Solarpunk meets treasure hunts in "The Lost Lab," my latest Brave New Girls story!

Hey everyone! Mary here, coming out of my cave after sending the latest BRAVE NEW GIRLS manuscript off to formatting. Whew, how is it already the end of May??

For those of you who don't know, BRAVE NEW GIRLS is a young adult sci-fi anthology series about girls in STEM, edited by Paige Daniels and myself. Proceeds from sales benefit the Society of Women Engineers. This year's anthology, TALES OF GIRLS WHO ENGINEER AND EXPLORE, will be our seventh (!!).

This year, my own contribution is a solarpunk adventure called "The Lost Lab," about two teens searching for a rare plant. I'll admit it took a while for me to get going with this one. Co-editor Paige Daniels and I decided late last year that we wanted a solarpunk cover for this year's anthology, mostly because we hadn't done one before and thought it would be fun. And while all the BRAVE NEW GIRLS short story collections span multiple sci-fi subgenres, we wanted to make sure at least some matched the cover vibes, so we both opted to write solarpunk tales. I, for one, had never written solarpunk before, so of course I had to give it a try.

What is solarpunk anyway? It's a subgenre of sci-fi that imagines a world where technology and nature live in harmony. As such, it tends to lean utopian. Think high-tech cities powered by clean energy and covered in roof and wall gardens. 

The first concept I had for my short story was that it would be about a girl living in a solarpunk future who has a mechanical arm, and whose family is going broke paying it off (hey, just because society has stopped destroying the ozone doesn't mean medical debt disappeared). So she needs a get-rich-quick scheme, and my first idea was that she'd need to win a science fair of some sort.

But thanks to my procrastinating, I didn't end up writing my own story for this anthology until after we'd accepted submissions, and quite a few of the stories we selected were about science fairs / competitions. Okay, I thought, scratch that. How about a heist? Except we'd also accepted some of those too.

That's when it hit me: treasure hunt! Something Indiana Jones-y, except futuristic, and without the colonial overtones. 

So in "The Lost Lab," the girl, Amara, and her partner-in-crime, Ravi, discover the long-lost lab of an eccentric scientist who died two hundred years earlier, and who was rumored to have bioengineered a superfood. Of course, said scientist booby-trapped her lab to prevent anyone from stealing her work. And it turns out they aren't the only ones after it...

Though it took a while for the idea to come together (I confess, I used ChatGPT for brainstorming, though it seemed weirdly fixated on Amara's arm...), once it did, the actual writing process went smoothly (No, I didn't let ChatGPT produce any actual sentences for the story. Mostly because they would have sucked, and I would've had to rewrite them all anyway.)

Here's the illustration, drawn by the amazing Adriano Moraes:

Oops, I'm a Short Story Writer

 Hey everyone! Mary here, still slightly crisped from a long weekend in the Dominican Republic last week (that sun is strong, and there's nowhere to hide if you're doing outdoorsy things!). Despite that vacation and a one to Vermont a few weeks before, I've been pretty productive lately. Just not in the way I expected.

I still consider myself a novelist. Short stories aren't my forte, I say. My brush is to big for small canvasses that require a finer touch. And yet I keep figuring out how to angle that big ole brush in a way that works in miniature (Okay, so my idea of a short story is 10,000 words... hey, you're talking to a gal who struggles to keep her novels under 100,000!). 

And suddenly I looked up, and pretty much all of my latest and upcoming projects are short stories for anthologies. Oh, I still have novels too... in fact, I have no fewer than five completed but unpublished manuscripts waiting in the wings and two indie series I intend to finish. But I have no control over the former (unless I decide to go indie with one) and too much control over the latter (which means I keep procrastinating to hit short story deadlines).

Even though I don't consider short stories to be my primary medium, I love writing them. The smaller format let me explore and experiment without committing to a whole novel. And in some cases, an anthology's theme provides an interesting challenge.

Anyway, here's what's coming up:

"Broken Wings," a dieselpunk fantasy about a former ace pilot plucked out of jail to compete for a ruthless warlord in an international competition, for the annual Origins anthology, Games Around the World (ed. Aaron Rosenberg)... first dieselpunk!

"The Four Opera Singers of the Apocalypse," about exactly what the title implies, for The Four ??? of the Apocalypse (ed. Keith DeCandido & Wrenn Simms), coming... whenever Keith and Wrenn say so (but soon, I think!)... I was about to say this was my first absurdist story, but then I remembered that I killed Glenn

"The Lost Lab," a solarpunk adventure about two teens who break into an abandoned lab seeking a rare bioengineered plant, in Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls who Engineer and Explore (ed. myself and Paige Daniels)... first solarpunk!

