Category Archives: Poetry

Awards, COVID, Family, Mental Health, Novels, Poetry, Preorder Link, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

THERE IS TOO MUCH. LET ME SUM UP.

Writing

So, it’s been forever since I last posted, I know – my baby girl graduated from high school and then 3/5 of the household came down with COVID, so I haven’t spent a ton of time at the computer.

But I do have a few things to tell you about. First, I turned in what I hope will be my final edits on Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery today. Don’t forget, the book is due out September 6, and you can (and should) pre-order here.

Also, my poem, “Damsel in Distress, Redux” (which you can read here) has been nominated for the SFPA’s Dwarf Stars Award, which honors short poetry under 10 lines.

(If you are keeping track, that’s 2 Rhysling nominations and 1 Dwarf Stars nomination for my poetry this year. Not too shabby.)

I’ve also had a poem accepted for the HWA’s Of Horror and Hope anthology, which is part of their Mental Health Initiative, an effort to promote hope and #EndTheStigma of mental health issues in the horror genre (and beyond). I’m honored to have my piece be part of such a worthy effort. They are rolling out pieces every day this month; I’m not sure if mine will be one of those posted on social media or not, but it will be in the anthology. More deets as I have them.

Also, my story “Blue Hair,” a witchy, gender-bent Bluebeard retelling, will be available in Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology later this month, so be sure and grab a copy of that.

Finally, Jeff and I will be attending the MCAO Citizen’s Academy in August, to learn more about the legal side of things for our various crime-related efforts. (Books, guys. I’m talking about books. Sheesh.)

Everything Else

Still struggling with COVID symptoms. Grateful that I’m fully vaxxed and boosted, as I know it could be much worse. Studies are showing lots of serious long-term effects even from mild cases, so stay safe (and masked), everyone!

Causes, Collaborations, Poetry, Preorder Link, Short Fiction

TODAY’S THEME IS RESISTANCE

Writing

Quick update to let you know about some new stuff of mine that has been (or is about to be) released into the wild.

First, a story Jeff and I wrote together, “A Single Feather,” has been updated and reprinted in Black Cat Weekly #34, so you should definitely check that out if you missed the story the first time around. It was inspired by Amanda Polchies’s iconic resistance to fracking and is dedicated to Jeff’s brother Michael Mariotte, whose own efforts to protect our Mother Earth are legendary.

Also, my SF poem “The Bones On Which They Cut Their Teeth,” is part of this very cool anthology, Resist With Every Inch and Every Breath, which comes out on May 1st, but is available for pre-order now.

Everything Else

All these laws trying to make gender-affirming care for trans youth illegal are disgusting, immoral, and downright evil. The people behind these bills DO NOT CARE about protecting kids. They just want to get rid of trans people. That is their only agenda. The definition of genocide does not currently include trying to destroy a group based on their gender identification, but make no mistake – that is what this is.

If you don’t believe me, you can read the UN’s definition for yourself:

“In the present Convention, genocide means ANY of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

*Killing members of the group;
*Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
*Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
*Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
*Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Importantly, the victims of genocide are deliberately targeted – not randomly – because of their real or perceived membership of one of the four groups protected under the Convention.”

Remember, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

#TransRightsAreHumanRights

Comics, Novels, Poetry, Preorder Link, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

MARVEL GIRL! EMDR! DARK TRIADS! OH, MY!

Writing

So, Marvel dropped the cover for Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery sooner than I was expecting. You can check it out on their website here, and read the teaser copy. Here’s another look at the cover, which includes many of the “sisters” in question:

(art by Fabio Listrani)

The book is due out September 6th of this year, but remember that preorders –> future contracts, so please do get your order in soon!

Also, my trauma therapy poem, “EMDR,” is out in the new issue of Unnerving Magazine. And, no, it’s not at all autobiographical, why would you think that? LOL. April is National Poetry Month, so treat yourself!

Finally, my interview with Vickie Lan about Dark Triad Personalities (Psychopaths! Fun!) will be up on the Speculative Sandbox podcast next Wednesday, April 13th, so you should definitely give that a listen. Here are some fun teaser graphics:

(graphic courtesy of Vickie Lan)
(graphic courtesy of Vickie Lan)

Everything Else

Greedy little bastards, aren’t you? J/K

That’s it for now. Happy Cruelest Month!

