Reader's Choice Awards

Bards and Sage's Quarterly has opened their annual awards. Head on over to vote for your favorite story of the year. My short, "Spiritual Reflection," is one of the tales on the ballot. Winners will be republished in next year's anthology and the author who gets the most votes wins Author of the Year.

Help bring back Plasma Frequency

Plasma Frequency magazine is running a Kickstarter to fund their return to publishing. In June, the publication's bank account was wiped out in an online scheme of some sort and they had to shut down operations. They're shooting for a January return and are close to making it happen! The magazine offers terrific speculative fiction online as well as in print, and in my own experience with them, were wonderful to work with. So, if you love good fiction, stop on by the Kickstarter and help Plasma Frequency magazine with its return! 

Anthology available

Coven: Masterful Tales of Fantasy, an anthology of fantasy, is available today! My short story, "Wolf's Bane," is among the tales within its pages. Get the ebook here (there's a print version coming soon) and stop on by the Facebook page sometime today between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. for the release party. I'll be on my soapbox at 1 p.m. and there are plenty of giveaways throughout the day, so you might even snag some free stuff!

                                                              Cover by Damonza

Coven release party

Coven from Purple Sun Press will  release on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and to celebrate, the publisher is hosting an online release party at their Facebook page from 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m EST. Authors, including myself, will be on hand to discuss their fiction, the writing process and more, as well as to offer giveaways of the anthology and other books. See a full schedule, and the anthology cover, below.

11:00 am - Shenoa Carroll-Bradd *Giveaway!*
11:30 am - Shenoa Carroll-Bradd *Giveaway!*
1:00 pm - Steve Coate
2:00 pm - Gregory Norris *Giveaway!*
2:30 pm - Dwayne Minton
4:30 pm - Benjamin Sperduto
5:30 pm - Eric Del Carlo
6:00 pm - Brian Koscienski & Chris Pisano
6:30 pm - Olivia Berrier *Giveaway!*
7:00 pm - Olivia Berrier *Giveaway!*
7:30 pm - Desmond Warzel
8:00 pm - Dale Carothers *Giveaway!*
9:00 pm - Andi O'Connor *Giveaway!*
9:30 pm - Andi O'Connor *Giveaway!*
10:00 pm - David Steffen
10:30 pm - COVEN Q&A and Giveaway with Purple Sun Press
11:00 pm - COVEN Q&A and Giveaway with Purple Sun Press

Game fiction anthology now available

The Gold Shader Press just released Game Fiction: Volume One, an anthology of stories about, based on and inspired by games and gaming. My short story, "Mine Sweeper" is among the thirteen tales within. The anthology is available both in print and electronic versions and "Mine Sweeper" will later be released as a podcast. Check out Gold Shader at Patreon for more about their game fiction and podcasts.

Aside from myself, the anthology also includes stories from:

Justin McElroy
Morgan Crooks
Halli Lilburn
Robin Dunn
Joanna Koch
Robert J Santa
Michael B Tager
Cathy Smith
Lyn McConchie
Joshua Schwartzkopf
Ellen Denton

"Jacked" podcast

My short story "Jacked" is now a podcast up at Third Flatiron Anthologies with a lovely intro by Juliana Rew and read with extraordinary talent by Keely Rew. "Jacked" originally appeared in Third Flatiron's Only Disconnect anthology. You can listen to the podcast here.

Game Fiction Volume One announces release date

The Gold Shader's Game Fiction Volume 1 anthology in which my short story, "Mine Sweeper" appears, is slated for a Sept. 1 release. Take a gander at the cover below, along with a list of authors below that. If you'd like a preview, head on over to the site.

                                                                 Justin McElroy
                                                                 Morgan Crooks
                                                                 Halli Lilburn
                                                                 Robin Dunn
                                                                 Joanna Koch
                                                                 Robert J. Santa
                                                                 Michael B. Tager
                                                                 Cathy Smith
                                                                 Steve Coate
                                                                 Lyn McConchie
                                                                 Joshua Schwarzkopf
                                                                 Ellen Denton

A Bard's Tale

Pick up your copy of Bards and Sages Quarterly's July edition today and you can read my latest story "Spiritual Reflection." It's neither a story about a bard nor a sage, but I think you'll enjoy it just the same. It's actually a story inspired by an odd call I once took while working as an editorial assistant at the Sun Sentinel.

