F. P. Dorchak

Speculative Fiction (New Weird) Author

Books

Do The Dead Dream? Status

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Do The Dead Dream? (Image by Jan C J Jones, Freelancer Ink, © July 1, 2016)
Do The Dead Dream? (Image by Jan C J Jones, Freelancer Ink, © July 1, 2016)

I am working toward the completion and release of my short story collection, but timelines have shifted to the right a bit. When I first envisioned releasing this collection, I’d thought maybe Valentine’s Day might make a good release date…then as things didn’t progress as quickly as expected, and I’d attended my first Comic Con, I thought having it to release the end of June at the 2017 Denver Comic Con would also be a really cool release date. But other issues came up and I’m now realistically looking at a Hallowe’en release date.

I also have a new editor, Joyce Combs. She did my Psychic novel. She’s a retired editor, among other things. I thank my previous editor/proofer for all she’d done–she’d done a great job!–but we just had scheduling issues. I wish her well!

But while I’ve been working along on this project, I have written a couple new short stories! I’ve written “A Beautiful Summer’s Day” (takes place in the Wild West) and “Behind Things” (takes place in a gym). And while reworking some of these stories I found myself getting unexpectedly emotional. “Dark Was The Hour” was one where I just couldn’t keep from getting emotional as I reread it.

Anyway, this will be my last book for a couple years as I work on writing my next novel, so I want to do this as “right” as possible. As I get most of the stories into the manuscript from Joyce’s efforts, I will offer free copies to any who want to review it. I’ve never done this before, but want to try it. I will let y’all know closer I get to that stage….

Short Story Links

Links to all my posted short stories are here.

Boulder YMCA Author Talk

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Author Talk, Mapleton Center YMCA (© F. P. Dorchak, January 17, 2017)
Author Talk, Mapleton Center YMCA (© F. P. Dorchak, January 17, 2017)

Yesterday I had the honor of speaking at the Boulder Media Women’s (BMW’s) “Author Talk” session (also known as “Spoken Word”) at the Boulder, Colorado Mapleton Center YMCA. It’s a cozy gathering that invites authors to speak and discuss their work, with profits from some of the book sale going to the Y to support the Y’s scholarships, which is pretty cool. I didn’t realize that the Y did that. I’ve used a YMCA a couple of times, years ago, so it was nice to help them out in their scholarship with a couple of book sales.

Of note: one gentlemen there and I had been at the same unit when I’d been in the Air Force. He’d been there at the start-up of the unit, and I’d been there nearly fifteen years later. Small world!

The event was organized by BMW’s chair of the Boulder Valley YMCA readings, Jyoti Wind, who met we when I arrived. I had an hour and started off with a reading from The Uninvited, then talked about what I write, gave an overview of my work, how I think (as a writer), how I write, that kind of thing. The audience had so many good questions I was never able to complete my presentation! I love those kinds of presentations! Afterwards, Jyoti, myself, and a couple of others met for lunch at Turley’s Kitchen, a short walk away from the Y—and the Y picked up my tab. Thanks, Mapleton Center YMCA! Following lunch, I visited a good friend of mine and her husband who live nearby. We had a great afternoon chat, had some ox tail soup—which I’d never had before and was great, Karen, I’m not kidding! Karen is quite the “food scholar,” as she brands herself, and has a cookbook, Nature’s Wrap: Cooking in Leaves; Recipes From Around the World.

Overall a great day! Thanks BMW and Mapleton Center YMCA for having me and picking up lunch (and thanks to those in attendance for your time, interest, and stimulating conversation!), and thanks Karen and Wen for a wonderful afternoon chat and dinner!

F. P. Dorchak Colorado Author Interview Circle (CAIC) Interview

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This is an interview I did a year ago. It was my first ever YouTube/video interview and it was such a blast hanging out with these two guys! Cody I’d just met for the interview, but Aaron Michael Ritchey I’ve known for bit and he’s always a trip. Always. And every time I meet him he’s grown another inch. Because he’s tall. And charming. And…he’s Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Thank you, Aaron and Cody, for including me in your CAIC interview circuit! You two are great dudes, and I had fun!

So.

Here it is.

Merry Christmas To All!

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Merry Christmas! (© F. P. Dorchak, December 22, 2016)
Merry Christmas! (© F. P. Dorchak, December 22, 2016)

This year has been head-spinning in many ways…many good ways! But, man, has it just flown by! Time is…fleeting, as The Rocky Horror Picture Show says. The past (in certain terms) is behind us and the future (in certain terms) before us. So where does that leave us?

In the present moment. All we really have is the present. So is it really any wonder that Christmas packages are called presents?

I enjoyed as much of the present moment as possible throughout this year, and I hope the rest of you did, too!

And I know there are other holidays out there. I wish you all the peace and love and joy you also celebrate.

I thank all of you who—in your own, sometimes most personal ways—for helping create a better world for yourselves and everyone else. Many of you perhaps don’t even realize this. Doing so can be as easy as keeping good and positive thoughts in your head…as well as doing the more public acts. The point is, doing good in the world is as easy as doing good for yourself and your immediate circle of influence, because everything affects everything else.

I thank my wife, Laura, for her love and in being the kind and gracious person she is. For staying with me…and for continuing to put up with me and all my weirdness. Es.

I thank my family—both near and far, nuclear and extended—for being themselves and continuing to put up with me and all my weirdness. Es.

I thank all my friends—both close and acquaintance—for being themselves and continuing to put up with me and all my weirdness. Es.

I thank all of you who invited me to all the literary events I went to this year. I am ever humbled by your invites! Thank you!

