✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 🎃
Normally, for months that have five Mondays instead of four, TALESTACK takes that fifth Monday “off”. But since the fifth Monday this month is right before Hallowe’en, we’re going to do something a little different!
On October 30th we’ll post a Special Edition of TALESTACK, full of spooky/Hallowe’en themed announcements! From today until the 29th, send along your spooky-themed news and it’ll appear in our Special Edition!
Not sure what counts? I’ll be relaxing my rules a little for this edition to fit the theme, so email me at talestack.editor@gmail.com and we can talk it out.
(Don’t have spooky news? Don’t you worry…your non-spooky news will appear in the following week’s edition as usual, on November 6th.)
This issue has plenty of new projects and opportunities to submit—take a look!
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 NewsTALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!
Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.
📣 Announcements!
Finished Projects:
Michael S. Atkinson has just finished his speculative fiction/superhero serial novella, Gaseous Girl and the Winds of Time. “Madeleine Smith is a flying brick with the power to control one of the fundamental states of matter, but no one takes her seriously. That changes when an actress disappears from existence, and she's called upon to investigate. Soon she's fighting to save reality from clones, time and space distortions, and all the minions of Hell. Not to mention Behemoth Bob.”
Peter Harrison has just posted the final installment of his high fantasy novella, Of Ashes Born. “Toran yearns for a world where his people no longer bring fire, fear and death to the islands around them—and the time has now come to say a prayer and make his move. Will his revolution bring redemption, or only further destruction and despair?”
New Projects:
Brennan Quenneville has just launched his new short story newsletter, Pack of Lies, where he’ll be writing and publishing a new story every quarter.
Chelsea Emilia Rotunno has just launched Spaghetti Days where she posts short fiction, reflections, poetry, and more!
Ollie Burgess has just started The Olive Bookshelf, a fiction-focused newsletter with the intent of meditating on stories in a dynamic, creative way. From Ollie: “My goal with this Substack is to make my reflections on literature feel like a cozy story by the campfire rather than an academic paper.”
Michael S. Atkinson just started a new superhero serial about Captain Happily Married and Super Soccer Mom, the first episode of which is now live! Though there is no official synopsis yet, Michael says: “I do know I will explore the good Captain's backstory and how he and Super Soccer Mom got together, even as in the present day they fight to keep their powers and their relationship against the threat of Professor Irreconcilable Differences wielding one of the most powerful superweapons known: the Kaboominator.”
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
Jodi Meadows’s new young adult fantasy novel—and second book in a duology—called Dawnbreaker, is now available for pre-order! Info and pre-order links can be found here! Release Date: 11/7/23
📝 Submissions Bulletin
Cole Noble is starting a brand-new fiction-based podcast called Authors and Embers, and he’s inviting the Substack fiction community to join him around the digital campfire! From Cole: “This podcast will work like a table reading: a small group of authors will come together, lending their voices to the characters in each other’s stories… then ask one another questions about our work. Each author in the recording session will get their own episode.” Those who want to participate should email colenobleclimbs@gmail.com.
Solum Literary Press accepts book proposals for poetry chapbooks, poetry collections, novellas, novels, and short story collections on a rolling basis. Submission information can be found on their Submissions Page (or Submission Info post), as well as on Submittable. Those interested can also reach out to info@solumpress.com with any further questions.
The final 2023 season of the Lunar Awards will be closing on Saturday, October 21st, so you still have a bit of time left for those last-minute submissions!
Erica Drayton’s weekly 100 Word Story Collaboration has NINE slots open from November to December. Writers can contact her via email at ericadrayton@substack.com for further details and to get on the roster.
❤ Shout-Outs
Though it’s not strictly original fiction, the Editor would like to shout out Erica Drayton’s Beyond the Wizard project, which is starting to read Book Four: Dorothy and the Wizard from the "Famous 40" of the Wizard of Oz series this week. For those interested in public domain serials, it’s worth a look!
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Thank you for including DAWNBREAKER's upcoming release! I really appreciate it!
@chelsearotunno Ahh! We made it into the same newsletter! Glad to see you here :)