Author of Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Science Fiction
Hello!
Author, editor, and reviewer Dawn Vogel recently edited a co-written book, which inspired her to post a series of interviews with co-writing authors. LS Reinholt and I are proud to be the first of these authors! You can read our interview here on History That Never Was, and keep an eye on that website or subscribe to its newsletter (on the left side of the page) to see the next interviews when they appear.
Enjoy!
Minerva
’tis the season…
I haven’t made an awards eligibility post before, but as I see them going around on social media, I thought it couldn’t harm to list my publications of 2020.
My novella The Dragon of Ynys came out in September 2020 with Atthis Arts. Mind that it is a re-publication after revising the story I published in May 2018 with Less Than Three Press, so it may not be eligible for some awards, as it’s not a first edition. (Both editions were published in the US.) However, aside from many smaller revisions, the 2020 edition has a brand new epilogue and afterword, and the 2018 edition had only appeared as an ebook, not in print. The new edition is available both as ebook and in print, and the new cover was designed by Ulla Thynell.
The Dragon of Ynys (24,000 words) is a fairy tale with an aromantic asexual main character, trans and lesbian supporting characters—and, of course, a dragon. The genre is fantasy, and it is suitable for all ages. You can read all about it here.
Also, if you’re looking for an editor to nominate: E.D.E. Bell is the amazing editor of The Dragon of Ynys as well as the anthology Community of Magic Pens (see below).
I had 4 short stories published in 2020. There are no reprints among these.
1: Stars from the Stars in the anthology Space Opera Libretti, edited by Jennifer Lee Rossman and Brian McNett. (Published in the US, 4600 words.)
Simon is a siren who lives alone on a rock in space, until he’s picked up by the Stars from the Stars ship to compete in the universally beloved talent show. Even though he’s completely confident in his abilities, he might learn a thing or two on the way…
This story is inspired by shows like America’s Got Talent… in space!
2: Memory Malfunction in the anthology Community of Magic Pens, published by Atthis Arts and edited by E.D.E. Bell. (Published in the US, 2100 words.)
“Memory Malfuction” is about an android applying for a job as an intergalactic antiques salesman. The company bosses, however, have their doubts…
3: The Lost, co-written with L.S. Reinholt, in the anthology Neon Horror, published by The Haunted Bouncy Castle. (Published in the UK, 3000 words.)
The Lost is a science fiction horror story about two travellers in space whose logs and maps have been erased. When they encounter another ship, they hope they’ve found a solution, but instead lose even more.
4: The Emperor’s New Helmet, in the anthology Innovation, published by Other Worlds Ink. This flash piece of 300 words received an honourable mention in the 2020 Queer Sci Fi Contest. (Published in the US.)
Ever since August 2013, I write ten-sentence stories based on photos made by my friend Fie. This project is called Paranatellonta. Every edition (294 at the moment of writing this post!) is published online on Tumblr and available for free, so even though I’m not sure this would fit into any awards, feel free to take a look at the newest stories or find yourself a random story from sometime in the past 7+ years. The stories from 2020 are editions 273 to 296.
Paranatellonta updates on the 1st and 15th of every month. Fie and I celebrate every tenth edition by switching roles: in those editions I take a picture and Fie writes a story.
We first discovered this concept when we enjoyed Erin Morgenstern and Carey Farrell’s Flax-golden Tales and became inspired.
Edit 20/11/20: Atthis Arts also has an awards eligibility post up now, which you can find here.
Hello!
So… Since my author copies were already on the way, I was going to wait a couple of days and announce the release of the Neon Horror anthology with a selfie of me holding the book. Then the postal service decided that actually delivering packages was so 2019, and subsequently it got kind of awkward to make a release post without that selfie, because the book had already been out for 2 weeks… But now I have some other news as well, so this is the perfect time to finally write this post.
And since acting as if everything is going as planned is a 2020 mood, here we go…
Wonderful news: the beautifully printed Neon Horror: an Anthology of Terrors by Creators from the LGBTQIA+ Community is out now!!!
