I am pleased as punch to let you all know, if you didn't know already, that pre-orders for Rolling in the Deep are now open. This gorgeous hardcover Mira Grant novella has never appeared anywhere else, and introduces a whole new world of submarine terror. What if there were mermaids? What would they look like?

What would they eat?

The signed and numbered edition which is currently being offered is limited to 1,000 beautiful copies, and will make a fantastic Hogswatch gift. I'm so excited!

Now, to answer a few questions:

Will there be a cheaper edition?

I do not know, for I am not the publisher. Probably, going by the way they usually do things, but it's not my call. Please do not complain about the cost of the hardback. It's a gorgeous book, I understand that not everyone can afford it, and that's part of why it's set in a new world, not a pre-existing one.

Will there be an ebook edition?

The publisher has indicated that there will, but this is 100% of the information I have. Please direct any questions about timing or price to the publisher.

Have you ever wanted to know more about the Luidaeg before she changed her name? To see Blind Michael before he turned away from the light he had never been able to see? Have you ever wondered how the old world of Faerie faded into the new world of Men?

There are some answers to be had, if you know where to look.

I am pleased to announce that my short story, "The Fixed Stars," featuring Antigone of Albany in the long, dark days of her youth, is available now in the anthology Shattered Shields, edited by my well-beloved Jennifer Brozek and Bryan Thomas Schmidt. Tales of military fantasy! War, barbarous and bloody!

Glory, glory.

Pick it up; give it a read. And if you're feeling really ambitious, I'm going to be swinging by Borderlands Books tomorrow on my way to the airport, so if you called them and ordered a copy tonight, you could even get it signed.

War is a science.

Antigone was a scientist.

It's time for some free fiction. Hooray! Halloween may be over, but there's always time for one more trick and one more treat before the sun sets on the holiday for another year.

In "Snakes and Ladders," Frances Healy is preparing to take her little girl out for a fun night of trick or treating. Of course it's safe. How could it be anything but for young Alice, when she has her heavily-armed mother and her ghost babysitter right there by her side? Unfortunately, some people have other plans for the holiday, and those plans aren't nearly as sweet as candy...

You can download the new story now from the InCryptid short fiction page.

This also serves as your discussion post.

I was delighted when John Joseph Adams asked me to be the guest editor for the special Queers Destroy Science Fiction issue of Lightspeed Magazine, following on last year's incredibly awesome and successful Women Destroy Science Fiction. (And I admit, I paused before saying "yes," since being the editor means I can't submit.) But in the end, the opportunity to be a part of making this a real thing in the world was too much for me to pass up.

We just opened for submissions.

The submission portal is here, and includes links to the overall guidelines: http://submissions.johnjosephadams.com/queers-destroy-sf/submit/

It's important to remember that while we do not require the stories to have queer content, we are actively seeking stories by queer (QUILTBAG) authors. It's my great hope that we will have representation from most of the letters in the acronym and beyond, since demisexual and pansexual authors are also queer. ("A" is for "asexual," not for "ally.") All stories must have science fiction content.

Submissions are open through February, which is also when I and my team will be making final decisions. Don't rush to submit; make sure your story is awesome and ready to rock. I want to see the widest possible range of stories and authors.

This is our issue. Let's rock it.

Do you ever feel like you just have too darn much money, and need more places to spend it? Or do you just want to know why you should be shaking down the couch for quarters? Well!

First up, Zombies Need Brains LLC, the force behind the anthology Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, is doing a second anthology! This one is called Temporally Out of Order, and the Kickstarter is going now! With twenty-seven days to go we're just under halfway funded, for an anthology that's slated to include a lot of really awesome names. Stretch goals include more stories and more money for the authors involved. I'm excited as all get-out for you to have a look!

Secondly, remember last year's awesome nerd nail wraps from Espionage Cosmetics? Well, they're back for another pass, with more awesome nerd makeup and really exciting new nail wrap designs, including one that might seem just a little...familiar...to some of you. There are some gorgeous designs this time, and while the campaign has reached its first goal with eighteen days to spare, the stretch goals are going to have even more exciting goodies. Basically, I need y'all to look at this Kickstarter so that I can dip my nails in unicorn blood. Okay?

Okay.

Awesome things! Remember, the winter holidays are coming soon, and nerd wraps and anthologies make great gifts for the people you love!

September is apparently the month that keeps on giving, because I have not one but two new stories in anthologies that are available now!

Do you remember my story "Spores," from the anthology The End is Nigh? If you don't, you should totally pick it up. It's a book chock full of stories of the impending apocalypse, edited by my beloved John Joseph Adams and his new partner in crime, Hugh Howey, and I am super proud of it. But I'm even prouder of the sequel, "Fruiting Bodies," which appears in the new anthology The End is Now. The apocalypse has come, and everything is awful. Beautifully, wonderfully awful.

Seriously, though, this is a pair of beautifully curated anthologies, full of authors who are having a fantastic time bringing the world to a crashing halt. There's one more to come, documenting the aftermath of the apocalypse, and the way to get ready for its glorious awfulness is to read what came before. Starting now.

Keeping up with the non-mammalian theme, I present "Lady Antheia's Guide to Horticultural Warfare," my story of steampunk, aliens, and the importance of manners. It appears in the anthology Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, and I absolutely adore it. I am so, so happy that it's finally available for you to read and enjoy. Lady Antheia is one of my favorite point of view characters, and she was ridiculously fun to write. I hope you'll have just as much fun reading about her.

Two anthologies! Two fun disasters! Pick up one or both, and feel free to let me know what you think!

