Believe it or not, I do try to make these posts somewhat scary... or, at the very least, creepy. I don't know if I always succeed, but today, I want to set any attempt at horror aside for a moment. See, today I have an announcement that's not scary, but it does fit the Halloween Countdown theme of "dreams" because I want to talk about a dream of mine which has come true - one of my short stories is getting published, in an anthology!
I have had some drabbles published by Alban Lake, I posted stories online and I have some non-fiction work around the place. But, earlier this year I had one of my short stories accepted by a little publisher, Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing; and in association with Legion of Dorks, they're publishing:
Misspelled
Magic Gone Awry
Edited kindly and patiently by Kelly Ann Colby, it's a collection of mixed-fantasy short stories, wherein spells, prophecies, curses and hexes don't quite work out as hoped. Obviously, I'm proud of my own story, "Sight Unseen" by Matthew A.J. Anderson (that's me) - about a pair of young magic users who try an invisibility spell that doesn't work out like they'd planned. but I've read some of the other stories, and I don't think you'll be disappointed by this collection. there's "Hex Messages" by Stephanie Dare Adams - a fun tale about why powerful witches should be wary of what they drink at college parties; "Last Rite of the God Heist" by Gregory D. Little - about an inexperienced officer, performing a dangerous ritual for her society's imprisoned gods; "Be Like the Pigeon" by Matt Thompson - the story of a pair of wizarding brothers, cursed to speak only in poetic verse & many, many more fantasy stories to inspire, intrigue and enchant...
You can't buy the book yet as it's not yet out, but if this peaks your interest, I highly encourage you to check it out when it's launched. Part of the proceeds to this work goes towards Toys for Tots, so you're
not just supporting smaller publishers and writers, but also giving to a children's charity.
But, if the book isn't out yet... why am I telling you about it today?
Well, because the book WILL be out, in just 20 DAYS from today. The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, November 9th at 8PM Central Time, as the publisher is in Texas. To celebrate, Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing has organized a public book launch to be streamed live on Twitch.tv, with as many of the contributing authors as possible (myself included). Like I said, it's organized by Central time, but as I'm not American, by my reckoning the book launches at:
Wednesday, November 10th (2021), 1:00PM AEDT
(click here, and this should show a converter for your local time)
I am still sorting out the specifics, but I believe if you head to Twitch.tv/CursedDragonShip at that date and time, you can join us for the launch.
- - -
Save the Date, Mark the Calendar & Set the Alarm - I am looking forward to this, and I hope you'll come join me, my fellow authors, the editors and possibly more people (I'm a featured author, not an organizer, so I'm still a little fuzzy on the details). Check out the Cursed Dragon Ship website for any updates.
Until Next Time, I'm the Absurd Word Nerd, and I hope you'll come join us if possible. I'm nervous, but excited, to see how this thing goes... and in the meantime, come back for as I continue my Halloween Countdown shenanigans, tomorrow.
UPDATE: book now available to buy at Misspelled – Magic Gone Awry – Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing
