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Publisher’s Note: Finding Solace in Fiction
My blog last week was eerily timely. Truman slipped away at home with me by his side in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
I was right: It has been beyond brutal.
As such, I’m not much of a conversationalist right now. But the world keeps spinning and with each revolution comes the potential for new worlds to get lost in when living in one’s own is far too painful.
Ironically, the first project I have to tell you about has an orange tabby on the cover, so Truman certainly would have encouraged you to read it, having been a beautiful medium-haired orange tabby himself.
Smith’s Monthly #58 published last week, and it features a brand-new short novel all about cats. Here’s the synopsis:
This 58th issue of Smith’s Monthly contains more than fifty thousand words of original fiction from USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith, including a new short novel, Big Eyes, in his Pakhet Jones series about the superhero for cats, and four new short stories from some of his most popular series: Marble Grant, Bryant Street, Sky Tate, and Thunder Mountain.
Also included is The Case of Pilgrim Hugh: Five Strange Detective Short Stories, from Dean’s series about the always weird cases that private detective Pilgrim Hugh takes on.
Settle in for some great reading!
You can read more about the latest issue of Smith’s Monthly here. And you can subscribe to the series here.
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine: Issue #16 also published last week. Cats prowl its pages, too, in places.
Here’s the synopsis:
A three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up nineteen fantastic stories by some of the best writers working in modern short fiction.
No genre limitations, no topic limitations, just great stories. Attitude, feel, and high-quality fiction equals Pulphouse.
Includes:
“For All Your Head Needs” by Rob Vagle
“Jingle, Waddle, Hop…Penguin Style” by Louisa Swann
“Just a Old Lady” by O’Neil De Noux
“A Fool and His Money” by Jerry Oltion
“An Uncommon Tern of Events” by Johanna Rothman
“Over The River” by Ray Vukcevich
“To the Grave” by Brigid Collins
“Quiet Voices” by Chrissy Wissler
“Daffodils Full of Tears” by C.H. Hung
“Collision” by Sebastien de Castell
“Ways of Counting” by Jim Gotaas
“For the Captain, my Captain, Again and Again” by Stephannie Tallent
“The Root Canal Tango” by Robert J. McCarter
“To Rescue My Best Friend” by Kent Patterson
“Advisors at Naptime” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Snowman’s Chance in Hell” by Robert Jeschonek
“Homeless” by Annie Reed
“The Steam-Man’s Plantation” by J. Steven York
You can read more about the latest issue of Pulphouse here. And you can subscribe to the magazine here.
Before I go, a quick shout out in gratitude to authors David H. Hendrickson (you read it, right?) and Johanna Rothman (I love a good pun) for making me smile with their story titles.
I needed that.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Life (and loss) with Cats
I can’t imagine life without cats. I’ve lived with cats most of my life and have had at least one feline companion for the past 30 years.
I have always loved animals, but cats are special creatures. I’ve always felt particularly connected to them. I sometimes wonder if I was a cat in a past life.
There’s really not much better than having a purring cat curled up in your lap.
But it’s a cruel reality that cats’ lifespans are so much shorter than ours.
If you read Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog, you’ve seen her write about bad cat years. Those are the years you lose multiple cats because of age or ill health or both.
It’s a phenomenon I wasn’t familiar with until recently.
I’m having a bad cat year. A bad pet year, actually.
My 17-year-old Sydney died in July. He had kidney disease, which we knew. But his brother and litter mate, Truman, had been living with kidney disease for three years at that point, so I thought Sydney, who was diagnosed about 8 months prior, would have more time.
I was wrong. He seemed fine, and then suddenly he wasn’t. In a particularly cruel twist of fate (or as Kris says, planning on his part to make it easier for me), his rapid decline happened the first time I traveled across the country since the pandemic hit. I couldn’t get home quickly enough to be there. And I couldn’t let him suffer while waiting. It was a brutal decision.
