ISSUE TWO
[June 5th - June 19th]
✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
After the incredible success of Issue One, we’ve had another celebratory two weeks of news! This issue is jam-packed with announcements, milestones, contests, resources, and so much more! Who knows—your new favorite writer could be hidden in the following paragraphs…!
As usual, 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:
- runs a quarterly speculative fiction “digital pulp” magazine here on the platform called 365 Infantry, and they just finished rolling out their fifth issue. From Jacob: “It is a run of five free short stories, backed by stylish black-and-white illustrations […] The series' latest installments run the gambit from mystery thrillers within a military setting to crime capers on the city streets to humorful action-packed adventures across the desert.”
- recently published the final component for his serial fiction project, Writ Large. “An autofictional, psychological novel inspired by Rachel Cusk's Outline, the story follows a heart transplant survivor's journey in the weeks after his Writers Guild is featured in the New York Times. He finds himself being courted by billionaires eager for him to tell their stories, but will he survive a boat sinking and be able to write any further books?”
- has just completed his serialized novel, Inquisitor’s Promise, here on Substack. “Young Inquisitor Aeneas Aquilanus made two promises: one to his dying father, the other to his beloved Galatea. […] But politics in the 74th century can be violent and complicated. The Five Factions of the Holy League had long seen each other with suspicion. Can they put aside their differences to save Earth?”
- has just made Book One of his space opera Through The Stars, Darkly free for all to read!
New Projects:
- has just started a superhero serial called Gaseous Girl and the Winds of Time. From the synopsis: “a longform weekly superhero serial which is part of a collection of stories about the many capes who protect the civilians of Edison City (cue dramatic theme here).”
- is starting a general fantasy in eleven chapters called Sweet Silius Island Honey. This tale is already complete and available to purchase through Amazon, but Alex wants to share it with the readership on Substack, too.
- has recently published the first chapter in a new psychological thriller series. “The novel Hard Deception tracks a former Special Forces operative as her good samaritan deed quickly sees her change her status from 'on the road' to 'undercover'.”
- has just started writing his second scifi short story scene-by-scene here on Substack, called The Machines Will Come.
- has just started a new weekly fantasy serial called (Un)Time and (Un)Place. “Ilian's search for his missing father turns into an unexpected journey through strangely familiar worlds.”
Awards:
Season Two of the Lunar Awards has announced its First Chapter Winners: Congratulations to Winner
and Honorable Mentions and !Fictionistas announced their May Substack Spotlight where they highlighted flash fiction stories by
, , and ! Check out the post to read the winning tales!- won a Bram Stoker Award for his genre-bending horror/thriller novel, The Devil Takes You Home!
Milestones & Wins:
- just launched her YA novel, See Dot Smile, over on Wattpad, and she would love to welcome anyone interested to head on over and give it a read!
- has just launched his second newsletter, Sketchy Scoops, a Substack-based tabloid spoof featuring hilarious updates about recognizable Substack figures!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
- ’s crime fiction debut called Start The Process is now available to purchase in the latest Rock and a Hard Place anthology through Amazon! Release Date: 6/8/23
- ’s short story, The Essence Of Symmetry, is included in the weird fiction/cosmic horror anthology Fall Into The Abyss, now available for purchase through Amazon! Release Date: 6/13/23
The Weight of the World, a collection of short fiction and poetry in a diversity of styles by
, is now available for purchase through Amazon! Release Date: 6/14/23- ’s debut scifi/horror novel, Pallas, is now available for preorder! Lisa is looking for ARC readers, so if interested please comment on the post above or email her directly at lisakuznakbooks@proton.me. Release Date: 7/18/23
📝 Submissions Bulletin
- (The Editor) is hosting a flash fiction contest. While it’s mainly for fun and to share the fiction love, the winner gets a year-long free comp to the Talebones Archive. (Not interested in entering? Vote for your favorite!)
- made our publication aware of this year’s Killer Shorts Horror Competition, run by Drayton’s wife. There are some pretty extraordinary prizes available, so click here to learn more!
- is preparing their very first open-call submission window for novels and non-fiction in the first two weeks of October 2023! For guidelines and all other details, read this post.
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
Award-winning poet, writer, and voice artist
would love to offer his services—and his incredible voice—to your writing. Interested in having him read your work? Reach out by tagging him on Notes!- is hosting 1000 Words of Summer, an annual writing event that is similar to a miniature NaNoWriMo, complete with motivation, inspiration, community, goal-setting, and more. The event began on June 17th but it runs until the 30th, so there’s still plenty of time to join in!
Fictionistas is hosting a virtual meetup on Wednesday, June 21st, and all are invited. You won’t want to miss it!
- is starting a Stephen King book club on her fiction newsletter, Kindling. It begins on July 1st with the classic Carrie, so check out Shaina’s page for more info on how to join in!
Award-winning novelist
is leading his subscribers through the process of writing and publishing a novel, offering his invaluable advice and experience. Check it out here!
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Email Deadline: due to publication scheduling, messages received after noon PST on the Sunday prior to the current issue will be included in the following issue.
Another wonderful surveying of the many exciting projects here on Substack! Hats off to all showcased. I've got quite the reading list to catch up on.
Quick Note on 365 Infantry: the fifth issue is more than what was linked (anthology series "Tales from the Front Line") but all five series (that, plus "The War," "The Hunt," "Urban Avenger" and "Speedfreak Files"). You can find all of these brand-new stories pinned to our home page. Do enjoy!
This is incredibly helpful! Thank you for including me. I’ve been mostly MIA lately due to visiting family, but I’m trying stay involved. Congrats to everyone’s recent successes and launches. I’ll be saving this post to refer back to.