Talestack News - ISSUE 48
[May 5th - May 19th]
✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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Your TBR can never be too full!
Have you seen how fast May has flown?! There must be something in the water, because the Substack Fiction neighborhood has been busy, busy, busy!
This particular issue is groaning under the weight of projects, events, new publications, and so many books, both published and preorder. Fiction is certainly alive and well here on Substack!
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:
- ’s latest fantasy serial, A River Trembles (Book Two in The Môrdreigiau Chronicles), finished up on May 17th. Blurb: “The story charts the story of Regency-era Eidothea Pendyr and her Chosen Court coming into their own, ready to take on the challenge of preventing the world’s ecological collapse. With sea dragons.” You can now binge-read the first two books to be ready for Book Three, releasing sometime in June. Jump into the First Chapter of Book Two here or go back to Book One to start from the very beginning!
New Projects:
- is launching Obsidian and Flame, a 20-chapter fantasy romance serial in three acts, on May 24th. From Leanne: “This is the no-longer-short story that ate my brains until I reached a satisfying conclusion—for my characters! A sea dragon prince with a deadly secret … a sea dragon with a useless gift and no desire to marry a prince. When they come together, sparks fly. More than the throne is at stake. Can they save their city or will their quest be in vain?” Check out this post for more info, including the book trailer!
- would like to announce an exciting horror event, coming soon to Fictionstack: Small and Scary / Big and Beastly! From Garen: “On May 27, join more than 20 rising horror and dark fantasy writers for a Substack event. Small and Scary features stories that take the tiny and make it terrifying, showcasing snack-sized Stacks that pack a big punch. And I'm thrilled to announce that some of Substack’s horror and dark fantasy heavyweights are joining, creating their own Big and Beastly-inspired stories. Find all the links in the Top in Fiction post going live on the 27th at 9am EST.”
- is launching a brand-new fiction publication! From Morgan: “Dimidium Tales is a new fantasy fiction Substack publication, featuring stories of various lengths—short stories, novelettes, and novellas—all set within Dimidium, my fantasy universe. My flagship work is a novella titled Mountain Bond: The Ancient Choice, which will be published in five installments. The first part, The Severance, launches on May 23rd and will be released all through June, free to all readers.”
Novella Synopsis: “Mountain Bond: The Ancient Choice follows Ryn Stormwatcher, a gender-fluid dragon rider who experiences the unthinkable—the death of their bonded dragon. As Ryn hovers at the threshold between life and death, an ancient dragon named Eskarith emerges from seclusion to offer them a second bond that defies all tradition. Set in the high fantasy world of Dimidium, where three distinct magical domains evolved from water magic after a cataclysmic event known as the Separation, the story explores grief, identity, and the complex intimacy of dragon-rider bonds through sensory-rich prose and emotional depth.”
- cordially invites the denizens of Fiction Substack to the impending opening of The Rainbow Rat Review, a publication dedicated to the highlighting and uplifting of excellent fiction on this platform and embracing the mantra: Fiction Is Culture. From Emil: “Once a week Rainbow Rat Review will post a short curated list of stories or poems. Whatever the contributors read and liked most that week on Substack. We have literature, poetry, possible surprise guests, and me, The Editor. No, you can’t submit. (But maybe you can poke or suggest, I don’t know.) No, there’s no badge. (Anathema to the project.) No, there’s no list. (Except an archive) No, there’s no ranking system and no tangible reward. (New stories, new voices, innovation, your only reward is dopamine and novelty.) No, it’s not designed to be all inclusive. (Because I don’t care about pleasing everyone and Cult Of The Rainbow Rat does not regress to the mean or lowest common denominator.) Nor comprehensive. (My spine just crawled.) In fact, it’s an exercise in curation, tastemaking, and exclusion by design. It’s about the writing. That’s it.” The soft launch will take place on May 25th with a hard launch on May 29th. Read this introductory post for more information about the publication’s origins, philosophy, and future plans (including an exciting strategy for paid subscriptions to support fellow writers)!
Awards:
The 2025 Lunar Awards continue on with Round Three of Season 10, featuring Science Fiction tales in all their future-thinking, visionary, tech-tastic glory. Submissions are open until May 31st, so there’s still time to polish up your best sci-fi tales and send them in! Round-specific rules are in the post linked above, while general awards guidelines can be found HERE.
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
- ’s dystopian novel, Shattered (Book One of the Forged series), is now available for purchase in ebook and paperback through Provender Press, your own local indie bookstore, and most major retailers! Visit by CB Mason to catch up on character backstories, location profiles, short story prequels, and more, and sign up for bonus materials. Release Date: 5/6/25
- ’s comedy horror serial, The Ghost Diaries, is now available for purchase as an ebook or paperback through Samak Press! Originally published as an eight-episode serial here on Substack, the new ebook and paperback editions contain all eight episodes in a single volume. Release Date: 5/11/25
The latest Substack horror anthology, Blood In The Yolk, is a collection of bird-themed uncanny fiction featuring tales by
, , , , , , and anthology organizer ! Pick up your copy as an ebook or paperback from Amazon. Release Date: 5/13/25- ’s debut magical realism/fantasy/mystery novella, Ivy & Ixos, is now available for purchase as an ebook and paperback via various retailers! (Talebones paid subscribers are eligible for a signed copy; check the link for more details.) Release Date: 5/15/25
- ’s debut science fantasy novel, The Forbidden Parallel, is now available for ARC sign-ups ahead of its impending release! You can learn more about the book—including the novel’s soundtrack—at Kevin’s website via Provender Press. Release Date: 5/27/25
Samak Press (an indie press founded by
) is releasing its first multi-author anthology, Feral Lands—a survival horror anthology featuring eight stories from eight authors. You can preorder the ebook from most major retailers now, with paperback and hardcover editions coming soon. Release Date: 6/3/25- ’s lyrical, meditative tiny tale, Moon, is now available for preorder at a limited-edition discounted price via . Release Date: 6/24/25
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
- will be hosting her final Stream of Consciousness Workshop for the summer on May 30th, a generative prompt event designed to push writers out of their comfort zones so they can create something truly unique. This free event takes place over Google Meet; there are 20 seats available. Send a DM for more details.
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Thanks for doing this as always! Love finding new-to-me writers!
Amazing, thank you for including 🙏