Welcome to my website.  I write short fiction and poetry and some of my published work can be found below.  Comments are turned off at the current time to avoid spam.  Thank you for visiting!

 "Bird Feed" has now been published in the Out of the Gutter by DZ Allen! Find it here: http://www.outoftheguttermagazine.blogspot.com/

My story "Bird Feed" published in DZ Allen's Muzzle Flash is being translated into Finnish. Juri Nummelin publishes a Finnish flash fiction magazine and blogs (in English and Finnish) at Pulpetti.blogspot.com.

April 24, 2008 in the fantastic publication Every Day Fiction is my flash story "Sharp Boundaries:" http://www.everydayfiction.com/sharp-boundaries-patricia-j-hale/.

See "Knowing Better" on March 26, 2008 in Six Sentences: http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/. Thank you Editor Rob McEvily!

Check out "Bird Feed" for a dark little tail in DZ Allen's fantastic Muzzle Flash:
http://www.muzzleflashfiction.net/.

I've got an entry in Jason Evan's Clarity of Night Whispers contest entitled "Ugly Roots."
To check it out, read: http://clarityofnight.blogspot.com/2008/02/entry-40.html Do I have a chance?

On February 7, 2008, "Doing it with a Gun" was in the esteemed Every Day Fiction.
Jordon Lapp and Camille Gooderham Campbell, editors extraordinare.
Link: http://www.everydayfiction.com/

See "Fa La La La La" in Powder Burn Flash.
Thanks to Aldo Calcagno/Mystery Dawg! http://powderburnflash.blogspot.com/

Excerpt:

Ah, the holiday party with the family. Drove the car from the city, filled her up with low-cost unleaded from out here in the boonies. There was a light snow falling at dusk, a Christmas CD spinning and being the alcoholic in the family, I was bringing the wine.

Six Word Stories published "Maybe Reunions Aren't Always a Good Idea:"
http://www.journalscape.com/six-word/2007-12-06-12:36/

Six Sentences published "To Die For"
http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2007/11/to-die-for.html

Six Word Stories published one more very, very short story of mine called "Hurry Up and decide, the guests are on their way"
http://www.journalscape.com/six-word/2007-11-23-00:22

Six Word Stories published another very, very short story of mine called "Can't Ask For Better Than That"
http://www.journalscape.com/six-word/2007-11-19-13:44/


Apollo's Lyre is publishing my story "Not in the Holiday Picture" on December 20:http://www.apollos-lyre.com/

Six Word Stories published my story : "Happy Halloween"
http://www.journalscape.com/six-word/2007-10-31-11:05

Fictional Musings published my Halloween Story "Hidden Gem" http://ficmusings.blogspot.com/

Excerpt:

Hidden Gem
By Patricia J. Hale

It was Halloween at dusk and Ann was living the nightmare.

The key stuck in the lock. She had the feeling she was being watched while fiddling with it and when it snapped open at long last, the key broke off in the door. “Damn it. I’d better leave the door open,” she said aloud. “If it shuts, I’ll be locked in.”She pushed the door slowly forward and it creaked. “Is anyone there?”


A couple of Limericks from The Rap Sheet:

Wit Honors
As long as original crime-fiction limericks continue to appear in our e-mailbox, we’ll consider any and all of them, and publish those we like best. Today’s two selections come from Chicago short-fiction writer Patricia J. Hale:

Writer’s Glock

There once was a mystery so fine
Except for the missing last line.
The writer was stumped
Until her spouse slumped
His death quicker than the story design.

Dead Dick

There once was a gumshoe so devious
With planned whack of rich client most previous
He got all his money
A necklace for his honey
Too bad she proved equally mischievous.


Will appear on Nov 25 2007, To Die For http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/
Excerpt:


To Die For
By Patricia J. Hale


Deep, dark, delicious, deadly.


He should have understood, anticipated.



Halloween Rules http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror/


Halloween Rules
By Patricia J. Hale


Excerpt:


1. When using fangs, drink blood. No flesh eating in the lobby area.


2. Live bats are OK, dead bats belong at home.

Things to Do http://powderburnflash.blogspot.com/



Excerpt:

Things To Do

-buy potted plants, soy milk, orange juice, eggs, rat poison

Publish or Perish http://ficmusings.blogspot.com/search/label/Patricia%20J.%20Hale




Excerpt:

I’ve had it. I can’t take it anymore.

Rejections. Damn editors. Think they’re God!

Vehicle Maintenance link




What do they really do in those vehicle repair shops?



It's described in The Rap Sheet like this:

Garage Band of Killers


Some weeks ago, Bryon Quertermous issued a challenge to readers of his flash-fiction site, Flash Pan Alley, looking for themed contributions: “Every day I drive by a car repair shop and they always have several police cars, and ambulances in the lot that they are working on. This got me thinking about what kind of person might work at a place like that and what sort of opportunities he might have working on emergency vehicles like that. I’m too lazy to write a story, so I want all of you to.”


Today, Quertermous posts his seven favorite submissions, mostly crime-related stories (no surprise), from Patricia Abbott, Gail Farrelly, Christa Miller, Alan Peden, Karyn Powers, Sandra Seamans, and Patricia J. Hale.

Beware, nice and creepy. Check out my upcoming stories, if you dare!

Sawbones
December 15, 2007

You know that old knife the family uses for the thanksgiving turkey? Yeah, that rusty one you've had for 25 years?

Holiday Gift
December 25, 2007

Do you always get what you want for Christmas?

Proven Experience
January 3, 2008

What does your work place require you to do?

Find these flash fiction stories on FLASHSHOT. Each one will be on the Flashshot website on the date and for 9 days after it's featured. Also in the free email subscription. Flashshot gurus are Esther Schrader and GW Thomas.