Home Page for Donald J. Bingle's Website

Best known as the world's top-ranked player of classic role-playing games for fifteen years, Donald J. Bingle is an oft-published author in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, steampunk, romance, and comedy genres. Many of these stories have been written on short deadlines to required specifications of wordcount and topic, making Don a veritable Writer on Demand TM. While some of his stories are electronically available in the themed anthologies in which they first appeared, they are being collected and offered here by genre, with new collections coming out periodically.

Writer on Demand Vol. 1:   Tales of Gamers and Gaming available on Kindle and on Nook.

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 1: Tales of Gamers and Gaming includes three stories, one of novelette length:

"The Quest" (approximately 8,000 words) tells the story of what happens when a group of MMORPG gamers get together in real life. The story originally appeared in Fellowship Fantastic, edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2008).

"Loser Takes All" (approximately 5,000 words) tells the story of a man always looking for just one more world to conquer. The story originally appeared in If I Were an Evil Overlord, edited by Russell Davis and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2007).

"Gaming Circle" (approximately 4,100 words) explains what it is about our real lives that makes us want to game. The story originally appeared in Gamer Fantastic, edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2009).

Writer on Demand Vol. 2:   Tales of Humorous Horror available on Kindle and on Nook.

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 2: Tales of Humorous Horror includes three stories:

"BunRabs" (approximately 3,500 words) tells the story of the real truth behind the connection between Easter and bunnies, at least from a unique point of view. The story originally appeared in Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies, edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2009).

"Hell to Pay" (approximately 3,050 words) tells the story of the recording industry's ultimate solution for illiegal downloading of music. The story originally appeared in All Hell Breaking Loose, edited by Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2005).

"Cursory Review" (approximately 4,200 words) shows that demons really don't find it that easy to create cursed objects. The story originally appeared in Pandora's Closet, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2007).

Writer on Demand Vol. 3:   Tales Out of Time available on Kindle and on Nook.

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 3: Tales Out of Time includes three stories:

"Standing Still" (approximately 4,600 words) tells the story of one man trying to help another deal with the reality in which he finds himself. The story originally appeared in Time Twisters, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2007).

"Knowing She Would" (approximately 3,600 words) tells the story of a girl visited repeatedly by those who need her help in their journeys. The story originally appeared in Historical Hauntings, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2000).

"A Passion for Time Travel" (approximately 3,900 words) deals with the problems of a company that sells vacations throughout time. The story originally appeared in TimeShares, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2010).

Writer on Demand Vol. 4: Grim, Fair e-Tales available on Kindle and on Nook.

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 4: Grim, Fair e-Tales includes four dark or downbeat stories, two of which are set are fairs or carnivals:

"Suburban Legend" (approximately 6,400 words) rips from the headlines and twists the classic tale of a suburban husband accused of murdering his beautiful wife. This story originally appeared in "Imaginary Friends," edited by John Marco and Martin H. Greenburg (DAW Books. Inc. 2008).

"Artists Only" (approximately 3,500 words) tells the tale of a little girl who goes unwillingly with her brother to the local traveling carnival, tires of the garish distractions, and becomes lost. This story originally appeared in compact disc format in "Carnival/Circus," edited by Jean Rabe (Lone Wolf Productions 2004).

"Stew" (approximately 3,900 words) deals with a boy who decides it is right to go to war, but later regrets his decision. This story originally appeared in "Civil War Fantastic," edited by Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2000) and was later reprinted in "Stalking the Wild Hare," edited by John Helfers, Chris Pierson, Marc Tassin, and Jean Rabe (Walkabout Publishing 2010).

"Grok" (approximately 4,000 words)is a the story of the mud-man of the local Renaissance Faire. It originally appeared, appropriately enough, in "Renaissance Faire," edited by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe (DAW Books, Inc. 2005).

Writer on Demand Vol. 5: Tales of an Altered Past Powered by Romance, Horror, and Steam available on Kindle.

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 5: Tales of an Altered Past Powered by Romance, Horror, and Steam includes four stories:

"Dashed Hopes" (approximately 4,250 words) is a tale of invention, romance, and tragedy set in the coal fields of England. This story originally appeared in "Hot & Steamy: Tales of Steampunk Romance," edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenburg (DAW Books. Inc. 2011).

