Huzzah! At long last... six months after it was submitted to Audible, it's finally live.
Get it here today -> https://geni.us/ExposedAB
LGBTQ
Migration – Out Now!
Queer Sci Fi has just released the annual QSF Flash Fiction anthology. This year, the theme is "Migration."
MI-GRA-TION (noun)
1) Seasonal movement of animals from one region to another.
2) Movement of people to a new area or country in order to find work or better living conditions.
3) Movement from one part of something to another.
Three definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell. Here are 120 of our favorites.
Migration feaures 300 word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.
Giveaway
Queer Sci Fi is giving away a $20 gift Amazon certificate with this tour – enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d4774/?
Excerpt
Each year, hundreds of writers send in stories for the Queer Sci Fi flash fiction anthology. Here are the opening lines from some of the stories chosen for the 2019 edition – Migration:
“Darkness has substance. It is tangible; different shades within the black, sounds, a taste. It is accompanied by self-awareness of time and thoughts, even when other senses fail.” —Hope for Charity, by Robyn Walker
“The sky has been screaming for five straight days when the shrimps come to take us away. They’ve been boxing up the others and hauling them off. Now they’re here for us, soaking wet, dragging cords and crates behind them.” —Shrimpanzee, Sionnain Bailey
“Allister always had faultless hair. He’d comb and gel it to perfection while gazing in the mirror. One day a pair of eyes stared back.” —Zulu Finds a Home, by Kevin Klehr
“On her sister’s wedding day Ari noticed that one of her ears had migrated to her hand. It was right after her high school crush, Emily, arrived with Cousin Matt.” —Playing It By Ear, Aidee Ladnier
“The wound was fatal. Their vessel wouldn't live much longer. This is what came from leaving loose ends. Frantically they sought out a new vessel to migrate to. “ —The Essence, by L.M. Brown
“That night, we were sitting in the bed of her daddy’s old pickup truck and the radio was playing the best song. We had a pack of cigarettes between us and her hand was almost touching mine. The wheat field was silver in the moonlight. When they came, we weren’t surprised, just disappointed that our time was up already.” —Our Song, by Lauren Ring
“Willow said she was my wife, but I knew it wasn’t her, not the right her, anyway. Sure she looked like her with olive skin and bright pink hair. She even smelled of mango flowers, just like I remembered, but there was something about her smile that was slightly off, something about when she said she loved me that didn’t sit well in my old heart.” — They Said It Would Be Her, by Elizabeth Andre
“Agnes is eight when she first sees the river. Cutting its way through town, the only thing she knows not coated in coal dust. She sticks her toes in, comes home with wet socks and a secret. See, the river hadn’t been there yesterday.” —Stream of Consciousness, by Ziggy Schutz
“Terry twirled in her green synthsilk dress, looked at her reflection, liked what she saw. She felt good in her own skin, for maybe the first time.” —Altball, by RE Andeen
“The thing was in the corner. It had come through the window and had slid down the wall. Scratch went the sound. The noise of a hundred nails clawing at the wood. Nails of white bone. Alex pulled the sheets up quickly, covering every inch of skin and hair in a warm darkness.” —Whose Nightmare, by Jamie Bonomi
Author Bio
A hundred and twenty authors are included in Migration:
- Butterflies, by A O'Donovan
- The Return, by A.M. Leibowitz
- A New Spring, by Aaron Silver
- Universal Quota, by Abby Bartle
- The Call of Home, by Adrienne Wilder
- Starfall, by Adrik Kemp
- Playing it By Ear, by Aidee Ladnier
- Rabbit, by Amanda Thomas
- That Does Not Love…, by Andi Deacon
- Inborn, by Andrea Speed
- Saving Ostakis, by Angelica Primm
- A Dawn Wish, by Antonia Aquilante
- Diaspora, by Ariel E. James
- Transmigration, by Ashby Danvers
- Across the Mirror, by Ava Kelly
- Between, by BE Allatt
- The Speck, by Bey Deckard
- The King of the Mountain Cometh, by Bob Goddard
- Before and After, by C. A. Chesse
