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It's time to nominate for the HUGO Awards! For those that can nominate (those who attended the Worldcon in Dublin), here are the editors and stories from Zombies Need Brains that are eligible for nomination from 2019, in no particular order. We'd appreciate your consideration when filling out your nomination ballot!

Best Editor (Short Form):
   Joshua Palmatier
   Patricia Bray
   S.C. Butler
   Steven H Silver

Best Short Story:
   "Election Day" by Harry Turtledove (Alternate Peace)
   "A Fine Line, Indeed" by C.W. Briar (Alternate Peace)
   "The Sisters of the Hallowed Marsh" by Elizabeth Kite (Alternate Peace)
   "New Moon, Dark Skies" by Mike Barretta (Alternate Peace)
   "His Master's Voice" by Kari Sperring (Alternate Peace)
   "O-Rings" by Elektra Hammond (Alternate Peace)
   "Selkie" by Ian R. MacLeod (Alternate Peace)
   "The Echoes of a Shot" by Juliet E. McKenna (Alternate Peace)
   "A Dad Ought to Have Nightmares" by Dale Cozort (Alternate Peace)
   "What Makes a Better World" by Michael Robertson (Alternate Peace)
   "Or, the Modern Psyche" by Brian Hugenbruch (Alternate Peace)
   "Donny Boy" by Rick Wilber (Alternate Peace)
   "Field of Cloth of Gold and Blood, Sweat, and Tears" by Kat Otis (Alternate Peace)
   "Keeper of the Light" by Ken Altabef (Temporally Deactivated)
   "The Eyes of Odin" by Alex Gideon (Temporally Deactivated)
   "All the Time in the World" by Stephen Leigh (Temporally Deactivated)
   "The Other Walker" by D.B. Jackson (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Eye of the Needle" by C.S. Friedman (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Tempus Erratum" by Emily Randall (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Missy the Were-Pomeranian vs. the Lord of Time" by Gini Koch (Temporally Deactivated)
   "The Mirror Trap" by Misty Massey (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Love and the Improper Unicorn" by Rhondi Ann (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Schroedinger's Fractal" by Edmund R. Schubert (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Clockwork Corsair" by R.K. Nickel (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Compassionate Retry" by Marie DesJardin (Temporally Deactivated)
   "Neurons Lost and Found" by Christine Lucas (Temporally Deactivated)
   "A Bend in the Air" by F. Brett Cox (Portals)
   "All the Lost Places" by Jaime Lee Moyer (Portals)
   "Cracks in the Road" by Patrick Hurley (Portals)
   "Doorways in the Sand" by Violette Malan  (Portals)
   "Deus Ex Machina" by Ian Tregillis (Portals)
   "Hard Times in the Vancouver Continuum" by Andrija Popovic (Portals)
   "Onward to Glory!" by Jason Palmatier (Portals)
   "A Land Fit for Heroes" by Jacey Bedford (Portals)
   "Iron and Anthracite" by John Linwood Grant (Portals)
   "The Namesake" by Kate Hall (Portals)
   "Portal Pirates" by Gini Koch (Portals)
   "What Time Is It?" by Nancy Holzner (Portals)

Best Novelette:
   "Easter Rising" by Stephen Leigh (Alternate Peace)
   "My Dark Knight" by Faith Hunter (Temporally Deactivated)
   "A Stranger Comes to Town" by James Enge (Portals)
   "Brick and Mirror" by Steven Harper (Portals)
   "This Way Out" by Esther Friesner (Portals)
   "Cocoon" by Joshua Palmatier

The APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK anthology Kickstarter has hit its goal!  If you have a story idea that fits one of the anthology themes, write it up, revise it, polish it, and send it in for consideration.  I've posted the guidelines below. 

 

The APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK Submission Guidelines

 

Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its three science fiction and fantasy anthologies APOCALYPTIC, GALACTIC STEW, and MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK.  Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format.  The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example:  WERE-:  WereJellyfish Gone Wild!).  The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for.  Please send multiple manuscripts in separate emails; you may submit to any or all of the anthologies as many times as you wish.  Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered.  Please use Times New Roman font.  The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name.  Italics and bold should be in italics and bold.


