, and Smashwords Enjoy!

Alban Lake will be publishing in print my novel DARK WATER BLUES, a near future dystopian urban fantasy with an projected release date of March 1st 2014.

A little while back I announced I’d sold a reprint of a story called “Nor To The Strong” to Every Day Publishing for the anthology, Ray Gun Chronicles. I am very pleased to announce the publication of the anthology, which includes short stories by some of the best writers in Space Opera today. I have… Continue reading Space Opera For You!

As I near the end of the current Work in Progress, I find myself—as I always do at the end of a project—ruminating over what I have learned as a writer. Over on the Book of Face I posted this plaintive question – “When did I become the kind of writers who uses outlines and… Continue reading An Ever Evolving Process

Sunday, November 17, 2013 12:00 PM Acadia Cafe (http://acadiacafe.com/) 329 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN MNSpec (http://www.meetup.com/MinnSpec/) members will be giving short readings from their works. Reading slots will be approximately 10 minutes. Current List of Readers: Joel Arnold Kelly Barnhill Rob Callahan Eli Effinger-Weintraub Terry Faust Catherine Lundoff Michael Merriam Margaret Taylor Host: Conrad… Continue reading 2013 Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers’ Showcase

“What are you doing?” This is an important question; one Beloved Spouse will at times pose to me, usually when she catches me staring off into space, apparently doing nothing. Sometimes, rarely, my answer is “Nothing” or perhaps “Wool gathering,” in which case she is totally within her rights to poke me into doing something… Continue reading On The Importance Of Simply Sitting And Staring Into Space

I found myself staring at new shelf in the garage, not really seeing it. On some level this is not a surprise, given my condition, but… Beloved Spouse pointed out the addition to our garage to me, and all I could do was stare at the space for several minutes, trying to process the change.… Continue reading Adventures In Blindlandia – Entry #Whatever

It was the smell that stopped me cold: raw, bloody, the stench of spilled guts and stale piss. I took a few more steps inside before Hanson’s light told me the worst. They had all died in their stalls, from the looks of it. Blood, dark and covered by the feasting flies, was splattered across… Continue reading Teaser Tuesday – The Horror at Cold Springs