Artist Heather Gleason’s “Spring Mourning.” I own several of her pieces, but not this one. However, what’s interesting is that this creature is similar to what I’d envisioned in “A Bone to Pick”—which I wrote way before I ever saw this piece. In fact, Heather had another piece which was exactly how the story’s landscape looked in my head, but it was sold before I even knew it existed and I can’t find a photo of it to put here. Her “Devil Girl,” which I own, I bought because it symbolically told the story of “This Poisoned Ground.” It’s eerie—it’s like I write things and somehow she paints them later. Visit her website at http://www.myeclecticmind.com/index.shtml.

If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, like I am, then you probably watch all the videos on the AMC website in between episodes to get your fix. This week, if you’re looking for something a little different to satisfy that zombie craving, consider gnoshing on my short story “A Bone to Pick,” which took second place in Toasted Cheese’s 2011 Dead of Winter Contest. The year’s theme was “Skull and Bones,” but the story was inspired by a situation in The Walking Dead’s second season.

The story was published in the magazine’s March issue, but with all the wedding craziness that was going on at the time, I never posted about it. Enjoy!

http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/2012/12-1/schoonover.htm