Book News: Third Place in Queer Sci Fi’s Migration Anthology Contest

I’m back with some author news!

Today is the release day for an anthology I’m part of. It’s called Migration: Queer Sci Fi 6th Annual Flash Fiction Contest. (Flash fiction is very short fiction–in this case, 300 words or less.)

I’m thrilled to be in it, and even more thrilled to have won third place in the contest. For the second time (the first was in 2017’s Renewal). And lest that sound like an inside job, it’s a blind judging process (no names on the submissions), which means they picked my writing out of 250ish contestants without knowing it was me!

Here’s a teaser from my story, “The Woman With No Name”:

Seabirds cried and wheeled over the fishing currachs rocking at anchor as the sea-breeze blew over the breakwater and into the village harbour. Brighid sat on the dock leaning against the woman with no name, not caring who saw them touch now. They’d had their last kiss that morning. It had tasted like the sea.

The judges’ comments:

Our final winner is a really sweet, touching story, and another first for us—never before has one author taken a top-three story spot in our contest twice. The Woman With No Name is well-written and packed with emotion—it really moved the judges: “Just because someone wants to go away doesn’t mean they don’t miss what they’re leaving behind,” and we didn’t want to leave this story behind, either. Congrats!

Queer Sci Fi has just released the annual QSF Flash Fiction anthology. This year, the theme is “Migration.”

MI-GRA-TION (noun)

1) Seasonal movement of animals from one region to another.

2) Movement of people to a new area or country in order to find work or better living conditions.

3) Movement from one part of something to another.

Three definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell. Here are 120 of our favorites.

Migration feaures 300 word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Other Worlds Ink | Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads 

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Giveaway

Queer Sci Fi is giving away a $20 gift Amazon certificate with this tour – enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d4774/?

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Excerpts

Each year, hundreds of writers send in stories for the Queer Sci Fi flash fiction anthology. Here are the opening lines from some of the stories chosen for the 2019 edition – Migration:

“Darkness has substance. It is tangible; different shades within the black, sounds, a taste. It is accompanied by self-awareness of time and thoughts, even when other senses fail.” —Hope for Charity, by Robyn Walker

“The sky has been screaming for five straight days when the shrimps come to take us away. They’ve been boxing up the others and hauling them off. Now they’re here for us, soaking wet, dragging cords and crates behind them.” —Shrimpanzee, Sionnain Bailey

“Allister always had faultless hair. He’d comb and gel it to perfection while gazing in the mirror. One day a pair of eyes stared back.” —Zulu Finds a Home, by Kevin Klehr

“On her sister’s wedding day Ari noticed that one of her ears had migrated to her hand. It was right after her high school crush, Emily, arrived with Cousin Matt.” —Playing It By Ear, Aidee Ladnier

“The wound was fatal. Their vessel wouldn’t live much longer. This is what came from leaving loose ends. Frantically they sought out a new vessel to migrate to. “ —The Essence, by L.M. Brown

“That night, we were sitting in the bed of her daddy’s old pickup truck and the radio was playing the best song. We had a pack of cigarettes between us and her hand was almost touching mine. The wheat field was silver in the moonlight. When they came, we weren’t surprised, just disappointed that our time was up already.” —Our Song, by Lauren Ring

“Willow said she was my wife, but I knew it wasn’t her, not the right her, anyway. Sure she looked like her with olive skin and bright pink hair. She even smelled of mango flowers, just like I remembered, but there was something about her smile that was slightly off, something about when she said she loved me that didn’t sit well in my old heart.” — They Said It Would Be Her, by Elizabeth Andre

“Agnes is eight when she first sees the river. Cutting its way through town, the only thing she knows not coated in coal dust. She sticks her toes in, comes home with wet socks and a secret. See, the river hadn’t been there yesterday.” —Stream of Consciousness, by Ziggy Schutz

