READING:
Far North, by Marcel Theroux. Loved this. I don't think I've ever met a post-apoc story I didn't like, and this was a great one. Reminded me of The Road, but less soul-crushing.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. An intriguing, page-turning central mystery that's satisfyingly solved, with fascinatingly damaged characters. Flynn is now officially going on my list of auto-buy authors.
Short stories: 198 - 237 of 500. Faves:
Water Finds Its Level by Matthew Bernardo at Lightspeed. Great story of merging universes, told as a personal love story that's neat, plausible and affecting.
Mongoose by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear at Clarkesworld. Fabulous horror romp about a monster-hunter and his monster partner. Loved the rich worldbuilding, the Lovecraftian descriptions and the wonderful relationship between Irizarry and Mongoose.
WRITING: A post-apoc short, 'Jessica's Theory of Yak Herding,' an SF short, 'Personally Energised by Jaclyn Castleton,' and another 10.5k on the WIPs.
WATCHING: Hannibal. I was very much looking forward to this, but 2 eps in I am... unexpectedly unengaged. Something isn't quite doing it for me, but I'm not sure what that is. Possibly some of it is baggage: I think Silence of the Lambs is a masterpiece, and Red Dragon is both one of my favourite books and favourite film adaptations--and features Ed Norton, one of my favourite actors. So there's a lot of 'still in love with the ex' going on, which could be a factor.
I'm also finding that this portrayal of Will Graham reminds me of the 'eccentric psychological genius calmed down by female shrink' in Perception, a show I didn't like. And the 'psychopath playing at being a good-guy crime-fighter' is being thoroughly and gloriously explored in Dexter, a show I adore. Mikkelsen's Lecter has the same kind of cool, opaque quality--which works, and makes sense in character terms, but without Dexter's intimate POV, it feels remote and hard to care about. And the guy from Perception just got on my nerves, so neither comparison is helping me. I'm left with the feeling that it's all just been done already.
It's a good-looking show, but... maybe that's not helping, either. There's a sleekness and glossiness to it that takes away from the realism for me. The films had striking imagery too, but they felt grounded--and frightening--in a way that the show doesn't manage, somehow. The antler room, the mushroom-covered bodies--again, very memorable and very good-looking, but not as... something. Visceral? Personal? Affecting? Was it different in the films because we 'knew' the victims? I'm not sure.
Perhaps another factor is (making allowances for the fact that I have only seen 2 eps: this could be a premature judgement) that there seems to be no sniff of an arc story--other than the general Lecter one, which doesn't count because we all know what happens and it's about as exciting as watching the Star Wars prequels and wondering how it turns out for for Anakin Skywalker.
There's enough to like that I'll stick with it, but I was certainly hoping to like it *more*. So far, watching it is making me want to watch the films again, rather than Ep 3.
LOVING: The Spock v Spock Audi commercial. Hilarious, inspired, and better than some films I've seen lately.
PUBLISHING: Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings, a crime/horror short, at Black Treacle Magazine.
Showing posts with label recs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recs. Show all posts
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING:
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane. Wonderful, charming romp about books, secret societies and Google. Loved it.
Currently about 25% into The Wine of Angels (Merrily Watkins 1) by Phil Rickman. This sounded like it would be right up my alley, but I'm struggling a bit to connect with it. Not quite sure why. Something about the voice, or the rotating POV, maybe? My last two favourite reads, Penumbra and City of the Dead, both had distinctive first-person narrators. It's also rather slow-paced, with not much sign of a compelling story problem so far. Stuff's happening, but at the minute I'm not sure how to answer the 'And why do we care?' question.
Short stories: 174 - 188 of 500. Faves:
A Perfect Possession from Now That You're Back by A.L. Kennedy: Gorgeously creepy and excellently-paced. The developing sense of 'something isn't right here' is wonderfully done, and the first person plural POV is a great choice, adding to the off-kilter feel.
A Man and His Parasite by Cat Rambo at SQ Magazine: Wonderfully complex story that manages to be chilling, sweet, dark and life-affirming, all at once.
Always, They Whisper by Damien Walters Grintalis at Lightspeed: Brilliant twist on an old myth.
WRITING:
An SF flash, an SF short and a horror short, plus another 3k on the rewrite of a novelette and the first chapter of a novel. Not sure where it all came from, but I like it!
WATCHING:
Blitz: Jason Statham is always good value, Aiden Gillen gives great crazy, and I do like a bit of vigilante justice. Fun stuff.
Da Vinci's Demons: Really enjoyed the first ep, although the second didn't sustain my interest as much. Will have to see how it pans out.
Defiance: Liking this one a lot, even if it's not exactly overburdened with originality. This might be familiar ground, but the show's treading it well. You can't go wrong with having Julie Benz in anything, Jamie Murray as Stahma Tarr is wonderfully Cersei Lannister-esqe, and the sarcastic town doctor steals every ep with about two lines.
Dexter S7 finale: OMG. That's kind of all I've got. OMG
LOOKING FORWARD TO:
The new series of 24. After being teased with the film for so long, it's nice to know we're finally going to get some more Jack. Because as we know, Superman wears Jack Bauer pyjamas.
Watching Hannibal and The Fall, both of which we've got recorded but not seen yet. They look like they could be pretty decent.
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane. Wonderful, charming romp about books, secret societies and Google. Loved it.
Currently about 25% into The Wine of Angels (Merrily Watkins 1) by Phil Rickman. This sounded like it would be right up my alley, but I'm struggling a bit to connect with it. Not quite sure why. Something about the voice, or the rotating POV, maybe? My last two favourite reads, Penumbra and City of the Dead, both had distinctive first-person narrators. It's also rather slow-paced, with not much sign of a compelling story problem so far. Stuff's happening, but at the minute I'm not sure how to answer the 'And why do we care?' question.
Short stories: 174 - 188 of 500. Faves:
A Perfect Possession from Now That You're Back by A.L. Kennedy: Gorgeously creepy and excellently-paced. The developing sense of 'something isn't right here' is wonderfully done, and the first person plural POV is a great choice, adding to the off-kilter feel.
A Man and His Parasite by Cat Rambo at SQ Magazine: Wonderfully complex story that manages to be chilling, sweet, dark and life-affirming, all at once.
Always, They Whisper by Damien Walters Grintalis at Lightspeed: Brilliant twist on an old myth.
WRITING:
An SF flash, an SF short and a horror short, plus another 3k on the rewrite of a novelette and the first chapter of a novel. Not sure where it all came from, but I like it!
WATCHING:
Blitz: Jason Statham is always good value, Aiden Gillen gives great crazy, and I do like a bit of vigilante justice. Fun stuff.
