Tag: fiction

Skulls & Spells

Skulls & Spells launched!

Minerva Cerridwen

Cover of Skulls and Spells: an anthology of horrors by creators from the LGBTQI2SA+ community

Hello everyone!

The awesome cover above this text is that of the queer horror anthology Skulls & Spells, which will be published by Artemisia’s Axe and the Corpse’s Tongue later this year and which will contain the short story “The Bound Heart” written by L.S. Reinholt and me!

Today, the Kickstarter has launched to make this wonderful project happen. So if you’re into bright and thrilling horror stories with LGBTQI2SA+ representation, I definitely recommend checking out this link. There are ‘early bird’ rewards at a lower price, including patches, stickers, art prints and even an exclusive plushie! And of course you can pre-order the book itself, 150+ pages and in full colour – physical copies as well as pdf files. You can also use the Kickstarter to order your copy of Artemisia’s Axe’s previous anthology, Neon Horror, which ALSO includes a story by L.S. Reinholt and me! More details are, of course, found on the Kickstarter page itself.

To promote the anthology, L.S. Reinholt made the illustration below as a teaser for “The Bound Heart”, with colouring done by me. (CW: snake, human heart.)

The Bound Heart Promo Illustration

And on the topic of Kickstarters, I’d also like to direct your attention to the fact that there are only 52 hours to go in the Alia Terra Kickstarter! (To spare you the maths if you’re reading this message later, it will end on June 25 at 2:00 AM CEST.) This beautifully illustrated queer book of fairy tales WITH DRAGONS hasn’t quite reached the funding goal yet that is necessary to become a fully illustrated book, so every coin that’s added to their campaign helps!

I’m also having a lot of fun seeing all the wonderful comments to the blog tour for The Dragon of Ynys! Remember you can check this post to see where we are today; the posts marked with “guest post” contain little interviews with me, if you like that sort of thing!

Sending lots of love, good vibes, and magic!

Minerva

the dragon of ynys

Lost in Ynys: a crossover story with characters from Ava Kelly’s Havesskadi

Minerva Cerridwen

Once upon a time in 2017, two befriended authors were writing a story for the same call for submissions. One of the stories was The Dragon of Ynys, which you probably know something about if you’re on this website. The other was Havesskadi, an epic fantasy with a magic castle, an asexual character and of course (since that was in the submission call)… dragons!

Havesskadi got published a few months before my Dragon, in February 2018. When the original publisher closed, it was also re-published. It came out with NineStar Press on February 24, 2020. That’s exactly one year ago!

To celebrate its anniversary, Ava and I have written a short story together. Lost in Ynys finds the two main characters of Havesskadi accidentally ending up in the world of Ynys and calling in Sir Violet’s help. Read it here!

Askanath the Ancient with a copy of "The Dragon of Ynys" and "Havesskadi"
Photo by Ava Kelly

Community of Magic Pens, Innovation anthology, Neon Horror Zine, Paranatellonta, Space Opera Libretti, the dragon of ynys

Minerva Cerridwen’s Awards Eligibility Post 2020

Minerva Cerridwen

’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.

Novella (fantasy)

The Dragon of Ynys

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).

Short stories (science fiction)

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.)

Paranatellonta

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.

The Dragon of Ynys
the dragon of ynys

Preorder THE DRAGON OF YNYS now!

Minerva Cerridwen

In my latest post, I announced that The Dragon of Ynys will release on September 15, BUT… If you can’t wait to read it, I have good news!

The book is now up for preorder in the Atthis Arts webshop (click!). If you pre-order the paperback, you will receive a copy of the ebook to read right away!

The webshop page contains more info about the book and also links to retailers where The Dragon of Ynys is up for pre-order. Tip: the best way to support both authors and publishers is to buy directly from the publisher. And posting reviews on different platforms is the best way to let others discover the books you love!

For a summary and more info about The Dragon of Ynys, read my latest blog post or check out the book’s page on my website.

Love,

Minerva

the dragon of ynys

Release Announcement: THE DRAGON OF YNYS

Minerva Cerridwen

So, I did promise big news last week…

The Dragon of Ynys will be published by Atthis Arts on September 15, 2020!!!

The 2020 edition has been thoroughly revised and contains a brand new epilogue and afterword.

I’m very proud to reveal the new cover, created by none other than the magical Ulla Thynell (website – Instagram). I encourage you to check out her art, as it’s all beautiful.

The Dragon of Ynys book and ebook preview

Every time something goes missing from the village, Sir Violet, the local knight, makes his way to the dragon’s cave and negotiates the item’s return. It’s annoying, but at least the dragon is polite.

But when the dragon hoards a person, that’s a step too far. Sir Violet storms off to the mountainside to escort the baker home, only to find a more complex mystery—a quest that leads him far beyond the cave. Accompanied by the missing baker’s wife and the dragon himself, the dutiful village knight embarks on his greatest adventure yet.

The Dragon of Ynys is an inclusive fairy tale for all ages.

Pre-order links will start going up soon and should be available on most retailers by this Tuesday (August 18). And starting on that same August 18, you will get a downloadable copy of the e-book to read early if you pre-order the paperback directly from Atthis Arts. I will publish another blog post on Tuesday to keep you informed and to share the available links.

