Out Now:
1. Good, Fine, No (Horror, 2,308 words) was published at Solarcide
2. Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings (Horror, 3,798 words) was reprinted in the anthology Murder Mayhem from Flame Tree Publishing.
3. Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly (Fantasy, 878 words) was published online at Outlook Springs
4. Smash and Grab (SF, 3,037 words) was reprinted in 9 Tales from Elsewhere, Vol 9 from Bride of Chaos
5. The Visiphorical Art (Fantasy, 917 words) was reprinted in the Hestia volume of Pantheon Magazine
6. We're All Friends Here (Science Fiction, 4,385 words) was published at The Sockdolager
7. Fast as Lightning, Still as Stone (Horror, 1,860 words) was published at Unsung Stories
8. Sweetie (Horror, 1,669 words) was reprinted in Onyx Neon Shorts Horror Collection 2016
9. No Past, No Future, Just Now (SF, 1,664 words) was reprinted in Morpheus Tales: The Best Weird Fiction Vol 6
Forthcoming:
1. Garden of Fog and Monsters (SF, 2,089 words) will be reprinted in the anthology First Contact from Indie Authors Press
2. The Five Stages of Grief (Fantasy, 2,172 words) will be published in Intergalactic Medicine Show, 2017
3. Supply, Demand and Armageddon (Science Fiction, 2,828 words) will be published in Secrets of the Goat People, 2017
4. Harmonious Music and the Spawn of the Devil (crime, 488 words) will be published in Crooked Holster: an Anthology of Crime Writing, Dec 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
New Reprints
My pre-apocalypse story 'No Past, No Future, Just Now' has been reprinted in Morpheus Tales: The Best Weird Fiction Vol 6. This story came from thinking about what type of person survives the end of the world. When there's a specific enemy—zombies, invasions—that’s going to be people good at fighting. With a plague, it’ll likely be the fit and healthy. But what if it’s something else?
No Past, No Future, Just Now - SF - 1,660 words
Have to take it easy, no rushing around. Hip’s been playing me up again lately, and I can’t afford a fall. If I go down, will I be able to get back up again? Best not to find out. I can’t rely on Henry coming to help me, not any more.
Read the story in Morpheus Tales: The Best Weird Fiction Vol 6
Also, my short horror 'Sweetie' has been reprinted in Onyx Neon Shorts Horror Collection 2016
This is the only story that’s ever come to me, almost fully-formed, in a dream: the travelling show, the terrified man with the tarantula on his palm, and the audience yelling ‘There’s nothing to be scared of, it’s just a spider.’That’s something you get told a lot, if you’re even slightly arachnophobic. And common sense says it’s true (unless you’re talking about the kind of fanged, venomous monsters they have in Australia, and I try very hard not to talk—or even think—about those). But I once held a tarantula during a visit to a wonderful (and, as far as I know, demon-free) bug zoo in Canada, and I know how easily the common sense of ‘It’s just a spider’ can get drowned out by the deeper, darker voice that starts whispering, ‘But what if it’s not?’
Sweetie - Horror - 1,669 words
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.
Read the story in Onyx Neon Shorts Horror Collection 2016
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
New story at Unsung Shorts - Fast as Lightning, Still as Stone
My creepy urban horror 'Fast as Lightning, Still as Stone' was published by the very fine folks at Unsung Stories this week, and is free to read on their site here.
There's a quote by Stephen King in Danse Macabre, talking about the nature of horror, that's stayed with me for years: 'Nothing is so frightening as what's behind a closed door.' That idea, combined with my own indecisive tendency to overthink and 'what if' things to a borderline-neurotic level, produced this story.
Fast as Lightning, Still as Stone - Horror - 1,860 words
She's been waiting for this knock for half the night, but it still makes her jump. Adrenalin hits her like a well-aimed punch in the gut, robbing her of breath for a long and painful moment.
Read the full story online at Unsung Stories
There's a quote by Stephen King in Danse Macabre, talking about the nature of horror, that's stayed with me for years: 'Nothing is so frightening as what's behind a closed door.' That idea, combined with my own indecisive tendency to overthink and 'what if' things to a borderline-neurotic level, produced this story.