Da Vinci's Demons: Really enjoyed the first ep, although the second didn't sustain my interest as much. Will have to see how it pans out.
Defiance: Liking this one a lot, even if it's not exactly overburdened with originality. This might be familiar ground, but the show's treading it well. You can't go wrong with having Julie Benz in anything, Jamie Murray as Stahma Tarr is wonderfully Cersei Lannister-esqe, and the sarcastic town doctor steals every ep with about two lines.
Dexter S7 finale: OMG. That's kind of all I've got. OMG
LOOKING FORWARD TO:
The new series of 24. After being teased with the film for so long, it's nice to know we're finally going to get some more Jack. Because as we know, Superman wears Jack Bauer pyjamas.
Watching Hannibal and The Fall, both of which we've got recorded but not seen yet. They look like they could be pretty decent.
Monday, April 22, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: Nocturnes by John Connolly. I love Connolly's Charlie Parker series, and the Parker novella 'The Reflecting Eye' is easily my favourite of the collection. A beautifully written and gorgeously creepy as ever. I also really enjoyed the other long story, 'The Cancer Cowboy Rides' - another creepy piece that reminded me of Stephen King. The rest of the short stories I didn't find up to be at the same level. There's some nice descriptive writing, but the majority are fairly basic 'man meets monster' stories--literally: the few female characters tended to BE the monster.
Also 'City of the Dead' by Sara Gran. This, I absolutely loved. Claire DeWitt is an unconventional but brilliant PI investigated a missing man in post-Katrina New Orleans, and her story grips from the off and never lets go. I adored the mix of hardboiled noir and mysticism, the devastated world is fantastically drawn, Claire is fascinating and easy to relate to, and there's an intriguing backstory/arc plot. The first time in a long while that I've finished a book and rushed straight off to buy the next one--only to find that it's not out yet :(
Short stories: 161 - 173 of 500. Fave this week was 'The Meat Forest' by John Haggerty in Shock Totem 3. A great horror that has a plot, interesting characters, brilliantly creepy worldbuilding and an affecting psychological punch.
WRITING: 'Variations on a Theme,' a horror flash, and another 8k on the novella.
WATCHING: Elementary, and deciding that, against all expectations, I like Jonny Lee Miller's portrayal of Sherlock better than Benedict Cumberbatch's. The superiority, detachment and ruthlessness are all still there, but the Miller Sherlock shows appealing flashes of vulnerability, and doesn't have the nasty, vicious streak the Cumberbatch version has. I still love the style and flair of the BBC show, but that Sherlock's behaviour towards people (particularly Molly) is sometimes hard to watch. I *like* the Miller Sherlock as a person, which I could never say about the Cumberbatch. I've been quite surprised at how much difference that's made. I also love the way Lucy Liu's Watson is so much more her own person--so much more than just a sidekick or adjunct to Sherlock--and the way that neither she, nor their relationship, is sexualised.
PUBLISHING: A lit flash, 'Gravity Doesn't Love You,' in issue 6 of Vine Leaves Literary Journal.
ARRANGING: My first-ever guest post. I'm going to be writing about using the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet in short stories, using my DSF story 'Never Leave Me' as an example, over at Dianna L Gunn's blog. In return, Dianna's going to do a rec piece for me. I feel all legitimate now :)
Also 'City of the Dead' by Sara Gran. This, I absolutely loved. Claire DeWitt is an unconventional but brilliant PI investigated a missing man in post-Katrina New Orleans, and her story grips from the off and never lets go. I adored the mix of hardboiled noir and mysticism, the devastated world is fantastically drawn, Claire is fascinating and easy to relate to, and there's an intriguing backstory/arc plot. The first time in a long while that I've finished a book and rushed straight off to buy the next one--only to find that it's not out yet :(
Short stories: 161 - 173 of 500. Fave this week was 'The Meat Forest' by John Haggerty in Shock Totem 3. A great horror that has a plot, interesting characters, brilliantly creepy worldbuilding and an affecting psychological punch.
WRITING: 'Variations on a Theme,' a horror flash, and another 8k on the novella.
WATCHING: Elementary, and deciding that, against all expectations, I like Jonny Lee Miller's portrayal of Sherlock better than Benedict Cumberbatch's. The superiority, detachment and ruthlessness are all still there, but the Miller Sherlock shows appealing flashes of vulnerability, and doesn't have the nasty, vicious streak the Cumberbatch version has. I still love the style and flair of the BBC show, but that Sherlock's behaviour towards people (particularly Molly) is sometimes hard to watch. I *like* the Miller Sherlock as a person, which I could never say about the Cumberbatch. I've been quite surprised at how much difference that's made. I also love the way Lucy Liu's Watson is so much more her own person--so much more than just a sidekick or adjunct to Sherlock--and the way that neither she, nor their relationship, is sexualised.
PUBLISHING: A lit flash, 'Gravity Doesn't Love You,' in issue 6 of Vine Leaves Literary Journal.
ARRANGING: My first-ever guest post. I'm going to be writing about using the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet in short stories, using my DSF story 'Never Leave Me' as an example, over at Dianna L Gunn's blog. In return, Dianna's going to do a rec piece for me. I feel all legitimate now :)
Sunday, April 14, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: Grayson Manor Haunting by Cheryl Bradshaw. Quick, breezy paranormal mystery.
Short Stories: 143 - 160 of 500. Faves this week:
The Cry Room by Ted Kosmatka at Nightmare
Eerie story that works beautifully on both the literal and metaphorical levels.
The Coffin-Maker's Daughter by Angela Slatter at Nightmare
Fabulous ghost story with great writing and wonderfully nasty characterisation.
Leave Me the Way I was Found by Christian A Dumais in Shock Totem #2
Very creepy, 'found-document' style flash about a fatal video. Nice modern-Lovecraftian vibe.
WRITING: 'The Visitors,' a SF flash, and 6,400 words on a new SF novella. Very much enjoying the long-form process so far.
WATCHING: A marathon of Whitechapel, one of my favourite shows. Season 3, however, is goddamn scary. So it's late at night, I'm alone in the house and I'm watching episode 3.1, which ends with a shot of a family watching TV on the sofa, until the power goes out and they all get brutally murdered. I get up to change the DVD... and the power goes out. Ten minutes and one heart attack later it came back on, but, yeah. UNIVERSE WTF ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME?
