New Release -- No Humans Allowed

An anthology called No Humans Allowed, edited by John Helfers, has just released. I have a story in it called "The Scent of Murder." It's an SF mystery where an alien troubleshooter has a problem. The Terran captain of a trading ship has suffered a catastrophic fluid rupture and died while docked at an Yzantris station. Thinker of Useful Ideas Yazvoras is on a deadline to figure out who murdered the human before the Terran ambassador claims the crime scene and has it removed. The time limit is completely unreasonable, but aliens are often incomprehensible. And as the Yzantris say, the world is. No Humans Allowed is part of the Fiction River anthology series by WMG Publishing.

Humans prove great fodder for fiction. But what about the universe of possibilities offered by the nonhuman protagonist? The eighteen daring humans of Fiction River’s latest volume explore just that. From a goblin who must choose whether to risk everything for love to a heroic rat adventuring at sea to sentient underpants (yes, underpants), these nonhuman tales demonstrate why Adventures Fantastic says: “If you haven’t checked out Fiction River yet, you should. There’s something for everyone.”

This volume contains….

“In the Beginnings” by Annie Reed
“At His Heels a Stone” by Lee Allred
“In the Empire of Underpants” by Robert T. Jeschonek
“The Sound of Salvation” by Leslie Claire Walker
“Goblin in Love” by Anthea Sharp
“Slime and Crime” by Michèle Laframboise
“Always Listening” by Louisa Swann
“Here I Will Dance” by Stefon Mears
“Rats at Sea” by Brenda Carre
“Sense and Sentientability” by Lisa Silverthorne
“When a Good Fox Goes to War” by Kim May
“The Game of Time” by Felicia Fredlund
“The Scent of Murder” by Angela Penrose
“Still-Waking Sleep” by Dayle A. Dermatis
“Inhabiting Sweetie” by Dale Hartley Emery
“The Legend of Anlahn” by Eric Kent Edstrom
“Sheath Hopes” by Thea Hutcheson
“We, The Ocean” by Alexandra Brandt

PS -- "Empire of Underpants" is great! :D

Paperback on Amazon
E-book on Amazon
E-book on Kobo
Paperback on B&N
E-book on B&N

New Release -- Last Stand

An anthology called Last Stand, edited by Dean Wesley Smith and Felicia Fredlund, just came out recently. I have a story in it, called "Bury My Son at Home," an SF story about the women determined to take their dead home in the wake of a horrendous battle, after two warring powers decided to use their world as a battleground. Last Stand is part of the Fiction River anthology series by WMG Publishing.

History offers many heroic tales of final battles. And in Last Stand, sixteen courageous authors offer their take on the topic. From a heartwarming tale of not-so-friendly business competition to a battle of the gods—sort of—for the fate of the world to a tale of looking for love in all the wrong places. These inventive stories make Last Stand one of the most creative—and memorable—Fiction River volumes yet.

This volume contains….

"The Great Ice Cream War of Grover’s Hollow" by Annie Reed
"Slow Motion" by Eric Kent Edstrom
"Do Not Resuscitate" by Dory Crowe
"Sunset, Fall, Home" by Dan C. Duval
"'Til Death Do Us Part" by Kerrie L. Hughes & John Helfers
"Circle 'Round" by M. L. Buchman
"Unto the Ether" by M. E. Owen
"Bury My Son at Home" by Angela Penrose
"The Flare" by Laura Ware
"What’s Left of Me" by Bonnie Elizabeth
"The Counter" by Rob Vagle
"The Toymaker of Kelsium Rye" by Chuck Heintzelman
"Magic and Sacrifice" by Felicia Fredlund
"Lady Elizabeth’s Betrothal Ball" by Anthea Sharp
"Suppose They Gave a Ragnarok and Nobody Came?" by Lee Allred
"Death Bunnies of Toxic Island" by Travis Heermann

Paperback on Amazon
E-book on Amazon
Paperback on B&N
E-book on B&N
E-book on Kobo

New Release -- Alien Artifacts

I have an SF story called "Me and Alice" in the new Alien Artifacts anthology, edited by Josh Palmatier and Patricia Bray. "Me and Alice" is about a young boy who's worried about his pet toad. Alice is very elderly (for a toad) and hasn't been feeling too well, but old age isn't something you can fix with care or medicine. An archaeological dig on his family's land provides a distraction, and a puzzle.

Paperback on Amazon
E-book on Amazon
Paperback on B&N
E-book on B&N
E-book on Kobo
E-book on iTunes



Josh and Patricia are also doing a Kickstarter campaign for their next batch of anthologies. This year they're doing three -- All Hail Our Robot Conquerors, Submerged, and The Death of All Things. They sound like fun; I'm especially looking forward to writing for Robot Conquerors, and maybe Submerged. And maybe Death of All Things too, but who knows? :) They've already made their goal, and have just a few days left, so you can pledge knowing that you'll definitely get whatever goodies you sign up for.

New Release -- Recycled Pulp

Recycled Pulp is out, with one of my stories, plus a lot of other great reads.

This book was fun to write for. John Helfers, the editor, came up with a list of 250 ultra-pulpy titles. Everyone who wanted to submit sent in three numbers at random between 1 and 250, and got three of the titles. We chose one to write about, but we had to write a modern, non-pulpy story that still fit the title. My story is called "Crypt of the Metal Ghouls." :D

There was no other subject restriction on the story except that it had to fit the title chosen, so the book has a wide variety of genres and subgenres; this is a great book for someone who loves short fiction in general.

