New story in Black Static - My Sister, the Fairy Princess

Black Static is the sister magazine to Interzone, and I'm thrilled to have a story, 'My Sister, the Fairy Princess' in Issue 52.

I leave my rental out front, next to Mom’s old pickup. I don’t bother locking it, since the plan is to do this fast: get in, get it done, get away. I’m sure the house and whatever money Mom had will be going to Daisy, so it should be easy — sign any paperwork, maybe pick up some random piece of jewelry as a memento, and shoot back to the hotel. Then, after I’ve shown my face at the funeral, I can get back to forgetting this place exists. 

Daisy’s sitting on the tyre swing at the side of the house, gripping the rusted chains and leaning back so far her body is almost horizontal. Her long dark hair hangs down to the ground, the ends brushing through the sandy-colored soil. 

Out here, everything turns the color of sand in the end — a reminder that this land is still desert at heart, no matter how much people try to change it with irrigation systems and imported plants. Inch by inch and year by year, it reverts to its true nature. Maybe we all do.

Read the rest in Black Static Issue 52, from TTA Press, available now...

New Story at Daily Science Fiction

My little philosophical robot story, Best Friends Forever, is free to read now at Daily Science Fiction!

Best Friends Forever - SF - 790 words 

Suelita and I are friends. This is a fact. She tells me so, and I agree with her. Suelita's mother is called Ana. 

'That's nice, dear,' Ana says, when Suelita tells her we are friends. 'And I got arrested for murder, and the house is on fire,' Suelita continues. 

 Ana carries on tapping at her phone and says, 'Mm-hmm. That's nice, dear.'

 I am also supposed to agree with Ana, but it is sometimes difficult. Those things, were they to have happened, would not be nice.

Read the rest at Daily Science Fiction now...

New Story in Outlook Springs - Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly

I have a new flash, 'Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly' out in the first issue of Outlook Springs -- which looks FABULOUS, and I can't wait to read it!

 Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly - Fantasy - 878 words

I took to crossing the road without looking, since I’ve always wanted to get run over by a bus. There’s a sort of poetic amusement in it, especially if you say something like ‘I don’t see the point of worrying about cholesterol, you could get run over by a bus tomorrow’ just beforehand. Instant irony bonus.)

Read the rest in Issue 1 of Outlook Springs (and get a cool t-shirt while you're there!)

New story at Kaleidotrope: Where There's Magic

The latest issue of Kaleidotrope is out now, including my fantasy story 'Where There's Magic' -- Witches! Doomed lovers! Evil twins!

Where There's Magic - Secondary fantasy -- 6,980 words

The witch had a favourite saying: where there's life, there's magic. There was a second part--where there's magic, there's death--but she usually kept that to herself.

Read the rest at Kaleidotrope

Latest Story News

It's round-up time!

OUT NOW:

1. The Kind Hearts of Children and the Spirit of the Season (Creepy horror, 954 words) appeared at Every Day Fiction 

2. Black Thumb (Horror, 2,734 words) was reprinted in Issue 13 of  The Literary Hatchet

3. Please Enter Through the Meditation Room, the Snack Bar's on Your Left (Comic fantasy, 1,941 words) appeared in Vol VIII of Bards & Sages 

4. Jump, and I'll Catch You (Science Fiction, 2,780 words) was published in audio at Drabblecast.

5. An Object Lesson in Misanthropy (Dark modern fantasy, 984 words) was reprinted at EGM Shorts.

6. Always Room for More (Supernatural, 1,723 words) was published at Unsung Stories.

7. Send in the Ninjas (Comic SF, 3,282 words) was published at Podcastle

8. To Haunt His Own Exhausted Heart (Supernatural, 604 words) was published at Scarlet Leaf Review

9. The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling (Dark fantasy, 3,980 words) was reprinted in Eldritch Embraces from Dragon's Roost Press

10. Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition (Comic modern fantasy, 2,600 words) was published in Issue 263 of Interzone

FORTHCOMING:

1. Best Friends Forever (SF, 790 words) and God State (SF, 1300 words) will be coming out in Daily Science Fiction, 2016

2. Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly (Modern fantasy, 878 words) will be coming out in the first issue of Outlook Springs, April 15th, 2016

3. Where There's Magic (Secondary fantasy, 6,980 words) will be coming out in the next issue of Kaleidotrope, April 2016

4. The Visiphorical Art (Supernatural, 917 words) will be reprinted in Pantheon Magazine, 2016

5. My Sister, the Fairy Princess (Horror, 1,700) will be coming out in Black Static

New story in Interzone - Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition

Beyond thrilled to have a story in a magazine I have wanted to be in for a LONG time: Britain's longest-running SFF magazine, the Hugo-winning Interzone.

My story, 'Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition,' is featured in Issue 263, out now. This story was inspired by some of the strange roadside attractions you come across in the States. I think 'Goats on the Roof' is my favourite of all time, but I think I would have enjoyed The Fracture if I'd come across it :)

Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition - Fantasy - 2,600 words

'The ingestion of intoxicating substances can be useful for the expansion of consciousness during meditative rites,' Jem said, 'but it's not particularly recommended otherwise. Do you think you'll be meditating today?'