It's time for some free fiction. Hooray! And since I forgot to post on the last release day, we're essentially celebrating two new stories today! Double hooray!

In the first, "Oh Pretty Bird," Jonathan and Frances Healy are finally going after the woman responsible for the death of their firstborn son. This is best read after "Stingers and Strangers," published in the anthology Dead Man's Hand, although that is not absolutely required.

In the second, "Bury Me In Satin," we spend some time with Mary Dunlavy, Alice's favorite babysitter, as her world changes forever, and we discover just how entwined Rose Marshall's world is with the world of the Healy family.

You can download both stories now from the InCryptid short fiction page. The PDF link for "Bury Me In Satin" will be fixed later tonight.

This also serves as your discussion post.

I am delighted to announce that my story, "Long Way Down," will be appearing in the anthology Genius Loci, along with a bunch of truly awesome authors and some really good friends.

This is a book of stories about place and connection to place. My story is about the creek I used to play in which I was a little girl, both as it really was, and as I always secretly believed that it could be. I'm really excited for you all to see it. But that's not the best part of this anthology for me.

Look at that table of contents. Look at all those new names, sandwiched between names you maybe know already. Look at the name "Sunil Patel." Look at the name "Caroline Ratajski." That's Sunil and Carrie, you guys. That's my Comic-Con roommate and my comic book slumber party buddy. Those are my friends, sharing an anthology with me, sharing a table of contents with me, and with Ken, and with Chaz, and with everybody.

Carrie and Sunil are great people. They're warm, generous, friendly, and have made me a better person by being a part of my life. And now I get to share a book with them.

How awesome is my life sometimes? I mean really, how awesome is my life?

Pretty awesome.

I am very pleased to announce that I will have a story in Operation Arcana, edited by John Joseph Adams, coming from Baen in 2015. I will be appearing alongside my beloved Tanya Huff, Carrie Vaughn, and Jonathan Maberry, as well as many more.

My story, "In Skeleton Leaves," is one that I'm really pleased with and proud of, and I can't wait for you to read it.

Yay, anthologies!

The Rising only lasted for three years. The repercussions will last forever. For Elaine Oldenburg, those repercussions are about to change everything.

"The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell" is available now from most ebook outlets. This Newsflesh-universe story fills in a piece of the past that has previously been left hidden, for good reason. Join Elaine as she tries to get her students out of an outbreak alive, and without casualties. (Try not to read the blurb on the landing page, as it's way spoilery.)

She's not going to save them all.

I'm really excited about this one. It's a story I've wanted to tell for quite some time, and it pulls no punches, which is always nice for me, since I fancy myself a horror author. Better yet, it will prepare you for what's to come. (It will also help feed my cats. As always, a major concern.)

This will also serve as your discussion post.

Zombies!

So say I was going to go back and write some more Johnny and Fran stories. And say those stories were going to fill in the gaps between the stories that already exist (or are forthcoming, which I know, is a little harder to predict).

What stories do you feel were "skipped"?
What would you like to see them deal with or encounter?
What's missing?

Suggest whatever you like: I'm just trying to get a feel for the shape of things. Speak me wisdom!

Oh, hey: the table of contents for Streets of Shadows is live, and there I am! "Best Served Cold" is a story of wolves and winters, Seasonal Monarchs and what really goes on at Jack's Place when no one's looking. I'm super excited to be sharing the ToC with some amazing authors, including my best-beloved Jonathan Maberry, who I just can't seem to get away from these days.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

HELP FUND MY ROBOT ARMY!!! and Other Improbable Crowdfunding Projects, an anthology of weird crowdfunding tales, is available now for purchase. It is an Amazon exclusive until October 1st, when it will go to all eBook formats.

I funded an eternal Halloween under the control of an unforgiving Harvest God. Because why would I not do that, given the opportunity?

Anthologies!

Title: Velveteen vs. Santa Claus.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( The sky over Santa's Village was clear, affording the citizens a beautiful view of the Northern Lights, which painted the air in a hundred shimmering shades of orange, green, pink, and pearlescent blue...Collapse )

I am pleased to confirm that my novella (as Mira Grant) "The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell," will be available for purchase on July 15th, 2014. So you can get ready for the Rising in style, with this all-new adventure in the world of Newsflesh.

Purchase details are here. Because Amazon is still not playing nicely with Hachette, there is no pre-order button on the Amazon website, which means the story is not at this time available for Kindle. I honestly don't know if that's going to change: I wish I did, I assume it is, but I cannot confirm. Also, I recommend against reading the summary, as it reveals some of the surprises the novella might otherwise contain for you.

I am so excited to finally tell this story. It's been lurking for a long time, and it's time the truth of what happened at Evergreen Elementary finally comes out. (This is a zombie story set in an elementary school. So, uh, yeah.)

When will you rise?

Because we're still working our way through the latest tip jar, it's time for some free fiction. Hooray!

Arthur Harrington is having a hell of a time. He's always been among the most sheltered of the current generation, thanks to inheriting more than a few incubus tricks from his father, but not getting the control to keep them from backfiring at random. He used to be okay with that.

Then Sarah got hurt, and he couldn't go to help her.

Now he's climbing the walls in Oregon, looking for a way to make things better, and slamming endlessly into the walls of linear space and missing information. How do you repair a cuckoo's mind when no one understands how it works in the first place?

You can download "IM" now from the InCryptid short fiction page. This story chronologically takes place after Half-Off Ragnarok, and is better read after you've read the book. (Obviously I can't control this, but hey, I can give recommendations.) This is more of a vignette than a full narrative; it's a necessary scene to move things into place, but please don't go in looking for something huge and plot-ty. It won't be there. I'm still really excited about what is there.