IMPRESSED BY THE PRESCIENCE OF: This. So very, very accurate :)
HYPERVENTILATING WITH NERVOUS EXCITEMENT ABOUT: The Syfy remake of Blake's 7. Words do not exist that can adequately describe how much I adored this show when I was a kid. Captain Kirk might have been my first love, but I soon threw him over for Avon--starting a life-long love of the snarky, ruthless, morally ambiguous and self-serving anti-hero. Preferably in black leather. OMG who are they going to cast? (Guys, if you need tips, may I humbly suggest Damien Molony? Thanks). They made this for about £7.50 an episode and it showed, but Merciful Zeus, was it glorious. Another upside is that I now get to rewatch the DVDs with the hubby, who's never seen it. And, somehow, managed to avoid hearing how it ends. Oh, this is going to be fun.
SELLING: Two stories this week! Gotta love a twofer: Coming Soon will be:
Short Stories: 143 - 160 of 500. Faves this week:
The Cry Room by Ted Kosmatka at Nightmare
Eerie story that works beautifully on both the literal and metaphorical levels.
The Coffin-Maker's Daughter by Angela Slatter at Nightmare
Fabulous ghost story with great writing and wonderfully nasty characterisation.
Leave Me the Way I was Found by Christian A Dumais in Shock Totem #2
Very creepy, 'found-document' style flash about a fatal video. Nice modern-Lovecraftian vibe.
WRITING: 'The Visitors,' a SF flash, and 6,400 words on a new SF novella. Very much enjoying the long-form process so far.
WATCHING: A marathon of Whitechapel, one of my favourite shows. Season 3, however, is goddamn scary. So it's late at night, I'm alone in the house and I'm watching episode 3.1, which ends with a shot of a family watching TV on the sofa, until the power goes out and they all get brutally murdered. I get up to change the DVD... and the power goes out. Ten minutes and one heart attack later it came back on, but, yeah. UNIVERSE WTF ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME?
IMPRESSED BY THE PRESCIENCE OF: This. So very, very accurate :)
HYPERVENTILATING WITH NERVOUS EXCITEMENT ABOUT: The Syfy remake of Blake's 7. Words do not exist that can adequately describe how much I adored this show when I was a kid. Captain Kirk might have been my first love, but I soon threw him over for Avon--starting a life-long love of the snarky, ruthless, morally ambiguous and self-serving anti-hero. Preferably in black leather. OMG who are they going to cast? (Guys, if you need tips, may I humbly suggest Damien Molony? Thanks). They made this for about £7.50 an episode and it showed, but Merciful Zeus, was it glorious. Another upside is that I now get to rewatch the DVDs with the hubby, who's never seen it. And, somehow, managed to avoid hearing how it ends. Oh, this is going to be fun.
SELLING: Two stories this week! Gotta love a twofer: Coming Soon will be:
- Jeanette's Feast, horror, in the next issue of The Journal of Unlikely Entomology
- Seeing Red, SF, in the October issue of Bete Noire.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: 'Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking' by Susan Cain. This is an absolutely fascinating book. As an introvert myself, it was full of 'well, that explains a lot' moment.
Short Stories: 123 - 142 of 500. Faves this week:
Mantis Wives by Kij Johnson at Clarkesworld
Justifiably famous, this is gorgeously written with darkly creepy imagery and emotion. I'd imagine this hits people in different ways--it hit me as a meditation on the desire for pain and loss of self within relationships. Very powerful.
No Breather in the World but Thee by Jeff Vandermeer at Nightmare
Interesting take on the Lovecraftian 'unspeakable horror' that speaks to my love of aftermath stories. The fast-moving, multiple-POV style is rare in short stories, but it really works here, adding to the deep sense of dream-like paranoia.
WRITING: 'The Visiphorical Art,' a literary paranormal flash, and 2k words on a new SF story that's on schedule to become a novellette.
WATCHING: The finale of Being Human. Oh, show. Why did you wait until the very last episode ever to make me fall in love with Hal? I need the DVD boxset and someone to cast Damien Molony insomething everything immediately. I need this man back on my telly. Also the first ep on the new season of Touch. Despite a deep and abiding twenty-five-year love of Kiefer Sutherland, I found this show unwatchable. Too many coincidences and too much cheese for my blood. But having heard that S2 was a bit of a reboot, I decided to try again - and so far, I'm very glad I did. This was a massive improvement, seeming almost like the pilot for a totally new show. No nicey-nicey, a proper story arc, interesting and engaging characters and Martin being proactive, resourceful and badass. Fingers crossed this continues!
ADMIRING: These. Both the sentiment and the pictures.
LAUGHING LIKE A LOON AT: This April Fool's submission received at Shimmer. Made me nostalgic for fanfic :)
RECORDING: One-Eyed Monster. From the synopsis, this is about Tara from Buffy battling the possessed-by-aliens detached penis of porn star Ron Jeremy. It may take a while to get up the courage to actually watch this.
Short Stories: 123 - 142 of 500. Faves this week:
Mantis Wives by Kij Johnson at Clarkesworld
Justifiably famous, this is gorgeously written with darkly creepy imagery and emotion. I'd imagine this hits people in different ways--it hit me as a meditation on the desire for pain and loss of self within relationships. Very powerful.
No Breather in the World but Thee by Jeff Vandermeer at Nightmare
Interesting take on the Lovecraftian 'unspeakable horror' that speaks to my love of aftermath stories. The fast-moving, multiple-POV style is rare in short stories, but it really works here, adding to the deep sense of dream-like paranoia.
WRITING: 'The Visiphorical Art,' a literary paranormal flash, and 2k words on a new SF story that's on schedule to become a novellette.
WATCHING: The finale of Being Human. Oh, show. Why did you wait until the very last episode ever to make me fall in love with Hal? I need the DVD boxset and someone to cast Damien Molony in
ADMIRING: These. Both the sentiment and the pictures.
LAUGHING LIKE A LOON AT: This April Fool's submission received at Shimmer. Made me nostalgic for fanfic :)
RECORDING: One-Eyed Monster. From the synopsis, this is about Tara from Buffy battling the possessed-by-aliens detached penis of porn star Ron Jeremy. It may take a while to get up the courage to actually watch this.
Monday, April 1, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: Moxyland, Lauren Beukes. A smart, gripping and disturbingly-plausible SF thriller. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Short stories: 110 - 122 of 500. Faves this week:
Memories of the Knacker's Yard by Ian Creasey at Lamplight
Interesting mix of ghost story and police procedural that makes good use of one of my favourite elements, transfer of memory.
Giggles by Jeremy C Shipp in Attic Clowns
Surreal, creepy story about apocalypse-by-clown.
WRITING: A new 1,600 word ghost story.
