Straight Outta Tombstone July 2017
She sang of loss, of love, of sorrow. She sang of injustice and the loss of balance, and finally, she sang of revenge. Itza-chu watched her as the black night passed…After several hours, a wind entered the hovel spinning and spinning — a wind when there was none outside.
The editor, the wonderful David Boop, asked me to do an indigenous story based in the Tombstone era of Arizona, after seeing my story “Balance” in Life on the Rez, edited by Raymond Rugg. I had never written a weird Western. and I was on my way to StokerCon, the HWA (Horror Writers Association) conference and the Bram Stoker Awards. I promised him if I could get an idea in the next 24 hours, I would do it. As we drove through the desert states, looking at those wonderful red rocks, cacti, and road runners, I started to dream about a father falsely accused, the villain who accused him, and his magical — and vengeful — daughter. It all came together after that.
I am proud to be in this anthology with so many fantastic writers such as Jim Butcher, Larry Correia, Kevin J. Anderson, and Alan Dean Foster. The anthology was a Best Seller and garnered me a Best Story.