Read the full story in Interzone issue 263, from TTA Press.

And in other excellent news, I'll soon have a companion contributor's copy to this one, since my creepy little story 'My Sister, the Fairy Princess,' has just sold to TTA's horror magazine Black Static. Can't wait to get my hands on that too!

Eldritch Embraces

My story 'The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling', has been reprinted in this great-looking anthology from Dragon's Roost Press: Eldritch Embraces (kindle version - paperback here)

'Combine the mind splintering horror of the Cthulhu Mythos and the heart shattering portion of that most terrible of emotions - love - and what do you have? You have Eldritch Embraces: Putting the Love Back in Lovecraft. This collection of short stories from some of the best working in the fields of horror and dark speculative fiction blends romance and Lovecraft in a way which will may make you sigh, smile, weep, or leave you the hollow shell of your former self.'

My story doesn't directly reference the Mythos, although an early review once described it as 'domestic Lovecraft' so I still think it fits :-)  It kind of imagines the Elder Gods now living as a dysfunctional suburban family...

The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling - Horror - 3,980 words

Some interminable time later, the noises stop. The heat fades, and that painful, sliding sense of dislocation eases off. Planes and angles drift back into normal configurations. The house feels like a suburban semi again rather than a disjointed, unhinged little corner of the universe that’s grinding and scraping against the rest like nails against slate. 

Read the full story in Eldritch Embraces from Dragon's Roost Press

New Story at Scarlet Leaf Review - To Haunt his Own Exhausted Heart

I have a little ghost story in the second issue of Scarlet Leaf Review, out now:

To Haunt His Own Exhausted Heart - Horror - 604 words

At first he thought that animals — especially birds — reacted to ghosts, but now he thinks it's just random skittishness. But then again, who knows? There don't seem to be any rules as to how any of this works, which remains one of his great disappointments.

Read the full story at Scarlet Leaf Review

New story at Podcastle - Send in the Ninjas

Very thrilled to be part of the wonderful Podcastle's Artemis Rising event!

My fantasy story Send in the Ninjas is available to listen to/download now, read wonderfully by Christiana Ellis (although I don't think it will ever entirely stop being weird to hear my stories in an American accent)

Most of my characters aren't much like me (which is probably good, considering how many of them are deranged homicidal murderers) but to chronically indecisive Isabel, I can certainly relate.

Send in the Ninjas - Fantasy - 3,282 words

The streets are more full of snow than people tonight, lending everything an enjoyably deserted, apocalyptic air. Isabel smiles as she walks home, humming happily to herself. Getting stood up never fails to put her in a good mood. She always goes on the dates her mother sets up, but she much prefers it when the other person doesn’t show. That way, Isabel still gets credit for trying, while also getting to skip straight to the part where she doesn’t have to go on a second date.

Hear the rest of the story at Podcastle.

Love Hurts - Goodreads Giveaway

Meerkat Press are running a giveaway at Goodreads (UK, USA, Canada) for the anthology Love Hurts, which includes my story 'Possibly Nefarious Purposes,' along with tales from Hugh Howey, Charlie Jane Anders, Jeff VanderMeer, Karin Tidbeck and many more!

Possibly Nefarious Purposes - 4,308 words - SF

When she got back from Las Vegas, Dayna found a padded envelope on her doormat containing a set of keys, a glossy brochure for a health spa called Rejuvenation, and a sheaf of paperwork that said she owned it. She didn’t know anything about health and beauty, but she did know that when the aliens dropped that kind of hint, they expected her to take it.

Read more in Love Hurts from Meerkat Press.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Love Hurts

by Tricia Reeks

Giveaway ends March 10, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

New Story at Unsung Stories - Always Room for More

My 1,723 word ghost story 'Always Room for More' is published (and free to read) at the wonderful Unsung Stories today!

This story grew out of a line that was cut from an old flash piece about a man visiting a medium (There You Are, My Love, published at Every Day Fiction). In the deleted line, his skeptic sister said 'Why the hell would people bother to drag their arses all the way back from the afterlife just to come out with nothing but trite and meaningless platitudes?' I always thought that was a very good question.


Always Room for More - Horror - 1,723 words

'If he looked too smooth, people wouldn't trust him. They'd think he was a fake, just in it for the money. A real medium is supposed to look a bit scrappy. A bit distracted. Don't you think? I mean, this isn't supposed to be fun, is it?'

Read more at Unsung Stories.

Reprint available at EGM Shorts - An Object Lesson in Misanthropy

My fantasy flash 'An Object Lesson in Misanthropy' has been reprinted at the wonderful EGM Shorts, and is available to read for free.

There’s a common complaint about parapsychology experiments, that psychic powers can never be demonstrated under strict laboratory conditions. And it started me thinking; if you could do that—perform for a scientist on demand—why on Earth would you want to? You can see what the researchers would get out of it, but what about the subject? There’s also the theory that by the time you learn to control great power, you evolve beyond the desire to actually use it. Putting those two ideas together gave me Nina, who could be a superhero (or villain) but who really wants nothing more from the world than to be left alone so she can sit in her bedroom playing online poker. I can definitely sympathise...