WATCHING: In the Flesh, the new BBC3 zombie drama. The premise is the same as Joy Kennedy-O'Neill's Aftermath (Strange Horizons), one of my absolute favourite stories ever--there's a cure, and the ex-zombies are trying to go back to normal life. The world appears slightly less broken here--the vibe is more of a civil war or military invasion than an apocalypse--but the issues of responsibility, adjustment and guilt are still very much forefront. The situation for Kieran and his family is doubly fascinating, given that he was a suicide. It also looks like they're going to make good use of 'it's different when it's MY family,' which is a trope I love. So far, I like it a lot.
Also Being Human season 5. I think I was too far into Mitchell-withdrawal to appreciate season 4, but I've come round to Hal a lot, and I love his relationship with Tom. Will be interesting with the US version starts, to compare another set of characters.
LISTENING TO: Trivium and Slipknot. Very loudly. These boys going RAAARRR! on the stereo is about the only thing that drowns out my next-door neighbour going RAAARRR! at her kids.
Also Heaven, by Depeche Mode, which I love. Seems very strange to think of these boys as elder statesmen now, but I suppose they are. I think my inner body clock stopped somewhere around age 23, so I always imagine that the 80s was just last decade. It regularly shocks me when I realise just how long ago it really was.
SELLING: 'Destiny Fell in Love,' a fantasy flash, to Every Day Fiction. This is one of my favourite sites, so it's always a thrill to have a story there. I expect it to run in May.
WINNING:
Written new:
1. Re: Corrections to Consciousness Module 14.6 (Memories: Age 31-60) - SF - 692 words
2. Can't See a Good Thing - Near-future SF - 2,564 words
3. Game Over - SF - 2,699 words
4. Sweetie - Horror - 1,662 words
5. Something Worth Hearing - Horror - 1,581 words
Subs:
20 in total - 6 new, 14 resubs/reprints
Rejections:
19 in total - 7 personal, 12 form
Acceptances:
'Destiny Fell in Love', from Every Day Fiction. Also had stories advanced to the 2nd round at Daily Science Fiction, Waylines, Apex, Andromeda Spaceways, Bete Noire and the Journal of Unlikely Entomology.
Publications:
Not the Pizza Girl, a comic horror, at Every Day Fiction
Short stories: 110 - 122 of 500. Faves this week:
Memories of the Knacker's Yard by Ian Creasey at Lamplight
Interesting mix of ghost story and police procedural that makes good use of one of my favourite elements, transfer of memory.
Giggles by Jeremy C Shipp in Attic Clowns
Surreal, creepy story about apocalypse-by-clown.
WRITING: A new 1,600 word ghost story.
WATCHING: In the Flesh, the new BBC3 zombie drama. The premise is the same as Joy Kennedy-O'Neill's Aftermath (Strange Horizons), one of my absolute favourite stories ever--there's a cure, and the ex-zombies are trying to go back to normal life. The world appears slightly less broken here--the vibe is more of a civil war or military invasion than an apocalypse--but the issues of responsibility, adjustment and guilt are still very much forefront. The situation for Kieran and his family is doubly fascinating, given that he was a suicide. It also looks like they're going to make good use of 'it's different when it's MY family,' which is a trope I love. So far, I like it a lot.
Also Being Human season 5. I think I was too far into Mitchell-withdrawal to appreciate season 4, but I've come round to Hal a lot, and I love his relationship with Tom. Will be interesting with the US version starts, to compare another set of characters.
LISTENING TO: Trivium and Slipknot. Very loudly. These boys going RAAARRR! on the stereo is about the only thing that drowns out my next-door neighbour going RAAARRR! at her kids.
Also Heaven, by Depeche Mode, which I love. Seems very strange to think of these boys as elder statesmen now, but I suppose they are. I think my inner body clock stopped somewhere around age 23, so I always imagine that the 80s was just last decade. It regularly shocks me when I realise just how long ago it really was.
SELLING: 'Destiny Fell in Love,' a fantasy flash, to Every Day Fiction. This is one of my favourite sites, so it's always a thrill to have a story there. I expect it to run in May.
WINNING:
The Write 1, Sub 1 March Monster Blogfest!
Stats this monthWritten new:
1. Re: Corrections to Consciousness Module 14.6 (Memories: Age 31-60) - SF - 692 words
2. Can't See a Good Thing - Near-future SF - 2,564 words
3. Game Over - SF - 2,699 words
4. Sweetie - Horror - 1,662 words
5. Something Worth Hearing - Horror - 1,581 words
Subs:
20 in total - 6 new, 14 resubs/reprints
Rejections:
19 in total - 7 personal, 12 form
Acceptances:
'Destiny Fell in Love', from Every Day Fiction. Also had stories advanced to the 2nd round at Daily Science Fiction, Waylines, Apex, Andromeda Spaceways, Bete Noire and the Journal of Unlikely Entomology.
Publications:
Not the Pizza Girl, a comic horror, at Every Day Fiction
Sunday, March 24, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: The King of Lies by John Hart. I love Hart's writing style, deluded narrators and dysfunctional families, so this was always going to be right up my alley.
Short stories: 98 - 109 of 500. Faves this week:
Sun Dogs by Brooke Bolander at Lightspeed
Gorgeous story about Laika, the dog sent into space in 1957. I have a weakness for unusual POVs, and this is a great one, managing to describe both a familiar environment and an imagined one through the filter of what is effectively an alien consciousness. The dog's experiences and memories are heartbreaking, tempered by an unexpected but highly satisfying happy ending.
In Metal, In Bone by An Owomoyela at Eclipse Online
Quietly emotional story describing the tragedy of war that's both bleak and beautiful.
The Life and Deaths of Rachel Long by Kristine Kathryn Rusch - self-pubbed
Atmospheric and evocative piece about the power of music, idealism and obsession. Manages neatly to be uplifting and unsettling at the same time.
WRITING: Revising 'Can't See a Good Thing,' a 2,537 word near-future SF, and writing 'Sweetie,' a new 1,600 word horror about a man and his tarantula.
WATCHING: The Following. Still loving it, but every ep I have to work all over again to believe the central premise that Carroll's cult exists at all. 'We all want somewhere to belong,' says Parker, and yes, that's probably true--except, surely, for sociopathic serial killers, who are not usually known for team spirit and playing well with others? Putting this lot together should be like herding cats--surely the wheels have got to start coming off this well-oiled machine soon?
LISTENING TO: All You Need is Now by Duran Duran. One of my favourite albums of theirs, this makes great exercise music. Repeated plays of 'Being Followed' definitely influenced the paranoid vibe of the SF story.
CHECKING OUT: Wattpad. Anyone have any experience, either as writer or reader? On my first browse around, I saw a lot of nifty cover art but... maybe not so much nifty writing?
