David A. Riley's Blog, page 22

An Oddity to be published in the January 2024 issue of Schlock Webzine

I just heard back from Gavin Chappell that he'll be including my horror story An Oddity in the January 2024 issue of Schlock Webzine. 

An Oddity includes a horror icon, the Gorgon's head - or at least a gorgon's head. I've wanted to write a story that incorporated this ever since I saw this marvellous book cover back in the 1960s. 

Audio versions of Savage Realms Monthly

Issue 19
Ever innovative, Savage Realms Monthly has begun to turn their earlier issues into audiobooks. Yesterday I was given the opportunity by the highly talented Robert Lovely to listen to his version of my story The Dark Priestdom, which appeared in issue 19. Not yet available to the general public as an audiobook, I was massively impressed by how he brought my story to life - so well, in fact, it was as if I was listening to something written by someone else! I definitely look forward to when issue 19 is available to buy. In the meantime these are what are available so far: amazon audiobooks

Savage Realms Monthly for April 2023 reviewed in Schlock Webzine, including my story The Dark Priestdom

Schlock Webzine has just reviewed the April issue of Savage Realms Monthly, which included my story The Dark Priestdom. 

Follow this link to read the review online. 

Back to writing

Now that I have finished editing, proofreading and publishing the 6th Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy I have time again to get stuck into some writing of my own. The project I am working on now is another Ossani the Healer yarn. Ossani is a peculiar swords and sorcery "hero", tall, birdlike, with a shaven skull on which he wears an occular of his own design with multiple lenses for seeing either near or far or even in the dark. Though he calls himself a healer he is in fact a minor sorcerer. He made his first appearance as a secondary character in a story published in Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy edited by Dustin Bilyk (The Storyteller of Koss). Two other tales are still out there awaiting a decision from two different markets: Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus, and Ossani's Slaves. The tale I am working on at the moment is tentatively titled Ossani's Enemy. One thing is for sure: he is no Clonan.

 

Received copies of Swords & Heroes and proof copy of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6

 

Received a great double delivery today: My contributor's copies of Swords & Heroes edited by Lyndon Perry, containing my story Welgar the Cursed, plus the proof copy of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6.

Swords & Heroes is a beautifully published book and one I am immensely proud to be in, alongside such outstanding authors as Charles Gramlich, Gustavo Bondoni, Michael T. Burke, Teel James Glenn, Tom Doolan, Nancy Hansen, Tim Hanlon, Frank Sawielijew, Cliff Hamrick, J. Thomas Howard, and Adrian Cole.  I am pleased the proof copy for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is exactly right. All I have to do now is format it for a kindle version and it will be ready to publish, hopefully before the end of next week.

My story Welgar the Cursed is now available in Lyndon Perry's Swords & Heroes

My story Welgar the Cursed (the sequel to The Dark Priestdom which appeared in the March issue of Savage Realms Monthly) is now available in Lyndon Perry's anthology collection Swords & Heroes, which has been published as a paperback and kindle ebook. 

"Swords & Heroes – An Anthology of Sword and Sorcery – features 12 exciting tales of heroic adventure from some of the best writers in the genre today.

Included are stories by Charles Gramlich, Gustavo Bondoni, Michael T. Burke, Teel James Glenn, Tom Doolan, Nancy Hansen, Tim Hanlon, Frank Sawielijew, Cliff Hamrick, J. Thomas Howard, David A. Riley, and Adrian Cole; along with a foreword by Jason M Waltz as well as a roundtable discussion of the current state of sword and sorcery."

Lucilla - serialised in Bewildering Stories - available to read free online

My story Lucilla was published last year in Bewildering Stories, serialised in 11 parts. It is available to read online free from this link.

Independent Author Spotlight: David A. Riley

Today I am the subject of DMR Books' Independent Author Spotlight. You can read it all on this link.

My S&S Story The Dark Priestdom is in the latest issue of Savage Realms Monthly

I am pleased my 10,000 word sword and sorcery story The Dark Priestdom is available now in the latest issue of Savage Realms Monthly (issue No 19, March 2023). 

This story features two ongoing characters: Nadrain the Storyteller and Welgar the Northerner.

Nadrain first appeared in Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, edited by Dustin Bilyk in 2022 in The Storyteller of Koss. 

Welgar's first appearance is as one of the two main characters in Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus, which is still out awaiting acceptance for publication. There is also a sequel to The Dark Priestdom. Welgar the Cursed will be published this May in Swords & Heroes, edited by Lyndon Perry.  

A fourth Welgar story, Mask of a Mad God, is currently out with a potential publisher. More about this and Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus when either or both are accepted for publication.

