reality

No word yet on when "Tomorrow's Dawn" will appear at Daily Science Fiction, but I did sign my contract and compose a short bio. They also gave me the opportunity to share a little about how I came up with the story. The following comments will appear beneath "Tomorrow's Dawn" once it's published:

I enjoy serving jury duty as much as the next guy. Last summer, during a lunch break from the courthouse, I took the trolley to one of my favorite taco shops. On the way, three men came aboard and seated themselves around me, speaking in Arabic and drawing wary glances from fellow passengers who whispered among themselves. The men were oblivious, both to me and their surroundings, talking in excited tones and showing each other pens, staplers, T-shirts, and canvas bags, all emblazoned with the same company logo. Each man wore a name tag with the logo on it and JORDAN underneath. My guess: they were in town for a business convention.

The way I saw it, I had two options: maintain the invisible wall between us until my stop, or do something to bridge the gap. I chose the latter. And I'll never forget those five minutes that started out tense and awkward—as if I had somehow invaded their self-imposed protective bubble—and ended with laughter, one of them trying to staple my jury pamphlet, and another one offering me a piece of their loot (a pen).

Somehow, this experience came to lay the foundation for "Tomorrow's Dawn"—a story about fear, rooted in an unchangeable past, and hope for a future that is not set in stone.

Do you find that your own fiction is often inspired by reality?

(*Bonus track:  Here's a brand new haiku, dedicated to my beloved wife and Constant Reader.)