Amanda Cook's Blog, page 3

To the Legislators with Guns for Their Gods

To the legislators with guns for their godsWe’re all just houses of bone and bloodHeld together by sinew and skinThe glass that keeps the wind and rain outAnd all the comfortable furniture inA rusty nail could do itA piece of popcorn gone down the wrong pipeA hurricane or tornadoA hunk of metal fired from a barrelWe spend every waking moment andOur sleeping ones too worryingOur babies’ fragile houses won’t return to us one dayWhole, together, in one pieceWe send them out with only our loveFor a paper-thin armor wondering if they’ll somedayBe shredded into shrapnel leftBehind by someone else’s angerWhere is your heartThose ribs embracing everything inside youAre the same as every other body’s here.Amanda Cook (c) 2022

What We Learned: Anatomy of an Opening

I was pleased and honored when the Editor in Chief of Wyngraf asked if he could use my story, “Weaving Serenity,” as an example of how to write a story opening well. Today, he posted on Wyngraf’s website a dissection of several of the first paragraphs of “Weaving,” going line by line and offering his reasons for why those sentences work. It’s a great post on the nuts and bolts of writing craft, and I learned a lot myself, even if it was after the fact.

Take a read, especially if you’re a writer, and maybe go check out Issue #1 of Wyngraf. There are nine fantastic stories in this debut issue of a magazine devoted to cozy fantasy.

Thanks for reading!

A. Cook

Wyngraf

Last week we read submissions for Rakehell, our sibling mag of swashbuckling adventure fiction. We’ll have more to say about the submission round soon, but right now we want to talk about story openings.

Specifically, let’s talk about how to deliver backstory in the beginning of your piece. This is something we saw a lot of writers struggle in our Rakehell submissions. Starting any story—especially a tale of swashbuckling action—with an info dump is the kiss of death for pacing and excitement.

So let’s look at an example of a story that delivers backstory in a natural, engaging way. Amanda Cook’s “Weaving Serenity” was the first story we bought for Wyngraf #1, and a big part of what sold it was the first few paragraphs.

We’ll go paragraph by paragraph and talk about what works—and, more importantly, how it works.

Take it away, Amanda!

Introducing the…

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Cozy Flash: “Lily and Ink”

Today, I had two stories release at Wyngraf, a magazine of cozy fantasy: “Weaving Serenity” in their debut issue, and “Lily and Ink,” a flash piece that ties in with “Weaving Serenity.” I’m so excited for everyone to read these stories!

“Weaving Serenity” holds a special place in my heart. I wrote the first draft in January of 2019, and it received 18 rejections from various short fiction markets before it found its home at Wyngraf. Wyngraf is the perfect venue for it, being a cozy fantasy about a mother and daughter facing their own personal conflicts along with ferocious dragons. There’s quite a bit of me in this story, and I’m so excited for everyone to read it. You can get your copy in e-book or paperback at Amazon.

In the meantime, you can also read “Lily and Ink” on Wyngraf’s website (link below) and find out what happens to another character from “Weaving Serenity” while her family is off having their own adventures.

Thanks for reading.

A. Cook

Wyngraf

Editor’s Note: “Lily and Ink” takes places alongside Amanda Cook’s story “Weaving Serenity” in Wyngraf #1. Check out the magazine for more of Lily and the Calmers of Leafside.

Golden afternoon sun slanted through Mummy’s workroom window as Lily finished chasing cobwebs from the corners. She paused at Mummy’s worktable and ran a linen cloth along the rough grain, remembering how Papa had carved the table for Mummy before he left Leafside to calm dragons. It felt like ages since Mummy and Rhoda followed him into the mountains, their horses laden with provisions to last them several months at least. The trees had been crimson and canary yellow then; they were already budding anew. Lily wondered if she would still be cleaning the empty cottage all on her own when the leaves started turning again.

She sighed wistfully and tucked the cloth into her apron pocket before heading back to…

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Preorder Issue 1 Now!

I’m really excited to share that Wyngraf Issue #1 is now available for pre-order, and one of my stories will be featured in this magazine’s debut issue! I’m deeply honored and love that this story found a home. It was rejected so many times in the last few years before it landed at Wyngraf, and I think this is the perfect venue for these characters I love so much. Please take some time and show Wyngraf some love, if you can!

Wyngraf

The very first issue of Wyngraf is now available for digital preorder on Amazon! Preorder now and the magazine will be delivered to your Kindle when it releases on May 1.

