ISSUE TWENTY-ONE
[March 18th - April 1st]
✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
Happy April, one and all!
Sure, in some parts of the world this first day of April is a day for pranks and silliness, but there’s no joke about TALESTACK NEWS—we’re serious about Substack fiction! 🥸
And I must say, I seriously love the variety we got in this issue: a little bit of something for everyone, here, between stuff to read, stuff to listen to, stuff to purchase, and even stuff to get involved in!
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:
- of Blinking Blue Line has just completed her serialized novel, Remembrance, with a short epilogue to follow on April 6th and a debrief on April 13th. Everything but the first couple of chapters will go behind a paywall at the end of April, so this is a good time to get started! Synopsis: “Leah Harvey has suffered migraines for years. Due to a car accident, she misses a session with her neurologist, who has enrolled her in a clinical trial for a potential new treatment. After the missed session, Leah begins to experience increasing paranoia, anxiety, and irritability. At first, she chalks it up to residual effects of the accident, or of missing her treatment, but she’s quickly drawn into a complex network of secrets threatening to burst. Not only is her view of her condition changed forever, but her understanding of her very self.” Jump into Chapter One here!
New Projects:
- of Struggling for Words is serializing his published historical fiction novel, A Handkerchief for Maria, with a new chapter every week. Synopsis: “It is late 1945. Germany and Japan are defeated, and a mother sits at her eighteen year old daughter’s hospital bedside, telling stories to pass the time. Maria weaves the tales she heard at her father’s knee with confessions from her life and an escape from war-torn Ireland to England. As life ebbs away from the daughter, Maria comes to understand the forces that have shaped her life. What is true, what is fantasy, and should she tell Alice of her one real love?” Check out Chapter One here!
Qstack, Substack’s directory of LGBTQ+ writers and creatives headed up by
, will be posting an inaugural post on April 6th with an excerpt from the novel Falling Through the Night by . Subscribe now so you don’t miss a thing!- of Stock Fiction has just launched a new Substack-based podcast—Talk Fiction! Have a listen to the first episode with and the second episode with , or check out the podcast on Spotify or Meg’s YouTube channel.
The five competitors for the Gibberish Writing Competition, hosted by
have been selected. Congratulations (and good luck) to , , , , and ! But even if you weren’t selected, don’t despair: the competition prompts make for great fiction inspiration, and all are invited to participate in their own way alongside the official competition. Stay tuned for the first challenge, which will drop on April 6th. Let the games begin!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
- ’s collection of one-hundred-word stories, The First 100, is available for preorder for release tomorrow on Amazon! Release Date: 4/2/24
- ’ s baseball novel, Lose Yourself, is now available for preorder and will be released tomorrow on Bookshop.org and Amazon! Release Date: 4/2/24
Co-writers
and ’ s adult rom-com, The Beautiful Game, is now available for preorder on Amazon! Release Date: 6/4/24
📝 Submissions Bulletin
Calling all writers of speculative fiction: Season Six of the Lunar Awards has just cleared for launch…and this time, it’s double the fun! Check out
’s official announcement post for entry rules, the generous prizes for winning this round, and all about the unique double-header submission rule! Deadline for submission is April 17th, 2024, so don’t delay!
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
- of TeenU is hosting a new book club! From Jodie: “You are cordially invited to a new book club with a difference where we get to connect with our inner teens – and maybe our real life teens too. We’ll read my new YA contemporary romance together and also enjoy other fun teen stuff like playlists, snack suggestions, fashion finds and quizzes. It will be fun and nurturing.” Read Jodie’s intro post here!
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Always love seeing what the fiction community is up to! thanks!!
Thank you for including us!