In October, our 12-year-old miniature poodle blew out her right back knee. Surgery wasn’t an option due to her age and other medical issues. We were able to keep her relatively pain free and mobile until her other back knee went right before Thanksgiving. That was also a difficult decision, because her spirit was willing but her body had failed her. So, there I was collecting ashes for the second pet in four months.
Soon, I will need to make a decision about Truman, too. He’s rebounded so many times the past four years. When he broke his back leg in March 2018, and then was diagnosed with kidney disease shortly thereafter, I had to face his mortality. But his decline has been so slow, it kind of lulled me into the fantasy that he might live, well, not forever, but I couldn’t really put an end date on it.
Yet, I know I’m now measuring his time left in weeks. When the end comes, it will be whole different kind of brutal.
And I still might not be done with the bad cat year. Our youngest cat, Max, is 16 1/2 with severe arthritis and a heart murmur.
But you all know I can’t just focus on the negative. I have to find the silver linings.
For Sydney, that was recognizing that he didn’t want to be frail. Syd was the alpha of our pack, despite being the smallest. He’s the one who took care of everyone else. He wouldn’t have tolerated the interventions necessary to keep his kidney disease at bay.
For Truman, who is so different in some ways from Syd, that’s been getting pampered. He loves riding in the car (Syd hated it), and he loves seeing his “people” at the vet’s office twice a week for his “spa treatments” (although he’s quite vocal about his annoyance at said “treatments”). His eyes perk up in recognition as soon as we approach the Starbucks drive-through for his weekly cattuccino. And he now gets fed on demand with a variety of options offered so he can choose his favorite from the chef’s finest selections. Only human food will do now. The current favorites are rotisserie chicken and smoked salmon.
As for Max, he has always wanted to be an only cat, so soon, and for the rest of his life however long that may be, he will get his wish.
I think the least we can do to make up for cats’ ridiculously short lifespans is to pamper them.
As for me, it will take some time for my heart to heal. But in the meantime, it helps to remember my boys in their youth. And to be grateful for the time I got to spend with them.
And until I can bear the thought of letting another cat into my heart, I am comforted by the fact that I have no shortage of cat stories to read.
Cat fiction has a way of soothing the soul, doesn’t it?
Our latest collection of cat fiction comes by way of the Cattitude StoryBundle, curated by Dean Wesley Smith (who is, of course, also a companion to several cats).
This StoryBundle features five WMG books—a three-book bundle called The Fates Trilogy by Kristine Grayson, the new Pakhet Jones novella Big Eyes by Dean, and The Year of the Cat: A Cat of Fantastic Whims, edited by Kris and Dean.
Click here to check it out.
Even in the worst of times, life truly is better with cats.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Love is in the Air
You might expect someone who has been married three times to be skeptical about love. But in my case, you’d be wrong. At least, you’d be wrong now.
I was skeptical about love until I met my third husband. It was only then that I realized I’d had no idea what love, romantic love, truly felt like. If I had, I would never have married husbands one and two.
But then I wouldn’t have my daughter, and I wouldn’t be who I am today, so I don’t regret those past mistakes. I needed to learn from them to find the strong and loving partnership I have with husband three.
But despite that strong bond of love—or perhaps because of it—we don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. In fact, we kind of do un-Valentine’s Day. One year, we got tetanus shots together. My husband half-jokingly asked what vaccine we were getting this year, and I had to inform him that sadly, we’re all caught up on all of our shots, even the flu and Covid boosters.
Maybe this year, we’ll clean out the refrigerator together.
My daughter, on the other hand, is a different story. She loves Valentine’s Day. The holiday to her is about all kinds of love: romantic, friendship and familial. Now, that’s a Valentine’s Day celebration I can get behind.
So, we’ll have a special Valentine’s Day dinner, with pink bubbly (non-alcoholic, of course), and a special dessert, and chocolates, of course. And Nola will get jewelry.
No flowers, though. My husband grows me roses, so those will have to wait until they’re in season.
