My upcoming publishing schedule

For those who are interested, keeping track, or panting with your tongues hanging out demanding MORE MORE MORE (because why wouldn’t you?)…here’s the current list of what’s next for me in the world of publishing.

 

Bedtime Stories for Girls – Wicked East Press – How Rain Came to Earth

Yes, I do have a kinder, gentler side. My contribution to this anthology is an original story written in the form of a Native American folktale, because no matter how I tried to structure it, it was the only way the story worked. Plus, it’s an art form I dearly love. Sort of a cross between middle school and YA, it deals with the Sky Kingdom right as the world began. Rain, daughter of Sun and Moon, struggles to find her place in the universe.  Edits for this are turned in, so I’m just waiting to hear when it’s released. You’ll know when I know!

The Big Bad – Edited by John Hartness and Emily Leverett – Real Wild Childe

This is the book that has my vampire story in it, and its theme is stories all about the bad guys (obviously). My story deals with a pair of vampire siblings that are on the run and hiding out in a small town. Asha is a free spirit and a clothes horse. Her big brother Rave is a punk who doesn’t want to be told how to live his life by anyone. What follows is an unexpected adventure where they try to gain their freedom, meet an unexpected ally, and Rave tries to come to grips with what love means. Think of it as me totally taking a chance to subvert not only the vampire romance genre, but modernizing the Lost Boys vampire rebel type and turning the status quo for that character upside-down, as well, because if you’re gonna go, you might as well go all the way. Edits are in and I think they’re shooting for a June or summer release, though I’ll keep updating as I hear more.

Thunder on the Battlefield (vol. 2) – Edited by James R. Tuck, Seventh Star Press – The Ruins of St. Louis

I take my turn at Sword and Sorcery in this anthology, and though that story took a lot out of me, I’m really proud to be in this one. Not only is this anthology two volumes, but there are a LOT of talented and up-and-coming authors included. My story follows the quest of Hunter Mann in a post-apocalyptic America. It’s an action-packed story full of natural dangers, magic, mutants, pirates, and one determined protagonist to fulfill a prophecy. I’m still working on edits for this, and I believe this has a target release date of June, as well.

HOOKERPUNK – edited by Sean Taylor – ATM

I got talked into this during Fandom Fest last year, and this was definitely one of the more challenging stories I’ve had to write. This is set in a world where money is outdated and currency has turned to older methods of, ahem, bartering. Government bank worker (of sorts) Lucki Starr struggles against small town attitudes when she’s been reassigned from the big city to her home town. She also learns that the government, people she trusted, and maybe everyone else in her life has their own agenda.  I’m still waiting to hear details on the release/schedule for this one, so I’ll pass it on as I get info.

The Realm Beyond – Issue 5 – Marina

I was shown some gorgeous cover art last fall and asked if I could come up with a story to go with it. Of course I accepted, and the result is an odd little story set in the late 1800s about a girl with amnesia, the son of a lumber baron on the brink of financial ruin, his family, and the looming influence of an ancient cult. This story combines several loves for me, but I can’t give too much away without ruining the whole thing! So far, I think Issue 5 is set to come out around July.

Kingdom City Chronicles: Olde School – Seventh Star Press

I’m still working on the first draft, but I’m getting close, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep the fall release schedule. This series combines my love of every genre ever and the folks at Seventh Star are trusting enough to let me play with them all and subvert them at my whim. There are going to be trolls who own businesses and have laptops, princesses are not automatically beloved in this world, shepherds have secrets, and the woods is hiding something besides bears and wolves. Kingdom City is a typical fantasy city who grew up in the heyday of what we know as fairy tales. However, we’ve never heard the real story, and Kingdom City is in middle of looking to the future and modernizing. Plus, magic is an old wive’s tale and never really existed. How do all these things blend together? What does all this mean for the city’s residents? You’ll just have to stay tuned to find out!

……and to answer your questions, yes, yes I am that varied in my writing. I can’t even pretend that I’m not. I’m half-convinced Seventh Star gave me the title of cross genre series writer because it sounds better than ALL THE GENRES!!! That being said, I wouldn’t trade my spastic, bizarre variety for the world.

Available Now: Stories for Children Magazine

 

 

We all know I love speculative fiction. Fantasy of all sorts, Sci-Fi, Horror…I love it all! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, though: I adore children’s literature. I have so many pleasant memories of books from my childhood, and I still have been known to stop and flip through younger titles from time to time.