An untitled YA rom com, about a girl who swaps places with a classmate so she can attend a prestigious circus camp, for Magic Under the Big Top, a circus-themed anthology I'm putting together for Snowy Wings Publishing... first rom com (once I write it)!

A noir-ish 1960s/70s-set short story for an anthology that I'm not sure I can talk about yet, but will be shouting about once its Kickstarter goes live! It won't be my first noir, but it'll be my first noir with an SFF bent... first atompunk, maybe??

An alternate/secret history short story for another anthology I'm not sure I can talk about yet... first time writing this genre to!

 All right, gotta go... looks like I've got homework...

Never As Good As You Think. Never As Bad As You Fear.

In 2015, I had taken some classes at New York's Gotham Writer's workshop. The subjects were on fiction writing, and shortly after, novel writing. 

I wanted to get better as a writer. I genuinely thought I had so many good ideas back then, but was also, sort of obsessed over this relationship in my early 20s. A friend, who was also my student (I was 21, she was 19), who wasn't really a girlfriend... but something else entirely. Sort of this idealized version of love that doesn't exist in a very toxic rose-colored glasses sort of way. Youth and mistakes and all that.

I wasn't able to let it go at the time. That moment stayed immortalized in my brain. Part of me wanted to write a 500 Days of Summer type of story because I didn't know what a healthy relationship looked like.  In many ways, I think I still don't. Which is why it's a major theme I explore a lot in my writing. 

I am saying all of this aloud because I'm going to share the beginning of this story I'd written 7 years ago in class, down below. It was a failed writing project called The Tortoise and The Finch and it was the first time, I'd ever gotten real writer's feedback. Most of whom, claimed to care just enough about the characters but recommended I do more prose work.

I think I wanted to write about this story because of how closed-off I felt to the world. Those strange years of youthful, better-than-thou wisdom--the kind that's more a defense mechanism than ever having really existed--all the while, using my spirit animal: The Tortoise, a creature of stubbornness and experience, as an accompanying children's side story metaphor. Something meant to feel significant to run parallel to its themes. 

I wanted to talk about this person I'd found fascinating. This girl I'd sort of fallen in love with in an ideal and unrealistic kind of way. This wild and free-spirited adventurer whom I'd never met anyone like this before... whom I called, The Finch. The most common of birds, who'd just fit into their environment so naturally, while often fluttering away on adventures.

Tortoises and Finches have this strangely friendly relationship. I was convinced that they were trying to get one another...

I was really convinced I was going to change the world in my 20s. I closed myself off so much in my early 20s, thinking it was for the greater good, as I focused in on school and being the best among my peers. But then I met this...dancer...who used to live and work in New Orleans, before volunteering to help kids in India for a year, whom, after backpacking in Eastern Europe, moved back to NJ. 

Re-reading it now 7 years later... the opening of this story is not that good. It's not an awful story, it's just, well, it's written by a younger me who was very obviously trying to capture the moment too exactly. This sort of harms the storytelling elements. As I focused way too much on the scenery, having really approached the story more like a screenplay, than a novel. 

I also acknowledge that above all else I'm a character writer and a poor plotter. This is why every project I do now has an outline.

But anyway,  I'm sharing it mostly because, yeah, it's not that great. It's also not that bad either. And I think it's good for writers to look at their old pieces and cringe and try to do better.

The Tortoise And The Finch: April

It was midday. As grey-colored clouds mustered overhead, a teetering series of trees swayed to and fro across the front lawns of several houses. They were old homes lined corner to corner down Patterson Street, a one-way street dense with dilapidated rows of developments that were decades past their prime. 

The air was brisk and crisp. A warm gleam emanated from the springtime fauna. When the wind picked up, it painted the air with flower petals from the trees most recently in bloom. A natural canvas of yellows and whites and pinks, they danced about and spiraled in the breeze, falling along the edge of the paved road. A would-be beautiful day, if that quiet gust of wind didn’t also send chills down the spine whenever it passed. 

On the front porch outside of a shabby auburn house, a hunched-over guy in his early twenties exited through the front door. He lit a cigarette on the porch. The lighter's flame refracted off the lenses of his thick-rimmed glasses. He was short and tan and lovestruck. Heart on the sleeve. Ready to emo scream kind of vibe.

An everyday-looking girl, of about nineteen years of age, followed outside shortly after. Her hair was light brown hair curling just past the shoulder. She had a runner’s figure, pale white skin, and with a concerned look, stopped him in his tracks before he left and held his free hand.

“Please don’t do this,” she pleaded with a look of sincerity.

“I’m sorry, but I deserve better,” he fumed while exhaling a puff of smoke. He took a few steps forward and got onto the street before she stopped him in his track.

“You do, and I one hundred percent completely agree. That’s why this is stupid. You’re being stupid. I told you I can’t. So why am I the bad person?” she questioned.

She was talking about her vow. The two were together an awful lot the past few weeks, but just moments ago, in her bedroom, she'd confessed to him how she was on an abstinence pledge after sleeping around with more people than she'd liked to admit. Which was something he said he was fine with... while secretly hoping, that he'd be the exception.

“Good and bad are but matters of opinion. The only thing that matters are thought and perspective,” he replied rather smugly. “Tell me, just for once, what are you honestly thinking?”

“That I want to punch you in the face. Why are you making this difficult? Can't you can it with the pseudo-intellectual bullshit and just express a real fucking feeling?”

“You want a feeling?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I love you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Let me finish,” she blurts as she cuts him off, “You act like I’m some god damn saving grace. That if we were together I’d magically fix you and all your crazy insecure bullshit inside.” 

She takes away his cigarette. Pauses. Then smokes a drag on her own.

“But I’ve been in your position before, so many fucking times, and it doesn’t work that way. You don’t love me. You don’t even love yourself. And that’s okay… because I sort of hate myself too. Maybe we’re both just built that way. Just two screwed up and really damaged people on the inside.” 

Silence. The words stung. Deeper than he intended to show. He whispers into her ear: “Goodbye,” as he passes her to leave. Before he can, she wraps her arms tightly around him preventing him from going...

“Why does this feel like we’re breaking up?” she cries, her head now buried on his shoulder.

“We were never together.”

“Yeah. I know.”

She lets him go.

He walks away.

As he nears the edge of the corner on Patterson, she makes one last call from the distance, “You know we’re going to call each other in about a month and forget all about this. Then we can go out and make epic plans for the summer!”

“No, I won’t,” he replied for the last time.

“Yeah, I won’t either,” she whispered in turn.

         

New From Leonard Delaney: The Office Photocopier Wants to Have Sex With Me

A post by P.T. Phronk,
of Forest City Pulp fame

I started Forest City Pulp to ensure I wouldn’t have any limits. My friends and I can publish whatever the hell we want, and we can share a common brand to help communicate what sorts of books we write—“provocative fiction,” whatever that means.
 
For a while we were putting out a few books a year, but then the pandemic sort of killed our momentum. Like I said before, I didn’t write much in the last few years. For my “very close friend” Leonard Delaney, the situation was the same, but he did have a story that was out of print sitting around, so I am proud to announce that Forest City Pulp finally has a new book out, and I can finally use this blog to shamelessly self promote!
 
Leonard’s short story The Office Photocopier Wants to Have Sex With Me was originally published in the anthology Strange Sex 3, published by Rooster Republic Press. Things happened over there that I don’t know much about, but I know the book is no longer available, so it seemed like a good time to resurrect Leonard’s story.
 
I think it’s a good one. Like I said, FCP doesn’t play well with limits, so it’s hard to say what genre this story is; bizarro erotica? Sci-fi comedy? Maybe a bit of satirical body horror? Who knows, but I think it’s worth a read. Here’s the cover, which I hand illustrated … sorry about that.

 

Sometimes, every day can feel like a copy of a copy. But today is different, because the office photocopier wants to have sex with me. It’s the future, so business equipment can do that now.
 
Look, the title is self-explanatory. This short story is about a woman becoming so bored with office life that she considers sexual relations with a photocopier.
 
Leonard Delaney branches out with a mature tale of the horrors of modern capitalism disguised as a sexy short story. Serious readers only, please.

 
 
If it seems like your sort of thing, you can get it on Amazon.com Amazon.ca, or Amazon.co.uk, for only 3 bucks or free-ish in Kindle Unlimited. If it’s not your sort of thing, I totally understand.

Right here on ATB Writers, there’s an interview with Leonard Delaney that provides some insight into where all this comes from. For more literary fare from FCP, try this interview with cal chayce.
 
Thanks for reading—this particular post, and just reading in general. Ok bye.
 

Short Stories: A Writer's Sandbox

I don't really consider myself a "short story writer," which is kind of funny considering I've published over a dozen so far. Don't get me wrong - I love writing shorts - but I know they're not my main medium. I much prefer writing novels, and oftentimes I feel like I'm writing mini, compact novels instead of true short stories.

