Tesseracts 22 now out!

I’m very pleased to have a story in the 22nd issue of this iconic Canadian speculative fiction anthology.

Tesseracts 22: Alchemy and Artifacts, edited by Lorina Stephens and Susan MacGregor, is “a collection of twenty-three stories based on actual historical artifacts combined with fantastic historical fiction. The stories meld culture, concept and incident into a rich collection of ‘what if’ speculations that provide warnings yet revel in the cultural celebrations we continue to observe today. They are the touchstones that resonate with all who listen to and learn from the past.”

The ebook is available now and the print book will be out in September.

My story, “Holding Our Own”, is based on a well-known catastrophe with an added fantastical element. It’s one of the most challenging stories I’ve ever written.

Order the ebook of Tesseracts 22: Alchemy and Artifacts from Edge Publishing today!

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Working the Room

The Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC has a long and venerable history. One incident is rather (in)famous — spoilers here. When Atthis Arts announced a unique anthology theme — short fiction covering just five minutes and taking place in a specific fictional hotel — I knew I had to write something based upon that incident. It shifted on me, as some stories do, and became something quite different.

As Stormcove editor E.D.E. Bell says of the anthology editing process: “Hotel Stormcove turned into its own character…an interdimensional anchor that serves as both a location for amazing stories [and] a metaphor for refuge, compassion, and connections.”

“Diffidence in White and Gray” is just one of many fine stories in this hefty anthology. Pick up a copy of Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove today at the Atthis Arts website.

(photo courtesy of Fairmont Empress Hotel)

Fiction has no best-before date

Seeing a story appear in print for the second, third, or nth time is rewarding for a short fiction writer. New readers are always a treat, especially readers who approach the piece in a different way than the previous audience. Fiction is enhanced with each read.

Here are some recent reprints of mine — everything from space opera to steampunk to climate fiction. Enjoy!

• “Across the Hard-Packed Sand”, first published in Writers Resist, was reprinted in Wizards in Space in February as well as at Flash Fiction Online last year. The journey from immigrant to participating citizen tends to be unnecessarily difficult to navigate.
• “Generation Gap” appeared several years ago in Bundoran’s Lazarus Risen anthology and was recently podcast on StarShipSofa. A senior citizen, dying from lack of health care, counsels a wealthy young man.
• “Stewardship”, first in Unsung Stories, reappeared in Little Blue Marble last year as well as in the Well Said, O Toothless One anthology. A cautionary tale about environmental protection gone wrong.
• “Two Steps Forward”, originally in World Weaver Press’ Scarecrow anthology, found a second life at Gallery of Curiosities. A scarecrow must face his steampunk origins.

Upcoming reprints to watch for include:

• “Hat and Stick”, originally in Evil Girlfriend Media’s Speculate, will soon be in Villainous Press’ Mechanical Miscreants anthology. In a world where surveillance is so pervasive that it’s almost impossible to commit a crime unseen, a cop struggles to solve a murder.
• “Copy That”, a fun little story that appeared in Stupefying Stories, lives again in a slightly different flavor in the soon-to-be-released Hamthology. The advent of 3-D printers may change how we live our lives–and how we relate to others.
• “The Pink of Perfection”, which came out in Parsec’s Triangulation Appetites anthology a while back, will appear as a podcast in Centropic Oracle soon. A chef struggles to maintain her standards while preparing an important meal for an alien race under hostile conditions.
• “Hurry Up and Wait”, originally in Perihelion SF, will appear in Wagonbridge’s Lost and Found anthology with a new title, “In with the Tide”, to suit the theme. An apocalypse survivor is initially happy he is “lost” until he realizes there is more than one way to be “found”.

Isn’t it so great that there’s always more to read?

Reading with your eyes closed

I’m always keen to see my stories appear as podcasts. “Generation Gap”, originally published in Bundoran’s Aurora-nominated Lazarus Risen anthology, is no exception. It’s available now on Starshipsofa, one of the top SF audio magazines.

I’m in good company. Starshipsofa has podcast stories from such luminaries as Michael Moorcock, Joe Haldeman, Bruce Sterling, David Brin, Harry Harrison, Ted Chiang, George R. R. Martin, William Gibson, and many more.

Listen to “Generation Gap” here.

As well, I hope you’ll enjoy listening to other stories I’ve written, too. Here’s a partial list:

• Trash Talk (Escape Pod)
• A Distant Honk (Toasted Cake)
• Technicality (Centropic Oracle)
• Flight Check (Centropic Oracle)
• Two Steps Forward (Escape Pod)
• The Scent That Treason Brings (Cast of Wonders) Staff Pick!
• The Jungle Between (Cast of Wonders)
• Graveyard Shift (The Overcast)
• A Twist of Fate (The Overcast)
• Old People Rules (Cast of Wonders)
• Hard Passage (Cast of Wonders)
• Take a Good Look (Cast of Wonders)
• Off-Campus Housing (Meduspod)
• Standard Deviant (part of Lightspeed’s Women Destroy SF on Audible)
• Tough Crowd (Toasted Cake)

Potluck or lucky-in-love, you decide

Online interactive text-based games are an interesting phenomenon of the internet and I was pleased to discover Sub-Q magazine’s contributions to the field.

My first game is out now. The Vector III’s Potluck Sign-up Sheet involves a merchant spaceship crew embroiled in relationship difficulties. The crew takes extreme action–including holding a potluck.

Play the game for free, leave a comment, and support Sub-Q by subscription or Patreon as you are able.

Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide now out!

Set your coordinates for adventure in Volume Five of the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide! This anthology of 24 stories is for ages 9 to 14 but can be enjoyed by anyone who likes reading about smart, creative, and diverse kids.

My second appearance in this anthology series (my first was in Volume Four) involves a girl tasked with babysitting an annoying little brother on a spaceship. If it weren’t for the aliens and life-threatening disaster, it might have been a boring day!

Find the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite bookstore.

Easy Peasy

Common Deer Press, publishes both novels and short fiction. My story, “Easy Peasy”, came out in their Short Tails segment last month. The story originated from my memories of a rather unique dish that my mother used to serve for dinner. The recipe is included in the piece.

Geri loves two things: computational linguistics and her best friend back on the Moon. When she gets assigned sociology homework on Earth, she finds she has a lot to learn about heritage, diversity, and the basis of language itself.

Find “Easy Peasy” at the handy link here and find the ingredients for the dish at your local grocery store. Enjoy!