ANNOUNCING: Fall Into Fantasy 2022
Hello Funny People.
This is easily one of my favorite covers of all the anthologies I've been lucky enough to be part of, not least because of the badass dragon at the base of it.
At the very end of my last "Revision Diaries" post, I mentioned that I'd gotten my second acceptance of the year. A small, high quality press up in Wisconsin accepted my fantasy short story "Boltstone and the Madien of Torben" for inclusion in their next annual anthology, Fall into Fantasy.
Over the weekend, they sent us the cover.
Cloaked Press, the publisher, does a handful of annual anthologies like this every year, in the same vein of the old Orbit and Best Of anthologies some of the traditional SF imprints used to do. Some have specific themes, while others are more broadly themed. FIF for instance has no specific theme, save it's titular genre; the publishers wanted good fun well-written stories that spanned the gamut of the fantasy genre. And lucky for me, they liked my submission.
Let me briefly talk about my story then.
"Madien" is the second short story I finished earlier this year about one of my recurring characters in my fantasy world of Tegucia, Boltstone. We follow the eponymous hero at the tail-end of one of his missions for the Thaumaturge Order. Tasked with guarding the politician Hugo Markez on the trip back to the capital city after a political conference, the voyage up the River Torben aboard the Maiden of Torben (hence the title, ha-ha), presents the final opportunity where something might happen, and Boltstone is extra anxious. Not only is he certain something awful will happen, but he's also struggling with his affections for his longtime friend and crush, Siren, with whom he's working to guard Markez. And of course, just when things seem like they'll be alright, something goes horribly wrong.
If that interests you, then I hope you'll consider picking up a copy of Fall Into Fantssy 2022. It's available for pre-order on Amazon, and it will go live on September 21st, 2022. You won't just get "Madien," though. You'll also get 16—yes, 16—other wonderful tales of the fantastic for your reading pleasure. So even if you don't like my story, you might find another you enjoy. That's the fun thing about anthologies; they're a literary grab-bag, with many a wonderful prize for your discovery.
If you've made it this far, Funny People, thanks for indulging my sales pitch. In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and take care.
Comments