Appearances, Awards, Poetry, Short Fiction

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS & OTHER NEWS

Writing

Happy Pre-Aries Season! LOL.

First, a second poem of mine, “Erasing Myself from the Narrative,” published over at Lorelei Signal, was also nominated for the Rhysling Award in the Long form category! Yaay!

Second, I sold another poem! The contract is signed, so I believe it’s safe to announce that my poem, “EMDR,” about trauma therapy, will be appearing in an upcoming issue of Unnerving Magazine. My first time being published in this cool horror venue!

Third, today is the last day to get in your nominations for the Nebula Award, so if you’re still reading, I have eligible work!

Also, Jeff and I will be at Tucson Festival of Books on March 12-13 with the Artisans of Words and Wonders in Tent #116 (formerly the Desert Dreams Conference tent). It’s pretty much the same tent in the same place, just with a new name.

Members of the Artisans of Words and Wonders who will be in attendance at the 2022 Tucson Festival of Books

Anyway, I will have a TON of new stuff available for purchase and signing, including:

Straight Outta Deadwood, which includes my Indigenous weird western horror story, “Dreamcatcher,” which Publishers Weekly said “incorporates Native American mythology” in a “fresh fashion.” (Note that dreamcatchers themselves aren’t mythology in the sense of an ancient belief – we make them and use them for the same purpose today as when we were originally gifted with them. But, whatever. Still nice to get some love from PW.)(Jeff also has a story in this.)

The One That Got Away: Women of Horror Anthology Volume 3, which includes my Stephen King homage, “The Recliner.” (Note that this story is a reprint, so if you have Bridges, you’ve already read it. But you should still pick this up for all the other great stories.)

Turning the Tied, which includes the story I wrote for my trans daughter (who was not yet out at the time), “A Prisoner Freed in Oz.” (Jeff also has a story in this.)

Voices of Varuna: A Renegade Legion Universe Anthology, which includes my Indigenous story about colonization and assimilation in space, “Stepping Stones.”

Wanderers: Poems from Those Who Cross Borders, a chapbook which includes my Métis poem, “The Things We Pass Down.”

The 2020 Rhysling Anthology, which includes my nominated poem, “Stormbound,” plus a ton of the best speculative poetry being put out today. (Also, I don’t know why, but I wound up with a metric ton of these, so please come buy some!)

And I may have this one:

Bodies Full of Burning: An Anthology of Menopause-Themed Horror, which includes my Lady Bathory story, “It Will Have Blood, They Say.” (I somehow did not order author copies of this, so am, trying to rectify that now.)”

And a bunch of the old stuff, too, though you probably have all of that by now, heh.

Anyway, come see us! It’s an outdoor event, but we’ll be wearing masks and making liberal use of hand sanitizer to do our best to keep you (and us) safe. We are also vaxxed and boosted – hopefully you are, too.

Everything Else

#StandWithUkraine

Awards, Family, Novels, Poetry, Preorder Link, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

A POEM NOMINATED, A BOOK SUBMITTED, A PRE-ORDER LINK LINKED

Writing

First, I submitted my tie-in novel to my editor today. Hoping I can talk about it soon. I’ve seen the cover and it is GORGEOUS!

Second, my poem, “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam,” about #MMIWG2ST, was nominated for the 2022 Rhysling in the Long form category. Yaay!

Third, I can announce now that I made my first sale of the year! My story, “Blue Hair,” a Dark & Twisty gender-swapped witchy Bluebeard retelling, will be appearing in the super-cool Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk anthology, out in June 2022. Here’s the cover/TOC:

Fourth, my poem “The Honorable Iris C. Thaumantos, Presiding,” about a goddess who trades her rainbow for the black of a judge’s robes, will be appearing in the Musings of the Muses anthology from Brigid’s Gate Press this April. It’s available for pre-order now. You know what to do!

I think that’s everything for now. More bulletins as events warrant!

Everything Else

So, after two years of isolating, mask-wearing, social-distancing, etc., the kids got COVID. Grrr. Luckily, they were vaxxed (tested positive a week before they were scheduled for boosters), so it was pretty mild, and we are thankful for that.

Also, after more than two years of waiting, we have finally been able to schedule my youngest’s tonsillectomy. Hopefully when they are removed, his severe sleep apnea issues will resolve and he won’t have to use a CPAP anymore. Fingers crossed!