So it is to my excitement and pleasure that I can announce that the Back to School Issue of Stories for Children Magazine is out! My poem, Invisible Dragon, is in it, and I am squealing with delight to see the illustration that was put with it. I’m so excited, so happy!

It’s bittersweet because it’s the last e-issue of SFCM to be released, but their website will remain and I believe they’re still going to be doing projects in the future. It’s more of an evolution than an ending, so I’m curious and excited to see where that will lead. Until then, I’m thrilled my work could be included in the magazine and hope to do more with children’s literature in the future!

You can find the back to school issue of SFCM HERE

The Realm Beyond: Issue 3 – I’m in it!

 

Issue Three of The Realm Beyond is out! Not only is the cover amazing but my story The Last Letter Home is in it! It was one of those quirky, weird little ideas that pop into my head around 3 a.m. It’s obviously the last letter home from a headstrong princess who’s tired of the repressive climate of her kingdom. Let’s just say she’s very opinionated about everything and instead of playing along she opts for a rather…alternative lifestyle choice. What – didn’t you ever wonder why so many princesses seem to be in the company of dragons?

Here’s a brief little taste:

If you are a prince, please do the kingdom a favor and don’t come looking for me. Take your moony sighs and rituals meant to flutter the female heart and kindly stuff them up your velvet-clad behind. I know all about royal men and what you expect. I will not rot away on a tacky throne after bearing you an heir! There shall be no embroidery by a window for me! I refuse to sit around with drippy ladies in waiting, the best years of my life behind me while you skulk about after some voluptuous chambermaid. I will not accept empty promises and lofty sighs as the replacement for a good — or not-so-good, as is often the case — bedfellow.

Likewise, if you are a knight who is bold, daring, and of the most genial mind please take care not to save me. I know all about you as well, my dear sir. You gallop about the kingdom on a horse meant to entice women to you, but your only real staff of value is the one you joust with. I could care less about your victories and spoils and more about what disease you’ve picked up from being your enchanting self with every available maid who buys that courtly romance twaddle! They’ll learn to listen to the old wives and crones when they discover the “gifts” you’ve bestowed upon them.

***

…and she gets really opinionated from there (grins). Be sure to check that and all the other awesome stories out in this cool magazine!

To grab your copy of The Realm Beyond Issue 3 Go HERE!

I’m in ‘The MacGuffin’! (or gasp – I’m all literary and stuff!)

I’m always excited to have my work out there, and today I received my copies of the winter 2012 issue of The MacGuffin. My story No
Place Like Home appears in this issue and is the story of a mother and daughter with very different personality types. Through a roundabout conversation they realize that this might not be just because Stephanie is a teenager. It might be because she has memories that go back even before she was born. Needless to say, her mother isn’t quite sure how to take that.

 

Relationships and dynamics between people admittedly fascinate me. I don’t think I’ve had a harder upbringing than anyone else, and in a lot of ways I’m luckier than most. I think stories like this just stem from my natural tendency to think ‘What if?’ What if I were to take a basic relationship that could be a powder keg anyway and add an element that really shakes things up? Will the people involved play nice because they’re related and they have to? Will they take their personal frustrations out on each other because they’re convinced the other person will never understand them? Will one or the other bottle up their real feelings to make the other person feel better because they think that’s what they’re supposed to do?

One of the hardest situations (and it doesn’t even have to be about anything really heavy) is when you disappoint a parent. It’s crushing as a child, and even when you have developed your own opinions and method for living your life it still hurts to have them not be in agreement with you. There’s nothing so hard to watch as the door in someone’s eyes swing close and lock and this is doubly so if it’s the eyes of a parent. And though I don’t have kids, I can imagine that it’s not any easier to see someone you’ve raised and cherished go off and do their own thing, knowing that you can’t always be there to help or save them. And if you suddenly catch them saying or doing something that’s totally against the way of life you’ve grown accustomed to, well…that can’t be easy.  And I like the concept and the possibility of reincarnation…plus it makes a convenient way to showcase all those nifty relationship dynamics that I’ve already discussed (hrm…maybe there’s a reason this one was a good fit for a publication called The MacGuffin!)

It’s those kind of thoughts that inspired my story and I’m so excited that The MacGuffin picked it up – and a little intimidated. While I regularly submit to literary journals I have become convinced that my purpose is to give them something to cross their eyes at. Admittedly I’ve cradled my copies lovingly to my chest and admired the cover all day, but I’m not ready to have a peek inside just yet.

If you want to check out The MacGuffin you can do so at this link!  If I find any more information about a direct purchase link I’ll add it to the Available Now section of my blog and mention it in a post.