Some good news for a change: an anthology for which I’ve written a story has officially been published and is now available. Darkened Streets is a collection of stories from White Wolf Publishing’s World of Darkness line of tabletop RPG settings. This anthology comprises stories about being on the road – in one way or another – and the adventures, trials and tribulations that follow.

My story is about a werewolf in the old west. Having grown up without a pack to rely on, Jake Johnson has decided to move west, find a place to settle down, and live his life in peace. Problem is, the world has other plans in store for him…

I was delighted to learn that my story had been accepted. Written on a short deadline – from the time I first heard about it to the time I submitted my final draft was less than two months – the story coalesced in my head quickly. The deadline was tight to take advantage of a new theme and promotion from Drive Thru and White Wolf – The Year of the Road – so getting in before that became public meant greater exposure and perhaps some free advertising as well.

Having to choose from the various World of Darkness settings was no real hardship, as I was familiar with most of them already. However, I was not the first author to sign on, and my first choices – the settings I was most familiar with – were already taken. I had to move out of my comfort zone and write about a setting – Werewolf: the Old West – with which I was less familiar.

I’ve played in games using the updated (and modern) Werewolf setting before, and the underlying themes of werewolves as eco-warriors – fighting against the dimension-spanning influence of the Wyrm that taints and corrupts everything it touches – strikes a chord with me. The Old West version of the setting isn’t as popular with gamers as is the classic setting, but I grew up right on the edge of the time period when the United States was still captivated by tales of the Old West: a little bit of that captivation rubbed off on me, so I have a soft spot in my heart for tales of that time. My story involves train travel (which I love) and fighting the good fight, which has always been necessary – perhaps now more than ever.

I’m very pleased with how the story turned out. Joseph Nassise added his deft hand to editing my story, for which I am grateful. I’m also delighted to be in the company of many talented authors in this anthology, including Aaron Rosenberg, David Niall Wilson, and Russell Zimmerman. I’d also like to thank Robert W. Thomson for lending me his vast store of knowledge on post-Golden Spike trains and all their various workings.

Darkened Streets is available from Drive Thru RPG. It’s only available in e-book format at this time, though you have your choice of ePub, PDF, and Mobi (Kindle) formats. There are rumors that it may be made available as a print-on-demand title in the near future: as of this writing we’re still awaiting confirmation of that rumor.

To obtain the ebook, please visit https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/294150/Darkened-Streets?term=Darkened+Streets and order yours today!