Thank you to everyone who has read "Ten Minutes". I really appreciate your kind feedback. Several people have asked about whether I will write anything else in this fandom, so I'm going to take this opportunity for a little shameless self-promotion. I have several other Batman stories already posted and am in process with a new one. Just click on the E Kelly link to find the page with other stories listed. I would love to hear from any of you who read my other work. There's a list and descriptions at the bottom of this page. But first...

I am starting an archive of Batman fan fiction and I will be seeking authors and recommendations. Don't be shy about going ahead and pointing me towards any great stories you know of, or of alerting me to your own work. Obviously this will be colored by my own tastes, which are heavily into dark and tragic. ;) I'm hoping to find really high quality work. This site is fantastic as a clearinghouse of all the fic out there, but I'd love to put together a collection of well-written material. It's going up by August 10. Gotham dash noir - look it up!

My stories are not specifically set in the movie universe; however they all share a very similar tone and style to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. They also explore some of the same themes and tend to be fairly tragic, but always with a few bright lights of hope thanks to heroism and courage.

Four of the stories are in the Gotham Noir universe, which is my own creation.

Fall to Grace takes place barely a year after Bruce Wayne has started his crusade. When a crime lord he has just apprehended is acquitted by a Grand Jury, Bruce seeks to find the corrupt power that freed this vicious murderer. He finds himself battling a powerful politician who has manipulated Gotham's underworld for years as part of a network of global power plays. Angered by the Batman's interference, the Senator brings in a skilled covert operative to discover the vigilante's identity in an effort to manipulate him as well. In the course of his investigation Bruce meets a mysterious woman entangled in the Senator's web of crime. A claustrophobic tale of isolation, murder and redemption that delves deep into the formative tragedy of Bruce Wayne's life.

Regions of Sorrow is a one-shot following an ordinary Gotham teenager, exploring what it would really be like to live in Gotham City – something not for the faint of heart. Batman appears as a character only briefly, but his legend, as well as the Joker's, is vividly explored.

Living in the Red Light delves into the world of Batman's allies. Tess Henry is the oldest whore in Gotham, a madam in the hellish East End neighborhood who provides Batman with intelligence from the streets. When one of her girls is brutally beaten, Batman helps the young streetwalker find the meaning of courage.

A Mortal Melody of Blood and Memory is in process with 9 chapters up so far. Eight years into his crimefighting career, Batman has become a powerful force, but even with his protégés Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon at his side, isolation and the costs of his war on crime are weighing heavily on him. Two-Face escapes from Arkham under mysterious circumstances on the eve of a global summit of the world's largest and most voracious multinational corporations, at a time when Gotham is under terrorist threat which has sparked dangerous corruption amongst US intelligence forces. Bruce must try to hold Gotham together even as his own world is blown apart by the tragic return of a lost love. This story is a direct sequel to Fall to Grace.

I have decided to suspend A Mortal Melody, pending a massive rewrite. I knew it wasn't in any kind of finished form when I started posting, but I hoped putting it up would give me motivation to power through the stuff that needed to be written. Then along came The Dark Knight, and I find the tone and atmosphere of this piece really mediocre beside that film - plus it's given me a few new ideas. This will be back, hopefully shortly!

Besides the Gotham Noir tales, I also have Legacy of Allies, a short one-shot that takes place when Jim Gordon runs into Bruce Wayne on the balcony at Wayne Manor on the day of Dick and Barbara's wedding. Has Jim known the truth all along – or not?

Finally, there's Here's Looking at You, Red, which is an odd fic I put together when I was watching Casablanca and realized that with just a little tweak, you could have a fantastic Batman Elseworlds story. It's impossible to improve on Casablanca's dialogue, so I didn't even try. The story ends up being as much an exploration of that great movie as it is a Batman story. America has been conquered by the fascist, genocidal Reichsarmy, but rebel leader Bruce Wayne is about to slip from their grasp. All he has to do is escape from Bludhaven with stolen letters of transit before Major Dent can trap him. Unfortunately, the letters are in the possession of Dick Grayson, and he's not happy to see Barbara, the woman who hollowed out his heart, enter his club on the arm of the legendary Wayne.

Keep writing and reading!

Thanks!

E