This also serves as your discussion post.

So a press release just went up on the Orbit Books website. Here's the link, if you're curious. Go ahead and read it. I'll wait here.

Done reading yet?

YES OH MY GOD YES NOW I CAN FINALLY ANNOUNCE IT YES!!!!! Mira Grant (IE, "me") is returning to Orbit for three more beautiful books. The third Parasitology book (title to be determined), a standalone book (one of three concepts, to be decided when I actually hit the point of needing to write it), and Rewind, a fourth book set in the world of Newsflesh.

Yes. We're going back to the Rising.

There will also be four new novellas set in the Newsflesh world; the first of them, "The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell," will be out this summer.

Before people start asking, no, Rewind will not be a story about the Masons: they are done. But it will cover the same time period as Feed, and will provide a long-needed view of the Democratic side of the presidential race. What really happened to Susan Kilburn and Frances Blackburn, the two most promising candidates put up by the Democrats? What happened to their teams? All is finally going to be made clear, and man, is it going to be one hell of a ride.

To quote myself from the press release, "I am overjoyed to be able to continue to write in the Parasite universe, and more, I am so, so excited to return to the world of Kellis-Amberlee, the Rising, and my unique approach to future journalism. I hope that everyone else will be as excited as I am to go back there, and I promise I have some thrilling surprises in store for you. As for that stand-alone third novel, well...You'll have to wait and see what that's going to be about. I can tell you one thing for sure: it's going to be an adventure."

I love adventures.

I am pleased to announce that my short story, "Long Way Down," has been accepted by Jaym Gates for the anthology Genius Loci. I'll be sharing the book with Ken Liu, Cat Rambo, and Jim Lowder, among others, so you know it's going to be high-octane awesome. I am so excited. (Ken is going to be my Grand Vizier when I take over the world. He has no interest in betraying me, he just wants access to the acid pits and death rays. Who am I to refuse a man his dream?)

I don't know when this particular anthology is slated for publication: more information will be provided as it becomes available. In the meanwhile, I shall continue trucking along down my to-do list, and looking for more anthologies to submit to, as I'm starting to chew holes in my workload that can only be patched with more work.

It's a party!

You know the drill: the link file is a dark pit into which no light falls, and from which few men emerge with their lives. The only way to fight it is to chip away at its power with review roundups, and with fire. As I am currently out of matches, have a review roundup.

First up, Tangent Online has posted a lovely review of Dead Man's Hand, and says, "McGuire's tale accelerates into an exciting high-stakes barn burner featuring gunshot wounds, giant bug attacks, memory loss, arson, mind control, and true love." Also, "The quick banter and roughneck personality of Brown acts as counterpoint to Healy's educated, formal, and proper demeanor. The chemistry between them sizzles and would have us turning pages even had McGuire not graced us with a well-structured plot rife with tension and mystery." Everybody loves Johnny and Fran.

Moving on, Bookworm Blues has reviewed Sparrow Hill Road, and says, "It's refreshing to read a book about a character who is that in control of herself, that self-assured and certain in the face of so much uncertainty." It's a great review, it just made pull quotes difficult.

Bookswarm went on a speed date with Sparrow Hill Road (what a neat format!) and had a lovely time.

The Book Smugglers have posted a review of Sparrow Hill Road, and say, "The collection reads as an engaging and surprisingly moving blend of Americana, thriller, and love story and as I read it, it struck me how the collection has a very distinctive feel from the rest of McGuire's oeuvre. It's not exactly the voice that gives that impression even though I thought Rose's voice was strong and relatable. It's more about the construct of the background story, the slow revelations about the ghostroads and the movers and shakers of this world, all of it stemming from what I understand to be a very American tradition of ghost-related storytelling." Wow.

Finally for right now, My Bookish Ways has posted a review of Sparrow Hill Road, and says, "This unusual, sometimes dark, but rather lovely and even poignant, book is a road trip that I was glad I took, and if things aren't wrapped up in a neat bow at the end, that's ok, it just means there will be more to look forward to from Rose and her very unique friends." I sure do hope so.

More to come, as always, as I battle against the links that never die.

Jonathan Healy and Frances Brown are two of my favorite characters in the InCryptid universe. They're the great-grandparents of the current generation, they're the parents of Alice Healy (later Alice Price-Healy), and they are a joy to write about. I didn't expect to spend as much time with them as I have, but the first story focusing on their part of the timeline appeared in February 2012, and it's not over yet.

Careful readers of the free stories posted on the InCryptid short fiction page may have noticed an odd jump between "No Place Like Home" and "Married In Green," like some grand adventure was missing. Well, that's because it was.

It's not missing anymore.

"Stingers and Strangers" is available now, in the anthology Dead Man's Hand. Find out what happened in that missing stretch, and why it changed the future of the Healy family forever, in more ways than one. Also enjoy a lot more exciting weird West adventure, from some pretty awesome authors.

Dead Man's Hand is available now in the US, and May 30th in the UK. It's a really good book. I'm really thrilled to be a part of it...and more, I'm thrilled to have that missing story finally see the light of day.

We're almost to the end of the trail.

(I realized I hadn't actually said this here yet. Or anywhere. Bad me. So...)

I love mermaids.

I have always loved mermaids. My one point of contention with Ariel was always that I couldn't understand how someone who came from her undersea world could yearn so much for gravity and oxygen and all the rest. If someone offered me a role in a mermaid AU of my life, I would take it in a heartbeat, is what I'm saying here.