Short stories: 98 - 109 of 500. Faves this week:
Sun Dogs by Brooke Bolander at Lightspeed
Gorgeous story about Laika, the dog sent into space in 1957. I have a weakness for unusual POVs, and this is a great one, managing to describe both a familiar environment and an imagined one through the filter of what is effectively an alien consciousness. The dog's experiences and memories are heartbreaking, tempered by an unexpected but highly satisfying happy ending.
In Metal, In Bone by An Owomoyela at Eclipse Online
Quietly emotional story describing the tragedy of war that's both bleak and beautiful.
The Life and Deaths of Rachel Long by Kristine Kathryn Rusch - self-pubbed
Atmospheric and evocative piece about the power of music, idealism and obsession. Manages neatly to be uplifting and unsettling at the same time.
WRITING: Revising 'Can't See a Good Thing,' a 2,537 word near-future SF, and writing 'Sweetie,' a new 1,600 word horror about a man and his tarantula.
WATCHING: The Following. Still loving it, but every ep I have to work all over again to believe the central premise that Carroll's cult exists at all. 'We all want somewhere to belong,' says Parker, and yes, that's probably true--except, surely, for sociopathic serial killers, who are not usually known for team spirit and playing well with others? Putting this lot together should be like herding cats--surely the wheels have got to start coming off this well-oiled machine soon?
LISTENING TO: All You Need is Now by Duran Duran. One of my favourite albums of theirs, this makes great exercise music. Repeated plays of 'Being Followed' definitely influenced the paranoid vibe of the SF story.
CHECKING OUT: Wattpad. Anyone have any experience, either as writer or reader? On my first browse around, I saw a lot of nifty cover art but... maybe not so much nifty writing?
Monday, March 4, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: The English Monster, by Lloyd Shepherd. From the first 50 pages, I think I'm going to like it. Nicely described, atmospheric, intriguing setup.
Short stories: 80-86 of 500. Faves this week are:
The Infill Trait by CC Finlay at Lightspeed.
A really interesting Military Experiment Gone Wrong story with a wonderful, fracturing, freewheeling voice perfectly suited to the increasingly lost and paranoid narrator.
The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo at Tor.com
Beautifully-judged story of murder, betrayal and (possible) redemption with both a gripping plot and complex, layered characterisation.
WRITING: A horror short about an empathic child and a humour SF flash about memory and blackmail.
WATCHING:
WISHING I HADN'T CLICKED ON: This. Why did I do it? I really, really, did not need to see this.
SELLING: 'Not the Pizza Girl,' a comic fantasy about an uninvited party guest to Every Day Fiction (it's due to run on March 11th) and 'You Don't Want What I Get,' a horror about monsters and gangsters, to Untied Shoelaces of the Mind (it'll run when Issue #8 is filled). I like getting too use this category!
WEEKENDING: in Edinburgh, since my husband had to go up anyway, for work. Touristing, whisky-sampling and taking plenty of photos of spooky alleys and graveyards, to be used as future book covers :)
Short stories: 80-86 of 500. Faves this week are:
The Infill Trait by CC Finlay at Lightspeed.
A really interesting Military Experiment Gone Wrong story with a wonderful, fracturing, freewheeling voice perfectly suited to the increasingly lost and paranoid narrator.
The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo at Tor.com
Beautifully-judged story of murder, betrayal and (possible) redemption with both a gripping plot and complex, layered characterisation.
WRITING: A horror short about an empathic child and a humour SF flash about memory and blackmail.
WATCHING:
- Nashville. From the first two eps, I like it a lot. Good characters, interesting situation, murky backstory, hints of nefarious deeds in the offing. And I like the music, too, which I didn't expect to.
- The original Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes TV series. I never saw this show, saw any of the films or read any of the Conan Doyle stories, until after I'd already seen the Cumberbatch reboot and Elementary--both of which I love. It led to the strange effect of watching this and having my first reaction be, 'Ooh, a version where Sherlock and Watson are both Victorian gentlemen! How radical.' And then I facepalm because, yeah.
WISHING I HADN'T CLICKED ON: This. Why did I do it? I really, really, did not need to see this.
SELLING: 'Not the Pizza Girl,' a comic fantasy about an uninvited party guest to Every Day Fiction (it's due to run on March 11th) and 'You Don't Want What I Get,' a horror about monsters and gangsters, to Untied Shoelaces of the Mind (it'll run when Issue #8 is filled). I like getting too use this category!
WEEKENDING: in Edinburgh, since my husband had to go up anyway, for work. Touristing, whisky-sampling and taking plenty of photos of spooky alleys and graveyards, to be used as future book covers :)
Sunday, February 24, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: The Harlequin by Laurell K Hamilton. I can't seem to quit this series, although I'm not entirely sure why. Possibly it's two parts nostalgia, one part car-crash voyeurism and one part instruction of the 'what not to do' variety. This one has Edward, which is always good value, and it also has more talking than sex, which hasn't been the case for a while. I just wish so much of the talking wasn't slut-shaming.
Short Stories: 69-80 of 500. Faves this week:
The Wanderers, by Bonnie Jo Shufflebeam at Clarkesworld
The voice is wonderful, with just the right amount of 'offness' to be credible and intriguing without becoming incomprehensible. There's a dark sense of glee in the narrator's anticipation of violence, and an unexpected pathos when it doesn't pan out--like a little boy crying because the flies he was going to pull the wings off are already dead.
I Heard You Got a Cat, I Heart You Named Him Charles by M. Bennardo at Daily Science Fiction.
A perfect flash, with so much story told in so few words. Plus, this is creepy with a capital CREEP.
WRITING: A 4k contemporary fantasy about a goddess who goes for life coaching.
WATCHING:
BEING GRATEFUL FOR: the fact that beginners can benefit from the wisdom of those who came before us, like this by Helena Bell on cover letters. Gotta love the Internet!
PUBLISHING: What Doesn't Kill You, a 4,500 dark fantasy from Transient Tales Vol 1, as a standalone e-short. It's great that we can now release stories individually, like singles, as a taster. Gotta love the Internet part 2! (Link goes to Smashwords: Amazon in progress)
Short Stories: 69-80 of 500. Faves this week:
The Wanderers, by Bonnie Jo Shufflebeam at Clarkesworld
The voice is wonderful, with just the right amount of 'offness' to be credible and intriguing without becoming incomprehensible. There's a dark sense of glee in the narrator's anticipation of violence, and an unexpected pathos when it doesn't pan out--like a little boy crying because the flies he was going to pull the wings off are already dead.
I Heard You Got a Cat, I Heart You Named Him Charles by M. Bennardo at Daily Science Fiction.
A perfect flash, with so much story told in so few words. Plus, this is creepy with a capital CREEP.
