S. A. Barton


Biography

S. A. Barton was, up until the end of the summer of '12, one of the legion of retail workers struggling to keep his big dreams alive in an often uncooperative world.

Now... full time author and grad school student. The days are full of writing, for one reason or the other. It's the end of keeping dreams on life support and the beginning of them waking from a coma.

Next project: learning to fly.

Where to find S. A. Barton online


Books

Child Full of Stars    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 2550 words. Published on April 5, 2013. Fiction.

Meet a man who is dying, face-down in an alley on a strange world, with a knife wound in his guts. He is surely doomed, until a child comes to help him. But why is this filthy street child helping him, and where will this child take him? The answers run deeper than the surface suggests, and this unlikely pair have more in common than you might think.
Socrates, Unafraid    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 940 words. Published on March 22, 2013. Fiction.

Join a teacher in a virtual world contemplating a hopeless future, reaching out to find a way to make a better world. Flash fiction, under 1,000 words.
Does Not Meet Our Needs    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 630 words. Published on January 4, 2013. Fiction.

Creative people often face a lot of rejection before their work reaches the public view. This is a story in rejection slips of one artist's journey.
Hunger    by S. A. Barton
Price: $4.99 USD. 34410 words. Published on January 4, 2013. Fiction.

Hunger is an anthology of short science fiction and fantasy stories. Each of them relates to the hungers that drive humanity--for food, for love, for power, for release from drudgery, or escape from times that have become too interesting. The stories in Hunger speak to the deep drives that move you, the appetites that lurk beneath the surface, struggling to emerge into the light.
A Hell of Heaven    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 4870 words. Published on December 18, 2012. Fiction.

Willem has grown up in the City, an intensely crowded society in which no detail goes unmonitored and no deviation is tolerated. When he sees what is outside for the first time in his life, the sight will change him forever and introduce him to the unthinkable: another way of life.
Verbit    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 1960 words. Published on October 16, 2012. Fiction.

(4.00 from 1 review)
In the competitive world of news podcasting, a young intern has to work hard to become a good reporter. When it comes time to get a job, however, it quickly becomes clear to one young man that just reporting the news isn't nearly good enough. Soon, his would-be employer will get far more than he bargained for...
Adversary    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 7130 words. Published on October 9, 2012. Fiction.

(4.00 from 1 review)
For ten thousand years, the people of the habitats have lived in fear of Adversary, the focus of evil in the solar system. One family, however, has grown to doubt the truth of the old tales. The four of them will challenge evil itself with nothing but a single shuttle and their heretical curiosity...
In Memoriam    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 3750 words. Published on October 6, 2012. Fiction.

Clayton Taliaferro II is an idle man, living a life of solitary indulgence--though he has ideas for greater indulgence if he figures out how to get his hands on the full balance of his trust fund. When he eats a crayfish in a local restaurant and suddenly finds himself dreaming crayfish dreams, an awful idea begins to blossom in his mind...
Out Of The Cold    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 5830 words. Published on September 30, 2012. Fiction.

As the Ice Age comes to an end, Bear Paw and The People follow the glaciers as they retreat to the north. The ice and snow are all that they know, but they may learn something new when a strange spirit falls from its place among the stars...
Monkey Say    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 2100 words. Published on September 29, 2012. Fiction.

"No interview has made me feel more awkwardly American than the capuchin monkey seated across the small stone table from me." I couldn't think of a better blurb than the lead-in sentence. Really, don't you want to read about what happens when a man interviews a monkey?
Dumbass    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 970 words. Published on August 25, 2012. Fiction.

0.5 star(4.50 from 2 reviews)
When a boy grows up being told he's stupid constantly, there's great potential for things to go wrong later in life. When the young man he grows into discovers that he can read minds, that potential grows...
Ignorance of the Law    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 2020 words. Published on August 16, 2012. Fiction.

(3.00 from 3 reviews)
When a pack of backwoods local yokels begin to lumber toward civilized space in their slapped-together warp speed jalopy, a working-Joe cop has to take action. He soon finds himself in the eternal dilemma of the policeman on the beat: how to strike a balance between justice and enforcing the letter of the law?
Outsourced    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 3540 words. Published on August 13, 2012. Fiction.