Note: preorders are for the ebook only. Print and ebook release together on May 1, but unfortunately, it’s not possible to preorder print copies. If you’re a paper reader, bookmark the page and head there on release day to snag your copy!

Preorder Wyngraf #1 now!

“The Perils of Living with Your Human” by Nathan Slemp. Carath wants to smooth things over between his rider and her sister, but can a dragon understand human families?“The Road to Fjallmark” by Natasha Inwood. When a terrible blizzard hits the mountains, Scholar Neea and her apprentice Pim put their lives in strange hands.“What We Buried” by J. A. Prentice. How can Ash save a dwarven kingdom when he can’t even…

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Hey, More Stories in the World!

Aidan Wilson, the publisher and editor of Etherea Magazine, chose another beautiful illustration to go along with my story in Etherea #8. The cover of Issue #8 of Etherea Magazine, which is also beautiful. And it has my name on it along with some other fabulous writers!

The past ten months have been incredible for me, writing-wise, despite all that’s been happening in the world and my personal life. Since last June, I have had five stories accepted at various markets, and today, the fourth was just released into the world thanks to Aidan Wilson at Etherea Magazine. Entitled “Germinating Everyday Magic,” it’s a flash fantasy about loss, legacy, and the importance of community.

I’m so proud of this story and so happy Aidan accepted it. He takes such care in the laying out of his issues, and Etherea #8 is no exception. What I love about this magazine is how Aidan spends time choosing a special illustration to go along with each story. I adore the one he chose for “Germinating Everyday Magic” as much as the one he chose for my last story in Etherea. He’s also lovely to work with in terms of the business side of writing. If you’re an SFF short story writer, I highly recommend submitting to Etherea. It’s a fabulous community to be a part of.

In other news, I have a fifth story due to appear in the very first issue of a brand new magazine! My story, “Weaving Serenity,” will be featured in Wyngraf Magazine of Cozy Fantasy, set to release around May 1st. I am super excited about this story being published. After seventeen (yes, 17!) rejections and multiple iterations since I first started submitting it in 2019, I think it’s finally found the perfect home.

“Weaving Serenity” is my secondary world fantasy short that’s all about a mother and daughter who do battle against dragons–but with a twist. It will also be the longest short story of mine to be published (so far) at over 4,700 words. This story is near and dear to my heart, and I’m so grateful to Nathaniel Webb, the Editor in Chief of Wyngraf, (who is also so lovely to work with) for accepting it. I can’t wait to share the news when it’s finally in the world!

I don’t have any cover images yet to share, but I do have the tweets announcing the first issue posted by the magazine itself!

The rogues’ gallery includes @aefiori @AmandaCook627 @LivingAuthors @Wordwyrm @RajivMote @nat20w and more!

— Wyngraf Magazine of Cozy Fantasy (@wyngraf) March 14, 2022

Tweet thread posted by Wyngraf Magazine of Cozy Fantasy announcing their first issue and some of the writers who will appear in the table of contents. My Twitter handle (@AmandaCook627) was tagged in the second tweet as one of the writers.

I think that’s it for now. My kids are on Spring Break this week, so I am enjoying all this publishing news during a seriously relaxing staycation. I hope all of you are finding wonder and joy where you can as Spring is just around the corner. Stay cozy and stay safe, wherever you may be.

And, as always, thanks for reading.

A. Cook

Another New Flash Story Is Out!!!

Hi, friends.

Wow, January simultaneously flew by and lagged. So far, my little family has seemed to dodge the virus, although one of my kids ended up in distance learning for a week while his classroom did a “reset” after COVID spread. We got through it, and we’re all back to a semi-routine again.

The real reason I’m here, though, is I have amazing news. It’s only January, and I’ve already had two story acceptances in 2022! In fact, one of those stories is already out in the world as of TODAY!

I’m super proud to announce my flash story, “The Impossible Task of Bringing Water,” is now online at Apparition Literary Magazine! If you like rivals to friends mages trying to bring their communities together through water, then this story is for you.

Apparition Lit is an amazing speculative fiction magazine publishing short stories, poems, essays, and editorials. They also have a Monthly Flash Fiction Challenge. On their site, they have uploaded a different photo prompt for each month of the year. Inspired writers can submit a flash story based on the photo prompt from the 1st to the 14th of that month. After a short reading period, the editors pick their favorite and publish it at the end of the month. And there can be only one!

