For some reason, I thought I had already shared that one of my short stories was published this year! It's called
Trapped on Tragodia and it's an exciting tale of friendship, adventure and journey into the unknown!
Odie is just a regular space trucker until a forced landing changes everything. I don't know how much to reveal about the story without spoiling it, LOL! I spotted the submission call from < a href="
https://www.perennial-press.com/">Perennial Press in fall 2021, which seems forever ago. The anthology would contain stories and poems about arthropods--kind of a unique subject, IMHO. Now, this is why you always hang onto rejected ideas, because there could be a day when they fit perfectly. The idea I had hanging around was from a horror anthology submission call. I enjoy mild horror and tried my hardest, but liking something and creating something are two different things. I cannot write a horror story to save my life. However, I have a strong belief in the power of friendship and just let my authentic voice speak.
Inspired by childhood memories of movies like
Mysterious Island, I changed the setting to a wild place where giant insects rule. If you know me, you'd be seriously surprised I wrote a story that doesn't contain birds or horses, but I was up for the creative challenge.
Arthropoda was edited by JW Stebner, who also edits
Hexagon, a speculative fiction magazine.
It was a long wait until I had a physical copy in my hands, but it was such a great moment to open the box and see my ideas made real, especially the gorgeous cover by Stephanie Lane Gage of
Martian Press.
Order your copy today--you won't be disappointed.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
