Craig L Gidney's Avatar

Craig L Gidney

@ethereallad.bsky.social

Author of A SPECTRAL HUE and other books. 3 Time Lammy Finalist. DC Native http://craiglaurancegidney.com

675 Followers  |  662 Following  |  129 Posts  |  Joined: 02.08.2023  |  1.5872

Latest posts by ethereallad.bsky.social on Bluesky

Preview
Short Story Standouts Check out these gripping, funny, and exciting short story collections & anthologies!

Just over 3 months ago Storyteller was published and interest is still going strong.
It’s has been featured on a curated list of indie publishers on Bookshop dot org!
You can check out the list here: bookshop.org/lists/short-...

06.10.2025 14:49 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
β€œTrail of Shadows is a fast-paced psychedelic journey through Appalachia that’s also a tender coming of age story. Allen’s hallucinatory prose sears, full of wonder and terror, and his grasp of folklore and history shines throughout this Southern Gothic-meets-Weird fiction novel.”
(Craig Laurance Gidney, Lambda Award-nominated author of A Spectral Hue)

β€œTrail of Shadows is a fast-paced psychedelic journey through Appalachia that’s also a tender coming of age story. Allen’s hallucinatory prose sears, full of wonder and terror, and his grasp of folklore and history shines throughout this Southern Gothic-meets-Weird fiction novel.” (Craig Laurance Gidney, Lambda Award-nominated author of A Spectral Hue)

…six days…

I'm so grateful to my fellow Weird fiction writer @ethereallad.bsky.social for these kind words about my novel from @brokeneyebooks, TRAIL OF SHADOWS!

Get an early start on Halloween and pre-order: bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

Are you a @netgalley reviewer? bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

02.10.2025 23:08 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I just heard someone describe Labubus as "goblin rats in hoodies."

14.09.2025 18:12 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology Sixteen new stories from some of today's most renowned authors. All inspired by the master storyteller Tanith Lee. Drowning cities and unicorns. Burning deserts and forgotten gods. Golems, elf warrior...

New at Weightless today! STORYTELLER: A TANITH LEE TRIBUTE ANTHOLOGY from Essential Dreams Press, edited by @carinabissett.bsky.social, @ethereallad.bsky.social, Julia Deridder and @thisjulieday.bsky.social : weightlessbooks.com/storyteller-...

11.07.2025 21:29 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Jury Finds Father Guilty of Rape of His 12-Year-Old Daughter β€” Congress Heights on the Rise A Washington, D.C. resident, 33, has been found guilty by a jury on seven felony charges, including first-degree child sexual abuse, second-degree child sexual abuse, and incest for sexually abusing h...

I was an alternate on this jury. Trigger warning
www.congressheightsontherise.com/blog/jury-fi...

10.07.2025 17:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Why Do Fascists Dream Of Alligators? | Defector In June, Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier extolled the benefits of the concentration camp they were rushing to build in the wetlands of the Big Cypress Nature Reserve, west of Miami and just ...

Back in @defector.com today! I wrote about the "Alligator Alcatraz," the vicious folklore of "gator bait," and the cultural history of white supremacists trying to recruit alligators as enforcers of racial terror

09.07.2025 14:57 β€” πŸ‘ 577    πŸ” 207    πŸ’¬ 25    πŸ“Œ 31

I have a story in this Tanith Lee tribute anthology, which is out in ebook and paperback on July 1:

30.06.2025 19:00 β€” πŸ‘ 208    πŸ” 44    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Happy Book Birthday to β€œStoryteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology” Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, which I co-edited with Julie C Day (publisher and main editor), Carina Bissett, and Julia DeRidder (who did lots of editorial work even though she’s not…

New blog post about the release of STORYTELLER: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology

craiglaurancegidney.com/2025/07/06/h...

06.07.2025 17:26 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Cover, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews (March 2026)" black placeholder cover, with title and author.

Cover, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews (March 2026)" black placeholder cover, with title and author.

Cover, The Swan’s Daughter: A Possibly Doomed Love Story by Roshani Chokshi (January 2026: a woman towering over a building.

Cover, The Swan’s Daughter: A Possibly Doomed Love Story by Roshani Chokshi (January 2026: a woman towering over a building.

Cover, Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology edited by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney (June 2025): a striding female figure. Her feet at on fire, her head seems to be plants and she has wings.

