One of the things I really enjoy about Subterranean Press's magazine is that it always gives me stories by writers I've never heard of but instantly fall in love with. Jay Lake has a very creepy tale in the newest issue (Jay seems to be everywhere for me lately), Cherie Priest has a revelation story that really creeped me out and David Prill does things with "The Star System" that made me so sad and so uncomfortable - you think it's about a little old lady getting ready to die but then something happens, and the ending - the ending is really really good.

The ending totally freaked me out.

So it's all good stuff (another one from Poppy Z. Brite!) and then I turn the page and find "Perfidia" by Lewis Shiner and I knew it was perfect, right from the beginning it was the perfect story for me. And now, of course, I want to know just what the hell else Lewis Shiner is writing.

The story is about, of all things, the mystery surrounding the death of Glenn Miller. (What are the odds that I would read great stories on Casablanca, Fred Astaire and Glenn Miller all in the same week? Does the universe love me or what?) I always thought that Miller died during WWII in a plane crash and never thought twice about it. Shiner goes into one of the more outrageous theories surrounding the Miller legend though, that his death occured elsewhere in less than savory circumstances and the military covered up the truth to protect his reputation. The discoveries that Frank Delacorte makes about Miller, and his decision about what to do with what he learns, makes "Perfidia" a great amateur detective story (in a very 21st century manner - it all starts with ebay), and I would have loved it for that alone. It reaches beyond all genre restraints however when Frank's relationship with his ill father comes into play, and their exchange at the very end is simply lovely. It's perfect for the story, even though it has little to do with Glenn Miller, because it has so very much to do with Frank.

And apparently, so much to do with Shiner as well.

So after reading "Perfidia" and loving it, I went looking for Lewis Shiner. From his site, it is clear that he has had some publication success over the years, but also some disappointments. (Do read the autobiography as it shows where so much of the father/son relationship in "Perfidia" is rooted.) He is apparently working on a new novel and "Perfidia" was actually originally published in 2004, for another magazine. So where is he now? What is he doing?

What other truths has he uncovered?

I found this old interview with Booksense, where he says he is working on a detective novel set in North Carolina, but the research might take him years. And his short short story, "Flagstaff"is online - it will only take a minute or two to read it but you won't forget it. He's still excising demons with this one; still battling a childhood he can't leave behind. But where exactly Lewis Shiner is in 2006 is a mystery and what he is writing at this moment, what short stories he is working on, what plans he has for the future, seem to be lost as well. He's still out there, Subterranean Press has found him at least, but from his site it seems that maybe he has grown weary from the pressures and disappointments of publishing fiction. It seems he has tired of the whole mess.

What a shame.

"Perfidia" was such a joy for me to read, but it seems that it is a story set adrift without an author. I don't know where Lewis Shiner truly is, or if he still thinks that he has an audience for his work. If he's out there, if the internet hears this, I hope I can give him a little heart. I just found his words last night, and I loved them; I absolutely loved them.