“Terry twirled in her green synthsilk dress, looked at her reflection, liked what she saw. She felt good in her own skin, for maybe the first time.” —Altball, by RE Andeen

“The thing was in the corner. It had come through the window and had slid down the wall. Scratch went the sound. The noise of a hundred nails clawing at the wood. Nails of white bone. Alex pulled the sheets up quickly, covering every inch of skin and hair in a warm darkness.” —Whose Nightmare, by Jamie Bonomi

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Author Bio

A hundred and twenty authors are included in Migration:

• • Butterflies, by A O’Donovan

• The Return, by A.M. Leibowitz

• A New Spring, by Aaron Silver

• Universal Quota, by Abby Bartle

• The Call of Home, by Adrienne Wilder

• Starfall, by Adrik Kemp

• Playing it By Ear, by Aidee Ladnier

• Rabbit, by Amanda Thomas

• That Does Not Love…, by Andi Deacon

• Inborn, by Andrea Speed

• Saving Ostakis, by Angelica Primm

• A Dawn Wish, by Antonia Aquilante

• Diaspora, by Ariel E. James

• Transmigration, by Ashby Danvers

• Across the Mirror, by Ava Kelly

• Between, by BE Allatt

• The Speck, by Bey Deckard

• The King of the Mountain Cometh, by Bob Goddard

• Before and After, by C. A. Chesse

• Home, by C.A. McDonald

• Too Much Tech, by C.L. Mannarino

• Ze Who Walks Into the Future, by Carey Ford Compton

• The Gate, by Carol Holland March

• Our Last Light Skip, by Chloe Spencer

• Passage, by Christine Taylor-Butler

• The Perils of Pick-Up Lines, by Colton Aalto

• Parched, by Crysta K. Coburn

• Changeling Dreams, by Damian Serbu

• Destinations, by Dave Creek

• Another Job, Another Planet, by David Viner

• Thiefmaster Rosalind’s Apprentice, by Devon Widmer

• A Weight Off Their Shoulders, by Diane Morrison

• Once a Year, by Dianne Hartsock

• Mettle, by Die BoothForever Bound, by E.W. Murks

• They Said It Would Be Her, by Elizabeth Andre

• Til Death Do Us Part, by Elizabeth Anglin

• Little One, by Eloreen Moon

• GBFN, by Emilia Agrafojo

• The Long Distance Thing, by Ether Nepenthes

• Call My People Home, by Evelyn Benvie

• Jace vs. the Incubi, by Eytan Bernstein

• A New Tradition, by Foster Bridget Cassidy

• The Curious Cabinet, by Ginger Streusel

• Ready, by Hank Edwards

• The Albatrosses, by Harry F. Rey

• A Boy’s Shadow, by Helen De Cruz

• Portrait of a Lady, by Isobel Granby

• Beam That Is In, by J. Comer

• The Hunt, by J. R. Frontera

• Repeating History, by J. Summerset

• Neil’s Journey, by J.P. Bowie

• Homeward Bound, by J.S. Garner

• Whose Nightmare?, by Jamie Bonomi

• A Moment of Bravery, by Jessie Pinkham

• Laetus, by Jet Lupin

• Where You Go, I’ll Follow, by Joe Baumann

• Ambrose Out of Ash, by Jonathan Fesmire

• Shooting Modes, by Joshua Darrow

• TerrorForm, by Juam Jocom

• The Curse, by Jude Reid

• Throwing Eggs, by K E Olukoya

• Fly, by Kayleigh Sky

• The Keep, by KC Burn

• Zulu Finds a Home, by Kevin Klehr

• The Risks and Advantages of Data Migration, by Kim Fielding

• Irreversible, by kim gryphon

• Looner, by Krishan Coupland

• The Essence, by L.M. Brown

• Our Song, by Lauren Ring

• O Human Child, by Lisa Hamill

• Goodbye Marghretta, by Lou Sylvre

• Choices, by LV Lloyd

• Endangered Species, by M Joseph Murphy

• Planet Retro, Unplugged, by M. X. Kelly

• Elemental, by M.D. Grimm

• To Wish on a Love Knot, by Margaret McGaffey Fisk

• Firebirds, by Marita M. Connor

• Breeding Season, by Mary Newman

• Kooks at Home, by Matt McHugh

• Spring, by Mere Rain

• Into the South, by Mindy Leana Shuman

• Not How We Planned It, by Minerva Cerridwen