"Rejecting the Anthropocene" (approximately 2,400 words) is a cautionary tale about the dangers of ignoring science, no matter how unpopular it may be. This original steampunk story appears in print for the very first time in this collection.

"Gentlemanly Horrors of Mine Alone" (approximately 7,100 words) is the ninth story in Mike Stackpole's The Chain Story Project. Each of the stories in the chain begins with a scene set in The Wanderers' Club in London, where patrons take turns telling stories of their adventures and derring-do. Though the plots and characters of the various tales differ and each adventure is self-contained and independent, every story-teller starts out by referencing the story before his in some fashion before telling his own tale. This story follows on the heels of Robert T. Jeschonek's "Blazing Bodices" and precedes Michael A. Stackpole's "The Adventure of the Ghost Watch." For more on The Chain Story Project, go to www.chainstory.stormwolf.com. For more on this story, including links to purchase it as a stand-alone chapbook or a stand-alone e-story, go to www.donaldjbingle.com and click on the link for the story or for Donald J. Bingle's writing resume. Mike Stackpole's character, Rogers, is used with permission.

"Foggy Goggles" (approximately 4,200 words) is a tale of an adventuresome reporter, two world-changing inventions, and unintended consequences. This story originally appeared in "Steampunk'd," edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2010).

Writer on Demand Vol. 6: Not-So-Heroic Fantasy available on Kindle.

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 6: Not-So-Heroic Fantasy includes four stories:

"Fellow Traveler: (approximately 3,040 words) is a tale a bard who makes the most of his limited skills to impress a horde of barbarians of limited intelligence and less hygiene. This story originally appeared in "Fantasy Gone Wrong," edited by Brittiany A. Koren and Martin H. Greenburg (DAW Books. Inc. 2006).

"Means to an End" (approximately 4,950 words) is a cautionary tale about getting exactly what you planned and schemed and worked and wished for, but with unforeseen results. This story originally appeared in "Blue Kingdoms: Mages and Magic," edited by Stephen D. Sullivan and Jean Rabe (Walkabout Publishing 2010).

"The Eye-Candy of Argon" (approximately 2,300 words) is a critical and satirical re-telling (from a different perspective) of "The Eye Of Agron"--widely regarded as the worst published fantasy story of all time. This parody is best enjoyed by those who have already read Jim Theis' original tale in all of its un-copyedited glory, yet lived to read again. "The Eye-Candy of Argon" was originally presented at the conclusion of a group reading of "The Eye of Argon" at GenCon in August of 2011 and appears in print here for the very first time.

"MAKESHIFT" (approximately 5,100 words) mixes fantasy and magic with imagination and the science of noetics in the tale of a very special young man recruited to a world of wonder and weighty responsibility. It is also available as a standalone e-Tale for just 99 cents here.

Writer on Demand Vol. 7: Shadow Realities available on Kindle.

Writer on Demand Vol. 7: Shadow Realities includes five stories:

Psycho Physics (approximately 6,000 words) slipstreams a hard-boiled detective through a world of science into a world that he can only pray is science fiction to get his man and avert an unimaginable catastrophe. This story originally appeared in Slipstreams, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers (DAW Books, Inc. 2006).

For Every Time, A Season (approximately 2,000 words) reveals a mirror world where everything is exactly the same as our world, except for one crucial dimension that makes all the difference in the world--a life and death difference. This story originally appeared in Time-Traveled Tales, edited by Jean Rabe (Origins Game Fair Anthology 2012).

Rural Route (approximately 4,600 words) reveals the shadows of another reality and their plans for bringing their patterns of darkness to our reality in an unconventional assault that almost no one sees coming. This story originally appeared in Boondocks Fantasy, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2011).

Day of the Shadows (approximately 4,000 words) captures what happens when our darkest fears become reality. This story originally appeared in Carnage & Consequences, edited by Marc Tassin & Friends (Walkabout Publishing, Inc. 2011).

www.karmassist.com (approximately 4,300 words) teaches us to be wary when our dreams come true, because darkness is concealed inside every wish come true. This story originally appeared in The Dimension Next Door, edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2008).

Home Page for Donald J. Bingle's Website