WRITING: A 4k contemporary fantasy about a goddess who goes for life coaching.
WATCHING:
- Django Unchained, which I thought was tremendous: some absolutely wonderful performances.
- The first Black Mirror, 'Be Right Back'. The central idea was almost identical to that used in Caprica, but--possibly because this was so much more 'right around the corner'-- it was far, far creepier here. I spent most of it cowering, yelling 'haven't you ever seen any piece of science fiction EVER? This stuff Does Not End Well.' The actual ending, although still very unsettling, came as kind of a relief.
- The Losers, which was a very generic action film but really made me miss John Winchester.
- When you hear a cover version of a song before the original, do you tend to prefer the cover?
- What percentage, roughly, of the stories in any given issue of a magazine would you buy for your own, if you had one?
BEING GRATEFUL FOR: the fact that beginners can benefit from the wisdom of those who came before us, like this by Helena Bell on cover letters. Gotta love the Internet!
PUBLISHING: What Doesn't Kill You, a 4,500 dark fantasy from Transient Tales Vol 1, as a standalone e-short. It's great that we can now release stories individually, like singles, as a taster. Gotta love the Internet part 2! (Link goes to Smashwords: Amazon in progress)
Sunday, February 17, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. I found this easy to appreciate and admire, but a little less easy to love.
Short stories: 63 - 68 of 500. Faves this week both come from Daily Science Fiction:
The Needs of Hollow Men by K A Rundell: I love empath stories, and this is a good one. Excellent internal descriptions and an unexpectedly sweet finish.
For the People by Ronald D Ferguson: If you can buy the premise (and in the increasingly-virtual world, it gets easier each day) this is a satisfying story.
WRITING: a 3.5k cannibal horror story, plus 2k of a lightly-comic superhero story.
WATCHING: The Following, with Kevin Back and James Purefoy. Some of my top narrative kinks are charismatic sociopaths, manipulative puppetmasters, broken obsessives and people who go to insane lengths. This show was MADE for me. Also Rizzoli and Isles, which I love more and more each ep. It's so nice to see a female bromance (is there a word for this?) for a change.
LISTENING TO: Battle Born, by The Killers. Great album, IMO their best since Hot Fuss.
SHOPPING FOR: my holiday: Muse, The Killers, Slipknot and Rammstein t-shirts. Roll on New York!
WORRYING ABOUT: having a money spider lay eggs in my brain after I tried to lift it out of my hair and accidentally snorted it up my nose instead.
Short stories: 63 - 68 of 500. Faves this week both come from Daily Science Fiction:
The Needs of Hollow Men by K A Rundell: I love empath stories, and this is a good one. Excellent internal descriptions and an unexpectedly sweet finish.
For the People by Ronald D Ferguson: If you can buy the premise (and in the increasingly-virtual world, it gets easier each day) this is a satisfying story.
WRITING: a 3.5k cannibal horror story, plus 2k of a lightly-comic superhero story.
WATCHING: The Following, with Kevin Back and James Purefoy. Some of my top narrative kinks are charismatic sociopaths, manipulative puppetmasters, broken obsessives and people who go to insane lengths. This show was MADE for me. Also Rizzoli and Isles, which I love more and more each ep. It's so nice to see a female bromance (is there a word for this?) for a change.
LISTENING TO: Battle Born, by The Killers. Great album, IMO their best since Hot Fuss.
SHOPPING FOR: my holiday: Muse, The Killers, Slipknot and Rammstein t-shirts. Roll on New York!
WORRYING ABOUT: having a money spider lay eggs in my brain after I tried to lift it out of my hair and accidentally snorted it up my nose instead.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING: Locke & Key Vol 4, Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. Love, love LOVE this series. Fantastic artwork, brilliant story. Wonderful sense of menace throughout. Highly recommended.
Short stories: 51 - 62 of 500. Favourite this week was
Zebulon Vance Sings the Alphabet Songs of Love, by Merrie Haskell at Apex
Sweet robot love story in an interesting setting. How can you not love a character called Robot!Ophelia?
WRITING: A 2.5k horror-y, slipstream-y story with an unreliable, secretive narrator. Could be too oblique? We'll see.
WATCHING: 'Ricochet,' Dude, that was not a good film. Julie Benz and Gary Cole are always good value, but that was the only upside. Normally this kind of twisty-suspense story relies a lot on misdirection, but this was so badly put together that I had no idea where it was trying to direct me in the first place. Out of many, many issues, what bugged me the most was (!!SPOILER WARNING!!) that when Elise fakes her own death, a body is fished out of the river wearing her dress, and identified as her. And this poor woman, who was presumably murdered to make this possible (unless Elise keeps a stash of dead clones on ice, in case they come in handy?) is never mentioned again, by anybody--not even the supposed-good-guy cops. I just kept thinking, doesn't anyone care about her? Was she just the wrong lookalike in the wrong place? Maybe there's a companion-piece story in there, telling her side.
QUOTING: Dean Wesley Smith: 'The truth is that the best way to sell books is to write a lot, work on learning how to be a better storyteller constantly, get your work in front of editors, readers or both, and plan for the long haul.' You can't argue with that.
TAKING: Dean Wesley Smith's advice to Think Like A Publisher and set my production schedule & deadlines for the rest of the year. Publisher-Me is happy. Writer-Me is gibbering in terror. If I'd known I was going to be such a hard-ass boss, I might have re-thought this gig.
LISTENING TO: my favourite TV theme music, from Romanzo Criminale - you can hear it from 3.30 to 6.00 on this clip
WISHING: that this was real. If someone could just nip through a wormhole into the parallel universe where it exists and pick me up the boxset, that'd be awesome. Ta.
Short stories: 51 - 62 of 500. Favourite this week was
Zebulon Vance Sings the Alphabet Songs of Love, by Merrie Haskell at Apex
Sweet robot love story in an interesting setting. How can you not love a character called Robot!Ophelia?
WRITING: A 2.5k horror-y, slipstream-y story with an unreliable, secretive narrator. Could be too oblique? We'll see.
WATCHING: 'Ricochet,' Dude, that was not a good film. Julie Benz and Gary Cole are always good value, but that was the only upside. Normally this kind of twisty-suspense story relies a lot on misdirection, but this was so badly put together that I had no idea where it was trying to direct me in the first place. Out of many, many issues, what bugged me the most was (!!SPOILER WARNING!!) that when Elise fakes her own death, a body is fished out of the river wearing her dress, and identified as her. And this poor woman, who was presumably murdered to make this possible (unless Elise keeps a stash of dead clones on ice, in case they come in handy?) is never mentioned again, by anybody--not even the supposed-good-guy cops. I just kept thinking, doesn't anyone care about her? Was she just the wrong lookalike in the wrong place? Maybe there's a companion-piece story in there, telling her side.