The photo prompt my story was based on is a black and white image of a large cactus surrounded by black birds of prey by Mexican photographer, Graciela Iturbide. You can see the image under Apparition Lit’s Submission Guidelines along with the rest of this year’s photo prompts. I highly recommend attempting the challenge if you’re a writer. The editorial team at Apparition Lit are amazing! I enjoyed working with them to make my story the best it could be before they released it into the world.

I did say I had two story acceptances this month, but I can’t really talk about the second one until the contract has been signed. There will be an announcement as soon as it’s out, I promise! I can say I’m super excited about this next story being published. I’m really proud of it, just like I’m really proud of the one that came out today. Like my children, I don’t think I have any favorites.

That’s it for now. Hopefully, I’ll be back in February with more news on the story publishing front.

As always, thanks for reading.

A. Cook

Happy New Year?

As I write this, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is sweeping across my country. I want to be hopeful this next year will be different, but I’m honestly sort of numb after expending so much energy in 2021 on fear and rage and anxiety. I’m exhausted, and it’s going to be a while before that will change.

The small handful of times we were able to see family and friends in person and my first two short story publications were the highlights of the year. There were other positives, like Zoom sewing and writing sessions and finishing a cosplay and learning new fabric arts. And our one little family trip to the beach. I wish it had been safe enough to enjoy life more outside computer screens and our home.

In honor of the holiday, I have composed a short poem. I wish it were happier, but sometimes, realism is all I have in me.

I really do wish you a Happy New Year. I hope you have a healthy and joyful one, despite of everything beyond our control.

Myself, Tomorrow

Here
On the eve of
Another year
I wonder

Will I learn
To be less
Me?
Is that what I even want?

In our parallel worlds,
There’s no two way glass—
Just a funhouse mirror—
And I am stretched and wobbly

Like taffy pulled
Around electrical wire.
Touchy,
My compassion’s gone a hard left.

I want . . .

I want
Less of me now
And more of “me”
Later.

I still hope,
But hope is a four letter word,
And I am stretched.
Copyright (c) Amanda Cook, 2021

And thanks for reading.

A. Cook

New Flash Story Is Out!

The cover of Issue #5 of Etherea Magazine (with my name on it as one of the contributors!)

It’s out in the world, so I can officially announce that my flash piece, “The Latest Reviews of The Best Walking Tours of Faerie on ElusiveBooks.com,” has been published in Issue #5 of Etherea Magazine!

I’m really proud of this sale, not only because this little story-that-isn’t-a-story is the quirkiest thing I’ve ever written, but also because I thought no one would want it. It was a huge reminder to me to not self reject. And now it’s found a lovely home with some other amazing stories.

Etherea Magazine is a new science fiction and fantasy publication hailing from Australia, and they’ve been publishing stories from all over the world since August of this year. I’m honored the editor, Aidan Wilson, chose my piece to be in the table of contents of this month’s issue. The magazine includes a beautiful illustration with each piece they publish, and the one for mine is no exception.

The illustration for my story in Etherea Magazine’s Issue #5.

I mean, just look at that fairy! LOOK AT HER! SQUEEE!

Anyway, please head on over to Etherea Magazine, read some of the stories and book reviews they’ve posted from past issues, and maybe even show them some love by buying an issue or two (perhaps even Issue #5 *wink, wink*). I’m sure they would greatly appreciate the support.

A special thanks to my friends, Valerie Valdes and Chelsea Counsell, for beta reading this quirky little flash and giving me some excellent feedback. And much love to my writing community, especially the Isle of Write, for all their support throughout my writing journey.

And, as always, thanks for reading.

A. Cook

Ekphrastic Poetry, Anyone?

Dave Bayley of Glass Animals at the end of their “Dreamland Tour” concert at Alexandra Palace in London, England, November 19, 2021

Oh, hey! Another post so soon? Who dis?

While I await the publication of my next short story, I thought I’d share a poem I “published” on social media back in July. I don’t know why I never put it here before.

In early June, I attended two virtual writing conventions over the same weekend. I don’t really recommend it, by the way, but I did end up enjoying myself. One of those conventions was the Indiana University Writers’ Conference. I’ve attended the conference in the past and was so happy they decided to do it virtually this year.

