It’s a double release for me this week. Not only is my novelette “The Exchange Officers” appearing in the January-February issue of Analog Science Fiction & Fact magazine (with a lovely illustration by Vincent Di Fate!) but I also have a collaborative novelette called “The Shadows of Titan” now out in the anthology Space Eldritch, edited by Nathan Shumate with an amazing cover by Carter Reid:
“The Shadows of Titan” is a distinct departure for me, mainly because I almost never touch horror. I am not a horror reader and I am very seldom writing anything that is horrorish in content or flavor.
But Carter knows horror. He got the front page of my local paper this past weekend for his work on his humorous-horror comic The Zombie Nation which I’ve mentioned here before. So when I was told that Space Eldritch would be both space opera and horror blended together . . . well, let’s just say Carter provided the peanut butter, I provided the chocolate, and together I think we came up with a heck of a story for a heck of an anthology.
We join some top men you will probably know — story titles link to excerpts:
Foreword by Larry Correia.
“Arise Thou Niarlat From Thy Rest” by D.J. Butler.
“Space Opera” by Michael R. Collings.
“The Menace Under Mars” by Nathan Shumate.
“Gods in Darkness” by David J. West.
“The Fury in the Void” by Robert J. Defendi.
“Flight of the Runewright” by Howard Tayler.
Currently Space Eldritch is available from Amazon.com, as well as Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.
It’s a heck of a thrill to be sharing a table-of-contents with all of these writers, some of whom I have been friends with going back three years — to when I first broke into the biz with Writers of the Future. All of them did terrific work on their stories, so it’s an honor to share page space with them. It was also a unique experience working with Carter, who provided both the cover and the core of our joint story — a tale of interplanetary exploration gone oh-so-horrifically-wrong. Do you like hard science fiction? Do you like alien demonic possession? Would you like to see what happens when Carter The Zombie Guy combines forces with Brad The Analog Guy?
Then buy the book! Dammit.
Meanwhile, “The Exchange Officers” marks my sixth appearance in the pages of Analog magazine. It’s a story set just a little bit into our possible future, when the nature of warfighting — and the places where war might take place — are remarkably different from Patton’s time. Drone strikes? Virtual reality? How will our military handle an environment completely given over to technology? What kinds of soldiers will we need to operate in that scenario?
I relied heavily on my military experience for "The Exchange Officers" and am pleased to see it between the pages of Analog's first double-issue in 2013. Subscription copies are already arriving in mailboxes, while store copies should be hitting the stands very soon.
“You are likely to be eaten by a grue.” ;-D
Ooh… I provided early feedback on the Tayler and Defendi stories. If what I’ve seen is any indication, that anthology is well worth the purchase price.
Cover art’s not bad, either.
Very cool, Nancy!
A new follower of your work here. I’m about 70% through “Outbound” and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Great story, great character development! So I look forward to reading “The Exchange Officers.”
Gosh, thanks a bunch Clem! I am so pleased you’re enjoying “Outbound.” I hope “The Exchange Officers” is to your liking. Do take a look at some of my other stories which are available for Nook or Kindle. FYI, I am working on a sequel to “Outbound” that I hope to have out in the next 12 months. Stay tuned!
Finished “Outbound.” Great science/technical detail, identifiable characters, human existence as data is fascinating. Looking forward to “The Exchange Officers.”
Thanks a bunch, Clem! I am so glad you enjoyed that particular story. It was my first ever Analog publication, and it got the readers’ choice award! Lots of people have said it’s their favorite.
So far. (sly look)