Category: publishing

Happy Release Day!

On January 16, 2020

New in The Seven Territories series is “Wilde and Sweet”. It’s a charming short story about love, magic, and demons, set during New Year’s in the alternative Wild West world of magic, zombies, and Chinese mythology.

An Army deserter makes the mistake of kissing the mayor’s daughter at the town Christmas party, and demonic chaos ensues. If you like twists and turns in your historical fantasy stories, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

So if you haven’t gotten your fill of holiday stories (or you’re not quite yet ready for stories about sunny tropical beaches and 4th of July celebrations), check it out! The story is available at the usual digital marketplaces (Amazon and everybody else).

Happy Release Day!

By Andi

On November 15, 2019

In publishing, writing

Tea and Treachery cover Out now for your digital consumption: “Tea and Treachery,” the first story in the Seven Territories series. The stories all take place in a post-American Civil War world, where magic, demons, and zombies exist (and may have been behind the War Between the States). Think “Old West” with wizards, Chinese mysticism, and some actual facts mixed in (it is “alternate history” after all).

“Tea and Treachery” is about a woman mage at the end of her proverbial rope: her fiancé is dead, her magic was stolen, and her future is now hopeless. So what’s an ambitious mage to do? Get her magic back at any cost. But is the cost too high?

The story is available in digital form at the usual suspects (Amazon and the other guys). The print version will be available in early 2020 in a collection of the forthcoming Seven Territories stories.

Get ready for a wild Weird West ride!

It’s alive! (well, online)

By Andi

On November 9, 2019

In life, publishing, reading, writing

My (very) short story “Bitter Spell” was included in the Halloween episode of the Alone in a Room with Invisible People podcast, and Rebecca Galardo did a fantastic job reading it. It’s so different to actually hear your written words spoken aloud (esp. by someone else), versus hearing them in your head as you read. As I listened to the story, I thought, “I wrote that? Wow.”

You can hear the story here (at the 1:58:35 mark):

Episode 71: 2nd Annual Halloween Special: Listener Edition – Part Two

Credit goes to Holly Lisle and her “How to Write Flash Fiction That Doesn’t Suck” course (it’s free!).

And now back to the writing…

I won!

By Andi

On October 25, 2019

In life, publishing, reading, writing

Out of numerous entries, my (very) short story, “Bitter Spell,” was chosen to be read on the upcoming Halloween episode of the Alone in a Room with Invisible People podcast.

Curious what this may look (er, sound) like? Check out last year’s Halloween episode. (Skip over the first 30 seconds to avoid the creepy intro.)

I’m excited to hear my work read outloud by a voice not my own, let alone possibly by Holly Lisle, whose classes I have taken. Validation FTW!

Have a Happy Halloween, and may your zombie ex-husbands not come after you.

Happy Belated Release Day!

By Andi

On September 12, 2019

In publishing, writing

A Kiss in Time cover It’s a little late in the news department, but better late than never. Right?

Out now is A Kiss in Time, the latest story in my “Relics of a Future Past” series. It’s a story about a guy* who has been in love with his best friend since middle school, but he has never told her because he was afraid to upset their relationship.

However, when she gets her dream gig that will send her on a 5-year mission to Mars**, he struggles with wanting to confess his love to her (this might be his last chance!) and wanting to support her as a friend. So he does the good thing (the easy thing?) and doesn’t say anything. And kicks himself for it.

Until it looks like he just might have the opportunity to share his feelings to her, but it will mean crossing into an alternate universe using untested technology. And you never know how dropping a pebble in one alternate universe pond will affect other universes…

A Kiss in Time is an adventure-love story with theoretical physics, scotch, and Godzilla.*** If you like Star Trek, but want more heart and less scenery-chewing Canadian actors, this story may be for you.

It’s available in ebook and paperback in the usual places (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and assorted other online establishments including Apple).

Interested in a free taste of the Relics of a Future Past world? Sign up for my newsletter (over there on the right) and I’ll send you Doorway to Infinity, a story only available to subscribers. It’s a time travel tale with WWII, romance, and tacos.****

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*Not a tech billionaire this time, but the opposite end of the spectrum: a struggling cartoonist.

**How cool is that?

***You probably won’t find that description in many book summaries.

****And another story description you probably won’t find anywhere else.

Happy (belated) Release Day!

By Andi

On May 9, 2019

In publishing, writing

Spring Comes Twice cover You would think that publishing a book (let alone, a novel; let alone, your FIRST NOVEL) would have you immediately shouting it out to the rooftops.

Alas, no.

Especially when you’re a bit of an introvert. And busy with Life and its assorted bummers and delights. And slightly forgetful (didn’t I already tell everyone?).

So here it is: Spring Comes Twice. A novel about a guy* who just wants to bring his dead fiancée back to life. But he never imagines the Chaos That Shall Ensue.

This one was a lot of fun to write, and at the same time really nerve-wracking.

For National Novel Writing Month last year, I challenged myself to write a novel completely “into the dark”—no outling or dreaming ahead of the start date (i.e. November 1), and only using a title** and a first line prompt to get going.

When I started writing it, I had no idea what the story was about, where it was heading, or what was up with the talking dog***. No. Freaking. Idea. So I kept writing to find out for myself.

And boy, this was a story I never could have imagined writing. Which in hindsight seems a little silly, since a lot of it is stuff I love: Astoria, bacon, German luxury cars, Asian mythology, and tiki. The other stuff that pops up? Hell if I know.

Spring Comes Twice is available in ebook and paperback in the usual places (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple and other places).

For a look behind the writing curtain on this book, take a look at the posts I wrote during 2018 Nanowrimo.

