I wanted to let you know about a BRAND NEW anthology that includes another of my short stories! 🥳
The Pikes Peak Writers (aka PPW) is a writer's group I'm a member of, along with hundreds of other semi-local authors. I was fortunate to have my short story, "Memories," included in their first anthology, Fresh Starts. When they sent out the call for new story submissions under the theme Dream, I started writing. I wrote and submitted three new short stories to the PPW editors, and was once again fortunate enough to have a story chosen for publication!
"Other Lives" is the speculative tale of a busy CPA, who takes a break from his tax-time duties to sail alone and clear his mind. While at the helm, he falls asleep, and what happens next goes beyond his understanding. Does he experience a simple series of dreams, or does he actually jump through realities? The answer is up to you.
Click here to learn more and shop!
If you're curious about the other two stories that didn't make the cut, then please keep reading. 👇
"The Science of Stars" was the title of a previous blog, so if it sounds familiar, this is why. There was so much I was trying to express in this sci-fi story, and only had a finite number of allowed words for the contest. I'm not sure I gave enough descriptive detail of the setting and the culture, and that may be why it was passed over. I loved this short story so much, and when it was rejected for the anthology, I began to think of it as a larger concept, perhaps a book-length concept. This story is still in the building stages, but I haven't given up on it yet, because I like the characters and the under-Mars setting.
"Onward We Must Go" was my third contest submission, and was yet another genre of storytelling. This one was historical fiction, and written as two separate—yet concurrent— journal entries during a long father-daughter trip along the Santa Fe Trail in 1892. This one was a lot of fun to write, as the father and the daughter each had different writing "voices," which needed to be kept separate. I am currently looking for other places to submit this one.
I'm curious which one of the three interested you most! Please let me know in the comments if you have an opinion.
As for my current projects, I am still working on what I'm unceremoniously calling the "Elf Story" which began as a short story submission for PPW's first anthology. It used to be titled "The Sanctuary," but I am kicking around a few other title ideas that may fit the tale better.
I am also actively working on the third and final story in The Fable Triad! My hope is that it will be completed, polished, and ready for publication at the end of this calendar year. I promise to keep you updated!
And, lastly, I am anxiously awaiting the theme of Pikes Peak Writers' NEXT anthology, so I can get writing on something new! There's nothing like a fresh creative spark to give me some energy. I hope to have a poem or story chosen by them for a third time, because—as you know—the best things seem to come in threes. 😉