But short stories have one distinct advantage over novels, and that's that they're, well, short. I think it's been blogged on here before about how they provide a great sandbox for writers to experiment in. You don't have to commit to 50+ thousand words to try out a new writing style or genre.

I recall the first time I wrote something in first person present tense, it was a short story. But that wasn't the only experimental thing about it. This was not long after I'd finished my debut novel, Artificial Absolutes, which is an action-driven sci-fi adventure starring a strong-willed heroine with a sassy attitude. The short story I wrote was also my first foray into composing something quieter - an introspective piece about a shy, soft-spoken woman coping with a family tragedy. I don't remember much of what happened in that short (the indie anthology I wrote it for fell through due to a toxic combination of mismanagement and misogyny... a story for another time), but I do recall that I wrote the first draft of Starswept, written in first person present in the voice of a shy, soft-spoken young woman, not long thereafter. And I remember feeling comfortable with this different style of writing because I'd experimented with it previously.

A little while back, one of the indie author collectives I write with, Snowy Wings Publishing, announced that their next member anthology's theme would be Greek myths. I volunteered to do a retelling of the Arachne myth because it's been one of my favorites since high school (in fact, I vaguely recall once plotting to write an opera about Arachne...). Why Arachne? Not because I like spiders, but because I found it interesting how it's about a mortal who challenges a goddess... and is struck down not because she didn't rise to the occasion, but because she DID, and the goddess, Athena/Minerva became jealous. But at the time I volunteered, all I knew was that I was going to do something with the tale. What? I had no idea.

A few months ago, the anthology's editor asked us all to let her know what genres our stories would be in. I hadn't even thought about what my story would be about. Meanwhile, I'd been seeing all up and down Twitter that Dark Academia was becoming the next YA trend. "What the dickens is Dark Academia?" I wondered to myself while shaking my cane at a cloud. So naturally, I told the editor that my Arachne retelling would be Dark Academia.

Writing the story gave me the opportunity to experiment in a genre I otherwise wouldn't have (I'm certainly not brave enough to write a whole book in a genre I don't know!). It turns that Dark Academia is, roughly, the genre equivalent of a popular aesthetic featuring old academies, elite students, New England-esque settings, sharp blazers and pleated skirts, old books and gothic architecture, dark pasts and buried secrets... so... basically Princeton University. Which I went to and mention now not as a brag, but so I can laugh at the fact that I was ever intimidated by Dark Academia when I literally lived it.

Anyway, there's a certain sense of triumph that comes with completing something new. I'm rather proud of how my Dark Academia reimagining of Arachne, "With Dark Truths Draw Me," turned out, and I can't wait for it to be released as part of the Sing, Goddess! anthology of Greek myth retellings edited by Jane Watson (*plug plug nudge nudge*). Athena/Minerva is now Min Wong (shown here in the character art I commissioned as a self reward), a popular prep school junior who desperately wants to get into a top school and sees her painting skills as one way to stand out in her applications. Arachne is now Ara Zhi, an alternagirl-type whose death by suicide haunts Min. If I hadn't (somewhat randomly) picked Arachne and Dark Academia to write about, this story would never have existed.

There are a lot of genres I want to try someday, and lucky for me I know enough indie anthology editors that I think I'll always have a place to try them out. But even without a guarantee of publication or a deadline breathing down my neck, I think I'd still dip into short stories in between novels just to try out new things.

How Anthologies Keep me in the Game

I'm certainly not the first ATB contributor to talk about how hard it is to keep writing and publishing in The Age of COVID. But I composed several posts before COVID was even a rumor in the US about how much I've been struggling to write. In fact, I'd be out of the writing game completely these days if not for this blog, my roll as an assistant editor at Cast of Wonders, and my participation in anthologies.

Thank goodness for those hard working editors determined to put out great collections of short stories, and thank goodness even more that some of them have been kind enough to invite me to participate.  I've had trouble wrapping my brain around the idea of cranking out a 90,000 word novel, but a few 5,000 word short stories have been doable goals.

My last novel (Touch of Smoke) was released in February of 2019. I've started work on 3 (THREE!) manuscripts since then, but they're all languishing and collecting dust. However, since February of 2019, I've release short stories in two anthologies, and I have two more on the way. Yay me! I've found that having deadlines imposed by someone other than myself is tremendously motivational. Below is a highlight of some of those short story anthologies that are keeping me in the game.

