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
Friday, February 19, 2016
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
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