An Object Lesson in Misanthropy - fantasy - 986 words

 I’d always believed my mother was destined to become a certified Crazy Cat Lady, so the idea of her having a friend of any kind, let alone a boyfriend, took some getting used to.

Read more at EGM Shorts

Audio Story - Jump, and I'll Catch You - Drabblecast

My 2,780 word SF story 'Jump, and I'll Catch You' -- first published at Daily Science Fiction in July 2014, has been podcasted by the awesome crew at Drabblecast. I love getting illustrations for stories, and this is a fabulous one -- that creepy stretched grin is exactly how I imagined my aliens to look.

I love hearing stories in audio too, although it never quite stops being weird hearing them read in an American accent.

Jump, and I'll Catch You - SF - 2,780 words

'This is lovely,' Anton's father said, but his voice sounded higher than usual, and Anton knew he was just Being Polite. Being Polite was like lying, but not the normal kind. If you were trying to pretend your sister had broken something when it was really you, that was normal lying and that was still wrong. This kind of lying was special, and it was only done because you wanted to make people happy, and have a nice time. Especially with Our New Friends.

Listen to the recording at Drabblecast here

New story at Bards & Sages - Please Enter Through the Meditation Room, the Snack Bar's on Your Left

I have a story in the latest issue of Bards & Sages Vol VIII:

Please Enter Through the Meditation Room, the Snack Bar's on Your Left - Fantasy  - 1941 words
Rupert nodded encouragingly. ‘Good choice,’ he told them. ‘You don’t want to go into something like this on an empty stomach. Balanced blood sugar, that’s the key.'

Available to read now in Bards & Sages, Jan 2016

New Anthology - Love Hurts by Meerkat Press

Nice Christmas present from Meerkat Press! A review on Amazon says my story Possibly Nefarious Purposes 'could adapt into a good X Files episode', which has just made my day. I could TOTALLY see Mulder going undercover to investigate my alien-sponsored beauty salon. You can just tell he loves a good pedicure.

Reprint at The Literary Hatchet - Black Thumb - Horror - 2,734 words

My domestic horror story 'Black Thumb' has been reprinted in Issue 13 of The Literary Hatchet -- available as a free pdf download, and also in print, from the website here

Black Thumb - Horror - 2,734 words

When I started this, I intended it to be as a sweet story about the friendship between a lonely woman and a cute alien, in the same kind of style as ET. It changed quite a lot in the writing, but I think you can still see that core idea. Especially if you think, as I do, that slugs are cute. Having a broad definition of the word sweet would probably help, too.

Curled around the cracked base of her abandoned flower pot is a huge slug, sleek and iridescent in the patchy afternoon sun. Once, she would have worried about how to get rid of it, but there’s no point now.

Read more in The Literary Hatchet

New Story at EDF - The Kind Hearts of Children and the Spirit of the Season

My nasty little Christmas horror story, The Kind Hearts of Children and the Spirit of the Season, is free to read at EDF today!

Every Day Fiction is a wonderful venue, and was the very first paying site to publish one of my stories, back in 2010. So when they decided to do a special invitational month in December, while working on a new submissions system, I was thrilled to be asked to take part.

I'm not sure what it says about me that I gave myself a prompt of 'Family Christmas Dinner' and this is what came out, but there you go :)

Happy Holidays!

New story sale

Extremely pleased to announce the sale of my 2,600 word fantasy story 'Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition' to Interzone (the longest-running British SF magazine), for publication next year. Interzone's one of those dream sales - can't wait to get hold of my very own contributor's copy!

Jem used to work in London, but lost her job at the start of the last financial crisis. How she'd ended up at The Fracture was a complicated story involving a diverted flight, a gangster's mother-in-law, and twelve hours locked in the trunk of a car. Somehow, she'd managed to make it seem like a logical sequence of events.

Read more at Interzone next Spring...

Latest Story News

1. Meredith Said (Science fiction - 1,618 words) was reprinted in Spaceports & Spidersilk

2. Jeanette's Feast (Horror - 3,953 words) was reprinted at Infective Ink

3. The God of Blood and Bone (Horror - 4,315 words) was reprinted at Liquid Imagination

4. Possibly Nefarious Purposes (Science Fiction - 4,308 words) appeared in the anthology Love Hurts from Meerkat Press

5. Send in the Ninjas (Science Fiction - 3,282 words) will appear in Artemis Rising at Podcastle, Feb 2016

6. Always Room for More (Supernatural - 1,723 words) will appear at Unsung Stories, Feb 16

7. Never Leave Me (Dark fantasy - 1,281 words) will be podcasted at Far Fetched Fables

8. The Kind Hearts of Children and the Spirit of the Season (Horror - 954 words) will appear at Every Day Fiction, Dec 16

New Anthology out now!

This fabulous-looking antho from the fine folks at Fantasy Scroll -- which includes my dark fantasy 'The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling' -- is out now!

Dragons, Droids & Doom: Year One

There's a family & friends discount for purchases from their own site -- Dragons, Droids & Doom: Year One -- so hit me up for the code if you fancy one!