Cover, Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology edited by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney (June 2025): a striding female figure. Her feet at on fire, her head seems to be plants and she has wings.

Cover, The Storm by Rachel Hawkins (January2026): Some buildings surrounded by tropical plants.

Cover, The Storm by Rachel Hawkins (January2026): Some buildings surrounded by tropical plants.

Books Received, June 7 to June 13

Ten books new to me: 4.5 fantasy, 1 horror, 1 mystery, 3.5 science fiction, of which only two are identified as series. First four covers!

jamesdavisnicoll.com/post/books-r...

14.06.2025 13:24 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Between a pixel still life and a Japanese plate with bunnies jumping in the moonlight, a papertrade book. The cover shows the title in lavender lettering: Β«Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute AnthologyΒ». Stories by C. S. E. Cooney, Maya Deane, Andy Duncan, Theodora Goss, C. L. Hellisen, Getty Hesse, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Nisi Shawl, Martha Wells. Edited by Julie C. Day with Carina Bissett and Craig Laurance Gidney. Over a pale forest background, a slender and unclothed winged humanoid figure made of shells and botanical elements walks on two legs over a fire that reaches their knees.

Between a pixel still life and a Japanese plate with bunnies jumping in the moonlight, a papertrade book. The cover shows the title in lavender lettering: Β«Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute AnthologyΒ». Stories by C. S. E. Cooney, Maya Deane, Andy Duncan, Theodora Goss, C. L. Hellisen, Getty Hesse, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Nisi Shawl, Martha Wells. Edited by Julie C. Day with Carina Bissett and Craig Laurance Gidney. Over a pale forest background, a slender and unclothed winged humanoid figure made of shells and botanical elements walks on two legs over a fire that reaches their knees.

Happy release day to this wonderful tribute anthology!
There's a story of mine in it, titled Β«On Her Head a Crown of Twelve StarsΒ». I am glad readers keep finding Tanith Lee's works and that we fans keep finding each other to celebrate her legacy.

01.07.2025 15:41 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Laura Loomer makes Cersei Lannister look reasonable

05.07.2025 20:24 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

We hope our tribute anthology will create another resurgence of interest. Comes out in July!

24.06.2025 18:09 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I dreamt that I was taking my girlfriend Katy Perry to meet my parents. That's so wrong on very many levels. It almost qualifies as a nightmare.

24.06.2025 18:05 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you!

21.06.2025 14:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Magic Pride! On this trip through recommendations for Pride Month, I’ve made quick stops with my the first two Triad books, so today I figured I’d round out the journey with Triad Magic, which close…

Today in my reposting of #PrideMonth #BookSky suggestions are magic. Specifically, they’re @ethereallad.bsky.social's etherial and wonderful collection "Skin Deep Magic," and @drslayton.bsky.social's "White Trash Warlock," which starts off an awesome series. πŸ’™πŸ“šπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ

21.06.2025 12:19 β€” πŸ‘ 24    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
The cover of Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, featuring stories by CSE Cooney, Maya Deane, Andy Duncan, Theodora Goss, CL Hellisen, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Nisi Shawl, and Martha Wells, edited by Julie C Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney.

The cover of Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, featuring stories by CSE Cooney, Maya Deane, Andy Duncan, Theodora Goss, CL Hellisen, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Nisi Shawl, and Martha Wells, edited by Julie C Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney.

A page saying: "Though we come and go, and pass into the shadows, where we leave behind us stories told--on paper, on the wings of butterflies, on the wind, on the hearts of others--there we are remembered, there we work magic and great change--passing on the fire like a torch--forever and ever. Till the sky falls, and all things are flawless and need no words at all." -- Tanith Lee (1947-2015)

A page saying: "Though we come and go, and pass into the shadows, where we leave behind us stories told--on paper, on the wings of butterflies, on the wind, on the hearts of others--there we are remembered, there we work magic and great change--passing on the fire like a torch--forever and ever. Till the sky falls, and all things are flawless and need no words at all." -- Tanith Lee (1947-2015)

