Late one night in August 2002, the wife and I were driving back from a Tool concert in Richmond. We were about thirty miles from home when I saw something vaguely orange flash in front of the truck. This was followed immediately by a small "thud." I knew I'd hit something, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it might be. It was about the size of a small bird, but it was far too late for small birds to be out and about. The wife was asleep, and I didn't bother her with it. The next morning, I mentioned the event and she immediately provided the answer: "You hit a bat." Of course, she was absolutely right.

If you've read my story "Pirates, Take Your Girls Away" (SONGS FROM DEAD SINGERS, Catalyst Books) you're no doubt at least somewhat familiar with an old cinderblock structure in the middle of the woods. This structure actually exists, and serves much the same purpose in reality that it did in my story. Many facets of that story are based on real experiences from my life and real places that have served as a backdrop for those experiences. (If you're curious, Lloviendo Lake is based loosely on a real lake near here. The old garage sits near the South River, where friends and I used to-- you guessed it-- blow up model ships with firecrackers. There's more, but that would just be self-indulgent.)

This is our new dog, Penny Lee. She is a twelve-year-old Pekinese who loves turkey, bacon, and the cat's toy mouse. Admittedly, this is a poor picture (taken with my cheap digital camera), but it will have to do until I get my film processed.