Did you resolve to read more in 2022? No? It’s not too late. Yes? Good for you! And me, because I’m pleased to offer my freshest short story, “Hunting el Chupacabra,” now available in Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging (ebook, paperback, & hardcover). You know, because the 2020s haven’t given us enough monsters.
This one’s an adventure story featuring two unlikely hunting partners: a wounded veteran of the War in Afghanistan, now employed shooting feral hogs from helicopters, and a patchouli-perfumed Sasquatch enthusiast on break from Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Following a string of reports—and one photograph—of a bipedal, hairless creature mutilating sheep across Texas, our odd couple teams up to hunt el Chupacabra … and the $20,000 bounty a rancher has posted for whoever brings him the body of the beast.
What our pair finds, deep in the Texas backcountry, is unexpected … and even more valuable than the bounty.
I hope you enjoy the adventure. As always, I love to hear your thoughts. Happy New Year, humans (and monsters too)!
Christoph Weber 
I love the unlikely duo at the heart of this adventure and I’m so happy this story was published for everyone to enjoy — congratulations!!
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Thank you for helping me polish this one into something enjoyable!
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Great writing, full of visual details that make the story come to life in your mind. I think a lot of people can relate to the struggles and the ability to adapt to survive. Bravo Christoph!
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“… visual details that make the story come to life in your mind.”
I was just now delighted to see similar feedback in another comment. It seems things are working in “Hunting el Chupacabra!”
In his memoir, On Writing, Stephen King makes an interesting argument that good writing is telepathy. It seems silly at first, but on further reflection becomes surprisingly compelling: writing (at least when done well), is a method by which one person can transfer thoughts and images from their own mind to another’s … without either person ever opening their mouth, or needing to be anywhere near each other, or even needing to exist at the same time!
Thank you for your feedback, and for confirming that you received my transmission. 😊
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Like many great stories Hunting el Chupacabra uses the apparent subject as a vehicle driving at something a bit deeper. This story has an abundance of small details that help to paint a realistic scene where the reader ends up forgetting that they are reading a story and ends up experiencing the adventure. Great story, and the last line of the tale adds a layer that still has me thinking. Nice work.
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*** “ … the reader ends up forgetting that they are reading a story and ends up experiencing the adventure.” ***
THIS is the best compliment I can get! It is that feeling of being transported to another time and place, and experiencing it as if I am someone else, that I love most about reading, and what I strive to offer in my writing. A good story is the closest technology we currently have to teleportation and consciousness transfer. In addition to the small details you pointed out, I think a large part of that immersive magic lies in simple language. Unnecessary synonyms and overly complex prose draw attention to the writing, which only makes me remember I’m reading a story, thus breaking its spell.
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for affirming that what at least some of what I’m striving for is working!
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