February 2016 – JEFFREY PAWLAK

I’m back! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, but I’m here to continue the spree of short stories from my backlog. Today’s tale is an oldie; I don’t remember exactly when I wrote it, but I believe I was 21 at the time, if not, younger. It’s the story of a fledgling dragon who goes to some pretty serious lengths to prove to the older, stronger dragons in the land that he’s no helpless whelp.

Seeing as how this story comes from some of my earlier days when I was making a determined attempt to become a published writer, it’s not exactly a reflection of where I am right now with my language and ability to spin a good yarn. My raw, unrefined craft of years ago is definitely on display here, but I still find this story entertaining, and I hope you do, as well.

Continue reading “Short Story – “Proving His Fire”” →

It’s been a week, so that means a new short story to debut here. This time we’re heading to Ancient Egypt for a sword and sorcery tale that went on to become one of my favorites of all the short stories that I’ve written. This setting and it’s main character were both used in an earlier story that I had published in a print anthology with Pulp Empire, a story titled “Fangs Beneath the Sand.”

I wrote both stories during a sword and sorcery kick that I was on years back while I was binge-reading Conan the Barbarian adventures by famed author Robert E. Howard. One of the most enjoyable parts of writing the two stories for me was the extensive research I did on Ancient Egyptian life and culture, which helped me better understand the world I was loosely basing my setting around. As you read this, you’ll come across several nods and influences from that ancient time period- a world of along ago that I’ve always been fascinated by.

Continue reading “Short story – “The Rapids to Eternity”” →