Playground of a Lesser God

Just in time for Halloween, I’m pleased to offer my short story, Playground of a Lesser God, online for free!

Alone in her abandoned neighborhood on Halloween night, 10-year-old Elena is surrounded by ghost memories of her past. On the ruined playground where she used to go with her little sister, she solves a puzzle, uncovers a unique invention and is given the gift of hope for her future—but not before experiencing the scariest night of her life.

Set on the Gulf Coast of Texas in 1959, Elena’s story is historical science fiction—an atypical Halloween tale that rides the waves of the fantastic while always staying close to shore.

Because this story is set in a place near to my heart and has some basis in historical facts, I’ve included some pictures and links at the back in case you’re interested in knowing more about The Rhino or the setting.

It is available online for ereaders of all kinds. Click on this link to see your options: https://www.books2read.com/u/mqZPkZ An Amazon listing is in the works, though the caveat is that they will not list works for free, at least not right away. If you see it listed for .99, that’s why.

For those who prefer it, you can also get it right here! Clicking the link below will cause a zip file to download to your computer. It contains three files: an .epub (will work on most ereaders), .mobi (works only for Kindle) and .pdf (any device that has an Adobe reader on it). Use whichever works for you.

Playground of a Lesser God – ebooks

For those who only want a .pdf (Adobe) version of the story, click this and it will download to your device/computer: Playground of a Lesser God_full

Hope you enjoy Elena’s story.

About the title of this anthology:

For more than 1,000 years, Santiago de Compostela (Compostela means “field of stars”) has attracted pilgrims to walk to the cathedral that holds St. James the apostle’s relics. The stories in this anthology in their own way tell the tale of futuristic travelers who journey into the dark outer (or inner) reaches of space, searching for their own connections to the past, present and future relics of their time.

Get it now, Kindle users!

Compostela, Tesseracts Twenty is available only through Kindle Exclusive ebook.

Future Release Dates:
E-book Everywhere: September 4, 2017
Print in Canada: September 11, 2017
Print in USA: October 9, 2017

I’m proud to have a story in this anthology which also features stories and poems by this awesome line-up:

• Alan Bao
• John Bell
• Chantal Boudreau
• Leslie Brown
• Tanya Bryan
• J. R. Campbell
• Eric Choi
• David Clink
• paulo da costa
• Miki Dare
• Robert Dawson
• Linda DeMeulemeester
• Steve Fahnestalk
• Jacob Fletcher
• Catherine Girczy
• R. Gregory
• Mary-Jean Harris
• Geoffrey Hart
• Michaela Hiebert
• Matthew Hughes
• Guy Immega
• Garnet Johnson-Koehn
• Michael Johnstone
• Cate McBride
• Lisa Ann McLean
• Rati Mehrotra
• Derryl Murphy
• Brent Nichols
• Susan Pieters
• Alexandra Renwick
• Rhea Rose
• Robert J. Sawyer
• Thea van Diepen

Thanks to Edge Publishing for continuing the tradition of this legendary anthology and to Spider Robinson and James Alan Gardner for editing this, the twentieth version.

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All these months of an invisible writing website doesn’t mean that I haven’t been writing however. I have been working hard and steadily on a fantasy novel. My goal for a finished first draft is the end of June.

And, at long last, Tesseracts Twenty will be out in ebook format soon and in print in the fall. It promises to be a fantastic anthology and will include my story, “No Others Like Us.”

It is good to be back.

Charles Payseur wrote in his blog, Quick Sip Reviews:

This story marks the most serious the issue gets (as far as original fiction is concerned) and the whole issue is organized to earn this moment of solemnity and yearning. It’s a post-apocalyptic story and one of the few really science fiction stories of the issue, too, that looks at the way that people kill and the responsibility they hold to killing and yet the will to live. To survive. Not to fulfill any sort of human destiny or greatness. Not because the loss of humanity would be the worst thing in the world. But because of human curiosity and a desire to hope. Not for survival, but for something worth surviving. Something better than what came before. There’s a lot here about atonement and about accidents and about escape. The main characters live in relative comfort in this new world and sort of keep to themselves, but as they venture out, as they come face to face with their own continued footprint, they have to examine what good they’re doing and what good they can do and what they owe it to the world to do. There’s a bit of a tangled web to this story, of connections and wrongs and death, but it’s one that’s well handled. And there’s a weight here that goes well with the main character’s age, his tiredness, but also that lingering will to see what happens next. To participate. To try even if it might fall apart again, trying to learn from mistakes and plan accordingly. And it’s a touching, beautiful read. Check it out!

The story is set in the imagined, post-apocalyptic bedroom community of Darien, Connecticut where I used to live many years ago, so I must say to my friends who live or have lived there that:

This is a work of fiction! Names, characters, places are either the products of my imagination or used in a totally fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is unintended and coincidental.

This story was written with love and respect for what was and is, and, yes, fear of what might be. May coastal Connecticut stay lush and green, and may Long Island Sound forever stay where it has always been! ***Kiss, kiss***

And a big thank you to Charles Payseur for his thoughtful words and the time and energy that go into all his reviews. Check them out. Read mine, and reviews of some of the other stories in the issue, here: http://quicksipreviews.blogspot.ca/2016/07/quick-sips-fantasy-scroll-13.html

My story, “Hu.man and Best,” is set in far-future Africa.

