Review: Prophecies, Libels, and Dreams by Ysabeau S. Wilce

I don’t spend nearly enough time telling y’all to read Ysabeau S. Wilce. Oh, I’ve gushed here and there, and I’ve bought copies of FLORA SEGUNDA for a couple of folks, and I somehow managed to convince a couple more to buy copies their own selves. But my efforts have all been low key, you know? And it’s been ages since I made a concerted effort to spread the word about one of my favourite authors.

That just won’t do.

A few words on what I consider a “favourite author,” so’s you know where I’m coming from. There are plenty of people on my mental list of authors whose work I regularly enjoy, but a favourite goes above and beyond that. Most of the time, I want to have at least three or four of a writer’s books under my belt before I’ll cautiously declare they’re a favourite, maybe, unless the wind shifts. It takes something pretty durned special to make me leap straight into the reader/favourite author relationship.

Ysabeau S. Wilce got on the list by virtue of one novella, one short story, and one novel. She’s that fucking good.

The novella in question--“The Lineaments of Gratified Desire”--served as my gateway into her work. By the time I’d spent three pages immersed in Wilce’s twisty-turny prose and the brutal, glorious world it described, I knew I had to seek out and devour everything this woman had ever written.

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.

The Sunday Salon: Win a 1-Year Digital Subscription to Crossed Genres Magazine!

Crossed Genres Magazine is committed to publishing diverse, engaging SFF, much of which is by and about women, queer folks, and people of colour. They also reserve one spot per issue for an author who has not yet made a pro-rate sale.

And right now, they're in trouble.

Last year, Crossed Genres held a successful Kickstarter. The proceeds funded the magazine through to the end of December, but from January on, it must pay for itself via its subscriptions. If they don't have at least 600 subscribers by December 31st, the magazine will have to close its doors.

The very thought breaks my heart. Editors Bart R. Leib and Kay T. Holt have brought some fantastic authors to my attention, both through the magazine's most recent incarnation and via the many anthologies they've released. I bought the press's backlist during the Kickstarter, and holy hell, did I ever read some good fiction as a result. (Y'all need to read Broken Slate by Kelly Jennings, please and thanks.) I want them to continue publishing great stories on a monthly basis throughout 2014.

I hope you'll consider subscribing right now, this very minute, but just in case you need a little extra incentive, I'm offering a one-year digital subscription as a blogwarming giveaway. (Happy new blog to me!) If you're already subscribed to Crossed Genres 2014, you can still enter and give the subscription to someone as a holiday gift; just let me know their e-mail address and I'll make sure it's registered to them instead. :)

The contest runs for one week. Enter below!

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