And whatever kind of love you feel like celebrating today, I’ll always advocate for adding in a great book.
It’s no secret that we love holidays here at WMG. In fact, we’ve just launched a new subscription newsletter dedicated to all sorts of unusual holidays.
Although this week, we’ll be featuring Valentine’s Day.
The Every Day’s a Holiday at WMG newsletter offers specially curated ebooks and discounts only for subscribers! For your $5 a month subscription you get a story or collection (possibly a novel or two sprinkled in) every week that relates to an unusual and fun national holiday.
We’re offering this new subscription newsletter for free the first month, so our loyal readers can get a taste of what’s to come.
And after this free preview month, once we move to the paid subscription platform, we’ll add access to special promotions and discounts on other WMG products, like lectures and workshops, and even special early access to some new releases. You won’t want to miss this!
For a limited time, we are also offering new subscribers to Every Day’s a Holiday at WMG, The Holiday Spectacular #1 FREE!
So, sign up here to try it out and we’ll send you both of those books (and many more to come)! And if you like it, be sure to upgrade to the paid subscription one month from now to keep the Every Day’s a Holiday at WMG newsletter coming your way weekly.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all those who celebrate. And if you don’t, Happy Monday!
Regardless of which camp you fall into, happy reading!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Smith Does It Again!
It’s a new year, and Dean Wesley Smith is kicking it off in grand style with another issue of Smith’s Monthly!
After relaunching the series in January 2021, he produced one issue each month, just as the name implies. And he’s back at it for 2022.
If you haven’t picked up an issue of Smith’s Monthly in a while, you’re in for a treat. Packed with all sorts of great writing—all by Dean, of course—this monthly magazine is unique. And I mean unique: there’s nothing else like it on the market.
This month’s offering, Issue #57, features short stories in Dean’s Thunder Mountain, Marble Grant, Bryant Street, and Sky Tate series, as well as his complete mystery collection Dead to Me. Plus, the latest full-length entry in the Thunder Mountain series, Green Valley: A Thunder Mountain Short Novel.
So, whether you’re socked in by a Nor’easter, enjoying cold sunny winter days or warm balmy summer nights (hey there, southern hemisphere readers!), Smith’s Monthly has plenty of reading to keep you entertained.
Click here to buy this issue.
And don’t forget you can subscribe to Smith’s Monthly and never miss an issue! Click here to learn more.
But before I sign off, a huge shout out and thank you to all of the supporters of our latest Kickstarter: Crimes Collide. We ended the campaign with a total of $28,131 and hit ten (10!) stretch goals.
We’re so very grateful for all of our readers, however you support our books.
Happy reading!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Don’t Rob Yourself of This Opportunity
Our Crimes Collide Kickstarter ends this week, and it’s really going gangbusters. We funded in record time and hit our first stretch goal in record time, too. Kickstarter named it a “Project We Love” almost immediately, too.
We can’t thank you enough for the support!
If you missed my blog last week and don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a quick summary:
Kris and Dean are collecting 100 of their mystery short stories together into a five-volume set called Crimes Collide. Fifty stories from each author in the series; ten stories from each author in every volume.
In addition to such fantastic rewards as the five Crimes Collide volumes in ebook, trade paperback and signed/limited hardcover, we have some amazing rewards for writers, and a special workshop series for writers is included in the stretch goals.
Speaking of stretch goals, we’ve already hit five, which means everyone who backs the Kickstarter gets not only the ebook editions of the five volumes of Crimes Collide, but also the following list of kickass items:
Books:
Death Takes a Diamond: A Mary Jo Assassin Novel by Dean Wesley Smith
Fiction River: Pulse Pounders, edited by Kevin J. Anderson
An Easy Shot: A Golf Thriller by Dean Wesley Smith
Fiction River: Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline, edited by Kevin J. Anderson
Bleed Through by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Fiction River: Pulse Pounders: Countdown, edited by Kevin J. Anderson
Writing Pop-Ups ($150 value each):
Pop-Up #60: WHO, WHAT, and HOW to Study Mystery Openings
Pop-Up #61: WHO, WHAT, and HOW to Study Mystery Cliffhangers
Pop-Up #62: WHO, WHAT, and HOW to Study Mystery Main Characters
That’s about $650 worth of books and classes on top of whatever reward you choose.
