Death of East is a collection of 9 weird tales that strain against the borders of reality, filled with sky-painting giants, gods of the mud, and a world where the direction East can die. Readers have called it- “magical … poetic … out-of-the-box … a little gem.“ It’s currently available as an e-book through Amazon: – Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads Story: The direction East is dead. When the direction East, a giant living atop an island at the far Eastern ‘pole’, is murdered, the Empire falls into disarray. The compass can no longer be trusted, and trade …
Cullsman #9 – 9 Science Fiction Stories
Cullsman #9 is a collection of 9 science fiction stories that chart the untamed outer fringe of existence, filled with ruined intergalactic civilizations, lonely globe-roaming robots, and a memetic virus that could destroy all things. Readers have called it- “Intriguing … atmospheric … other-worldly … excellent.” It’s currently available as an e-book through Amazon: – Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads Story: Would you kill a world to save your family? In the depths of space, the cannibal planet the Host hunts. With its own resources depleted, it ‘hooks’ other living worlds through an immensely complex process called …
Cullsman #9 @ Andromeda Spaceways
The Cull needs you. My story Cullsman #9 is now available to buy in Andromeda Spaceways semi-pro zine, in edition 55, here. I first wrote Cullsman some 5 years ago, inspired by an idea I had 10 years ago, of a galactic hunter-gatherer ‘snail’ civilization that trawls across the universe dragging its own Dyson sphere with it, stopping to harvest planets along the way. Awesome? I always thought so, but I couldn’t make the story kick the way I really wanted to- it was all idea and no forward momentum. Then a year ago I dusted it off, completely rewrote …
The Tonsor’s Son @ Podcastle
I knew from the moment I saw him that his beard was full of evil. My story The Tonsor’s Son is now up on the PodCastle website- an awesome semi-pro zine that makes audio recordings of short stories. The rendering they’ve given to my story- which begins as above, about beards full of evil, is fantastic. When I wrote that the bad guy had a voice like curds comfortably stuck deep in his throat, I never really imagined what it would sound like. Well, reader Steve Anderson obviously has, and the result is pretty amazing. But what is The Tonsor’s …
I need your vote!
My story ‘Bone Diamond‘ about blood-lust and greed in alt. ancient Egypt is in the running to be published in an anthology! It was published last year in the pro-zine Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and now they’re doing a vote to see which stories from 2011 will go into the anthology. I’d love it to be my story, so I’d love for you to go vote! Though of course it’s really only honest if you did read the story and do think its worthy. It’s very easy to vote- just go to this site- http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/2012/07/30/reader-poll-for-best-of-bcs-year-three-anthology/ And type this (copy-paste)- Michael John …
story craft #17 Thin vs. Fat Stories
What is the right balance of thin vs. fat in a fantasy or sf story? I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I’ve had a few story sales to the pro and semi-pro markets now (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, Ideomancer, etc..), plus dozens of rejections, and been trying to deconstruct the patterns that work. I think I’ve found the/a winning pattern, and it’s all about thin vs. fat. First off, what do I mean thin vs. fat? Thin is plot, conflict, movement, Dan Brown style writing. There’s very little time spent establishing character or setting, so very little sense …
The Bells of Subsidence @ Clarkesworld
My story The Bells of Subsidence is published this month in the professional magazine Clarkesworld. I really hope you’ll take the time to go read it- it’s one of my favorite stories and I’m so pleased Clarkesworld is giving it a wider audience. Read it here! It’s basically a Forrest Gump-ish love story across the massive sweep of super-string space. If you like it, I’d love it if you shared it with your friends via Facebook and Twitter. I’d love it even more if you also subscribed to this site’s free feed by RSS or email, so you get story …
The Orphan Queen @ Ideomancer
My story The Orphan Queen – which shows, slantwise, the terribleness of isolation and the terrible bravery it takes to conquer it – has been published this month on the semi-pro magazine Ideomancer. I’ve been striving to be published in Ideomancer for something like 8 years, so I’m totally psyched that I finally made it. How many stories have I submitted there over the years? What did Ideomancer have to say about them? Coniferous Bob – 2008 – “too much idiom, drowns out the rest” The Giant Robot and the Myna Bird – 2008 – “no but liked, however no …
Feyon in the Doll Room
Feyon is the voice of wealth and pampered privilege in DAWN RISING, my epic fantasy novel. She has never had to work a day in her life; rather she is treated like a porcelain doll by an army of maids and retainers, dressed and primped endlessly, and looks on Dawn and the others in the Abbey as if they are her playthings to toy with. However, there is steel at Feyon’s core, and a horrible secret even she has struggled to forget- centred around the grand doll room in her mansion in the Roy, where all the figures of her …
story craft #16 Flash-forward Openings
What do you think about stories that open with flash-forwards? Consider the movie Fight Club. Ed Norton brandishes a gun and conducts a bizarre conversation with Brad Pitt. They are in a dimly lit skyscraper looking out over a city’s night skyline. We are totally engaged and intrigued. What the F is going on? Who are these guys, and why are they talking like this? Smash cut- and we’re yanked back to the beginning. If we want answers to our questions, we’ll have to watch the whole movie. push / pull Let’s call this a pull opening, because it pulls …