So, I took a break last week and didn’t post on this blog. And by “take a break” I mean I took some time to wander the city and do some fun things. Then, I used the remaining hours of the weekend to finish revisions on a story I owe. Which, if it all works out, should be available to read sometime in February or March 2023!
I’m such a party animal.
But I do have some news I can talk about publicly this week. I’m excited to share that my story “A Record of Our Meeting with the Grand Faerie Lord of Vast Space and Its Great Mysteries, Revised” is going to be reprinted in Paula Guran’s Year’s Best Anthology! This story was originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies and in terms of structure and voice, it’s one of the most ambitions pieces I’ve attempted to date. So I’m thrilled it has been chosen!
The full list of stories in the anthology can be found here. I’ll share the release date of the book when I know when it is.
Short Story Recommendation of the Week: We, the Enchanted Castle by Mae Juniper Stokes over at Strange Horizons.
It’s that time of year again and I’m not talking about the holidays, though I’m excited for American Thanksgiving next week. (Four day weekend and homemade cranberry sauce!) Award season for the science fiction, fantasy, and horror community has begun, and it’s good practice to post a year end round up of your work and where to find it.
Also, since Twitter seems on the verge of collapse, I thought I’d mention that you can find me on Mastodon at @atgreenblatt@wandering.shop.
Also, I’m hoping to post on this blog weekly.
Okay, onto the stories. It’s been a bit of a rocky year for me in terms of writing, but three stories of mine were published and in some excellent venues.
Published March 2022 in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. 7,600 words (novelette)
“It should be noted here, at the beginning of the record, that the decision to invite such an esteemed and unknowable entity was not made lightly nor without a great deal of heated debate among the crew. [Addition: Upon reflection, Pilot Uma and Navigator Wilson conducted most of the debate and, ultimately, made the decision. The events that followed could have perhaps been avoided had they sought wider counsel.] However, it was agreed by all that the potential results were worth the risk. The crew was eager to
Published January 2022 in Slate Magazine. 7,000 words (short story)
“The open road is just potholes and misery, but Sabrina loves it anyway. Not that she has anything against the national train system, trains are great. But it’s the challenge, the potential to rebuild everything, that has her doing final checks on Gran’s old Jeep at the starting line of the Great American Road Race.
Not that Gran would’ve recognized her beloved car.”
Photo illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo/Slate. Photos by Ruben Hanssen/Unsplash, Ravi Sharma/Unsplash, Brandon Green/Unsplash
Published June 2022 in the Bridge to Elsewhere Anthology. 4,000 words (short story)
“Tessa rubbed her face. Click, click went her teeth, but now, her only accompaniment was the ship’s deep hum. The junkyard man had warned her she was on borrowed time with The Castaway when she’d bought it, but there was something, something that Tessa couldn’t quite name, that whispered, Don’t give up on the ship. Not yet“
That’s it! What have you read this year that you’ve loved? Have you published something that you’re proud of? Please feel free to leave a comment!
Oh man, what a year. It feels like it’s been both a month long and stretching out for centuries. Still, I can’t complain too much, I’ve been lucky. And I know I’ve said this every year for the last few years, but this has truly been an amazing year for my writing career. I got stories accepted by magazines that I’ve been trying to break into for a decade. I finished some very difficult pieces and did some tie-in writing for Magic the Gathering. Also, I won a Nebula!
So, yeah, no complaints.
I had two stories come out this year – a novelette and short story. I’d be thrilled if you checked them out. They both have audio versions too.
It’s that time of year again where writers and readers start looking back at what’s been published in the last 12 months. I think I say this every year, but I really mean it this time: 2019 was an INCREDIBLE year for me in terms of publishing. I had 6 short stories come out in professional markets and my first nonfiction essay, as well as a handful of reprints.
Here’s the list. Some stories have an audio version too. They can be found at the link.
The lakeside painter is lying, but no one seems to care.
It’s a beautiful lie, even Elodie will admit that. There are two lovers on the pier with the painter, sitting for their portrait, and she’s honest about the way the light of the setting sun catches their hair, the way the breeze ripples their clothes, how they lean into each other. She gets so many details right that even Elodie doesn’t notice what’s missing at first.
I lost my favorite fingers as I was walking to the library. Spotting it first from the corner of my eye, I glanced down. A gasp seized up in my throat. Instead of the long, beautiful, expertly manicured prosthetics that Sonya made me, there were ten empty nubs. And the grief I’d been carrying these last few months grew heavier
Team Work – Fireside Magazine (with an audio version available) – 1,000 words.
I was never an amazing Super. I only joined the team because I wanted to be with people like me. I never thought I’d, you know, try to save anyone.
As 2018 comes to a close, writers and readers in the science fiction/fantasy world start looking back on what was published over the year. In terms of writing, 2018 has been a good year for me. I was extremely fortunate to have two stories come out in Uncanny and a story in the final issue of Mythic Delirium.
And Yet– Uncanny Magazine, March 2018 (4,600 words)
Heavy Lifting – Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction! (Uncanny), September 2018 (5,000 words)
“Right now, there’s a silent monster roaming the city, and though Adwin has never seen it and doesn’t know exactly what it is, he can’t pretend not to see the damage. The blocks full of empty houses and empty people. Like a parasite has gorged on their insides but kept the façade intact. And lately, that emptiness has been spreading.”
That’s what I got. What have you read this year that you’ve enjoyed?
So it’s that time of year again, where some of us are trying to catch up on the stories that we’ve missed in the last 12 months. As it happens, I’ve had two stories come out in 2017 that I’m quite proud of.
Even in the best of times, these types of posts are always awkward for me to write. And 2016 has been a rough year on many different fronts. It feels a bit selfish to be posting this today (especially today) in the wake of all that’s happening in the world.
But terrible global events shouldn’t negate our small triumphs. So we fight on.
In terms of writing, 2016…hasn’t been bad to me. I had three short stories I’m proud of published in markets I really loved. These stories are:
And as if that wasn’t awesome enough, “A Non-Hero’s Guide to the Road of Monsters” is going to be reprinted in Rich Horton’s TheYear’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017. How cool is that?!!!!
I’m hoping to post a “Fiction I Loved This Year” compilation here soon. Maybe in a few weeks, when I’ve caught up a bit on my “To Be Read” pile.
Special thanks to all my friends who offered encouragement, read rough drafts, and just listened when I was frustrated. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Curiosity Sometimes Pays Off 