That’s a hell of a steal!
You can check out the Kickstarter here.
The Kickstarter ends at 7:01 p.m. PST on Thursday, so don’t wait too long! It would be criminal to miss it.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: Missing This Kickstarter Would Be a Crime
My daughter loves crime stories. Maybe more than she should at 11.
It’s all Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s fault, really. Not because Kris is a fantastic crime writer, which, of course, she is. But because when the pandemic shut down the schools in 2020, Kris sent me a link to The Mob Museum’s virtual summer camp. It was fabulous! Nola learned all about forensic science. And she became hooked on solving crimes, especially murders.
It’s safe to say that now crime is Nola’s favorite genre. True crime, fictional crime, all is fair game. We even recently watched a documentary on Ted Bundy.
I’d worry more if she wasn’t so interested in catching the criminals <grin>.
Kris likes catching criminals, too. In her fiction, at least. And so does Dean Wesley Smith.
In fact, they are both such accomplished crime writers that when we decided to do a Make 100 Kickstarter this year (like we did last year with sf stories in Colliding Worlds), we decided to focus on mysteries. And the Crimes Collide Kickstarter catapulted itself into being.
Kris and Dean have been writing professional mystery short stories for four decades that have won awards and sold millions of copies, plus they have been acclaimed and enjoyed by fans over the entire world.
Now, for the first time, Kris and Dean are collecting 100 of their mystery short stories together into a five-volume set called Crimes Collide. Fifty stories from each author in the series; ten stories from each author in every volume.
In addition to such fantastic rewards as the five Crimes Collide volumes in ebook, trade paperback and signed/limited hardcover, we have some amazing rewards for writers, and a special workshop series for writers is included in the stretch goals.
Check out the Kickstarter here, and be sure to watch Kris and Dean’s fun video about the project.
Because not doing so would be a real crime.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year again when we’re supposed to be full-on into our New Year’s resolutions. And we’re totally on that, right?
Well, maybe not. Thanks to Omicron, the gym’s out. We can still try to improve our eating habits, although I just got the annual call to order Girl Scout cookies, so….
And given everything that’s going on in the world, you can take your Dry January and, well, you know. (I mean, if you want to commit to that, go for it. I’m proud of you. But I will not be joining you.)
But there’s one aspect of life that I think is primed for resolutions: taking charge of your work life.
I mean, the pandemic has caused all sorts of unpleasant disruptions, but it has also caused a much-needed revolution in the working world.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to take charge of your career and start your own business—or find a way to turn that side-hustle you actually enjoy into a full-time gig—you need to read Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Freelancer’s Survival Guide. And we’ve just made that even easier.
For the first time, the Freelancer’s Survival Guide bundles—A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Starting Your Own Business, A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Reaching Your Goals, and A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Maximizing Your Success—are available in trade paperback (of course, they’re still available in ebook, too).
Here are the synopses of the three books:
A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Starting Your Own Business
This insightful bundle includes three books from the Freelancer’s Survival Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Getting Started
Everyone says they want to be their own boss, but very few people know how. This book will help you learn how to think properly about owning a business. It gives you guidelines in setting up your office (in or out of the house), setting your schedule, and establishing your priorities. Getting started properly will put your business on the road to success.
When to Quit Your Day Job
The biggest dream all freelancers have is to work for themselves. They want to ditch the day job. Many freelancers quit their day job too early. Some wait too long. Some never do quit. And some should return to a day job for a few years while they fine-tune their business.
A step-by-step survival guide to the decisions you need to make to become and stay a freelancer in any business.