A writing tip on coming up with an idea for a themed anthology can be found here:  jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2019/08/27/generating-ideas-a-guest-post-by-joshua-palmatier/.


Some thoughts on common problems with stories that we see in the slush pile can be found here:  jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2019/09/03/open-submissions-for-anthologies-a-guest-post-by-joshua-palmatier/.

 

Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology. 

 

APOCALYPTIC is to feature science fiction or fantasy stories set during or after an apocalypse.  Stories featuring more interesting apocalypses, settings, and twists on the typical apocalypse will receive more attention than those that use standard tropes.  In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with a zombie apocalypse.  If we do, it’s likely that only one, at most, would be selected for the anthology.  We are interested in all kinds of apocalypses:  zombies, meteors, flus, robots, climate changes, space critters, alien invasions, etc.  Be creative, choose something different, and use the apocalypse in an unusual and unexpected way.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.  Additional comments can be found at:  www.lauraannegilman.net/guest-post-zombies-need-writer-brains/.

 

GALACTIC STEW is to feature stories involving food, whether it be poisoning, a cultural or societal ritual, a trade meeting over dinner, etc.  We are attempting to fill half of the anthology with science fiction stories and half with fantasy stories.  Stories featuring more interesting takes on the use of food regarding the story will receive more attention than those that are more mundane.  Make certain the story is centered on the food!  If the food element is removed, the story should fall apart.  We do NOT want to see stories about cannibalism.  So be creative and use food in an unusual and unexpected way.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.  Additional comments can be found at:  www.stephanieburgis.com/2019/08/guest-post-galactic-stew/.

 

MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK is to feature stories where some type of tech has outlived its time and yet, during the course of the story, it discovers a new purpose or is used in a new, purposeful way.  This theme is inspired by the Opportunity rover, which functioned long past its prime.  As an example, we want stories that would take the rather sad fate of Opportunity and give it new life—a new, useful purpose—when we reach Mars, whether it be as a repaired resource for a colony or a critical piece of equipment used by spacecraft crash survivors or whatever.  Submissions do NOT need to feature the Opportunity rover; in fact, we will likely only include one or two stories involving Opportunity.  Submissions also do NOT need to be set in the future or include any kind of sentient tech.  Stories featuring more interesting outdated technologies and twists on the resurgent use of those technologies will receive more attention than those with more standard tech.  So be creative and come up with an unusual and unexpected use of an outdated technology.  We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.  Additional comments can be found at:  www.almaalexander.org/my-battery-is-low-and-its-getting-dark/.

 

DEADLINE and TIMELINE:

 

The deadline for submissions is December 31st, 2019.  Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of February 2020.  Please send submissions to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com.  You will receive a receipt email within a few days of receiving the submission and having it filed for consideration.  Notices about decisions on the stories will be sent out no later than the end of March 2020.

 

If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of April 2020.  Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of May 2020.  These dates may change due to the editors’ work schedules.  Zombies Need Brains LLC is seeking exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages for the duration of one year after publication/release of the anthology, non-exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages after that.  Your story cannot appear elsewhere during that first year.  Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 8 cents per word.  The anthology will be published as an ebook and an exclusive mass market paperback edition, distributed to the Kickstarter backers.  The book would be available after that to the general public in ebook and trade paperback formats.  Advances would be immediately earned out by the success of the Kickstarter.  Royalties on additional sales beyond the Kickstarter will be 25% of ebook cover price and 10% of trade paperback cover price, both split evenly (not by word count) between the authors in and editors of the anthology.

 

Questions regarding these submission guidelines should be sent to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com.  Thank you.

