Writing
You can find some of my work for free on this website, or you can check it out in any of the below publications.
Novels
In the style of the classic Choose Your Own books from childhood comes an adult tale full of blood, guts, zombies, and lots of choices.
Anthologies
- “Stowaway”, Acidic Fiction #1: Corrosive Chronicles, March, 2015
Originally published in Acidic Fiction, November 2014
- “Warnings”, Flash Me! The Sinthology, September 2013
A short tale about that moment you realize someone has changed. Based on a true story.
“It’s for snakes. So you can stab them in the head to protect yourself.”
- “The Bet”, Oh Sandy: An Anthology of Humor for a Serious Purpose, March 2012
The story of brotherly competitiveness in the face of a hurricane.
“I read it on the interwebs. Hurricane Austin was the first named hurricane. It’s also the biggest and coolest, so they named it after me.”
- “Stakes”, Frightmares: A Fistful of Flash Fiction Horror, November 2011
A 100-word story about the coming vampire apocalypse.
I have dozens of crosses. Tons of garlic. Giant halogen lamps. Wooden stakes. The vampires have no chance.
- “A Lesson in Running”, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners, July 2010
This is the story of my first marathon and the inspiration I got from an unlikely source.
I moved to the side of the road and plodded along. I needed a second wind, but it wasn’t coming.
- “The Pool”, Sand: Strange Tales Year One, November 2008
Originally published in Sand: A Journal of Strange Tales #2, October 2008
- “The Howard Family Tradition”, Weirdbook #32, May 2016
A son finds that a fun family tradition originated from a terrifying event.
Their eyes almost completely black, pupils the size of nickels, were aimed straight at me.
- “Lucy of the Spiders”, Dark Valentine #3, Winter 2010
A young girl obsessed with spiders makes a life-changing journey.
She would abandon her clothes a few yards in and walk nude through the trees, letting her friends gather on her body as she went.
- “The Pool”, Sand: A Journal of Strange Tales #2, October 2008
A father sets out to make the perfect pool in his backyard, which results in unexpected changes in his son.
If Jesus had a pool in his backyard that he walked around on, then this would have been it.
- “The Shirkberry Tree”, Trail of Indiscretion #4, Winter 2006
A young girl concocts an elaborate fairytale in order to take revenge on her parents.
Sarah was a sad little girl with a sad little life. Of course, it was not little to her. For an eight-year-old girl life is as big as it gets, and life’s little problems have the potential to be just as big.
- “Fun With Robotics”, The Swallows Tail #4, November 2006
A man buys a robotic maid to help his wife around the house and to give them both time to fix their sex-life. It doesn’t go as planned.
When we were younger, first married, our sheets were covered in sperm and juice, not crisp at all. Now starch and drool is all there is.
Web
- “Diminishing Returns”, Devilfish Review #15, October 2015
A strange new drug causes unique problems for a heavy user.
My temple is a soggy mess. Bruised, purple and leaking like a busted eggplant.
- “Stowaway”, Acidic Fiction, November 2014
A man makes a desperate attempt to get away from a crowded and diseased future-Earth.
They lived on the streets, faces scarred into obscurity from exposure, lips and eyes gone, mouths permanently open, always wanting.
- “Madame Regret”, ThickJam #279, May 2013
A phone psychic starts getting calls from former clients.
Someone just spent ten bucks to call me a fucking hoe bag.
- “He and She”, riverbabble #21, Winter 2012
A woman and man cross paths in the wrong part of the city.
Quietly, she disappeared into womb-like decadence.
What if a super-villain had to practice his big speech before asking for his ransom?
Remember the Dr. Squid fiasco of 1979?
P.R. O’Leary’s books on Goodreads
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners: 101 Inspirational Stories of Energy, Endurance, and Endorphins
