Here is the current list of short stories published so far and where to find them. Some of these stories are set in the Behindbeyond universe and feature characters and settings from that series of novels. The most recent stories (or those announced for future publication) are listed first. The farther down the list you go, the closer you get to the Jurassic period of the author’s works.
“Sailing on the Tides of Burning Sand”
A Year of the Monkeys Anthology
This short story is a science-fiction piece about a couple with a shared past that they cannot remember. They find themselves on a boat, sailing over rust-colored sand dunes with only the desert landscape around them. Inexorably moving forward, bits and pieces of their former lives come back to them. In front of them stands a thousand-foot high wall of fire and their course lies dead ahead. The couple will need to remember what they mean to each other, and soon.
Time is running out.
Publication is set for August 2018. More information will be provided here as updates are made available.
“Feasty Feast”
The Hunger: A Collection of Utah Horror
Available Now
A frightening parasite that feeds on brains.
A worthy quest.
And a story that will have you talking long after you’ve turned the last page.
This flash fiction piece was selected as the anchor story for this delectable anthology, and appears in the finale.
Like a fine dessert, the flavor will linger on your tongue as you discover you are what you read.
This collection can be purchased online through Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.
“Meredith in St. Louis”
Apocalypse Utah: A Collection of Utah Horror
Available Now
Meredith is a young woman with her whole life in front of her. She has a great career working for the NSA in a secret laboratory and she’s building up the courage to introduce herself to that cute guy who sometimes shows up on the commuter train after work. His name turns out to be Louis and, unfortunately, he’s one half of a very deadly equation. As Meredith puts one and one together, the situation gets hotter and the chemistry between Meredith and Louis could result in the deadliest of plagues.
This collection can be purchased online through Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.
“Lucky Day”
Fantastic Worlds: A Fantasy Anthology
Available Now
* This story takes place in the Behindbeyond universe
Concurrent with events in chapter one of Michael Darling’s bestseller Got Luck, “Lucky Day” gives a different perspective on the story as the boy Laoch tries to complete a simple task for his seeress mother. As he waits for the right moment, he gets tangled up in a kidnapping plot and has to solve two problems instead of one. And it just might be helpful that Laoch can make other people think he’s a cat.
This collection can be purchased online through Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.
This story is also available for free as a stand-alone issue from the publisher. CLICK HERE to sign up for their newsletter and receive a free copy of the story.
“Spera Angelorum”
Future Worlds: A Science Fiction Anthology
Available Now
This story answers the question: What if Charles Dickens and Harry Houdini met on a distant planet a few centuries from now? And what if they were hired to entertain an audience of perfected beings? The intriguing premise and suspenseful writing has earned the story some great reviews:
“The . . . story I really loved was by Michael Darling. It features a couple of performers traveling together on tour, when Harry meets an audience member who won’t play along.”
— Cindy on Goodreads
“I found the world in ‘Spera Angelorum’ (where humans have inhuman power over their surroundings) to be the most interesting. In this world, normal people who can do (or have done) impressive things without using the all-too-common superpowers are a form of entertainment. The story covers a show where two of these humans perform for an audience of ‘angels.’ The details of the performers’ lives, their philosophies, and their very identities are all caught up in the suspenseful action that takes place on stage.”
— R. Andrew Lamonica on Goodreads
This collection can be purchased online through Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.
“The Mark”
Obvious Things: A UAAnthology
Available Now
* This story takes place in the Behindbeyond universe
Serving as a prequel to the series of Got Luck novels, “The Mark” tells a tale of mobsters and the Fae and the promise of a bullet in the heart. This story also introduces three of the main characters, villains no less, who appear in the Behindbeyond series.
Winner of the United Author’s Association fiction-writing contest, taking the short story prize and overall first-place winner for fiction.
This collection can be purchased online through Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.
This story also available as a stand-alone issue. SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER to get your free copy!
“Grandmother, Who Breaks the Sky”
It Came from the Great Salt Lake: A Collection of Utah Horror
Available Now
Two boys, best friends, meet in the Museum of Natural History to see the mummified remains of a Shoshone Indian girl. One boy is destined to summon an ancient entity who will lay waste to the Earth and enslave humankind. The other is destined to defend the innocent at any cost. Their conflict sets the stage for a titanic battle of good and evil.
This story was selected to lead off the anthology and appears first.
This collection can be purchased online through Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.
“The Temp”
Secrets & Doors
Currently Out of Print
“The Temp” is a futuristic look at a society living in a domed city where lower-class workers provide energy for the upper-class. The main character isn’t sure everything the supervisors tell her is true, and she may be willing to test her programming if it will help her find the man she loves.
This story is related to a projected novel in the same fictional world. There is no set time for that novel to be published yet, however, this story may be made available again in the future as part of a publicity package.
“The Hollow”
Old Scratch and Owl Hoots: A Collection of Utah Horror
Available Now
Noted author Michael Collings called this story “the ultimate haunted house” tale, which is wonderful praise since Collings has written books on the grandmaster of horror Stephen King. This was my first professionally-published short story. It’s centered on a house that existed in the 1800s at the bottom of a lonely hollow. And if you have offended its resident ghost, you’ll never get out of the house alive.
This collection is available from Amazon. CLICK HERE for more information.