Gene Lass

Joined May 2021

162 stories

Bio

Gene Lass is a professional writer and editor, writing and editing numerous books of non-fiction, poetry, and fiction. Several have been Top 100 Amazon Best Sellers. His short story, “Fence Sitter” was nominated for Best of the Net 2020.

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The Darker Side of Halloween Music
Several years ago, I co-wrote and edited articles for a horror blog called "So Good It's Scary," with my colleague Dandy J. West. We're both fans of all things horror, but she's younger than I am, with slightly different tastes, so we often have different perspectives on things. With that in mind, I asked her to come up with a Halloween playlist of her own, as it was likely to be darker, moodier, and fresher than mine (see "31 Songs of Halloween"). So she did, and it is. Dandy's commentary and playlist follows, with sporadic comments by me in italics.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Beat
Meribeth's Turn
She lives amid stacks Where there is life beyond hers “I’m not so much a hoarder More of a pack rat.” Books stacked on books
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Poets
Fading Glimpses
Fading Glimpses Shreds and shards of memory Some bright Some dusty My first time alone on a swing Reaching for the sky
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Poets
Under the Skin
I want you Because you’re sick like me I can see it I can feel under my skin I know you feel it Can you see it Under my skin
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Poets
Words at Night
I miss our discussions Our tales of Oedipus and Elektra The deep dive Past the boundaries Into who we are And who we’re afraid we could be
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Poets
Clock
In the center of the French village of Cloche du Montaigne, nestled near the Southeastern border in the Pyrenees mountains, stands a clock. The clock, also named Cloche du Montaigne, is named for the village and the village is named for the clock. The name means “clock of the mountain” and they are equally ancient.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Fiction
Language
Priscilla snuggled down deeper into the covers and looked up at her father. Mark knew this was her favorite time, when things were slow and people had time to talk about things they might not say during the day when everyone was busy. For a parent, this was a time to be on guard. Children were wiley at night, using many tricks to stay awake or gain forbidden knowledge. It was when they were cutest, and most dangerous. He braced himself and looked back into his daughter's innocent brown eyes. He didn't know what would come, but he knew something would.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Fiction
Avatar
Carmela first heard the voice shortly before her 50th birthday. “Aren’t you cold? Turn the heat up.” She looked around and thought, “It’s 70 degrees in there. That’s perfectly warm. No. I’m not cold.” Still, later, at bedtime, though it was 70 in the house, she found herself underneath a blanket, sipping a cup of chamomile tea, reading a cozy mystery.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Fiction
Brain
“Glen, why are you in my house?” Dawn asked, snapping on the light. Glen, sitting on her living room couch in front of a blank TV screen, continued staring straight ahead. He wore sweatpants, a pullover sweater, a tie, one shoe, and one rain boot. His hair was uncombed.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Horror
Open Mic
Oh please tell me of your genitalia Young mistress of the craft Doth it bloom like a posey rose? Does it taste like salt water?
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Poets
Hail Dystopia!
While the future has often been depicted as a time of technological marvels like flying cars, teleporters, miracle cures, and instant food generators, others have thought the future might not be so perfect. It might be strange, or even horrifying. You may have seen memes saying that the time we're living in now, with techno spies, censorship, and a global pandemic, greatly resembles many of the nightmarish futures we have seen depicted in the past. Decide for yourself after seeing these 25 classic dystopian films.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in Futurism
Those Pesky Shifting Vowels
Two of the more interesting classes I had in college were "Linguistics" and "History of the English Language." In Linguistics I learned that a glottal stop is that weird choking noise some people make instead of a "t" sound when they say, "button." When they say it, it usually comes out "BUH-in" with a little catch in the middle, no "t." In History of the English Language, I learned why my friend Jim from California and even our own professor, who was from Pennsylvania, could not tell the difference between the names Don and Dawn. The reason was the Great Vowel Shift. History can tell you approximately when it happened, but there are no definitive reasons why.
By Gene Lass4 years ago in FYI

Gene Lass

Bio

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The Darker Side of Halloween Music

Meribeth's Turn

Fading Glimpses

Under the Skin

Words at Night

Clock

Language

Avatar

Brain

Open Mic

Hail Dystopia!

Those Pesky Shifting Vowels

Stories (162)