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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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

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.

"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 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

Short story picked up

Purple Sun Press has picked up my short story "Wolf's Bane" for its upcoming fantasy anthology. Watch this space for more information as the publication date nears.

Get your copy now!

Abbreviated Epics, the anthology from Third Flatiron Anthologies in which my Viking tale, "Fortunate Son" appears, is now available as an ebook and paperback at Smashwords and Amazon. Aside from my own story, the ToC includes works by Siobhan Gallagher, Iain Ishbel, Deborah Walker, Manuel Royal, Jordan Ashley Moore, Martin Clark, Ben Solomon, Margarita Tenser, Gustavo Bondoni, Adria Laycraft, Daniel Coble, Jo Walton, Elliotte Rusty Harold, Marissa James, Jake Teeny, Alison McBain, Patricia S. Bowne, Stephen D. Rogers, and Robin Wyatt Dunn, which you can see in full, here.

Werewolves, guns and knives, oh my!

My short story "Semper Gumbie" has been accepted to SNAFU: Wolves at the Door, an upcoming anthology from Cohesion Press, which, as advertised in the title, will feature military fiction involving werewolves and werecreatures. If you like military fiction and can't wait for SNAFU: Wolves at the Door, you might want to check out Cohesion's earlier military fiction anthologies, SNAFU, or SNAFU: Heroes.

In the meantime, here's the slick cover by Conzpiracy Digital Arts.

Fortunate Son

My Viking tale, "Fortunate Son" has been accepted over at Third Flatiron Anthologies for their upcoming Abbreviated Epics anthology, set to publish in November. Watch this space for more details as the publish date approaches.

Publication news

My time travel short story, "One Last Time," was just picked up by Diabolic Publications LLC for inclusion in their Ether World anthology. Ether World is an anthology of science fiction in which some future technology is necessary to the plot of each tale within its pages.  I'd say "One Last Time" fits the bill.  But why don't you tell me after you've read it? Look for the anthology early next year. And of course, watch this space for updates.

Moving and anthologies

So I'm in the midst of moving the Coaterack from another blogging site, here to Blogger.

Please pardon the dust during construction.

In the meantime, here are a few anthologies I'm looking forward to in the near future that you may find interesting as well:

The Spirit of Poe is an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe inspired short stories and poems produced by Literary Landmark Press.  Every cent earned from the sale of the anthology will go to the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum in Baltimore, which recently lost $80,000 worth of funding from the city.  The anthology is planned to be released on Halloween of this year.

Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations is what you might expect from the title.  As the editor's site says, the anthology will be filled with "dark tales of horror, speculative fiction, and to a lesser degree science fiction, relating to civilizations that are lost, or have been forgotten, or have been rediscovered, or perhaps merely spoken about in great and fearful whispers. Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations is currently set for Spring 2012 publication.

Mutation Nation from Rainstorm Press is the anthology for the lover of horror, science fiction and all things strange.  This looks to be interesting, with an infinite number of possibilities for stories.  From the publisher's website: "Who are these human oddities? How do these characters and/or the people in their lives deal with the curse-or the blessing-of their mutations? This anthology will contain stories that explain these human mutations-and their consequences." Mutation Nation is set for release Dec. 1.