The Playground of Lost Toys

Woohoo! Exile’s anthology The Playground of Lost Toys – in which, ahem, I have a story – has gone to press with a beautiful cover. Release date is December 1.  Can’t wait to read this one! Here is the blurb:

PLT Cover1“A dynamic collection of stories that explore the mystery, awe and dread that we may have felt as children when encountering a special toy. But it goes further, to the edges of space, where games are for keeps and where the mind plays its own games. We enter a world where the magic may not have been lost, where a toy plays for keeps or computers and gods vie for the upper hand.  Dolls, stuffed animals, wooden games of skill, ancient artifacts misinterpreted, and items that seek a life or even revenge; these lost toys and games bring tales of companionship, loss, revenge,  hope, murder, cunning, and love, to be unearthed in the sandbox.”

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The Singing Tree – now live at Urban Fantasy Magazine

Urban-Fantasy-coverI’m very pleased to report that my story The Singing Tree is now live at Urban Fantasy Magazine. The story is about a fractured family and how it heals itself during a road trip, through the discovery of a magical singing tree. Look at the cover – isn’t it beautiful? I love trees, and I love being in the woods, and this image captures perfectly for me the enchantment of a deep, dark forest. Anything might happen here. Continue reading

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Talking of Dragons…

Seraphina_book_cover…and I was talking of dragons in my previous post. So, talking of dragons, I’m now reading Shadow Scale, sequel to Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. Seraphina is quite delightful. It’s a fantasy story of a girl who is half-dragon and half-human, and must hide her dragon-ness from people in order not to be lynched. She has scales on her mid-riff and arm, which I think must look pretty, but she obviously does not. Definitely worth reading. And yes, I know these books are for children, but who says adults are not allowed to enjoy children’s books? Continue reading

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Guards! Guards!

Guards-Guards-coverYou know how sometimes reviews describe a book as “laugh-out-loud” funny, but they are usually not? At most they produce a snigger or two. Producing genuine laughter is a gift most books lack. Well, I’ve found a “laugh-out-loud” book. It had me ROLLING. It’s “Guards! Guards!” by Terry Pratchett. It’s the most hilarious Discworld book I’ve (re)read, and that’s saying something, because almost ALL of his books do make you laugh out loud at some point. Continue reading

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The Green Woman, or the Day Mat Feeley Became Famous

Story day! My Newfoundland-inspired flash fiction story is now live at the Saturday Night Reader. You can read it here.

I spent a year in St John’s, the capital of what I consider the most beautiful province in Canada. I often climbed Signal Hill, which overlooks the city and the harbour, giving fantastic views. It’s windy up there, and you often get ‘weather’, but it’s a great climb, and there are several hiking paths. And yeah, once I was climbing up there and thinking about aliens. And about skin. This is the story that popped out. Continue reading

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Two short story sales to Exile anthologies

Now that the TOCs are live, I am happy to report that I have stories upcoming in the next two Exile anthologies.

Chaya and Loony-Boy will be published in The Playground of Lost Toys edited by Ursula Pflug and Colleen Anderson. It is scheduled to come out in November 2015. You can view the Table of Contents here. I am really looking forward to reading this collection. The whole concept is so unusual and striking – speculative fiction about a toy that was ‘lost’ in some way. My story is about a ten-year-old and her magical doll – yes, I’m one of the many who submitted a ‘doll story’ to the editors! Happily, it was accepted. Continue reading

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Persepolis, Aquarium and Room – Reviews

Sometimes it’s fun to read outside one’s preferred genre. I enjoy reading all kinds of books: literary fiction, historical fiction, comics, thrillers…although I draw the line at romance. Here are brief reviews of the last three books I’ve read that are not science fiction / fantasy. All worth reading! Continue reading

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The Pillar of Shiva – now live at Triptych Tales

the_pillar_of_shivaI’m pleased to report that my short story The Pillar of Shiva is now live at Triptych Tales. This is one of my favorite stories, and I am glad it has found a home. It also has a lovely illustration – go check it out! It’s absolutely free to read, as are the other stories. Continue reading

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The Book of Strange New Things – a strange read

20697435I just read The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. It’s one of the most talked about “literary science fiction” books of 2014, by the acclaimed author who claims it will be his last. This book made so many “best of” lists that it was quite impossible not to read it. Happily, I had glanced at enough non-gaga reviews to expect the emphasis on the “literary” as opposed to the “sf”.  Continue reading

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Acceptance and Rejection: The Writing Game

I have a story acceptance to report, woot! Also one hold request. More on these delightful occurrences later.

I also have a ton of rejections to report, but you don’t want to hear about that, do you? It’s easy to talk of our acceptances, our small triumphs – they are the rewards of months of perseverance and determination. It’s less easy to talk of our rejections, although Sunil Patil has made an art of it (I recommend checking out his twitter rejection feed). Continue reading

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