 

It's time for the new Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter theme reveal!  Below are the three new anthology themes that ZNB will be Kickstarting starting August 7th in our brand new Kickstarter.  As soon as the Kickstarter has reached its funding, ZNB will start an open call for submissions to fill the slots in the anthology not already covered by our anchor authors, so mark your calendar, pledge to the Kickstarter, help spread the word to bring it up to its goal, and then write a stunning story for the open call!  But you should start thinking of a solid idea and story concept right now.  The open call will only be from the funding date to the end of the year (December 31st, 2019), so there's not much time to come up with a good story, write it, revise it, polish it, and send it in.  So put on those thinking caps!

In the meantime, though, check out the themes and our solid batch of anchor authors for each!  And check out that stunning art done by Justin Adams of Varia Studios, which will be used for the cover art for APOCALYPTIC if the Kickstarter is successful.  AND MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR AUGUST 7th, when the Kickstarter will go live!

APOCALYPTIC:
Who doesn’t love a good apocalyptic story? They come in all kinds, from the straight up SF/horror of Stephen King’s superflu in “The Stand” and the zombie apocalypse in “The Walking Dead,” to the quieter, more reflective tales of loss and survival in “On the Beach” and “Childhood’s End.” Tales that feature people struggling through the end of the world--or fighting to survive in what remains--are always compelling. What better way for readers to safely explore the extremes of the human condition without actually having to fight off the ravening hordes themselves? For this anthology, we’ll be looking for unique takes on how the world ends, both during and after the apocalypse. So bring on your asteroids, your plagues, your solar flares! And ask yourself, would you survive the apocalypse? Would you even want to?  

Edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, APOCALYPTIC will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each.  Anchor authors include: 

• Stephen Blackmoore, 
• James Enge, 
• Nancy Holzner, 
• Tanya Huff, 
• Violette Malan, 
• Seanan McGuire, and 
• S.M. Stirling

GALACTIC STEW:
Food is an essential part of life—not just for energy and exotic flavors, but as a unifier during social events, a focal point for establishing culture, and shared experience to put people at ease. In GALACTIC STEW, readers will sit down at the communal table and sup upon stories centered on food.  Whether it’s a tense treaty negotiation over a full course meal or a trap devised by the fae to chain you to their realm, these stories are certain to be delectable.  Come and savor these delicacies…and hope the taste doesn’t mask a deadly poison!

Edited by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier, GALACTIC STEW will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include:

• Rod Belcher, 
• Andy Duncan, 
• Esther Friesner, 
• D.B. Jackson, 
• Howard Andrew Jones, 
• Gini Koch, and 
• Laura Resnick 

MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK:
When NASA's Opportunity rover sent its last message from Mars--loosely translated by scientists as “my battery is low and it’s getting dark”--many of us paused in a shared moment of sadness and gratitude, aimed at a robot left alone on a faraway planet. That moment inspired this anthology. We want stories about technology that has operated long past its time, but we want to give these lost spirits new life, whether it be rescue, a new purpose, a new beginning, or a simple homecoming. What happens to the robots and rovers and AIs and more after their original purpose has faded? What is the next chapter of their story?

Edited by Crystal Sarakas & Joshua Palmatier, MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each.  Anchor authors include:

• Jacey Bedford, 
• Troy Carrol Bucher, 
• John Hartness, 
• Alethea Kontis, 
• Stephen Leigh, 
• Merc Fenn Wolfmoor, 
• Kari Sperring, and 
• Edward Willett

And there they are!  Also, don't forget to order your copies of our previous three SF&F anthologies--PORTALS, TEMPORALLY DEACTIVATED, and ALTERNATE PEACE.  All three are now available in ebooks formats and trade paperbacks.

Release Day for PORTALS, TEMPORALLY DEACTIVATED, and ALTERNATE PEACE!

Today is the day!  All three of the new Zombies Need Brains SF&F anthologies have been released into the wild in both ebook and trade paperback formats.  If you've been waiting, get out there and order!  If you preordered, get out there and read!  It's time to enjoy the fruits of the ZNB Team's labors for the past year:  NEW SF&F short stories!  Here's a reminder of each anthology and who's in it, along with links to get you reading.

PORTALS: What mysteries…or horrors…await you on the other side?