Happy Valentine’s Day if that’s your thing, and Happy Super Bowl Sunday if that’s your thing. Otherwise, happy generic weekend, because I’m pretty sure that’s everybody’s thing!

Awards, Poetry

ANOTHER ELIGIBILITY POST!

Writing

It’s poetry award season! Specifically, the Rhysling Award, which I have been nominated for a gajillion times, but have never actually won. Maybe this year, LOL.

Anyway, here is a list of my eligible poems and where to find them. If you are a voting member of SFPA, these poems should be up in the member area.

  • “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam,” Augur Magazine 4.1, Nov 2021
  • “Erasing Myself from the Narrative,” The Lorelei Signal, Oct 2021
  • “Triple Moons,” Scifaikuest, Aug 2021
  • “Once Upon a Starbucks,” Scifaikuest, Aug 2021
  • “Damsel in Distress Redux,” Star*Line 44.3 (Editor’s Choice), Summer 2021
  • “Cylindropuntia Spatium,” Utopia Science Fiction Magazine, June/July 2021
  • “Swim Test,” Star*Line 44.1, Winter 2021

    • Wish me luck!

    Everything Else

    I have a book due in mid-February, so that, PT, and pandemic parenting are my whole life at the moment and so I am even more boring than usual, LOL.

    Here, have a picture of one of our neighborhood strays, whom we have named Socks, hanging out in our backyard.

    A picture of the neighborhood stray cat, Socks, chilling in our backyard.
    Comics, Novels, Poetry, RPGs, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

    GOODBYE TO THE OLD, HELLO TO THE NEW

    Writing

    So, everyone is doing their end-of-year posts. I don’t usually do these, but it’s been a rough year and I’m proud of the things I managed to accomplish despite that.

    In 2021, I:

  • Sold 13 new poems; saw 7 of those published
  • Sold 4 new stories; saw 3 of those published
  • Pitched, sold, & delivered a story for a WFH RPG anthology; saw it published
  • Pitched, scripted, sold, & delivered a comic book story
  • Pitched, sold, & delivered a WFH RPG adventure
  • Pitched & sold a WFH novel

    • (I can’t talk about those last two yet, but will of course share more when I can.)

    That’s a lot for me, especially considering that the nerve issues in my neck I’ve been dealing with since I was rear-ended in 2019 make it so I can’t spend a lot of time at the keyboard.

    Things I am looking forward to in 2022:

  • Finishing & delivering the WFH novel
  • Writing a solicited story for a WFH anthology

    • More RPG work? More WFH work? Nothing firm in those areas yet, but some good possibilities, so we’ll see.

    Also, I got this really nice tweet about my poem, “The Things We Pass Down,” in the Wanderers chapbook. (Note that “moved” in the tweet should be “woven.” Thanks, autocorrect! LOL)

    Nice tweet about my poem, “The Things We Pass Down.”

    Everything Else

    I hope you all had a wonderful [insert your preferred winter holiday/break], that you have a very happy New Year’s Eve/Day, and that 2022 makes up for how crappy 2020 & 2021 have been for most of us.

    A cool blurry picture of my youngest with a sparkler on New Year’s Eve (2020).

    Appearances, Poetry, Preorder Link

    POETRY IS A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT. SO ARE ANSWERED PRAYERS.

    Writing

    Jeff and I were at the Red Mountain Library in Mesa this past Saturday, and not only did we see some old friends (Hi, Jan, Sharon, & Bob!), but we made some new ones, like Danny from PopCultX, an awesome site for GenXers who love pop culture (which would be most of you reading this, so go check it out).

    I sold a couple more poems; more on that when the contract is signed (you know the drill). Also, the chapbook containing my poem about being Métis, “The Things We Pass Down,” titled Wanderers, will be available for purchase December 15! But you can preorder it now! You should do that. Poetry makes a great holiday gift.

    Everything Else

    This week has seen some storm clouds that have been hanging over us for a very long time begin to clear. We want to thank all our friends and loved ones who have stuck by us, and give a special shout-out to St. Expedite for answered prayers. So here is a virtual offering of some of his favorite things: red carnations, pound cake, and whiskey.

    Saint Expedite altar with red carnations, pound cake, and whiskey.
    St. Expedite and a few of his favorite things.
    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.