2018 in a Nutshell

It has been a pretty amazing year for me. I've had six new stories published -- a record for me -- and I'm happy to say that I already have two more stories forthcoming in 2019. I also sold a big old novel, and have been working through some excellent edits there to bring you the best version of The Redwood Palace.

For folks reading for awards, all my 2018 publications fall in the short story category. And if I have to single out a story as my best one this year, er, maybe Glass in Frozen Time? I'm horrible at judging my own fiction, but I am rather proud of that story, and it seems to have gotten the most love on Twitter.

My full list of 2018 publications looks like this:

"Glass in Frozen Time", Diabolical Plots 

"Ghost of the Pepper," Flash Fiction Online

"Shod in Memories", Daily Science Fiction

"Seeds of the Soul Flower," Daily Science Fiction

"Ana's Asteroid", Cast of Wonders

"The Sixth Axiom of the Magician-Sages", Myriad Paradigm's Mind Candy

Shod In Memories

New short story out! You can read "Shod in Memories" for free over at Daily Science Fiction. This one is a fairy tale retelling, and I hope it makes people smile.

This is my sixth short story to come out in 2018 -- which feels a little surreal! I'm very happy I've been able to share so much fiction with folks this year.

Ghost of the Pepper + FanX Schedule

Photo by Ryan Bushby, CC BY 2.5

I have another story out this week! "Ghost of the Pepper" is up over at Flash Fiction Online! Coincidentally, I spent the past weekend pickling nearly a bushel of peppers...

Also, I'll be at FanX this Saturday. You can find me at:

4:00pm, Room 255B: YA, I Like YA -- What About It?

6:00pm, Room 255A: Noblebright vs. Grimdark, Nobledark vs. Grimbright

Hope to see you there!

New Novel + Glass in Frozen Time

My short story "Glass in Frozen Time" is out today from Diabolical Plots! You can read it for free here.

I also have other exciting news I can share today...I signed a book contract! My novel THE REDWOOD PALACE will be coming out next year from Immortal Works. They asked me to make an author Facebook page, so you can follow me there, now, too.

And here's a little bit about the book:

Seventeen-year-old Plum is a young chef with high prospects -- until she gives up her career to cover for her runaway sister. Lying for family leaves her tangled up in intrigue, and accused of poisoning the king's sister. To clear her name, Plum has to figure out who's really behind the attack. Her best hope is to make an alliance with the Hungry Ghost who haunts the palace kitchens. He'll spy for her, if she whips him up an exorcism.

But researching exorcism recipes and delving into the identity of the true poisoner unearths darker plots. If Plum wants to save herself, her family, and her nation, she's going to have to cook the dish of a lifetime.

I'm so excited to share this project with you!

Seeds of the Soul Flowers + Instructables Update

My short story "Seeds of the Soul Flowers" is live at Daily Science Fiction!

I've also got some new Instructables up, for anyone who's interested in DIY.

Here's Sunshine Soap with Calendula and Honey.

And here's Fire-Toasted Parmesan Basil Bread.

Fyrecon 2018

I will be at Fyrecon this weekend in Layton, Utah! If you haven't been, this is a fantastic con focused on the craft and business of writing, art, and game design. Here's my schedule:

THURSDAY:

11:00am: Breaking or Retelling: How Far Can You Take a Classic Story (panel)
2:00pm: Roundtable: Mythology and its Modernization
4:00pm: Formula or Innovation: Which is the Better Path (panel)

FRIDAY:

12:00pm Accidental Heroes: Characters that Aren't Perfect (panel)
6:00pm Making Money Writing Short Fiction (class presentation)
7:00pm Managing Research and the Internet (panel)

SATURDAY:

1:00pm 3-to-1 Editing Session (You can sign up to have me edit 1,000 words of your work)
5:00pm Techniques for Worldbuilding Without Infodumping

DRIFT in a Movie!

My brother and sister-in-law were watching Everything Everything, and sent me this quick screen shot. There's DRIFT on the nightstand! Hurrah for beautiful, large typography! 

I've seen my book at libraries and bookstores before, but I wasn't ever expecting to see it pop up in a movie.

Oh, and a sidenote: I will absolutely be at Fyrecon this June -- I'll post my schedule when I have it. Hope to see some of you there!

 

Ana's Asteroid

My short story "Ana's Asteroid" is out live today from Cast of Wonders! You can listen to it or read it for free on their website.

I think this is the first bit of hard science fiction I've published. I wrote it with younger readers in mind -- the main character is thirteen -- and it's the kind of thing I would have wanted to read as a kid.

I loved (and still love) board games and PBS NOVA as a kid, and both of those things came into play for this story. Many games of High Frontier got me thinking hard about different asteroid mining possibilities. And Emergency Mine Rescue from NOVA gave me some engineering insights into digging deep. NOVA also has a great resources for learning about space.

LTUE Schedule

I always look forward to The Life, The Universe, and Everything. It's one of the finest SFF conferences for writers. If you're looking to find me there, I'll be at...

THURSDAY
1:00pm: Magic Systems: Soft Vs. Hard (panel)
6:00pm: Kinship Systems from Around the World (panel)

FRIDAY:
9:00am: Write What you Know: Getting Ideas from Everyday Skills (panel)
6:00pm: Cuneiform, Hieroglyphs, Alphabets: Cultural Writing Systems (panel)
7:00pm: Massive Author Book signing!

SATURDAY:
9:00am: Avoiding the Dreaded Info Dump. (class)
12:00pm: Bite-Sized Fiction (panel)
6:00pm: Communications Throughout History (panel)

Publishing Updates!

The anthology Mind Candy is now out! My story "The Sixth Axiom of the Magician-Sages" is in it -- a story about math proofs, childbirth, and magic.

"Exhaling Memories" came out last year, but I got my physical copy of Aliterate recently. You can read this one online for free, but the book itself is beautiful.