Also available from:

Trade Paperback: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Abe Books, Alibris
Ebook: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Google, Smashwords, Scribd

November Ebook Sale!

Welcome to 99centnovember! All throughout this month, there are a whole load of great speculative books  from some brilliant authors on sale for just $0.99 / £0.99 -- including the omnibus edition of my short story collections:

Transient Tales Omnibus 1: forty-six funny, sad, and thrilling stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror — featuring dysfunctional (and sometimes demonic) families, a time-travelling reality TV show, a Halloween game with a chilling price, robot wolves, carnivorous plants, a call-centre at the end of the world, witches, doppelgangers, misanthropic psychics, immortal gang bosses, apocalyptic survivors, alien voyeurs, flesh-eating criminals, a cunningly-disguised space teleport device, zombies (some helpful, some not so much), and much, much more!

Available for just $0.99 / £0.99  from Amazon UK / Amazon US  / Smashwords  now!

Go here to check out all the other offers from Milo J Fowler, Daniel Ausema, James Garcia Jr., Anne E. Johnson, Simon Kewin, TB Markinson, Tyrean Martinson, Rhonda Parrish, and Loni Townsend. Grab a bargain!

New story at Daily Science Fiction - And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After

... or not, as the case may be.

And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After - Fantasy - 474 words

The coachman knows his place, so he stays outside, even though the music swirls in his head and tries to draw him into the ballroom, with all its vibrant colours and beautiful dancers — glamorous, graceful people whirling around the floor in complicated patterns, not needing to look where they're going because they fit so perfectly into the shape of this grand, wonderful design; people who belong, who follow their steps and play their roles and smile so gloriously because they know, they all know, that they are precisely where they are meant to be.

Read more at Daily Science Fiction

Anthology - Dragons, Droids and Doom

Dragons, Droids and Doom, the first-year anthology from Fantasy Scroll Magazine, is out now -- including my dark fantasy story 'The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling'

I’m glad to see the cards. Hope can read anything, and likes to prove it. I’ve watched her read palms, tea leaves, biscuit crumbs, a waste bin full of used tissues and the pattern of dandruff on the shoulders of a man’s jacket. My aunt, the Psychic Dandruff Reader. 

‘What’s your question?’ Hope asks Frizzy. 

‘I want to know when I’m going to meet my future husband,’ Frizzy says. 

Hope rolls her eyes, but hands over the deck. ‘Shuffle.’ 

Frizzy does as she’s told, handling the cards like an expert. She cuts the deck and gives it back to Hope, who turns over the top card. 

‘Nineteen years,’ she says. ‘Next question?’

Read more in Dragons, Droids and Doom: a collection SF, fantasy and horror stories from authors all around the world -- available here

New story at Kzine - Smash and Grab

My SF short story 'Smash and Grab,' which is set in the world of my novel-in-progress, is out now in Kzine Issue 13 -- available at Amazon UK or US

Smash and Grab - SF - 3,037 words

'Don't give it away like that,' he said. 'People won't know you've been in their heads if you don't react, and they won't realise there's anything different about you. Which is good. You don't want to be normal, but you do want to be able to pass for it. Got it?'

Read the rest, plus seven other great stories, in Kzine #13

Latest Story News

1. The omnibus of my short story collections is now available as an ebook: Transient Tales Omnibus 1 collects the first four volumes in the series: forty-six funny, sad, and thrilling stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror — featuring dysfunctional (and sometimes demonic) families, a time-travelling reality TV show, a Halloween game with a chilling price, robot wolves, carnivorous plants, a call-centre at the end of the world, witches, doppelgangers, misanthropic psychics, immortal gang bosses, apocalyptic survivors, alien voyeurs, flesh-eating criminals, a cunningly-disguised space teleport device, zombies (some helpful, some not so much), and much, much more!

Available from Amazon UK / Amazon US / Kobo / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble now! (Paperback version in production. Watch this space...)


2.  'You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance' (SF, 1,248 words) was published in Volume 7 of the annual Bards & Sages anthology, available in ebook and print.

3. 'Congratulations on Your Apotheosis' (Fantasy, 4,028 words) was recorded for audio at Podcastle.

4. 'Not the Pizza Girl' (Fantasy, 1,000 words) was reprinted at EGM Shorts.

5. 'The Portal to a Lost World' (SF, 957 words) was reprinted at Sirens Call Magazine

6. 'One Free Go' (Horror, 2, 105 words) will be reprinted in Beyond Imagination magazine in September 2015

7. Smash and Grab (SF, 3,037 words) will be published in Kzine issue 13, available on 18th September.

8. 'Possibly Nefarious Purposes' (SF, 4,314 words) will be published in the Love Hurts anthology from Meerkat Press, October 2015

9. 'And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After' (Fantasy, 474 words) will be published at Daily Science Fiction, TBA

10. 'Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings' (Horror, 3,800 words) will be reprinted in the Idle Hands anthology from Horrifed Press, TBA

11. 'An Object Lesson in Misanthropy' (SF, 912 words) will be reprinted at EGM Shorts, TBA

12. 'The God of Blood and Bone' (Horror, 4,284) will be published at Liquid Imagination, TBA

Reprint News

Available now:

Garden of Fog and Monsters (SF, 2,088 words) in the May 2015 issue of Beyond Science Fiction

Coming Soon: 

Congratulations on Your Apotheosis (Comic fantasy, 4,028 words) in audio at Podcastle

Not the Pizza Girl (Comic Fantasy, 1,000 words) at EGM Shorts

The Fine Art of Fortune Telling (Dark fantasy, 3,966 words) in Eldritch Embraces from Dragon's Roost Press

New story at SQ Magazine - The Visitors

My SF flash 'The Visitors' is out now in the January issue of the wonderful SQ Magazine!


