Talestack News - ISSUE 36
[November 4th - November 18]
✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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Tis the season for gratitude!
November is, for many people, an ideal time to meditate on the things that they’re grateful for. Here at Talestack HQ, we are grateful for all of YOU! The readers, the writers— the creative people who make Substack Fiction the best, most supportive place to be! THANK YOU!
This is a full and fabulous issue! 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
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📣 Announcements!
Finished Projects:
- has just finished up her latest romance serial, Don’t Move Your Desk. Excerpt: “Despite my best efforts in the bathroom this morning, my hair had already escaped the style I’d attempted to force on it and was looking about halfway to that hurricane anyway. Add the tortoiseshell glasses perched on my nose for the final touch to really hammer the nail in. I did not look for a second like any of these jocks. I just had to hope against hope that one of them thought I at least looked like a secretary.” You can jump into Chapter One here!
- has just put up the last chapter to Part Two of his serial The Shield of Locksley. He will be putting up Part Three (called The Book of Lamorak DeGales) this week. Check out the revised Table of Contents to start reading!
- has just finished his serialized tale entirely in verse called Of Elvia and the Steam. Synopsis: “Elvia, a young river sprite, witnesses the extraordinary power of a wicked faun’s song. When her friends are caught up in the magic of the song and taken from her, she finds a new kind of power in her quest for vengeful justice. Of Elvia and the Steam is a quick read flying by in ten short parts with audio narration and a few illustrations.” Get started here!
is concluding the first part of an ongoing serial called The Lizard Thing. Excerpt: “‘I need an amulet of true seeing,’ the woman said. ‘I think my husband is a Reptoid.’ Not another one, I thought, and rolled my eyes internally. I have got to start charging more. I have clearly not found a price that the market will not bear. What the lay public doesn’t realize is that any true seeing is a relative truth. While my knock-off copies of the Amulet of Djed are actually magical, unlike the glass baubles for sale in the bazaars, they won’t find a doppelganger, or even pierce any illusion I would bother casting before brunch on a lazy Sunday morning.”
New Projects:
- and cordially invite all fans of the uncanny and lovers of the beloved classic TV show The Twilight Zone to a special Substack event! Writers all across the platform will be posting Twilight Zone-inspired tales on November 24th to celebrate the anniversary of the show’s first airing. Check out this promo video to learn more and get hyped!
- will be launching a new folk horror/romance serial novella, set in the history of the haunted Washington State island where much of her fiction takes place, called Sayblood’s Children. Synopsis: “Othniel Brack left his disgraced family name back in England and set sail for the untamed western edge of Washington Territory, seeking a new fortune and a new legacy for himself on a small, barely inhabited island overgrown with wild apple trees. Life is quiet on that little Orchard Island, until a strange discovery on a windswept beach changes Othniel’s life—and the island’s history—forever.” The tale begins December 6th and runs for 12 episodes.
- has just published his full novel, the big T, here on Substack! Synopsis: “Tommy Goodspeed is an aptly named, all-American boy who talks fast and lives faster. Jude Harris is the introverted new kid who tells us their story. the big T is a novel by Clancy Steadwell that traces their friendship from middle school to high school, through college, young adulthood, and beyond as they navigate issues of masculinity, drug use, addiction, privilege and male platonic love.” You can jump into Chapter One here!
- has recently launched a new space opera serial called Captain’s Away! Synopsis: “It’s certainly not every day your space station is blown to bits beneath you in the opening volley of a senseless war. In the aftermath of this attack on their home, the Doucette family find themselves careening from one fantastic space adventure to another as their lives are upended in ways they can barely comprehend. Hostile aliens, rebellious robots, murderous despots and more all stand in the Doucettes’ path as they try against all odds to reunite as a family while doing their best to help Akkadia win the war. Will they succeed?” Jump into Chapter One here!
- has just launched a new fantasy serial called The Samyuzot. Synopsis: “The Samyuzot follows the life of a cursed warrior, cast off by his people and sent to wander in exile. Join the samyuzot as he comes to terms with his curse and tries to find redemption in hostile, foreign lands. Each story is stand-alone, but will reward returning readers.” Jump in here before the next installment lands tomorrow!
- has just started a short story series centering around the infamous Christmas creature, the Krampus. From Nancy: “I wrote these stories after remembering the dark tales my mother would tell me of Christmas in Eastern Europe, when she was a child. The kids in her village were told to be good, or Krampus would beat them, or worse, take them away to be punished for a whole year. I narrated the story and recorded it so you can hear the Slovak pronunciations.” Read the first tale here (and/or enjoy Nancy’s narration)!
Milestones & Wins:
- has a new story published online, at Roi Fainéant Press. Read “That Time When The Gods Saw A Marriage Counselor” here!
- has recently completed the manuscript of her novel The Lilac Room and has just started the querying process! The novel’s synopsis, from her query letter: “On the morning of the spring equinox, successful New York CEO Cassandra Feuerbach finds her sales agent, Rebecca Solomon, dead in the bathroom of their corporate office. Cassie initially dismisses the suicide as a personal tragedy, but she becomes intrigued when she learns that Rebecca attended a party with rival CEO Aaron Mendelson shortly before her death. Motivated by grievances against Mendelson, Cassie embarks on a search for answers, interviewing both new acquaintances and figures from her past to discover the reasons behind Rebecca’s suicide. As she delves deeper into Rebecca’s history, Cassie becomes entangled in the excesses and hypocrisies of the New York elite, uncovering a controversial social experiment that forces her to confront a choice: remain in the morally fraught corporate world or retire into obscurity.” Good luck, Liza!!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
- has two pieces of publication news:
Her romance novel serialized on Substack, Don’t Move Your Desk, is now available for purchase as an ebook through Google Play, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble! Release Date: 9/21/24
Her Crowhill Kitchen series of books is now available for preorder: Kiss The Cook, Cook Up A Storm, Too Many Cooks, What’s Cooking, Good Looking?, and Cooking On Gas.
❤ Shout-Outs
The Editor and Talestack HQ would like to congratulate
as he takes on the mantle of the much-loved Lunar Awards! We also extend the greatest gratitude to who originated and ran the awards so well for so long. Read this post for details of the transition!
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
- has just started a new series in her newsletter that documents her adventures navigating traditional publishing. From Liza: “Each week, I tackle a new topic in publishing, from compiling the query package to dealing with rejection, and send readers an update on the status of The Lilac Room's publication. I'm three weeks deep into this venture and hope to reach a wider audience of fiction writers who might find these tips and tricks helpful.” Check out Journey To Publication for more!
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Thank you for featuring my news-heavy week, haha!
The substack zone is going to be huge.