Hello, my darklings!
I’m not sure if I’ve said it before here on The Writerly Raven, but I love flash fiction. Of course, that wasn’t always the case.
When I was working on my MFA, one of my classes focused on writing it. It was a struggle to tell a complete story in 1,000 words or less. Since then, I’ve gained a bit of skill but, in general, I still prefer to leave it up to those better versed in such things than I. Me, I have a tendency to be far too long-winded.
Hello, my darklings!
Take a moment to center yourself and take a deep breath. Can you feel it? 2020 is drawing to a close, and 2021 holds a spark of promise for better things to come.
I think it’d be an understatement to say that it’s been a tough year. I don’t know that words can quite convey the insanity that the last twelve months have brought with them. So much has happened, yet it seems like time virtually froze in place for a while, as if even Old Father Time just decided to nope out of the world for a bit.
Hello, my darklings!
Sigh…
The best-laid plans, eh? I had wanted to have this particular review finished and posted by September 7 but that (obviously) did not happen. Suffice it to say that I’m a bit late getting this up and, for that, I sincerely apologize.
Still, it’s a good day here in Texas. I’m sitting here in the living room with my laptop, cup of coffee in hand (yes, I know it’s the middle of the afternoon…don’t judge me), while a beautiful storm rages outside. There’s just something incredibly satisfying about reading (or, in this case, writing about) fantasy and science fiction while lightning arcs across the sky just beyond the window glass.
On the downside, the dogs don’t share my enthusiasm for the storm. The thunder has all four of them packed around me and my lap desk like sardines right now. Then again, it’s three Chihuahuas and a Miniature Pinscher and they don’t take up much room.
Hello, my darklings!
I must confess; I have fallen behind. Life has held me captive in her iron grip these last several weeks. Of course, that’s not to say that I haven’t been writing reviews. Quite the contrary, actually! I just haven’t had a chance to get them posted here.
It’s time to remedy that! So, without further ado…
Early in June 2018, I had the opportunity to review the 8th issue of Cirsova Magazine. If you’re not familiar with Cirsova, they tend to run fantasy and science fiction stories that are a bit outside the norm, which is one of the reasons I really like them. Among the nine stories presented in that issue, one happened to be “Going Native” by J. Manfred Weichsel. It was a tale that I found particularly enjoyable. When Mr. Weichsel contacted me to review his newly published collection of stories Going Native & Other Stories, which includes the titular “Going Native,” I was thrilled to do so.
Also, I meant to have this review up much earlier than this but, well, things didn’t quite work out that way.
Hello, my darklings!
Of all the assignments I’ve received from David Truesdale at Tangent Online, this was one I really looked forward to writing.
For those of you who don’t know Clare Winger Harris, I am very excited to introduce you to her here. She wrote scientifiction (now called science fiction) and published under her own name at a time when women writers were usually forced to do so under a man’s name. Not only that, her works greatly influenced the creators of Superman, then just high schoolers, and her story “The Ape Cycle” was the basis for the well-loved franchise The Planet of the Apes!
If you love science fiction, I highly recommend checking out this book.
For specifics, please see my full review over at Tangent Online. You can click the link below and it’ll open the review in a new tab directly on TO’s website.
The Artificial Man and Other Stories Review, published on TangentOnline.com on February 25, 2019.
Hello, my shadowed siblings!
Cirsova #10 has been released! Featuring work by Spencer E. Hart, Frederick Gero Heimbach, Lauren Goff, and many others, readers will be sure to find something that tickles their fancy in this issue.
Click on the link below to read my review, written for Tangent Online. It’ll open the review on in a new tab.
Cirsova #10 Review, published on TangentOnline.com on December 6, 2018.
Hello, my shadowed siblings!
This month’s issue of Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores contains only a single science fiction short story by Jared VanDyke. “Spicer’s Modest Success” is definitely a worthwhile read!
Click on the link below to read my review, written for Tangent Online. It’ll open the review on in a new tab.
Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores Review, published on TangentOnline.com on November 28, 2018.
Hello, my shadowed siblings!
Aurealis #114 features three original stories, including the future of dating in “Fail” by Sarah Napier, a smoking hot form of revenge in “A Figure in the Haze,” and a sparking fantasy a tale in “The Glassblower’s Peace” by James Rowland.
Click on the link below to read my review, written for Tangent Online. It’ll open the review on in a new tab.
Aurealis #114 Review, published on TangentOnline.com on September 15, 2018.
I reviewed Wild Stars III: Warmageddon by Michael Tierney for Geekisphere in June 2018.
Click on the link below to read the review. It’ll open the review on Geekisphere’s website in a new tab.
Wild Stars 3: Warmageddon Review, published on Geekisphere.com on July 13, 2018.
I reviewed this quarterly magazine in June 2018 for Tangent Online.
Click on the link below to read the review. It’ll open the review on TO’s website in a new tab.
Cirsova #8, Summer 2018 Review, published on TangentOnline.com on June 3, 2018.
So true. Good reminder this morning as I’m sitting here debating on watching YouTube or writing. Sigh... guess I, uh, I better get to writing.
"You have to have the three D’s: drive, discipline and desire. If you’re missing any one of those three, you can have all the talent in the world, but it’s going to be really hard to get anything done.”
—Nora Roberts
#writingcommunity #writerslife #amwriting #writingquote
Hey, #writingcommunity! Is #vss365 or other flash fiction still a thing? I’ve not seen prompts in awhile (tho it could just be me). #strictlywriting
