Short story updates; Montana Prize finalist, new publications, and more

Even when I'm writing (or touring and promoting a novel) which I feel so lucky to get to do, I'm writing and reading and thinking about short fiction. In the same way that my fingers seem to draw and doodle and paint of their own accord, my brain and fingers are constantly writing short stories, thinking of what ifs and wanting to try to see if an idea will work, if the character I've been daydreaming about, or a news article I just read about it, or something that's been affecting me deeply can be worked in in the perfect, tight container of a short story.

I'm incredibly grateful for the stories from my new collection are getting of late. My story, Sleepwalking Too Close to the Fire, which will be the title story of the new collection was just named a finalist for The Montana Fiction Prize, as chosen by Rick Bass of Whitefish Review, and I'm so grateful and happy. I can't wait to share it with you.

I also have a new short story in Defunkt Magazine, a wonderful literary magazine based in Houston. thank you so much to Bleah Patterson and Miranda Ramirez https://www.defunktmag.com/copy-of-robert-wallace

I also have stories that will be featured in Minyan Magazine, The Heavy Feather Review, The Ex Puritan, and more in the coming weeks and months.

Some of my stories have taken a speculative leaning recently, and I'm really excited to share them with you.

I also had the chance to read the story Proteskiye and Mazel, from my previous Guernica Editions collection, Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness at the launch party for Camel Magazine this past Sunday. Working with Mark Anthony Jarman and Clarissa Hurley was a pleasure and a joy, they are both such detailed and exacting editors, and it was a pleasure and a joy to read with such wonderful writers and to celebrate their work. Thank you so much to the wonderful Selena Mercuri of this photo of me reading.