I’m so excited that the Dragon will be out in the world again—and better than ever, thanks to the great work of Atthis Arts.

Have a good weekend!

Minerva

Innovation anthology

Release of Innovation anthology

Minerva Cerridwen

The Innovation anthology is out today!

Innovation: Queer Sci Fi's Seventh Annual Flash Fiction Contest

It contains 120 pieces of flash fiction with a speculative element and queer representation, including my story “The Emperor’s New Helmet”, which I’m proud to say received an honorable mention in the contest. There are also stories by my friends E.D.E. Bell, Ava Kelly, Ether Nepenthes, and L.S. Reinholt. The judges’ choices were announced here and we also know the winners now: third place went to “Antlers” by K.A. Masters, second place to “Dragonslayer” by E.M. Hamill, and first place to “The Fleshsmith and the Metalsmith” by Devon Widmer. Click on the names to read more about the winning stories on the Queer Sci Fi website.

Congratulations to the winners, judges’ choices, fellow honorable mentions and everyone who made it into the book!

You can buy Innovation on Amazon US, Amazon Deutschland (and of course all the other Amazons), iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo—and add it to you to-read shelf on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

Queer Sci Fi is also hosting a giveaway that runs until August 21, and on the same page you can read some excerpts from the book and see the full list of authors.

IN-NO-VA-TION (Noun)

1) A new idea, method, or device.

2) The introduction of something new.

3) The application of better solutions to meet unarticulated needs.

Three definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell. Here are 120 of our favorites.

Innovation features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Keep your eyes peeled for some draconically big news next week!

Love,

Minerva

Innovation anthology

Honorable Mention!

Minerva Cerridwen

Hi!

I’m just writing a very quick note to let you know that my entry in the Queer Sci Fi Flash Fiction Contest has gotten an Honorable Mention! My entry was The Emperor’s New Helmet, the 300-word story in the Innovation anthology that I talked about in my previous blog post.

I feel so honoured! You can see the full list of Honorable Mentions here (click). L.S. Reinholt got one too for her story A Dire Need.

Innovation anthology, Neon Horror Zine

Release of Neon Horror and a flash fiction acceptance!

Minerva Cerridwen

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!!!

Neon Horror: an anthology of terrors by creators from the LGBTQIA+ community (2020)

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

Community of Magic Pens

Release of Community of Magic Pens

Minerva Cerridwen

On this May the 4th (may the force be with you), we are officially welcoming Community of Magic Pens into the world!

Community of Magic Pens: cover

The anthology, edited by E.D.E. Bell, contains 40 short stories (including flash fiction and poetry) in a wide range of different genres. All of them about Magic Pens, in many imaginative shapes and forms.

My story in this book, Memory Malfuction, is about an android applying for a job as an intergalactic antiques salesman. The company bosses, however, have their doubts…

You can add the book on Goodreads and buy it on:

Atthis Arts website – Amazon US – Amazon.nl – iBooks – Nook – Kobo

If you scroll down on Atthis Arts’ website, you can also find a Magic Pens poster which you can download for free! It was designed by Ava Kelly and features the title in the languages spoken by the book’s authors.

The publisher also provides a cover description for the visually impaired on the same page.

Blurb:

Eclectic, imaginative, and unexpected, Community of Magic Pens features forty genre-spanning flash and short stories—including fantasy, humor, science fiction, romance, historical fiction, satire, and mystery—bringing together a rich group of diverse voices from a wide range of backgrounds and intersections.

Fountain pens, markers and ink, charcoals, spy pens, a braille writer, a printing press, virtual reality, and a supernatural pizza: whether revealing unspoken truths, fighting injustice, or finding friendship and love, our pens have power. Join us as a recent graduate of superhero school struggles to understand her gift, a disabled android interviews for a job, a queen’s conscripted artist must pull reality from illustrations on parchment, and a grandmother’s secret room is…better kept a secret. Tales of struggle and triumph, compassion and hope: Community of Magic Pens is a celebration of our shared story.

–

I hope you’re all well!

Lots of love,

Minerva

Community of Magic Pens, the dragon of ynys

Big Announcement!!!

Minerva Cerridwen

Hello!

I am very proud to announce that my novella The Dragon of Ynys will be re-published by Atthis Arts!

After lots of hard work on revisions, we’ve arrived on a completely new edition with a brand new epilogue and afterword. But don’t fear, all the elements you loved are still there, like Sir Violet the aro ace knight, Snap the dragon, and their grand fairy tale adventure.

We’ll have fun updates as we move forward, including a beautiful cover by artist Ulla Thynell—I’m absolutely smitten with it.

For now, I’d like to invite you to the Atthis Arts AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit Fantasy this Thursday March 26, starting at 11:00 CT/17:00 CET. We’ll talk more about The Dragon of Ynys and of course about the upcoming Atthis Arts anthology Community of Magic Pens, which contains my short story “Memory Malfunction”.

Don’t worry if you can only pop in later: all the posts will still be there!

The AMA is part of r/Fantasy Virtual Con and there is a Facebook Event to remind you of it here.

Fantasy Virtual Con