My third ongoing character is Ossani the Healer, who made his first appearance in The Storyteller of Koss. Besides  Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus, he is the main character in Ossani's Slaves, which is another recent tale still out awaiting acceptance for publication. 

More stories of all three characters and their occasional crossovers are planned for the future.

Submissions for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Will Open at Midnight Tonight

 

 Submissions period for Swords & Sorceries Volume 6
will open on the 1st April till the 30th April 2023 Payment is £25 per story regardless of length plus one contributor's copy of the paperback. The book will be published as a paperback and ebook. If a hardcover version is published we will pay an additional £25. Please send your submissions as attachments (doc, docx or rtf) headed  "Submission - Swords & Sorceries 6"  to:

paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk

Please send only one submission - the one you consider the best fit for us. 

Although we prefer original stories we are prepared to consider reprints. Just let us know where and when it was previously published. 

You can send in simultaneous submissions, but let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere as soon as you can. Bear in mind you will only have to wait a maximum of one month and a week in which to receive a decision from us.

There is no limit on the size of submissions.  

There is absolutely no need to tell us anything about yourself because the only thing that matters is the story. Everything else is irrelevant.

All rejections and acceptances will be sent out by email by the end of the first week in May. Please don't enquire about your submission before then.

AI has become an issue recently. Let's be clear on our policy with regard to stories written using AI: not only will they be rejected but, if proven to our satisfaction, the author using it will be blacklisted.

And good luck!

In the past we have received a number of stories that may be fantasy but are not swords and sorcery. If you are unsure what it is, why not get a better idea by checking out volumes 1 - 5. Saying that, swords and sorcery is a broad genre and we are more than willing to consider stories that stretch its limits, as we have in the past.

Also check our dedicated facebook group:  Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy  

   

The contents of Volume One are:
THE MIRROR OF TORJAN SUL - Steve LinesTHE HORROR FROM THE STARS - Steve DilksTROLLS ARE DIFFERENT - Susan Murrie MacdonaldCHAIN OF COMMAND - Geoff HartDISRUPTION OF DESTINY - Gerri LeenTHE CITY OF SILENCE - Eric Ian SteeleRED - Chadwick GintherTHE RECONSTRUCTED GOD - Adrian ColeThe cover and all the interior artwork is by Jim Pitts.  amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

The contents of Volume 2 are:

The Essence of Dust by Mike Chinn

Highjacking the Lord of Light by Tais Teng

Out in the Wildlands by Martin Owton

Zale and Zedril by Susan Murrie Macdonald

The Amulet and the Shadow by Steve Dilks

Antediluvia: Seasons of the World by Andrew Darlington

A Thousand Words for Death by Pedro Iniguez

Stone Snake by Dev Agarwal

Seven Thrones by Phil Emery

The Eater of Gods by Adrian Cole 

Illustrations by Jim Pitts.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

 

The contents of Volume 3 are: Sorcerous Vengeance by Lorenzo D. Lopez  Seal Snatchers of Jorsaleem by Tais Teng When the Gods Send You Rats by Chadwick Ginther  Mother's Bones by Carson Ray In the Lair of the Snake-Witch by Darin Hlavaz The Rains of Barofonn by Mike Chinn Wardark by Craig Herbertson The Foliage by Rab Foster  In the Lair of the Moonmen by Jon Hansen  Sailing on the Thieves' Tide by Adrian Cole Illustrations by Jim Pitts. 

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 contains eleven tales:

In the Iron Woods by Dev Agarwal

My People Were Fair and Wore Stars in Their Hair by Andrew Darlington

At Sea by Geoff Hart 

The Flesh of Man by Frank Sawielijew

City at the Mouth of Chaos by Adrian Cole

In the Belly of the Beast by Edward Ahern

The Tracks of the Pi Nereske by Wendy Nikel

Slaves of the Monolith by Paul D. Batteiger

The Green Wood by David Dubrow

Demonic by Phil Emery

The Whips of Malmac by H. R. Laurence

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 contains eleven tales:

The contents are: 

The Rotted Land by Charles Gramlich

Skulls for Silver by Harry Elliott

For the Light by Gustavo Bondoni

People of the Lake by Lorenzo D. Lopez

Free Diving for Leviathan Eggs by Tais Teng

The Black Well by Darin Hlavaz

Degg and the Undead by Susan Murrie Macdonald

The Mistress of the Marsh by David Dubrow

Silver and Gold by Earl W. Parrish

Bridge of Sorrows by Dev Agarwal

Prisoners of Devil Dog City by Adrian Cole

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com