Naturally, this has translated to a lot of mermaids in my work. Dianda, in Toby; the finfolk, in InCryptid. Mermaids everywhere, mermaids for everybody. But a lot of people assumed that Mira Grant would never have the opportunity to write about mermaids, which are more of a fantasy staple, after all.

Oh ye of little faith.

I am delighted to announce that my/Mira's first original Subterranean Press novella, "Rolling in the Deep," will be released next April. It's about mermaids. It's about science. It's about reality television. But mostly the mermaids thing.

As with all SubT books, it will be a limited edition, so I recommend saving your pennies now for its terrible, inevitable reality.

I am so excited.

I am absolutely beyond delighted to announce that I have sold a short story, "There Is No Place For Sorrow In the Kingdom of the Cold" to Ellen Datlow, for her anthology The Doll Collector.

Yes. I got to write a creepy doll story for a book of creepy doll stories, edited by Ellen Datlow.

My life is amazing.

The full ToC is as follows:

"Introduction" by Ellen Datlow
"Heroes and Villains" by Stephen Gallagher
"The Doll-Master" by Joyce Carol Oates
"Gaze" by Gemma Files
"In Case of Zebras" by Pat Cadigan
"Miss Sibyl-Cassandra" by Lucy Sussex
"Skin and Bone" by Tim Lebbon
"There Is No Place For Sorrow In the Kingdom of the Cold" by Seanan McGuire
"Goodness and Kindness" by Carrie Vaughn
"Daniel's Theory of Dolls" by Stephen Graham Jones
"After and Back Before" by Miranda Siemienowicz
"Doctor Faustus" by Mary Robinette Kowal
"Doll Court" by Richard Bowes
"Visit Lovely Cornwall on the Western Railway Line" by Genevieve Valentine
"Ambitious Boys Like You" by Richard Kadrey
"The Permanent Collection" by Veronica Schanoes
"Homemade Monsters" by John Langan
"Word Doll" by Jeffrey Ford

There is no publication date as yet, but I am super excited to be a part of this project. Gosh. Just look at those story titles.

Gosh.

Tip jar results.

All things have been totaled (at long last), and the results of the latest tip jar are in, coming to a princely $1,187. I am still awed and amazed by the generosity of my readers. You've allowed me to prioritize finishing three InCryptid stories over the next three months:

"IM"
"Oh Pretty Bird"
"Bury Me In Satin"

These will be going up around the start of June, July, and August, respectively; "IM" focuses on Artie, while "Oh Pretty Bird" and "Bury Me In Satin" are both from the Johnny and Fran era. (That era is sadly coming to a close very soon: there are only three stories remaining to be written. I'm going to miss her. The first of those stories, "Snakes and Ladders," has also been prioritized.)

Upcoming appearances.

The book release party for Sparrow Hill Road will be taking place at Borderlands Books on Saturday, May 10th, starting at 5:00pm. There will be cupcakes! I'm actually planning to do a reading! Truly, it is a time of wonders. If you're unable to attend, remember that Borderlands takes orders both via the Internet and over the phone, and would be happy to hook you up with a signed and personalized book.

(If you're not attending and are planning to have me sign a book for you, please, please contact the store before the event date. I realized recently that some of y'all may not realize that I actually live an hour's drive from San Francisco, which means that—now that I don't have a day job—I can't just nip in to sign a few things before I head home. I don't want you to have to wait for your books because you called after I had already left the city!)

Cats.

They are. So mad.

Seriously, you have not seen anger like the anger of cats who are being left on the regular because their human needs to travel. I've managed to have at least a week at home every month so far this year, but they're pissed off, and I can't blame them. Poor babies. Also, it's summer, and if there's one thing Maine Coons hate, it's the coming of the summer. (Lilly and Lizzy don't mind as much. Ah, the joy of not being longhairs.)

More to come soon, and happy May!

So it turns out that there are some admin tasks that I was really good at when I had a day job, but am not so good at when "wander away from the computer and watch an episode of Law & Order" is on the table. The review roundup is one of these tasks. I will strive to do better, if only because my notes file is becoming impossible to navigate. This is the first step toward doing better.

Brewing Tea & Books has posted a review of Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, and says, "This book is in one word: Fun." The review goes on to say "But if I have to write a bit more, since one word reviews aren’t very interesting now are they. The book is not only very entertaining and funny, it is also very intelligent and thought-provoking." (Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots is available now from ISFic Press, or via Borderlands Books in San Francisco; they should be getting a shipment soon, and books ordered from them can be signed or personalized.)

Jennifer Brozek has reviewed Half-Off Ragnarok, and says, "Half-Off Ragnarok is my favorite book in the InCryptid series thus far. I thought Verity was interesting but I’m half in love with Alex. The whole Price family is a hoot and Shelby is an interesting wild card in the mix. If urban fantasy, intriguing animals, and fast-paced adventure is your thing, you’re going to love Half-Off Ragnarok. Highly recommended." Woo!

Vampire Book Club has reviewed Ashes of Honor, and says, "Let’s cut to the chase. Ashes of Honor is THE book." I'm...just going to leave that there and wander off. Because dude.

Amazing Stories has reviewed Chimes at Midnight, and says, "Urban fantasy novels are big right now and it’s hard not to love Toby Daye, the unlikely knight and changeling protagonist of Seanan McGuire's popular series set in magic-rich San Francisco. Chimes at Midnight is book seven in the on-going series and, now we’ve met the characters and had hints dropped about the history of the Kingdom in the Mists, the story is getting fascinating." Woo!

Finally for today, Whatchamacallit Reviews has reviewed Games Creatures Play, and had this to say about my story: "Seanan McGuire takes readers into her Incryptid world. Fans of the series will enjoy reading a fun roller derby story from the youngest sibling (and only sibling not to get a book yet) Antinomy’s POV. Readers who have not read the series should read the series, not because they need to in order to understand this short story, just because it this is a fun and entertaining series."