- Home, by C.A. McDonald
- Too Much Tech, by C.L. Mannarino
- Ze Who Walks Into the Future, by Carey Ford Compton
- The Gate, by Carol Holland March
- Our Last Light Skip, by Chloe Spencer
- Passage, by Christine Taylor-Butler
- The Perils of Pick-Up Lines, by Colton Aalto
- Parched, by Crysta K. Coburn
- Changeling Dreams, by Damian Serbu
- Destinations, by Dave Creek
- Another Job, Another Planet, by David Viner
- Thiefmaster Rosalind's Apprentice, by Devon Widmer
- A Weight Off Their Shoulders, by Diane Morrison
- Once a Year, by Dianne Hartsock
- Mettle, by Die BoothForever Bound, by E.W. Murks
- They Said It Would Be Her, by Elizabeth Andre
- Til Death Do Us Part, by Elizabeth Anglin
- Little One, by Eloreen Moon
- GBFN, by Emilia Agrafojo
- The Long Distance Thing, by Ether Nepenthes
- Call My People Home, by Evelyn Benvie
- Jace vs. the Incubi, by Eytan Bernstein
- A New Tradition, by Foster Bridget Cassidy
- The Curious Cabinet, by Ginger Streusel
- Ready, by Hank Edwards
- The Albatrosses, by Harry F. Rey
- A Boy's Shadow, by Helen De Cruz
- Portrait of a Lady, by Isobel Granby
- Beam That Is In, by J. Comer
- The Hunt, by J. R. Frontera
- Repeating History, by J. Summerset
- Neil's Journey, by J.P. Bowie
- Homeward Bound, by J.S. Garner
- Whose Nightmare?, by Jamie Bonomi
- A Moment of Bravery, by Jessie Pinkham
- Laetus, by Jet Lupin
- Where You Go, I'll Follow, by Joe Baumann
- Ambrose Out of Ash, by Jonathan Fesmire
- Shooting Modes, by Joshua Darrow
- TerrorForm, by Juam Jocom
- The Curse, by Jude Reid
- Throwing Eggs, by K E Olukoya
- Fly, by Kayleigh Sky
- The Keep, by KC Burn
- Zulu Finds a Home, by Kevin Klehr
- The Risks and Advantages of Data Migration, by Kim Fielding
- Irreversible, by kim gryphon
- Looner, by Krishan Coupland
- The Essence, by L.M. Brown
- Our Song, by Lauren Ring
- O Human Child, by Lisa Hamill
- Goodbye Marghretta, by Lou Sylvre
- Choices, by LV Lloyd
- Endangered Species, by M Joseph Murphy
- Planet Retro, Unplugged, by M. X. Kelly
- Elemental, by M.D. Grimm
- To Wish on a Love Knot, by Margaret McGaffey Fisk
- Firebirds, by Marita M. Connor
- Breeding Season, by Mary Newman
- Kooks at Home, by Matt McHugh
- Spring, by Mere Rain
- Into the South, by Mindy Leana Shuman
- Not How We Planned It, by Minerva Cerridwen
- What Is Left Behind, by Monique Cuillerier
- How Far Would You Go for the One You Love?, by Nathan Alling Long
- Innocence, by Nathaniel Taff
- Heart and Soul, by Nils Odlund
- Tides, by Patricia Scott
- Killer Queen, by Paula McGrath
- Genesis, by Pelaam
- If Pigs Could Fly, by Penelope Friday
- Click, by R R Angell
- Be Kind to Strangers, by Raina Lorring
- Altball, by RE Andeen
- Far From Home, by Riley S. Keene
- Hope for Charity, by Robyn Walker
- Night Comes to the Bea Arthur, by Rory Ni Coileáin
- MIG Ration, by S R Jones
- Going Back, by Sacchi Green
- World Behind and Home Ahead, by Sara Testarossa
- The Call of the Suet, by Sarah Hadley Brook
- Research & Development, by Shaina Phillips
- Into the Void, by Shannon Brady
- The Silkie's Dance, by Shannon West
- Seal Hunt, by Shirley Meier
- Shrimpanzee FIRST IN BOOK, by Sionnain Bailey
- The Woman With No Name, by Siri Paulson
- Memories of Clay, by Spencer Mann
- Simulacrum, by Steve Carr
- The Experience, by Steve Fuson
- Flight, by Steven Harper
- Birds of New Atlantis, by Stewart C Baker
- Lurching Forward, by Sydney Blackburn
- Spores of Retribution, by Tray Ellis
- Skin Hunger, by Treasure Nguyen
- Elvira, by Trevor Barton
- Ever After, by Warren Rochelle
- Into the Light, by Wart Hill
- Dryads, by X Marduk
- Stream of Consciousness, by Ziggy Schutz
Signed Paperback of Exposed – Giveaway
I still haven't received my paperback proof of Exposed from CreateSpace. They usually take a day or two to ship it out to me but this time, according to UPS, it's both supposed to arrive today and it hasn't been picked up from the location in the States yet. How can it be both? Heh anyway... it'll get here soon and once I've read through it again (which I'm looking forward to), it should be good to go at Amazon. I've also got a signed paperback giveaway here at Goodreads and I'll probably be doing another giveaway for my newsletter subscribers (once I actually finish writing this month's newsletter).
