Tales of the Rose Knights

Since January, Daily Science Fiction has been posting ongoing entries in this particular series of tales every other Wednesday. You don't get to know everything about the world in which the Rose Knights serve. You just get glimpses into their lives, a different story for a different knight, just enough to give you an idea of who these fighters, almost all women, truly are. And they're beautifully written stories, and I've spend most of these particular Wednesday mornings trying to figure out how to encourage the day to pass more quickly so that I can go read the new story on my lunch break.

But don't take my word for it. Read the Tales of the Rose Knights here.

"There Are No Carriages or Footmen in the Suburbs"

Heya! I have to say, I like this possible trend of being able to announce stories getting published at the start of the year.

I've known that this story was going to be featured on Black Denim Lit for some time; now I'm very happy to get to share it with you. It features Death moving into a suburban duplex, so I hope you enjoy it!

Click this link to read "There Are No Carriages or Footmen in the Suburbs"

Daily Science Fiction

So. A few years behind the times, I know, but a couple of months ago, I stumbled across Daily Science Fiction. Now, it's become something I really look forward to reading on the weekdays.

For those who aren't familiar with it, here are the important points that I hope will motivate you to check it out:

1. It's free.
2. It delivers a new short story to your inbox every weekday.
3. It features stories from new and established writers alike, so it does wonders for exposing readers to authors they might not know.
4. It's free.

Below are two of my recent favorites. Check them out--maybe you'll enjoy them, too!

"What Wags the World" by Sarah Pinsker
"In Autumn" by Theodora Goss

Shut up and take my money!

I was going on about this delightful ad in the back of the May/June The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction to all of my co-workers earlier in the week, so I figured I should share it here as well.

 

Things I've Enjoyed Recently

It's always tough to figure out what to say when it comes to updating this site. Yep, I'm still working on writing. Nope, I haven't done as much with my stories as I want to. I feel confident of about maybe five percent of what I write. The rest of it requires me to go back, edit madly, start new stories, and hope to get better.

My Saturday nights are quite exciting. The stuff of legend, you can be sure.

Anyway, in addition to scribbling my own stuff, I also read and listen to the stuff that other people create. Here's some stuff I've enjoyed in recent weeks:

1) Trubbled Youth by Felipe Echevarria

Because it feels like an old-school zine, and because I love how expressive his figures are. This was one of my favorite finds of C2E2 2015.

2) "21 Steps to Enlightenment (Minus One)" by LaShawn M. Wanak, read for PodCastle by Khaalidah Muhammed-Ali

PodCastle often makes for excellent listening for a long work commute, and this story caught me right from the start with its premise. I wouldn't have guessed that the story developed the way it did, which was part of why I loved it so.

3) The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

The major plot points seemed familiar (Pregnancy! Death! A manic pixie dream girl!), but there were so many of the small notes that were just right, from the way that David's first attempts with his artistic gift don't meet with success to the conversations he has with Uncle Harry (actually, throw in all of the conversations about art--they felt painfully real). And Scott McCloud's artwork is solid and subtle, but I thought it made the most of the medium. And I cried at the end.

Hope you've been enjoying some good stuff on your end, whoever and wherever you are!

Amazing Fantasy

Amazing Fantasy Books and Comics in Tinley Park​ was the first dedicated comic shop I ever visited, so I went out yesterday to see it one more time before the big move to its new location. Only when I got home and looked at this photo did I notice the little yellow plush sitting inside the security mirror up right. Somehow, its presence there seems entirely fitting.

The Last Unicorn

It was my favorite movie when I was a kid. When I got older, it became one of my favorite books.

Little '80s Me is rather fascinated by this recent synth-tastic cover of the movie's theme song. She's also still ready to cry every time the song gets to the "I'm alive!" part.

Go ahead. Play the video above. BE VULNERABLE WITH ME.