Fast as Lightning, Still as Stone - Horror - 1,860 words
She's been waiting for this knock for half the night, but it still makes her jump. Adrenalin hits her like a well-aimed punch in the gut, robbing her of breath for a long and painful moment.
Read the full story online at Unsung Stories
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
New story at The Sockdolager - We're All Friends Here
I have a new story out in the latest issue of the fabulous Sockdolager Magazine: We're All Friends Here (SF, 4,385 words)
I love 'where do we go from here?' stories -- ones that focus on what life is like when the Big Event, whatever it happened to be, is over and the dust has settled. How are things different, and how do people deal with it? 'We're All Friends Here' is set in a post-alien-invasion world I've written about before, one that was strongly influenced by a story that has haunted me for DECADES -- the tale of the Warren of the Snares in Richard Adams's Watership Down, where most of the rabbits are fed and protected by the local farmer, in return for a couple being turned into rabbit stew every now and then.
Is that a good deal? It's kind of sensible and utterly horrific at the same time, so I've never been able to settle on an answer. For the rabbits themselves, some say no, and some go insane trying to avoid asking the question at all -- but the majority say yes, it's worth it. They follow the rules, and learn to live with it. And they tell themselves the farmer is their friend.
Read the full story for free in Issue 7 of The Sockdolager, and make up your own mind...
We're All Friends Here - SF - 4,385 words
In the old book our film's based on, Kip has a different reaction: he becomes more determined than ever to go out swinging, and the story ends with him getting killed during a huge shootout with the police in a third act packed with gunfire and explosions. Violent nihilism was popular in the twenty-first century.
Also available for Kindle or print
I love 'where do we go from here?' stories -- ones that focus on what life is like when the Big Event, whatever it happened to be, is over and the dust has settled. How are things different, and how do people deal with it? 'We're All Friends Here' is set in a post-alien-invasion world I've written about before, one that was strongly influenced by a story that has haunted me for DECADES -- the tale of the Warren of the Snares in Richard Adams's Watership Down, where most of the rabbits are fed and protected by the local farmer, in return for a couple being turned into rabbit stew every now and then.
Is that a good deal? It's kind of sensible and utterly horrific at the same time, so I've never been able to settle on an answer. For the rabbits themselves, some say no, and some go insane trying to avoid asking the question at all -- but the majority say yes, it's worth it. They follow the rules, and learn to live with it. And they tell themselves the farmer is their friend.
Read the full story for free in Issue 7 of The Sockdolager, and make up your own mind...
We're All Friends Here - SF - 4,385 words
In the old book our film's based on, Kip has a different reaction: he becomes more determined than ever to go out swinging, and the story ends with him getting killed during a huge shootout with the police in a third act packed with gunfire and explosions. Violent nihilism was popular in the twenty-first century.
Also available for Kindle or print
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Reprint publication -- The Visiphorical Art in Hestia
My 917 word fantasy short 'The Visiphorical Art' has been reprinted in the Hestia volume of Pantheon Magazine, available now from Amazon
This story came to life after I read a story about ghosts, then one about bombs, and the two ideas immediately combined to produce the image of someone creeping around their house, wary of setting off a bunch of dormant ghosts. I love stories that you might call ‘domestic supernatural’—embracing the weird as a part of everyday life. Marcy, who treats her situation as simply the normal way of things, is a great example. I also agree with Cathillion that creating new words is a glorious thing. Visiphorical is one of my favourites.
The Visiphorical Art - Fantasy - 917 words
Marcy isn’t one of the unwary, the clueless. She’s careful. She’s a bomb-disposal expert. She picks her way through the booby-traps of memories and the tripping hazards of lost opportunities with skill and delicate flair. She’s intangible, untouchable, an interloper in the territory of the dead. A ghost among ghosts.
