Talestack News - ISSUE 53
[July 21st - August 4th]
✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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Welcome to August!
The summer season here at Talebones HQ is starting to turn a bit of a corner. The garden is full of nearly-ready produce, the local stores are stocking back-to-school items…and the Substack fiction neighborhood is brimming with late-season projects!
While I love all of the categories here in the News, it always does my heart good to see the Connections Corner fill up, and this issue is FULL of opportunities to connect with your fellow writers through prompts and submissions! Round that out with some ongoing projects, milestones, and other fabulous announcements and you’ve got an issue worth celebrating.
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:
Mad genius
has assembled dozens of Substack fiction writers, artists, and musicians for an impending collaborative multi-media project called Weather Reports, coming this month. It promises to be a wild time—follow Jon for updates and don’t change that channel!- has just launched a new dystopian supernatural serial set in the Pacific Northwest, called Smoke-Mouth. Episodes will post weekly through September. Synopsis: “Jenny-Dog is just fine on her own. Jenny-Dog needs no one and no one needs her. Until a fool young stranger shows up, says she’s walking all the way to the crippled mountain—to Lawetlat’la, to Smoke-Mouth—and asks if Jenny wants to come along. Jenny doesn’t fancy their chances. After all, it’s over a hundred miles on a dangerous road through a once-modern region laid bare by quakes and crisis. There are many-eyed angels hovering in the summer sky, and hungry thieves lurking in the woods with violence in their hearts. But the mountain is calling. And when Smoke-Mouth calls, the dreamers reply.” Jump into Episode One here!
Milestones & Wins:
Longtime Substack fiction benefactor extraordinaire
has brought the wonders of indie fiction to the physical world with his recent grand opening of Enchanted Books in Rio Rancho, New Mexico! If you’re local—or find yourself passing through—go take a peek to find a mighty selection of fantastic books, including published work from Substack authors. You can also subscribe to the newsletter here on Substack for info and updates!We all know that September is around the corner, but over in
’s neck of the woods it’s nearly Subtember! From Scoot: “SUBTEMBER is an annual subscription drive. I’ve been writing here at Gibberish since January, 2023—I’ve published a lot of fiction, and a lot of works I am very proud of. One thing I haven’t done yet is publish anything [for sale in stores]. SUBTEMBER is an opportunity for you to help me accomplish this! From Now Through September, a Paid Subscription to Gibberish is 50% off!” Check out the official post for more details!- is gearing up to see her poetry collection—a novel in verse entitled Gifted—become a published reality! To explain the book, she quotes : “[Gifted is] speculative confessional mythopoetics. It’s ritualised resistance literature. It’s bisexual goth liturgical erotica in the body of a girl who would rather live than die this time, thanks.” Maia has finished updating the formatted version and handed it back to the publishers, so stay tuned for news on its impending publication! Congratulations, Maia!!
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
- ’s historical fiction novel—and Book One of the Steppe Saga—called Of Wind and Wolves, is now available for preorder through various retailers! Check out this post for details, including how to get your hands on an ARC copy. Release Date: 9/1/25
- will have two poems included in upcoming historical horror anthology The Lizzie Borden House! This book is currently running as a Kickstarter campaign and still looking for pledges; if it interests you, consider making a contribution!
📝 Submissions Bulletin
- has sent in an early-bird exclusive for the Talestack News readership: an upcoming horror fiction event and contest called Inanimate Objects, hosted by TiF Press and sponsored by ! Short fiction submissions (between 500 and 3,000 words) will be open September 15th through October 15th. From Erica: “Fiction writers can either enter the contest or just the event. Winners will be announced on the day of the event on Friday, October 31st. All entrants/participants are eligible to receive an invitation to the subsequent anthology. will release an email on September 15th with more details.” Stay tuned for more!
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
Looking for something to kickstart your creativity? Check out the newest Prompt Quest from the Lunar Awards, hosted this time around by
! From the official rules: “The rules are simple. You will be presented with a prompt. It could be a required first line, a task that will challenge your craft, elements required in your story, or a genre-specific prompt. You will have two weeks to write a short story under the rules. At the end of two weeks, we’ll host a Gathering to celebrate what’s been accomplished and highlight your stories at the end of two weeks. You can share them on this thread, as well as The Pitch at the end of the month. This is an opportunity to find writers you admire, befriend, and learn from.” Check out the post to find the prompt and get your imagination revving!The Editor would like to remind the Substack fiction space about the wonders of
! This longtime Substack fiction institution is a FREE resource containing virtual shelf upon virtual shelf of Substack fiction short stories, serials, and published indie works in an easy-to-find format and updated regularly. Looking for your next read? The Library has you covered!This Friday (August 8th) at 2:00pm EDT,
will host a TiF on Serials panel discussion livestream right here on Substack! Tune in through the app or on desktop to hear , , and “discuss their respective serialized fiction, how they keep up with the grinding schedule, and their journey to ultimately publish their own work.” Hope to see you there!- has recently designed a new sprawling universe and roleplaying-game called Dewayne Hollow—and is currently looking for intrepid beta-testers! From the official introduction: “Dewayne Hollow is both a collection of short stories and a role playing-game. The short stories written for Dewayne Hollow belong to my usual universe, mixing dark literary fiction, horror, and slowly shifting back to my very early roots as a writer, dark fantasy. So, I hope you will enjoy the trip to this charming and spooky little place.” Check out the introductory post for details about the universe and how YOU can get involved!
Fantasy writers—are you looking for a prompt to suit your unique style?
has got something special for you! Based on a beautifully-imagined mythology, Leanne has thrown the gauntlet for fantasy writers across the platform to craft their own take. From the prompt post: “You’ll have a month to work on this … after September 4, 2025, I will do a link round-up (‘Rhiannon’s Collected Above Sea Tales’) and I’ll be sure to send reminders via Chat (if you’re a subscriber) and Notes (if you’re not). Share the link to your story in the comments below, so everyone can read it.” Check out the official post to find the prompt along with other submission details!
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
How did I miss there was a new Talestack coming out? Oh, right, I’ve been on holidays. Anyway, thank you for including my little writing prompt.
So many good things happening!