I asked fellow The Rabbit Hole Weird Stories Destination:Journey anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication and those generous enough to do so will be appearing here for the next week or so.
Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story came about, and definitely a link to The Rabbit Hole Weird Stories Destination:Journey (which you should purchase because it would make each and every one of us happy.
you do want to make us happy, don’t you?
i mean, considering what we wrote, you want us to know you’re a good person, right?).
Let’s start with an introduction to the anthology as a whole:
“Life is a journey, not a destination.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Emerson’s point has been echoed by many, but in the Land of the Weird the question arises, “A journey to what destination?” At the same time, you might ask, “Is the journey therefore the destination?” The journey may well be an individual’s destination, because it will define them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And in the Land of the Weird, that journey can take twists and turns that amuse, sadden, or horrify.
This trip into the Land of the Weird offers you 39 unique trails to follow, assisted by 35 different guides, each leading you down their own singular paths, manifesting their own view of journey as destination, some laughing, some weeping, and some, eyes wide with fear, shaking as they point out the spectral footpath for you to follow on your way down The Rabbit Hole.A Writers Co-op Production
Stories by: Chere Taylor, Brian R. Quinn, Arthur M. Doweyko, Donna J. W. Munro, Tom Howard, Kayla Whittle, Leslie Muzingo, Pete Barnstrom, Emmie Christie, Thomas Nicholson, GD Deckard, Richard DeRobertis, M.C. Schmidt, James Dorr, Rosalind Goldsmith, Margaret Karmazin, J.W.Wood, James Rumpel, Bill McCormick, v.f. thompson, Fran Tabor, David K. Slay, Joseph Carrabis, Jane Frankel, Alice Baburek, Susan R. Morritt, Bobby Rollins, Lee Clark Zumpe, Denice Penrose, Stephen McQuiggan, H. Donovan Lyón, Anna Ross, Michael Pudney, Beth Gaydon, and Tom Wolosz.
Arthur’s contribution is The Glitch. Here’s the opening:
Hadley Banes usually walked with his head down along the same route after work every day—onto Fifth Street, right on MacKenzie, and two blocks to his apartment house. During rush hour one didn’t try to make new friends.
Today was different.
Hadley had just been discharged from the ER with a nasty head injury. It happened at his work—a dumb move to rush down the stairs that ended up more like a swan dive to the basement.
A wagging ponytail some five paces ahead caught his eye. As he watched the mesmerizing sway, the man who owned it disappeared—completely gone, and no one seemed to notice. Hadley stopped, blinked his eyes. He massaged his head bandage in an attempt at quelling a headache which now threatened to erupt into a monsoon. A good squeeze of his eyes brought the ponytail man back, walking on as if nothing had happened.
How the story came about:
The Glitch is a story focused on what could be. Two people, ages apart, share a frustration with their lives. Brady, a precocious young girl dying of a brain tumor, tells Hadley, a middle-aged man in a rut, that she sees and controls a machine that runs the universe. Hadley had just seen people disappear and reappear, something Brady saw as well, but has trouble believing the girl. When the two face deadly crises, Hadley makes a choice to believe the girl.
About Arthur Doweyko:
As a scientist (computational modeling of drug design) Arthur has authored 140+ scientific publications, invented novel 3D drug design software, and shares the 2008 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for the discovery of Sprycel, a new anti-cancer drug.
He writes and illustrates science fiction, fantasy and horror. He is the author of the award-winning novels: Algorithm and As Wings Unfurl. His published short stories have also garnered awards, many of which can be found in two anthologies: My Shorts and Captain Arnold).
Besides science and writing, Arthur has maintained a life-long love of art. From copying comic book covers at an early age to illustrating science fiction and fantasy themes utilizing various media, including oils and digital art, Arthur has always found the time between experiments to pursue his artistic dreams and share his visions of a future unbounded. His efforts have recently culminated in winning the 2022 L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest.
He lives in Florida with his wife Lidia, teaches college chemistry and happily wanders the beaches when not jousting with aliens.
See all The Rabbit Hole Weird Stories Destination:Journey stories here.