Read the rest in Hestia from Pantheon Magazine
This story came to life after I read a story about ghosts, then one about bombs, and the two ideas immediately combined to produce the image of someone creeping around their house, wary of setting off a bunch of dormant ghosts. I love stories that you might call ‘domestic supernatural’—embracing the weird as a part of everyday life. Marcy, who treats her situation as simply the normal way of things, is a great example. I also agree with Cathillion that creating new words is a glorious thing. Visiphorical is one of my favourites.
The Visiphorical Art - Fantasy - 917 words
Marcy isn’t one of the unwary, the clueless. She’s careful. She’s a bomb-disposal expert. She picks her way through the booby-traps of memories and the tripping hazards of lost opportunities with skill and delicate flair. She’s intangible, untouchable, an interloper in the territory of the dead. A ghost among ghosts.
Read the rest in Hestia from Pantheon Magazine
Monday, September 19, 2016
New story online - Sometime You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly - Outlook Springs
My fantasy flash 'Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly,' published in Outlook Springs issue 1, is now available to read online -- along with some fabulous other stories and poems (I loved 'Mephistopheles Never Said he Told the Truth by Chloe Clark)
On Monday evening, my sister got decapitated by a tube on the Northern Line at King’s Cross. We’d heard a story about that happening to some poor unfortunate a few years ago; apparently, the head rolled around the tunnel, shot through the open window, and ended up on the driver’s lap. It was exactly the kind of flourish that appealed to Viola, but I think it might have been a bit of an urban legend. As far as I could tell, her head was more or less vaporised on impact.
Read the rest of the story at the Outlook Springs website now!
On Monday evening, my sister got decapitated by a tube on the Northern Line at King’s Cross. We’d heard a story about that happening to some poor unfortunate a few years ago; apparently, the head rolled around the tunnel, shot through the open window, and ended up on the driver’s lap. It was exactly the kind of flourish that appealed to Viola, but I think it might have been a bit of an urban legend. As far as I could tell, her head was more or less vaporised on impact.
Read the rest of the story at the Outlook Springs website now!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
New anthology - Murder Mayhem from Flame Tree Publishing
My 3,798 word crime/horror story 'Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings' has been reprinted in a wonderful anthology, Murder Mayhem, from Flame Tree Publishing -- available from their site here or from Amazon
I always think there’s great fun to be had with characters who think they’re the Big Bad, only to run into someone worse. This story a kind of horror take on Groundhog Day, without the possibility of the escape-through-self-improvement ending. I think it's no wonder my villain here has gone homicidally insane, but at least she kept her sense of humour. I think you have to admire that.
Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings - 3,708 words
On the floor, Jimmy groans. He’s pulled into a foetal position so Dom can’t tell the full extent of the damage, but his clothes are soaked in just about every bodily fluid there is. At first guess, Dom would say the kid’s lost his teeth, his fingernails, his bollocks and at least a couple of internal organs. ‘Fuck,’ he says, and pinches his nostrils shut. The whole place is going to have to be hosed down.
Read the story in Murder Mayhem: Hardback Deluxe edition, printed on silver, matt laminated, gold and silver foil stamped, embossed.: 280,000 words, 480 pages, 25 illustrations
I always think there’s great fun to be had with characters who think they’re the Big Bad, only to run into someone worse. This story a kind of horror take on Groundhog Day, without the possibility of the escape-through-self-improvement ending. I think it's no wonder my villain here has gone homicidally insane, but at least she kept her sense of humour. I think you have to admire that.
Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings - 3,708 words
On the floor, Jimmy groans. He’s pulled into a foetal position so Dom can’t tell the full extent of the damage, but his clothes are soaked in just about every bodily fluid there is. At first guess, Dom would say the kid’s lost his teeth, his fingernails, his bollocks and at least a couple of internal organs. ‘Fuck,’ he says, and pinches his nostrils shut. The whole place is going to have to be hosed down.
