First, a quick note: RL is very much A Lot right now, so I may or may not end up taking a small step back from the blog in the following weeks. If I end up doing so, never fear! The movie reviews, TOS recaps, and possibly even the Jell-O shots will return!

Today’s business: I have a new story out! “Monsters Never Leave You” is available to read for free here at Strange Horizons as a part of their Chosen Family special issue. Anyone who knows me and my fanfic tropes of choice can probably guess how ecstatic I am to be included in this particular issue.

This story was not an easy one to write. It has gone through many, many revisions. But I’ve become very fond of it, and if you end up reading this one, I hope you are too. “Monsters Never Leave You” is especially recommended for people who like contemporary witches, retold fairy tales, undead magic children, living houses, and sibling stories. Also, for anyone who’s ever found trees just a little bit creepy.

Also, the artwork by Sam Guay? GORGEOUS.

The official Radiohead pairing for “Monsters Will Never Leave You” is “Motion Picture Soundtrack.” The music video in my head goes something like this: a grainy, old school home video capturing a series of moments, starting out properly domestic (cups of cocoa, studying at the kitchen table, etc.), then growing more wondrous and magical (speaking to animals, levitating household items), then growing steadily creepier and creepier (pulling back to reveal the cabin’s location in a dark forest and all the undead people just outside the windows, watching).

Once again, you’re all lucky that I don’t know how to properly make fanvids, or I might be tempted to do so for my own work and thus become the most obnoxious person alive.