That's all for now: more to come, including a focused roundup about Sparrow Hill Road, shortly.

There's some new short fiction in the world! Hooray!

First up, "Jammed," a new Antimony Price story, appears in the anthology Games Creatures Play, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni Kelner. I adore both Charlaine and Toni as people, but right now what's important is that they're fantastic editors. They bring out the best in their authors, and this whole book is full of delicious urban fantasy sporting goodness.

To quote my own short fiction page:

"Antimony has finally gotten her groove back. She has friends on her roller derby team; she has her cousins to keep her company; and she has, for the most part, managed to keep her off-the-track activities from bleeding over into her social life. So what if she's a professional cryptozoologist and occasional monster hunter? There's no reason for that to change anything.

Until there is. Until one of the jammers on the Concussion Stand is found dead during a match; until her cousin Elsie is shouting at her to make things right, because Elsie's girlfriend Carlotta is the Captain of the dead woman's team; until it becomes crystal clear that whatever killed the skater, it wasn't human.

Antimony must decide which matters more: getting justice for the dead, or maintaining her cover as "just another skater." And she'll have to decide quickly, because the killer is still at large, and whatever it is, it doesn't seem likely to stop with just one skater..."

Games Creatures Play is available now at a bookstore near you. It's a hardcover, and can be used to build little castles, or to fend off home invasion.

If hardcover's a little rich for your blood, Robot Uprisings, edited by John Joseph Adams and Daniel H. Wilson, is a lovely paperback, suitable for carrying in your purse or bookbag, resting on your nightstand, and inspiring nightmares about the inevitable robot apocalypse. My story, "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War," is about toys, and how they play with us. (It's not a Velveteen story, despite the title: if it were, it would be "Velveteen vs. Who the Fuck Thought This Was a Good Idea." Naming conventions matter!"

John has helpfully provided a whole page of purchase links, here:

http://www.johnjosephadams.com/robot-uprisings/buy-the-book/

New stories!

Everything is awesome.

So last weekend was Emerald City Comic Con. Lots of fun stuff there, lots of big things coming from some of our favorite creators, and lots and lots and lots and lots of walking. Ugh. I spent the weekend in the walking boot, and I still felt like someone had been beating my left foot and ankle with iron bars by the time it was all over. I had a great time; I can't wait for next year; I got home in dire need of a nap. That has basically been my week: "Seanan is in dire need of a nap."

As always happens when I'm sleep-deprived, pretty much anything that wasn't word count or absolutely essential business has fallen by the wayside. I'm behind on email, LJ comments, various accounting bits...everything. I managed to book my tickets to Europe (I'm going to DISNEYLAND PARIS!) and continue dealing with my taxes, but everything else? Hoo nelly, no. It's all been put off until I could say, with sincerity, "I am awake, and will not accidentally slice my fingers off."

On the plus side, I'm staying current with word count, and I'm on track to finish A Red-Rose Chain (aka "Toby book nine") this month, allowing me to get it off to the Machete Squad and move on to the next items on my list. I will never finish the list. The list is an endless road stretching off into the ever-moving future. But the list is a guide and a map and a benediction, and nothing makes me happier than knowing that it's always growing. I'll reach the end when I die.

Also on the plus side, I have finished copies of Sparrow Hill Road and Robot Uprisings, and they're both gorgeous. I have now filled two long shelves just with books I've written, and I'm about to have to rearrange my shelves again. So I'm doing okay at my job.

How's everybody else?

(Comment amnesty is on. I genuinely want to know how you are, but I don't want to put myself any further behind than I already am.)

This seems to be an "every six months or so" thing, which is nice: I don't feel too demanding, but I'm able to keep prioritizing the free shorts in my lists. And so, as promised, I am now taking "tip jar" donations to fund the next InCryptid story or stories. To tip, please PayPal to...

delirium@xocolatl.com

Since I opened this tip jar on a Wednesday, I will leave it open until next Tuesday, when I will close it and post a total for what was collected.

If I get $200, I will prioritize finishing and posting "IM," aka, "let's check in on Artie."
If I get $300 or more, I will prioritize finishing and posting "Bury Me In Satin," aka "there's something about Mary."

"Oh Pretty Bird" will be posted this year even if no one tips me a penny; I'm not holding anything finished hostage, just trying to justify my perpetually shuffling things around. Thanks so much to everyone who's ever donated in the past; you've done a lot to make my current situation possible.

Thank you!

To celebrate the release of Half-Off Ragnarok, it's time for some free fiction. Hooray!

When last we left Verity Price and her boyfriend, Dominic De Luca, they were setting out on an epic road trip in a rented U-Haul with a colony of talking mice. It's...hard to get much more surreal than that, but with Verity involved, you know we're going to try. She needs to get Dominic used to the idea of her family, and that means it's time to start introducing him to people.

People like Auntie Rose, who is smart, sassy, and takes no bullshit, and just happens to have died almost fifty years before Verity was even born.

Nobody's perfect.

You can download "The Ghosts of Bourbon Street" now from the InCryptid short fiction page. This story chronologically overlaps with Half-Off Ragnarok, and is better read after you've read the book. (Obviously I can't control this, but hey, I can give recommendations.)

This also serves as your discussion post.

Happy February! Have some free fiction.

You've had a glimpse of Antimony's time with the Slasher Chicks, but how did it start? Everyone has to strap on their skates for the first time sometime, because otherwise there'd be no one on the track at all. For Antimony Price, that first time came shortly after high school graduation, when she thought she had no other choices.

