Greetings, Talebones Readers!
This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.
Ooft, well…
This Fall Season on Talebones got off to a pretty rocky start, I’m afraid. Right at the end of August, our sweet dog Huck developed a medical issue that quickly snowballed into a whole exhausting, expensive, and at times truly scary month-long saga. That said, I am so pleased to report that she’s healing very well and—if all continues to go right—is set to get her sutures out and be fully cone-free this weekend! Woohoo!
Practically speaking, this whole journey meant that September—which is typically a month I love to use as a reset button in the year—got completely eaten up. My time, energy, and brainspace all but disappeared, but are finally returning now in waves.
So! Welcome to October! Let’s get our feet back under us and see what’s in store for this month and the remaining Fall Season, shall we?
Ready, set, go!
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And now, back to Talebones Tuesday…
Round-Up!
In case you missed it…
Sap O’Lilly: Three Recollections - in this piece of short fiction we find a reimagined folktale in three parts, as recounted by those who were there and remember it well…
Introducing Scatterbones! - A brand-new corner where I can put my writerly musings that don’t fit anywhere else: reviews of media I’ve enjoyed, niche opinions about storytelling, and other writerly mumbo jumbo! No strategy. No publication schedule. No paid option. No idea what the heck I’m gonna do with it long-term. Just a messy little bonepile in the corner where I can throw the stuff I’ve been chewing on. Subscribe for free to join in!
Check out my first post all about the best storytelling/prompt/inspiration card decks in my collection!
Our supernatural/dystopian serial Smoke-Mouth is rounding the corner to its conclusion! Synopsis: Jenny-Dog is just fine on her own. Jenny-Dog needs no one and no one needs her. Until a fool young stranger shows up, says she’s walking all the way to the crippled mountain—to Lawetlat’la, to Smoke-Mouth—and asks if Jenny wants to come along. Jenny doesn’t fancy their chances. After all, it’s over a hundred miles on a dangerous road through a once-modern region laid bare by quakes and crisis. There are many-eyed angels hovering in the summer sky, and hungry thieves lurking in the woods with violence in their hearts. But the mountain is calling. And when Smoke-Mouth calls, the dreamers reply. This story updates once every weekend and will wrap up in October.
Explore the Table of Contents
Get started here - Episode One: The Fool
Read the latest episode here - Episode Nine: Coulee
New around here? Most of our speculative fiction takes place on a haunted island in Washington State called Ferris Island. Check out the landing page to see which stories are currently available to read here online, along with other info and resources!
We also have stories of various genres set elsewhere, listed here.
TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, check out the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by October 5th to be included in the next issue!)
🍂 Fall Season On Talebones! 🍂
It’s tough not to feel a little discouraged and very overwhelmed when I consider losing a whole month’s worth of time devoted to tackling my fall goals, but you know what? It’s okay. Life happens to us all, and I’m excited to re-align and get moving on some of this good stuff!
So, as a reminder, here is what I’m looking forward to this season (and I hope you are too!)…
Main goals for the Fall Season:
Publish The Shell Collection as an ebook and paperback!
Intended Release Date: mid-to-late October 2025
Read the flagship story for this collection HERE.
Post 2-3 pieces of short fiction per month to keep the creative juices flowing
Update the Ferris Island Gift Shop with Fall/Winter designs
Prep for Freelance and Fishmaids revisions (from serial to novel) over the winter
Get my published books into more physical bookstores, both locally and further afield - thank you to
for being among the first to stock my work!BONUS: though it’s not tippy-top of my priority list, I’ve always intended to publish my poetry-based Advent devotional, Pilgrim God, as a physical paperback along with the ebook. If I can get my ducks in a row I may just give that a try ahead of Advent 2025!
Would you like to sponsor Talestack News? 📰
I am currently in the planning stages of adding a sponsorship program to our twice-monthly fiction bulletin, Talestack News!
How would it work? Each issue would feature one sponsor who pays a flat rate of $50 to have their business, relevant product, or service highlighted for the Talestack News readership. (Nothing to share? You could also sponsor an issue just because, or gift your space to someone else!)
The highlight would be simple, streamlined, and unobtrusive, and each sponsor would be selected at my careful discretion to make sure that their offering fits the overall philosophy and community-focused atmosphere of Talestack News.
While I know none of us relish anything that smacks of advertising, as a freelancer myself I am always trying to find new ways to support the small businesses and services in our community, and this feels like a great and simple way to start.
Sponsors I am looking for:
Freelancers and artists with services to offer
Small businesses/craftspeople with online shopfronts
Authors with programs, workshops, or books to sell
(If you have another idea or service that doesn’t fall into the above categories, pitch it to me! I’ll happily hear you out.)
Talestack News regularly reaches an average of 1,400 to 1,500 views per post, making it a great opportunity for new eyeballs on your business!
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, please email me at talestack.editor@gmail.com and include the word SPONSOR in the subject line so I know to look for you!
Do You Have A Moment To Leave A Review?
If you’ve read any of my books, I would be so honored if you would pause now to leave an honest review!
For self-published authors, there’s no multi-million-dollar engine running promotion, marketing, and other advertising…there’s just me! So honest reviews go a LONG way in raising indie books in algorithms, triggering retailers to suggest them to customers, and helping new readers find self-published books that they’ll love!
You can review my books on:
Storygraph:
Or you can visit the books on their individual My Books pages to review them on the sites of specific retailers, like B&N, Kobo, or Fable!
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a review!
It really, really means the most. ♥
Interested In Going Deeper?
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Thank you for reading!
Phew, are we all on the same page now? I sure hope so! I know I feel better. 😅
Thank you as always for sticking with me through the twists and turns of life and creativity, my friends. It is still my greatest joy and honor to bring you the best quality fiction work that I can, and I’m truly excited to spend October getting back into a creative rhythm with you all!
Blessings on your week and the month to come!
Your grateful storyteller,
Sorry to hear about the pup. I am facing something similar, and it's very hard. It's never more frustrating to be unable to talk to my dog than when she isn't feeling well. I would tell her we'll take care of it. Glad Huck is doing better.
I somehow missed about Huck, I’m so sorry to hear! I know from first-hand experience how our fur babies medical issues can derail a season! I’m so glad she’s doing better.