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 (457)
Filter by community
Gone Phishing!
“Gone fishin’ instead of just a wishin’ was playing on my alarm clock as I awoke to another beautiful and hopefully profitable day. It’s surprising how a song written so many years ago could be relevant to a person in my line of work. I know some of you are thinking, “Work! How can you possibly call scamming people out of their life savings work? Simply sitting at a keyboard all day is not work. All you do is send out email blasts, the computer does the rest.” True, what I do really isn’t rocket science. Greed, guilt, and fear are the tools I use against my willing victims.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in 01
Kitchen Conundrum
Lieutenant Baskins was in charge of the investigation. It wasn’t her first murder investigation, far from it. Since transferring to homicide ten years ago, it felt as though she had a fresh case every week. Most of the bodies she inspected were in back alleys, bedrooms, or cars. This one was different. The body lay face down in the middle of a restaurant kitchen.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Criminal
The Saboteur
I have to assume they finally found the Titanic, or you would not be reading this. Before my death, I left explicit instructions with my barrister to leave this letter sealed until the remains of the old girl had been located. Now I, Patrick Callahan, saboteur extraordinaire, will tell you how the ship sank, and it wasn’t done by a bloody iceberg.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Fiction
If Only
Jake is a busy guy. Every time he starts a project, or just thinks about starting something, he gets interrupted. Most of the time they’re annoying minor interruptions: phone calls, a knock at the door, text messages from work, the list goes on and on. If only he had a little alone time, he could complete some half-finished projects. No phone calls, texts, or people, for one day. Is that too much to ask? Unfortunately for Jake, his unfinished business list just came due all at the same time.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Fiction
Click on Accept. Top Story - March 2022.
It was one of those nights when there was nothing on TV and it was too early to go to bed, so I was web surfing. I had heard about a site that was like Amazon but all their items were pre-owned (used). They sold everything from houses to hose clamps, vacation packages to vacuums — you name it, they had it for sale. I eventually found the site and started exploring a virtual cornucopia of items for sale. Why someone would buy slightly used shoelaces is beyond me, but there they were for 25 cents per lace. As I was scanning other items, an information box popped up on my screen informing me that, after reading the Terms and Conditions, I would need to click the Accept button if I wanted to continue using the site. I had 10 seconds to click Accept. No one, me included, ever takes the time to read the 25 plus pages of legalese that are usually included in the conditions box. I clicked Accept and continued browsing. About an hour later, I called it a night and went to bed.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in 01
Speak English Please!
Even as a young boy, the idea of traveling the globe, meeting different people, and exploring unknown places fascinated me. As I got older, I crisscrossed the U.S. and Canada, taking in all each country offered. My wandering spirit was insatiable. Europe was next.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Wander
Freedom Lost-Never!
Alexander stood by the window and watched the exploding bombs in the distance. The bright orange and white flashes of light briefly turned the night sky into day. Darkness reestablished its dominance except for where the bombs had exploded. In those areas, the glow of freshly ignited fires illuminated the neighborhoods under siege. He refocused his attention on where his wife was offering solace to their two small children. They were exhausted, but sleep refused to come. He left the window and cuddled with his family.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Fiction
The Eavesdropper
The congregation bowed their heads in reverent reflection as the vicar droned on about the evils of sin and the ultimate reward for the righteous. His ability to preach about topics they had recently been thinking about baffled them. This week’s sermon covered infidelity and the desires of the flesh versus chastity and faithful adherence to wedding vows. As he delved deeper into the subject, several women shifted uneasily on the church pew. Multiple men adjusted their gaze to the floor and refused to look up. They all felt as though he was addressing them directly. How could he sense what was on their minds?
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Fiction
A Labor of Love. Top Story - February 2022.
We met one sunny spring afternoon. I had stopped off at a colleague’s new house to help him move when I first laid eyes on her. The previous owners had abandoned her in a field behind the house. Tall grass hid the multicolored exterior, flat tires, and cracked and torn interior. I found a weathered top along with both side curtains tossed haphazardly in the trunk. For me, it was love at first sight.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Wheel