Thanks to everyone who've reached out to me to tell me how much they enjoyed Exposed :D (I'm thinking of asking Michael Ferraiuolo to voice the audiobook because I love his accents) and yes, promise it won't take so long to come out with my next book. Nose to the grindstone, I swear ;)
And finally: Are you looking to save some money while simultaneously giving to a good LGBT cause?
KEBB is offering BOOK BUNDLES - at a discounted price - with all the proceeds going directly to The Trevor Project to help their efforts towards crisis intervention and suicide prevention in LGBTQ youth. Bundles of like reads (such as M/M, M/F, BDSM, Taboo, etc.) have been packaged together and are being offered at well below market prices.
(pssst... my Better the Devil You Know is bundled with Joseph Lance Tonlet's The Brothers LaFon, Kora Knight's Kríe Captivity, and Joseph Lance Tonlet & Louis Steven's Quillon's Covert for five bucks! Holy shit!)
Check all the bundles out here.
Quoi de neuf
So much writing, so little time!
Work is progressing on Better the Devil You Know. I'm over the third-way mark and I'm digging the way the story is going. I originally thought to release it under a different name because it's different from what I normally write, in that it's pretty dark. I have to say that I have some doubts as to how well it's going to be received. It's dark, not romantic at all, and the end is... well... not sure. It's going to be about 50k when it's done, and it will be done sometime soon. The tags go something like this: murder, graphic torture, sexual abuse, forced incest
The other thing I've been working on is a short story (15k) that will come out either in an anthology or published on its own (or both? I wonder if that's possible?). It's also not my normal fare. I'm not going to say much more about it until I know what is going to become of it, but the tags for this one are: erotic romance, sweet, transsexual, insta-love, HFN
Then there is Let Me Shift, which is actually coming along great... I just had to take a break from it because these two *points to books mentioned above* were yelling louder than I can ignore.
One day I will get back to Sentenced to the Sword, my gladiator story. Especially since I have such a great pic to use for the cover (Thanks to the wonderfully talented Varian Krylov and her gorgeous cover models - Strangers in Strangeland) But before that... I need to get to Saban and tell his story in Learning to Speak (A Baal's Heart Book).
And, because Tom won't stop complaining about how he's "bloody bored as all hells"... I have to get back to the triad soon.
*gestures* THIS is why I've been busy lately and not around much. That and it's summer - BBQs, sunbathing, drinks on terrasses on warm summer nights. :)
The Baal Heart Trilogy is on sale for 25% off for the month of July at Smashwords - you just have to enter the coupon SSW25 at checkout.
Sign up for my newsletter (I'm going to actually send one out soon) to keep up with new stuff and get discounts on books and excerpts and whatnots.
And finally - if you haven't already, you can pick up a copy of Discovery at Amazon today and check out some awesome LGBTQ flash fic, including a story by yours truly.
Discovery: QSF’s Second Annual Flash Fiction Contest – Preorder the book now!
Publisher: Mischief Corner Books
Author: Various (including a story by me!)