 JULY 2019: THRILLING ADVENTURE YARNS

The pulp magazine era was bristling with brawny men and statuesque women globetrotting, getting

into and out of danger. Their exploits quickened the pulses of their readers, young and old alike. They have rise to some of the most enduring heroes known the world-round.

To honor and celebrate a bygone era, Crazy 8 Press has assembled a stellar line-up of writers to produce new thrills and chills, spanning mystery, sword and sorcery, horror, science fiction, romance, and adventures.

Featuring my story: The Green Lady and the Rogue

The Revolutionary War has devastated Tamsyn Gruene’s small North Carolina hometown. Having suffered overwhelming losses of personal property along with deaths of their husbands and sons, the community is on the brink of starvation and ruin.
For months Tamsyn and her band of merry outlaws evade British soldiers and militia men while thieving enough plunder to keep their community going, spawning legends and songs up and down the east coast of the Green Lady. She makes a grave mistake, however, when she and her gang try to rob the charming yet devious Gabriel Labeau, a blockade runner who makes his living smuggling supplies to the highest bidders.
Tamsyn sacrifices herself to ensure her gang’s freedom and becomes Labeau’s willing captive. Convinced she can seduce him and negotiate her release, the two spend a night of passion together that leaves both Tamsyn and Labeau uncertain of who actually captured whom.

Find Thrilling Adventure Yarns on Amazon

JULY 2020: BAD ASS MOMS

To celebrate bad-ass moms everywhere, Crazy 8 Press has assembled a fantastic line-up of authors to

create stories spanning numerous genres, including sci-fi, contemporary, historical, and fantasy. Since moms and badassery come in infinite forms, the authors were given only one criteria: that their story be about a bad-ass mother or mother figure, whatever that meant to them.

From grandmas to new moms, biological moms to adoptive moms to mom figures, this collection features a fantastic range of stories. A human mom on the PTA of a school for supernatural kids. A new mom who adopts two babies with special powers. A hard-boiled detective who stumbles upon a mystery while looking for childcare. A grandma who fights back against an unsavory mayoral candidate. A witch who battles dark magic while wrangling her kids. An artificial intelligence who nurtures delinquent boys sent to her care. And much, much more.

Featuring my story: The Art of Crafting Resistance

It's campaign season in Faffton and an uncanny, silver-tongued stranger has come to town with plans of winning the election for Mayor. He quickly charms the locals into giving him their support, but Lucy and Grandma Winnie soon discover his political plans threaten the beliefs and traditions they both hold dear. Lucy and Grandma Winnie team up to craft a grassroots resistance that fights back with truth, common sense, a lot of yarn, and a little bit of magic.

Find the e-book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more.

Paperback available on Amazon,  Book Depository, and IndieBound

Winter 2020: Thrilling Adventure Yarns; 

Volume 2

Another great collection of pulp fiction inspired short stories from Crazy 8 Press and editor Bob Greenburg, coming soon. Featuring my historical romance: The Constantinople Affair

Set in the classic Hollywood golden era, Meg, a spunky and ambitious young screen writer and  Lex, a famous Hollywood playboy, are hired for the same film. They butt heads on stage and on the streets, but soon they'll be making sparks in the sheets. Meg thinks Lex is a shallow heart-breaker, but when her screenwriting partner and studio execs try to push Meg out of the scene, Lex might just be the one to help her save her job and make her name in Hollywood.

February 2021: Untitled YA "Transformations" Anthology

The theme of this anthology is “transformation,” which can mean so many things. Does your character have a revelation that alters the way they see the world? Do they experience a life-changing event? Do they make a choice that changes them forever? Does their physical body look different at the end of the story than it did at the beginning? Are they a shapeshifter of some kind? All are fair game.

I'm still working on my ideas for this one, but there will certainly be updates here on ATB along the way.

I hope that these short stories are the bits of fuel that keep my engine going, helping me make it over this Writer's Block Mountain. There are novels to be written on the other side, and I'm looking forward to getting to them in the coming year.

How to Write a Story in One Day

A post by Mary Fan

Step One: Commit to something you totally don't have time for.

When YA author Gabriela Martins approached me mid-July to contribute to a charity anthology about queerness and faith, I couldn't say no. Not only was it a wonderful and profound theme, but the proceeds would be going directly into the hands of someone in need. Every instinct was like "YES I WILL CONTRIBUTE." Thing was, it's no secret that I've been tragically behind on all my writing projects for almost a year now. My brain's been floating around in outer space since before the last Christmas season, and I've been spent the better part of 2019 slogging through edits that were supposed to take a few weeks. And because the anthology needed to be out as soon as possible to start helping out the person we were supporting, we had about three weeks to write and submit. The deadline fell the weekend right after Gen Con.

