Free short story...Burning Alexandria

When originally asked to write a short story for sffworld's anthology The End - Visions of Apocalypse, I penned a little time-travel short with a Twilight Zone ending. It was called Greener Grass. It didn't "quite" fit the theme of the anthology, although it did plant the seeds for my novel Hollow World.  So, I needed a new short story for N.E. White's project.

It was summer, and I had just learned of Ray Bradbury's death. My wife and I were taking a bike ride down to Washington DC, and for part of it, we would be passing through Alexandria Virginia. Thinking about Fahrenheit 451, my favorite work of Ray's, got me thinking about book burning. It was impossible to ignore the irony of being in a city named after the most famed library burning in history.  Hence, the idea of the story for N.E.'s anthology came to mind.

Recently, some groups on goodreads chose to read Fahrenheit 451, and I offered them my little short story for free. Then, I made it available to those in "The Dark Room" (a private/secret) goodreads group.  Then I figured, why not keep going...and so now I'm making it available through this blog. Just click on the cover or this link. I'll send you a copy in whatever format you wish. I hope you enjoy it.