Category Archives: Story News

SURVIVOR reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly!

Survivor

I’m beyond excited for this antho, releasing soon — partly because my story “The Good Liar” is in it, but mainly because I really, really want to read the other stories. The review can be found here, although it’s quoted in full below.

“In this potent but uneven anthology, 17 authors tackle the themes of trauma and survival as interpreted through various science fiction and fantasy settings and tropes. “One thing our genre has always excelled at is offering a different lens, a startling angle of vision, a new perspective,” Mohanraj (The Stars Change) writes in her introduction. The sources of trauma are familiar, however, including physical and sexual abuse, addiction, bigotry, and grief. Standout stories include Tonya Liburd’s “A Stitch in Time,” in which a young man uses his gift of time travel to relive moments with his deceased girlfriend only to sink into an addictive pattern, and Evey Brett’s “Fell Child,” in which a dutiful son makes sacrifices in order to save his dying father before discovering the cure isn’t worth the cost. In Erik Gern’s “Mold,” grown children must confront the physical manifestation of their abusive father’s lingering legacy. Jes Rausch’s “The Art of Quilting” sees a nonbinary individual constantly traveling across the solar system to escape their oppressive, intolerant family. Many of the tales take literary or experimental approaches, and both prose and content will challenge the reader, but each survivor’s struggle and triumph is worth the effort.”


Story news

 

img_0012Now both contracts have been signed and returned, I can share the fact that I’ve managed to place two stories in anthologies slated for 2017.

First, my short story “The Kakashi and the Raven” will appear in the tentatively titled Sunrise Lands, an anthology of Japanese fantasy from Guardbridge Books. The book should be out early next year.

Second, Survivor (edited by Mary Anne Mohanraj and J.J. Pionke) will be published late 2017 by Lethe Press, and will include my novelette “The Good Liar”. According to the editors, “This SF/F anthology offers stories of everyday trauma survival — from a barmaid on an intergalactic space station who was abandoned by her parents, to a farmer’s son bullied by his peers, who withstands and resists their abuse. The key component for all of these stories is how relatively ordinary characters survive and thrive, given the traumatic experiences they’ve had.”

Needless to say, I’m delighted to be part of such awesome projects. More details when I get them…


Why not pay the Sanitarium a visit?

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Out today is Issue 33 of Sanitarium Magazine, containing my horror story “Vicious Circle” as well as several other dark tales and verses.

As mentioned in the last post, my story is set in and around Glasgow’s subway — which, incidentally, is the third oldest underground metro system in the world, behind those in London and Budapest (I know, I wouldn’t have guessed that one either). And old places often have some interesting inhabitants…

Links to the various platforms carrying the Issue are on my Publications page.


“Vicious Circle” – Story acceptance

I’m chuffed to bits that my horror short story “Vicious Circle” will appear in Issue 33 of Sanitarium Magazine, out in late May.

Set in and around Glasgow’s subway, the tale should make you think twice before descending under the streets of a city ever again…


An Honorable Mention for my flash piece “Final Wave”

My flash fiction story “Final Wave” received an Honorable Mention by the judges of the second Flashmasters contest (100-word stories in this case) run by Grey Matter Press.

Writing flash fiction is great fun and really gets the grey matter working, especially (as is the case with the Flashmasters contests) when certain words are prescribed and have to be used in the tale.

All the contest entries can be found here: http://greymatterpress.com/flash-masters-2-july-2014/#comment-1207

 


Hero’s Best Friend is hot off the (digital) press!

FInal-HerosBestFriend 

My novelette, “The Masterless”, is set in feudal Japan and abounds with samurai warriors of both the human and canine kind…

US readers can find the anthology here for Kindle and here for Nook.

UK readers, here for Kindle.

Also available on Kobo, and the iBookstore version will follow very soon. The print edition should be released within a few weeks.


Hero’s Best Friend Cover Reveal

FInal-HerosBestFriend

http://www.seventhstarpress.com/2014/01/30/heros-best-friend-anthology-cover-art-reveal-and-announcement/

Here is the beautiful cover for Hero’s Best Friend, which will feature my novelette “The Masterless”.

The publisher says: “Featuring 20 tales, from 21 authors, the new anthology features a spectrum of sub-genres in speculative fiction, but all of them contain the common element of a focus upon animal companions. Hero’s Best Friend will be available in eBook format at the end of the first week of February, with the print version to follow one week afterward.”


Attention all Kindle owners!

Rise and Shine

My novelette Rise and Shine is FREE on Amazon for the next few days! [now ended]

The story’s first review on Amazon.com came today:

“This is one of the better ghost stories I’ve read in a while. It was sad and haunting, but there was a great resolution at the end. This is the first story that I’ve read by this author, and I will be reading more. Yep, I’d recommend this story and author.”

UK readers

US readers


“Small Change” – Story acceptance

I’m thrilled that my fantasy/humour story “Small Change” has been picked up by Strange Musings Press for their Alternate Hilarities anthology, which is slated for release early 2014. Set in Glasgow, the tale features a cheeky wee creature of myth – hopefully it should tickle a laughing muscle or two.


“The Blighted” – Story acceptance

It was great to hear today that my short story “The Blighted” will feature in 100 Doors To Madness, an anthology from Forgotten Tomb Press. The publisher describes the project as “a horror anthology of flash and micro fiction celebrating the diversity of the genre. 100 scares. 100 authors. 100 ways to creep into readers’ minds”. I understand that the book will be released in both paperback and e-book formats, and should be out later this month.

This one definitely won’t be for the faint-hearted!