The News from Gridleyville

One of my psychologically weird stories (okay, I know my faithful readers are saying, “Aren’t they all weird?”) has just appeared in Valparaiso Fiction Review. The lovely cover image shown here is linked to the issue’s table of contents, which has impressed me mightily because I’m sharing space there with Gary Fincke and Susan Neville, among others.

The story, “Deep End,” is about a guy who has trouble with swimming pools. Apparently there’s an old trauma that he’s forgotten—but of course his wife now wants to put a pool in their back yard. Typical First World problem, maybe, but I found the psychological exploration interesting. So the story’s about forgetting, and then remembering, and then perhaps forgetting again.

For better or worse, it’s a distraction from politics and the decline of American civilization.