For a sense of the “Relics of a Future Past” series, sign up for the newsletter (over there on the right side) and I will send you**** a free short story set in that universe. It’s a time travel tale with WWII, romance, and tacos*****.

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*Well, a tech billionaire, to be precise.

**A shout out to my amazing husband for the title.

***SPOILER ALERT: There is a talking dog. He’s awesome.

****In the next month. Because, you know. Life.

*****Who doesn’t love tacos?

Happy Release Day!

By Andi

On March 27, 2019

In publishing

Memories of a Future Past cover Finally, finally, finally! Memories of a Future Past, the first story in my “Relics of a Future Past” series is out NOW.

I am so excited about this story, for a number of reasons:

It’s my first published story for 2019.
It’s the first story in my first series.
It’s a really cool story that I <3. Seriously.

What do I love about it? There is time travel, romance, dogs, sailboats, coffee, and a ton of Indiana Jones references. It’s sweet and twisted and heartful (that’s a word, right?).

It’s available in all the usual places (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, etc.).

You can get a taste of the “Relics of a Future Past” series with a free short story when you sign up for the newsletter (over there on the right side). I’m just finishing up the story (WWII, time travel, romance, and tacos!), so it shouldn’t be long now…

Happy release day!

By Andi

On June 16, 2018

In publishing, writing

Man, has it been awhile. There is nothing quite like having to relearn how to invent the wheel to remind you just how much you knew and then forgot. Damn.

But! I have two new stories out and available at last.

“Gravedigger’s Last Call” is a short story about a man, a beer, and a life-changing conversation. It’s a contemporary fantasy —I can’t quite call it “urban fantasy” but it’s a modern tale with a fantastic element or two. Magical realism? Maybe, but I generally don’t think of ‘magical realism’ with a lager.

“An Angel of Her Own” is a short story about a woman, a man, and a ghost. With some physical therapy, snarkiness, and a dash of romance. Again, it’s pegged as contemporary fantasy, but maybe there is a better genre for it. If you can think of one, let me know.

Both stories are out as ebooks. They will be available in print with other ‘contemporary fantasy’ stories (of a sort) in a story collection in the next month or two.

Yes, that is a public declaration that there will be more stories and books out in the near future. Stay tuned!

7 Tips for a Not-horrible First Surfing Lesson

By Andi

On July 19, 2017

In life, publishing

It’s something like this. If you’re lucky.

Ah, so the tropical waters beckon you, enticing you to fulfill your vacation dream of learning to surf those gorgeous blue waves . . .

I know all about it, and can share some top tips to make your first surfing lesson not entirely suck.

Schedule an early morning class. Earlier in the day means it’s a little cooler, a little less sun, better water conditions*, and fewer people on the beach to see your epic fails.
Skip breakfast, or lunch. Or really any food. In fact, don’t consume anything before your lesson.
Smother yourself in sunscreen. Including your scalp. Because that sun will burn every last micrometer of your skin—even the bare slivers that show between your roots.
Wear a one-piece suit. And guys? Skip the trunks and go for the retro look. I highly recommend something from the early 1900’s—less likely to come off when you get pounded by a wave.
Swallow your pride. You are going to fail. Just accept that.
Figure out early on if you are goofy. “Goofy”** in surf terminology = right foot forward. Knowing ahead of time if you are left or right foot forward is helpful.
Take the taxi. There is a distinct reason there are no fat surfers—because surfing is a lot of work. You paddle all the way out to catch a wave, then maybe you catch a wave, then you paddle back out for another wave, and you keep doing this until you decide to paddle back to shore. For the record, it is a VERY LONG way to get back to the beach. So when your instructor offers to “toe” you in (he hooks his toes over your surfboard and tows you back to the beach), take it.

My one and only surfing lesson on Waikiki Beach formed the basis of my short story “Surf’s Up” in Out of Time. However, the fictional version has a happier ending than my own experience, which involved feeding the local sealife my continental breakfast, and having to get pathetically “toed” in to shore. I am now more than happy to skip the waves and just enjoy myself on the beach, on an unmoving towel, admiring the view of the water between page turns of a brain candy book***.

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* At least that’s what my instructor said. I wouldn’t know.

** There is a lovely little breakfast join named “Goofy Cafe & Dine” on Ala Moana Blvd. Kalua pork in Eggs Benedict? Oh, yeah.

*** The kind of book that does not tax your mind, that is the mental equivalent of cotton candy—light, fluffy, inconsequential. And the kind that, like eating too much Halloween candy, gives you that icky coating that you have to floss and scrub away, and makes you vow never to eat that stuff again and as of tomorrow you’ll only eat broccoli and brown rice. Or maybe that’s just me.

Happy release day! OUT OF TIME is now available!

By Andi

On June 6, 2017

In publishing, writing

"Out of Time" book Oh, this has been sooooo long in the making, and I’m so excited! “Out of Time and Other Very Short Stories” is now available.

This is a collection of very short stories (500-1000 words each) that range from talking dogs and zombies, to stranded time travelers and surfers—all coming from some part of my personal experience.* I like to think of this as a Smorgasbord of Tales**, a wide-ranging sampler of stories to try.

Speaking of stories to try, I posted two stories from the collection. Take a look!

Links for the ebook:
Amazon (print available too!) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks/Apple and more

And now, back to our regularly scheduled writing . . .

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*Well maybe not the zombies.

**Perhaps “Sushi Bar of Stories”? There is definitely a much higher Japanese content than Scandinavian in the book.

***Fun, and maddening and joyful. It’s hard to describe, but let’s leave it at “fun”.