Flash Attack: “The Supplicant”

October 1, 2008 in General Topics

Red was Dr. Ozmand’s center of existence, and his visit to Arnelo City only reinforced it. There he saw the towering multifactories of the industrial megalopolis, thrice-modified because of new regulations, but still spitting the towers of steam and smoke that reflected along with the purple sky in his quadfocals. Seeing enough during his two hour tour, he lifted off, vitriol already brewing in his guts.

He didn’t understand why people couldn’t grasp the simple logic that this simply had to be doing damage to the towering, crimson-colored plants in the surrounding woods. He’d seen the plants shrinking back, and the harvesters had already reported lower yields. Yes, there was the matter of the drought, but it was a symptom, rather than a causality. It was as simple as that. He believed it, everyone else needed to believe it, and it simply must be so.

He landed his craft at the complex of Miren, there to speak with his compatriots, there to report more grim news to the leadership council. The need to protect the red forests had taken a life of its own, had bled like ink from the council chambers out into the minds of the people themselves. He admired those that embraced the red movement, that appreciated the need to center their lives in service of the planet, as stewards walking in its groves.

A short time later, he stood in Miren’s stone hall. He saw the projected visage of Priest Aumen, the Lord Governor’s close friend and trusted advisor, attending even though his body lay in a life support chamber two continents away.

Arumen was just another buffon mystic, but he was the Lord Governor’s close friend, his trusted confidant. This was not going to be an easy speech.

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Flash attacks are one-draft tales less than 500 words that will appear regularly on this blog, so keep checking back to see more. All tales copyright Jonathan C. Gillespie

Snazzy Dual Story Acceptances!

June 7, 2008 in General Topics

I’m back from my vacation. It was good, and very needed with some of the stress I’ve been under lately.

Remember when I said this, in last week’s post?

Vacations have been interesting events for me as far as writing in goes. In each of the past two vacations I took, I came back to find acceptances in my inbox. I’m hoping lightning strikes thrice and I can snag another one over this trip.

Well, I must be burned to a cinder, because lightning did strike thrice. In fact, I got a double-jolt in this particular blast.

I’m pleased to announce that Murky Depths has taken “Best in Class” for their upcoming issue #6, December 2008. “Best in Class” is a dark science fiction tale of a prized collector’s car whose AI struggles to understand stark circumstances it has been thrust into. Murky Depths ran “Paston, Kentucky”, another tale of mine, for their very first issue, and it’s a pleasure to do business with them again.

In equally exciting developments, Something Wicked, a horror magazine operating out of South Africa, has taken “The Eighteenth Floor” for publication, details to be provided to me in the near future. I am thrilled to see this piece finally get its due. Every author has those extremely rare stories that they think they fired on all cylinders with — this is one of them. When this horror piece hits their pages, my fiction will have graced its third continent.

My sincerest thanks to those that have read my stories, and whom continue to read them. And I’d like to thank both these fine publications for running my work. It is my pleasure and honor.

“The Next Fix”, by Matt Wallace, now available for Pre-Order

March 4, 2008 in General Topics

I highly encourage you to consider purchasing a copy of Matt Wallace’s first short-story collection, hopefully the first of many, titled “The Next Fix”.

If you’re not familiar with Matt, let me give you a brief summary: he’s one of the nicest, most welcoming people you’ll meet in this industry, no matter what side of the page you’re part of. Matt was one of the first to serialize fiction in the podcast format, but his accomplishments range across a host of print, e-zine, and other formats.

All that wouldn’t really matter if Matt’s fiction were escalated into notoriety by some kind of inner circle, a phenomenon I’ve seen before. Let me dispel any illusions you might have: Matt is the real thing. He is one hell of a writer, gifted with a sharp, fluid style that lends itself to rich worlds, characters, and plots. While Matt’s favorite realm seems to be the urban distopia, many of his stories stray far from that mold.

I highly encourage you to pre-order this publication from Apex Book Company. By doing so, you’ll be in for a tome full of twelve razor-sharp stories spanning a host of unconventional, often terrifying plot lines. It’s a good dose of fiction for a horror or dark science fiction fan.

“Tex’s Last Run” is now available on Apex Online

November 5, 2007 in General Topics

I’m pleased to announce the re-publication of “Tex’s Last Run”, which originally appeared in “OG’s Speculative Fiction“, to Apex Online, the official website of Apex Digest.

Editor Jason Sizemore has been a pleasure to work with, and I hope to do so again in the future. Long-time visitors to this site will notice that Apex Digest has resided in my “plugs” section for some time. If you haven’t checked this magazine out before, I highly encourage it. Please note that they’re in the middle of a subscription drive with the express intent to use the funds to increase author pay, so if you’re interested in parking another publication in possible pro-rates status, this is an excellent time to subscribe.

“Upon a New Road” is coming in September 2007 on Spinetingler

July 18, 2007 in General Topics

Spinetingler is going to be running one of my tales, “Upon a New Road”, this September. I’m pleased to see this piece finding a home.

I wouldn’t call this story a true dystopian portrayal, but it does take a hard look at one of science fiction’s most optimistic, beloved ideas, and what the world — and the people in it — might face should it truly become reality.