Tag Archives: Mars

Reminder: My short story “The Last Oasis of Mars” Appears in “High Tower Magazine” on Friday!

The Dazzler

© James Pyles

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Just a reminder, my steampunk, pulp fiction short story “The Last Oasis of Mars” will be featured in the premiere issue of High Tower Magazine on Friday, June 14th. If you click the link before then, there’s not much to see. Click Subscribe to subscribe to the new periodical. Clicking No, thanks takes you to more information. So far only the About page has any real content. After all, it’s just getting off the ground.

Speaking of which, here’s a short sample of my wee missive:

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“The Last Oasis of Mars” to be Published in High Tower Magazine

pirates

Promotional art for “The Last Oasis of Mars.”

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

My steampunk science fantasy short story “The Last Oasis of Mars” has been accepted for publication in the brand new periodical High Tower Magazine.

So far, the publication is entirely digital, so I don’t have any promo art from them. That’s why I posted some of my AI art (the story is 100% me) above for the visual.

“Oasis” is a callback to the “Barsoom” tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs as well as the pulp fiction of the early part of the 20th century. A lot of this was my introduction to science fiction and fantasy when I was a teen, so it’s near and dear to my heart.

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My Drabble “Butterfly” a Favorite in “Pocket SciFi: Drabble Contest One”

drabble

Screenshot from Facebook.

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I received this wonderful compliment on Facebook this morning (see the image above). As you may know from this announcement, nine out of ten of my submissions to “Pocket SciFi: Drabble Contest One” was accepted for publication.

You can find this Starry Eyed Press anthology at Amazon in kindle or paperback formats.

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The Planetary Anthology Series is Back!

planetary

The Planetary Anthology Series relaunch

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Once upon a time, there was a “Planetary Anthology series,” eleven volumes each containing short stories written by multiple authors using a superversive theme. Although I submitted to almost all of the different “planets,” I only made it into three.

Sol contains my short story “The Pleiades Dilemma.” An object has entered our solar system from interstellar space. A team of NASA experts has been sent aboard a spacecraft to investigate. What they find is betrayal, the threat of global annihilation, and possibly a greatest hope for humanity’s future.

Mars contains my award-winning short story “The Three Billion Year Love.”. After a billionaire scientist tragically lost his young wife, he secluded himself with a new project. In finding the ancient past on another planet, he also found a new reason to live.

Keep reading past the break. There’s more.

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Pre-Order “Spring Into SciFi : 2022 Edition” Now!

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Cover art for the Cloaked Press anthology “Spring Into SciFi 2022”

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

You can now go to Amazon to pre-order the Cloaked Press anthology Spring Into SciFi 2022. Here’s the announcement from Cloaked’s newsletter:

You can now preorder the ebook edition of our 5th Spring Into SciFi. This series has been very popular over the years and we are excited to introduce a lot of new members to the Cloaked Press Family. Our release date is set for March 21st, 2022.

This year, my space opera short story “Tiamat Descending” is included in the collection. Here’s a small sample:

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2021 Helicon Award Winner for “The Three Billion Year Love”

“The Three Billion Year Love” wins a 2021 Helicon Award for best short story in an anthology

First of all, no one is more surprised than I am to have won an award. I have no idea what the nomination process was or how I got on the list, but “wow.”

I actually found out on Facebook first before I checked my email. Then once I did, I saw that Richard Paolinelli announced it on his blog:

Thanks to our new overlords and masters in Silicon Valley, the announcement of the 2021 Helicon Awards has been moved up 36 hours.

Check out the 16 winners and buy the books and discover some great authors!

Yes, it’s been a rough week for a lot of us, especially as many high tech platforms continue to censor anyone who leans even slightly right, but I’ll cover that another time.

Anyway, that leads to the 2021 Helicon Award Winners announcement.

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Rocket Man

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Image found at mars.nasa.gov

“When are you coming home, Reggie?”

“Countdown commences in just a little over ten minutes, Desirae.”

He had plenty of time to wrestle with his inner agonist during the 32 minute round trip it would take for his voice to reach her and then for her reply to whistle through his headset. He could still see her, the last time before his final trip to Earth. She was standing near a high dune, the last rays of the sun glinting off of her space helmet. The shadows of a dying planet rendering her as an eldritch specter. She didn’t find out she was pregnant until three weeks after he left her.

Leaning back in the co-pilot’s seat, Reggie Dwight ran down the pre-flight checklist of numerous details, as if recounting the recipe of a casserole. Then he jumped against his restraints as Colonel Iraida Simms accidentally sent her archaic clipboard clattering to the deck.

“Sorry,” she murmured in uncharacteristic chagrin.

He felt his fingers harden against the edges of his state-of-the-art tablet. “No problem.” He knew his voice betrayed his anxiety.

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The “Mars” Anthology Featuring “The Three Billion Year Love” is Available Now!

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Promotional image for the Mars Planetary Anthology by Tuscany Bay Books

I just saw the announcement on Richard Paolinelli’s blog that the Tuscany Bay Books “Planetary Anthology Series: Mars” is now available for purchase on Amazon!

It features my short story “The Three Billion Year Love”. This is a huge thrill for me, not only because it’s one of my older stories and near and dear to my heart, but it was the first tale I wrote after actress Carrie Fisher‘s death and is (informally) dedicated to her.

This is the second edition to the “Mars” and anthology, and mine was one of two stories chosen to be added, which is also quite an honor.

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Featured Promotion for “Buried in the Sands of Time”

buried

Featured announcement from Zombie Pirate Publishing

Since Dastaan World once again has seemed to have crashed and burned, my previously accepted stories The Unreal Man and Surtr and the Phoenix have been “unaccepted,” which kind of stings.

This is why I was excited when I saw the notice at Zombie Pirate Publishing featuring my story Buried in the Sands of Time.

It’s my retro-SciFi tale featured in their anthology RAYGUN RETRO: A Science Fiction Anthology.

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Guest Blog for Tuscany Bay Books: “The Journey To Barsoom”

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Cover art for the Mars Planetary Anthology by Tuscany Bay Books

Okay, the title is inaccurate, but that’s only because I forget to include one of my own when I crafted my missive and submitted it to Richard Paolinelli.

Tuscany Bay Books as part of the effort to raise awareness of their Planetary anthology series.

Today, I discuss my short story “The Billion Year Love,” which will appear in the anthology Mars.

I’m thrilled that my short story “The Three Billion Year Love” was accepted into the Tuscany Bay Books Planetary Anthology Mars. I wrote an earlier version of the story on my blog shortly after the death of Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher (the protagonist’s wife is named after her). This was at a point in my life that, for a variety of reasons, I was wanting to be able to retreat from humanity.

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