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Trivial Superpowers Save the Day!

/ Shane / 2 Comments

I’m pleased to announce my story “Random Play All and the League of Awesome” will appear in the anthology “Oomph: A little super goes a long way” from Crossed Genres publications.

Oomph is a collection of stories about superheroes. But not just any superheroes:

It’s easy to save the day when you’re invulnerable, can fly, or can punch through steel. But what if you’re just… really calloused? Or can hover for three seconds? Or can only punch through things made of aluminum?

Oomph: A little super goes a long way explores what it takes to be a superhero with just a little bit of power, where heroes and heroines use their small gifts to great advantage. Sometimes, you don’t need a big lever to move the world.

This is exciting for several reasons: first, because I have a lifelong love of trivial superpowers (see The Tick). Second, because it’s exciting to be included in something I’d actually want to read anyway. Third, because it’s quite a bit longer than the other stories I’ve sold. And fourth, because it will mark the first time I’ll be published in an actual dead tree book (although it will also be offered in e-book format).

I don’t know yet when the book will go on sale, but I’ll certainly keep you posted.

When it rains, it pours

/ Shane / Leave a comment

I am pleased to announce the sale of my story “Downsizing Pluto” to Daily Science Fiction.

After 3 1/2 years of writing with no success, here’s a second sale already. Must be something about places with rocket logos.

This story speculates on what might have happened to cause the downfall of poor little planet #9.

Daily Science Fiction isn’t a magazine in a traditional sense. You can sign up on their webpage to receive a story emailed to you every weekday.

Our stories are mostly short short fiction (flash fiction) each Monday through Thursday, hopefully the right length to read on a coffee break, over lunch, or as a bedtime tale. Friday’s weekend stories are longer.

I will let you know when the story is available online (or, if you are a fan of science fiction, you can go ahead and sign up for their emails, and then you will know it is available when it arrives in your inbox). It should be a couple of months or so.

Here’s to more announcements like these!

Achievement Unlocked!

/ Shane / 6 Comments

I have an announcement to make.

In my spare time, I have been secretly writing and trying to sell professional-level short fiction. (Specifically speculative fiction, which includes fantasy, science fiction, and horror.) At first I (very, very) naively believed that this would be a snap. Even though I tried to tell myself it wasn’t so, I still secretly thought I was a hot-shot natural who would type up a story or two and then the acceptances would start rolling in.

3 1/2 years and 132 rejections later, my eyes have been opened.

Writing a story that an editor wants to publish is a lot harder than I ever imagined. Even just getting down on paper the story you imagine in your head is a lot harder than I ever imagined. Furthermore, that’s not even the hard part; the hard part is finding time to keep writing when the rejections, dishes, and laundry are piling up, and you have two small kids who need 110% of your effort, to say nothing of a full time job.

Way back at the beginning, I decided to keep my fiction writing a secret “until such time that I feel this whole idea is not foolish. Or, until I decide that it is completely foolish and we can all have a good laugh about it.”

Well, I can finally say it is the former rather than the latter. I am pleased to announce that my story, “My Heart is a Quadratic Equation” will appear in the September issue of Redstone Science Fiction!

It feels so good to finally have a win (even if the score is 132 to 1) that I am “coming out of the closet” so to speak with my illicit, night-time fiction writing. Momentarily I will unlock the “Writing” category and all the posts contained therein. If you feel the need to go back and read them, please remember that 3 1/2 years ago I was more or less a clueless idiot when it came to professional writing.  (I’m sure that in another 3 1/2 years I will look back at this post and consider my current self more or less a clueless idiot when it comes to professional writing.)

So there it is. You can be sure I will link to the story when it goes live on their website, and from here on out, any other information about my writing.

The first of many!