Mark Gagnon
Bio
My life has been spent traveling here and abroad. Now it's time to write.
I have three published books: Mitigating Circumstances, Short Stories for Open Minds, and Short Stories from an Untethered Mind. Unmitigated Greed is do out soon.
Achievements (1)
Stories (451)
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Trial by Fire
Brilliant hues of yellow, orange, and red pierced the evening sky, turning it from black to a faded purple. Such a beautiful and terrifying sight for all to see, but no one was there to bear witness. The neighborhood was devoid of people and pets. Only the security cameras remained, dutifully recording the sights and sounds of the impending doom. It was an abandoned world, save for one unsuspecting resident.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Glorious Moon
I watch impatiently as the moon breaches the horizon, forcing its light into the blackness. A flickering campfire draws the attention of everyone sitting around it. None of them are aware of the moon or their surroundings. I couldn't ask for a better scenario. With all the participants in place, my most important job at the moment is to control my desire.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
3 Times 3 Times…
I’m not saying my parents were superstitious, but the one phrase I heard over and over growing up was, “Everything happens in threes.” If someone in the family died, there appeared to be unofficial odds makers taking bets on who the next two relatives would be to expire. It seemed bizarre at the time, but after recent events, I’m not as skeptical as I once was.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Words Take Flight
Zhang Wei is a tinkerer, inventor, and dreamer. He really has no business serving in General Meng Tian’s Great Army, but King Qin Shi Huang dreams of unifying China and Zhang wants to be part of it. Besides, the General is a builder like Zhang, so he feels they are kindred spirits. The General is committed to building a great wall that will protect China from the Mongols, while Zhang is experimenting with capturing the wind. For everyone’s dreams to be fulfilled, General Meng’s army has to first defeat Xiongnu Province and make it part of the newly unified China. To accomplish this, Meng amassed a great army that stretched over an immense area of land.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Where’s Home?. Top Story - August 2023.
Jake perched on a barstool at the NCO club, surrounded by fellow sergeants and their friends. The chief topic of conversation this evening was familiar to them all—Where’s Home? The subject usually came up when several were taking a leave and heading home for a visit. Descriptions of childhood places, brothers and sisters, or longtime friends inevitably followed. Home was always some place that anchored them, and drew them back from the far corners of the world. It was never a subject Jake enjoyed taking part in.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
The Red Door Society
The Red Door Society held monthly meetings in the old decommissioned stone church on the second Friday of every month. The church has been Williamstown's centerpiece since being constructed in 1699. A bright red door is its most prominent feature. Old rumors about the church founders being escaped Salem witches and warlocks only added to the building's lore.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Horror
Unmitigated Greed
Chapter 8 Frank spent the next ten days negotiating for the purchase of Border-to-Border Charter Bus Company. He spent the evenings with Marisol. What stood out to him as he crisscrossed the border every day was how much both cities had changed. Laredo was no longer a frontier border town with dirt streets and run-down neighborhoods. Large warehouses dotted the landscape, and the people appeared more prosperous than when he lived there.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Critique
Blank Page
I must have been staring at this blank computer screen for at least an hour with nothing to show for it. People write about writer’s block, which in is an oxymoron since they’re writing about it, but never experienced it until now. Bored, frustrated, and feeling useless, I did what anyone would do in this situation—I took a nap.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Writers
