Author Archives: Dayle

Review for “Old Loom, New Tapestry”!

I just stumbled upon this lovely review of No True Way: All-New Tales of Valdemar, which includes some nice words about my story:

“This story was a great example of the one belief that keeps Valdemar running strong. A Companions choice is never wrong and they are always chosen for a purpose. The events of “Old Loom, New Tapestry” show that although she came to it late in life, Syrriah was always destined to be a Herald.”

I’m writing another story about Syrriah for the next anthology, too!

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Free story! “This is the World Calling”

BugAs part of the Uncollected Anthology series project, all the authors will be publishing their stories for free on their websites, each one for two weeks only!

“This is the World Calling” appeared in Issue 4, Heartspells.

Available from these fine retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Omnilit | Smashwords | iBooks

Dayle HS cover small

Tansy and Ki’s families are two of the most powerful witch dynasties—and the feud between them puts the Hatfield and McCoys to shame. So why, then, did their parents not care when the two would run off and play as children, lost in their own little world? When they meet again as adults, Tansy and Ki’s mutual attraction makes it vitally important that they find the answer to that question.

 

This free story was available for two week only. If you missed this one, click on the links above. And please check out the Uncollected Anthology website (and maybe sign up for the newsletter!) to find out when the next issue will be available!

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Pulse Pounders is here!

Pulse Pounders, a Fiction River thriller anthology, is now available! It contains my story “The Scent of Amber and Vanilla.” Publisher’s Weekly (!!) says

Dayle A. Dermatis’s “The Scent of Amber and Vanilla,” about a woman trying to protect her child from her psycho partner, is a nail-biter.

FR Pulse Pounders ebook cover webIf that’s not enough for you, the anthology contains a never-before-published story by Frank Herbert (I’m in an anthology with Frank Herbert! My name is on the cover of an anthology along with Frank Herbert’s! Frank freaking Herbert!), as well as a story that utterly blew me away when I first read it, “The Chair” by J.C. Andrijeski. Oh, and stories by Phaedra Weldon, Kristine Kathryn Rusch…so many amazing authors.

Did I mention it was edited by Kevin J. Anderson? Let me mention that now: Kevin J. Anderson edited this anthology. It’s a fangirl’s dream, I tell you.

Note: If you have a Kobo reading device (or a way to read Kobo files), they have a special edition of the book with three extra stories.

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Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Come celebrate with me on Facebook or Twitter! Wooh!

Like a box of chocolates

I’m so happy to announce my latest collection, a small volume of flash fiction fantasy and SF stories that span twenty (!) years of my career.

SWcover webThe ten stories in Small Wonders each runs no longer than 1500 words, making each one a perfect little bonbon of speculative fiction. Whether you savor a morsel at a time or gobble up the whole collection, you’ll walk away satisfied. (But unlike a box of chocolate, you can always come back and enjoy this collection again and again.) In Small Wonders you’ll find out why Dayle A. Dermatis’s short fiction has been called “really, really good”!

Includes the following stories:

  • The Power to Change the Shape of the Land
  • The Pumpkin-Carving Contest
  • Cycles
  • Creative Arsenal
  • The Sultan’s Sons
  • A Matter of Perspective
  • Accidental Victim
  • Return
  • The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip
  • What Dragons Prefer

Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | Omnilit | iBooks

Print version coming soon!

What if you didn’t have a soul?

soulsearching cover webLayde leads a double life: as a Duchess on the Hll, and as a mysterious assassin in a blood-red cloak. Born without a soulstone, set apart from every other person by her difference, she wanders adrift until she falls in love with Sehra, also a hired killer…and a mother. Layde takes jobs to fill the hollowness inside, but Sehra kills by a code. Their differences threaten to drive them apart, and tragedy threatens to destroy Layde. Only the love of a child has a chance of bringing her back from despair’s edge.

“Soulsearching” is a brand new short fantasy, never before published!

Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | Omnilit | iBooks

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Uncollected Anthology, Issue 3: Heartspells

BugAmazingly, we’re already at issue number 3 of this odd and fun little project. The time really has raced by. With two issues under our collective belt, we decided to branch out a little and add a new twist: we invited USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch to be our very first guest author. As you might guess, she accepted!

This issue’s theme is Heartspells: urban fantasy romance. Once again, an amazingly gorgeous and diverse group of stories…just in time for you to start getting into the romantic, Valentine-y kind of mood.

