✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
You’ll notice fast that this issue is ALL about New Projects! So much good stuff on the horizon! 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!
New Projects:
Pulp, Pipe, & Poetry is a brand-new Substack-based literary magazine! Subscribe to see work from collaborators Frank Theodat, Zack Grafman, James Carran, Brady Putzke, and Frank Kidd!
A group of intrepid Substackers is banding together for a collaborative short story project on Notes for the entire month of July! Check out this post for the details, or follow Megan McCarthy, Laura Nettles, Charlie Dorsett (they/she), Haley Spence, Kat Leo, and Glory Fink!
James Don BlueWolf is currently serializing the novella Born To Play from his book Dreaming Roundball! Check it out at the Wolf Tracks Substack!
Rand Leeb-du Toit is working on what is potentially a Substack first: a serialized audiobook! Check out the psychological thriller Writ Large on audio!
Cameron Scott has just started a new serial fiction project called Thorne: The Withering Shore. From Cameron: “It's Jessica Jones meets Constantine where detective, Rose Thorne, investigates a series of disappearances only to discover the horrible truth about her city.”
Alexander M Crow has just released the first part of his 10-part fantasy novella, Only One Death. From the synopsis: “If he does not find a way to save them, Dhinal knows his people will die. Every single one. The apprentice shaman has travelled for years searching for the answer, along the way gathering a ragtag band of misfits, each harbouring secrets of their own.” Check out Chapter One here.
Issue Six of Frightmarish Zine from Mary Rajotte is here! Check it out for 36 pages of Gothic, folk and modern horror fiction, articles and activity pages.
Qid Love 🧑🚀💕🎸🏳️⚧️ has just launched The Book of Lost Scales, a multimedia hybrid of music, art, scifi poetry, and nonfiction.
reinancruz has just launched her chilling serial fiction anthology, Marredbury. From the synopsis: “In a near-future city haunted by its own dark history, evil lurks beneath the surface. Enter Marredbury, a chilling serial anthology that weaves together a tapestry of haunting tales from the past and a contemporary digital nightmare.”
Michael P. Marpaung has just announced his newest long-term project, The Holy League Universe, a tapestry of worldbuilding and history knitting his fiction on Substack together.
Awards:
The Editor would like to congratulate Encantada’s Cynthia Pelayo for becoming the first Latina—and first Puerto Rican-born author—to win a Bram Stoker Award! More details here!
Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions of the recent Talebones flash fiction contest: Scoot, Andrew Paul Ward, Stephen A. Davis, and Shaina Read!
Milestones & Wins:
Howler recently celebrated 100 subscribers on their immersive fantasy fiction and tabletop gaming newsletter, Realm of Solo! To celebrate, and to push onward to 200 subscribers, they are releasing exclusive content and giveaways, so check out their page for more information!
Michael P. Marpaung recently gave his first-ever public interview, on How About This with Mark Dykeman!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
Bill Gauthier’s debut ghostly horror novel, Echoes on the Pond, is now available for purchase through Amazon! Release Date: 6/13/23
John Parce’s fantastical coming-of-age novel, Sheepskin, Volume 1, is now available for purchase through Amazon! Release Date: 6/27/23
Michael Woudenberg’s science fiction novel, Paradox: Book One of the Singularity Chronicles, is now available for preorder through Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Release Date: 7/21/23
Andrew Boryga’s debut novel, VICTIM, is currently available for preorder through Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Release Date: 3/12/24
📝 Submissions Bulletin
Tara Penry is currently running an all-genres-welcome contest called Enchanted By The Book until July 13th! Check out the post for details!
Scoot has just announced the first-ever Gibberish Writing Competition! Check out the post for rules, details, and how to apply!
❤ Shout-Outs
Howler would like to shout-out Fictional Positions and PTFO! From Howler: They've crafted breathtaking Actual Play Fiction, showcasing their exceptional storytelling skills using a different game system. If you're looking for more immersive adventures, I highly recommend checking out their work.
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
Erica Drayton has worked tirelessly to compile the Substack fiction community—over 200 newsletters!—into one master-document called The List! Not included and want to be? Use the Google Form here!
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Great highlights and links 👍👍
Very good! With this disease, I find that sometimes my words fail me. Suffice it to say that I'm excited to be here and hope to take part in this community in some small way.
[I'm being sincere, here. I know that my Substack sometimes leans toward sarcasm, especially during the midweek.]