ISSUE SIX
[August 7th - August 21st]
✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
Can you believe August is over halfway done?
Here in the northern hemisphere we’re soaking up as much summer as we can, but fall is nipping at our heels! If you’re looking for some end-of-season reading, you just might find some new favorites in this week’s issue. We always have plenty to explore: new projects, stories coming to a close, books available for purchase, and more!
As always, please hype each other up in the comments. Go visit, explore, give virtual high-fives, and let your colleagues know that you’re with them.
Have a fantastic week, and happy writing!
S.E. Reid Editor of Talestack News
📣 Announcements!
Finished Projects:
- is finishing up his dark fantasy serial novella, Only One Death. It is currently free to read and will be turned into a download for paid subscribers once complete.
New Projects:
- and his daughter have started The Little Spoon, a collaborative fiction project. From Sheldon: “My daughter and I always dreamed of opening a Tea House together in the New England area, and since it's not quite possible at the moment, we decided to write a series of stories...and ‘build’ it virtually together. I think there's room for wholesome and happy stories, written in plain language, far away from politics and negativity.” Begin with the first story, here!
- has just started his first serialized western story, Everett Brooks and the Midnight Riders. From the prologue: “He held her as she died. The end of their outlaw days had been so close. He buried his revolvers with her so she could keep part of him forever. He kept her Remington for the same reason.”
Awards:
The results are in for Season Three of the Lunar Awards! Congratulations to winner
along with Honorable Mentions and !
Milestones & Wins:
- is celebrating his THIRD Substack anniversary today!
Though fiction is not his usual genre,
has written a post that he described as using “hypothetical film treatment as a way to work fictional-ish storytelling into a short essay.” The Editor feels that this fits with the interests of our readership and is happy to include it here! Check out Born To Run.- recently had the rights to a number of his horror short stories reverted back to him after one of his publishers was sold to new ownership! Because of this, he is looking forward to bringing those stories to a new audience at The Storyteller’s Corner.
- is very excited to be working on a sequel to her self-published debut novel. Coming soon!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
- ‘s collection of short stories, That Fountain Ain’t Gonna Grant Your Wish, is now available for purchase on Amazon! Release Date: 8/9/23
- ’s science fiction novel, Inquisitor’s Promise, is now available for purchase as an ebook through Amazon, Lulu, and Laterpress! Release Date: 8/9/23
📝 Submissions Bulletin
- is new to Substack and open for submissions! From their profile: “We are a Christian literary journal and small press embodying a faith that seeks excellence. We publish poetry, short stories, homilies, and visual art. We are expanding into poetry chapbooks, poetry collections, novellas, and novels.” Check out their Submissions page for more info.
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
- —the brilliant mastermind behind The List—is spotlighting a different fiction Substack every day for the rest of the month in August and will do the same the second half of the month in September, November, and December.
- is looking for a writing mentor/accountability partner. She says, “I would like to diversify the type of writing I do and get my feet wet more into fiction but it has felt a little overwhelming/scary to do so. All that to say, I’m interested in someone to talk about my writing with, push me to go outside of my comfort zone, and just talk writing in general so I can have it in my life more in different ways. And use my Substack in many ways.” If interested, please email Ruthie at ruthfarfel@gmail.com
Some resources are worth highlighting, and the Editor would like to highlight Lessons Learned, a recent retrospective written by
. This post covers wisdom gleaned from running the Gibberish Writing Competition but is also a wealth of information for anyone looking to tighten up their fiction. Highly recommended!
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Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Once again, this is one good reason why this platform stands out: folks like you are constantly amplifying other authors who are just trying to get noticed, especially those who write well AND are a valuable part of this ecosystem.
I wholeheartedly did not expect to be listed. I also lost track of time and found myself saying "has that much time passed since the last news issue?" I thank you! And I must confess, yesterday's story is one of my all time fave of the 100+ I've written to date!
Packing has left me unsure of the days of the week, let alone my name and address! How I am still managing to write anything is a miracle. If I come out the other side having still not missed a day since May 1st, I will likely celebrate the tenacity that is moi!