Where the Werecoyotes Roam
The new issue of Electric Spec is live today, and with it, my story, “Alpha.”
The way this e-zine works is that you download a .pdf to read the whole story. You can download just a .pdf of my story, or you can download a .pdf of the whole e-zine. I’m planning to do the latter, so I can read all of the stories at one time (possibly while we’re on the road to south Texas for the 4th of July)!
You may also notice that my story is the first one on the table of contents. Now, I know that has more to do with the flow of the issue than anything else, but it still made me smile.
“Alpha” is the first story in my urban fantasy universe to make an appearance. It’s about a werecoyote, Callie, who lives in a small town in Texas not unlike the town where I grew up (Callie’s cabin is actually very similar to one my family has outside of town). Callie struggles with issues that plague most young adults when they’re trying to find their place in a post-college world — what to do with her life professionally, romantically, and otherwise. Though, considering Callie belongs to a pack of werecoyotes, she has some unique issues to deal with, as well, including those left behind when her parents, the pack Alphas, passed away.
If you like the character of Luke in “Alpha,” I’ve also written a short story all about him in New York (Rick is in this story, as well). It’s still in the revision stages, but possibly one day it will find a home, as well.
To all the other writers who stop by my blog, I would definitely recommend Electric Spec as a market to submit to. The editors work with you to make your story the best it can be, and they are very informative. You can even keep up with their status on the slush pile (and other writing tidbits) on their editor blog. Working with them has been a good experience.
If you get a chance to read “Alpha,” I’d love to know what you think. Leave me a comment here! And, finally, I want to send a big thanks out to my writing group. Their crits really helped me make this story the best it could be!
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Thanks for the Electric Spec endorsement, Erin! We love working with authors, and we hope that is one of the characteristics that makes our magazine stand out from the rest.
I appreciate all you did for Alpha!
[...] nearly completed the second story in my urban fantasy universe (“Alpha,” my werecoyote story, takes place in this universe). This second story is a monster — over 8K [...]
[...] fully formed, and I was conscious about carrying it on throughout the piece. When I wrote “Alpha,” language reflecting the canine and bestial nature of my werewolf and werecoyotes was on my [...]