Unfettered

The Jester (Traditional Fantasy) The Riyria Chronicles #2.5
This short story is found in Unfettered. Shawn Speakman was able to win his battle against cancer, but like many fantasy authors he had no medical insurance. While he could escape his responsibilities by declaring medical bankruptcy he’s a man of honor and s committed to paying his bills. Shawn also has a lot of friends, some of whom are the biggest names in the industry. We’ve all donated stories to this anthology and 100% of the proceeds will be used to pay Shawn’s Bills.  My contribution is The Jester , a fun, fast-paced Royce and Hadrian adventure from the Riyria Chronicles.

The End

Burning Alexandria (Science Fiction)
This short story is found in The End – Visions of Apocalypse and was written to help highlight new authors from the sffworld forum. This story was written the day I learned of Ray Bradbury’s death and is me paying homage to him in the context of this anthology whose mission was to focus on stories involving the end of the world. When solar flares makes electricity a memory of the past a horder’s stash of paperbacks might just might be the greatest library left in existence after the conversion to digital. But when threatened with death from exposure will he sacrifice literature to survive?

Triumph Over Tragedy

Traditions (Traditional Fantasy)
This story was written for Triumph Over Tragedy: an anthology for the victims of Hurricane Sandy this project was the brainchild of author R.T. Kaelin and as it implies 100% of the profits are going to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief.  My entry is based in the world of Elan (the setting for my Riyria Revelations series) but it features a new never-before-seen character. The idea came from Shirley Jackson’s famous short story, The Lottery where the livelihood of a town is dependent on the sacrifice of one of their own. When Annie is selected, she takes matters into her own hands and dares to challenge the town’s traditions in order to move to a new future, that while it may be fraught with potential danger, it also possess the possibility of new opportunities.

HelpFund my Robot Army

I can make your wishes come true(Traditional Fantasy)
This story was written for an anthology compiled by the incomparable John Joseph Adams. He came up with a fascinating idea which is to have a number of writers create short stories in the format of Kickstarters. Each author comes up with a fantastical project and then tells their tales through the project description, FAQ, and backer comments.  For my story I decided to explore the idea that the long repeated tale of the Monkey’s Paw really wasn’t just a piece of fiction. That it was actually possible to create these wish-granting tailsmans. As you might imagine, from the original tale, things don’t go as planned.  This one was particularly fun because I Tuckerized one of the backers (interviewed and worked into the story a real-life person).

Fantasy Faction Anthology

Autumn Mists (Modern Fantasy)
Fantasy faction is a great online community where fantasy readers and writers can interact. They also offer reviews, interviews, and any manner of news related to Fantasy Literature. In the past they have relied on donations to pay for their hosting services, but the creators of the site decided instead to produce an anthology they could sell to support the site. My contribution to the anthology is: Autumn Mists : It tells the story of an embittered man who at the end of his days has a chance to recapture the magic of his youth, if only he can remember, and believe.

Blackguards

Professional Integrity The Riyria Chronicles #2.6
Shawn Speakman is putting together yet another anthology, but unlike Unfettered this one focuses on Thieves, Rogues, and Assassins. I penned yet another Royce and Hadrian short that once more has our duo in over their heads. I don’t want to say too much about it just now as the anthology is still being rolled out, but I’ll update this listing when more is revealed.