I said yes anyway after finagling a one week extension. I was finally hitting a groove with my WIP edits and didn't want to pause just yet, and also Gen Con preparations plus the con itself took up a whole week by itself. Also, Gen Con always sucks the living Force out of me, and I knew I'd be useless for several days after. But that would still give me a whole week to work on it, I thought.

Cover by Kess Costales
Find it on Gumroad

Step Two: Clear your schedule for one day.

My summer schedule was completely whackadoo. There was a whole monthlong period when I didn't spent a single weekend in my own apartment because I was so busy with trips (all good stuff, but exhausting by the end). Gen Con was the cherry on top of all that. So I blocked out a weekend after (not the one immediately after, but the one after that). No matter what, I told myself, I would make zero plans for that weekend. It was to be my sanity recovery weekend.

Or, as it turned out, my panic-writing weekend.

Step Three: Brainstorm any chance you get.

Even though I knew I wouldn't be sitting down to write my story for a few weeks, I started jotting down ideas whenever they came to me. I was briefly worried I wouldn't be able to come up with something, so I started scribbling EVERYTHING that popped into my head. And it wasn't in a nice brainstorming notebook or anything either. No, it was in emails to myself, random notes on my phone, and haphazardly typed word docs. Often just a fragment here and there.

It would all come together eventually, I told myself. Somehow, it would...

Step Four: Mull.

As the days went by, the guilt started building up. I'd committed to a deadline -- and even received an extension -- but still hadn't written a single word. Gen Con came and went, and I told myself now was the time to hunker down. But I was even more brain-drained than expected and couldn't bring myself to write a single sentence.

A quote from my story.
Graphic by Kess Costales.

Maybe it was because of that guilt that I found myself thinking about my story all the time when I
wasn't actually at a computer. When I was walking down the street, on the subway, in the shower -- even waiting for my turn on the flying trapeze -- I had mental discussions with myself about what I wanted the story to be. I'd settled on a premise at least: A woman uploads her mind into a probe to explore the multiverse, encounters a pre-industrial alternate Earth, is mistaken for a miracle, and faces a moral quandary when she falls in love with a local girl.

While grocery shopping, going to the gym, and commuting, I worked out the overall arc of the story and, perhaps more importantly, the tone I wanted to take. It would be different from my usual explosive action/adventure tales. It would be quiet as a whisper, pensive and blurred around the edges. Somehow, just thinking about it that way helped me develop the voice even though I had no idea what that voice would say

Step Five: Run out of time and write until your fingers fall off.

The deadline was a Saturday. Almost all the other invited authors had already sent in their stories, and following along in the group chat made my guilt grow and grow and grow. Yet somehow I still didn't manage to sit my butt down and write. I blame Gen Con brain (hey, it's a long and taxing con!).

Saturday morning came. This was it -- I was going to open my laptop and not close it again until I had a friggin' story. But even though I'd promised myself no plans, I'd still agreed to go to the farmer's market with a friend. Then even after I got back from that, I just faffed around for no reason.

Procrastination on top of procrastination. By mid afternoon, all I had was a vague outline and the characters' names.

Finally, it hit. When I finally started typing, the story seemed to write itself. I credit all that mulling. 5,000 words made it into the Scrivener document before midnight -- I made my promised deadline. I'll admit, I didn't do as much editing as I would have under ordinary circumstances (I did one quick pass but only tweaked a few grammar things). But I think I'd spent so much time shaping it in my head that by the time it made it onto the page, it felt complete.

The KEEP FAITH e-book was released on September 1, and it's been pretty well received so far! Here's the link, in case anyone's interested: https://gumroad.com/l/keepfaith. You can also see what readers are saying about it on Goodreads.

We're currently working on the paperback version, and I volunteered to do the formatting because I'm a book interior nerd ;-). Here's a sneak peak...

Submitting to Smaller Markets

Often novice writers focus all their energy on the big event -- the manuscript -- with the dream of landing an agent, and subsequently, a publishing deal. And sure, there is no better trial by fire than writing your first book. But writers would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn’t consider submitting to smaller markets in the interim. What I mean by that is -- write a damn short story.

