✒ Editor’s Note
Welcome back, Talestack Readers!
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We find ourselves in the restlessness of February…
Here at Talestack HQ, February is a restless season. It’s winter’s waning edge.
We’re desperate for signs and signals of change, of hope, of rebirth. Clinging to every scrap of early spring sunshine, and consoling ourselves with the thought that the near-ceaseless rain will bring eventual greening, despite the puddles and drips.
If the year is a story, then February is winter’s denoument; her grip is loosening, her enchantment is fading away. The days warm, ever so slightly. The night rings with frog-songs. The creeks swell with rain.
And like any story worth telling, soon we’ll enter spring, carrying with us everything we learned from our wintering, ready to start the cycle all over again. 🌿
Please join us in welcoming our very first Talestack News Issue Sponsor: Glitter and Toadstools! ✨🍄
I have been a fan of her art for quite a while; I even own some of her beautiful jewelry pieces and wear them with pride. Her work is beautiful, fun, good quality, and fits the feel and audience of this newsletter to a tee. It is my pleasure to feature her shop in this issue, and I’m so grateful to her for supporting the mission of Talestack News!
Happy reading, happy writing!
S.E. Reid Editor of Talestack News
To sponsor a future issue of Talestack News with your business, shop, service, product, or event, reach out at talestack.editor@gmail.com with the word SPONSOR in the subject line!
📣 Announcements!
Finished Projects:
The Casual Writer recently wrapped up her latest western series, The Penny Bullet. Synopsis: “A strange, beastly threat is terrorizing the deserts of Tombstone, Arizona. Lucia Ruiz, a saloon girl for The Bird Cage, evades a particularly dangerous guest thanks to the intervention of a mysterious cowboy. The events send Lucia and the cowboy on a mission to find out what’s out in the desert - for the sake of finding answers to her past.” Jump into Part One here!
New Projects:
Konstantin Carambelas recently joined Substack (welcome!) and launched his supernatural speculative series, Parallel Curses. Blurb: “Seven continents riddled by war. Countless curses sowing conflict. One parallel Earth, mirroring ours. Follow weekly Chapters from five (anti)heroes in Parallel Curses.” For more information about how the story works, the main characters, and the narrative’s parallel threads, check out this introduction post.
Heather Dickinson recently added a new section to her Substack where she plans to post speculative narrative poetry, flash fic, and more. From Heather: “It’s called ‘Pen-Scribbled Stories’ and new subscribers will automatically receive updates (existing subscribers will have to add it to their subscription). Two tales are currently up for reading, ‘Swords’ and ‘Towers,’ with more to come.”
Sandbox Earth Season is back at Scoot’s Gibberish! From Scoot: “My two month offseason has concluded, and we return to normally scheduled programming. This means Flash Fiction Friday resumes 2/6, monthly short fiction set in the Sandbox Earth universe, and a forthcoming serial which will be a Surveyor Corps adventure.” Learn more here!
Hieronymus Hawkes recently launched a serial western called Through Dust and Distance. Synopsis: “Will Sturgis [is] a young hand looking for wages and maybe a bit of purpose. He joins a northbound cattle drive and learns fast that the trail is equal parts sweat, dust, danger, and unexpected grace. If you like Westerns with heart and grit, saddle up. Will’s got a long way to ride.”
Awards:
Over the course of 2025, Ian Barr read and reviewed 34 different indie books published by Substack authors. In a recent livestream he handed out trophies for his favorites in various categories, and compiled them all into the Indie ‘25 Awards! Check out the post for a written roundup of all the awards, or watch a replay of the livestream here. (Grab a pen and paper—your TBR will thank you!)
📚 The Bookshelf
(Titles listed in order of release date.)
Sean Thomas McDonnell’s colorful punk-noir novel, Cherry Kills, is now available for preorder through Tiny Worlds Publishing. Signed books, merch, and deluxe kits are also available. Release Date: 2/13/26
Eleanor Anstruther’s coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Greenham Women’s Peace Camp, Fallout, is available for preorder through various sources. Release Date: 4/21/26
📝 Submissions Bulletin
The submission window for Lemon Jelly Press CIC will be opening 1st April to 26th June this year, and the Press put out this recent post to give interested writers some guidelines about what they are looking for and how to prepare work for submission. From the post: “Our aim is not simply to accept work. It is to support writers in building strong, professional, resilient creative practices. To help you learn how to prepare your work properly. To help you trust your voice. To help you stand behind your stories. By the time you press ‘send,’ we want your confidence in your work to be high. We want you to feel: This is ready. This represents me. This is my best. If you’ve been quietly working on something. If you’ve been unsure whether it’s ‘ready.’ If you’ve been telling yourself ‘maybe next year.’ This is your sign.”
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Connection Corner
Fans of historical fantasy, assemble! Substack writer Quinn Que ❁ would love for fellow historical fantasy fans to check out his nearly-complete serial, The Dragon’s Son, with an eye toward deep, honest feedback. Synopsis: “They wanted to civilize him. They made him a monster instead. Eleven-year-old Vlad Drăculea arrives at the Ottoman court in silver chains-a hostage to guarantee his father’s loyalty. For six years, he’s given the finest education: languages, warfare, philosophy. The Ottomans think they’re creating a loyal puppet prince. They’re wrong. They’re making a nightmare.” (Note: this serial is hosted on Wattpad.)
Mr. Troy Ford and the good folks at Qstack would like to formally invite you to the Theater Camp for Writers online workshop on Sunday, February 8th at 2pm EST! This free event is a primer on how to bring a theatrical sensibility to your written work, led by Chris Tebbetts. Check out the announcement post for more details and how to grab your free Eventbrite tickets!
Speculative fiction writers! Are you looking for a place to find inspiration, share your work, and connect with other writers? Check out the latest Prompt Quest event hosted by Reina Cruz and The Lunar Awards! Take a peek at the prompt, see if it sparks an idea, and then share it with the community!
To sponsor a future issue of Talestack News with your business, shop, service, product, or event, reach out at talestack.editor@gmail.com with the word SPONSOR in the subject line!
Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:
talestack.editor@gmail.com
Thank you for adding Cherry!! 🍒
Thanks for the boost! theatercampforwriters.com :)