• What Is Left Behind, by Monique Cuillerier

• How Far Would You Go for the One You Love?, by Nathan Alling Long

• Innocence, by Nathaniel Taff

• Heart and Soul, by Nils Odlund

• Tides, by Patricia Scott

• Killer Queen, by Paula McGrath

• Genesis, by Pelaam

• If Pigs Could Fly, by Penelope Friday

• Click, by R R Angell

• Be Kind to Strangers, by Raina Lorring

• Altball, by RE Andeen

• Far From Home, by Riley S. Keene

• Hope for Charity, by Robyn Walker

• Night Comes to the Bea Arthur, by Rory Ni Coileáin

• MIG Ration, by S R Jones

• Going Back, by Sacchi Green

• World Behind and Home Ahead, by Sara Testarossa

• The Call of the Suet, by Sarah Hadley Brook

• Research & Development, by Shaina Phillips

• Into the Void, by Shannon Brady

• The Silkie’s Dance, by Shannon West

• Seal Hunt, by Shirley Meier

• Shrimpanzee FIRST IN BOOK, by Sionnain Bailey

• The Woman With No Name, by Siri Paulson

• Memories of Clay, by Spencer Mann

• Simulacrum, by Steve Carr

• The Experience, by Steve Fuson

• Flight, by Steven Harper

• Birds of New Atlantis, by Stewart C Baker

• Lurching Forward, by Sydney Blackburn

• Spores of Retribution, by Tray Ellis

• Skin Hunger, by Treasure Nguyen

• Elvira, by Trevor Barton

• Ever After, by Warren Rochelle

• Into the Light, by Wart Hill

• Dryads, by X Marduk

• Stream of Consciousness, by Ziggy Schutz

 

Love Shines Through: A Fractured World Anthology

Surprise! Turtleduck Press has a new anthology out. Love Shines Through: A Fractured World Anthology is set in the same world as City of Hope and Ruin (the novel by Kit Campbell and me) but several hundred years earlier–only a few generations after the cataclysmic war that shattered the world into multiple dimensions. It features diverse romance stories by all four Turtleduck Press authors. All the details are below, after our beautiful cover. *drools*

 

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Blurb

The world was whole before the war.

But war is a terrible thing, and terrible things are done in the name of defense and protection. And this war tore the world apart, fractured it, separated families and lives and dreams. The reasons why no longer matter, but the effects still linger. They cause pain, though the war is over.

But despite the monsters and the poisons and the despair, there is a glimmer of light. And hope and love are not gone from the world.

These four stories, set in the Fractured World, explore how light can make it through the darkness. How hope can conquer fear. And most of all, how love can still flourish, even when the world is bleak.

A young woman braves monsters to see the sky.

A reluctant man chooses forgiveness over suffering.

Lovers reunite to save a child and their community.

Best friends risk everything for each other.

Come see the light for yourselves.

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Table of contents

• “Dream of Lions” by KD Sarge — F/F (lesbian) romance, set in the City
• “The Forest and the Fog” by Kit Campbell — M/F (straight) romance, set in the outside world
• “The Shadow of the World” by Siri Paulson — M/NB (male/nonbinary) romance, set in the City
• “Of Poison and Promises” by Erin Zarro — F/F romance, set in the outside world

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Want to read more about Love Shines Through? (stay tuned for updates!)

• An excerpt from my story, read aloud by the fabulous Angel Martinez
• An excerpt from KD’s story, on the website Queer Sci Fi
• NEW: An excerpt from Erin’s story, on a blog called Kittenwylde by Marie Brown

Want more Fractured World stories?

