Writing

Now Available at The Dark: “Forward, Victoria”

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I know I’ve said this before, but man, writing is fickle. Nothing to report for months and months, and then all of a sudden, bam, two stories out a week apart.

Today’s story is “Forward, Victoria,” which is available to read for free at The Dark, and is the latest evidence of my slasher movie obsession. In the past, I’ve written about final girls, as well as the ladies who rarely get the chance to become final girls. Today, we have the girl as monster, the undead girl. The masked killer girl.

There are a lot of presumably obvious horror movie influences here, but the biggest one for me? Definitely this dude.

(Your unofficial Radiohead pairing, BTW, is “Decks Dark,” which has been the first runner up song for so many stories. Listen to it, and all my other silly Radiohead pairings, here.)

If you read “Forward, Victoria,” I hope you enjoy!

Now Available at Daily Science Fiction: “An Ever After Diverged”

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I have a new story up today!

I sold this one at the tail end of 2020, and I’m happy it’s found a home at DSF. I am, by nature, a wordy motherfucker, so I always feel a little special extra joy when I manage to write and sell flash fiction. If you like stories that are a little angry, fairytale adjacent, and run backwards through time, you may enjoy this one.

Your requisite Radiohead pairing for this story is “Go Slowly.” Listen to it—and all my other silly Radiohead pairings—here.

2020: Award Eligible Work and Recommended Short Stories

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Looks like it’s that time of the year again. Let’s go ahead and tackle my stuff first. I have two short stories eligible for award consideration:

“Monsters Never Leave You” – Strange Horizons (June 29th, 2020)

I’m very fond of this story, but it was not an easy one to write. I went through several versions before this final one could be born, and I’m proud of how it ultimately turned out. TBH, I kind of wish more people had read it, so if you’re a fan of fairy tales, sibling stories, found families, living houses, domestic witchery, creepy trees, and/or dessert, I hope you consider checking it out.

“Spider Season, Fire Season” – Nightmare (July 2020)

If you’re looking for slightly creepier fare, you might consider this short story instead. I wrote it shortly after the Kincade Fire, and structurally, it’s a bit of a switch-up for me. (Thematically . . . possibly not so much.) You may enjoy this one if you like ghost stories, found families, non-linear storytelling, California, violent comeuppance, and a bit of optimism in your horror.

Moving on now to some of my favorite short stories I read in 2020, in no particular order:

1. “One Time, A Reluctant Traveler” – A.T. Greenblatt (Clarkesworld)

Oh, this one is just lovely, a story about family and loss, history and survival, about taking all the tales you inherited and finding an ending of your own. It’s a quest story unlike any other quest story I’ve read, and that last line? Utter perfection.

If you must know, I left because if I stayed in Nat’s house one night longer, I was going to unravel, like a tragic traveler in one of my family’s tales. And that was a story I didn’t want to be.

2. “The Mermaid Astronaut” – Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

There’s a lot to recommend in this stunning blend of mer fantasy and space travel: the exquisite prose, the supportive relationship between sisters, the bittersweet resolution that doesn’t rely on a cruel twist. This isn’t a story that punishes our young mermaid for having dreams, and I really appreciated that.

“I don’t think it’s such an evil thing,” Essarala replied, “to want to see new worlds and taste their waters.”

“Evil, no,” the witch said. “Difficult, yes.”

3. “Open House on Haunted Hill” – John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots)

As is likely obvious from my own eligible work, I adore stories about haunted houses and/or houses that are otherwise alive. 133 Poisonwood Ave is definitely alive: sweet and lonely and longing for a family to live inside its walls. This one is heartwarming and an excellent comfort read.

All 133 Poisonwood has is a light touch, but it knows how to use it. Haunting is an art.

4. “Teeth Long and Sharp as Blades” – A.C. Wise (PseudoPod)

Maybe one of these years I’ll make a favorites list without an A.C. Wise story on it, but honestly? That just doesn’t seem very likely. This one is dark and fascinating and hooked me from the very first line. I mean, come on: “Have you ever thought about how fairy tale heroines are like final girls?” That’s basically ALL I think about.

This is my story, but when you hear it, I am irrelevant, a moral in the shape of a girl, an object to be acted upon.

5. “My Country is a Ghost” – Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny)

A melancholy, gorgeous, and ultimately hopeful story about immigration, assimilation, family, and culture. So many of the lines in this one . . . I mean, damn. It’s an incredibly moving piece and an absolute must read.

When Niovi tried to smuggle her mother’s ghost into the new country, she found herself being passed from one security officer to another, detailing her mother’s place and date of death over and over again.

6. “The Sycamore and the Sybil” – Alix E. Harrow (Uncanny)

Look, I know envy is unseemly and all, but also, Alix E. Harrow’s prose is just unfairly beautiful. This story is about women and witches and surviving, until survival alone simply isn’t enough anymore, and if you haven’t already read it, well. Get to it, please.