The Visitors - SF - 760 words

Nothing was normal, not any more. The word was redundant, obsolete, anachronistic. Normal had taken one look at the visitors and given up.

Read the rest, plus more stories and reviews, at SQ Magazine issue 18

New story at Daily Science Fiction - Wrong Word

My SF flash 'Wrong Word' is free to read at one of my favourite venues, Daily Science Fiction. This piece was inspired by a part of Richard Adams' Watership Down that creeped me out when I first read it over forty years ago (eep!) and has stayed with me ever since. That book is SO not a kids' story.

And it's also just occurred to me that this could be read as a sequel to my earlier DSF story Jump and I'll Catch You  even though it was actually written first. The subconscious is a wonderful thing.

Wrong Word - SF - 818 words

Alliance, that was what you were supposed to call it. Not invasion. Alliance. We're all friends here.

Read the story at Daily Science Fiction.

New collection available - Transient Tales Volume 4

My latest short story collection is now available! I'm currently putting together an omnibus version of the first four volumes, which will run to about 80k words. Then I'll be learning how to produce a paperback version too! As Dean Wesley Smith says, you have to love this new world of publishing :)

Available now at Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Kobo

The fourth in the Transient Tales series collects 11 short stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror, totalling 20,000 words and ranging from light to dark and all shades in-between. 

Volume 4 features a life coach to the Gods, a ghost-disposal expert, a time gambler, a singing slug, a cunningly-disguised space teleport device, a girl who can eat anything, an inter-dimensional auction, a suburban demon infestation, a Garden of Eden where everyone can be God, a long-suffering Memory Transfer Manager, and a life-saving zombie.

Congratulations on Your Apotheosis: Being an all-powerful superbeing might be better than working retail, but Sharon’s still bored. All she wants is an arch-enemy, so that they can fight an epic, eternal battle across space and time. Is that so much to ask?

The Visiphorical Art: All of life is art and no one wants to die. Not even the ghosts.

You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance: Some people (and insurance companies) think going into the Time Pocket is reckless, but maybe it’s worth the risk.

Black Thumb: Debra thinks there’s nothing for a slug to feed on, in her blighted garden. She’s wrong. 

Out Shopping in Hyperspace: It seems like Mia’s the only one who recognises her father’s genius. But she’s not giving up.

Jeanette's Feast: Gavin’s heard that cockroaches can survive anything. Maybe even his family.

Free to Loving Home (Donation Required): Interdimensional travel can be time-consuming, physically debilitating and sometimes illegal, but the auctions at the Hugh Everett Rehoming Centre always make it worthwhile.

Not the Pizza Girl: In the battle of man’s stomach versus his immortal soul, the stomach wins every time.

Garden of Fog and Monsters: They pitch it to the volunteers as a contest that can be won, but there’s no such thing as a free paradise.

Re: Corrections to Consciousness Module 14 (Memories: Age 41-60): Upgrade Ltd, and it’s Memory Transfer Managers, are very committed to making sure customer complaints are resolved, whatever it takes.

The World Doesn't End, Even When it Should: Since the government won’t make zombies available on the NHS, Lucy will have to make her own arrangements. 

Transient Tales Volume 4 is available now at Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Kobo

New story at Unsung Stories - Born Under a Lucky Star

My short dark fantasy 'Born Under a Lucky Star' is free to read now at Unsung Stories.

'You know what they're like, these two. When does anything bad ever happen? Born under a lucky star, the pair of them. Hell, the whole family was.'

Read more at unsungstories.co.uk 

Coming soon!

Coming soon, to all good ebook retailers!

The fourth in the Transient Tales series features an omnipotent facilitator in search of a nemesis, a ghost-disposal expert, a time gambler, a singing slug, a cunningly-disguised space teleport device, a pet cockroach, an interdimensional auction, an accidental demon infestation, a Garden of Eden where everyone can be God, a fed-up Memory Transfer Manager, and a purring zombie...

Creepy Freebies!

Creepy Freebies is go! 

Courtesy of the wonderful Milo James Fowler, it's time for our annual Halloween Giveaway! My spooky treat this year is a copy of the third volume of my Transient Tales collections -- available in all e-book formats from Smashwords, free with the discount code SW82Z

Transient Tales 3 includes 12 stories of SF, fantasy and horror, featuring demonic spiders, robot wolves, witches, doppelgangers, carnivorous plants, reclusive psychics, immortal gang bosses, apocalyptic survivors, alien voyeurs, flesh-eating criminals, clairvoyants, and God.

