– Gabriel Isak
No one thought the Fields of Shantara would be the decisive battle against the tyranny of the Verbeni. For a dozen generations, the invaders of the colony world of Grazoria had ruled the human race with cruel efficiency, and although the resistance fighters were outgunned and out manned, they were courageous. Their harassment of the enemy gave the populace hope, until their exploits became legends for their children and their grandchildren.
Promotional image for the HellBound Books upcoming horror anthology “Toilet Zone”
I just got word from the folks at HellBound Books that my short story “Retired” will be appearing in their forthcoming horror anthology Toilet Zone. No, wait! It’s not what you think. Here’s the blurb from the submissions page:
…no, don’t panic, we are not looking for lavatory-themed tales of terror – although should your short story involve the smallest room in the house, we’d be more than delighted to read it! The theme for this anthology is short horror stories that will make an ideal sit-down read, just long enough for those extended stays at the convenience, and terrifying enough that they really are best read whilst over water….
This anthology will be compiled by the incomparable author and filmmaker Bret McCormick, so be sure to write to impress!
We have based story length upon the average time spent upon the convenience (10-15 mins) and the average reading speed (200-250 words per minute), so that the stories within this exceptionally unique anthology will be the perfect ‘per visit’ length!
Needless to say, I’m thrilled.
Since I’ve received my copy of The Cloaked Press science fiction anthology Spring Into SciFi 2019, which features my short story “The Recall,” I started reading some of the other stories. The first one was “Black Eyes, Luminous Monsters” by Joanna Maciejewska.
Okay, I hated the title but loved the story. We are taken into a world at war, but it is between the human colonists on the planet and a strange and highly lethal alien biomass called “The Anomaly.” Trapped in a bunker, a medic named Kyara is tending to a wounded and likely dying soldier when the Anomaly attacks. The only way to escape is to retreat to the evac zone, but the biomass grabs Kyara and she knows she has only seconds to live.
The humans have a single defense, beings called Stabilizers or “Stabs” which have the ability to combat the Anomaly. The problem is that the Stabs are just as dangerous, and spending any time in the presence of one could also be deadly. During the fight between the Anomaly and the Stab, Kyara passes out, sure that she’s about to die.
Promotional image from Dark Hare Press
Okay, I just received word from the editor that I can now talk about my most recently accepted for publication story. It’s a Drabble, which is a short story of exactly 100 words (no more and no less, and believe me, it’s a tough target to hit).
My wee tale is called “Death Visits Mexico” for Black Hare Press for their Dark Drabbles #5 anthology called “Unravel.” I wrote a somewhat different version of this a few years back, but even though it was short, I still had to re-edit it to make the word count work.
The theme of “Unravel” is dark crime stories, or what I think of as crime noir. Although they would accept up to five drabbles from the same author, I only submitted one due to my recent time constraints. You can expect to see both digital and print versions of the book available this year on September 2019.
You can also find out about Black Hare Press on Facebook.
Time to update my Publications again.
© James Pyles
I know I haven’t been around a lot lately. My wife injured her back (it’s slowly getting better) and I needed to take care of my two grandchildren during the day all this week including getting my granddaughter to and from swimming lessons. She also just turned four a few days ago, which kept things busy.
As you can see above, my author’s copy of the Cloaked Press anthology Spring Into SciFi 2019 Edition arrived. When I get a chance, I’ll start digging into it. Can’t wait to see what other terrific stories it contains besides my short story “The Recall.”
Speaking of which, last Wednesday, I was interviewed by Will Martinez for a podcast at Dark Fringe Radio. Will and I made a connection on twitter when I was doing research on the Wow! Signal while writing “The Recall.” He said if the story was published, he’d like to interview me. Well, it was, and he did.
Promotional image for the cover of the 2019 edition of the Cloaked Press anthology “Spring into SciFi.”
Go to Amazon and enter to win a free copy of the Cloaked Press anthology “Spring Into SciFi 2019,” which features my short story, “The Recall”. Offer valid through June 27, 2019.
Promotional Poster for the 2019 film “Men in Black International”
The other day, my wife suggested that “the guys” should go see a movie together, so a few hours ago, my two sons, my grandson, and I saw Men in Black International (2019). I’m a huge fan of the 1997 original starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, though I’ve shied away from the sequels. I probably wouldn’t have seen “International,” at least in the theater, but that was my grandson Landon’s choice, and it was nice for we “guys” to get together the day before Father’s Day.
In a word, the movie was “okay”. It was a decent way to kill a couple of hours (running time is 1 hour, 38 minutes, but there were a ton of trailers beforehand) but nothing spectacular. In fact, I had a tough time getting into the film in spite of action, shooting, explosions, and aliens.
This is a story that starts with a little girl named Molly (Fandeiya Flory) whose parents encounter an alien and are “neuralized” by two MIB agents when she’s about eight. Molly, whose memory remains intact, helps a cute little alien escape, which turns out to be important later in the story. She spends the next twenty years trying to find out about the mysterious agency the men came from so she can join.
Found at “Book More Brides”.
I’ve been editing this one for days and it’s close to being finished. Here’s a sample of my latest short story:
It wasn’t a man and there was nothing average about her. The companion lamp to Leah’s on a table at the other end of the short corridor to her room, shone behind the intruder. It illuminated her diaphanous gown, which draped over her lithe curves like a cloud. Her long hair was almost as white and seemed to float around her head. The woman’s pale skin was offset by ravenous green eyes and luscious ruby lips. Her teeth, when she slightly parted them, were pearls.
“Hold it right there, sister. Who the hell are you and what do you want?” The gun in her right hand shook as she trembled, which caught Leah by surprise. Her breathing became shallow, and a horrible feeling or recognition overwhelmed her, though she knew she’d never seen this person before.
“Surely you remember my kiss, delicious one.” She smiled broadly, exposing twin fangs and confirming the worst possible notion of Reese’s fears. The apparition hissed menacingly like a feral animal.
“Vampire.” It came out as a gasp.
Promotional image for the cover of the 2019 edition of the Cloaked Press anthology “Spring into SciFi.”
The Cloaked Press science fiction anthology Spring Into SciFi 2019 is now available on Amazon. It features my short story “The Recall” and the foreword to the book is by SciFi author Ian Hugh McAllister. Be the first on your block to get a copy, and don’t forget to write an Amazon review.
Promotional image for the cover of the 2019 edition of the Cloaked Press anthology “Spring into SciFi.”
Apparently there was some delay getting approval for Cloaked Press to be listed as a publisher in the Library of Congress’ new system, but things are moving forward. I was beginning to think the anthology title “Spring into SciFi” would have to be changed into “Summer into SciFi.”
The book also has to be approved for distribution by Amazon, so another speed bump however, Jonas’s cover looks fabulous.
More info soon.
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