If that's not enough to whet your appetite, here's a full table of contents:


Spiritual Reflection by Steve Coate
The Flower that Fades and Fa's by Malcolm Laughton
Eulogy for a Hero by Bryan Hulse
Bloom by Sean Turner McLeod
And a Sower Goes Forth by Stephen McQuiggan
A Foregone Conclusion by Connor and Sylvia Wrigley
Snatching the Lute by Gerry Huntman
Son of the Empire by Tyler Bourassa
The Corner of Forty-Sixth and Ninth by Julia Martins

                                                           Cover by Nathan Hyde

Coven cover reveal

Purple Sun Press has revealed the cover for their anthology Coven, which contains my short story "Wolf's Bane" and should be available in late August. It's a lovely cover with a nice earthy feel to it, that just shouts supernatural. But don't take my word for it. Have a look for yourself.

An updated cover image has just been posted, that includes the back cover, upon which you'll see all the authors listed. Here it is:

Story sale

So it turns out all that time playing computer games has paid off. At least, the time spent playing Minesweeper. My short story, "Mine Sweeper," inspired by the computer game, has just been accepted into an anthology of game fiction from Gold Shader. The anthology should be out sometime this fall. At which time you can read my story that deals with zombies in space.

Yes, that's right. Zombies. In space.

More details as the date approaches.

Anthology available now!

You can get your copy of Only Disconnect from Third Flatiron Anthologies here. The book contains several science fiction, fantasy and horror stories about the pitfalls of distraction and overstimulation. My science fiction tale "Jacked" appears within its pages. "Jacked" is also available as a podcast, which you can soon listen to here.

The proof is in the galley

Just got my galley proof of Bards and Sages Quarterly's July issue, in which my short story "Spiritual Reflection" appears. It's a story that was inspired by a phone call I took while working as an editorial assistant at the Sun Sentinel. Look for the issue, which contains tales by eight other authors as well, in just over a month. In the meantime, you can find out more about Bards and Sages Quarterly by clicking the link. And if that's not enough to keep you occupied, here's a pic of their most recent issue:

"Only Disconnect" lineup announced

Third Flatiron Anthologies have announced the table of contents for their latest anthology, "Only Disconnect," and it includes my short story, "Jacked." The anthology will be available as an e-book and in print on demand. It publishes June 1, but is available for pre-order now. Additionally, I'm happy to report that "Jacked" will also be available as a podcast from Third Flatiron. Below is a look at the cover. You can find the full lineup of authors here.

Short story sale

Third Flatiron Anthologies just picked up my short story "Jacked" for their Only Disconnect anthology slated for publication in June. Watch this space for more information as the date approaches. In the meantime, check out their latest anthology, The Time It Happened.

The Great Exodus Part 4

Part four of "The Great Exodus" is now available in Plasma Frequency Magazine #16. It's available in numerous formats. Read it online at the website, get it in ebook form, or if you like the feel of paper in your hands as you read, get a print copy. Whatever your choice, you can find a link to it at the magazine website, linked above.

                                          Cover: "The Arch of Unimagined Bridges" by Jon Orr

New story acceptance

Bards and Sages Quarterly have picked up my short story, "Spiritual Reflection." It is slated for publication in the July issue.

Watch this space for more info as the date nears.

The Wolves are knocking

SNAFU: Wolves at the Door is out today from Cohesion Press. It's a hard-hitting anthology of military fiction that includes my short story "Semper Gumby." The third anthology from the publisher, SNAFU: Wolves at the Door is available online at Amazon. For those who like the feel of a bound book in their hands, there will be a print version coming later. If you like the cover below, I urge you to check out the artist's website. There's some nice work there, including fan art of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Table of Contents

Taking Down the Top Cat – R. P. L Johnson
Skadi’s Wolves – Kirsten Cross
Semper Gumby – Steve Coate
Ancient Ruins – John W. Dennehy
The Fenrir Project – David W. Amendola
Project Lupine – Brian W. Taylor
Werwolf! – W. D. Gagliani & David Benton
Jester – Jennifer R. Povey
The Wild Hunt – James A. Moore

The Great Exodus Part 3

Part 3 of my novella "The Great Exodus," appears in issue 15 of Plasma Frequency Magazine, out today. It is a fantasy about a warrior, cast out from his society, who is tasked with escorting a young telepath across the wasteland to a city where her mental talents can be better utilized. Look for the rest of the novella in the upcoming four issues. You can find issue 15 of Plasma Frequency Magazine here. If you missed part 1 or 2, you can find them by clicking the Back Issues link at the top of the Plasma Frequency Magazine home page. Other authors in the ToC this issue include Stewart C. Baker, Natalia Theodoridou, Bridget A. Natale, D.A. D'Amico, Justin C. Key, Dennis Mombauer, Rhonda Parrish, Daniel Powell, Gary Emmette Chandler and Brad Baker.

                                
                                     Cover: "Restricted Atmospheric Space" by Milan Jaram