I learned a lot from the daily afternoon classes, especially the poetry classes taught by Tiana Clark. One was devoted entirely to ekphrastic poetry. Simply put, an ekphrastic poem is written as a description of and a response to a piece of art, usually a painting, a photograph, or a sculpture. Tiana, though, challenged us to try responding to other types of art, like music or movies. I took this to heart and wrote an ekphrastic poem based on a music video, specifically my favorite music video by my favorite band, Glass Animals.

In order to understand the poem, it’s best to watch the music video first.

The song is entitled “It’s All So Incredibly Loud.” And below is my attempt to respond to it.

Dave Bayley, the lead singer and songwriter for Glass Animals, wrote in the comments for the video:

This entire song is about only three seconds of life. I think most people have been in a position where they have to say something to someone that they know is going to devastate them and change their life forever. It’s about the silence between those words leaving your mouth, and their reaction as those words register and the full weight rolls over them…until they say something back. its probably the most deafening thing I’ve ever experienced. the video is meant to be a physical representation of the build up before that and then the sudden explosion of quiet that seems to last forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyx0YftuyDU&list=PL8tkzXKlhGxn8vedFOKUngfcdnz6MV40M&index=11

Dave’s comments resonated with me just as much as the song and the video did. There really is something hard and weighty and almost deafening about that moment between when something’s been said and the response to it. Sometimes, we keep those weighty moments to ourselves, for fear of what the response might be. And sometimes, we’re brave and let the heartbreak occur as it may.

In interviews, Dave has said the title of the song came from the title of one of his favorite books. So, my poem is art responding to art responding to art.

One thing I miss from the Before Times is feeling safe enough to attend live performances. Glass Animals is touring around the world as I write this. I would love to see them in concert someday, but I don’t know when given the current state of things. I was very happy when they decided to live stream through TikTok their concert at the Alexandra Palace in London on November 19. It’s one of the best things to come out of the pandemic, I think: shows and events being made accessible to everyone through live streaming, Zoom meetings, or video recording. The concert was such a lovely way to spend an afternoon, rocking out to my favorite band in my own living room. I screenshotted a few images of the band while they played, because I couldn’t help myself.

We live in the future, y’all, and sometimes, it’s glorious.

Thanks for watching. And listening. And responding to art along with me.

And thanks for reading.

A. Cook

I Won NaNoWriMo! Sort of.

What an AI thinks “walking through Faerie” looks like. Image created by the Wombo Dream app.

Happy holidays to all who celebrate! And happy December to all of us!

I have some awesome news I’m looking forward to sharing fully when the time comes. What I can say is I SOLD ANOTHER STORY! And I sold it to a fairly new science fiction/fantasy magazine out of Australia! I can’t wait to share my quirky little flash piece with all of you. Hint: it has a bit to do with the image above.

In other news: I sort of won National Novel Writing Month in November. Instead of attempting the 50,000 word goal this year, I adjusted my goal to 25,000 and worked on short stories and poems instead. I ended up with around 31,000 words, which I’m particularly proud of considering the current state of the world. Many of those words came from revisions to stories I’ve already written, but I totally counted them because they were still new to me.

Other than that, I’ve been trying to parent during a worldwide pandemic, and so far, it’s been both good and bad. My small family has stayed healthy for the most part, even with two kids going back to in person school. We have a great local health department who follows the science and has kept a mask mandate in place since forever. Our kids are required to wear masks at school, and the teachers and staff have been doing their best to keep students socially distanced and podded where possible. Nothing’s 100% effective at stopping the spread of the virus (except total isolation from society), but going back to school has done wonders for both my kids. My younger kid has always had anxiety, and the pandemic has exacerbated it to the point where he needs therapy (again) and medication. I’m glad he has a supportive school and wonderful medical practitioners looking out for his well being.

Besides writing and parenting, I’ve been sewing quilts when my sore back allows and embroidering when it doesn’t. I’ve also been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, spending an inordinate amount of time watching artists and makers on Twitch, and I have an account on MasterClass now, because I’m a sucker for learning new things. Recently, I heard about a new phone app called Wombo Dream that takes any concept and turns it into AI generated art. Below are a few more images from the app based on concepts or titles from some of my stories, both published and unpublished.

I highly recommend playing around with the app. It’s filling my creative well in ways writing and sewing can’t, and I think some amazing writing prompts will come out of these abstract pieces.

That’s it for now. I hope you all have a wonderful December and a safe, healthy, and happy New Year! May 2022 be a brighter year than 2021 has been!

As always, thanks for reading.

A. Cook