The first installment of my novella, “Legacy of the Fallen Stars,” is now available to read for free online in issue 566 of Bewildering Stories.  Looks like the rest of the story will be posted in three more segments (issues 567 through 569).  I’m looking forward to reading the issue, which also features chapters from a serialized novel, short stories, flash fiction and poetry. The history major in me had fun researching for this story, the English major in me had fun writing it.  I’d like to do another historically-based piece.  I just have to settle on when, where and what.

I expect to have more publication news I can share soon, but meanwhile, enjoy “Legacy of the Fallen Stars”–or as it is affectionately known around my house, “the Stonehenge story.”  I’ve posted about the story before, so if you’d like more information, give this a read.

Amusing (at least to me) anecdote:  I’ve actually written two Stonehenge stories.  The first, a literary piece, was my very first effort at writing fiction as an adult.  I wrote it after traveling in England and France for six weeks the summer after I graduated law school.  Every now and then I pull it out of my virtual drawer just for fun and laughs.

Sometimes the news isn’t all good.

I happened upon a post today on Facebook which in turn led me to the White Cat Publications web site and this.

It seems safe to conclude that my story, “The Righteous in this Generation,” my very first speculative fiction sale–to Aoife’s Kiss back in September of 2012 for its June 2013 anniversary issue–will not be published in Aoife’s Kiss or any White Cat magazine.  It also seems safe to conclude that for now, at least, Aoife’s Kiss is no more.

I find it hard not to be disappointed.  I submitted to Aoife’s Kiss because so many writers whose work I admire published in that magazine early in their careers, and I felt as though I’d be in good company.  The timing particularly stings because apparently the issue before the June 2013 issue was the last issue published.  If the story had been accepted for the previous issue instead, I wouldn’t be writing this.  I did get paid for the story ($20, $5 more than the contracted price which the magazine apparently did as an apology for the original delay), but the token payment was never my reason for submitting to Aoife’s Kiss.

I’ll send the story out again, of course.  But I’m sad that good news turned to bad, and that after waiting a year and a half to see the story in print it’s not going to happen, at least not as planned.