Imagine life as a young man in a run-down neighborhood in a big city. There are few jobs to be had outside of crime and the future is bleak. Until, that is, a job opens up unexpectedly... but it's not on Earth and the boss isn't human. In fact, he's probably up to something he shouldn't be, but how can you tell?
Cat Zen    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 630 words. Published on August 5, 2012. Fiction.

0.5 star(3.50 from 2 reviews)
Sit down with a man, a cat, and some Zen for about 600 words. You won't regret it.
Revolting    by S. A. Barton
Price: $2.99 USD. 21120 words. Published on August 2, 2012. Fiction.

There are moments upon which the future hinges. No matter the outcome, the world is a different place after they pass. These stories are about those moments, and the people who rise to the occasion... for good or ill. These five stories will take you from the distant past into the far future, and from the depths to the heights of the human spirit.
Everything Is So Different Now    by S. A. Barton
Price: $2.99 USD. 22060 words. Published on July 29, 2012. Fiction.

This collection contains stories and heroes dealing with big changes. From the end of the world to the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, it's all about the struggle to transcend... or merely to survive.
Pig    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 6560 words. Published on July 27, 2012. Fiction.

A vegan career woman has it ALL under control until her food begins begging for its life. If she ever hopes to eat again she'll have to dig deep for answers...
Nice Weather We're Having Today    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 900 words. Published on July 23, 2012. Fiction.

0.5 star(4.50 from 4 reviews)
A small-town mayor and a drifter with an odd object in his pocket have a little chat about the dry summer.
Go Into The Light    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 1590 words. Published on July 18, 2012. Fiction.

Dying slowly in the desert, trapped under a dune buggy: surely alien visitors can do nothing but improve the situation... right?
All Flesh Is Grass    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 940 words. Published on June 25, 2012. Fiction.

0.75 star(4.75 from 4 reviews)
When a producer of cloned meat gets tired of the business, things get either odd or delicious. You decide which.
Baby Wipes    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 4560 words. Published on June 18, 2012. Fiction.

(3.00 from 2 reviews)
William, a Chicago suburbanite living in the not-so-far future, suddenly finds himself dead. When he recovers, Chicago is gone, leaving only open prairie and an alien offering him a baby wipe to clean his face. This would be hard enough for anyone to deal with, but there's much more...
The Fourth Dog    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 2560 words. Published on June 15, 2012. Fiction.

Dusker is a traveling loner in a dangerous future, and he doesn't like surprises. When a fourth dog mysteriously joins the three trusted dogs he already keeps, he isn't happy-- but he's far less happy to discover unwelcome followers on his trail. Now he has two surprises to deal with at once...
Sexually Transmitted Intelligence    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 5330 words. Published on April 19, 2012. Fiction.

On a world of friendly aliens, Richard discovers that all of them are dying young as the result of an unsuspected sexually transmitted disease... and how to cure it. Soon, it will become a race to cure the cure before it destroys everything.
The Always-House People    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 5730 words. Published on April 18, 2012. Fiction.

Ba'el, a pre-historic youth, strikes out on a quest to prove his manhood to himself and to his clan. Soon, he will discover the truth behind the religion of his people. Soon after, he will lose everything... and so will all of humanity.
Dark    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 1970 words. Published on April 18, 2012. Fiction.

0.25 star(4.33 from 3 reviews)
The day Dan and Katrina begin their honeymoon cruise, the Sun begins to inexplicably dim. Soon, they will discover why...
All The Luck In The World    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 9830 words. Published on March 22, 2012. Fiction.

Anthony discovers a vast power within him that can grant him his every wish, though little control over how he gets it. What will happen when, in a moment of grief at the loss of a loved one, he wishes for the impossible?
Home On LaGrange    by S. A. Barton
Price: Free! 2420 words. Published on March 9, 2012. Fiction.

(4.00 from 1 review)
"I am Jorganhar 22bAR37m. I am lean and healthy. Welcome to LaGrange Market L-5 McLearen's World, how may I satisfy you today?"
Hits On Earth    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 3270 words. Published on February 23, 2012. Fiction.

In Hits On Earth, alien websurfers arrive unannounced, and the relationship of one alien and one human will set the tone for the future of both species. Hits On Earth includes the bonus flash fiction piece Velocity, in which a message from an alien craft contains important information... but can it be decoded in time to act on it?
Bullets For Buddha    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 2630 words. Published on February 17, 2012. Fiction.