You know the result, since clearly she joins the team, but getting there is half the fun and more than half the battle. It's time to find out where it all started.

Let's jam.

You can download "Blocked" now from the InCryptid short fiction page. Since this story is chronologically the first starring Antimony, it should stand reasonably well on its own, providing you have any familiarity with the InCryptid setting. (If you don't, there's a lot of short fiction set earlier in the world continuity also posted on that page. Enjoy!)

This also serves as your discussion post.

I am delighted to announce that my short story, "The Lambs," will be appearing in Bless Your Mechanical Heart, edited by Jennifer Brozek, published April 15th, 2014, by Evil Girlfriend Media.

Bless Your Mechanical Heart is an anthology of sympathetic robot stories, and includes stories from folks like Fiona Patton, Lucy Snyder, and—super exciting for me—Peter Clines, who is one of my favorite authors. We have never been in an anthology together before, so this is a really big deal!

"The Lambs" is about school bullying, questions of full disclosure, and the Hawthorne effect. It's a world I really enjoyed exploring, and may go back to someday (because I really needed a robot universe, right?). It's my second robot story, following "We Are All Misfit Toys In the Aftermath of the Velveteen War," and I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you will enjoy reading it.

Robots!

So there is some awesome stuff going on in the Kickstarter realm, some of which is relevant to my interests in the sense that, well, I'm involved.

First off, we keep hearing about "women destroying science fiction", but what does that really mean? Well, the crew at Lightspeed Magazine really want to find out. We've long since blown our original goal out of the water, but if we can shake up a little bit more, women can also destroy horror. I really, really want to destroy horror. It would be awesome. So check it out!

If you want a little more information, check out this fantastic interview with Christie Yant, who will be editing this special issue. And to get you a little more interested, here's a quote from the interview:

"I have a story in hand from Seanan McGuire (and she seemed only slightly disappointed that I was merely asking her to write a story, and not actually acquire demolition materials)."

So yes, I will be destroying science fiction. Check it out.

Less destructively but still awesomely, the Kickstarter for Streets of Shadows is open now. This urban fantasy noir anthology should be a lot of fun, and I've already finished my story, so I'm naturally eager for it to fund. Check it out!

And that's today's Kickstarter news.

It's time to start the new year off right: with some free fiction.

Ryan and Istas have been getting serious, which means it's time for the two of them to go through one of the most important rituals in a tanuki's life: meeting the parents. Sure, that means flying cross-country with an apex predator crammed into an airline seat, and sure, there's a reasonable chance that Istas will eat a flight attendant, but these are the risks you have to take for love.

Sadly, there are always risks no one anticipated. Like reputations, and prejudices, and the fact that everyone's definition of "monster" is different.

You can download "Black as Blood" now from the InCryptid short fiction page. While this story is best read after "Red as Snow," it should stand reasonably well on its own, providing you have any familiarity with the InCryptid setting. (If you don't, there's a lot of short fiction set earlier in the world continuity also posted on that page. Enjoy!)

This also serves as your discussion post.

Happy new year!

...a copy of Oz Reimagined!

Welcome to the fifth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The fourth giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Oz Reimagined, an awesome anthology I participated in this summer. This is going to be a random number drawing. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. That's it.

Please remember that all giveaway rules are non-negotiable. Failure to follow the rules of a giveaway will mean that you cannot win, even if the RNG picks you.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th.

Game on!

...a copy of Carniepunk!

Welcome to the fourth of the Twelve Days of Hogswatch. I am starting a new giveaway every day between now and January 6th (the day after my birthday). Each giveaway has different rules, and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on January 9th, because I am bad at going to the post office.

The fourth giveaway is for a shiny new copy of Carniepunk, an awesome anthology I participated in this summer. This is going to be a random number drawing with a twist, because I am sleepy (that's been happening a lot lately) but still silly. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. Tell me what position you are applying for on the Midway. Impress me.
4. That's it.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Monday, December 30th.

Game on!

Title: Velveteen vs. Hypothermia.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to spend a year in each of three seasons, all vying for her hand...

Happy holidays!

( The door that opened in the fabric of reality had no foundation, no wall to hold it in place or justify its existence...Collapse )

There's some big, big anthology news around these here parts!

First up, and most outside my usual wheelhouse, I am pleased to announce that my story "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" will be appearing in the anthology Robot Uprisings, edited by Daniel Wilson and John Joseph Adams. The book will be released April 8th, 2014, and I am super excited to be part of a lineup that includes Charles Yu and Cory Doctorow (with whom I will one day conquer the Magic Kingdom and claim it in the name of our dark forces). My story is about toys and children and the dark side of Toy Story, and I think many of you will find it very upsetting. Yay!

On more familiar ground, we have Shattered Shields, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Bryan Thomas Schmidt, featuring a brand new Toby-verse story about the Luidaeg, set during the time of the first big Merlin War, and following Antigone of Albany as she tries to walk the line between faith and family. "The Fixed Stars" will be available November 4th, 2014.

Finally, I have been invited to be one of the contributors for The PaulandStormonomicon, an anthology of very short stories based on and/or inspired by Paul and Storm and their songs. (I am actually very proud of being one of their contributors, since I love their music and seem to have gotten invited on the basis of saying "But what about the LADIES?" when I saw the initial contributor list. It's a small thing. I am still pleased.) The Kickstarter has already reached the level at which the book is guaranteed, and it will be available for sale, but supporting the project is going to be the cheapest way to get it. It's like a pre-order, only not quite.

And that is today's anthology news. Look at all those pretty stories!