In his intro to my story, John said,

This next story was one I was hoping to get. I already knew that with the random titles I was throwing at the submitting authors, I'd be getting an even bigger grab bag of stories and genres that would somehow have to be woven together into a cohesive anthology. But even so, the reader in me was hoping that some authors could take the title they’d chosen and turn it into something that would both reinvent it and hit my story buttons. Angela Penrose did both, spectacularly. This is the second story of hers that I've purchased (her first, as well as her first pro sale, was "Staying Afloat" published in Fiction River: How to Save the World), and I hope to be buying many more in the future—especially if she keeps giving me great post-apocalyptic action stories like this one.

I've read all the stories in this book, and there's a lot of excellent reading here.

Available:

in paperback on Amazon
in e-book on Amazon
in e-book on B&N
in e-book on Kobo
in e-book on Smashwords

New Release -- Loosed Upon the World

Loosed Upon the World, the cli-fi (climate fiction) SF anthology edited by John Joseph Adams, released today. I have a story in it, along with a bunch of other great writers.

The table of contents has a lot of great names in it, including Paolo Bacigalupi, Robert Silverberg, Tobias Buckell, Margaret Atwood, Nancy Kress, and more. This is a beefy collection of stories, and everyone should find a lot of good stuff in it.

Available to Order:

in hardcover from Amazon
in paperback from Amazon
in e-book from Amazon
in hardcover from B&N
in paperback from B&N
in e-book from B&N
in e-book from Kobo
in e-book from OmniLit

So far as I can tell, it's not up in the Apple store yet, but it probably will be soon. [crossed fingers]

New Release -- Alchemy and Steam

Alchemy and Steam is out, with my story "The Rites of Zosimos" in it, along with a bunch of other great stories. This one was a lot of fun to write; I did some research, which led me into the historical lore of alchemy. An alchemist named Zosimos of Panopolis actually existed, and I took some of his writings to use as a seed for my story. I hope you enjoy it.

Available:

in paperback on Amazon
in e-book on Amazon
in paperback on B&N
in e-book on B&N
in e-book on Smashwords

Angie

Anthology -- Loosed Upon the World

This is the definitive collection of climate fiction from John Joseph Adams, the acclaimed editor of The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and Wastelands. These provocative stories explore our present and speculate about all of our tomorrows through terrifying struggle, and hope.

Join the bestselling authors Margaret Atwood, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jim Shepard, and over twenty others as they presciently explore the greatest threat to our future.

This is a collection that will challenge readers to look at the world they live in as if for the first time.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

o Shooting the Apocalypse—Paolo Bacigalupi
o The Myth of Rain—Seanan McGuire
o Outer Rims—Toiya Kristen Finley
o Kheldyu—Karl Schroeder
o The Snows of Yesteryear—Jean-Louis Trudel
o A Hundred Hundred Daisies—Nancy Kress
o The Rainy Season—Tobias S. Buckell
o The Netherlands Lives With Water—Jim Shepard
o The Precedent—Sean McMullen
o Hot Sky—Robert Silverberg
o That Creeping Sensation—Alan Dean Foster
o Truth or Consequences—Kim Stanley Robinson
o Entanglement—Vandana Singh
o Staying Afloat—Angela Penrose
o Eighth Wonder—Chris Bachelder
o Eagle—Gregory Benford
o Outliers—Nicole Feldringer
o Quiet Town—Jason Gurley
o The Day It All Ended—Charlie Jane Anders
o The Smog Society—Chen Qiufan (translated by Ken Liu & Carmen Yiling Yan)
o Racing the Tide—Craig DeLancey
o Mutant Stag at Horn Creek—Sarah Castle
o Hot Rods—Cat Sparks
o The Tamarisk Hunter—Paolo Bacigalupi
o Mitigation—Tobias Buckell & Karl Schroeder
o Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet—Margaret Atwood
AFTERWORD: Science Scarier Than Fiction—Ramez Naam

PRE-ORDER THE BOOK:

Amazon | Kindle
B&N | Nook
Other Retailers

New Release -- Young Explorer's Adventure Guide -- E-Book Released

My first release of new year, the electronic edition of The 2015 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide is out, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. The paperback should be up in a week or two, fingers crossed.

Angie

Young Explorer's Adventure Guide

The Young Explorer's Adventure Guide is a science fiction anthology for middle grade readers featuring a diverse range of characters. From editors Corie and Sean Weaver:

Sally Ride, first woman in space and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, famously said:

“Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday. You can’t be what you can’t see.”

Girls need to read stories where any number of possible roles are modeled for them. Just as importantly, boys need to read stories where girls are active participants in adventures. And children of all colors and backgrounds need to know the future includes them.

According to a 2011 study of 6,000 children’s books, only 31 percent had central female characters, and even fewer featured main characters of color.

A genre that’s supposed to inspire us towards a bright future isn’t making space for half the population’s dreams. Boys go and have adventures, girls are to be defended, or prizes to be won, and the landscape is very, very white.

It’s time for a bigger universe.

Corie and Sean are running a Kickstarter campaign to raise some of the money for the project. Note the "some" -- they're not counting on Kickstarter funds for their entire budget. Acquisition and editing of stories has been on-going for some time now, and the list of writers is looking good.

I have a story in the book -- and am excited to be sharing a TOC listing with Nancy Kress, a great writer whose work I've loved for many years -- along with other folks I know and whose work I enjoy. This is going to be a great anthology, and it's well worth supporting. As of this morning, they're over 70% of their way to funding, with 25 days to go. Head over and check it out.

Angie