The lure of an open doorway is hard to resist. What lies beyond? Where will it take you—and how will you be transformed? Will it lead to paradise…or a living hell? You’ll never know, unless you have the courage to take that first step.

In this anthology you will find sixteen stories of portals to exotic destinations, whether it’s a doorway in the desert that appears out of thin air, a fairy ring of mushrooms in the backyard, a crack in the road, or a train headed straight to Hell. Science fiction and fantasy authors Nancy Holzner, Esther Friesner, Ian Tregillis, Jacey Bedford, John Linwood Grant, Kate Hall, Gini Koch, Violette Malan, Juliet Kemp, James Enge, Steven Harper, F. Brett Cox, Jaime Lee Moyer, Jason Palmatier, Andrija Popovic, and Patrick Hurley invite you to step through a host of doorways to other realities with infinite possibilities, some horrible, some comic, and some just plain weird.

So take my hand—not too tight!—and let’s journey into another world. The door is open. The portal awaits.

Kindle Ebook:  https://smile.amazon.com/Portals-Esther-Friesner-ebook/dp/B07RDQ9N16
Trade Paperback:  https://smile.amazon.com/Portals-Esther-Friesner/dp/1940709288

ALTERNATE PEACE:  Alternate histories. Alternate realities.

It’s said that every choice creates multiple timelines, each one exploring what could have happened if a different decision had been made. Most of these alternate histories stem from different outcomes to a pivotal battle, or to an assassination attempt, or to the ending or escalation of a war. All violent, all bloody, all brutal. But what about those choices made during peacetime, when there was no monumental, ongoing conflict? After all, everyone knows how significant the flutter of a butterfly’s wings can be, how far-reaching its effects can be felt.

In these pages you will find fifteen new branches of history written by some of today’s greatest science fiction and fantasy writers, including Elektra Hammond, Dale Cozort, Harry Turtledove, C.W. Briar, Rick Wilber, Juliet E. McKenna, Michael Robertson, Kat Otis, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Brian Hugenbruch, Stephen Leigh, Elizabeth Kite, Ian R. MacLeod, Mike Barretta, and Kari Sperring, all stemming from a peaceful divergence in our past. Join them as they wander down familiar paths…

…and then swerve down roads not taken.

Kindle Ebook:  https://smile.amazon.com/Alternate-Peace-Harry-Turtledove-ebook/dp/B07RL3KDY8/
Trade Paperback:  https://smile.amazon.com/Alternate-Peace-Harry-Turtledove/dp/1940709261/

TEMPORALLY DEACTIVATED:  What does it mean to be “temporally deactivated?”

Experience a historical moment through the intervention of a time travel agency. Be trapped inside a time bubble—willingly—so that you can save the universe from Darkness over and over again. Step outside of time at the order of your queen in order to stop a traitor…or to keep an assassin from destroying the future. Or travel forward into the future in order to kill off timelines to save your son…or backwards to halt an accident to save your relationship.

Join fantasy and science fiction authors Ken Altabef, Alex Gideon, Stephen Leigh, D.B. Jackson, Faith Hunter, C.S. Friedman, Emily Randall, Gini Koch, Misty Massey, Rhondi Salsitz, Edmund R. Schubert, R.K. Nickel, Marie DesJardin, and Christine Lucas as they defy time and warp space in order to define what it means to be “temporally deactivated.” So get ready and hold on tight.

It’s time to step outside of time.

Kindle Ebook:  https://smile.amazon.com/Temporally-Deactivated-Faith-Hunter-ebook/dp/B07R6DJXXS
Trade Paperback:  https://smile.amazon.com/Temporally-Deactivated-Faith-Hunter/dp/1940709245

And of course you can always get the Kickstarter Editions at the ZNB online store:  https://squareup.com/market/zombies-need-brains-llc

 

We can finally announce the Table of Contents for the Zombies Need Brains anthology ALTERNATE PEACE, edited by Steven H Silver & Joshua Palmatier and set for release no later than August 2019 (but we're hoping for June 2019, depending on printer schedules).  Get ready to delve into branching historical timelines as we look at fifteen alternate histories where the divergence from our timeline comes from some kind of peaceful change in our history!  These come from some familiar names in the alternate history universe and from some newbies discovered in our open call.  You can preorder your copy at the ZNB online store here:  squareup.com/market/zombies-need-brains-llc.  The cover art image for ALTERNATE PEACE is still in progress, but we'll reveal that as soon as it's finalized.