The first page of Maya Deane's "In Your Shadow": 
I. The air was thin this high in the Mountains of Alcar, and cold and dry, but young Alleili par Nasheliu climbed on. Her feet, alternately numb and smarting, tingled on each encounter with the black volcanic stone of Phoenix Burn Pass. Ages ago, the whole pass had been charred with fire. Some rocks had melted and flowed, others were sharp as glass, but all had been baked black. 
Yet Alleili felt the change when she came to the spot where the Last Breath of Winter fell. 
It was sacred ground. 
Nothing about this place looked unlike the rest of Phoenix Burn Pass, but here the cold deepened and cut like knives, piercing the youth's fur-lined cloak and numbing her bones. Alleili shivered, though she had vowed to ignore the cold and finish what she started. A thin snow began to fall. Reaching down, the child broke off a glass-sharp spike of rock. It cut her palm, and her blood dripped onto the rocks."

The first page of Maya Deane's "In Your Shadow": I. The air was thin this high in the Mountains of Alcar, and cold and dry, but young Alleili par Nasheliu climbed on. Her feet, alternately numb and smarting, tingled on each encounter with the black volcanic stone of Phoenix Burn Pass. Ages ago, the whole pass had been charred with fire. Some rocks had melted and flowed, others were sharp as glass, but all had been baked black. Yet Alleili felt the change when she came to the spot where the Last Breath of Winter fell. It was sacred ground. Nothing about this place looked unlike the rest of Phoenix Burn Pass, but here the cold deepened and cut like knives, piercing the youth's fur-lined cloak and numbing her bones. Alleili shivered, though she had vowed to ignore the cold and finish what she started. A thin snow began to fall. Reaching down, the child broke off a glass-sharp spike of rock. It cut her palm, and her blood dripped onto the rocks."

I received my contributor's copy of Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology today. I wept.

When I was young and in desperate need, Tanith Lee's stories came to me like a wind from another world. I hope her name lives forever. I hope I can bestow gifts like she did.

13.06.2025 18:01 β€” πŸ‘ 41    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Today is the 6th book anniversary for A SPECTRAL HUE. It's been written about in academic papers, taught in classes. It still gives me a royalty check

18.06.2025 20:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
From the WeirdLit community on Reddit Explore this post and more from the WeirdLit community

Congratulations to all of this year's Stoker winners and finalists!

www.reddit.com/r/WeirdLit/c...

15.06.2025 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This book is full Tanith inspired fiction and has an essay by her widower husband

14.06.2025 23:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Co-editor’s copy

14.06.2025 01:35 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

Thanks for the review!

12.06.2025 20:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

20 day (ish) TBR book challenge #8.
Choose 20 books on your current TBR shelf/shelves, list, stack, library holdβ€”wherever! One book per day for 20 days, no particular order. No explanations, no expectations, just coversπŸ’™πŸ“š
#Booksky #bookchallenge #20TBRbookchallenge #readingchallenge #readersky

12.06.2025 15:11 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Review: Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology – acwise.net

I just posted a review of the forthcoming Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology edited by @thisjulieday.bsky.social, @carinabissett.bsky.social, and Craig Laurance Gidney. It's a lovely anthology and it'll be out in July!

acwise.net/review-story...

08.06.2025 17:12 β€” πŸ‘ 40    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Victoria Brownworth, In Memoriam I didn’t know the trailblazing lesbian Victoria Brownworth, but I remember her as a fighter. She was always on Twitter (when it was still usable), pointing out injustice. She wasn’t afraid to get i…

New blog post about the death of one of my editors.
craiglaurancegidney.com/2025/06/11/v...

11.06.2025 17:24 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

There were riots during the Orange Felon's last term. This administration loves violent conflict.

09.06.2025 16:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

A narcissistic Nazi is feuding with a narcissistic rapist, with the country as collateral damage. It's both delicious and disturbing, in equal measure.

06.06.2025 15:33 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Rest in peace, Edmund White. He was a giant in queer literature. I loved his novel A BOY'S OWN STORY, a classic coming out story.

05.06.2025 16:01 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

DC is hosting World Pride this year. Earlier this week, there was an Instagram post showing a man ripping down a rainbow banner taped to a light pole. Trump's America. Time for it to be World Wrath month.

05.06.2025 16:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Black queer author library display that features The Nectar of Nightmares

28.05.2025 18:10 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My writing got praise from Samuel Delany and Brian Evenson!

28.05.2025 04:14 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

@ethereallad is following 20 prominent accounts