Before I was a sycamore I was a woman, and before I was a woman I was a girl, and before I was a girl I was a wet seed wild in the hot-pulp belly of my mother. I remember it: a pulsing blackness, veins unfurling in the dark like roots spreading through the hidden places of the earth. You remember things different, once you’re a tree.

7. “Housebound” – Ao-Hui Lin (Drabblecast)

Oh, this story. I knew almost immediately that it was gonna kick me in the stomach, and sure enough, that’s exactly what it did. It’s disturbing and tense and made me positively seethe in fury. This story stuck with me well after I finished reading it.

The closet. It used to be here, through this door, under the stairs. Now there’s just a pit and bite marks on the door jamb.

8. “Sunrise, Sunrise, Sunrise” – Lauren Ring (Apparition Lit)

Clearly, I love a good time loop story, and this one is particularly fantastic. It’s the rare story where the protagonist doesn’t want to break free from her loop, which I found both original and extremely intriguing. Great concept, strong character work, and a spot-on ending.

Every day, it goes like this: I wake to golden light, with the surface of a star just beyond my wide viewport window. As the hours pass, a supernova forms, enveloping my little research vessel. I check my monitoring equipment, I eat my favorite meals, and then in the evening, I die. 

9. “A Moonlit Savagery” – Millie Ho (Nightmare)

Oh, this is a spectacular horror story, full of loneliness and betrayal and some particularly flavorful just desserts. It’s also my introduction to phi pop, which is very exciting; I want to read about ALL THE GHOSTS, especially the hungry ones.

“ได้,” I mutter against his skin, already dizzy with fantasies of splitting his ribs open.

10. “Dead Girls Have No Names” – Claire Wrenwood (Nightmare)

Finally, we have even more hungry dead in this excellent Frankenstein-inspired short story, where dead girls are stitched together by a mother bent on revenge. It’s dark and  poignant and powerful, and the ending is absolutely sublime. READ IT.

As the lid slammed shut, the truth of our new existence dawned: Never again would any mother name us or hold us or take this cold from our bones.

There in the terrible darkness, we tried to weep and discovered we could not.

That’s it for now. Happy reading!

Now Available at Nightmare: “Spider Season, Fire Season”

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A funny thing about the writing business: you can’t always predict when your stories will be published. I submitted “Monsters Never Leave You” to Strange Horizons months before I even wrote “Spider Season, Fire Season.” I officially sold the former to SH in November 2019, while Nightmare didn’t buy the latter until late January 2020. Sat here for six months with little writing news to report, and then boom! Both stories are published within eight days of each other. Writing is weird.

But to the actual point: “Spider Season, Fire Season” is available to read for free at Nightmare! I wrote this little ghost story shortly after the Kincade Fire last year, and I think it came together pretty nicely. (She says, hopefully.) Especially recommended for anyone who likes ghosts (obviously), found families, California, multiple points-of-view, non-linear storytelling, and horror that has room for hope. TW for violence (including domestic violence) and off-screen deaths (including deaths of children).

If you do end up reading, I hope you enjoy!

Official Radiohead pairing: “2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)“

Now Available at Strange Horizons: “Monsters Never Leave You”

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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.

Now Available At The Dark: “You Were Once Wild Here”

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Friends, enemies, wayward strangers stumbling over this blog: I am delighted to announce I have a new story out today. “You Were Once Wild Here” is now available to read at The Dark!

If you are perhaps already familiar with my extensive 2019 oeuvre–it’s two stories, including this one–you might notice some similarities in my recent work: 2nd-person POV, for one; also, ace teenage protagonists. I’m extremely fond of both stories; this one, however, is much more noir in both plot and tone. If you happen to like psychic dreams, werewolves, cheerleaders, dysfunctional family dynamics, witchcraft, and murder, this might be something you’d enjoy. Official Radiohead pairing: “We Suck Young Blood.”

2019: Award Eligible Work and Recommended Short Stories

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It’s that time of the year again: Award Nomination Season is upon us.

My own list of award-eligible works could not accurately be described as a list so much as a solitary bullet point. Nevertheless, I’m very proud of that particular bullet point:

Can you call your own story heartwarming? Is that a writer faux pas? Because, honestly, that’s how I like to think of it: a heartwarming sequel to a slasher movie. If you like stories that feature deconstructed horror tropes, found families, ace protagonists, violence, humor, and Feels, well, please consider making my day and checking it out.

ETA: Apparently, I was incorrect before; I have two bullet points. My story “You Were Once Wild Here” in The Dark will also be eligible!