Glee.

I am delighted to announce that Hex in the City, an original anthology of urban fantasy from Fiction River, is available now from a retailer near you. (I had to do a search on Amazon for the title in quotes, but it came up with both Kindle and physical editions; I'm sure that other eBook retailers will have it as well.) This collection of all-new fiction includes a first for me: an Istas story.

"Red as Snow" is the story of what happens when Ryan gets introduced to Istas's family, whether he likes it or not. It's the first InCryptid story not to feature either the Price family or Rose Marshall, and I am very well-pleased with it.

You can see Tara's awesome cover for the story here. Enjoy!

This will also, as always, serve as your discussion post.

"There are no banks to rob in this painted doll of a dustbowl fantasy town; the money is all bits and bytes stored in a computer vault no human hands can open, whether they belong to banker or bandit. But there are other forms of thievery to be practiced by the quick and the clever, and Cherry is both, when she sees call to be..."

—from "Frontier ABCs: The Life and Times of Charity Smith, Schoolteacher."

I am delighted to announce that Raygun Chronicles is available now from a bookstore near you (although here is a handy sales link, if you need one). Featuring my story, "Frontier ABCs," this is a collection of stories in the high-pulp space opera tradition, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of it.

It's especially exciting, and sobering, to be in an anthology with A.C. Crispin, who has been a hero of mine since I was a child, and who passed away before this book could be completed. I probably won't ever be in an anthology with her again. This is an honor. I just wish it were a sweeter one.

Check out Raygun Chronicles for the space fan in your life, whether it be you, or someone that you love, and shoot for the stars.

Just mind the stars don't shoot back.

Thanks to the efforts of my covers-and-conversion squad (Tara and Will), I have a new InCryptid short available on my website.

So it turns out all that sex at White Otter Lake had some effect after all: Fran is eight months pregnant and Johnny is about to head for Gentling, Maine to help the locals with an undefined problem. Fran never met an undefined problem she didn't want to throw knives at, and Johnny finds himself crossing the continent with a pregnant wife, a colony of talking mice, and a massive ancestral guilt trip—because the residents of Gentling aren't human, and the Covenant of St. George was not kind to them. Mermaids and mysteries abound as this latest adventure gets underway.

You can download "We Both Go Down Together," and earlier free stories, here:

http://seananmcguire.com/icshorts.php

Please download and read locally, for the sake of my server.

This post will serve as the discussion post, if anyone wants to talk about the story once they're done. Thanks again to everyone for reading.

Who loves Rose Marshall? Who wonders what she's doing? Who can't wait for next year's release of her first big adventure, Sparrow Hill Road? Well, if the answer to any of those questions was "me," I think you'll be pleased: Coins of Chaos is available now, and features a brand new Rose Marshall story, "Train Yard Blues," in which Rose has a terrible day, and visits the trainspotters. Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Coins-Chaos-Jennifer-Brozek/dp/1770530487

But wait, there's more! Bitten By Books is hosting an event for the anthology tomorrow, and you can win cool stuff if you have a chance to drop by. I won't be there, but I fully endorse giving it a little look-see. Who knows? You might win!

I am well pleased. This day can stay.

Once upon a time, I began a story. Today, with the twelfth episode of Indexing, I complete it. Episode twelve, "Bad Apple," is ready for you to enjoy.

This post serves as both your reminder and discussion thread. Reminder that this is your last chance to get the whole serial at the special Kindle Serials price; the cost will be going up by $1.00 in the very near future.

Now rest, my dear, and be at ease; there’s a fire in the hearth and a wind in the eaves, and the night is so dark, and the dark is so deep, and it’s time that all good little stars go to sleep.

I am very pleased to remind you all that today is the release of the audio edition of Metatropolis: Green Space, a shared-world collection featuring Jay Lake, Elizabeth Bear, Karl Schroeder, Tobias S. Buckell, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ken Scholes, and me. My story, "Midway Relics and Dying Breeds," features a carnival, a choice, and a genetically engineered Indricothere, which Megan and I call "terror beasts" and covet above all else.

You can find details, prices, and ordering information here. Again, this is audio-only; there is no print or ebook edition at this time.

In other exciting news, Sparrow Hill Road is now available for pre-order, which means there should be a cover coming into the world pretty darn soon. In the meantime, the ISBN can be used to order from your local bookstore, if you have one, or from Borderlands, which will have signed copies, or you can use the link above and order for Amazon.

More Rosie Marshall for everybody!

It's here! It's here! The tenth episode of Indexing is now live!

Everything is different now. Episode ten, "Not Sincere," is ready for you to enjoy.

This post serves as both your reminder and discussion thread.

Once upon a time...

We have successfully weathered the release of Chimes at Midnight which means that you deserve a treat. And here it is:

A brand-new story about Tybalt, "Forbid the Sea," has been posted on the Toby Daye short fiction page. It is available in ePub, MOBI, and PDF formats, and is free for download. Please download rather than trying to read locally; my server will thank you.

This story is best read after "Rat-Catcher" if possible, since it is sequentially set ten years after that piece, but should make sense regardless. It is a story about loneliness, and cats, and what it means to love the sea. Nothing good will ever come of it.

Cover graphics are by Tara O'Shea. All short story electronic conversion thus far has been done by scifantasy. As both of them are awesome, we applaud them now.

Go forth, read, and please feel free to use this as a discussion post, which means there may be spoilers in the comments. Tread carefully.

Enjoy.

It's here! It's here! The ninth episode of Indexing is now live!

Things ended badly with our last episode. Now, the single greatest choice of Henrietta Marchen's life stands before her. Can she risk it all to save the people she loves? Episode nine, "Whiteout," is ready for you to enjoy.

