Sale

[desperance]

The story I've been working on instead of the novel this last couple of weeks? Is sold.






- a new anthology of romantic fantasy. With, in my case at least, an extremely accommodating definition of the romantic. My story is an addition to the "Selling Water by the River" stream: I just let a couple of characters loose from "Bridge of Dreams" for a night, to see what they got up to. No lace, then, no blades - and I could write a whole long list of other romantic tropes that aren't in the story, but I'd probably better not. I shall merely note that I am very grateful to the editor, deborahjross, first for inviting me to play and then for letting me interpret the rules of the game in my own fashion.

Comments

[julesjones]

Excellent. :-)

[davidbarnett.livejournal.com]

Well done there. For a minute, though, I thought you'd contributed a track to that old series of rock ballads, Leather and Lace...

[quietspaces.livejournal.com]

I look forward to reading it.

[triciasullivan.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

[puts on editor's hat]

Chaz's story is wonderful, edgy, compassionate, sensual, exploring extraordinary depths in the human heart. All in utterly delicious prose that sings like poetry.

Lace and Blade will be released next Valentine's Day from Norilana Books. You'll be able to pre-order (through any bookstore that deals with Ingram, or amazon.com or Barnes & Noble) in January. Please support this project, as it is from a small publisher.

Other stories include two very different Spanish highwaymen, one from Mary Rosenblum, the other from Robin Wayne Bailey, Diana Paxson's Umbanda (Brazilian native magic), a wise and loving beheaded queen from Dave Smeds, and brilliant wit, courtly romance, mystery and derring-do from Sherwood Smith and Madeline Robins. I'm currently waiting on 3 more stories but will keep mum on who they're from until I have them in hand. Suffice it to say, this book is shaping up to be a feast for the mind and heart.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

You just sold one copy based on this description. Marvelous!

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Time well spent, then. :-)

[desperance.livejournal.com]

I think so. I hope so. Financially not, inevitably (I put, what, ten days' work into this story? I'm not even going to do the math, it's too easy. And too condemning), but it's not about the money. Short stories are the space I have left to play in: to stretch myself, perhaps to stretch the genre if I can. That's always time well spent.

[julesjones]

Sometimes you need to write something because it's there. At least when it's a short story, it's only ten days, and thus the equivalent of someone with a day job taking a two week vacation.

(Easy for me to say, of course, because even my novels earn merely enough to soothe my ego, not enough to actually *live* on...)

[bookzombie.livejournal.com]

Congrats!