QUOTING: Dean Wesley Smith: 'The truth is that the best way to sell books is to write a lot, work on learning how to be a better storyteller constantly, get your work in front of editors, readers or both, and plan for the long haul.' You can't argue with that.
TAKING: Dean Wesley Smith's advice to Think Like A Publisher and set my production schedule & deadlines for the rest of the year. Publisher-Me is happy. Writer-Me is gibbering in terror. If I'd known I was going to be such a hard-ass boss, I might have re-thought this gig.
LISTENING TO: my favourite TV theme music, from Romanzo Criminale - you can hear it from 3.30 to 6.00 on this clip
WISHING: that this was real. If someone could just nip through a wormhole into the parallel universe where it exists and pick me up the boxset, that'd be awesome. Ta.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly
READING: Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Privilege subtext, where the reader knows more than the character, is a great storytelling technique, but it's slightly overdone here -- rather than me feel superior and creating tension, it made Dex come across as a little obtuse. But that said, I do love this series and it's fun to see characters, such as Doakes, that aren't in the TV show any more.
Short stories: up to 50 of 500. Faves include:
Child-Empress of Mars by Theodora Goss reprinted at Lightspeed
I've never read the 'Mars adventure' stories that this is riffing off (note to self: you should rectify that) but it was still interesting to see this kind of thing done from the aliens' perspective, and I liked the themes of performance and storytelling. The world-building initially seemed random and overwhelming, but quickly became charming.
Dysphonia in D Minor by Damien Walters Grintalis at Strange Horizons
Sweetly melancholy story of love and destruction, using an interesting song-creates-buildings metaphor as backdrop. It's a shame we don't find out more about Lucia's motivations, but it's still an effective story.
WRITING: a short SF tale set on a red planet and featuring the theme of 'wherever you go, there you are'. Which is not necessarily a good thing.
WATCHING: Utopia, on Channel 4. Only seen the pilot, but what a pilot it was. Interesting, diverse characters, an involved plot, great bad guys and a nightmarish, creepy vibe. Definitely coming back for more.
LEARNING: how to create epub and mobi files by hand, without using conversion software. It takes a while to get your head round it, and it's fiddly, but once you've got the basic structure (and templates) down, it's not that hard. And you know you're getting nice, clean, stable ebooks that a) do what you want them to do and b) are easily updated with new links etc. It takes time, but it's worth it. Which leads on to:
PUBLISHING: Transient Tales Volumes 1 and 2 - 20k collections of short SF, fantasy & horror stories.
Volume 1: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Kobo
Volume 2: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords
FINDING USEFUL: The Submission Grinder by Diabolical Plots. I always kept my subs on a spreadsheet (because, spreadsheets!) so I didn't feel the loss of Duotrope that much, but I did miss that sense of being in aRejections Submissions Gang. It's nice to see all the reports coming in -- makes it feel that much less lonely.
WORKING WITH: the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night, which gives surprisingly upbeat, positive, self-help style readings. It creates a bit of cognitive dissonance to get a 'Woo, yeah, you can do it!' pep talk from vampires, but I like it.
Short stories: up to 50 of 500. Faves include:
Child-Empress of Mars by Theodora Goss reprinted at Lightspeed
I've never read the 'Mars adventure' stories that this is riffing off (note to self: you should rectify that) but it was still interesting to see this kind of thing done from the aliens' perspective, and I liked the themes of performance and storytelling. The world-building initially seemed random and overwhelming, but quickly became charming.
Dysphonia in D Minor by Damien Walters Grintalis at Strange Horizons
Sweetly melancholy story of love and destruction, using an interesting song-creates-buildings metaphor as backdrop. It's a shame we don't find out more about Lucia's motivations, but it's still an effective story.
WRITING: a short SF tale set on a red planet and featuring the theme of 'wherever you go, there you are'. Which is not necessarily a good thing.
WATCHING: Utopia, on Channel 4. Only seen the pilot, but what a pilot it was. Interesting, diverse characters, an involved plot, great bad guys and a nightmarish, creepy vibe. Definitely coming back for more.
LEARNING: how to create epub and mobi files by hand, without using conversion software. It takes a while to get your head round it, and it's fiddly, but once you've got the basic structure (and templates) down, it's not that hard. And you know you're getting nice, clean, stable ebooks that a) do what you want them to do and b) are easily updated with new links etc. It takes time, but it's worth it. Which leads on to:
PUBLISHING: Transient Tales Volumes 1 and 2 - 20k collections of short SF, fantasy & horror stories.
Volume 1: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Kobo
Volume 2: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords
FINDING USEFUL: The Submission Grinder by Diabolical Plots. I always kept my subs on a spreadsheet (because, spreadsheets!) so I didn't feel the loss of Duotrope that much, but I did miss that sense of being in a
WORKING WITH: the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night, which gives surprisingly upbeat, positive, self-help style readings. It creates a bit of cognitive dissonance to get a 'Woo, yeah, you can do it!' pep talk from vampires, but I like it.
Monday, January 28, 2013
This Week, I Have Been Mostly...
READING:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Nice to see a book live up to the hype for once. Loved every calculating, misdirecting, manipulative line.
Short stories: Up to 40 of my 500 target for the year. Faves:
Final Corrections, Pittsburgh Times-Dispatch by M Bennardo at Daily Science Fiction
This is great fun, with a tremendous dry sense of humour. Original format, and a lovely example of what flash does best: telling you the story without actually telling you the story.
The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairytale of Economics by Daniel Abraham, reprinted at Lightspeed
This kind of reminded me of a serious Discworld story. Thoughtful and entertaining, and just goes to show what you can do with Word of the Day-style prompts.
Luna e Volk by Mercedes Yardley in Beautiful Sorrows
Not everything in this collection has worked for me so far, but this was gorgeous--a poetically violent and tragic love story.
WRITING:
A 5k horror story about two sisters and an ill-judged deal with a demon. Just Say No, kids.
WATCHING:
American Horror Story: Asylum. When you find yourself watching from behind a cushion, muttering, 'Please don't let the deranged Nazi rape the dead nun,' this is the only show it can be. It's a mad mix of every horror trope there's ever been, and I love it to death.
DISCOVERING:
That it looks like JJ Abrams is going to direct the new Star Wars films, and a fair few people seem to think this is not good because he fucked up the Star Trek reboot. Yikes, did he? I thought that film was brilliant! It always worries me when that kind of thing happens, because I think, what did I miss?
LEARNING:
How to code html, and build epub & mobi files by hand. It's been a hell of a learning curve, but I think I just about climbed it.
