January 2026 – Andrew Careaga

Friday Five: writer John Waddy Bullion and his ‘Strangers’ thing

‘“Fun” has become very important to me when I write—in fact, it might be the most important thing.’

I started reading John Waddy Bullion‘s exceptional short story collection This World Will Never Run Out of Strangers in late December, after I’d already posted my year-end roundup of favorite books. I was only a few stories into this book, which came out from Cowboy Jamboree in November 2025, when I wished I’d either a.) read it sooner so I could’ve included it in my year-end list or b.) waited until I finished reading it to run that post so I could’ve included …Strangers, even if it meant delaying my 2025 list until 2026. It is just that good. To atone for this omission, I reached out to Jack (that’s what he goes by “Jack” in everyday life) and asked to feature him in this, the first Friday Five Q&A of 2026.

Image of the cover of John Waddy Bullion's book of short stories, "This World Will Never Run Out of Strangers" — *This World Will Never Run Out of Strangers* was published in November 2025 by Cowboy Jamboree Press

New story in ‘The Orange Rose’

Read ‘Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?’

My short story “Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?” was just published in Issue 4 of The Orange Rose Literary Magazine. I hope you’ll give it a read.

You’d do it for Randolph Scott (video), wouldn’t you?

Clip from the Mel Brooks movie, “Blazing Saddles”

This is the second story of mine to appear in Orange Rose. The first one, “Shah Mat,” appeared in Issue 2. I’m grateful to editor-in-chief Amber Budd for including my work in both issues.

New writing in ‘Frazzled Lit’

I’m thrilled to have my nonfiction piece “Liars” published in the latest issue of the online literary magazine Frazzled Lit. Some of my educator friends, and at least one high school teacher, might not be so impressed. It lays bare my writer’s origin story in a most transparent way–warts and all, as they say. Nevertheless, I hope you like it, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me my youthful plagiarism, and I hope it serves as a cautionary tale to other the other high school slackers and cheaters out there, who have the benefit of AI, which I did not, back in my day. And it’s probably a good thing I didn’t.

Photo by Nicolas Denorme on Unsplash.

Friday Five: what’s ahead

My so-called writing and blogging plans for 2026

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” So said Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of the military leaders who planned Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy against Nazi German forces.

As a career military man, Eisenhower knew what he was talking about. It was in the military where the terms SNAFU and FUBAR originated.

I was thinking about Eisenhower’s words recently as I thought about my writing plans for 2026. I also went back to my first journal entry of last year, in which I laid out my plans to finish the first draft of my novel by the end of that January 2025.