Grain CoverToday I received three contributor’s copies of Grain Vol. 43.3, the issue in which my latest story appears. The story was submitted to Grain on January 27, 2016, and accepted on May 27, 2016. This may be the shortest turn around time I have ever experienced. Well done, Elizabeth Philips!

In the editor’s note, Elizabeth had this to say about the current issue:

Sorting through hundreds of submissions of fiction and poetry (mostly fiction; one in four submissions was prose) was a familiar labour: looking for the original, if quirky, voice, the hair-raising image, the cordite sizzle of insight. What was new, naturally, was the work itself. To my eye, there is more fear in stories these days, as there is in the culture at large, more lament for gone worlds, and uncertainty about what is to come. From the eerie dystopian world of Joe Davies’ “The Remover,” to the introspective, love-weary hotel waiter in “Currents,” to the darkly funny “jokes” of the alcoholic children’s entertainer in Oscar Martens’ “Tickles the Clown,” the prose writers are exploring the chasm following seismic cultural shifts.

“Tickles the Clown” has a fairly unusual origin story. “Tickles” is actually my clown name, assigned to me by Walter Rae, a work colleague and professional clown. Walter wrote a series of stories involving Tickles, a hit man and general maniac irritated to the point of homicide in the course of his daily affairs. After a few chuckles and the occasional raised eyebrow from workmates, Walter’s prolific run came to an end, but the seed had been planted. I couldn’t shake the image of Tickles soaked in the rain, makeup running, pistol with silencer hanging loosely at his side. Since Walter was the inspiration for my story, he’ll get half of the $250 I received for publication and one of my copies. The story originally included a dedication to him, but sadly that never made it to print.