Gloria Wickman

Out sister magazine—Goblins and Galaxies—just came out with issue #1!

Get your sword and sorcery on here: https://bit.ly/49IRpfy

This is the movie that introduced me to Bruce Campbell and for that alone I'll always treasure it. And it was via Bruce Campbell that I discovered the Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. which is really an insane, trippy, campy gem of a tv series

Happy Halloween!

So excited to announce I'm part of the Skull x Bones Anthology coming out soon! @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social and @davidbcoe.bsky.social have really put together a great collection of stories and I'm honored to be a part of it. You can preorder on Kickstarter here: tinyurl.com/ZNBSkullXBones

Finished checking the page proofs of my pirate story in the upcoming SKULL X BONES anthology. Thanks again to editors @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social and @davidbcoe.bsky.social for inviting me to revisit Eddie LaCrosse and one of my favorite of his sidekicks, Jane Argo. Watch for the release soon!

The cover for Goblins and Galaxies #1 is here! This issue features cover art by the wonderfully talented Jimmy Spence, as well as stories by @christinaladd.bsky.social , Alex Wolfgang, Olaitan Akano, Grace Quon, and more!

"The classic decision is always the same, whether to retreat or go on. There comes a time when it is easier to continue upward, when the summit, in fact, is the only way out. At such a moment one must still have strength." —James Salter, SOLO FACES (and a metaphor for novel writing?)

edited comic panel. Batman is breaking a lump-with-handle cow tool over his knee and saying "this is the tool of the cow. we do not understand it. we will not use it."

it's not FOR us

A cow is lifted into space by a UFO tractor beam. Two little ghost friends are following. The cow's thought bubble reads, "$5,140!"

25% THERE!! 🍾🎉 That means we're only 5% away from opening to NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS for the first time EVER! Thank you all so much for your support 💜👽

🌙🐄 Come fly to the moon with us! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...

Cover of Queen Demon. Kai is dressed in a teal gold-trimmed coat over a long dark purple shirt, wearing a dark veil scattered with gold coins in his long dark hair. He's in motion, running or leaping toward the lower left corner of the cover.

I did a playlist for Queen Demon, which will be out Tuesday October 7 in hardcover, ebook and audiobook (narrated by Eric Mok). Published by Tor Books, edited by Lee Harris, cover art by Cynthia Sheppard, design by Christine Foltzer and Greg Collins.

marthawells.dreamwidth.org/670115.html

For BCS, very much this. We're seeing a lot more gen AI and especially part AI/part human 'hybrid' subs this summer, we've gotten better at spotting them, and we're noting who has sent them.

its comforting to hear I'm not the only one that worries about this.

Today's #writing challenge will be keeping things I'm currently watching from seeping into my #WIP.

(Usually I let stories absorb whatever they want to absorb, but some things are too close to what I'm working on, and I've inadvertently stumbled into one of those).

Writer Beware expose coming tomorrow (spoiler alert: these scams are coming from Nigeria)

Finished @emmypax.bsky.social Death on the Caldera the other night and absolutely loved it. The worldbuilding was so rich and the pacing had me speeding through it. Would definitely enjoy seeing more of the Linde (& extended) family in the future.

NEW MURDERBOT NOVEL BY @marthawells.com NEXT YEAR and look at that gorgeous cover!! www.usatoday.com/story/entert...

Small Wonders will be open to original flash fiction submissions this Friday, September 12th. We'll be open through October 31st!

We'll also be closing to reprint flash fiction on Friday, September 12th.

Send us your weird, wild, wonderful little stories with big emotions!

“Justice ain’t death,” Win said, bravely standing down Loop, “nor is paying pain for pain. It’s paying kindness for pain. Doing good.”

That's awesome! You just made my day twice

ICYMI, my newest short story came out earlier this week with Beneath Ceaseless Skies! "Bloody Muddy Water" is a fantasy detective story where spellbreaker Rugg and his alligator mount, Tugboat, must solve the mystery of the Headsick plague spreading through the swampy canals of Blackvill.

Sometimes you read a description so tailored toward toward your interests you can hardly believe it AND THEN the story ends up not only delivering but being even better than you hope. This is one of those stories. Absolutely loved the characters and worldbuilding immensely.

of submissions during the open call than anticipated, it is taking a while to give each story a careful read. (And WOW, they are all so good!) The first round of rejections went out earlier in August. We hope to get all responses out sometime in September.

A few updates!

🖊️ Weird West Quick Draw Flash Fiction Contest

The Weird West Quick Draw contest winners will be announced Sept 1 on @reachyourapex.bsky.social
and my social channels. Thanks everyone who submitted!

🏜️Women of the Weird West

Due to a much larger number

Thanks for the update!

Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!

Apologies to those with visual impairments but the editorial is well over the 2000 character limit for alt text on Bluesky. Imagine an editor of a magazine laying out his case for why generative AI should not be used, period, and why it's a detriment to Sword & Sorcery in particular.

In another space I felt compelled to share the editorial for our upcoming issue six of @newedgeswordmag.bsky.social, so I may as well share it here for y'all.

loved this

"Age verification" laws are actually "upload your ID or get your face scanned to access every website, ending anonymity and associating your identity with everything you do online" laws and if more people understood that they would not be down for this authoritarian nonsense

Goblins & Galaxies aims to capture that feeling people must have had when they picked up an issue of Weird Tales almost a hundred years ago. Or maybe when you picked up your first fantasy novel as a kid. Modern adult life got you down? Maybe you need some fantastical tales: https://bit.ly/44Waubl

Slushpile thoughts: a lot of newer writers would benefit from being more intentional in their metaphors.

A metaphor is not just a vibe. It needs to make semantic sense in order to function — the purpose is to offer some kind of clarity, not to obfuscate.