Get your free copy here, using code SW82Z!

Then check out the rest of the wonderful spooky treats on offer from:

Cory Cone

James Garcia Jr

Anne E Johnson

Simon Kewin

Rhonda Parrish

Christine Rains

Mary Rajotte

Kay Theodoratus

Erin Cole

Milo James Fowler

Happy Halloween! 

Coming Soon...

New story at Chrome Baby - Waiting to Burn

I have a fantasy flash piece, Waiting to Burn, out at Chrome Baby today. I love the illustrative photo they used - totally perfect.  Getting artwork to go with stories is one of my absolute favourite things.

Waiting to Burn - fantasy - 700 words

'Fire's the most natural thing in the world,' she said. 'Or, if you want to get mythical, the gift of the gods.'

Free to read at Chrome Baby now

New story at Daily Science Fiction: Jump, and I'll Catch You

My near-future SF story, 'Jump, and I'll Catch You', inspired partly by an abiding love of alien invasion stories and unreliable narrators, partly by a novel about the Tudors and partly by the Mad Cow Disease scare of the nineties, is out today at Daily Science Fiction.

Being Polite was like lying, but not the normal kind. If you were trying to pretend your sister had broken something when it was really you, that was normal lying and that was still wrong. This kind of lying was special, and it was only done because you wanted to make people happy, and have a nice time. Especially with Our New Friends.

Read the rest at Daily Science Fiction today!

Star Quake 2

Very pleased to repot that my ghost story 'The Visiphorical Art' has been selected for the Star Quake 2, the second 'Best of' anthology from SQ Magazine. The first one looks great, so looking forward to this coming out!

Latest story news

New story in Fantasy Scroll Magazine

My dark fantasy story 'The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling' which originally appeared in the Orbital Hearts anthology, has been reprinted in the wonderful Fantasy Scroll Magazine, and is now free to read here, alongside an excellent crop of 13 other stories, from the likes of Mike Resnick and Ferrett Steinmetz.

Having your name on the cover? NEVER gets old :)

The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling - Dark fantasy - 3,966 words

It clearly isn’t considered decent to try to duck out of your own mother’s memorial ceremony, especially in favour of a trip to Pizza Express. Even Alan’s tolerance has some limits. In my husband’s world, when your parents die you mark the occasion appropriately. And since I like his world and want to carry on living in it, that’s what I’ve agreed to do.

Read more...

Reviews

My Strange Horizons story, 'Tomorrow, We'll Go Yak Herding' picked up a couple of nice reviews! Lois Tilton of Locus said: 'At it's heart, a story of comfort between friends' -- which is pretty much exactly spot on (my personal theme when writing this was 'Keep Calm And Phone Your Mates').  And Tangent gave it a Recommended, which was a great thrill.

It's always a bit nerve-wracking when a story goes out, and a massive relief to know that somebody likes it :)


Forthcoming stories

My SF story 'Jump, and I'll Catch You' will be published at Daily Science Fiction on Friday 25th July. You can subscribe to get the stories delivered by email, or read them at the website. This is one of my favourite stories, and I'm thrilled it found such a good home!

New story at Strange Horizons - Tomorrow, We'll Go Yak Herding

Story day! My Weird Apocalypse story 'Tomorrow, We'll Go Yak Herding' is available to read now at Strange Horizons.

There is also a fabulous podcast of the story, read by Anaea Lay. She has the most gorgeous voice and it's wonderful to listen to--although strange to hear my Essex Girl dialogue said in an American accent!

Go listen and comment: Strange Horizons have a free download code for the audiobook of John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey's apocalyptic anthology 'The End is Nigh'  available as a prize. A comment or post could win you 15 hours of free fiction!


Tomorrow, We'll Go Yak Herding - Science Fiction - 2,500 words

'Scientific study of the displacements is a new and mostly untested field. For at least the first few weeks, it was all written off as practical jokes, mistakes or overactive imaginations. It wasn't until Buckingham Palace became a theme park that it started to be taken seriously.'

Enjoy!

New story in Black Treacle - Black Thumb

My lonely-housewife-meets-space-slug story 'Black Thumb' is now available in Black Treacle Issue #6 - free to read in epub/Kindle formats from Smashwords here

Black Thumb - Horror - 2,735 words
It takes Debra a while to realise the phone is ringing. She's finding it harder and harder to hear anything other than the song, now. 

New collection available - Transient Tales Volume 3

My third short story collection, Transient Tales Volume 3, is now available!

Volume 4 is scheduled for November 2014, to be followed by an omnibus edition of volumes 1-4, which will also be available in paperback.

I love publishing. At some point, I want to start putting together anthologies of others' works as well as my own collections -- I think that would be great fun. I want an Editor's hat, too :)

Available now at Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Kobo

The third in the Transient Tales series collects 12 short stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror, totalling 20,000 words and ranging from light to dark and all shades in-between.