So without further ado, feast your eyes on what you'll find within the pages of ALTERNATE PEACE!

Table of Contents:
 

“O-Rings” by Elektra Hammond

“A Dad Ought to Have Nightmares” by Dale Cozort

“Election Day” by Harry Turtledove

“A Fine Line, Indeed” by C.W. Briar

“Donny Boy” by Rick Wilber

“The Echoes of a Shot” by Juliet E. McKenna

“What Makes a Better World” by Michael Robertson

“Field of Cloth of Gold and Blood, Sweat and Tears” by Kat Otis

“Politicians, Lost Causers, and Abigail Lockwood” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

“Or, the Modern Psyche” by Brian Hugenbruch

“Easter Rising” by Stephen Leigh

“The Sisters of the Hallowed Marsh” by Elizabeth Kite

“Selkie” by Ian R. MacLeod

“New Moon, Dark Skies” by Mike Barretta

“His Master’s Voice” by Kari Sperring

"Temporally Deactivated" cover image by Justin Adams of Varia Studios

The nomination window for the HUGOs is closing on March 16th, right around the corner!  Here are the stories that were published by Zombies Need Brains in 2018 that are eligible for the award and which category each fits into.  These are in no particular order (just the order in which I ran across them while creating the list).  I also threw in our editors from last year.  Please nominate your favorite stories and/or editors!  We thank you for your consideration.  And remember, you can add and adjust your nomination ballots up to March 16th, so even if you've already nominated, you can change your ballot!

Even if you can't nominate for the HUGO, please take a moment to post a review of one of the three anthologies Zombies Need Brains released in 2018:  GUILDS & GLAIVES, THE RAZOR'S EDGE, or SECOND ROUND: A RETURN FROM THE UR-BAR.  Every review helps these anthologies reach a larger audience!  Use this as a reminder of the stories in each one and tell us which are your favorites in your review!

Best Novelette:
"The Charter" by Ashley McConnell  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Oathbreaker" by David Farland  (Guilds & Glaives)
"The Sword and the Djinn" by Howard Andrew Jones  (Guilds & Glaives)
"The Cage at the End of the World" by James Enge  (Guilds & Glaives)
"A Favor for Lord Bai" by Jean Marie Ward  (Second Round)
"Bound By Mortal Chains No More" by William Leisner  (Second Round)
"Eleven Days" by Walter H. Hunt  (The Razor's Edge)

