✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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Good things come in small packages!
Happy late July, all! It’s a bit of a shorter issue this time around, but that means each entry in the list packs even more of a punch. We’ve got a new fantasy serial, a smattering of published works to build hype for/get your mitts on, and an awards season looking for submissions!
Is there anything better?
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!
New Projects:
Walt Shuler has just started to serialize his fantasy fiction novel called A Dread Tide Rising. Blurb: “A Dread Tide Rising is a pulp-flavored, epic fantasy novel set in the world of Thalrassa. It follows the Talon, a group of mercenaries, thieves, and smugglers, as they come face to face with an ancient enemy intent on the destruction of the Rakkian Empire.” Jump into Chapter One here!
Awards:
The 2025 Lunar Awards continue forward with Round Four of Season 10, featuring Fantasy tales of all types and stripes! Submissions are open until July 31st, so there’s still time to polish up your best tales of magic and mystery and send them in! Round-specific rules are in the post linked above, while general awards guidelines can be found HERE.
Milestones & Wins:
NJ Simat 🤍’s book, Mother Goose and Her Kind Beast, is set for an impending publication through Lemon Jelly Press CIC! Check out this note to see the evocative cover, and stay tuned for more details in early August. Congratulations, NJ!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
Hanna Delaney’s historical thriller and latest in her Muldoon Mysteries series, The Ring, is now available for purchase as an ebook or physical copy through various retailers! Release Date: 6/2/25
Somia Sadiq’s lyrical literary fiction novel, Gajarah, is now available for pre-order as an ebook or paperback through Amazon! Release Date: 9/9/25
If you didn’t catch your copy of In This Way We Bind Them—the collaborative limited-edition seasonal horror zine put together by EJ Trask, Shaina Read, Sean Thomas McDonnell, and Keith Long—you still have time to get one! Copies are available through Sean’s online shop and Keith’s online shop. But act fast - they won’t stick around for long!
Editor’s Note: “This zine is worth every penny! Phenomenal fiction and chilling linocut illustrations by Shaina Read. It feels cursed, but in a good way. Get your hands on it!”
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
I've just stumbled onto this Substack and it's fantastic! What a great initiative.
🙏Thanks — also love that Mother Goose artwork, will look into that