Shiny New Books, plus a new story

Jenny and I are back at Shiny New Books today with four recent and forthcoming YA titles we're super-duper excited about. We'd love it if you popped on over there and gave us a read.

Also, I keep forgetting to tell y'all I've got a new story in RUINS EXCAVATION, an SFF anthology centred on WOC archaeologists. It's available digitally or in paperback, the latter format being half price at Amazon as of this morning.

Fiction: Fireside Magazine

Fireside Magazine is a market dear to my heart. They publish short and flash fiction in a multitude of genres, they experiment with serial fiction, they're committed to offering fair pay to writers, and they gave me my first proper fiction sale.

Fireside is currently running a kickstarter to fund their third year, which will include plenty of new stories and a serial that builds off Lilith Saintcrow's recent offering, "Maternal Type." There are plenty of great rewards available, including art, tuckerization, and subscriptions to other ongoing fiction projects.

To help drum up enthusiasm for the serial, the issue in which "Maternal Type" appears is currently free to read online--and hey, it includes my story! If you'd like to read "A Single, Stolen Night," now's your chance. Issue 9 also includes short fiction by Steven J. Dines and flash fiction by Lauren M. Roy, plus the ninth installment of Chuck Wendig's serial, "The Forever Endeavor." (Said serial is pretty durned cool, but you probably don't want to read this chunk all by itself.)

Please consider supporting the Kickstarter, too. You can give as little as $2, and you get great stuff at every donation level.

A Plea For Feedback

I've entered the Pitch Plus One contest, hosted by Adventures In YA Publishing. This contest centres on feedback that can help an author improve their pitch and the first sentence--or, in later rounds, the first page--of their manuscript.

Right now, anyone can chime in. Writers who move on to subsequent rounds will receive critiques from designated bloggers, authors, and agents.

As of Wednesday evening, I'm flying blind on the feedback front. Some people have popped in to say they like the book's premise, which is gratifying, but what I really need is constructive criticism. I want to beef up my pitch (which is a pared down version of my query letter; there was a 150-word maximum). I'd be grateful if y'all could pop over there, take a look at it, and give me some suggestions. If you like it, that's great. What do you like about it? If you dislike it, where does it lose you? How can I make it better?

The contest also has a voting component, if you are so inclined. Visitors are encouraged to read through all the pitches and vote for their favourites to proceed to the next round. You can only vote once, but you can select as many pitches as strike your fancy.

ETA: as of Thursday morning, it seems unlikely I'll move along to the next round. (I'm right on the border, depending on how they deal with ties.) That makes feedback even more important, since this is my ultimate chance to, you know, receive some. Please; I'll be grateful for any help you can give me.

New Story and Awards Eligibility

First, and most importantly, I have a story in issue nine of FIRESIDE MAGAZINE. If you'd like to read it, you can buy a single issue of the magazine or subscribe to the entirity of Year Two. The latter option nets you six issues immediately so you can catch up on Chuck Wendig's serial fiction and enjoy some other great stories besides, with six more issues to look forward to in the coming months.

Also, I suppose I ought to inform you that "This Dark and Narrow Way," my story from CROSSED GENRES #10, is eligible for major genre awards (like the Hugo!) in the short story category.