Smith's Monthly #10 Read online

  as a window seat,

  I gaze quietly through scratched glass

  down the distance of the bar at her lost stare.

  My thoughts move to comfort her

  but my feet refuse to carry me

  from my doomed flight.

  Another Bloody Mary appears.

  We taxi apart

  without touching.

  JUKEBOX MEMORIES

  My past whirlpools

  on a disc of notes

  composed in a faraway time.

  Smells...

  from sounds...

  from Speakers...

  her memory.

  I stare as my memory moves

  across the room

  and retreats

  BACK...

  Back...

  back...

  into the past.

  I hope they don’t punch that key again.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith published more than a hundred novels in thirty years and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres.

  He wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, they wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.

  He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.

  He now writes his own original fiction under just the one name, Dean Wesley Smith. In addition to his upcoming novel releases, his monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly premiered October 1, 2013, filled entirely with his original novels and stories.

  Dean also worked as an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books. He now plays a role as an executive editor for the original anthology series Fiction River.

  For more information go to www.deanwesleysmith.com, www.smithsmonthly.com or www.fictionriver.com.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Information

  Contents

  Introduction

  [Skiing the Graveyard of Souls cover]

  I used to waterski early in the morning when the surface of the lake seemed like a mirror. Looking down into the water as the boat pulled me across the calm waters, all I could see was a reflection of myself flashing over the surface.

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  [Eyes On My Cards cover]

  Way back in 2005 I wrote a thriller with the name Dead Money. It starred Doc Hill, a professional poker player. I had every intention when I wrote the thriller to continue to write more Doc Hill stories, but because of the strangeness of publishing at the time, I put the novel in a drawer and pretty much forgot about it.

  Two

  Three

  [Buffalo Jimmy cover]

  What Came Before…

  The Life and Times of Buffalo Jimmy

  PART TWENTY-NINE

  PART THIRTY

  [Bryant Street cover]

  I fear Bryant Street more than anything on the planet. Honestly, when in a standard subdivision, I always get lost, turned around, and slightly panicked. Not kidding.

  Two

  Three

  [The Adventures of Hawk cover]

  What came before in…

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  [Captain Bob cover]

  Challenged by another writer to do a story about piranha poodles, Captain Joe-Jim Bob appeared from the depths of my fevered mind, to fight for what seems right against all odds.

  March Issue

  April Issue

  May Issue

  June Issue

  July Issue

  [The Songs of Memory cover]

  I put this story in here because it is the start of the link between my jukebox stories and my Thunder Mountain series of books and stories with Bonnie and Duster Kendal. I haven’t written the story yet with Bonnie and Duster and Stout, but I will.

  Two

  Three

  [Heaven Painted as a Poker Chip cover]

  Starting into a brand new series, USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith asks a simple question: What happens if ghosts can fight crime and bad guys?

  For Kris

  Section One

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Section Two

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Thirty-four

  Thirty-five

  Thirty-six

  Thirty-seven

  Thirty-eight

  Thirty-nine

  Forty

  Forty-one

  Forty-two

  Forty-three

  Forty-four

  PLANE CRASH LOVER

  JUKEBOX MEMORIES

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  About the Author