Volume 3 features demonic spiders, robot wolves, witches, doppelgangers, carnivorous plants, reclusive psychics, immortal gang bosses, apocalyptic survivors, alien voyeurs, flesh-eating criminals, clairvoyants, and God.

Sweetie: Sweetie's changed, since the days of the travelling carnival. But she still knows how to teach an audience respect. 

Wolf, or Faith in the Future: Language evolves just like everything else. There are different words, in the future. And a different definition of horror.

Never Leave Me: Katrine knows her story is supposed to end with happily ever after. But what happens after that?

The Portal to a Lost World: The phone call comes every year. 'Where are you?' Tollie asks, but she never gets an answer. She hopes she never will.

Seeing Red: Even though they're not living on Earth any more, Halden's family are still human—still the same people they ever were. Unfortunately for him. 

An Object Lesson in Misanthropy: Zoe's never been able to work out what nice guy Bill sees in her bitter, reclusive mother. Today, she's going to find out.

Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings: A lot of problems can be solved with a gun. But not all.

No Past, No Future, Just Now: The world might have suddenly become a strange and confusing place for everyone else, but Louisa's used to it. She knows what to do.

Game Over: Adrian's sick of providing free entertainment for the passengers in his head. He's not going to carry on performing unless he gets something in return. 

You Don't Want What I Get: Richie suspects he's being cut out of a sweet deal, and he's not happy about that. He wants his fair share, and he's going to get it. 

There You Are, My Love: If Marcus sees enough clairvoyants, will one of them eventually channel his father's spirit? And is that what he really wants?

For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times: Katie gets worried when her best friend says she's found God—especially when she realises Lia means that literally.

Transient Tales Volume 3 is available now at Amazon UK / Amazon US / Smashwords / Kobo

Coming soon...

Very pleased to announce that my 2,776 word science fiction story 'Jump, and I'll Catch You' has sold to one of my favourite venues, Daily Science Fiction. This will be my fourth sale to appear there. The story will go out later in the year, first to DSF's email subscribers, then follow on the website a week later. You can sign up as a subscriber, and receive a free story in your inbox every week day, at the main site here.

Also, the third volume in my Transient Tales series of short collections is being prepared for publication and will be available in ebook format soon. Volume 4 is scheduled for December 2014, and will be followed by an omnibus edition that collects all four volumes in one edition--ebook and paperback.

The Transient Tales Series: 20,000-word collections of science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories, ranging from light to dark and all shades in-between.

Volume 3 features demonic spiders, robot wolves, witches, doppelgangers, carnivorous plants, reclusive psychics, immortal gang bosses, apocalyptic survivors, alien voyeurs, flesh-eating criminals, clairvoyants, and God

Latest story news

New stories published:

To Remember the Good Times - SF - 1,317 words 
Doctor Adil fully explained the consequences to me, and I know every time I visit it's hastening my father's deterioration. But I'm getting old myself now, and fast running out of both time and money.
Free to read now in the latest issue of  Liquid Imagination 

Garden of Fog and Monsters - dark fantasy - 2,088 words
The aliens were here first, so they get to set the price of admission. Their territory, their rules.
Available now in Astronomical Odds by Third Flatiron Publishing 

Organic Materials - Comic Fantasy - 2,493 words
Chet Fortune was everything Keith loathed in a person, and particularly in a next door neighbour: big, loud, uncouth, and possessed of a huge Irish Wolfhound that was on a mission to fertilise every square inch of grass, patio and flowerbed in Essex. Even his name was irritating; it made him sound like a film star when he was really a window fitter from Basildon.
Published in Twisted Boulevard from Elektrik Milk Bath Press, 8 Mar 2014


New sales:

Waiting to Burn - Fantasy - 700 words - sold to Chrome Baby

The Fine Art of Fortune-Telling - dark fantasy - 3,966 - sold to Fantasy Scroll Magazine

Tomorrow, We'll Go Yak Herding - SF - 2,475 words - sold to Strange Horizons

Forthcoming anthologies

I have stories coming out next month in a couple of awesome anthologies:

The first is Organic Materials (comic horror) in Twisted Boulevard from Elektrik Milk Bath Press, released on March 8th and currently available for pre-order at Amazon  (There's also a US Goodreads giveaway )

The second is Garden of Fog and Monsters (SF) in  Astronomical Odds from Third Flatiron Publishing, released on March 15th.

I do love a good-looking anthology!

New story at Goldfish Grimm - The World Doesn't End, Even When it Should

My zombie story, 'The World Doesn't End, Even When it Should,' is out now at the awesome Goldfish Grimm. Purring zombies! How can you resist?

The World Doesn't End, Even When it Should - horror - 2,443 words

Yes, it was morally ambiguous. Potentially blasphemous, depending on your religious affiliation (although what was Lazarus, really, if not a zombie?) and, of course, highly illegal. But since when had any of that stopped anybody?

New story at Bards & Sages - 'You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance'

The January issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly is out now, featuring my 1,248 word gambling-with-time-travel story 'You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance.' It's a brilliant magazine, available in multiple formats from Smashwords here.

She wastes, she is wasting, she has wasted, she will waste. Or will she? Maybe. Maybe not. Nobody knew. That was also the point, wasn't it?

