Category Archives: Writing

January 31, 2011 · 8:50 pm

Sale to WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME anthology

My short story, “Brine Magic”, will appear in WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME anthology, edited by Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy, to be released in August 2011. Here’s more info about the anthology. A Table of Contents and cover will be available soon. From Gabrielle’s blog:

WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME, an anthology of fantasy and science fiction tales—co-edited by Bestselling author Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy, Editor and Associate Publisher, Dragon Moon Press—will be released in August of 2011 by Dragon Moon Press.

When the epic battle, the mission, the quest are over, can the hero go home again? Is she too changed to resume where she left off… Is the life he left behind is no longer waiting for him?

In WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME, these questions are addressed in nineteen powerful stories by some of today’s top and up-and-coming fantasy and science fiction writers.

“We’ve been very pleased with the stories we’ve received. Strong storytelling featuring great characters, from both new voices and established writers. They’ve given us wildly different approaches to our theme—which is just what the title of the book says it is,” says Greenwood.

“It’s a thrill to be able to work with Ed and with so many other talented writers, and to have an opportunity to showcase some of Dragon Moon Press’s up and coming authors. Each story gives the theme its own fresh, fascinating spin. Whether you’re into swords and sorcery, science fiction, or urban fantasy, there are stories here that will grab you,” says Harbowy.

The anthology features new fiction by Jay Lake, Todd McCaffrey, Julie Kagawa, and an all-new Jig the Goblin story by Jim C. Hines.

Title: WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME
ISBN-13: 978-1-897492-25-3
Release Date: August, 2011
Publisher: Dragon Moon Press
Format: Trade Paperback, E-book
Distributor: Ingram

For preordering and promotional information contact: eic@dragonmoonpress.com

I can’t wait to see the full TOC…it’ll be a surprise for me too!

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January 11, 2011 · 12:06 pm

“The Paragon Lure” Reviewed at Abyss & Apex

My novella “The Paragon Lure“, which appears in Alembical 2 from Paper Golem LLC, has received a ‘highly recommended’ rating at the new Abyss & Apex site:

Tony Pi’s “The Paragon Lure” is a prequel to his “Metamorphoses in Amber”, published in Abyss & Apex (Issue #24: 4th Quarter 2007). Art dealer Felix Lea is a member of a nearly immortal group of shape-shifters, the Elect, who use the distilled power of insectoid metamorphosis trapped in Amber to heal and change. Their rivalries and power-balances shift over the centuries, so stories set in this world are a sort of alternate history. This time it’s about some fascinating and deadly unfinished business from the time Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth, but set in present day England with cell phones, jewel thieves and their fences, and a police detective who just happens to be the daughter of the fence who works for Felix Lea. The Paragon Lure is a gem associated with Good Queen Bess, and it’s used to bait a deadly trap that has no concern for mere mortals. Highly recommended.

Also reviewed are 2 other great novellas from Alembical 2: David D. Levine’s “Second Chances” and J. Kathleen Cheney’s “Iron Shoes”.

If you are a voting member for the Hugos, Nebulas, or other awards and would like to see a copy of my story for consideration, please drop me a line. Thank you.

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January 2, 2011 · 11:23 am

2010 in Review: Most Memorable Moments

My top 10 in chronological order. They’re all unforgettable in their own way:

  1. Watching the Winter Olympics, from the opening ceremonies to the gold medal wins. For me, the Men’s Curling gold was the most satisfying, as I used to curl and had been following it closely. (Unfortunately, due to a writing group meeting, I missed the win in Men’s Hockey.)
  2. The launch for the anthology The Dragon and the Stars at the Merril Collection, which was quite well-attended.
  3. Just seeing the Grand Canyon was incredible, but the best moment of the trip was conquering my fear of heights, forcing myself to walk the entire length on the glass bridge of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
  4. Celebrating our 7th anniversary at CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Las Vegas. The Kobe beef sashimi was simply divine, as was their porterhouse steak.
  5. My 40th birthday party at the Duke of York. I’m very thankful to have so many friends come.
  6. Walking my mother down the aisle at her wedding.
  7. After standing in line for 2 hours, finally seeing Michelangelo’s David in all its magnificence in Florence. Pictures really don’t do it justice.
  8. In Italy, meeting my stepfather’s side of the family for the first time and seeing my aunt and uncle from Taiwan for the first time in decades. My Taiwanese uncle and my new step-uncle transcended cultural and linguistic barriers with the help of wine and accordion.
  9. Looking up at Mount Vesuvius from the forum in Pompeii, and realizing how incredible it was to be standing in a slice of frozen time.
  10. My writing group’s 24-hour story challenge, when some of us gathered at Stephen Kotowych’s house and wrote Writers of the Future-style. I got little sleep but it was worth it.

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December 28, 2010 · 9:42 am

2010 in Review: Stories

Now that all of my stories for 2010 have been published, here’s a summary of where they appear. The links below go to subpages with links and reviews. It’s the most I’ve published in any single year, and the reviews for my stories have been very positive, so an excellent year overall.

Short Stories

“A Sweet Calling”, Clarkesworld #44, May 2010 (online)
“The Gold Silkworm”, Fantasy Magazine, December 13, 2010 (online)
“The Character of the Hound”, The Dragon and the Stars, DAW Books, May 2010 (print)
“The Curse of Chimère”, Beneath Ceaseless Skies #53, October 7, 2010 (online)
“Cygnet’s Shadow”, On Spec #80, Spring 2010 (print)

Novelette

“Night of the Manticore”, Abyss & Apex #33, January 2010 (novelette, online)

Novella

“The Paragon Lure”, Alembical 2, Paper Golem LLC, June 2010 (print)

Reprint

“Silk and Shadow”, The Best of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Online Magazine, Year One (online)

As it’s also award nomination season, some readers may also find this list useful as a reading guide. I’ve received very positive reviews for “A Sweet Calling” (in the short story category) and “The Paragon Lure” (in the novella category). The former is readily available on the web, and the latter is available to SFWA members in the discussion forums. Or, contact me if you prefer a different format. Thank you for your consideration.

Note: Some works are eligible for certain awards due to geographical restrictions. “The Paragon Lure” is ineligible for the Prix Aurora Borealis Award, and “Cygnet’s Shadow” is ineligible for the Nebula or Hugo Awards.

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December 21, 2010 · 1:30 pm

DC Adventures and Deep Armageddon

I’ve been playing role-playing games since ’82, and sometimes that hobby intersects with my writing.

I’ve always loved superhero games, and when DC Adventures came out this year I was ecstatic: it combined Mutants and Masterminds‘ D20 rules with the classic DC Heroes system. It’s the perfect fill-in game for my group, since we can do quick pick-up games with familiar characters and histories without rules or background overload.

I designed their current adventures based on an Academy of Super-Heroes arc. ASH is a shared-world superhero fic in the same vein as Wild Cards, only published free on rec.arts.comics.creative. I learned the craft partly through writing issues of Conclave of Super-Villains starting in 1997 (though at the time I didn’t think I’d go into writing professionally).

ConflictoConflicto, fan art by Joe Singleton

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December 16, 2010 · 7:46 am

Author Spotlight at Fantasy Magazine

My Author Spotlight by Jennifer Konieczny is up at Fantasy Magazine. (Caution: spoilers for “The Gold Silkworm”.) Article here.

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