Tom Barlow

From an Amazon review: "Tom Barlow's stories are quirky, sharply drawn, wildly varied, often funny and always deeply compassionate. His protagonists are almost always people who I would not ordinarily encounter (and some I would never dream of) and the window he offers into their inner lives makes even the strangest among them believable. The twists in his stories often have me flipping back to the beginning, thinking "should I have seen that coming?" Usually the answer is "yes, I should, because he threw out some clues..".but I got so absorbed in the characters and their stories that I didn't think to predict the ending."

In this action-packed issue: A new "Commander Saturn" adventure as he takes on the "Pirates of Ganymede.""Jigsaw," a dysfunctional couple's descent into domestic horror brought about by a simple puzzle.The twisted surrealistic sci-fi dystopia "Choice Cuts." "Land and Money and Old Bones," the story of Anthony, heir to his uncle's estate, who finds out there's a bit more blood than he expected.Two brave ocean explorers who encounter "A Curious Case in the Deep.""Between," a tale of a West that never was.A cautionary Western about being careful about the promises you choose to keep, "The Best Laid Plans.""The Whisker-Wood," a weird, twisted horror tale about a man's descent into madness."Harvest Moon," a cosmic horror jidaigeki that creates a unique story of betrayal, falsehoods, and blood.

TOUGH. These are not your mother's crime stories. Collecting established writers as well as newcomers to the indie scene, Tough aims to bring readers excellent stories in a dynamite package. This anthology contains 14 hardcore pieces from some of the indie scene's best talent.

Porn stars, loan sharks, hitmen, pimps, junkies, whores and thieves; losers rolling snake eyes with every toss. 14 psychologically disturbing tales from independent operators making moves outside the five families of traditional publishing...It's another indie noir star-studded line up. The man behind Ford Fairlane, rock and roll detective-Rex Weiner, has a story in this issue. Tough magazine editor, Rusty Barnes makes his Switchblade debut, along with Jim Thomsen, Aidan Thorn, Mike Payne, John Bosworth, George Garnet, Scot Carpenter and Evelyn Deshane. We also welcome back repeat offenders, E.F. Sweetman, Tais Teng, Danny Sophabmisay, Tom Barlow, and Travis Richardson. Featuring the poetry of William R. Soldan.