Networking in Person & Online
Networking sounds hard—and it is, if you’re trying to do it “right.” Instead, do it your way. International bestseller Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers her tips on networking in person. She solicited the help of great online networkers like bestsellers Neil Gaiman and Michael A. Stackpole to give online networking tips. This short book teaches you everything you need to know about networking—and more!
A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Reaching Your Goals
This essential bundle includes three books from the Freelancer’s Survival Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Time Management
Being your own boss means setting your own schedule. Sounds easy, right? Instead, it’s one of the toughest parts of freelancing. In this short book, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to create a schedule, meet deadlines, take time for vacation, and cope with illness. The perfect guide for freelancers who can’t find enough time in the day.
Goals and Dreams
Everyone has dreams, but most people don’t know how to achieve them. Goals help people achieve their dreams, but how do you know if you’ve set the right goals?
In this book-length excerpt from the massive Freelancer’s Survival Guide, international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch will help you set the right goals to achieve your dreams. She also has tips for staying positive and remaining patient while you’re on the road to success.
Turning Setbacks into Opportunity
Setbacks happen to everyone. Surviving them is hard. Surviving failure is even harder. But every successful person survives at least three failures before finding that success. So how do you turn failure to success?
The answers lie in this book-length excerpt from the massive Freelancer’s Survival Guide by international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who will show you how to turn those inevitable setbacks into opportunity.
A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Maximizing Your Success
This fabulous bundle includes three books from the Freelancer’s Survival Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
How To Make Money
Celebrities like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson prove that you can always spend more money than you earn. Want to know how to make money while self-employed? Learn how to manage the money you do earn. In this short book, international bestselling writer, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, shows you how.
The Secrets of Success
Once you’ve become successful, you never have to work again—or so many people believe. But becoming a success is just the start. Staying a success is the hard part. This short book will help you both become a success and remain one. International bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch will show you the secrets to success that will change your life.
How To Negotiate Anything
Most people hate negotiating. Instead of learning it themselves, they hire someone—an agent, a lawyer, a manager—to negotiate for them. But negotiators often do not have their clients’ best interests at heart. In this short book, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to negotiate anything from buying a car to buying a house, from handling a book contract to handling a negotiator. If you have ever negotiated anything—and who hasn’t?—then this book is for you.
You can find buy links to each of these books (including the Big Book) here:
A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Starting Your Own Business
A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Reaching Your Goals
A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Maximizing Your Success
The Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Third Edition
So, go on. Get resolute!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: The 2021 Year in Review
Is it just me, or did this year feel like, well, a lot?
The pandemic didn’t help that, of course. We’re still wearing masks, still weighing the risk of every outing and human interaction, and I’ve gotten more shots in the arm this year than I have since I was a kid.
I’ve also lost two of my furry family members this year. I have two left, but at 17½ years and 16 years, it’s about appreciating each day with them at this point.
Emotionally, this year has been difficult. But I’ve had plenty of work to distract me, thank goodness.
We’re a small but resourceful staff here at WMG. As of the end of 2021, we have three full-time employees. We do contract out some work, but the three of us (me, Gwyneth and Josh) make up the core team.
And the feat this team pulled off this year is nothing short of…I’m searching for the right word here, because insane is what keeps coming to mind.
As I was pulling this blog together, I tallied the number of new titles we released this year (as I do every year for my Year in Review blog).
But this year, just like Santa, I had to check my list twice.
You see, WMG Publishing released 208 new titles in 2021. Two hundred and eight new titles!
Our busiest months were February (28 new titles, or the equivalent of one per day), June (27 new titles), October (27 new titles) and December (39 new titles, more than one per day).
Honestly, if I’d actually added all that up before now, I think I would have collapsed.
To give you a comparison to other publishers, consider these statistics:
- Baen Books publishes three to four new titles a month, or 36 to 48 a year. It has 22 employees.
- Soho Press publishes 90 new titles a year. It has 5 employees.
