Bewildering Stories welcomes...

John Mara

John retired to New Hampshire in 2019 from a partnership in a New York City management consulting firm. He has since turned to writing fiction and has had remarkable success in publishing several works in such a short time.

“The Skeleton’s Scrapbook” may appeal to fans of high fantasy. The original setting is in a kind of limbo, where combat veterans killed in battle can be revived once a year to read “scrapbooks” depicting the loved ones left behind and the lives the soldiers might have led if they had lived.

The setting then moves to “real life,” where Slim reads his scrapbook with dismay. His friend Boomer has survived and married Slim’s fiancée, Jo. They all wish it hadn’t happened, and Boomer’s wild antics help in reversing history and restoring “what might have been.” The story depicts the pain of loss; readers will judge for themselves whether wishful thinking softens the effect.

John Mara’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, John. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!