• City of Hope and Ruin is the novel that started it all. Read an excerpt here.
• Get City of Hope and Ruin and four other LGBTQIA romances for free in April when you join QueeRomance Ink–a site built to help readers find exactly the types of queer romance books they want to read.
• “A Constant Companion” by Kit Campbell is a short prequel to the novel, featuring one of the two central characters, Briony.
• “Brothers” by Siri Paulson is a side story to the novel, featuring a secondary character, Astrolabe.

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Buy links

Amazon US: Kindle | Print  ~  Amazon Canada: Kindle | Print

Smashwords (ebook format of your choice)  ~  Turtleduck Press page for the anthology

Holiday News Roundup: Works in Progress, Holiday Sales, and More

Hello, lovely readers! I’ve been busy over here, working away behind the scenes. Here’s what’s new in my corner of the world…

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I’m working on two things set in the world of City of Hope and Ruin (Fractured World). First, we’re doing a prequel anthology, set several hundred years before the novel. All the stories are centered around a romance; mine is a M/NB pairing (if you don’t speak romance/fanfic acronym-ese, that means the two main characters are male and non-binary). The anthology will be out in the spring–watch for more details soon!

Second, my co-author Kit Campbell and I are working on the sequel to the novel. It will be out…sometime later than the spring…so all I will say at the moment is that it picks up right where City of Hope and Ruin leaves off. Yes, that means more Theo and Briony action, and new adventures for both of them.

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Need a last minute Christmas gift or late Hanukkah gift? If you’re in the Toronto area, join me at Earlscourt BBQ (1278 St. Clair West, Toronto) on Saturday, December 15. I will be one of around ten artists setting up shop for the afternoon, selling copies of City of Hope and Ruin as well as several of the Turtleduck Press anthologies. Check out the other vendors on the Facebook event page.

The Earlscourt BBQ staff will be serving eggnog made with Jim Beam bourbon for the adults (bourbon-free for the kids), hot apple cider and more!

Bring a few extra dollars (as much as you can) to donate to The Stop Community Food Centre.

Admission is free. RSVP optional.

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Looking for a good holiday romance with queer (M/NB and ace) representation in an SF setting? My holiday short from last year, A New Year on Vega III, is 30% off all this month, along with the rest of the stories in the queer romance collection from Mischief Corner Books that it was part of. See the collection here.

On the colony planet Vega III, everyone knows Beck—outgoing, fabulous, and genderqueer—and nobody notices Anil, the quiet plant biologist. But when Anil finds Beck hiding in his greenhouse, lonely and missing Earth, it’s Anil who is able to comfort Beck by letting them talk about what they miss most—the feeling that comes with celebrating the holidays with loved ones, especially New Year’s Eve.

​The two of them are drawn to one another, but both of them are hiding secrets about their sexuality. With trust between them already on shaky ground, Anil’s elaborate plans to cheer Beck may well backfire.

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Earlier this year, I was one of the judges for a flash fiction (very short story) anthology contest run by Queer Sci Fi. (It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about how to write very short stories!) The anthology, Impact, is now on sale for 2.99 (25% off) the eBook or $9.99 (33% off) for the paperback…

Amazon eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FC91HH2/
Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732307520/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impact-j-scott-…/1129055097
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/impact-84
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/impact/id1409688669

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For my second trick at Queer Sci Fi, I’ve signed up to do the occasional book review over there. My first review is now posted, for J. Scott Coatsworth’s Slow Thaw. It’s both a holiday romance (M/M with a trans main character) and a near-future SF survival story set in Antarctica (both main characters are scientists). Yes, really. Does it work? Find out here.

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Finally, you might have noticed that the Ursula K. Le Guin reread has stalled. In fact, I’m continuing to read through the Hainish cycle–it’s just the blogging that has stalled (whoops). Hoping to get back to that sometime soon, as I do have more to say!

