Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction

This story was published at Every Day Fiction today. It’s linked here.

There are a lot of "end of the world" stories out there. Some concentrate on the heroics of averting the disaster last minute, while others work overtime to wring every ounce of emotional sap from readers/viewers (think "2012"). Precious few are about regular people – folks who have no major role to play in what’s coming. How would they cope with the situation? Might it cause them to make some rash, foolish decisions the way my protagonist does? That’s the story I wanted to tell.

I also enjoyed writing a story set in my home town. Authors are often advised to "write what they know." For a speculative fiction writer, it can be difficult to apply this recommendation to stories set in a wizard’s tower or outer space. Setting a scene on the Verrazano Bridge, which I cross fairly often, was a refreshing change of pace. I’ve since written a much longer story that is set in Brooklyn and plan on several more.