✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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February is nearing its end, but there’s no end to great fiction!
What an exciting issue we’ve got here, friends! I’m so pleased to bring you some truly intriguing projects—including a couple of serial debuts from writers newer to the platform!—along with a well-stocked bookshelf, fabulous milestones, and even a really useful-sounding upcoming workshop!
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 lovely week, and happy writing!
S.E. Reid Editor of Talestack News
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📣 Announcements!
Finished Projects:
Alexander M Crow is wrapping up his latest dark fantasy novella, Dancing With Death. Synopsis: “Flin has arrived in the vast archipelago of The Ribbon, still seeking her home, determined to put the events of Youlbridge behind her. But Flin has a habit of finding answers to questions she does not ask and, before she knows it, she is pulled into another life-altering experience. Who is the swordswoman who seems to be watching her? And who is murdering people in this misty, steamy city, killing them in ways which suggest the perpetrator may not be human? Surely the whispers cannot be true, surely there is no such thing as a vampire? As the truth is revealed, Flin discovers answers which could alter everything she—and the world—believes. The stories are real.” Jump into Episode One here!
Important Note: the previous novella in this series, Death In Harmony, will be heading behind a paywall soon! From Alexander: “There will be another, as yet untitled, novel shared later this spring, followed by the final novella in this series, bringing the total stories to eight. After, I shall be using the characters, ideas, and settings I have introduced in this rather long prologue for a trilogy of novels.”
S.E. Reid’s folk horror/romance serial, Sayblood’s Children, will be ending in the next few weeks with a finale and possible epilogue. 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.” Jump into Part One here!
New Projects:
Rhiannon D'Averc has just started serializing her new superhero serial, Hydropower. Blurb: “Hydropower is a superhero story with a major twist, with vibes for fans of Buffy, Misfits, and Veronica Roth's Chosen Ones. The first cycle is running through to late 2025, as our heroes discover their powers for the first time after a freak storm changes everything.” Jump into Chapter One here!
Steve Thomas has just launched his first serial, That Other Flock. Blurb: “What if the outsiders and misfits really had the answers? What if the people shunted to the basement had the insights and wisdom you needed? What if when you were looking for a place to hide you found a home and family? That’s what That Other Flock is all about. It’s gritty, slightly PG-13, spiritual inspiration, Jesus friendly, church tolerant, very much not religious, and like nothing you’ve read before.” Jump into Episode One here!
Katharine Kapodistria has just launched her first serial, a fantasy novel called Underworld. Synopsis: “Innocent victim? Dutiful daughter? Goddess? Warrior? Queen of the dead? Who was Persefóni? Underworld is a reimagining (not a retelling) of her tale in her own words - and it isn't what you were expecting.” Jump into Chapter One here!
S.L. Linton has just launched her speculative fiction serial, Sardis and the Battle for the Library. Synopsis: “For ten thousand years, Sardis has been the Librarian of the Forgotten Library. This is the Nexus of Worlds, the place where all the stories of all the universes go to live. It is also a living being as much as it is a place. And how, exactly, it all works isn’t always clear. However, despite the deep mysteries lingering here, Sardis has always felt an easy assurance that he understands the Library. Until the day the quakes come. Until the day he realizes he has no memory of his time before the Library. Sardis needs answers, and to find them, he must leave the Nexus on a quest that could shatter his understanding of himself. But if he doesn’t, all he knows and loves may be consumed by darkness.” Get started with Chapter One!
Michael P. Marpaung has just started a new science fiction series, Prisoner and Ransom. From Michael: “Part of my Holy League Universe, Prisoner and Ransom is a series of interconnected stories centered around a military agent captured by the Megacorp and the aftermath of her harrowing captivity.” Jump in here!
Milestones & Wins:
by CB Mason has exciting news about her upcoming book publication! Shattered, Book One of the Forged series, is nearing its publication date from the indie publishing house, Provender Press. The book cover was revealed on February 13th! Synopsis: “A fractured world. A hidden past. A future she never expected. In the remnants of the Pacific Northwest, 110 years in the future, fourteen-year-old Tessa Wright’s quiet life in the Wilds is shattered. Forced to leave everything she knows for the capital city of Bannock, she struggles to navigate public school for the first time while grappling with the grief of losing her family. But as fragmented memories begin to surface, Tessa starts to suspect that their deaths were no accident… and that the truth about her past is more dangerous than she ever imagined.” For release details, pre-order information, and ARC reader sign-up, Click Here!
The Crazy Cat Lady Writes (Kim Hayes) is excited to announce that two of her stories have been recently published (congratulations, Kim!)…
The House That Nobody Loved was published by Adelaide Magazine
Chris and Opie was published by Corner Bar Magazine (page 16)
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
Sara Dietz’s psychological thriller novel, Remembrance, is now available for purchase on Amazon! Previously published as a serial on Substack, the novel has been revised, expanded, and polished for a whole new release—learn more here. Release Date: 1/15/25
Karina Fabian’s fantasy novel, Madness Unbound—the second book in her Madness of Kanaan book series—is now available for purchase on Amazon! Release Date: 2/3/25
Ben Woestenburg’s historical fiction novella, The Bashful Courtesan, is now available for preorder through various sources! Release Date: 3/3/25
J. Curtis and Shane Bzdok have brought the Twilight Zone-inspired Substack Zone event to life in an all-new anthology: The Midnight Vault, which features stories from 29 Substack fiction authors and is available for preorder through various sources! You can also read this post to learn more about the collection. Release Date: 3/15/25
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
Karina Fabian will be hosting a live demo on March 3rd covering all about how to upload your book for ebook and print on Amazon! From Karina: “Sometimes, the most intimidating part of self-publishing is simply dealing with the nuts and bolts of getting your book into Amazon. […] I'll take you step by step through the how-to of working with KDP, from what to prepare ahead of time to how to adjust prices before publication. […] The focus is purely practical—it's like the lab class for self-publishing! I'll provide everyone with a worksheet so you can have your own books ready as well.”
Sign up here! (Cost: $25)
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Thank you for that Sally. I didn't know if I got to you in time. A great issue. I know, we've both been busy, so busy in fact, that I just saw this now, three days after the fact! I apologize for that, but it's the wife's day off on Mondays, and even though I try to escape from her clutches, we do spend most of the time together, which means that I miss a lot.
What a fantastic issue, thank you so much! There's a lot happening in the world of Substack fiction and I am so grateful you bring it all together in Talestack News. It seems that, every issue, I find new people to read, follow, or subscribe to, which just shows how fiction is thriving here (even with all those naysayers out there trying to suggest the opposite). Thanks again, very much appreciated.