SNAKE HOUSE ADDED TO ANTHOLOGY

Earlier this year I took part in a reading at the Starving Artist Cafe in the Argenta District of Little Rock, AR. My story, A Day at the Snake House, has been chosen out of 155 stories read in 2011 to be published in the anthology, The Best of Tales From the South, Vol. VI.

Here's a very short excerpt to whet your appetite for this important Southern story anthology;


Living in the wilderness of the Ozarks, I’ve occasionally
experienced face-to-face encounters with the evil little crawlers.
It’s an understatement to say we have plenty of snakes in these
hills. All four of the continent’s poisonous snakes live
somewhere in Arkansas, three of them in our part of the state.
The best thing is, we rarely see them, but we know they’re
around. Lurking under rocks and boards and fallen trees.
 So when Fred Lally made it fairly clear that it would be
“interview me, interview my snakes,” I had to reach a quick
decision. Did I want to chicken out or go for it? I’m thinking
here, small snakes, and definitely not poisonous ones. They’d be
in boxes or cages or terrariums, surely. Yes, I could do it.

With a quiver in my voice, I answered, “Of course I want to
see your snakes.”
 “Okay, come on up to the house around nine, and we’ll
talk, I’ll arrange for a visit with the big guys.”
 I managed to croak, “Big guys?”
 Calm as could be he said, “Got me one of the longest
reticulated pythons in captivity.” END OF EXCERPT

My adventure had only begun with this phone conversation. For someone like me who was always terrified of snakes, this turned into one of the greatest adventures I had during my 9 years working with a small, rural weekly newspaper. It was by far not the only excitement I experienced, but it rates right up there at the top. Here's a link to find out more about the "big guys" I visited and held that day.

I'll let readers know when the anthology is released and post it to my website so you can read my story.