It's a Jumble

  The year’s not yet over, but it’s that time when writers begin posting about their award-eligible work. This year I had five new original short stories published. I also had my first collection of short stories, The House of Illusionists , published by Interstellar Flight press!   New Short Stories   “Sweetest” (dark fantasy/horror, 6640 words) in The House of Illusionists and Other Stories . Published November 2025 (Available from Amazon and other outlets. More book info at the bottom of this post)   A story about clowns in a candy shop. Seriously creepy clowns in a candy shop. It’s also about hunger, loss, old-fashioned treats, shadow-children, and truths that may be too much to bear. This story is original to The House of Illusionists , and I’m so pleased to hear from many readers that it’s one of their favorites in the collection.     “The Space Roads” (science fiction/horror, 3174 words) in  Space Horrors: An Anthology of Horro...

  It's out!! My debut collection of short stories, The House of Illusionists , is officially out in the world! It's available at Amazon , Indiebound , Barnes and Noble online , and direct from publisher .  You can go to my personal dedicated book page for more information (including advance praise and interviews). You can also visit the official publisher website here. 

 Yet we continue to live despite all our suffering --from As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, by the anonymous Heian-era woman known now as "Lady Sarashina," Penguin Classic Edition, translation by Ivan Morris

  It’s the last day of September, and this round-up is way overdue. Some things I read and loved in July and August.   Strange Tales of Horror, Darkness, and Beauty   “And the Planet Loved Him” by L. Chan in Clarkesworld I’ve been here a few weeks, and the sunsets never get old. The blue sun scintillates off the spore miasma, glittering into fractal rainbows. The worst part is the waiting. We’re so far off the grid that by the time the distress signal relays back to someone that could authorize the funds requisition for a rescue, there’s a good chance that I’d already run out of air or food or both. We still see the light of stars long gone supernova in the sky. I’m dead already; I just haven’t gotten the memo.   And this is all before my deceased husband’s voice crackles on the radio from outside the habitat.   L. Chan excels at strange, beautiful hard science-fiction stories with striking ideas and imagery. He gives another one here, in th...

  I am far, far overdue for a personal writing/publication update, I realize. 1. Short Story Publication in Lightspeed Magazine In June, my latest fantasy story was published in Lightspeed Magazine . “When the Faerie King Toured the Human Realm” is about exactly what the title says. It’s also about social media fame, parasocial relationships, street food, and the very human need to feel that we belong to a story larger than ourselves. It is one of my favorite things that I have written, ever, and there’s a wonderful podcast version, narrated by Susan Hanfield, if you would rather listen than read.   It was inspired, as you can read in the  accompanying  author interview , by watching   waaaay too many xianxia c-dramas, a genre of  Chinese television drama that is centered  on "xian,” immortal beings from Chinese folklore/tradition. If you, too, are a fan of this   genre, just know that the Faerie King looks exactly like your favorite male xia...

  A few years ago, I came across a stunning story, “Sweetbaby, ” in Clarkesworld.  It opens with a scene of shocking violence. And yet despite the violence and weirdness in this tale, there’s also a tone of quiet introspection. It’s a story about a girl struggling to unravel the truth of her circumstances, the truth about her world. And it’s about others who are doing everything they can to deny reality. It’s about parents and children; it’s a wild mashup of genres; it extends compassion even toward what seems unforgivable, and it left me with a quiet ache in my heart. I knew then that Thomas Ha was a writer to watch.   And how. In the last few years, Ha has released one brilliant tale after another--weird, unsettling tales that mix horror, science fiction, and fantasy. His work has garnered major award nominations, and placed as a finalist for the Nebula, Hugo, and Shirley Jackson awards. It all culminates (for now) in this first collection of his work, Uncertain Son...