[For today I have an agenda that strongly resembles chattel slavery, so have a short story. I wrote it just after seeing 30 Days of Night. It’s the story that gave birth to Evan Conklin, the co-protagonist of Antiquities. — FWP] *** Gavin’s alarm clock buzzed with its usual peevish insistence. He cracked …
Category: fiction
Sep 21 2021
Hard Times For Superherodom
“What do you mean?” I hear you say. Well, you know how tough it can be when a trade gets overpopulated. Think of America’s legal profession. Today there are more than one million lawyers in these United States. More than a lawyer for every three hundred Americans. There simply isn’t enough legal work to …
Sep 16 2021
Under Way As We Speak…
…is a brand new F&SF convention, specifically oriented toward writers and readers in the Right: BasedCon survived a July deplatforming attempt. Currently underway in beautiful Norton Shores, Michigan, BasedCon has sold out and turned a profit in its debut outing. Celebrate this gathering for based authors and fans of science fiction and fantasy …
Sep 01 2021
A Comment On Commentary
Back in the heyday of blogging, everyone and his halfwit Uncle Herman had a blog. There were, at peak, over 50 million such sites. Most, of course, were of no broad consequence: little was posted there, and most of that was worthless. However, they gave their “proprietors” a sense that they could be listened …
Aug 09 2021
Assorted Fiction Notes And Observations
In case I haven’t done so before, I’d like to issue a hearty recommendation of Philip S. Power’s Damsel series: Damsel: No More Damsel: Slaying Demons Damsel: Wilderness Hannah Damsel: Soda Supreme You know what a raving beast I am about originality. Well, here’s a giant helping. Hannah de Peyser is an heiress …
Aug 07 2021
Free Fiction
For today only, my latest novel In Vino: …is a free download at Amazon. Pope Clement XV, the first American to be raised to the papacy, is under attack from within the Vatican. Powerful cardinals, averse to his efforts to reform the Catholic clergy, are trying to force him to resign his …
Jul 31 2021
One Week From Today
…that is, on Saturday, August 7 in this Year of Our Lord 2021, …will be a free download at Amazon. Feel free to indulge yourself (and save a few bucks) in the paramount near-future Catholic science fiction novel of the year! Pope Clement XV, the first American to be raised to the …
Jul 22 2021
Having It Both Ways
I’ve ranted on other occasions about my strong preference for stand-alone novels: i.e., no unending series in prospect and no need to purchase a sequel to find out how the story ends. Now and then I find one that “cheats” in some fashion, usually by incorporating plot threads that aren’t critical to the resolution …
Jun 29 2021
An Inherently Un-Titleable Piece
Full Disclosure: There are people who think I’m crazy. They’re not a majority…yet. But I would be remiss were I not to mention their existence. “But why?” I hear you ask. Well, mostly because I’m a libertarian-conservative Catholic patriot, with emphasis on Catholic. “How,” they ask, “could anyone so devoted to freedom simultaneously embrace …
Jun 27 2021
How They Did It
A bit obscure even for a Fran Porretto title, eh? Well, that’s not accidental. I own exactly one “collectible” book: a first-edition copy of East and West, the earliest collection of W. Somerset Maugham’s short stories. I inherited it from an uncle who was a great reader and an aficionado of Maugham. The …
Jun 26 2021
For Those Who’ve Been Waiting…
…if any: In Vino is now available in paperback. $9.99 US at Amazon.
Jun 20 2021
New Fiction
Pope Clement XV, the first American to be raised to the papacy, is under attack from within the Vatican. Powerful cardinals, averse to his efforts to reform the Catholic clergy, are trying to force him to resign his office. To undermine him, they spread rumors of his involvement in financial and sexual improprieties. To …
Jun 11 2021
Another Novel Looms
I’ve just completed the first draft of In Vino, a sequel to The Wise and the Mad. And it was one hell of a tough slog. Blood everywhere. But failing a scathing report from my “alpha reader,” it will soon be available at Amazon. Anyway, I’m too exhausted to write something pithy and …
May 25 2021
Demand, Supply, And The Indie Writer
No, this won’t be a plaint about how there are just too many of us. The world can never have too many storytellers. The stories are infinite, and all of them deserve to be told…whether or not anyone is listening. And even the most inept apprentice to the art can improve at it, with …
Apr 28 2021
Faith And Fiction: A Rumination
The more you look, the more you see. — Robert M. Pirsig It’s amazing the way the realm of the mind expands, providing ever more room to prowl, and hopefully to grow, to him who is willing to look at significant subjects synthetically as well as analytically. Consider this observation from the great …
Apr 25 2021
Cumulative Acceptance
I’ve been watching the trends that run through the various genres of fiction I’ve occasionally produced: Science Fiction, High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy / Horror, Romance, …and I believe I’ve deduced a few things about both reader and writer behavior, all of which pertain to the important consideration called willing suspension of disbelief. …
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Fran’s Recent Novels
Margaret’s Recent Novels