In the meantime, if you want to know what I’m up to, follow me on Instagram, check out my monthly blog posts at Turtleduck Press, or “like” the Turtleduck Press Facebook page to get all the essential news and a certain amount of random musings.

Happy holidays!

 

 

 

Publishing News Roundup: Steampunk Serial and Much More

Hello blog readers! Hope you’ve had a good summer (or winter, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere). Here’s what’s new(ish) over here…

Coat of Scarlet

I’m doing a free serial story over at Turtleduck Press. Coat of Scarlet is a M/M (gay) romance set in an 18th-century steampunk/clockpunk universe. Part 2 has just been posted, so it’s a good time to catch up.

Here’s the blurb:

Marius the tailor is minding his own business when Niko walks into his shop with a beautiful coat and sets him a challenge he can’t refuse. But when you’re dealing with devastatingly handsome airship pirates, they have a habit of changing the terms…

Part 1 | Part 2

Fun fact: when you’re writing a serial, it helps to reread previous installments as you’re writing later ones. I almost forgot a plot point from Part 1 and had to shoehorn it into Part 2 at the last minute. Oops?

Fractured World News

If you look at the cover of my debut novel, City of Hope and Ruin, you’ll notice that the subtitle is A Fractured World Novel. So far it is the only Fractured World novel, but that’s going to change, because my co-author, Kit Campbell, and I are working on book 2 in the series!

Novels take a while, though. In the meantime, Kit and I and our two partners in crime at Turtleduck Press, KD and Erin, are working on a prequel anthology set in the same world, which will be released before book 2. More details to come…

To tide you over while you’re waiting for that, we do have two short stories also set in the same world:

• A Constant Companion (a Briony prequel short story) by Kit Campbell
• Brothers (a short story featuring secondary character Astrolabe, set during the events of City of Hope and Ruin) by Siri Paulson

Non-TDP Release: Timeshift anthology

I told you before about my flash fiction piece “When the World Stopped” being accepted into an anthology called Timeshift, which released in August. Initially the anthology was an ebook-only release, but there is now a print edition due to popular demand. Here’s the blurb:

Timeshift is a reprint anthology collecting time and time travel flash fiction stories from 36 authors in the genre. In the anthology are time stories spanning the adventures (and mishaps) of time travel, time manipulation, time zones, time loops, paradoxes, accidents, twisted futures and so many more penned by both established and emerging authors in the genre.

Kindle | Print

Non-TDP Release: Impact anthology

Also as mentioned previously, I helped judge a flash fiction contest this spring for the website Queer Sci Fi (my reward for placing third in last year’s contest!). It was a fun experience and I got to read a ton of good stories — doubly impressive when you consider that the stories had to be no more than 300 words long.

Impact: Queer Sci Fi’s Fifth Annual Flash Fiction Contest was released in July and is available on ebook from all the usual suspects.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Angus & Robertson

Blog Recap: Ursula K. Le Guin (re)read

This year I’ve been reading and blogging about Ursula K. Le Guin’s early Hainish novels and short stories. So far I’ve covered “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”, two novels, and three other shorts. It’s been fascinating to watch her early development as a writer. We have one more novel to go (and maybe a couple of shorts) and then it’s on to The Left Hand of Darkness! You can find links to all the posts here: Genre Classics (Re)read: Ursula K. Le Guin. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

 

Double Anthology News: Timeshift and Impact

I have two pieces of news to share with you today…

First, the anthology I’m in, Timeshift, is now available for preorder on Kindle. It beat its Kickstarter goal, which means all the authors get paid the industry-standard rate for reprints. Yay!

Timeshift features all sorts of speculative short stories related to time — time dilation, time manipulation, time travel (of course), and more. There are some pretty big names in it, so I’m delighted to be included. It releases August 1.