Best Short Story:
"Guild of the Ancients" by D.B. Jackson  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Honors Among Thieves" by Esther Friesner  (Guilds & Glaives)
"The Three Assassins of Lord Slaughter" by Gini Koch  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Assassinsssss" by Jason Palmatier  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Rainbow Dark" by Jenna Rhodes  (Guilds & Glaives)
"In the Asp's Nest" by Lawrence Harding  (Guilds & Glaives)
"The Witch That Wasn't" by Leah Webber  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Blood and Onyx" by R.K. Nickel  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Footprints of the Hound" by Violette Malan  (Guilds & Glaives)
"Thievery Bar None" by Aaron M. Roth  (Second Round)
"Whispering Voice" by David Keener  (Second Round)
"But If You Try Sometime" by Diana Pharaoh Francis  (Second Round)
"Welcome to the Jungle Bar" by Garth Nix  (Second Round)
"A Lawman, an Outlaw, and a Gambler Walk Into a Bar …"  by Gini Koch  (Second Round)
"Forest Law, Wild and True" by Irene Radford  (Second Round)
"Make Me Immortal With a Kiss" by Jacey Bedford  (Second Round)
"Wanderlust" by Juliet E. McKenna  (Second Round)
"The Wizard King" by Kari Sperring  (Second Round)
"West Side Ghost Story" by Kristine Smith  (Second Round)
"Ale for Humanity" by Mike Marcus  (Second Round)
"Honorbound" by R.K. Nickel  (Second Round)
"The Weapon They Fear" by Alex Gideon  (The Razor's Edge)
"Halo of Storms" by Blake Jessop  (The Razor's Edge)
"An Acceptable Risk to the Portfolio" by Brian Hugenbruch  (The Razor's Edge)
"Freedom!" by Chris Kennedy  (The Razor's Edge)
"The Parallactic Soldier" by Christopher Allenby  (The Razor's Edge)
"The Woman in Green" by D.B. Jackson  (The Razor's Edge)
"Miller's Choice" by Gerald Brandt  (The Razor's Edge)
"The Gunslinger" by Kay Kenyon  (The Razor's Edge)
"The Liberator" by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.  (The Razor's Edge)
"Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon" by Seanan McGuire  (The Razor's Edge)
"The Neural Net" by Sharon Goza  (The Razor's Edge)
"Revolutionists" by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller  (The Razor's Edge)
"Contender" by Steve Perry  (The Razor's Edge)
"The Battle for Rainbow's Edge" by William C. Dietz  (The Razor's Edge)
"Final Flight of the PhoenixWing" by Y.M. Pang  (The Razor's Edge)

Best Editor (Short Form):
Joshua Palmatier
Patricia Bray

(Unfortunately, neither SC Butler nor Troy Carrol Bucher are eligible … yet.)

 

I want to welcome D.B. Jackson to the blog today!  He's here to talk about his newest novel Time's Children, the first book in a new series. I'll let him give you more specifics below, but you should definitely rush out and buy it.  Right now.  I'll wait. …  And now that that's done, here's D.B. Jackson (aka David B. Coe), who' really here to talk about how writing short fiction helps write novels:

My newest novel, Time’s Children, the first book in the Islevale Cycle, has just been released by Angry Robot Books. This is a time travel, epic fantasy series, and I’m incredibly excited to see the book in print. But while Time’s Children is the first book in the new trilogy, it is not the first Islevale story I’ve had published. “The Guild of the Ancients,” a short piece set in my world and featuring one of my key characters, appeared earlier this summer in Guilds and Glaives, an anthology put out by Joshua’s publishing company, Zombies Need Brains.

 

I love writing short fiction, just as I love writing novels. I believe that while the two forms obviously share elements, they also present the writer with different challenges and a host of opportunities. I often suggest that writers who are just starting out take time out from their novels to write some shorter pieces. Why?

 

I’m glad you asked.

 

1) Writing short fiction helps us hone our craft. Short stories demand an economy of prose and directness of narrative that are less essential in a novel. It’s not that novels can or should be wordy or meandering, but rather that with a short story we have 6,000 words or so to tell a satisfying tale, rather than 100,000. Every detail should have purpose. Plot points should follow one upon the other. Characters should be drawn with precision and care. Prose should be clean and concise. I love the challenge of writing a good short story, just as I enjoy constructing an effective novel. But while I’m not sure writing my novels makes me better at short fiction, I know that writing short fiction has helped me grow as a storyteller and writer of novels.

 

2) Short stories help with our character development and world building. I sold my first short story after I had published four novels. The story I sold was about an episode from the history of the world I created for my Winds of the Forelands series. I knew the outlines of the event – a key moment in that history – but until I wrote the story, I didn’t fully understand it. That understanding informed passages in the remaining Forelands books. Similarly, my story in Guilds and Glaives features a key character in the Islevale books: the time demon, Droë. Writing from her point of view, exploring an important moment from earlier in her life, taught me a good deal about her, and also helped me refine her voice. And in between that first published story and this most recent one, I’ve used short fiction again and again to inform my novels. Think of them as research, as a way to learn more about the ingredients to be used in your larger projects.

