“The Hunt” is available for pre-order today

What’s new?

Since I had so much fun with the novelette contest in February, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for other contests. There’s nothing quite like a deadline to light a fire under my ass and get me motivated.

/r/WritingPrompts is in the middle of another contest, but this time for flash fiction. Flash fiction presents the challenge of finding the perfect story to be written in a limited number of words. For someone who likes to tell stories, it means cutting back on embellishments and detours, and getting back to the brass tacks of a tale. Such limitations can be frustrating, but also rewarding when a story turns out right.

Experimentation for this contest resulted in “The Copse” and you can read it here.

If flash fiction’s too short for you, keep an eye out for my next Amazon Kindle release: “The Hunt.” From the description:

"The Hunt" by J. H. Dierking

“The Hunt” is a science fiction short story of 7,000 words.

An expedition to another world. A group of alien hunters. Malcolm thinks he is prepared, but the hunt will be more savage than he expected.

“The Hunt” is available for pre-order as a Kindle e-Book from Amazon. It is scheduled for release on August 15th.

What’s next?

First, I want to focus on editing Two in the Bush by expanding it a bit and polishing up some rough spots. And since the story was left so open-ended, I have a sequel in the works. I think I will keep it a novelette/novella length and develop an episodic series. A series will be fun to work on. I have no firm plan for when the novelette and its sequel will be released, but I would like to aim for December.

What comes after that? We’ll see. I’m kicking around a few short stories in various stages between just-started to mostly-done. I also have the first draft of another novella simmering on the back burner, waiting to be eviscerated before giving it to my firstline reader for feedback.

Stay tuned.

– J

Two releases for your reading pleasure

The end of February is here and it has been busy! As a result, I have two new releases for your reading pleasure: Two in the Bush and “Dead Meat Running.”

This last week I have been writing and editing up a storm with the result being a novelette, Two in the Bush, of 10,400 words. This piece was written for a contest on /r/WritingPromptsTwo in the Bush focuses on a down on his luck scavenger who tries to pawn off some items and gets a bit more than he bargained for in the end. Two in the Bush is written in first person perspective, a bit of a departure from my usual style, but it was a fun exercise to do something different for a change.

You can find Two in the Bush here.

If you’re looking for something even shorter than a novelette, last night I released my first short story, “Dead Meat Running.” From the description:

"Dead Meat Running" by J. H. Dierking“Dead Meat Running” is a dark speculative fiction short story of 6000 words.

In an apocalyptic future where man is hunted by monstrous beings and some will do anything to survive, is there any humanity left?

“Dead Meat Running” is available as a Kindle e-Book from Amazon.

Once again, the cover art was done by the terrific Trevor W. Shields. You can visit his website here.

What does March have in store? Stick around and find out.

– J

Announcing the release of The Joining

Today I am excited to announce the release of my novella, The Joining. From the book’s description:

The Joining by J. H. DierkingThe Joining explores humanity’s attempt at first contact with another species. A crew of scientists travels to a distant star to contact a race truly alien in more ways than first realized. This encounter will not only question whether or not humanity is ready for such an encounter, but also challenge their basic beliefs of what it means to be human.

The Joining is available as a Kindle e-Book from Amazon.

The cover art was done by Trevor W. Shields. Visit the artist’s website here.

Thanks to all who have supported me throughout the process. Follow me here for updates on future releases as well as other periodic content.

– J