This full-colour anthology contains art and short stories in the horror genre. The Lost by L.S. Reinholt and me (aside from having a title that the mail clearly found very inspiring) is about two travellers in space whose logs and maps have been erased. When they encounter another ship, they hope they’ve found a solution, but instead lose even more…
Buy Neon Horror in The Haunted Bouncy Castle webshop!
The same webshop also has a lot of fun and colourful queer horror objects, ranging from cups to pillows to pins to prints for on your wall, so be sure to check it out. They have a Pride sale of 10% off until the end of this month.
Then, today’s very fresh news is that my flash story The Emperor’s New Helmet is accepted in this year’s anthology of the Queer Sci Fi flash fiction contest. The theme was “Innovation” and you can see the full list of the 120 included titles here on the Queer Sci Fi website. It also includes stories by my friends E.D.E. Bell, Ava Kelly, and L.S. Reinholt!
I finished reading last year’s edition, Migration, only a few weeks ago and was surprised by the great quality of all those stories, so I look forward to reading Innovation as well. It will be out on August 8, 2020, after the honorable mentions, judges’ picks and winners have been announced. In the meantime, I certainly recommend Migration if you’re in the mood for some bite-sized stories (all under 300 words).
And for even more flash fiction, I will refer to Paranatellonta, where we posted the 284th free photo-and-story combo today for your enjoyment.
That’s all the news for now!
Love,
Minerva
Hello!
I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!
Yesterday was also the start of the crowdfunder campaign of Neon Horror Zine, a magazine full of bright and colourful LBTQIA+ horror stories, comics, and art. It will contain a short story co-written by L.S. Reinholt and me. Aside from printing costs, the campaign funds will be used for paying the creators and to support the charities Mermaids in the UK and The Tie Campaign.
Take a look here for more info and a chance to support this project! There’s a list of the other creators as well—friend Ava Kelly has a story in it too!
Our story, The Lost, shows the log of Siek de Void. The agender, pansexual captain of spaceship The Kenophobe is lucky to be accompanied by their more competent, non-human partner and pilot Giri. But with the logs and maps erased, will that luck be enough to keep them safe when they encounter the abandoned ship The Alfaragh?
You’ll find out in Neon Horror Zine!
P.S. It’s the first day of the month, so of course there’s also a new edition of Paranatellonta today. Enjoy!
Last week I said I wouldn’t blog again until I was back from holiday. At that moment, of course, everything started happening at once, so here I am after all with more news!
Let’s start with the pretties. Both the Migration anthology and Sherlock Holmes is Everywhere! have revealed their covers!
Migration can be preordered on Amazon Kindle, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. It will release on July 24 and contains my flash story Not How We Planned It.
The Sherlock Holmes is Everywhere! Kickstarter is launching today. The book is expected to release in October of this year, and supporting this project means supporting the Beacon Society, a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars which provides scholarships to schools, libraries, and Sherlock Holmes groups for educational purposes.
The anthology contains the essay Chasing Words by L.S. Reinholt and me, about how we met and started writing together thanks to Sherlock Holmes. It’s a Belanger Books publication, just like Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of Steampunk, in which our story The Adventure of the Purloined Piston Valve appeared earlier this year.
The blurb for Sherlock Holmes is Everywhere!:
What makes Sherlock Holmes so special? Why is he one of the most recognizable characters in all of literature? How do people throughout the world connect to the character? Why is Sherlock Holmes embraced by the LGBTQ+ Community? Why do people collect Sherlock Holmes memorabilia? Why do people experience Sherlock Holmes in everything from Science Fiction to Martial Arts?
Find out the answers to these questions and many more in Sherlock Holmes is Everywhere! a collection of essays on how people throughout the world embrace the great detective.
I’m excited about this book! I really look forward to reading the other writers’ essays, and the flag at the centre of the cover made me very happy.
Be sure to take a look at the Kickstarter and feel free to leave any questions you have.
L.S. Reinholt and I also got another acceptance this week! Our queer horror story The Lost will be published in The Haunted Bouncy Castle‘s upcoming Neon Horror Zine. More info will follow!
Minerva Cerridwen 