 

3) Selling a short story earns us money and advances our careers. Sure, the money we earn for novels will outpace the money for short stories. No question. Novels gain more attention as well. But start with the points I’ve made above. Writing the short story serves artistic purposes – honing our craft, sharpening our sense of character and world and voice. If we can then also earn a bit for the story, well that’s gravy. More, any sort of professional sale can help a beginning writer gain the notice and consideration of editors and agents. Put another way, the money we earn for a short story is secondary to the mere fact of the sale itself. For writers who are already established, the short fiction sale may carry less significance. But speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that I still value every sale, every new credit, and every opportunity to work with a new editor.

 

Not every short story has to be set in a pre-existing world. They don’t all have to be practice for our larger works. And not every short story needs to be sold. (Though I would urge you to submit those stories that you feel represent your best work. What do you have to lose?)  Even if writing a short piece does nothing more than polish your writing, it’s worth the effort. Because ultimately, while all the reasons I’ve given above ought to convince you to write short fiction, those are not the most compelling reasons I can offer.

 

The fact is, writing short pieces, crafting workable stories with so few words, is tremendously fun and deeply satisfying. I love the novels I’ve written, and I’m proud of all of them. But some of my most memorable experiences as a professional writer have come with my shorter work. So check out “Guild of the Ancients” and the other stories in Guilds and Glaives. And then check out Time’s Children. You might enjoy that, too.

 

*****

D.B. Jackson is the pen name of fantasy author David B. Coe. He is the award-winning author of twenty novels and as many short stories. His newest novel, Time’s Children, is the first volume in a time travel/epic fantasy series called The Islevale Cycle. The book has just been released by Angry Robot Books. The second volume, Time’s Demon, will be released in May 2019.

 

As D.B. Jackson, he also writes the Thieftaker Chronicles, a historical urban fantasy set in pre-Revolutionary Boston. As David B. Coe, he is the author of the Crawford Award-winning LonTobyn Chronicle, which he has recently reissued, as well as the critically acclaimed Winds of the Forelands quintet and Blood of the Southlands trilogy. He wrote the novelization of Ridley Scott’s movie, Robin Hood, and, most recently, The Case Files of Justis Fearsson, a contemporary urban fantasy.

 

He is also currently working on a tie-in project with the History Channel. David has a Ph.D. in U.S. history from Stanford University. His books have been translated into a dozen languages.

 

He and his family live on the Cumberland Plateau. When he’s not writing he likes to hike, play guitar, and stalk the perfect image with his camera.

 

www.dbjackson-author.com

www.DavidBCoe.com

www.dbjackson-author.com/blog/

twitter.com/DBJacksonAuthor

www.facebook.com/DBJacksonAuthor/

www.facebook.com/david.b.coe

 

 

Zombies Need Brains is putting together a newsletter!

Subscribers to the newsletter will get advance news about upcoming ZNB products, Kickstarters, announcements, and more. For example, we'll announce the new themes for the upcoming Kickstarter to newsletter subscribers first! So all of you writers can get a head start on writing those short stories for submission once the Kickstarter funds (because we all just assume the Kickstarter will fund). We'll also announce anchor authors, cover reveals, Table of Contents, news on special Kickstarter rewards, new products, and other news items from ZNB--all to newsletter subscribers first! We're just starting this up now, so SIGN UP NOW before we send the first newsletter in a few days! In this first newsletter, we'll reveal the covers of the three new anthologies, along with some exciting news for both Kickstarter backers and the general public! Don't be left out of the loop! Just click through the link below for the sign-up sheet:


eepurl.com/dv3TLv


GDPR Compliance: By signing up for the newsletter through this link, you recognize that we are collecting your email address and that you will receive a newsletter occasionally that will contain news about Zombies Need Brains' products, Kickstarters, and other items related to Zombies Need Brains and its founder, Joshua Palmatier. ZNB will NOT sell or provide your email to any other entities; emails will only be used by ZNB for ZNB-related news items. Your email information is being collected by Mailchimp, so is subject to their privacy policy and terms as well.