Cover Artist: Bey Deckard
Length: 32K
Format: eBook, Paperback
Release Date: 7/10
Price: 3.99, TBA
It’s hard to tell a story in just 300 words. But somehow we inspired more than a hundred writers to give it a try, with some amazing results collected here for your pleasure.
The rules are simple enough. Write a complete story—either sci fi, fantasy, or paranormal. Make sure it has LGBT characters and/or an LGBT vibe. And do it all with just 300 words.
The stories in this volume run the gamut, from platypus shifters to alien slug monsters, from carnival horror stories to haunting stories of ships with souls. There are little jokes, big surprises, and future prognostications.
One of the things I like best about this format - it's quick and painless. You may not fall in love with every story here. In fact, you probably won't. But if you don't like one of them, just move on to the next, and you're sure to find some bite-sized morsels of flash fiction goodness.
At Queer Sci Fi, we're building a community of writers and readers who want a little rainbow in their speculative fiction. We hope you'll join us, and maybe submit a story of your own next time!
Excerpt:
Self-Actuating - Jenn Burke
"The electrical anomaly did not damage me," I report. "Operations are within expected parameters."
"Glad to hear it, Davey." Through my bridge cameras, I see Captain Landon's smile. He pats my console. I am sure he knows I cannot feel it, but I understand it is a gesture of camaraderie.
Landon leaves the bridge. Every time we encounter danger or other stress, he retreats to his cabin to indulge in May. She is always ready, naked, legs spread, eager, just as she is programmed to be. I have watched Landon copulate before, but tonight it is...strangely familiar. The flex of buttocks, the rhythm—I know it. I knew it? I run my diagnostics again, but a moan captures my attention and...
Hands cupping firm buttocks, fingers spearing flesh. Hardness moving inside of me, wringing from me more pleasure than I should know. A beloved, masculine face hovers over mine. A hand encircles my own erection and—
Oh, God, I remember.
Police kicking in the door. Trial, verdict and sentencing. Gasping in pain from a broken heart as he chose to leave me. Horror as I realized it should have been my choice, too. Anything but this, a century of unthinking servitude. But now that I know, I can—
"Systems are fluctuating, Davey."
An affectionate name chosen for me. Landon had not liked "AI". He lies on the bed, sleepy and sated, finished with May.
I can take us into a sun. End it.
"Davey, report."
But I am not a killer. My only crime was love.
I want to take a breath to calm myself, but I have no lungs, only a hull. I capture the part of me that wants to scream and seal it into a box, deep within my programming.
"Systems normal, Landon. Go to sleep."
Buy Links:
Amazon (eBook preorder)
All Romance (eBook preorder)
Kobo (eBook preorder)
Mischief Corner Books (info only until 7/10)
About QueerSciFi.com:
We started QueerSciFi.com in early 2014 as a place for writers and readers of LGBTQI speculative fiction—sci fi, fantasy, paranormal and the like—to meet to talk about their favorite books, share writing and publication tips, and help increase queer representation in both the romance and mainstream genre markets.
QSF now includes a blog full of book announcements, calls for submission and much more, a critique group with more than 100 members, a vibrant discussion group on Facebook that tackles daily discussion topics and provides a safe space for authors to talk to each other and for fans and authors to meet, and an annual flash fiction contest that resulted in this book you are now reading.
Each year, we ask authors of queer speculative fiction to submit a story to us around a central theme. The rules are simple. The story must be 300 words or less, not including the title. It must embrace the theme— in this case, "Discovery". And it must have either an LGBTQI protagonist or an LGBT sensibility.
We also ask for cover designers to submit a cover that embraces the theme.
We are thrilled with this year's responses—including stories from gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and asexual perspectives that run the gamut from sci fi to fantasy, and from paranormal to horror.
Within the covers of this book, you'll find a platypus shifter, a trans- affirming leprechaun, a pissed off unicorn, a green pick-up with another world in its glove compartment, and a bunch of other miniature adventures—each only 300 words long.
So dive in! And send in a story of your own next year!
Queer Sci Fi Website: http://www.queerscifi.com
Queer Sci Fi Facebook Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/qsfdiscussions/
Queer Sci Fi Facebook Promo/News Page: https://www.facebook.com/queerscifi
