Monthly Archives: November 2021

Awards, Short Fiction

AWARDS ELIGIBILITY POST FOR 2021

Writing

So, I actually had quite a few (for me) short stories published in 2021, all of which are speculative in nature, so eligible for the various awards that recognize that sort of work (you know what they are). Only one was published online, but if you are a voting-type person and would like a copy of one of the stories that isn’t online, HMU.

So, without further ado:

“A Prisoner Freed in Oz,” Turning the Tied charity antho, IAMTW, March 2021. This story is special to me, as Ozma of OZ was a childhood hero of mine. She is also widely considered to be one of the first transgender characters portrayed in speculative fiction and my story is dedicated to a young transgender girl who is near and dear to me.

“Stepping Stones,” Voices of Varuna anthology, Budgie Smuggler Games, June 2021. Colonialism and assimilation from the Indigenous perspective. In space.

“Applesauce,” Enchanted Conversation, June 2021. A Dark and Twisty™ fairy tale retelling.

“It Will Have Blood, They Say,” Bodies Full of Burning antho, Sliced Up Press, Sept 2021. A Dark and Twisty™ Lady Bathory tale.

“Play It Again, Sem,” Fall Into Fantasy 2021 antho, Cloaked Press, Sept 2021. Gods in hiding, Titan assassins, budding romance, and bad beer. Something for everyone, LOL.

Everything Else

Friday saw the end of the worst Husker season in modern history. If this season were a video game, yesterday I would have rage quit. They are going to need a miraculous turnaround in 2022 if Frost wants to keep his job. Sigh. /football

Appearances, Poetry

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? PAIN.

Writing

First, I’m sorry to say that due to a severe pain flare (the legacy left from when I got rear-ended in 2019), I am just not able to travel at the moment, and so will not be able to attend TusCon48 after all. Apologies to all who were hoping to see me there. sadface

Jeff and I are still hoping to attend the Local Author Book Fair at the Red Mountain Library in Mesa. That will be on Saturday, December 4th from 12-4 PM. Come see us and grab some new books!

I also sold a couple of poems since my last update. My poem about being Métis, “The Things We Pass Down,” will appear in the Wanderers chapbook being put out by Off Topic Publishing. Not sure when that one will be released, but of course I will let you know. The other poem, about Iris, goddess of the rainbow (which was actually the inspiration for my short story, “Play It Again, Sem”), will be in an anthology to be published in Spring 2022. More details on that after the contract is signed.

And Jeff has a spiffy new website. Go check it out.

Everything Else

SPOILER ALERT!

They took one of my favorite exchanges out of the new Dune movie.

Paul: Are you suggesting the Duke’s son is an animal?

Reverend Mother: Let us say, I suggest you may be human.

Those two lines have stuck in my mind for 35-odd years, ever since I read Dune for the first time. I was super disappointed when they weren’t in the new movie. Haven’t finished watching it yet, so can’t render an opinion on it as a whole, but cutting that exchange out is definitely a mark in the negative column for me.

Appearances, Poetry

MY MMIWG2ST POEM IS UP! AND I’LL BE AT TUSCON 48! COME SEE ME!

Writing

First off, excited to say that my #MMIWG2ST poem, “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam” is now available in Augur 4.1! I am SO proud of this poem – it is unlike anything I’ve ever written before, and it highlights this horrible epidemic Indigenous people are suffering from that gets so little attention (though that seems to be slowly changing). If you can pick up a copy of the issue, you really should. There is a ton of amazing work in it (not just mine, heh).

I have also signed the contract to work on an exciting new RPG property that is right up my alley. Excited to share that when I can. Signed another contract, too, but mum’s the word on that for now, sorry. And got an invite to an awesome new project that I can’t wait to tell you about.

So my writing dance card is pretty full ATM, which is both good and bad, I guess. Good, because no day job. Bad, because writing = pain. But it makes my little creative heart happy to have such a bounty of work, and I am definitely thankful to Creator and my patron saint of writing, St. Catherine of Alexandria, for their efforts on my behalf, heh.

Also, Jeff’s historical fiction epic about the bandit Joaquin Murrieta (written in conjunction with his descendant, Peter Murrieta), Blood and Gold, released on October 27th. It’s a genre that is not usually my jam, tbh, but I found it engrossing and entertaining, and some parts were heartbreaking. You should definitely go pick it up if you are at all interested in Gold Rush or California/Mexico history.

Finally, Jeff and I (both fully vaxxed AND boostered) will be at TusCon 48 IN PERSON (gasp!), and since that’s coming up on Nov 12-14, I figured I should post my schedule. Not super busy this year, but that’s okay with me, because I have a lot of stuff to keep me occupied during my downtime (see above).

Sat, Nov 13
Autograph Signing
Autograph Area, 2PM – 3PM
Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell, S.A. Bradley, Gloria McMillan

Sat, Nov 13
The Dark Side of Fantasy
Panel Room 1, 3PM – 4PM
Janni Lee Simner, Heshe Leontess, Marsheila Rockwell, Curt Booth

Sun, Nov 14
Could Telepaths Be Anything But Sociopaths
Ballroom, 12PM – 1PM
SJ Schauer, William Herr, Jim Doty, Marsheila Rockwell, Curt Booth

Whew, long post! I’ll end it soon, don’t worry.

Everything Else

We got to see Stacey Abrams a few weeks ago. Even if you don’t agree with her politics, she is smart and funny, and I’m going to leave you with this nugget she dropped at the event:

Interviewer: What are some of your guilty pleasures?

Stacey: I don’t feel guilty about my pleasures.

Neither should we. Especially in 2020 the Sequel. Find joy where you can, and hold on to it. It’s a precious commodity these days.