James Pyles's Blog, page 73
January 11, 2020
“I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter” or How to Succeed in Both Offending and Encouraging Readers
On twitter, I happened across a tweet by Cora Buhlert. It was referencing a story written by Isabel Fall for Clarkesworld Magazine called I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter. Actually, I saw that Buhlert was referencing a twitter conversation of someone called The 1000 Year Plan (actually a Marxist blogger named “Gary” who announces […]
January 10, 2020
Update for “A Mighty Fortress: Being an Anthology of Mormon Steampunk”
My short story “The Deseret War” has been accepted by Immortal Works publishing for their anthology “A Mighty Fortress: Being an Anthology of Mormon Steampunk”. This is the fourth volume in this annually released series of tales merging the themes of the LDS church and steampunk. This edition includes my story and 16 others. Here’s […]
January 9, 2020
Bloody Valentine Anthology Promo
Pre-order links for Eleanor Merry Presents Dark Valentine: Holiday Flash Fiction Anthology (US) And there’s more: Australia. Canada. UK. Universal. Available for pre-order now for delivery to your Kindle device February 1, 2020. Features three of my stories: “Reaper,” “Playtime,” and “New Heart.”
January 7, 2020
Clockwork Dragons: The Full Cover!
Just thought I’d throw this one in. Remember, CLOCKWORK DRAGONS: A Fantasypunk Anthology is available now for pre-order to be delivered to your Kindle device on January 15, 2020. That’s a mere eight days away. Getting excited. Features my short story “The Mechanical Dragon.” A 19th century engineer and a maimed dragon wake up in […]
January 6, 2020
How Ricky Gervais Offended Everyone in Hollywood and Restored My Faith in Comedy
Perhaps you’ve heard of comedian Ricky Gervais, or rather his hysterically scathing commentary on Hollywood, including some of the most famous icons alive. This happened at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards last night, and quickly became a social media hit. The only place I could (quickly) find the full video of his intro to the […]
January 5, 2020
Book Review: “The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century”
Note that I’ve previously reviewed individual stories presented in this anthology, such as Brad Linaweaver’s novella Moon of Ice, Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Lucky Strike, and Susan Shwartz’s Suppose They Gave a Peace. This review applies to the entire book. The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century is a 2002 anthology edited by […]
January 4, 2020
DVD Review of “Spider Man: Far From Home”
I can now officially say I’ve seen every Marvel Studios film ever made. As I’m writing this, I just finished watching Spider-Man: Far From Home. First off, between the memorial in the film’s beginning and the first end credits, two of my favorite pop hits were featured: I Will Always Love You performed by the […]
“Dark Valentine Holiday Horror Collection” Available for Pre-Order Now!
As you know if you’re a regular reader, three of my stories were accepted in the Dark Valentine Holiday Horror Collection: A Flash Fiction Anthology. What you don’t know is that it’s available for pre-order right now, with auto-delivery to your kindle device on February 1, 2020. The link above is universal to Amazon, but […]
Cloverdale
“Been coming here to Cloverdale for a while now, Taklishim.” Alan Tupper stood in front of the abandoned general store, almost all that was left of the ghost town in southern New Mexico. “You have been my good friend since you were a boy.” “I’m twenty-six now and getting ready to get out of the […]
Why Is Kylo Ren a Hero?
A day or two ago, I saw a YouTube video on Mara Jade’s twitter account commenting on a Bounding Into Comics article titled Fans Threaten J.J. Abrams and Report Mental Breakdowns Over Kylo Ren’s Ending in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Frankly, I was amazed. I guess I shouldn’t be. As a fan of […]
