So I stumbled across I Dream of Dragons, the blog of aspiring fantasy writer Bryan Hitchcock, who has some nice things to say about some of my stories.
On “Save Me Plz”: “Kirtley wrote one of my favorite Realms of Fantasy stories, ‘Blood of Virgins,’ and I was thrilled when that one was picked up by Escape Pod. ‘Save Me Plz’ is a riff on life with a video game addict. There was a lot here that rang true, since me and my whole family basically are WoW players, though I have managed to limit my addiction to Friday nights…. mostly. The thing I enjoyed most about this story was the way it kept unfolding and revealing layers of meaning and turns in the plot. Sure there are always going to be questions and places where the explanations run thin in a story that starts so small and becomes so epic. But, for the most part, the gaming issues rang true and the relationship was realistic. Mur‘s reading was excellent. I think her gaming background helped her make some really good choices for emphasis and emotion. I really enjoyed this story. A+”
On “The Second Rat”: “Wow. My favorite short stories are ones with a different twist to them that somehow make the reader appreciate life in a new and profound way. This was a story like that. I don’t want to give much away, but the basic idea is about a guy who can ‘rewind’ time and live parts of his life over again, and again, and again, if he wishes. This story blew my mind. So far, Kirtley is 3 for 3 with me. He writes stories that matter in the way I want my stories to matter.”
And finally on “The Disciple”: “A good spooky story about a man who is driven by his own losses and sense of mediocrity to pursue powers that ‘man was not meant to meddle in.’ Great twist at the end. Excellent buildup and homage to Lovecraft.” This blogger also notes that, “This guy is becoming one of my favorite short story writers.”
Thanks, Bryan. Coincidentally, you are now becoming one of my favorite bloggers.
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