Several years ago, I wrote my first science fiction story in ages. “Backup” is a dark-hearted futuristic noir tale about desperate poverty and the lengths to which men will go to reclaim what is theirs.

Backup was first published in Space Tramps, a Flying Pen Press anthology edited by the always delightful Jennifer Brozek in 2011. Unfortunately, Flying Pen Press ceased publishing fiction in 2013, and the books went out of print.

Last year I got an email from David Lee Summers, one of the leading minds behind the five Full-Throttle Space Tales anthologies. A new house was assembling a best-of anthology, and he asked if I’d like to re-publish my story! I immediately agreed, especially with the news that Jennifer would once more be editing.

(Can you tell I like working with Jennifer? Any author would.)

The upshot of this: Coming in June, you can read my short story Backup along with seventeen other short science fiction pieces:

From Space Pirates:
“On the Eve of the Last Great Ratings War” by David Boop
“Space Pirate Cookies” by C.J. Henderson
“Earth-Saturn Transit” by W.A. Hoffman

From Space Sirens:
“Outpost 6” by Julia Phillips
“Hijacking the Legacy” by David Lee Summers
“Rebel Moon” by Carol Hightshoe

From Space Grunts:
“Price of Command” by Irene Radford and Bob Brown
“Finders Keepers” by Scott Pearson
“Granny’s Grunts” by Alan L. Lickiss

From Space Horrors:
“Last Man Standing” by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
“Into the Abyss” by Dayton Ward
“Listening” by Anna Paradox

From Space Tramps:
“Backup” by Ivan Ewert
“The Frigate Lieutenant’s Woman” by Erik Scott de Bie
“Oh Give Me Land, Lots of Land, Under Starry Skies Above” by Shannon Page and Mark J. Ferrari

From Space Battles:
“The Thirteens” by Gene Mederos
“The Joystick War” by Jean Johnson
“Guard Dog” by Mike Resnick and Brad R. Torgersen

If you’re a history buff, David Lee Summers outlines the entire timeline of Full-Throttle Space Tales on his own blog entry, Maximum Velocity Cover Reveal … speaking of which …