Read the story in Murder Mayhem: Hardback Deluxe edition, printed on silver, matt laminated, gold and silver foil stamped, embossed.: 280,000 words, 480 pages, 25 illustrations
Thursday, September 1, 2016
New story at Solarcide - Good, Fine, No
I have a new horror story, Good, Fine, No out now at Solarcide. I absolutely love the way they've used little illustrations to break up the sections instead of the usual blank line or asterisks -- it looks great, and goes so well with the text. I think my favourite is the blood-drenched Barbie doll, but it's not easy to choose :)
Good, Fine, No - Horror - 2,308 words
When it’s over — which is a ridiculous thing to say, she knows, because it’s never going to be over — Gina runs. She shaves her head, changes her name and tries to disappear into the anonymous concrete rat runs of a dozen different cities. Tries to forget any of it ever happened. She doesn’t succeed on either count.
Read the rest at Solarcide
Good, Fine, No - Horror - 2,308 words
When it’s over — which is a ridiculous thing to say, she knows, because it’s never going to be over — Gina runs. She shaves her head, changes her name and tries to disappear into the anonymous concrete rat runs of a dozen different cities. Tries to forget any of it ever happened. She doesn’t succeed on either count.
Read the rest at Solarcide
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Latest Story News!
OUT NOW
The latest round-up...
1. Where There's Magic (Fantasy - 6,980 words) - came out at Kaleidotrope
2. Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly (Fantasy - 878 words) came out in Issue 1 of Outlook Springs
3. Best Friends Forever (SF - 790 words) came out at Daily Science Fiction
4. My Sister, the Fairy Princess (Horror - 1,700 words) came out in Black Static Issue 52
5. I Am Not Your Doppelgänger (Fantasy 497 words) came out at The Flash Fiction Press
6. A Partial Inventory of Things I Have Loved (Fantasy - 973 words) came out at Flash Fiction Online
7. Wrong Word (SF - 817 words) was podcasted at Manwaker Studio
8. There You Are, My Love (Supernatural - 1,000 words) was podcasted at Manawaker Studio
9. Free to Loving Home (Donation Required) (SF - 729 words) was podcasted at Manawaker Studio
10. God State (SF - 1,400 words) came out at Daily Science Fiction
11. Legion (Horror - 1,667 words) was reprinted in Abstract Jam Issue 4
FORTHCOMING
1. Good, Fine, No (Horror - 2,308 words) will be published at Solarcide, 2016
2. The Shining Wire (SF - 4,406 words) will be published at The Sockdolager, 2016
3. Smash and Grab (SF - 3,037 words) will be reprinted in 9 Tales from Elsewhere, September 2016
4. Waiting to Burn (Fantasy - 700 words) will be reprinted in Spirit's Tincture, Nov 2016
5. Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings (Horror - 3,798 words) will be reprinted in Murder Mayhem from Flame Tree Publishing
6. For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy - 3,210 words) will be reprinted at Strange Constellations, March 2017
The latest round-up...
1. Where There's Magic (Fantasy - 6,980 words) - came out at Kaleidotrope
2. Sometimes You're the Windscreen, Sometimes You're the Fly (Fantasy - 878 words) came out in Issue 1 of Outlook Springs
3. Best Friends Forever (SF - 790 words) came out at Daily Science Fiction
4. My Sister, the Fairy Princess (Horror - 1,700 words) came out in Black Static Issue 52
5. I Am Not Your Doppelgänger (Fantasy 497 words) came out at The Flash Fiction Press
6. A Partial Inventory of Things I Have Loved (Fantasy - 973 words) came out at Flash Fiction Online
7. Wrong Word (SF - 817 words) was podcasted at Manwaker Studio
8. There You Are, My Love (Supernatural - 1,000 words) was podcasted at Manawaker Studio
9. Free to Loving Home (Donation Required) (SF - 729 words) was podcasted at Manawaker Studio
10. God State (SF - 1,400 words) came out at Daily Science Fiction
11. Legion (Horror - 1,667 words) was reprinted in Abstract Jam Issue 4
FORTHCOMING
1. Good, Fine, No (Horror - 2,308 words) will be published at Solarcide, 2016
2. The Shining Wire (SF - 4,406 words) will be published at The Sockdolager, 2016
3. Smash and Grab (SF - 3,037 words) will be reprinted in 9 Tales from Elsewhere, September 2016
4. Waiting to Burn (Fantasy - 700 words) will be reprinted in Spirit's Tincture, Nov 2016
5. Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings (Horror - 3,798 words) will be reprinted in Murder Mayhem from Flame Tree Publishing
6. For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy - 3,210 words) will be reprinted at Strange Constellations, March 2017
Monday, August 22, 2016
New story at DSF - God State
When you get to a certain age, conversations with your mates often turn into a nostalgia-fest about The Good Old Days — although it's usually debatable whether this idealised, romanticised past was better than the present at all. I tried to explore some of the ambiguity in this story — which is better here, the past or the present? I think it's still debatable.