 I love writing short stories. They give me the luxury of experimenting with genre and narrative style without committing a lot of time to a manuscript. As a mystery writer, the short story can be especially useful in playing around with mood, tension, foreshadowing, red herrings, and suspense. For Brave New Girls, I tried my hand at developing an unreliable narrator, something I had never attempted before. Last summer, I wrote a 9,000-word story about a girl who gets murdered at her own Sweet Sixteen, solely so I could explore a darker side to my storytelling.

This last weekend, I finished a story about a teen girl who finds the dead body of her tormentor in the deer path between their houses. I was aiming for subtle clues with a twisty ending which, if my early readers are being forthright, paid off. My goal is to submit this story to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, a highly competitive (and paying!) market who publishes mystery tycoons like Megan Abbott and Lawrence Block. 

The money isn't the draw, although I do believe writers should be paid for their work. But to get published in EQMM is major street cred -- something my agent can slap onto my submissions. Not to mention, it would get me active member status at Mystery Writers of America, which is something I'm gunning for. 

So, how do you go about submitting to smaller markets? Well, for starters, you need to find the markets. Your best bet is to subscribe to Duotrope for $5 a month. There, you'll have access to market listings and reports, plus a handy way to keep track of your submissions. A friend told me about The (Submission) Grinder, a free site that lists markets and submission statistics, but I have yet to use it so I can't comment on its effectiveness.

And with everything, research! Read the markets, triple check the submission guidelines. Make sure that what you write is a good fit for their market. And make sure they're legit. 

Do you often submit short stories and poetry to small markets? Do you have any to recommend?  Sound off belooooooooow.

A Blank Canva

A few days ago, Carrie wrote this kick-butt post on why authors need graphics (and can make them in Canva) and I'm going to piggy back off that post and talk about how I made a short story cover using Canva.

I'm not as tech-savvy as I should be for being in my mid-30s (And I don't care what my husband says, iPhones are not intuitive). I don't know how to use Photoshop or GIMP and I get frustrated with technology easily. So when I wanted to publish my short story on Amazon, I had every intention of buying a premade cover, even knowing I wouldn't make a return-on-investment for a 99-cent short story for a long time. But then I discovered Canva and saw that they had an option to create a kindle book cover. So I thought, what the hell, I'll give it a shot. Check out the cover below.

The short story is a spooky YA romance and I think this cover conveys the genre.

Not bad, right? I got the image from Canva (it cost a dollar) and I used one of their book cover templates. I played around with font color, trying white to see if it stood out better against the image. It did for my name, but the color didn't work for the title. You can see my surname isn't totally visible in black. I even played around with filters, adjusting the light for various effects. I think this cover works because of its simplicity. One compelling image and simple fonts. Is it perfect? No. But no one who has reviewed the story has complained of the cover art, so I put this in the success column.

Now, I'm going to be totally honest when I say I don't really recommend authors make book covers for full-length novels using Canva because I think the features are too limiting. However, if you want to publish a short story on Amazon or Wattpad, then Canva is a great site to use.

The cover art cost $1. You can't beat that. And I did make back my ROI. The entire short cost $21 to produce (I paid for a copy edit). It's now free on Amazon, iTunes, BN, and Kobo. And it will stay free. One Night Is All You Need was a beloved piece of writing that was just taking up space on my hard drive. A copy edit, a cheap cover and I was able to publish this immediately. It's a nice sample of my work.

In fairness to Canva, this cover is the best I can do with my limited skills. I'm super curious to see what better designers can do with the program. In fact, if you have designed a book cover with Canva, please link to it in the comments. Show off your stuff.

-KGG

Making a long story short

I just finished writing a YA science fiction short story for the Brave New Girls anthology (you’ll hear more about the anthology from Mary Fan in Steve’s post next week) and I thought it would be cool to talk about short story writing. So often, writing blogs focus on novels, genre and publishing, even though the short story is often the author’s first foray into writing. Whether you started out writing Winnie the Pooh fan fiction (raises hand) or a crackpot fairy tale in the third grade, you began with the short story.

Although I find it challenging, the short story is my favorite story form to write. Not only do I have to develop an entire story arc in less than 10,000 words but I also have to create a clever ending or unique story twist – something to leave a lasting impression on the reader. I try to model my stories after Twilight Zone episodes. Clever. Dark. Thematic. Allegorical. Except, I’m no Rod Serling.

