Sinuous smoke curled from the hot brass muzzle. The assassin lifted her costume eye-patch to make sure her quarry was dead. Satisfied, she tossed her grappling hook, then scampered to the rooftop, dreaming of her reward: a handful of untraceable gold nuggets. Real shame her long-time lover was the target.

Hillary founded and for 20 years acted as senior editor for the independent poetry publisher, Subsynchronous Press. Her short stories, drabbles, and poems have appeared in numerous print and online publications. Hillary also creates illustrations for horror/sci-fi, and pulp fiction sites. See more at hillarylyon.wordpress.com.