Second, there’s an anthology I’m not in, but got to help judge. I read 178 flash fiction stories on the theme of IMPACT, and rated them according to a rubric (these folks are organized!). Then we held an online meeting and hashed out our favourites. There were a lot of strong contenders. Things got tense. There was blood! (Not really.)

We eventually managed to agree on three winners. It helped that we each got to pick one story that didn’t make it into the top three. Here’s what I said about my Judge’s Pick, “Low Impact” by Tray Ellis:

This story makes me cry every time I read it. It’s straightforward, yet so effective. I’m always astounded when an author manages to use 300 words to span multiple years, making a tiny flash fiction piece into an epic tale. There’s a big relationship story here that’s just hinted at, but the hints are all that’s needed. I also liked that this isn’t an Issue Story: the queer relationship just is, no big deal. (Of course it’s important to tell those stories too, but not to the exclusion of all other queer stories.) And finally, like many of the best science fiction works, this piece filters science through characters to say something thoughtful about the world. Well done.

Impact: Queer Sci Fi’s Fifth Annual Flash Fiction Contest is available on ebook from all the usual suspects, releasing July 25.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Angus & Robertson

Turtleduck Press Cover Reveal: Fireborn by Erin Zarro

Turtleduck Press has been a little bit quiet lately, so I’m thrilled to present a sneak peek of our latest offering, Erin Zarro’s paranormal m/f romance novel Fireborn…

Former Grim Reaper Leliel and her new husband Rick have settled into a routine of normalcy after their life-changing trip to the Underworld. They can finally relax and be married and deal with mundane problems, like money and learning to use all the modern-day technologies that are new to Leliel. But they’re up for the challenge.

Until Leliel starts having frightening visions of people on fire. The fires appear to be suicides—young adults—but something isn’t right. She senses that they were forced to act against their will. This isn’t their time to die. Even though she’s no longer a Reaper, she needs to fix it. Somehow.

When she and Rick investigate, they encounter resistance from not only the police but also the families and friends of the dead. Complicating factors are the Tarot cards left at the scenes, the mysterious happenings at the college that all of the dead turn out to have attended, and the disturbing new abilities that Rick is developing.

And then Leliel’s own Tarot deck turns up the Death card–twice–and she realizes that she’s gotten the attention of something evil…something she must face without Rick by her side.

Meanwhile, the deaths are mounting…

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Want more? Read an excerpt over at Turtleduck Press.

Fireborn will be out August 1. While you’re waiting, check out the prequel novelette, Reaper Girl. There are two ways to get it:

• Buy the Turtleduck Press anthology Under Her Protection, which also features three other tales of women to the rescue, including my own steampunk-in-India story, “The Raja and the Madman” (m/f romance), OR
• Sign up for Erin’s author newsletter and get Reaper Girl for free.

All for now! I’ll blog about Fireborn again when it’s available to buy.

Publishing News: Timeshift Anthology Kickstarter and New TDP Story

Just a quick post today, with two pieces of exciting news…

First, my flash fiction piece “When the World Stopped” has been accepted (as a reprint) into an anthology called Timeshift: Tales of Time, edited by Eric S. Fomley and featuring authors such as Robert Silverberg (!), Cat Rambo, Ken Liu, Kevin J. Anderson, and Mike Resnick…some illustrious company!

Timeshift is a reprint digital anthology collecting time and time travel flash fiction stories from 36 authors in the genre. In the anthology are time stories spanning the adventures (and mishaps) of time travel, time manipulation, time zones, time loops, paradoxes, accidents, twisted futures and so many more penned by both established and emerging authors in the genre.

But the anthology is being funded via Kickstarter, and with only 12 days to go, it hasn’t made its goal yet. If you’d like to read these stories, please consider donating and/or spreading the word. $10 will get you a copy (plus additional perks). Here’s the Kickstarter link: Timeshift

Second, my City of Hope and Ruin co-author, Kit Campbell, has a new short story up at Turtleduck Press. She’s much better than I am at writing humour. I’m particularly fond of this one, and you can read it for free right here: 1-800-HAUNTME

All for now. Stay tuned for more Le Guin next week!