Short story writing allows me to open up creatively. I had never written science fiction before several weeks ago. But when the opportunity to contribute to the Brave New Girls anthology came up, I decided to try writing in a new genre. Believe me, it wasn’t easy. The story only took a week to draft, but a month to revise. Because not only did I set the story twenty years in the future, I made up a complicated mystery plot that required some knowledge of technology – knowledge I don’t possess (seriously, I barely utilize 5% of my iPhone’s potential). And without ruining the ending for anyone, I also decided to try my hand at a writing technique I’d never done before. But – and this is key – because of the short form, I was willing and excited to take the risk. It’s a lot easier to rewrite a 10,000-word story than it is a 90,000-word novel. And I’ve done both.

But don’t just take my word for it, let’s hear what my blog buddy, Steve, has to say. His horror short story, “Exploding Shit Zombies”, was published in At Hell’s Gates, a horror charity anthology. The proceeds benefit Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which supports men and women in the armed forces. Steve is also the author of several novels including Braineater Jones (which is on sale!) and The Ghoul Archipelago. He is also a very funny dude and his hesitantly-given writing advice is dead on (no pun intended).

KGG: What was the inspiration for "Exploding Shit Zombies" (genius title, by the way)? How did you get involved with the At Hell's Gates anthology?

Steve: Thanks for the compliment!  I'm glad you asked because there's actually a good story behind that.  This past summer I did an interview for the Books, Beer, and Blogshit site.  One of the questions was, "Would you survive your own zompocalypse?"  I had never, in fact, written about what happened in my current hometown of Harrisburg, PA.  Shortly after that I did an interview with horror author extraordinaire Sharon Stevenson (who, as it turns out, was also included in AT HELL'S GATES) and she asked me if, after BRAINEATER JONES and THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO, I intended to reinvent the zombie yet a third time.  The two questions began to coagulate in my mind, but it finally all came together when Sylvia Bagaglio, an excellent reviewer for Bookshelf Bombshells, tweeted me asking, "Do zombies poop?"  I answered all three questions in one stroke, like the tailor of the old children's story.

I got involved with the anthology when I was invited into a writing group by Shana Festa, the author of TIME OF DEATH: INDUCTION.  One of the ideas pitched by the group was a novel boxed set, which gradually morphed into a short story anthology since so many of us did not have the rights to our novels to include in a separate boxed set.  Devan Sagliani, the author of the UNDEAD LA series, offered to spearhead the anthology.  Of course, we don't have the backing of a major publishing house, so paying a stipend to the authors was not feasible unless someone was going to go out of pocket.  We all agreed that the best thing to do would be to make it a charity anthology, and after some discussion we selected the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and I couldn't be happier that it happened that way.  I think everyone should buy the book, because at a minimum, even if you hate it, at least you contributed to a worthy cause.  But you probably won't hate it.  :)

KGG: How do you plan a short story? Do you start with a premise, a character, or a setting?

Steve: Oh.  Plan.  Um...plan...  Well, a short story as a character study would probably be pretty crappy.  I mean, I would take the rule of thumb that you really only have time to develop one character in a short story, and all the others need to be drawn rather broadly.  Similarly, a setting you could probably dabble in, but you wouldn't really have a whole lot of room to sandbox.  So I guess using the Three Card Monte skeptic's trick, I would say you have to start with a premise.

KGG: One of the challenges of writing a short story is developing a story arc in such a short word count. What advice do you have for writers who are overwhelmed with the task of having to do this?

Steve: Well, I don't normally give writing advice.  Know that this speaks volumes to how much I respect you, personally, KGG, that I am breaking my usual rule.

So here's what I think about writing a short story: every short needs to be "The Sixth Sense."  With a novel you can develop rhythms and flows and things, but with a short story it's all about the payoff at the end.  There needs to be some kind of sting, twist, or pun at the end that tells us why we just spent ten thousand words learning about this world instead of a hundred thousand.  Think of The Lottery, or A Rose For Emily, or the Gift of the Magi.  It's all about setting up a vignette, then flipping the script.  So make sure you know what your big punch at the end is going to be, and then build towards that, rather than leaving it open-ended so you can develop your story organically, as you would with a novel.

KGG: Yes! I totally agree. I know you submitted a short story for Brave New Girls -- can you sum up the story in one sentence?

Steve: The real explanation for the Kelly-Hopkinsville incident.

***

Besides cool charity anthologies, there is still a paying market for short stories. I just submitted an old YA ghost story I had written to a paying publication and if it gets selected, I will plotz.

Check out the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short StoryContest. The deadline is January 31^st, 2015. And there’s still time to submit to the Brave New Girls Anthology (deadline: Nov. 15).

What say you, dear readers? Do you love reading and writing short stories? Are you working on any? What are your favorites?