Every now and then, when writing short shorts on the regular, one comes across characters that feel like they deserve a reappearance or two. These are a few of mine, in my opinion—and I hope you agree!

Pietro Barbino: When the Duke’s court jester—already tortured in his own way—can take no more of his master’s abuse, the tables are turned and blood is spilled.

Queen of Hearts: Detective Sean Brennan has a score to settle with the woman who killed him. Trouble is, she’s the same one who brought him back from the dead.

The Treatment: After his brother’s mysterious disappearance thirty years earlier, a doctor travels to the mideast asylum where he has resurfaced—bent on saving him, uncovering the past, and exacting revenge.