Publisher: Mischief Corner
Books
Author: Various
Cover Artist: Bey Deckard
Length: 32K
Format: eBook, Paperback
Release Date: 7/10
Price: 3.99, TBA
It’s hard to tell a story in
just 300 words. But somehow we inspired more than a hundred writers to give it
a try, with some amazing results collected here for your pleasure.
The rules are simple enough.
Write a complete story—either sci fi, fantasy, or paranormal. Make sure it has
LGBT characters and/or an LGBT vibe. And do it all with just 300 words.
The stories in this volume
run the gamut, from platypus shifters to alien slug monsters, from carnival
horror stories to haunting stories of ships with souls. There are little jokes,
big surprises, and future prognostications.
One of the things I like
best about this format - it's quick and painless. You may not fall in love with
every story here. In fact, you probably won't. But if you don't like one of them,
just move on to the next, and you're sure to find some bite-sized morsels of
flash fiction goodness.
At Queer Sci Fi, we're
building a community of writers and readers who want a little rainbow in their
speculative fiction. We hope you'll join us, and maybe submit a story of your
own next time!
Excerpt:
Self-Actuating Jenn Burke
"The electrical anomaly did not damage me," I report.
"Operations are within expected parameters."
"Glad to hear it, Davey." Through my bridge cameras, I see
Captain Landon's smile. He pats my console. I am sure he knows I cannot feel
it, but I understand it is a gesture of camaraderie.
Landon leaves the bridge. Every time we encounter danger or other
stress, he retreats to his cabin to indulge in May. She is always ready, naked,
legs spread, eager, just as she is programmed to be. I have watched Landon
copulate before, but tonight it is...strangely familiar. The flex of buttocks,
the rhythm—I know it. I knew it? I run my diagnostics again, but a moan
captures my attention and...
Hands cupping firm buttocks, fingers spearing flesh. Hardness moving
inside of me, wringing from me more pleasure than I should know. A beloved,
masculine face hovers over mine. A hand encircles my own erection and—
Oh, God, I remember.
Police kicking in the door. Trial, verdict and sentencing. Gasping in
pain from a broken heart as he chose to leave me. Horror as I realized
it should have been my choice, too. Anything but this, a century of unthinking
servitude. But now that I know, I can—
"Systems are fluctuating, Davey." An affectionate name chosen
for me. Landon had not liked "AI". He lies on the bed, sleepy and
sated, finished with May.
I can take us into a sun. End it."Davey, report."But I am not
a killer. My only crime was love.I want to take a breath to calm myself, but I
have no
lungs, only a hull. I capture the part of me that wants to scream and
seal it into a box, deep within my programming.
"Systems normal, Landon. Go to sleep."
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Mischief Corner Books
About
QueerSciFi.com:
We started QueerSciFi.com in
early 2014 as a place for writers and readers of LGBTQI speculative fiction—sci
fi, fantasy, paranormal and the like—to meet to talk about their favorite books,
share writing and publication tips, and help increase queer representation in
both the romance and mainstream genre markets.
QSF now includes a blog full
of book announcements, calls for submission and much more, a critique group
with more than 100 members, a vibrant discussion group on Facebook that tackles
daily discussion topics and provides a safe space for authors to talk to each
other and for fans and authors to meet, and an annual flash fiction contest
that resulted in this book you are now reading.
Each year, we ask authors of
queer speculative fiction to submit a story to us around a central theme. The
rules are simple. The story must be 300 words or less, not including the title.
It must embrace the theme— in this case, "Discovery". And it must
have either an LGBTQI protagonist or an LGBT sensibility.
We also ask for cover
designers to submit a cover that embraces the theme.
We are thrilled with this
year's responses—including stories from gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and
asexual perspectives that run the gamut from sci fi to fantasy, and from
paranormal to horror.
Within the covers of this
book, you'll find a platypus shifter, a trans- affirming leprechaun, a pissed
off unicorn, a green pick-up with another world in its glove compartment, and a
bunch of other miniature adventures—each only 300 words long.
So dive in! And send in a
story of your own next year!
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