Way back in February, I announced that I sold a story to Analog.
Looks like I will be appearing in the November issue (which means it goes on sale in October, which means my contributor copies will be arriving in September…publishing is weird).
Guess what came in the mail this week??
A while back, I held a giveaway on the blog, and I learned a few things. The main thing I learned? Nobody enters giveaways. That makes entering authors’ giveaways a *really* effective way to get a lot of free books!
Which leads me to this wonderful copy of Ironskin by (my personal hero) Tina Connolly:
I assure you the ink is much more glittery than it appears in this picture.
The inscription reads, “For Shane, who is willing to win all the things”. You see, Tina Connolly is who I want to be when I grow up, so naturally whenever she offers a giveaway, I enter. Given the paragraph at the top of this post, I *ahem* have done pretty well.
I haven’t actually read Ironskin yet (would you believe it arrived mere hours after I finally laid my hands on a copy of The Windup Girl, which is sort of my equivalent of Wily Coyote catching The Roadrunner), but I don’t hesitate to recommend it, because Tina is the best (and it was nominated for a Nebula, if you’re into that kind of thing).
So, universe, take note! I am, indeed, willing to win all the things.
Just over a year ago, I sold a story to Pseudopod, the weekly horror podcast. And now, it’s finally up!
I want to stress that this is a horror story, in a horror podcast. As the host, Alasdair, is fond of saying: horror fiction is specifically designed to make you feel uncomfortable. If you don’t like that feeling, perhaps skip listening to this one and wait until my next sale comes around.
If you would prefer to listen to only my story (and honestly, my story is not that frightening; only 4 or 5 people killed, max! I promise!) you can skip to around the 22 minute mark. But I warn you, the story immediately after mine will make you squirm in absolutely every sense of that word.
So, warnings out of the way, sit back and enjoy a story about how love can make you blind, how you always want the best for your children, and why you should never, never wind that mainspring.
I am very pleased to announce the sale of my story “Exit Strategy” to Fantasy Scroll Magazine.
“Exit Strategy” is Ocean’s Eleven meets High Fantasy. What happens when a dwarf, a mage, and a thief conspire to steal a dragon’s horde? The same things that always happen during a heist: complications, quick improvisation, and double crosses.
Oh, and did I mention the dragon?
“It’s impossible, and it’s crazy. You’re familiar with the phrase, ‘safer than a dragon’s horde’, right? There’s a reason they say that.”
“Anything’s possible with the right plan,” said Lewin.
Just a reminder, the adaptation of my story “My Heart is a Quadratic Equation” will once again be performed two weeks from today by The Pulp Stage as part of their “Sassy Sci Fi” night.
Actors.
Dialogue.
Forbidden love amongst aliens, robots… and nerds.T H E E V E N I N G F E A T U R E S
Close Encounter by Robin Pond
Making My Entrance Again With My Usual Flair by Ken Scholes
Deb & Joan by Isaac Rathbone
They’re Made Out of Meat by Terry Bisson
My Heart Is a Quadratic Equation by Shane HalbachCome on down to the unsnooty Sip D’vine wine shop in Multnomah Village, have a glass and get ready for some fun. Seating for the show starts at 7:30pm with a suggested donation of $5 to $10
THIS SHOW IS BEST SUITED FOR AUDIENCES OLD ENOUGH TO CONSUME ALCOHOL.
As it turns out, that warning goes for all of my fiction.
Shane Halbach 