Monthly Archives: November 2013

November 29, 2013 · 10:06 am

Get your coffee … and science fiction and fantasy

Just in time for the holidays! Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic is due out on December 9th.

UFO Publishing announces the table of contents, cover, and release date for the COFFEE: 14 CAFFEINATED TALES OF THE FANTASTIC anthology.

Also announcing a limited-time holiday bundle special. Get all 3 of our books (including Coffee!) for only $29.99 through December 9!

Already have the other books? No problem. You can pre-order Coffee for $9.99 (free shipping!) or the e-book for only $2.99.

Get all the info at the UFO Publishing site.

Got a science fiction/fantasy lover on your list? Grab the UFO Publishing bundle for them. You get:

  • Unidentified Funny Objects (includes my story The Secret Life of Sleeping Beauty)
  • Unidentified Funny Objects 2
  • Coffee (Includes my story Ghost in the Coffee Machine)

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November 24, 2013 · 10:40 am

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 47 the one with abandonment issues

Week 47! Almost the end of November and nearly the end of 2013.

This week, I signed up for The Southeast Review’s Writing Regimen (again). It’s what started this whole Write 1/Sub 1 adventure last year. (I practiced using those prompts before kicking off the official Write 1/Sub 1 in January.)

And while I didn’t use all the prompts when I signed up in June, in reviewing my notebook, I realized that the regimen paid for itself, so to speak. So, I figure it’s a good way to end the year.

This week, I became totally obsessed with this picture that I saw on Twitter:

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I was all: must. write. story. True, I know nothing about power plants, and in particular, those in Budapest, Hungary. But why let that stop me? I wrote myself into a corner each day, and each day, wrote myself out of it. It was fun.

Oh, and if you’re as fascinated as I am by the photo, you can see more here.

Writing:

  • Abandonment Issues ~ 2,250 words

Submissions:

  • Incriminating Evidence

Rejections:

  • The Secret Life of Sleeping Beauty (reprint market)
  • Filling the Space
  • Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • Elvis Has Left the Building ~ It’s live at the Untreed Reads store. (Elvis lives!) You can buy it there for fifty cents for both Nook and Kindle formats. To send the story directly to your e-reader, go through the entire checkout process at Untreed Reads. At the end of that, there’s an option to download the story or send it to your e-reader.

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November 23, 2013 · 10:07 am

Publication: Elvis Has Left the Building

Elvis Has Left the Building

Elvis Has Left the Building

Here it is!

Elvis hits the virtual stands today at Untreed Reads. Curious about what you might get for fifty cents (that’s right, 5-0 cents)? Well, here you go:

Second generation Elvis impersonator, Elliot, is content with his small-town circuit and regular gigs at the Holiday Inn, until he attracts a fan who has never heard of the King.

But stepping free of the shadow cast by both his father and Elvis may prove to be impossible.

To get Elvis Has Left the Building for fifty cents, click on through to the Untreed Reads site. You can buy it in all major e-formats (Nook, Kindle, iPad) and for Kindle and Nook users, there’s a new functionality that lets you send the story directly to your reader.

Once you reach the checkout, you’ll have the option to download the file to your computer or send it to your e-reader (Nook or Kindle) directly.

I tried it. It’s really cool. Plus, you get a far better deal.  You can’t even get a cup of coffee for fifty cents these days. But for that price, you can take Elvis with you anywhere.

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November 17, 2013 · 12:35 pm

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 46 the one with a seaside ghost

Week 46! I was going to start this off with the phrase: another busy week, but yeah. I’ve used that. More than once. That being said, there was plenty in my inbox, on my screen, and in my notebook to keep me busy.

I worked on a couple rewrite requests, fought a mighty battle with a seaside ghost, and found a home for my flash piece A Measure of Sorrow, which will be in issue 16 of Luna Station Quarterly.

Yes, I got my write 1 in for the week, and 3,400 words of it no less. However, this story wants to be so much more, maybe even a whole novel. So … I ponder. For now. And the only reason I call it Seaside Ghost is it’s about a ghost and takes place at … wait for it … the seaside. Yeah. Not one of my more creative titles.

Writing:

  • Seaside Ghost ~ 3,400 words

Submissions:

  • What Little Remains
  • The Perfect Canvas

Rejections:

  • What Little Remains

Acceptances:

Publications:

  • Elvis Has Left the Building ~ shhhh, it’s not officially up on the Untreed Reads site yet, but if you want to grab a copy of Elvis Has Left the Building, you can get it for Kindle or Nook.

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November 10, 2013 · 10:59 am

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 45 the one with boots

Week 45! A busy week since we were gearing up for a software release at work. Even so, I did write a flash fiction story and worked on summaries for Just a Matter of Time and Elvis Has Left the Building.

Plus, Timeless Tales has accepted the retelling of Puss in Boots that I wrote for their call for submissions. So, yes, A Most Marvelous Pair of Boots will have a home.

Writing:

  • Doreen’s Muse ~ 1,000 words

Submissions:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • Breakfast in the Desert

Rejections:

  • Rules for Visiting Hades

Acceptances:

  • A Most Marvelous Pair of Boots ~ Puss in Boots retelling

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November 3, 2013 · 11:27 am

Write 1/Sub 1 check in: week 44 the one where I keep time

Week 44! This was a busy writing week. My big goal was to complete a story for the Flash Fiction Challenge. The night before, I had a dream about the challenge and the topic assignment.

My “dream” topic?

Family outing / An  outdoor concert / a tennis ball

And yes, I realize “family outing” is not a literary genre. Even so, in my dream-state, I was brainstorming and drafting a story for this. It had something to do with Nazi Germany. Yes, a natural extension of the topic. Although it makes more sense when you consider that I’ve been reading Operation Mincemeat this week.

So imagine my relief when I woke up to find this as my assignment:

Horror / A tattoo parlor / High heels

Now that’s more like it. Unlike the last round, this suggested many story ideas almost immediately. While I don’t think the final story is scary enough for horror, I had too much fun to really care. Plus, if I don’t earn enough points to push me into the next round, I won’t have to worry about those crazy dreams about the challenge.

Even better, if I ever want to get a tattoo, I’m set.

Also this week, I doubled the word count on another short story, wrote a short poem/micro-fiction thingy, and received e-galleys for the coffee anthology and the proofed copy of my short story Elvis Has Left the Building.

And, of course, my story Keeping Time is live at Kazka Press. Click on through to read all seven stories this month.

Writing:

  • The Perfect Canvas ~ 1,000 words
  • Hurry Up and Wait ~ 100 words
  • Inside Out ~ 2,300 words added

Submissions:

  • Five to Freedom
  • The Maze
  • What Little Remains

Rejections:

  • Five to Freedom
  • What Little Remains
  • Two Hammers

Acceptances:

  • None

Published:

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November 2, 2013 · 11:10 am

Publication: Keeping Time

My flash fiction Keeping Time is live on Kazka Press! Click through to read it and all the other November stories.

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