- Sourcebooks publishes more than 350 new titles a year. It has more than 130 employees.
- Scholastic publishes more than 600 new titles a year. It has 8,900 employees.
- Hachette publishes about 1,400 adult titles a year. It has 7,500 employees.
- Penguin Random House publishes more than 70,000 digital and 15,000 print books each year. It has more than 10,000 employees.
Mind you, these bigger publishers have a lot more infrastructure and sales staff to account for some of those employee discrepancies. And Baen also mines its backlist quite effectively, so they release more books than that number of new titles reflects (but still not as many as we did this year).
Soho Press is our closest equivalent, and in a normal year, we publish about 100 new titles. Still impressive, but considering we more than doubled our normal productivity… Yes, we are very tired <grin>.
So, why did we publish such an insane number of books?
Part of the reason is the pandemic. As you might recall, in 2020, we wound up putting a number of projects on hold (like the rest of the world). We also conceived of several new projects during Kickstarters we launched that year that needed to be fulfilled in 2021.
And then, there was Dean Wesley Smith and his 70@70 Challenge. As the name suggests, he accounted for 70 of those new titles himself! (Also insane, and he’s also tired <grin>.)
Speaking of Kickstarters, we successfully funded six of those this year, too. And participated in nine StoryBundles.
Will we try to top these numbers next year? Not on your life. But am I proud of what we’ve accomplished? You bet I am!
So, take a look at the master list of every new title we released in 2021. And if you see a title (or several) that you missed (who could blame you?), click on the title to go to the WMG store page and add it to your cart.
As for me and the staff, we’re going to take some time off for a much-needed long winter’s nap.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
The List
JANUARY
Smith’s Monthly #45
FEBRUARY
Aliens Among Us
WMG Holiday Spectacular Valentine’s Day Calendar of Stories (11 new short stories)
Fiction River: Chances
Thieves: A Diving Novel
“Black Coffee: A Marble Grant Story”
“Blind Poet”
“Cat in Waiting: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“The Portal of Wrong Love: A Poker Boy Story”
Smith’s Monthly #46
“Death Stopped for Miss Dickinson”
The Year of the Cat: A Cat of Artistic Sensibilities
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #10
“A Menu of Memory: A Bryant Street Story”
“Cat in the Air: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Lost Robot: A Sky Tate Story”
“Mystery Cat: A Poker Boy Story”
“Profile Gap: A Thunder Mountain Story”
“Under Glass: A Cold Poker Gang Story”
MARCH
Smith’s Monthly #47
The Year of the Cat: A Cat of Fantastic Whims
Maelstrom: A Diving Universe Novella
Fiction River: Dark & Deadly Passions
APRIL
“Puckish Behavior”
“Cat in a Different Place: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Lost Time: A Marble Grant Story”
“Penny Dead: A Sky Tate Story”
“The Remarkable Way She Died: A Cold Poker Gang Story”
“Wrong Turn: A Bryant Street Story”
Smith’s Monthly #48
The Year of the Cat: A Cat of Feral Instincts
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #11
“Funhouse Mirrors”
Colliding Worlds, Vol. 1
Colliding Worlds, Vol. 2
Colliding Worlds, Vol. 3
Colliding Worlds, Vol. 4
Colliding Worlds, Vol. 5
Colliding Worlds, Vol. 6
MAY
Bitter Mountain Moonlight: A Cave Creek Anthology
Open Ended Threat: A Cave Creek Anthology
Promise in the Gold: A Cave Creek Anthology
Card Sharp Silver: A Cave Creek Novel
“Cat in a Hole: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Half a Clue: A Cold Poker Gang Story”
“Pleasing Pearl: A Sky Tate Story”
“Remembering the Last Laugh: A Bryant Street Story”
“Whistle for Help: A Marble Grant Story”
Smith’s Monthly #49
“The Watch”
The Year of the Cat: A Cat of Romantic Soul
