Paperback Writer

by T.J. McIntyre

He picked up pen and put it to paper, scratching out a colorful world behind a veil of black-and-white handwriting. Reality dissolved around him, melting, losing cohesion, as he became lost in his own mind. He searched for meaning, found none, but pressed onward, enjoying the freedom of travel despite a lack of destination. He stopped and looked around, and saw that he was alone. His characters mocked him; he grew frustrated. Then he shut the notebook, rejoined his family, and smiled, feeling his son's euphoria as he pushed the swing.

6S

T.J. McIntyre, author of The Quiet Street, is a writer of speculative and literary fiction from Alabaster, Alabama. His work has appeared recently or is forthcoming in such publications as The Swallow's Tail, 55 Words, and Escape Velocity. In addition to being a being a published author, Mr. McIntyre is currently collecting stories and editing a print anthology, Southern Fried Weirdness 2007: An Annual Anthology of Southern Speculative Fiction, and the e-zine, Southern Fried Weirdness Online.