'Tis More Blessed - Giveaways Galore!

Today is the first week of 'Tis More Blessed - a month of glorious giveaways organised by Milo James Fowler!

There's a full list of participants below, and Milo has a list of today's offers on his blog.

I'm giving away a copy of my collection Transient Tales Volume 2 - 12 stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror featuring features a Halloween game with a chilling price, a call-centre at the end of the world, an unconventional quest for a portal to fairyland, a mother dealing with the loss--and the return--of a child, a desperate woman’s letter to her future self, a repentant scientist’s lament, an envious boy who gets more than he bargained for, and a misguided attempt to gain closure on a very dead love affair.

Getting a copy is very easy - all you have to do is drop me a blog/Facebook comment or a tweet recommending one of your favourite short stories. Then feel free to help yourself to an ebook in the format of your choice from Smashwords, with code WZ35H and the compliments of the season!

New story in Bete Noire Magazine - Seeing Red

Issue 13 of Bete Noire is a bumper one - now available, with a wonderfully creepy cover!

Includes my SF story 'Seeing Red'  - 1,059 words

His father had given them their official scientific name, but since it was in Latin and had fifteen syllables, nobody else ever used it. To the rest of the colony they were always bloodflowers.

'Tis More Blessed

Check out Milo's blog for a whole bunch of giveaways coming up for Christmas! I'll be offering a free download of my collection Transient Tales Volume 2, on the 6th December.

New story at Goldfish Grimm - The Portal to a Lost World

My creepy doppelganger story, 'The Portal to a Lost World' is available to read now at Goldfish Grimm's Spicy Fiction Sushi - a great venue with the greatest name ever!

'Where are you?' I ask her. I ask that every time, and she never tells me. I'm very much afraid that one year, she will.

New story at Daily Science Fiction

My story of future nostalgia, 'Wolf, or Faith in the Future'- is now free to read at the Daily Science Fiction website. DSF is one of my favourite venues, and it's always a thrill to be featured there!

Story forthcoming at Daily Science Fiction

My SF flash 'Wolf, or Faith in the Future' will be emailed to subscribers to Daily Science Fiction on Monday 4th November. DSF produce a regular supply of AWESOME stories from both big names and new ones--it's well worth signing up for some brilliant free fiction!

Creepy Freebies 4!

The final Creepy Freebies giveaway is here! Novels, flash and short story collections - including the first volume of my Transient Tales series. Head over to Milo's blog for details of how to get yourself some cool Halloween reading material!

You Don't Want What I Get - Audio version

The audio version of my horror/crime story 'You Don't Want What I Get' is now live at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind. Check it out - Geoff Porter does a great job!

New story in Unidentified Funny Objects 2

 Received my contributor's copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 2 - a collection of comic science fiction and fantasy short stories, featuring the likes of Ken Liu, Robert Silverberg, Jim Hines, Jody Lynn Nye... and me!
Very thrilled to hold such a precious object in my hot little hands, and very much looking forward to reading it.

Kindle versions are out now, from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Whee!

October Creepy Freebies!

I'm thrilled to be joining forces with Milo James Fowler and a bunch of other wonderful writers this October, with some creepy free fiction on offer (much better for you than trick or treating for chocolate!)

Every Friday at Milo's blog (subscribe here) there will be details of the treats available - check it out!

On 25th October, I'll be offering up free downloads of Transient Tales Volume 1 - a collection of 11 short stories of sci fi, fantasy and horror - details to follow on Milo's blog.

There will be other offers to come from  Aaron Polson, Anthony J. Rapino, Bob Eccles, Cate Cardner, Christine Rains, Ellie Garratt, Erin Cole, James Garcia Jr., Jeff Chapman, Lyndon Perry,Deborah Walker, Rhonda Parrish, Roland Yeomans, Simon Kewin, and Stoney Setzer.

The fun kicks off this Friday, so stop by Milo's blog!

New story at Untied Shoelaces of the Mind

You Don't Want What I Get, a 1,200 word horror/crime story, is out now in Issue 8 of the wonderful Untied Shoelaces of the Mind

'I don't like getting cut out,' he says. 'There's something you got going on, and I want in.'
'No, you don't,' I say. 

You Don't Want What I Get - horror - 1,200 words

New Story at SQ Magazine

My supernatural horror flash The Visiphorical Art is out now in SQ Magazine, Issue 10 - a story about living with ghosts:

There are remnants of lives all over the house, drying out and growing mould like abandoned plates of half-consumed meals. They lie in wait under the surface of reality like landmines, like unexploded bombs.

The Visiphorical Art - 919 words

New story at The Drabblecast

Strange stories by strange authors for strange readers... Drabblecast presents my horror story 'Sweetie' today, free to read, listen to, or download.

'Admittedly, my little travelling show isn’t what it once was. We’ve been on the road for a long, long time. But I like to think that for the discerning customer, we still provide value for money. An experience you can’t get from the computer screen–-the modern freakshow–-despite all its tricks and special effects…'

*Warning: includes explicit language*

This Week, I Have Been Mostly...

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.