I thank Lon Kirschner for his incredible cover art! Thanks, Lon!

I thank Mandy Pratt for all her efforts and dedication (which continues!) on editing and proofing my short stories. Thank you!

I thank all my writing friends for being who you are, for writing your wonderful blogs, for writing stories that are important to you. For being open and supportive to the rest of us who are not at your levels-of-success (i.e., thanks for not being snooty). Thank you!

Any group or individual I may have missed, it was not intentional. I thank you, too!

To those of us who require a little extra work in various aspects of our lives…I wish us all the very best at becoming and being the best person we can be throughout the rest of our lives!

So, I send out massive amounts of love and peace and joy to all on this day that many of us celebrate for many reasons, not all of them religious.

Peace.

Love.

Joy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

Merry Christmas To All!

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Merry Christmas! (© F. P. Dorchak, December 22, 2016)
Merry Christmas! (© F. P. Dorchak, December 22, 2016)

This year has been head-spinning in many ways…many good ways! But, man, has it just flown by! Time is…fleeting, as The Rocky Horror Picture Show says. The past (in certain terms) is behind us and the future (in certain terms) before us. So where does that leave us?

In the present moment. All we really have is the present. So is it really any wonder that Christmas packages are called presents?

I enjoyed as much of the present moment as possible throughout this year, and I hope the rest of you did, too!

And I know there are other holidays out there. I wish you all the peace and love and joy you also celebrate.

I thank all of you who read and followed my blogs, Instagrams, tweets, LinkedIn, Pinterest boards, About Me, and Facebook. I thank all of you for reading my stories, short and long. I thank all of you for being my friends and family. I thank all of you for being who you are and remaining true to who you are.

I thank all of you who—in your own, sometimes most personal ways—for helping create a better world for yourselves and everyone else. Many of you perhaps don’t even realize this. Doing so can be as easy as keeping good and positive thoughts in your head…as well as doing the more public acts. The point is, doing good in the world is as easy as doing good for yourself and your immediate circle of influence, because everything affects everything else.

I thank my wife, Laura, for her love and in being the kind and gracious person she is. For staying with me…and for continuing to put up with me and all my weirdness. Es.

I thank my family—both near and far, nuclear and extended—for being themselves and continuing to put up with me and all my weirdness. Es.

I thank all my friends—both close and acquaintance—for being themselves and continuing to put up with me and all my weirdness. Es.

I thank all of you who invited me to all the literary events I went to this year. I am ever humbled by your invites! Thank you!

I thank Lon Kirschner for his incredible cover art! Thanks, Lon!

I thank Mandy Pratt for all her efforts and dedication (which continues!) on editing and proofing my short stories. Thank you!

I thank all my writing friends for being who you are, for writing your wonderful blogs, for writing stories that are important to you. For being open and supportive to the rest of us who are not at your levels-of-success (i.e., thanks for not being snooty). Thank you!

Any group or individual I may have missed, it was not intentional. I thank you, too!

To those of us who require a little extra work in various aspects of our lives…I wish us all the very best at becoming and being the best person we can be throughout the rest of our lives!

So, I send out massive amounts of love and peace and joy to all on this day that many of us celebrate for many reasons, not all of them religious.

Peace.

Love.

Joy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Give The Gift of Fear!

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I Can't Wait To Play With You.... (© F. P. Dorchak, 2016)
I Can’t Wait To Play With You…. (© F. P. Dorchak, 2016)

Okay, I know, it’s the holiday season…Merrry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and all that…and that being the case, I am shamelessly self-promoting a wonderful gift—for yourself.

The gift of fear!

Yes, what better way to say “I love me” than to give yourself a story to scare the unmentionables out of you! It tells your self, “Self…I trust you SO much that I will allow you to scare the unmentionables out of me!”

Why is that?

"Clowns," © F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner, 2016.
“Clowns,” © F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner, 2016.

Because you know you will be there to comfort yourself, keep you safe, and tell yourself how freaking brave you were to read a scary story all by your lonesome…at night…with but a lone, meager light on to illuminate the pages. Well, okay, it’s an e-story, so you don’t even need a light!

Ha! Be brave!

Might I recommend, oh…I don’t know…a clown story?

How about “Clowns“? It’s short, sweet (in sooo many ways…), and spooky. And it’s got five stars (from two reader reviews—come on, let’s add to this tally…)!

And if clowns aren’t your bag, might I suggest some other stories?

So, come on—don’t be skeered! Or, actually, be very skeered! Skeer the unmentionables right out of you! Buy some skeery stuff! And I’m not even talking for other people—do this for YOU.

You deserve it!

Because, with all you’ve been doing for everyone else this Holiday Season, don’t you deserve a little something extra just for yourself? Go on…indulge. I won’t tell…especially if you do it in the dark. It’ll be our little secret! Give yourself…

The gift of fear!

Come…Play With Me…. (© Jan C J Jones & F. P. Dorchak, 2016)
Come…Play With Me…. (© Jan C J Jones & F. P. Dorchak, 2016)

Disclaimer: the opinions, claims, and shameless self-promotion of the author are not necessarily (but probably are) those of the author or his publishing house (again, the author). The author probably isn’t even very funny or a good writer (though he can take some cool pictures, if you’re not into his writing)…but come on, at least try his one freaking short short story single—it’s only $0.99! You can’t go wrong! You spend more than that on, well, anything else in your life and probably won’t even get half the fun out of all that other stuff as you will out of this short story!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

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Clowns (fpdorchak.wordpress.com)