After being passed over for promotion, Kanali Zohra Betts, is on a sentimental journey to southern Africa, which, decades before, was ceded to the Androidal Cognitive Entities (ACE) as part of a peace treaty between AIs and humans. There Betts discovers “Hu.man,” and suddenly finds herself embroiled in what could become an international incident, if she doesn’t handle it, the ACE, and her new commanding officer with finesse and intelligence. This is a story about identity, family, belonging, and what it means to be fully human.

These are all wonderfully imaginative and well-told stories. Check it out today!

…left unsown for a period, in order to restore fertility…

Because of REASONS, I haven’t been writing for weeks. I did some revisions and a couple of new subs in April, but that resulted in: not much. I currently have only one short story (a reprint) and one novel on submission and—due to selling seven stories in a little over a year!—not enough other stories ready for market.

This feels: bad, poor, unproductive, scary. What if it never ends? What if I never get re-seeded?
(On the other hand, it feels GREAT that I sold so many stories! Who knew it would have a down side?)

And then I remind myself that this is normal behavior for me. I do this. On again, off again. Up and down. Fertile, fallow. This particular fallow period comes after weeks of fecundity in the first months of the year.

But now it’s time to work. To write new words. To strengthen those stories that are almost-but-not-quite ready.

“Seeds” is a word used by writers to mean: little ideas that inspire. They—illustrations, photos, snippets of sensory data—are often exchanged in writing forums. Found on Pinterest boards. Or any where, really. The point is to get to work gathering seeds. Sometimes you only need one.

I’m prepared. The rows are furrowed. The soil is waiting. I just need to find the right seeds and sow them.

And then, oh yeah, farm.

Have I mashed that metaphor into the ground sufficiently? I believe so. Hoe down, peeps.

For Immediate Release
(Calgary, Alberta) EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing invites you to join us in congratulating the following authors selected for inclusion in Compostela (Tesseracts Twenty) edited by James Alan Gardner and Spider Robinson.

About Compostela (Tesseracts Twenty)
Compostela (Tesseracts Twenty) is an anthology of hard and soft science fiction stories that best represent a futuristic view of the sciences and how humanity might be affected (for better or worse) by a reliance in all things technological. Look for it in the spring of 2017.

Introducing the Authors:
Included in the 2017 edition of this long standing Canadian Speculative Fiction anthology are:
Alan (Heyuan) Bao
Alexandra Camille Renwick
Catherine Girczyc
Chantal Boudreau
Catherine McBride
David Clink
Derryl Murphy
Eric Choi
Garnet Johnson-Koehn
Guy Immega
Matthew Hughes
John Bell
Jacob Fletcher
Linda DeMeulemeester
Lisa Ann McLean
Leslie Brown
Miki Dare
Mary-Jean Harris
Michaela Hiebert
Nancy S.M. Waldman
paulo da costa
Rati Mehrotra
Robert Dawson
Rhea Rose
R. Gregory
Robert J. Sawyer
Steve Fahnestalk
Susan Pieters
Tanya Bryan
Jeff R. Campbell
Michael Johnstone

What Makes The Tesseracts Series Special:
If you are just discovering The Tesseracts Series for the first time, or reacquainting yourself with this Canadian literary legacy, here are some key points to remember:
The Tesseracts series is focused on speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy and horror.

The first Tesseracts anthology was edited by the late Judith Merril.

Each year EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing chooses a team of editors – which keeps the collections fresh, new and ever changing – from among the best of Canada’s writers, publishers and critics. The editors then select innovative and futuristic short fiction and poetry from established and emerging voices of Canadian speculative fiction.

Since the publication of the first volume in 1985, Canadian authors, editors, translators and special guests have contributed 563 short stories, poems, editorials and forwards to the series.

Each volume of the series features established as well as emerging authors. Some of Canada’s best known fiction writers have been published within the pages of these volumes – including Margaret Atwood, Susan Swan, and Hugo and Nebula award winning authors William Gibson, Spider Robinson, and Robert J. Sawyer.

The entire series includes Tesseracts One through Nineteen, plus Tesseracts Q, which features translations of works by some of Canada’s top francophone writers of science fiction and fantasy.
The series has won the prestigious Canadian Aurora Award.

For further information about the Tesseracts anthology, the editors or authors of Compostela please visit www.edgewebsite.com, or email Janice Shoults at events@hadespublications.com

I was fortunate enough to be a first reader for her novella Waiting to Fly and it is a treat. Here’s an excerpt along with more information on what else is available in this awesome collection. Get yours now!

From the StoryBundle website:

“How would you like to own, at an incredible bargain, ten books that readers like yourself have already voted to be the best examples of speculative fiction published in Canada? Well, here’s your chance. The Aurora Award Bundle contains winners and finalists for Canada’s premier speculative fiction award, the Aurora Award.

Our curator, Douglas Smith, has won the Aurora three times and been on the final ballot another sixteen.

One of his goals when putting this bundle together, aside from offering the best books possible, was to have a gender balance in the selected authors. Mission accomplished. The bundle includes five female and five male authors. You’ll also get a great mix of SF and fantasy, adult and YA novels, as well as a selection of short fiction. The bundle also reflects the long history of the Auroras, with titles spanning over twenty years of Canadian speculative fiction.

You can read more about how the bundle was assembled here.”

Check it out now while it’s still available!