God State - SF - 1400 words
On the way out of the gig, I stop at the merchandise stall to get a t-shirt. I find one in my size and pull out my wallet, then hesitate. It looks good quality, but the colour — almost exactly the same blue as a scanner booth — puts me off. I read somewhere that they call that shade 'Spectral Indigo,' and ever since then it's given me a slight case of the creeps.
Read the rest at Daily Science Fiction
Friday, August 5, 2016
New Audio Story - Free to Loving Home at Manawker Studio
My SF flash piece, 'Free to Loving Home (Donation Required)', which was first published in the anthology You, Me, and a Bit of We by Chuffed Buff Books in October 2013, has been podcasted at Manawaker Studio.
The story was inspired by a news report on rescue centres for dogs, which made me wonder how that might work for humans. (The Hugh Everett Rehoming Centre, incidentally, is named for the American physicist who first came up with the Many Worlds theory of quantum physics). What if, when you lost a loved one, you could get a ‘rescued’ version? I started with the idea that it would be literally ‘free to a loving home’ but I couldn’t help thinking that such a place, even if it started out altruistically, would at some point be turned towards making a profit—and the rather cynical ‘donation required’ aspect began to take over.
Manawaker Studio have done a great recording -- the narrator has done a really good job of capturing the rather smarmy auctioneer's tone of this story -- the kind of 'I know this is illegal and horrible, but aren't we all having fun?' vibe. Listen to it here
The story was inspired by a news report on rescue centres for dogs, which made me wonder how that might work for humans. (The Hugh Everett Rehoming Centre, incidentally, is named for the American physicist who first came up with the Many Worlds theory of quantum physics). What if, when you lost a loved one, you could get a ‘rescued’ version? I started with the idea that it would be literally ‘free to a loving home’ but I couldn’t help thinking that such a place, even if it started out altruistically, would at some point be turned towards making a profit—and the rather cynical ‘donation required’ aspect began to take over.
Manawaker Studio have done a great recording -- the narrator has done a really good job of capturing the rather smarmy auctioneer's tone of this story -- the kind of 'I know this is illegal and horrible, but aren't we all having fun?' vibe. Listen to it here
Friday, July 1, 2016
New podcast - There You Are, My Love at Manawaker Studio
My flash piece 'There You Are, My Love', originally published at Every Day Fiction in January 2012, has been podcasted at Manawaker Studio today!
I think the core of this story is that everybody copes in their own way, and that’s okay. I don’t really know where I stand on the issue of clairvoyance: I don’t think it’s necessarily impossible, but Sheila’s and Ros’s dialogue comes almost verbatim from a real-life demonstration I once attended, and it’s hard to argue with what Ros says. Maybe, in the end, whether it’s objectively ‘real’ or ‘fake’ doesn’t matter. Maybe, like the reader of a story, the audience gets to choose what they take from it.
Listen to the story here
I think the core of this story is that everybody copes in their own way, and that’s okay. I don’t really know where I stand on the issue of clairvoyance: I don’t think it’s necessarily impossible, but Sheila’s and Ros’s dialogue comes almost verbatim from a real-life demonstration I once attended, and it’s hard to argue with what Ros says. Maybe, in the end, whether it’s objectively ‘real’ or ‘fake’ doesn’t matter. Maybe, like the reader of a story, the audience gets to choose what they take from it.
Listen to the story here
Monday, June 6, 2016
New stories
A few new publications out now:
A Partial Inventory of Things I Have Loved - Fantasy 973 words - at Flash Fiction Online
I take off my gloves and fold them in my lap. ‘Octavia McNeill. We spoke on the phone this morning. I’m here for emotional redirection.’
