C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 230
June 24, 2012
Nurse is up on Amazon and Smashwords
Nurse has been released on Amazon and Smashwords. This short story is the fourth story in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us. It is a horror story in a contemporary urban setting, and features a secretive species of vampire and its newest recruit. Nurse is approximately 2,540 words in length.
can be found in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us will be released in late July 2012.
Esmeralda and the Breeze is up on Amazon and Smashwords
Esmeralda and the Breeze has been released on Amazon and Smashwords. This short story is the third story in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us. It is a magic realism tale centered around a young girl who grows up and estranges herself from her own family. Esmeralda and the Breeze is approximately 1,820 words in length.
can be found in
An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us will be released in late July 2012.
June 23, 2012
Progress Report Week 4 June 2012
Current ProjectsUndertook work on the following current projects:ShortStory24: has been revised and rewritten. It currently stands at 6,310 words and will be the first story in Anthology7.Anthology7: I changed my mind. My fifth anthology will be Anthology7 which features the sharp and pointy, instead of creative non-fiction. One story and one poem already complete and awaiting revision, one story partially complete, and two story ideas, which arrived this week (ShortStory36and ShortStory37; see below) and need to be written. Intended word length for this anthology will be between 15 and 20 thousand words. Estimated release date November 23, 2012. Individual stories and poems featured in this anthology will begin being made available after the fourth anthology’s release.PublishingThe following publishing tasks were completed this week:Formatted and uploaded Nothing (previously ShortStory10) to Smashwords and Kindle;Posted release announcements for Nothing and Shadow Life .Prepared release schedule for the next three anthologies and their content, as well as for my first four novels. This takes me up to the end of December 2012.New ArrivalsShortStory36: a fantasy tale to do with unusual naming conventions, assassins, and sharp, pointy objects. I’m hoping this one will be somewhat humorous and light-hearted… my ability to achieve light-hearted and funny has currently proven elusive, so it may end up a dark and twisted satire. Wish me luck achieving otherwise.ShortStory37: Another fantasy tale, this one not light-hearted or humorous, and not a satire. Again, sharp and pointy objects so that it fits the theme of Anthology7, but this time I’m adding a couple of varieties of undead—and I do not mean vampires, this time.
June 21, 2012
Nothing is up on Amazon and Smashwords
Nothing has been released on Amazon and Smashwords. This short story is the second story in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us. It is a science fiction tale in which humans and shapeshifters find themselves locked in a battle for supremacy after a colony ship crashes. Nothingis approximately 1,250 words in length.
can be found in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us will be released in late July 2012.
June 20, 2012
Progress Report Week 3 June 2012
Current ProjectsThe flu pretty much wiped me out last week, so not a lot was achieved on anything. I think I got to some of the housekeeping chores for publishing, but that was all.PublishingOkay, so this week was a little more productive than the last two. Following publishing activities completed:Cover design for An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Uscompleted;Cover designs for individual stories in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us completed;Kindle formatting and upload for Shadow Life completed;Smashwords formatting, upload and release for Shadow Life completed;Blog announcements prepared for An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Usand individual story releases.
Shadow Life is up on Amazon and Smashwords
Shadow Life has been released individually on Amazon and Smashwords. This short story is the first story in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us. It is a contemporary paranormal urban horror which opens with Denie discovering the murder of Nicola, her lover. While Denie was sworn not to reveal the secrets of the night to Nicola, others were not so bound, and with Nicola’s death, Denie discovers just how much of a free spirit Nicola truly was. Her need for vengeance overrides her scruples about crossing the line between life and undeath, and Denie joins with the vampires in order to wreak justice on Nicola’s killer. Shadow Life is approximately 5,250 words in length.
can be found in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us will be released in late July 2012.
June 9, 2012
Progress Report Week 2 June 2012
A quiet week with the flu.Current ProjectsShortStory19: at 1,597 words. Completed at 2,597 words.PublishingWorking on cover illustration for Anthology3-4 and individual covers.
June 8, 2012
Progress Report Week 1 June 2012
Current ProjectsCrimeNovel1 is progressing slowly. Even though the outline is written, I am occasionally having trouble with scene transitions.RomanceNovel1 is in the last part of the last chapter. For some reason, I find this part of a story, regardless of length, the hardest to get down. Still plodding forward, but I’m struggling to get more than 300-400 words out in a day.DarkFantasy1A is being entirely rewritten to sharpen point of view so that readers don’t become confused by the multiple threads that run through it. When I started it, I was playing with what it would be like if readers saw how several stories intersected, but this led to too many characters, frustration at not seeing how their stories ended, and confusion over why they had held focus for very short segments of the book. This will take me a little time. BackburnerSciFiNovel1: I had an idea that needed a universe, and this novel needed another plot thread, so some developmental plot work was done. Progress at last! It is not, by the way, my first science fiction novel, just the first one I’ve mentioned here.SciFiNovel2: The new idea fitted this plot also, and helped move it along.Anthology25: The new idea will also have a place in this anthology of creative essays and excerpts. Anthology25 will include CreativeEssay1 on beserkers, CreativeEssay2on insects, and CreativeEssays3-4 on spiders. It will also include excerpts from related novels and works in progress. This will become the fifth anthology in The Simpson Anthologies series. I am currently working on the final story in Anthology4. NOTE: Anthologies are labelled in the order ideas come in for anthology titles. They are released in the order they are filled by stories. And I just re-labelled a whole bunch Annuals on my list so I’ll need to reassign twenty numbers. Annuals were originally intended to be anthologies, but the first two just aren't working out that way. It's hard to describe what they're doing, but anthology isn't quite it. New ArrivalsSciFiNovel3: Speculative with a blend of fantasy. Title and vague idea only.CreativeEssay2: Speculative faction about oversize insects and an alternate path for insect evolution.CreativeEssay3: Speculative faction about spiders and their place in a paranormal world.CreativeEssay4: Speculative faction about spiders and their place in an alternate world.
First Paragraphs from An Anthology of Battle—‘Jalaya’
‘Jalaya’ was started in 1999 and completed in 2012, specifically for this anthology. It was difficult to write, until I conceded that it needed to be a lot longer than I had originally intended. The compromise was worth it. ‘Jalaya’ is the fourth short story in An Anthology of Battle and is approximately 14,500-words long. It is currently available for stand-alone purchase, and it starts like this:Michael looked down at the town in the sand. Red, flat roofs of clay interspersed by the elegant, wooden gables of buildings from northern climes, still stood in a basin of protective hills. From where he stood, the rotting boards were invisible, as was the sand that swirled along the unkempt streets.
can be found in An Anthology of Battle can be found in Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.
June 5, 2012
First Lines from An Anthology of Battle—‘Death at War’s End’
‘Death at War’s End’ was also written in 2004, which was a year for depressing poetry, it seems. ‘Death at War’s End’ is the third poem in An Anthology of Battleand is 33-lines long. It is currently available for stand-alone purchase, and it starts like this:I heard the long wind blowing,short howlslike gasps of breath.
can be found in
An Anthology of Battle can be found in Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.