This post serves as both your reminder and discussion thread.

Once upon a time...

So this story is Cat Valente's fault.

Cat wrote a Coyote story that was also a football story, and because I am her Coyote Girl as she is my Mermaid of Maine, she mentioned me, and some people got the idea that I liked football (rather than getting the idea that I love Coyote in all his shapes and incarnations) and asked if I would write a football story for them. So I did, and then one thing led to another, and the people who had asked for the story couldn't use it after all, but I liked it a lot (and it was something that made me think of Cat, which is always good), and so I went looking for a home.

"Homecoming" is available to read online, now, in the latest issue of Lightspeed Magazine.

"Homecoming" is a story about football (with thanks to Shawn for clarifying my action). It's a story about hot October nights when the stands are full and the crowd is cheering and you feel like you can run forever. It's a story about destiny. And it's a story I'm fairly proud of.

You can read this month's full issue at:

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Fantasy! Science fiction! Non-fiction! Diverse voices! And an upcoming "Women Destroying Science Fiction" special issue. I highly recommend either purchasing this issue (if you like any of the stories it contains and want to support the magazine that published them), or picking up a subscription. Either way, the boys of summer are waiting for you on the field. It's the big game tonight.

You wouldn't want to make them wait for long.

I am very pleased to announce that "Hook Agonistes" has been printed in the latest issue of Subterranean Magazine, and is available to read here:

http://subterraneanpress.com/magazine/fall_2013/hook_agonistes_by_jay_lake_and_seanan_mcguire

This novella is a collaboration between myself and Jay Lake. It is about loss, and identity, and longing to go home. It is about an animatronic Captain Hook, doing his best to shepherd the last remains of the human race. It is about dreams.

"The difficulty with steering by stars is that stars are by their very nature ghosts; they died long before we ever saw their light. When you choose a star to steer by, you are casting yourself as the lead character in a ghost story. It's far better to create stars of your own, set them in the heavens, and steer by the light of something living."

—Michael Lowry III, founder of Lowryland

"All stories are ghost stories."

—Jas of Lowryland

Welcome to Lowryland. This post also serves as your discussion thread, should you want to comment on the story itself; there will be spoilers.

Well, it's here: at long last you, too, can join the roller party already in progress. Glitter and Mayhem is available now from a bookseller near you! Twenty-one stories, twenty-one parties you know you want to be invited to.

The scores are in:

"Though stories range from humorous to horrific and from innocent to explicit, they stick to the theme with thoroughly enjoyable results. The diverse cast includes gay, lesbian, transgender, and drag queen characters, all portrayed in sensitive and positive lights. This collection definitely brings the party, with nary a poor choice to spoil the evening." —Publishers Weekly

"Glitter and Mayhem not only justifies the risks and faith required from its kickstarter backers, it shows that there is an audience for anthologies that take risks to bring short fiction outside of the usual bounds to a genre audience." —SF Signal

"Most of the stories here are weird, clever, and weirdly clever. Many of them involve roller skating. I never knew that I needed them. But now I want more sci-fi and fantasy stories about roller skating." —Revolution SF

"Glitter and Mayhem reminds me of the sweat and liquid latex-scented parties of the '90s Lower East Side. Only with, like, 50% more murder." —Kelly Sue DeConnick

Basically, come to our party if you want a good time...and if you want to meet Antimony "Final Girl" Price, the roller derby doll little sister of our beloved Verity. Annie's got another bout coming up in February, when she'll be taking on all challengers in "Jammed," but it all begins with "Bad Dream Girl" in Glitter and Mayhem.

See you on the track!

It's here! It's here! The seventh episode of Indexing is now live!

All hell is breaking loose, and the good men and women of the ATI Management Bureau are right in the middle of things. When multiple stories go active on the same night, there's no way to research and resolve them one by one: it's a full-on fray, and there's no way to keep the team together. But will there be consequences for splitting the party? With this many ever afters looming, it seems impossible to get away unscathed. Episode seven, "Bread Crumbs," is ready for you to enjoy.

This post serves as both your reminder and discussion thread.

Once upon a time...

Thanks to the efforts of my covers-and-conversion squad (Tara and Will), I have a new InCryptid short available on my website.

It's been two years since "The First Fall," and the Healy family is putting itself back together one day at a time. Alexander and Enid are getting ready for their annual trip to White Otter Lake, and it seems like a good opportunity for the family to do some bonding away from the house. Also, they figure Fran would like to meet the denizens of the lake, and it's a certainty that they'd like to meet her. Poachers and plesiosaurs abound as this latest adventure gets underway.

You can download "Loch and Key," and earlier free stories, here:

http://seananmcguire.com/icshorts.php

Please download and read locally, for the sake of my server.

You can learn more about the residents of White Otter Lake in the Field Guide, which exists for just this reason.

This post will serve as the discussion post, if anyone wants to talk about the story once they're done. Thanks again to everyone for reading. This is the third story prioritized on my word count list by the recent tip jar, with one more to go!

It's here! It's here! The sixth episode of Indexing is now live!

Sloane Winters needs help, and Henry Marchen is going to help her if it kills both of them (which is always possible, given their line of work). Dr. Reynard is a therapist specializing in ATI issues, and it seems like he's the perfect one to help Sloane. It's really a pity that he's dead. Now, with a murder on their hands and no help in sight, the ATI Management Bureau team needs to figure out what's going on...before it's too late. Episode six, "Fox's Tongue," is ready for you to enjoy.

This post serves as both your reminder and discussion thread.

Once upon a time...