WANTING:
One of these: zombie teddy bear How awesome?
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Nice to see a book live up to the hype for once. Loved every calculating, misdirecting, manipulative line.
Short stories: Up to 40 of my 500 target for the year. Faves:
Final Corrections, Pittsburgh Times-Dispatch by M Bennardo at Daily Science Fiction
This is great fun, with a tremendous dry sense of humour. Original format, and a lovely example of what flash does best: telling you the story without actually telling you the story.
The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairytale of Economics by Daniel Abraham, reprinted at Lightspeed
This kind of reminded me of a serious Discworld story. Thoughtful and entertaining, and just goes to show what you can do with Word of the Day-style prompts.
Luna e Volk by Mercedes Yardley in Beautiful Sorrows
Not everything in this collection has worked for me so far, but this was gorgeous--a poetically violent and tragic love story.
WRITING:
A 5k horror story about two sisters and an ill-judged deal with a demon. Just Say No, kids.
WATCHING:
American Horror Story: Asylum. When you find yourself watching from behind a cushion, muttering, 'Please don't let the deranged Nazi rape the dead nun,' this is the only show it can be. It's a mad mix of every horror trope there's ever been, and I love it to death.
DISCOVERING:
That it looks like JJ Abrams is going to direct the new Star Wars films, and a fair few people seem to think this is not good because he fucked up the Star Trek reboot. Yikes, did he? I thought that film was brilliant! It always worries me when that kind of thing happens, because I think, what did I miss?
LEARNING:
How to code html, and build epub & mobi files by hand. It's been a hell of a learning curve, but I think I just about climbed it.
WANTING:
One of these: zombie teddy bear How awesome?
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Recs Round Up #2
Stories I have enjoyed recently:
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R Lansdale - currently free for Kindle at Amazon
I love post-apoc stories, and this is a wonderfully visceral, brutal version with lashings of crunchy survivor guilt and some highly unusual zombies.
New Skin by Peter Kispert at Word Riot
Sharp flash that's a lovely depiction of refracted grief.
Taking Care of Ma by Lee Hallison at Daily Science Fiction
Great story about wariness around technology, with an adorable robot 'character' and an absolutely killer last line.
The Magnificent Rife Machine by R D Kuensting at Eunoia Review
I like unusual format, and this sad story about a potential miracle cure makes good use of news clippings, emails and blog entries as well as traditional narrative.
Requiem in the Key of Prose by Jake Kerr at Lightspeed
Another story in an unusual format, this one using the structures and styles of fiction itself. A full story with plot, worldbuilding and emotional resonance, told using the hint and snapshot technique that gives good flash its impact. A treat for readers and writers alike.
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R Lansdale - currently free for Kindle at Amazon
I love post-apoc stories, and this is a wonderfully visceral, brutal version with lashings of crunchy survivor guilt and some highly unusual zombies.
New Skin by Peter Kispert at Word Riot
Sharp flash that's a lovely depiction of refracted grief.
Taking Care of Ma by Lee Hallison at Daily Science Fiction
Great story about wariness around technology, with an adorable robot 'character' and an absolutely killer last line.
The Magnificent Rife Machine by R D Kuensting at Eunoia Review
I like unusual format, and this sad story about a potential miracle cure makes good use of news clippings, emails and blog entries as well as traditional narrative.
Requiem in the Key of Prose by Jake Kerr at Lightspeed
Another story in an unusual format, this one using the structures and styles of fiction itself. A full story with plot, worldbuilding and emotional resonance, told using the hint and snapshot technique that gives good flash its impact. A treat for readers and writers alike.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Recs Round Up
Some stories I've read and enjoyed this week:
The Poinsettia by L. Lambert Lawson at Every Day Fiction.
A woman gets an unexpected lover, pot plant and life advice in this great flash. What I loved most about it is the confident weirdness of the writing; this is a story that's totally comfortable in its own skin.
The Long Con by Megan. R. Engelhardt and Frog/Prince by Melissa Mead, at Daily Science Fiction.
I enjoy remixed fairy tales, and these are a couple of excellent examples. The first has a wonderful psychologically logical core, and the second is a touching and beautfully played out backstory.
Out of Thin Air by Kathryn Netzel at Eunoia Review.
I'm not a massive fan of second person POV, as I don't find it a natural method of storytelling. For this, however, with its self-reflective, journalling style, it works perfectly. A raw, emotional piece.
Zombie vs Ninja by Lee Williams at Smokelong Quarterly.
I just love this. Gorgeous, captivating snapshot of a dysfunctional bromance played out against the backdrop of a disintegrating society. Original and surreal.
The Poinsettia by L. Lambert Lawson at Every Day Fiction.
A woman gets an unexpected lover, pot plant and life advice in this great flash. What I loved most about it is the confident weirdness of the writing; this is a story that's totally comfortable in its own skin.
The Long Con by Megan. R. Engelhardt and Frog/Prince by Melissa Mead, at Daily Science Fiction.
I enjoy remixed fairy tales, and these are a couple of excellent examples. The first has a wonderful psychologically logical core, and the second is a touching and beautfully played out backstory.
Out of Thin Air by Kathryn Netzel at Eunoia Review.
I'm not a massive fan of second person POV, as I don't find it a natural method of storytelling. For this, however, with its self-reflective, journalling style, it works perfectly. A raw, emotional piece.
Zombie vs Ninja by Lee Williams at Smokelong Quarterly.
I just love this. Gorgeous, captivating snapshot of a dysfunctional bromance played out against the backdrop of a disintegrating society. Original and surreal.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Story Rec: Languaging at Every Day Fiction
Great story posted today at EDF - Languaging by Jessica George
My comment:
This is *fantastic*. Loved it to pieces. Creepy as hell, with a dystopian vibe that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale. Like #10, I thought there was a lot being suggested about the silencing of women’s voices. But for all that, the MC was an engaging and sympathetic character (and equally, so were Bekah and Henri, even though they oppose/don’t appear!)
The prose and descriptive details were lush and sensuous, contrasting and complementing the cold, harsh and restrictive world they painted.
Five star fabulous, and one of my favourite stories to date.
My comment:
This is *fantastic*. Loved it to pieces. Creepy as hell, with a dystopian vibe that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale. Like #10, I thought there was a lot being suggested about the silencing of women’s voices. But for all that, the MC was an engaging and sympathetic character (and equally, so were Bekah and Henri, even though they oppose/don’t appear!)
The prose and descriptive details were lush and sensuous, contrasting and complementing the cold, harsh and restrictive world they painted.
Five star fabulous, and one of my favourite stories to date.
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