 

Flash Fiction Contest at Queer Sci Fi

I’m judging a contest, and you’re invited!

From the website Queer Sci Fi comes this announcement:

Every year, QSF holds a flash fiction contest to create an amazing new anthology of queer speculative fiction stories. We ask authors to do the nearly-impossible – to submit a sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA story that has no more than 300 words.

Our 2018 contest launches on March 1st, and closes April 1st. The theme for 2018 is “Impact”.

Take that however you will – an asteroid impacting the earth; the environmental impact of climate change; two paranormal entities crashing into one another in combat; the impact an action by an individual can have as it ripples through society. Heck, even an impacted wisdom tooth can work, as long as you sell it. It’s up to you.

We’ll be accepting stories from across the queer spectrum, and would love to see more entries including lesbian, trans, bi, intersex and ace protagonists, as well as gay men. We also welcome diversity in ability and in race.

All the details and rules can be found at Queer Sci Fi: Flash Contest Rules.

As one of this year’s judges, I’m encouraging you to send in your stuff–I’d love to read it!

(I attained this illustrious position by placing third in last year’s contest. You too could be a judge next year…)

If you want a crash course in flash fiction, you might consider buying last year’s ebook, Renewal. Or, have a look at this transcript of a flash fiction seminar that Queer Sci Fi ran on its Facebook discussion group a few months ago.

You have until April 1st, so get cracking. And may the best story win!

 

How to Write Good Flash Fiction & Announcing “When the World Stopped”

Quick post this week to share two pieces of exciting news.

First, I have another flash fiction story out–my first pro sale! It’s magical realism, titled “When the World Stopped”, and you can read it for free at the Daily Science Fiction e-zine. (Flash fiction is defined as a really short story. This one is a little under 600 words, plus the bonus “making of” blurb at the end.)

Second, if you want to polish your own flash fiction writing skills (or are just curious about what goes into making a really short story effective), you’re in luck! Last weekend I was a guest at an online seminar on writing flash fiction, a roundtable hosted on Facebook by the website Queer Sci Fi. Read the results here: How to Write Good Flash Fiction.

Now I have no more pending publication announcements, so I need to get busy and write some more shorts…

My 2017: Writing Cycles at Turtleduck Press and Publishing Updates

I’m over at Turtleduck Press this week, talking about my 2017 and the various cycles that affect my writing. Here’s a snippet:

I started a cycle: keep an eye on upcoming themed calls for submission (anthologies and the like), use the themes as inspiration, write a story, submit just before deadline, repeat. It worked really well for generating stories (though somewhat less well for selling them), and for a while I was on a roll.

You can read the rest at Turtleduck Press.

I sold three stories this year–my first sales to markets outside of Turtleduck Press! (I’ll spare you the rest of the exclamation marks.) Two of the three are already out and available for purchase. I’ve mentioned them before, but here they are again for the record:

I won third place in a flash fiction contest with my SF story “Urban Renewal”. The top contestants were collected into an anthology, Queer Sci Fi’s Renewal. Details and buy links here.

 

 

And my 7,400 word short story A New Year on Vega III, a queer SF romance, was released just this past weekend, as part of a larger holiday-themed collection. All the details here.

My third sale, to a pro-rate market, isn’t out yet, but I’ll certainly let you know when it is!

I also released two pieces that can be read for free at Turtleduck Press:

• “The Data Carrier”, an SF short story; and
• “Operating Systems”, an SF poem.

Hmmm. What happened? Might need to write more fantasy this year…

In Turtleduck Press news, we released Erin Zarro’s third Fey Touched novel, Ever Touched. And we’re eagerly awaiting the imminent publication of KD Sarge’s In the Forests of the Night, the second installment in her fantasy-adventure tale that began with Burning Bright. Stay tuned for the cover reveal and release date!