Freaky news

Edit: The publisher has canceled the anthology.

Copper Pen Press has picked up my short story "Sideshow Spectacle" for inclusion in the upcoming anthology Freakshow: Freakishly Fascinating Tales of Mystery and Suspense. Watch this space for more details.

On shelves now!

Bards and Sages Quarterly's January issue is out now and it contains my short story "Deja Mu." Start 2017 out with a group of fine stories by a group of wonderful writers who include:

Andrew Knighton
A.J. Flowers
Steve Evans
Taylor Harbin
Eric Lewis
Walter G. Esselman
Sean Garvey
P.J. Keuning
Molly N. Moss
B.C. Nance
Josh Pearce

Here's a cover image to whet your appetite.

Galley ho!

Just received my galley proof of the January issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly, in which readers can find my story "Deja Mu." Get yourself a copy when it becomes available on the first of next month. Other authors in the table of contents include:

Andrew Knighton
A.J. Flowers
Steve Evans
Taylor Harbin
Walter G. Esselman
Sean Garvey
P.J. Keuning
Molly N. Moss
B.C. Nance

"The Shot" available now!

My short tale of dark fiction "The Shot" is available now in The Literary Hatchet Issue 14. Head on over to their site and get yourself a copy.

                                                            Cover art by Ann Mei

Deja vu

Just received word that "Deja Mu" will appear in the January issue of "Bards and Sages Quarterly." It's a story I wrote after doing some reading about the lost city of Atlantis and therein learned about an earlier civilization called Mu.

Watch this space for more information.

Ballistics, blades and dark fiction

Pear Tree Press just picked up my short story "The Shot" for inclusion in its next issue of The Literary Hatchet, a journal of dark fiction and poetry. Issue 14 is currently slated for a May release. Stop on by their website and check them out. Here's a look at the haunting cover of their most recently published journal.

Book review: Voids

In the near future, overpopulation is dealt with by a special force of individuals known as Sterilization Agents. Each one is tasked with tracking down deadbeat fathers and ensuring (legally) that these men no longer procreate by zapping them in the groin with a special gun that effectively neuters them.  Danny Seraphine is one such agent who finds particular satisfaction in his job, perhaps due to the fact that his own father left his family when Seraphine was only 9 years old.

Aside from his job, Seraphine leads a somewhat normal life, though not without complications.  Seraphine and his wife, Emily, are having pregnancy issues.  After their first child, Marnie, was stillborn, Seraphine isn't sure if he wants another, despite Emily's eagerness. Also, Seraphine's little brother, Zack, is in prison, known as The Farm, and Seraphine has yet to visit. And then there's the little matter of the ethereal transparent shapes Seraphine keeps seeing wherever he goes, the mysterious, titular voids.

Add to the above mix an introduction to a future society and its various technologies and you've got a recipe for an enjoyable read. Voids, from Omnium Gatherum is also a quick read, and not just because it's a novella. Written by Tim Jeffreys and Martin Greaves, the prose sings as it leaps from the page, urging the reader on to the next. And by the time the reader reaches the end, all of the plot threads have been neatly resolved.  I highly recommend Voids to anyone who reads science fiction or to anyone with any kind of experience (be it firsthand or otherwise) with deadbeat dads.

Mine Sweeper is live online

My zombies-in-space tale, Mine Sweeper, is one of the featured stories on Gold Shader's website right now, so head on over and give it a read, if you're so inclined. Other featured stories are available on the main page of the site. All of these stories, along with four others, are available in Gold Shader's first anthology, Game Fiction: Vol. 1, which is available in print or digital format.

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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: