The Land of Words: Vol. 1

This collection of short stories was first released in 2016. It was my first “real” attempt to put together a collection like this. I’d made a bold but simple attempt before, something filed away now under a title that will remain forever in the dark. Baby steps.

Three years later, I reorganized this collection. I took out some of the really weak work. I also added in some other stories, ones that I’d written back then but didn’t initially appear in this collection. With a little editing, they have now made the cut.

While most of the stories are rough, there are gems hiding in here, hints of a better story to come. And, of course, now there are other collections that follow after this one. A wise friend once told me it’s good to show off your older writing because people will see far up the mountain you’ve climbed.

As a writer, it doesn’t come easy for me. I struggle with my stories. I spend months and even years working on each one. Some of these stories have appeared in magazines. For some of them, I even received a token payment.

In the end, I’m happy with what I came up with, and I hope you will be too.