JUNE
Tips about the Film/TV Industry for Novelists
How to Write a Novel in Half a Month
Diving Pairs, Vol. 1 (City of Ruins & Becalmed)
Diving Pairs, Vol. 2 (Boneyards & Squishy’s Teams)
Diving Pairs, Vol. 3 (Skirmishes & Strangers at the Room of Lost Souls)
Diving Pairs, Vol. 4 (The Runabout & The Falls)
Diving Pairs, Vol. 5 (The Spires of Denon & The Renegat & Escaping Amnthra)
Diving Pairs, Vol. 6 (Searching for the Fleet & Thieves)
Bottom Pair: A Cold Poker Gang Novel
Cattitude
The Year of the Cat: The Complete Collection
Kill Game (hardcover)
Cold Call (hardcover)
Calling Dead (hardcover)
Bad Beat (hardcover)
Dead Hand (hardcover)
Freezeout (hardcover)
Ace High (hardcover)
Burn Card (hardcover)
Heads Up (hardcover)
Ring Game (hardcover)
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #12
“Cat in Love: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Center Drives: A Sky Tate Story”
“Let’s Dance: An Earth Protection League Story”
“Under the Skin of Death: A Cold Poker Gang Story”
Smith’s Monthly #50
JULY
Stories from Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine
Stories from the Original Pulphouse: A Fiction Magazine
That’s Really Messed Up
“Paperwork to Come”
The Holiday Spectacular #2
The First Year: A Marble Grant Novel
“Cat Leading the Way: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Mule Creek Landslide: A Thunder Mountain Story”
“Something in My Darling: A Bryant Street Story”
“That Human Fear: A Cold Poker Gang Story”
“The Story of Jean: A Sky Tate Story”
Smith’s Monthly #51
AUGUST
The Big Tom: A Pakhet Jones Short Novel
“A Missing Sister Dream: A Marble Grant Story”
“Dannie Finds a Home”
“Playing Scared: A Poker Boy Story”
“She Lost a Period: A Sky Tate Story”
“The Man Who Tasted the Other Side: A Bryant Street Story”
Smith’s Monthly #52
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #13
SEPTEMBER
“A Matter for God”
Ball of Confusion: An Earth Protection League Novella
“A Beautiful History: A Poker Boy Story”
“Crystal Blue Attraction”
“Obvious Creeper: A Marble Grant Story”
“Rescue Two: A Seeders Universe Story”
“Stranger in the Shadows: A Bryant Street Story”
Smith’s Monthly #53
The Chase: A Diving Novel
“Cat Running Wild: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Cherry Jones: A Sky Tate Story”
“Reluctant with Intent: A Marble Grant Story”
“The Woman Who Knew the Time: A Bryant Street Story”
OCTOBER
Hot Springs Meadow: A Thunder Mountain Novella
Mysterious Christmas
Fantastic Christmas
Sweet Holidays
Stories for the Cold of Winter
Don’t Touch My Magic
Ghosts Among Us
Run! Creatures, Critters, and Pulphousers…
There’ll Be Blue Popcorn Without You!
Twisted Robots
“The Demise of Snot Rocket”
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #14
WMG Holiday Spectacular Halloween Calendar of Stories (9 new short stories)
A Case for Aliens
Fantasy Love
A Time for Cool Madness
Weird Crime
Holiday Insanity
Smith’s Monthly #54
NOVEMBER
Sweet Valentines
Halloween Harvest
“Unity Con: A Spade/Paladin Conundrum”
A Poker Boy Christmas: A Poker Boy Collection
Ghosts are Weird
The End Might Be Interesting After All
Too Strange for the Name
“A Brush with Intent: A Bryant Street Story”
“Cat Caught in the Art: A Pakhet Jones Story”
“Models Four: A Marble Grant Story”
“Patty Bluff: A Sky Tate Story”
Ten Little Fen: A Spade/Paladin Conundrum
Smith’s Monthly #55
WMG Holiday Spectacular 2021 Calendar of Stories (38 new short stories)
DECEMBER
“Ghost Diet: A Marble Grant Story”
“Hidden Box Inn and Casino: A Poker Boy Story”
“I’ll See You: A Bryant Street Story”
“Viewing Susan: A Sky Tate Story”
Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #15
Smith’s Monthly #56
“And a Cup of Good Cheer”
Publisher’s Note: I’m Dreaming…of Better Days Ahead
I’d be lying if I said I was dreaming of a white Christmas this year. Not because I don’t absolutely love white Christmases. I very much do. They are magical.