A short story duo: Bullets For Buddha in which an excess of zeal leads to the Dalai Lama hunted down by militants, and Looks Like God in which Jesus and several companions decide to take a second look at Earth.
Those Hands    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 4480 words. Published on February 16, 2012. Fiction.

Richard was attacked as a young boy and has kept it a secret for decades... even from himself. When he has the chance to confront his attacker before the attack, it will change both of their lives forever. Warning: may contain triggers for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. NO explicit description of abuse.
Visions Of Odd    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 8810 words. Published on February 6, 2012. Fiction.

A short anthology of eclectic pieces of flash fiction and vignettes, all speculative fiction, ranging from the edge of fantasy to the edge of the solar system.
Mayflies    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 1770 words. Published on February 2, 2012. Fiction.

Being a vampire isn't easy, but being their food is harder still. When two vampires understand just how much they've taken from others, what will they give back-- and how?
Labor Of Love    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 2350 words. Published on January 30, 2012. Fiction.

Addiction is hard enough to kick by itself. What happens when technology becomes addiction's ally?
In Real Life    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 6980 words. Published on January 30, 2012. Fiction.

When every aspect of every person's life is monitored in realtime, what happens when that monitoring fails? Will Daniel and Ruby be drawn into revolutionary chaos... or will they find another way?
Not The Droids    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 2170 words. Published on January 29, 2012. Fiction.

As Austin ages, society increasingly frowns on direct human interaction in favor of telepresence androids. When his unfashionably in-person wife dies and his family moves on, will he be alone forever?
Who Wants To Be The Emperor    by S. A. Barton
Price: $0.99 USD. 4920 words. Published on January 28, 2012. Fiction.

Harvey Short, the Emperor of the Human race, has a lot of regrets as he nears the end of his life. As he recalls how humanity won the Empire, he's busy trying to figure out how to get the humans out of it. Has he come up with a solution, or just a pathetic illusion?

S. A. Barton’s tag cloud

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S. A. Barton's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by S. A. Barton

  • The Campsite on June 17, 2012
    star star star star star
    Creepy, odd, fun. All the things I like in a good read. The middle seemed to sag a bit in some indefinable way... if I were writing this, I'd have been in a hurry to write that ending I like so much so maybe that explains it. I'd also have driven myself crazy trying to edit and re-edit that middle to work out that indefinable something, so it may be all for the best if I had simply gone ahead and published it... so goes my theory on what the author has done here. Having nitpicked quite a bit, I'm going to shut up and give this 5 stars.
  • The Star Creature on June 25, 2012
    star star star star star
    Well and thoughtfully written and a joy to read. I see why it sold in '79, and it is still fresh today.
  • Green on Aug. 18, 2012
    star star star star
    It's hard to comment too deeply on the themes here without ruining the ending... I will say only that this story casts its net a little more broadly than I suspected it would when I began reading. An enjoyable read.
  • Mommy on Aug. 18, 2012
    star star star star
    Dark and powerful.
  • "Welcome to Hell. Would you like fries with that?" on Aug. 18, 2012
    star star star star
    I've knocked around a few different stations of the retail world, and I have had that day many times. "What, it's not over YET?" This story was simply that feeling distilled. Nice work.
  • Life's A Beach on Aug. 20, 2012
    star star star star
    A fun, light read with a pleasing twist. Quite enjoyable.
  • Siddhartha on Aug. 20, 2012
    star star star star star
    Well, some say Zen is everything is Zen... Could use a little tweak on formatting, but nothing I couldn't look past. And that's only if it wasn't my reader being wonky, which is entirely possible. Good show.
  • Ramming Speed on Aug. 26, 2012
    star star star star
    Definitely a fun read, only slightly askew from the description. But then, descriptive blurbs are rarely right on the money, part of what they're there for is to be enticingly vague. A few minor typos survived editing. None are disastrous, chasing them down would improve basic readability a tad.
  • Scavenger on Oct. 04, 2012
    star star star
    A fun little read with a smile at the end. Nice.
  • Forcipules on Dec. 08, 2012
    star star star star
    This is a fun read and strikes me as being true to its pulp inspiration. I'd like to say more but I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone. If you're reading this review, read this story. Unless you have a centipede phobia.