Living the Fictional Dream

Today, Lame Goat Press  released its anthology, Kings of the Realm: A Dragon Anthology. My short story, “The Dragon Thief,” was reprinted in this anthology, so I’m excited to get a look at it. I’ve always had a soft spot for Reginald and his dragon.

And, of course, in addition to my story, there are a slew of others. The anthology is speculative in nature, so you’ll find dragon stories that run the gamut from fantasy to sci-fi to mystery.

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of this anthology, you can do so here. Click away!

Hello, discriminating readers and fellow writers and bloggers.

I just learned that the second annual print anthology from Every Day Fiction, titled The Best of Every Day Fiction Two, is now available to order. You can order it here, or it is my understanding that Amazon and other such places will have it available soon.

This anothology contains not just one, but four of my stories that were published at EDF during the 2008 - 2009 publication year, including “A Million Faces” and “The Care and Feeding of Your Sleeping Knight,” which were two of my favorites. Writing group mates Alex, Stephanie, and Jens, all have stories in it, as well, and so do other great writers like K.C., Gay, Kevin, and more.

If you like flash fiction… heck, if you like good fiction… you should definitely check this anthology out!

It’s been a good few weeks for print publications and reprints.

First there were my four flash pieces that were accepted for the annual Every Day Fiction anthology.

Then, earlier this week, I got notice that a short story I wrote a while back was accepted into an anthology about dragons that will come out next year.

And today I had an email that an e-zine that published a short story of which I am particularly fond is launching a print version, and they want to reprint my story in it. I won’t give too many details away, as I don’t think the new version has officially been launched yet, but I’m excited to see this story in print.

Fun things in store for next year. It’s neat when a story you like makes a second appearance (and possibly garners a tad more money), and, while I love e-zines, there is something extra special about seeing your stories in print. I’m looking forward to it!

For your post-Thanksgiving reading pleasure, check out the new issue of A Thousand Faces, which includes my story, “Dinner for Three.” This can loosely be considered a sequel of my story “Bridge Club,” which was published in ATF issue 6.

The idea behind “Bridge Club” was to explore what super heroes’ spouses do while their loved ones are out saving the world. “Dinner for Three” goes back to the hero’s point of view and explores the options when things don’t work out with the spouse.

I love stories about the intrapersonal relationships of superheroes. Sure, action-adventure and crime-fighting are great, but what happens when the masks and capes come off? Can a super hero go on a blind date like any other person, or will the secret identity always get in the way?

If you read “Bridge Club,” you might be interested to note that Greg from “Dinner for Three” is the same character as Craig in “Bridge Club.” The bridge club members all use pseudonyms — Greg just wasn’t very creative!

If you check out “Dinner for Three,” leave me a comment here and let me know what you thought of it. I hope you enjoy reading the newest jaunt into my super hero ‘verse as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And, once you’re over there, you should check out the rest of the new issue. There is some great fiction in there, including “A Son of the Night” by K.C. Ball. And, as with all issues of ATF, if you want to have it after the issue is taken offline, go here to buy your very own print copy.

This morning, when I checked my email, I found the proof for “Dinner for Three,” a story set in my superhero universe that is coming out in the next issue of A Thousand Faces.

There is something fun about looking over a proof of my very own story. It’s a little sneak peek as to what it will look like when it’s published. And a proof makes the acceptance real, at least to me. I may have had an email acceptance sitting in my inbox for the past six months, but now the story is actually here, right in front of me.

I also revised my bio, which was fun. I was able to mention my baby girl in it, which gave me a happy.

All in all, a very pleasant morning. I hope you all have some good news to brighten your day. And, hey, if you haven’t read issue 9 of ATF, click on the link above and check it out. There are some really good superhero stories in this issue, including one by my writing group mate, Stephanie.

Residential Aliens, a great e-zine, has revamped its look and come out with a new website. I really like the upgrade. If you have a chance, go check it out here. And, while you’re there, you can read some good speculative fiction.

If you like prowling archives, once you’re there, you’ll find my flash piece, “The Sorcerer’s Wife,” as it made the transition to the new site.

Enjoy, folks!

My flash piece, “The Wall,” is live in the September 2009 issue of Hypersonic Tales. Check it out here — you can read it or listen to the audio version. I’ve been trying to break into the audio fiction market for a while now, so I’m excited about this publication.

This story made the rounds for a while before finding itself a home. I wrote the first version about 10 years ago, while I was still in college. It was a much longer version with a romance and a happier ending. I pulled it out of mothballs when I renewed my focus on writing back in 2oo7, and, with the help of my writing group, refocused the story and made it flash. For this story, the shorter format works — it makes it pop. There wasn’t really enough plot for the longer version.

I don’t remember any more what inspired this story, but I see it as a combination of the fantasy and sci-fi genres. When I shopped it around, a lot of sci-fi markets said it was too fantasy for them, and vice versa on the fantasy markets.

If you haven ‘t read the story yet, this paragraph is a spoiler, so skip to the next one. Personally, I think the end of “The Wall” is a happy one. In my mind, Hannah was saved from her prison in Orlon by what she knew as the Chaos, but in reality, life on the other side of the wall is beautiful and free. However, you could also interpret the ending in many other ways. That she was willing to die rather than be reprogrammed is also a valid reading of the story. I’d love to know what you thought.

I was beginning to think this story was cursed. It kept getting “almost” accepted, and then, once, it actually got accepted, but the market shut down before “The Wall” could actually be published (bummer!).

But, now “The Wall” is finally having it’s day, and I couldn’t be happier with Hypersonic Tales. Go check it out when you have a chance, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment here.

Watch out for the Chaos — it will pop up when you least expect it!

I recently received my first rewrite request from an editor. The story I submitted was a flash piece about a selkie. I would love to place this piece, so I will definitely attempt the rewrite. I wonder if I can get a first pass done before my maternity leave is over next week?

I appreciated that the editor’s request explicitly stated what they think the problem is with the piece so I know what needs to be addressed. And, I must admit, I agree with the editor. The basic problem is that the main character needs to have more at stake, more conflict, in the story. As it stands, the main character is more reactive than proactive — something I have to watch for in my writing. I did go back and try to give the main character in this piece a character change after her selkie encounter, but apparently that was not enough.

Now, I must ponder where to go next with this story… At least there is no restriction to keep it flash. The market in question accepts stories up to 4,000 words. I don’t plan to use that many, but adding more to the main character will probably require more words than I have left for it still to be considered flash.

Head on over to Every Day Fiction and check out my flash piece, “Frigid.” It was the story of the day on August 21st, so I’m a little late in posting the link here. There were some technical difficulties with the original release, though, which caused missing text. Now, however, thanks to Camille at EDF, the story has been reposted in full.

This story is set in my superhero universe — the same universe as my stories in A Thousand Faces (”Zero to Clean in Ten Minutes or Less,” “Bridge Club,” and “Dinner for Three,” which is forthcoming).

The story was inspired by a prompt from my writing group’s monthly contest. The prompt was to write about ice with the bonus challenge of writing about it in an unusual way. I wanted to make ice my main character.

If you enjoy the story, EDF allows you to comment and vote on it. You can also comment here. I’d love to know what you think.

A post I originally published on this blog has been accepted as a 2-part blog entry over at EDF’s Flash Fiction Chronicles. You can read it here and here. And while you’re there, stick around and read some of the other entries. There is some good stuff over there.