This is the second story to feature mercenary empath Johnny Kellard, who first appeared in Smash and Grab, published in Kzine Issue 13, Sep 2015. The latest story, a murder mystery featuring his daughter Alexa, is currently in progress.
Wrong Word - SF - 817 words - podcasted at Manawaker Studio
Jana found the body—stumbled across it, literally—on the beach, sticking out of the grey sand like a sculpture. Or an art installation, like the ones they used to have in the streets and parks back when this was still part of civilisation. Something commemorative, or symbolic, or just beautiful.
This is a podcast of a story first published in Daily Science Fiction in January 2015 and is part of a another shared world -- Wrong Word is the second in a loose triptych about a post-alien-invasion society that started with Jump, and I'll Catch You (Daily Science Fiction in July 2014) and will finish with The Shining Wire, forthcoming at The Sockdolager.
I Am Not Your Doppelgänger - Fantasy - 497 words - at The Flash Fiction Press
We're not that different, really, he and I; it's all shapeshifting of a sort.
This is a short piece that came about because I'd happened to read one too many predatory-men-on-the-pull stories :)
Read/listen to the stories in full at Flash Fiction Online, Manawaker Studio, and The Flash Fiction Press
A Partial Inventory of Things I Have Loved - Fantasy 973 words - at Flash Fiction Online
I take off my gloves and fold them in my lap. ‘Octavia McNeill. We spoke on the phone this morning. I’m here for emotional redirection.’
This is the second story to feature mercenary empath Johnny Kellard, who first appeared in Smash and Grab, published in Kzine Issue 13, Sep 2015. The latest story, a murder mystery featuring his daughter Alexa, is currently in progress.
Wrong Word - SF - 817 words - podcasted at Manawaker Studio
Jana found the body—stumbled across it, literally—on the beach, sticking out of the grey sand like a sculpture. Or an art installation, like the ones they used to have in the streets and parks back when this was still part of civilisation. Something commemorative, or symbolic, or just beautiful.
This is a podcast of a story first published in Daily Science Fiction in January 2015 and is part of a another shared world -- Wrong Word is the second in a loose triptych about a post-alien-invasion society that started with Jump, and I'll Catch You (Daily Science Fiction in July 2014) and will finish with The Shining Wire, forthcoming at The Sockdolager.
I Am Not Your Doppelgänger - Fantasy - 497 words - at The Flash Fiction Press
We're not that different, really, he and I; it's all shapeshifting of a sort.
This is a short piece that came about because I'd happened to read one too many predatory-men-on-the-pull stories :)
Read/listen to the stories in full at Flash Fiction Online, Manawaker Studio, and The Flash Fiction Press
Friday, May 20, 2016
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...
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...
Monday, May 9, 2016
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...
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...
Friday, April 22, 2016
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!)
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!)
Sunday, April 3, 2016
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
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
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
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
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
Friday, March 18, 2016
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
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
'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
Friday, February 19, 2016
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
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
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
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!
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.
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.
Friday, February 5, 2016
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.
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.
Monday, February 1, 2016
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
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
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
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
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
Friday, January 1, 2016
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
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
Thursday, December 31, 2015
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.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
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
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
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
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!
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!
Sunday, December 13, 2015
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...
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...
Saturday, December 12, 2015
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
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
Monday, November 16, 2015
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!
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
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
Monday, November 2, 2015
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!
Monday, October 26, 2015
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
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
Saturday, September 26, 2015
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
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
Monday, September 21, 2015
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
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
Sunday, September 6, 2015
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
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
Sunday, May 10, 2015
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
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
Friday, January 30, 2015
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
Read the rest, plus more stories and reviews, at SQ Magazine issue 18
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
Monday, January 12, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
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.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
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
'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
Friday, November 21, 2014
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...
Sunday, October 26, 2014
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:
Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
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
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
Friday, July 25, 2014
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
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!
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
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.
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!
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.
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!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
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!
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!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
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 :)
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.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
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
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
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