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Forthcoming:
My commissioned story for the forthcoming C is for Chimera Alphabet Anthology is done, turned into my fabulous editor Rhonda Parrish and ready for publication. That story is entitled "T is for Three (at the End of All Things)," and here's a wee teaser for you:
Before the ancient stars coalesced into brightness, in the vault of the foregoing universe, there were sorrows too great for any being to bear, and the greatest of these was the sorrow of ending. Not the end of a day, with its sundown promise of another sunrise, and not the end of a life, while memories of the dead remain and there is hope in some hearts for the soul's journey onward. No, this sorrow was vast, cold and complete, and it spanned the void of space among the last rough fragments of matter strewn in terminus.
I'll be sure and let you know when I have a publication date for it.
New Releases:
"C is for Change" is now available in the B is for Broken Alphabet Anthology. It's a big story and one of my personal favorites, so I thought I'd offer you another teaser like the one I did last year at this time. Here 'tis:
I had seen the mummified landscapes they created; stone apples hanging forever from skeletal trees, glassy streams that tasted of dust, birds and squirrels callously leached and left to peck and chew at their unchanging bodies. It was the primary purpose of every Qeyunar monastic to prevent their Muto antagonists from usurping and mutating the power of change, but because we were the only people who could, the monasteries were targeted. Here, in the bright firelight and the company of these brave men and women, it was hard to accept that the Qandunar valued my life above theirs no matter what they thought of me personally. Harder still was the realization that most of the refugees felt the same way. Of course, they were counting on the mountain itself; its impenetrable stone and vertical rise to protect them. But I knew Mother Anyamé had no such illusion of safety. She had reminded me this afternoon that siege was a greater threat than battle, since we had to eat, and our enemies did not. In fact, Warmaster Inu was hoping for a fight; Muto Qeyunar conceit would mean a quick resolution to the conflict and not a long, slow decline into desperation.
You'll find a link to B is for Broken on the right.
Reprints:
Hedea looked down the ribbon of road that led from the center of town to the edge. It was brown and dusty; she longed to sweep it like a kitchen floor. But where would she pile the dirt when she was done? Would she sweep it to the left, up over the bending tulips and into the bread-white foyer of the baker's shop? Would she sweep it to the right, under the bellies of horses and into the forge? Her hands twitched with the memory of simple tasks; wringing, smoothing, sweeping, and her hair blew like dandelion seeds away from her wrinkled face and stooped shoulders. She straightened those shoulders around an ancient knot in the center of her back and waited for her neighbors to spill out onto the spring-green lip of the road, their hands wrapped around basket-handles and the fists of small children. She wept then, more for the little ones than for herself. They shouldn't have to see this so early in life.
A woman scapegoated by her community runs a magical gauntlet which ends in either freedom or death. Will she make it to the edge of town and into the waiting arms of those who walked the gauntlet before her? Find out in "Casting Sin," first published in Murky Depths Issue #4 and now available for Kindle.
You'll find a link to "Casting Sin" on the right.
Interviews:
Editor Rhonda Parrish recently kicked off a "Fractured Friday" blog series with my B is for Broken contributor interview. Check it out!
Vegan Resource of the Quarter:
In the next several weeks, I'll be working on a project near and dear to my heart; a podcast about the intersections between the vegan lifestyle and Paganism. It's early days yet, but you can sign up for the mailing list now at theveganpagan.com. Hopefully by next time, I'll have a podcast or two to share.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading! I'll be back at Samhain.
Cheers,
C.S. MacCath
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New Release
"C is for Change" in
B is for Broken
Three broken people; a monk bearing a terrible scar, a warrior facing a terrible sorrow, a woman hiding a terrible past face a relentless army so hard to defeat it might as well be invincible. Find out whether or not they survive in "C is for Change."
Reprint
"Casting Sin"
A woman scapegoated by her community runs a magical gauntlet which ends in either freedom or death. Will she make it to the edge of town and into the waiting arms of those who walked the gauntlet before her? Find out in "Casting Sin."
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