Six Hours to Go!
Achievement unlocked!
WE DID IT! 6 hrs left to go and the Nothing Without Us anthology and all its stretch goals, including an audiobook, an illustrated version, and enhanced author pay, have all been funded! Thanks so much for supporting this own voices project and the disabled authors and publishers trying to change the literary landscape one accurate depiction at a time. If you want to hear more about why this kind of project is so important, check out my author interview where I discuss disability rep, chronic illness narratives, why they both matter, how they impact the real world on a micro and macro level, and why I had to ragequit watching The Flash.
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It’s the Last Midnight
Help support a multi-genre own voices fiction anthology with disabled main characters, writers, and publishers, featuring a supernatural short by yours truly.
Hey, all. For those of you who aren’t already aware from the constant reblogged author interviews, I have a short story in an upcoming own voices disability themed anthology called Nothing Without Us. What does own voices mean, you ask? In this case it means that all the stories in the anthology feature disabled, deaf, neurodiverse, mentally ill, and/or chronically ill main characters written by actual disabled, deaf, neurodiverse, mentally ill, and/or chronically ill authors! And this anthology is extra special in that it also has disabled publishers, so everyone involved in this project from beginning to end has the lived experience these stories are trying to accurately represent and explore. And not a bit of inspiration porn in sight!
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National Tell a Fairytale Day
Apparently, it’s National Tell a Fairytale Day. I don’t know who decides these things, but Beneath Blair Mountain volunteers as tribute. While set in 1910s America, this book was inspired by Irish tales of the Sidhe and Icelandic tales of the elves/Huldufolk. At their roots, both of these traditions, like the fairytales canonized by the infamous Brothers Grimm, lean more horror than fantasy. Expect no Disney fare here. Read More…
Published Author Happy Dance
My first book is out! You can find Beneath Blair Mountain on Amazon and Goodreads. And you never know, maybe someone will ban it and bring this blog full circle.
Cover art by Mariya Suzuki
Merry met again, my good readers. For those of you following the saga of my Appalachian Urban Fantasy novella, you’ll be happy to know that Beneath Blair Mountain is out! You can find it on Amazon and Goodreads or read more about it on 1888’s website.
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Beneath Blair Mountain (Coming Soon!)
My first book is coming out soon! It’s not banned (not yet, anyway), but it features many of the things you know and love from the many banned books I’ve reviewed over the years (female protagonists, ghosts, pagan mythologies, historical events, social commentary, death, etc).
Cover art by Mariya Suzuki
So, as you may know from my last post, my novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, is being published as part of the Summer Writing Project 2015 Collection. The Summer Writing Project is an annual joint venture between 1888 and JukePop, which you can read more about in the link above (or here and here). And isn’t that a damn fine cover? Mariya Suzuki did a fantastic job on all three books in the collection, but I do admit to being slightly biased. Just look at those mountains! If those can’t spirit you away into the pages, the fey folk might as well pack up and go home.
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Banned Books Week 2015
Hey, all. It’s that time of year again. Banned Books Week! Earlier this month I was interviewed about Banned Books Week and banned books in general by the good folks at Fabulously Feminist. It’s a pretty in-depth interview and Callie asked great questions, so go check it out. If you don’t feel like hanging on my every word, feel free to scroll down and read the list of ways you, yes you, can get involved with Banned Books Week. Read More…
From Blair Mountain to Black Hill
I know I’ve been absolutely terrible about this blog in the last year, but I have some excellent news for those lamenting a lack of Shannon in their lives. I’m getting a book published.
Merry met, my good readers. I have some excellent news. If you went to 1888’s website this weekend, you may have been greeted by my face. As some of you may recall, this summer I participated in the Summer Writing Project, an annual contest held by 1888, Black Hill Press, and JukePop. All summer long, writers serially updated novellas on everything from the escapades of wayward youth to space stations to caffeine outlawing dystopias.
My own novella was a mix of Urban Fantasy, Horror, and Historical Fiction set during the 1910s. Beneath Blair Mountain follows the story of Lara Rae Brecken, a West Viriginia girl trying to escape her fate, who finds herself face to face with the fair folk one cold October night. And, lo and behold, Beneath Blair Mountain, was one of three novellas selected by Black Hill Press for publication.
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Fey as Folk: Summer Writing Project 2015
Hey, all. My Urban Fantasy/Historical Fiction novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, is finished and JukePop’s Summer Writing Project is drawing to a close, so please go check it out and give it some love.
So, as devoted readers may remember, I’m participating in the Summer Writing Project, a collaboration between serial writing venue JukePop, indie publisher Black Hill Press, and 1888center. My novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, is current holding fifth in the rankings, but I could use some love, whether you choose to read, comment, vote, share, or just give me a hearty thumbs up.
Beneath Blair Mountain is a fusion of Urban Fantasy/Horror/Mythic Fiction and Historical Fiction/American Gothic, so there should be something for everyone, whether they like myth, folk culture, rural Appalachia, dark fey, Edwardian period pieces, ghost stories, political and social commentary, Irish gunrunners, or American history. Here’s the description if you’re interested:
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Hey, Instagram, Bring Back the Goddess
Let’s talk censorship. Here’s my take on Instagram’s ban on the Goddess hashtag and why it is not okay on so many levels. #BringBackTheGoddess
As you may or may not have heard, Instagram has banned the hashtag #Goddess. While this move was allegedly to cut down on explicit content posted under the hashtag, Instagram has inadvertently stepped onto a landmine of sexism, ethnocentrism, religious discrimination, and censorship. Instagram previously tried to ban the hashtag #Curvy for the same reason and reversed the decision after the backlash they faced. Somehow, nobody at Instagram thought that “Goddess”, an arguably way more loaded term than “Curvy”, would have the same issue.
Yet issue there was. Immediately upon noticing the ban, myself and others took to Instagram and other social media platforms to protest. Hashtags like #Goddess, #BringBackTheGoddess, #BringBackGoddess, #GoddessTribe, #GoddessRising, and others took off on both Instagram and Twitter, some with thousands of posts already. There is also a Change.org petition to reverse Instagram’s ban on #Goddess. Articles about the ban can be found on The Mary Sue, The Daily…
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Bound and Gagged 