But living on the Oregon Coast, where you’re far more likely to see a rainbow than a snowflake, I gave up on the idea of a white Christmas at my house years ago. I mean, we might see snow a time or two some years. But the chances of seeing a white Christmas in Portland (where it actually does snow) are only 1 to 3 percent. Here, almost zero.
But this year, a Christmas miracle. About 9 p.m. on Christmas Day, snow started to fall. Big, fluffy, wet flakes. The kind of snow that’s perfect for snowballs and snowpeople.
In fact, my husband and daughter had a snowball fight right then and there in the driveway. Such opportunities are not to be missed.
The snow continued through the weekend and more is expected to fall later today, maybe even through the week.
In all of my time living here (almost 16 year), I’ve never seen it snow like this. And stay.
Maybe I’m just being wistful, but this Christmas snow gives me hope. Maybe the impossible is possible. If ever there was a time we needed hope, it’s now.
There’s still beauty in the world, and joy to be found. Even if we must take it moment by moment.
And so, even though we’re staring down the uncertainty of Omicron and another winter surge, we can find comfort in such rare events as a white Christmas or even just some of the simple things that make our lives a little easier and our burdens a little lighter.
It’s why we have continued offering our workshop sales, even though we kept hoping the need for them would pass. We can help writers improve their craft and ease the burden on their wallets.
Which is why now through January 4th, everything currently available on the WMG Teachable site is 50% off.
That includes…
-
- All Workshops
- All Classes
- All Lectures
- All Challenges
- All Collection Classes
- All Study-Along Classes
- All Pop-Up Classes
- All Subscriptions (including Lifetime to Workshops and to Study Along)
Just hit purchase on the class you would like to take, then at the top of the next page put in this sale code:
YearEnd
Click here for more information.
A workshop sale might not be a Christmas miracle, but it offers us a chance to spread a little good cheer.
From the entire staff here at WMG, we wish you and yours a very Happy New Year! Here’s to better days ahead!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Publisher’s Note: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Christmas week has come at last, and with it some much-needed joyful celebration.
The WMG offices will be closed Dec. 22-26 and Dec. 29-Jan. 2 so our staff can spend time with their families (safely, of course). And in my household, we have plans!
We have cookies to bake and presents to wrap and holiday movies to watch!
But before I do all that, I have an annual tradition to fulfill. A gift to you, dear readers.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Free Fiction story this week, “And a Cup of Good Cheer,” is a story I originally bought for a volume of Fiction River that I was going to edit called Unlikely Heroines. Because of the pandemic, we were unable to publish that volume (although Leah Cutter so kindly rescued it and published all of my beloved stories in Unexpected Heroines). But now we have published it as a standalone short story, so I’m so pleased to be able to share it with you.
This story is delightfully weird. And definitely unexpected. And a refreshing twist on a holiday tradition.
Here’s the synopsis:
Gail looks forward to her annual Christmas shopping trip to the high-end specialty foods store. Until her phone keeps interrupting with news alerts and a barrage of texts from her husband, Ron.
Ron never texts her, and the messages grow increasingly weird. He wants a figgy pudding and he wants one right now!
Gail soon realizes her family needs her—and her Christmas spirit—to save the day.
I love Gail. I think we’d be friends.
For the next week, you can read this story on Kris’ website by clicking here, or you can download it to your device here.
So, good tidings we bring to you and your kin. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.