April 2011, Vol. 10, Issue 4

Welcome to the Spring Fling edition. You will soon realize that this month's stories have very little to do with spring or flings. Or do they?

1. Solomon's Cranium by Paul McGuire
I couldn't get image out of my head, so I started drawing images of giant skulls, or stick figures of my father in a ditch with giant bones...More

2. Traffic Jam at the Top of the World, Part 2 by Tim Lavalli
A cold hard freeze gripped my chest -- all of these climbers ahead of me might well be ahead of me on the way back down when oxygen would be short and everyone would be even weaker then they are now. What would I do trapped at the top of the ladder with a dozen people in line in front of me and death staring me in the face?...More

3. Zombie Mom by John Hartness
Eugene was being a little snot about zombie rights, so we changed the channel to Zombie-Animal Planet, which was showing Zombie Manor, where these zombies in Africa were running from a lion. That was pretty cool, too, but needed more explosions...More

4. Deja Vu by Katitude
The visions showed her walking away from her apartment, her possessions. She sold it all on Craigslist. She saw herself buying a used car, something nondescript and reliable. She bought a green 1974 convertible MG with the money she had made selling her crap. The next dream had her heading across the border... More

5. L'Orange by Alex Villegas
All they wanted to do was enjoy Las Vegas and get some fruit. And they couldn’t even do that because they were in the US where everyone only speaks American. They were forced to have me as their only conduit to the world around them. Their only hope was a belligerently drunk Hispanic man with pupils the size of quarters. If that wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t even properly speak their language... More

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...

From the Editor's Laptop

The April issue is loaded with veteran talent. Alex Villegas makes his triumphant return with a tale of youthful (drunken) lust. Powerful selections from Tim Lavalli, Kat, and John Hartness round out this issue. Oh, and how could I forget a piece of fiction I wrote inspired by a photograph.

The contributors at Truckin' are passionate souls. They write for the love of self-expression, which is a snarky way of saying that they write for free. Month after month, I'm still amazed at the tremendous amount of courage that flows through the writers. It's not easy to spill your guts to the world, yet that's what they are doing -- for your amusement.

So, please help us out and spread the word about Truckin'. In this age of over-saturated social media, I encourage you to tell your virtual friends about your favorite stories. It will definitely improve your karma in your next lifetime.

Contact us if you'd like to be added to the mailing list. Or, if you're interested writing for a future issue, then please check out out submission guidelines and drop us an email.

Lastly, thanks to you, the readers. The long-form written word is slowly dying off, but each of you keep the spirit burning alive with your unwavering support for Truckin'.

Be good,
McG

"Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it." - Truman Capote