I’m pretty fond of this one, too. It’s, IDK. Brick meets Teen Wolf? Read if you like neo-noir, werewolves, ace-lesbian protagonists, second-person POV, weird magic, and psychic dreams.

Moving on: I am, as always, forever behind on my short story reading. Nevertheless, here are some of my favorites from 2019, in no particular order:

1. “We Are Here To Be Held” – Eugenia Triantafyllou (Strange Horizons)

This story is weird and gorgeous and I love it. Complicated maternal relationships and how the way you’re raised feeds into how you raise your children. What you learn, what you forgive, what you stand firm against. A lovely story with a perfect conclusion.

The first time your mother swallows you whole you don’t really see it coming.

2. “Away With the Wolves” – Sarah Gailey (Uncanny)

This is a lovely story about chronic pain and learning to let go of unearned guilt, about putting your needs, health, and happiness above what society unjustly demands. Bonus joy for shapeshifters and positive female friendships.

I’m still me when I’m a wolf, even if I’m missing some of the things that other people think of when they think of me. Even if I’m missing one of the biggest things I think of when I think of me.

3. “As The Last I May Know” – S.L. Huang (Tor)

Breathtaking. A story about war and propaganda and putting a human face on weapons of mass destruction, literally. What’s wonderful about this one is that it doesn’t condemn or glorify; it’s not so much about what decision is made but how it’s made. It’s not whether the ends justify the means. It’s that choosing to go through with those ends should never, ever be easy.

She didn’t know how, after so many people had read what was in her heart, she could feel so much like she had no voice.

4. “Where Gods Dance” – Ben Serna-Grey (Apex)

A swift gut punch of a story. Full of grief and dark wonders. A story about the inability to recreate what you’ve lost.

If he screamed, I never did hear it. They all spoke so softly. Abiram was his name. Marked but unburied.

5. “A Catalog of Storms” – Fran Wilde (Uncanny)

Oh, this is just lovely. Fascinating magic, strong family dynamics, and elegant prose throughout. A fantastic read.

While Mumma and I are gone, the Mayor comes by our house and puts a ribbon on our door. We get extra milk every Tuesday.

That doesn’t make things better, in the end. Milk isn’t a sister.

6. “This Is How” – Marie Brennan (Strange Horizons)

I am . . . I don’t want to say that I dislike redemption stories, exactly, but I can be a bit wary of them. Redemption, I think, can easily be handled poorly, even irresponsibly. Forgiveness, too. But this is a dark and beautiful fantasy about repentance and mercy and transformation, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

A cat may let her prey run for a time before she catches it again, but not a valravn. He keeps what he kills, and will not let the man’s soul go.

7. “The Answer That You Are Seeking” – Jenny Rae Rappaport (Lightspeed)

This one hit me. Maybe because there was a school shooting the day before I read it, or because I live in one of the cities listed in this article, or because there have literally been more mass shootings than days of the year here in America. It hit me because the prose is concise and striking. It hit me because the desperation is real.

It’s the lollipops that break you.

8. “How The Trick Is Done” – A.C. Wise (Uncanny)

I mean, look, I’ve been an A.C. Wise fangirl for years. I love pretty much all of her work, and this story–with ghosts and resurrections and stage magicians and rabbit funerals and murder–is just a wonderful read, about people learning to let go of their toxic relationships, about learning to define themselves in new ways.

“I’m a Resurrectionist.” Angie’s mouth twists on the words, but she can’t think of a better way to explain. “Death and I have an understanding.”

9. “The Tailor And The Beast” – Aysha U. Farah (Uncanny)

A queer Beauty and the Beast where it’s the father who offers to trade places with his imprisoned daughter? I mean, yes, please. Lovely and sweet and romantic AF.

A beast dwelt in the castle on the hill.

There was nothing so very strange or unusual in this circumstance; recently it had been tremendously in fashion. A witch couldn’t really hope to make her debut in society without imprisoning at least one troublesome young man behind stone walls.

10. “The House Wins In The End” – L Chan (The Dark)

L Chan writes fantastic ghost stories. This is just fact. His hauntings are creepy and unusual, and they linger in your mind long after reading. This one is full of memory and trauma and the long, lonely struggle of learning to put your ghosts to rest. A wonderful read.

This is not a haunted house story. This is what happens after.

Happy reading, everyone! If anyone has any other short story recommendations of their own, I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Now Available at Nightmare: “Some Kind of Blood-Soaked Future”

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When you can avoid fires and evacuations and massive PG&E outages, October is the best month. This is not a new argument, I know, but I like to repeat it annually: there are costumes, candy, friends, horror movies, haunted houses, creepy board games, pumpkins, very few family obligations, and, of course, spooky reads. Today those reads include “Some Kind of Blood-Soaked Future,” a short story I sold and is now available to read for free at Nightmare.

In truth, this is not a very spooky story. It’s more of a horror-comedy with Feels, what a sequel to a slasher might look like if it was written by someone with serious fanfiction sensibilities, like yours truly. If I were tagging this story on Archive, I suspect I’d go with something like the following: Horror, Emotional H/C, Angst and Humor, Found Family Feels, Asexual Character, Graphic Depictions of Violence, and Post Canon. (The violence isn’t that graphic, honestly, but maybe for the squeamish–and okay, fine, post-canon isn’t technically accurate since this is the canon. But, you know. It reads like a post-canon fic.)

I am very fond of this story, and if you choose to read it, I hope you enjoy it, too. And if you’d like a little background music with your reading, may I suggest “The National Anthem” by Radiohead? It’s an excellent song, I think, for montages: here, I’m imagining an endless cycle of driving down highways, fighting masked serial killers, trying to wash blood out of clothes, and occasionally screaming bloody murder into the sky. You know, cheery stuff like that.

Happy reading!

The Clarion West Write-a-Thon 2019

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It’s that time of the year again: I’ll be participating in Clarion West’s Write-a-Thon for the next six weeks. Well, five weeks. We’re already several days in now, and so far, it’s going pretty well.

Last summer, I began work on a project that I’ve been thinking about for, oh, I don’t know, a whole bunch of years now. It’s my “a group of amnesiacs wake up trapped together with a dead superhero” murder mystery–or, if you like comp titles: Six Wakes meets Justice League, with a healthy dose of philosophy a la The Good Place. I had a really great time working on it last year, too, but unfortunately, I had to set the novel aside to focus on a higher priority project. One year, one novel rewrite, a couple short stories, and a few very important fanfics later, and I’m ready to begin work on said Amnesia Murder Mystery again.

So far, I’ve primarily gone over and reorganized all my notes. (I have lots of them. There was a Twitter question recently about your favorite part of the writing process. Mine has always been the “so, let’s play with this idea” and “ooh, but what IF” notes.) I’ve also reread everything I’ve written so far and sharpened up Chapter 1 a bit. I was really worried I’d have difficulty sinking back into this story after nearly a year away, but so far, my interest levels are still high.

While I normally post a regular weekly progress report here on MGB, I haven’t decided if I’m going to do that for this year’s Write-a-Thon. After all, I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll just end up repeating whatever the hell I wrote last year. I might post a few semi-regular updates, or maybe just talk about mysteries in general and what I find so compelling about them, particularly in regards to this project. Time will tell.

Either way, I’ve officially hit the part of the program where I ask for your hard-earned money. I participate annually in this fundraiser because I’m incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Clarion West; it quite literally changed my life, giving me the tools to become a much stronger writer and introducing me to people who have become some of my closest friends. Any money I can raise that might help fund this program or allow another writer to attend feels like the very least I can do.

So. If you’re interested and able to donate to Clarion West, you can sponsor me HERE. There are some incentivized rewards for sponsors, like, I will recap and review an episode of your favorite TV show, or your least favorite TV show, or the TV show that has disappointed you the most bitterly. You could force me to hate-watch some terrible movie and analyze what, if anything, works about it. I could write a Genderbent Wednesday film essay for you, if that’s more your thing. Or I can simply help you discover your hidden mini super power. The choice is yours. Full details at the link.

If you’re interested in donating to Clarion West, but not so much my superhero-murder-shit, you can also browse all these other participants and read about their writing goals and incentives. And if the financials are tight and you feel your money is best spent on a non-writing cause, I totally get it: the world is a pretty terrible place right now. What’s happening at the border is particularly unconscionable, so if you haven’t already, may I suggest Raices? Your money will be going towards helping separated and detained families.

For now, I think, that’s all I have for you. Happy Friday, everyone!

A Not-Quite-Wine Pairing: Carlie St. George and RADIOHEAD

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Here’s a very silly thing.

Months ago, there was this writer meme on Twitter: imagine if Hollywood decided to make adaptations out of all your stories. The catch? You can only pick one singer or band to provide the soundtracks for each film or show. Which do you choose?

I thought Massive Attack. I thought Arcade Fire. I thought Nine Inch Nails, The Naked and Famous, The Rolling Stones. But in the end, there was only one possible choice for me, a band whose music I’ve adored for over a decade, a band who I’d happily watch score westerns or horror movies or sci-fi apocalypses: Radiohead.

And then, being ridiculous, I spent the next few months actually trying to pick one Radiohead song per published story. Which song just somehow fit what I had written? Which song could I hear while making a fanvid in my head?

Luckily for you all, I have no idea how to make a halfway decent fanvid of anything, much less my own prose. But since I can make silly lists, I present . . .

A Not-Quite-Wine Pairing: Carlie St. George and RADIOHEAD

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