I set my story on a rainy night in Vienna, drawing on my memories of the few days Ken and I spent there…

“This is the World Calling”

Dayle HS cover small

Tansy and Ki’s families are two of the most powerful witch dynasties—and the feud between them puts the Hatfield and McCoys to shame. So why, then, did their parents not care when the two would run off and play as children, lost in their own little world? When they meet again as adults, Tansy and Ki’s mutual attraction makes it vitally important that they find the answer to that question.

Buy it at any of these fine online retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Omnilit | Smashwords | iBooks

The other incredibly fabulous authors—go check out their stories!

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“Heartfire,” Leslie Claire Walker

— Vengeance is mine. —

Someone kills a woman in the alley behind Snake Bite Tattoo—a clear declaration of war against its dangerous proprietor, Malek, the serpent from the Garden of Eden made an immortal man. If he can work a spell in time to bring the woman back to temporary life, she can tell him who murdered her and why. He’ll track them down and make they pay. End of story.

But he doesn’t count on remembering that he once knew her, or the feelings that rise in him along with the memories. Or that the reason for her death and the declaration of war are not what they seem.

“For more than a decade now, I have adored the work of Leslie Claire Walker.”
— Kristine Kathryn Rusch

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“Lovebirds,” Michele Lang

Nancy gave up on love a long time ago, and lives a well-researched, rational life in Buffalo, New York. But winter gives way to spring, and the voodoo love store downtown sells not just lovebirds, but the potential for a different kind of life. When she finds the courage to say yes, love swoops out of Nancy’s dreams on borrowed wings.

“Lang is a writer to watch.”
— Booklist

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“The Midnight Gardener,” Leah Cutter

Joanie finally found her heart out in the backyard, hanging in an old fir like a Christmas ornament, covered in bees…

Now she must discover what it means to hold her heart open for another.

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“Love Stinks, Inc.,” Annie Reed

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Dyte started her anti-Valentine’s Day business as a way to get even with her dad, none other than Cupid himself, after he scared away her boyfriend. She just never expected Love Stinks, Inc., to become quite so successful.

The last thing Dyte wants is the title Zeus plans to bestow on her: Goddess of the Chronically Single (her company’s profits were that good, and boy do the old gods have a thing about tithes and offerings).

With Love Stinks on the verge of a record-setting year, Dyte has two choices to avoid the dreaded title: admit her dad was right and she was wrong about the whole boyfriend thing (like that will ever happen), or find true love (without the benefit of spells or magical arrows) before the clock strikes midnight on February 14th.

Phaedra HS cover small

“Switchback,” Phaedra Weldon

Skylar loves Erin. Erin loves Skylar, only as a friend. Because Erin loves men.

Frustrated with her feelings and the impossible situation she finds herself in, Skylar seeks out a local witch for advice. The witch gives her a spell, with a warning, that once the spell is sealed with true love, there is no going back.

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Guest Author
“Track 61,” Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Kessa possesses only small magic. But her skills allow her to help those who wield bigger magic.

Her latest job takes her deep into the bowels of New York City’s subway system, hunting for bits of history long since forgotten.

And what she finds deep down in the dark will both threaten her life and change it forever.

“Rusch is a great storyteller.”
—RT Book Reviews

Final Info

As a reminder, we do have a website and a newsletter, for the sole purpose of telling you when the next batch of stories is available.

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Help me name a vlog!

Photo on 2010-06-30 at 23.09_1I need a catchy name for a vlog/blog covering rock concerts, music news, etc. Think of the indie YouTube sites that are making a splash. That’s the sort of thing she does; not only posts photos and videos she’s taken, but a website with reviews and so on. She probably has at least a few thousand followers (still trying to figure out how many would make sense), and makes a living off the advertising, selling photos to other sites, that sort of thing.

It’s run by a single person, a woman in her twenties, so if her name or nickname can be part of it, that’s cool, but not necessary. (The character already has a name, but I can change it for the right title.)

For example, if she were a guy, it could be Rock Talk with Jacques. (She can’t be a guy.)

It doesn’t have to have her name, but it has to be something hip (do the kids say “hip” these days?) and catchy.

If I choose your idea, you’ll get a shout-out in the acknowledgements of the book.  🙂

Post your suggestions on Facebook or Twitter!

Catmas Carols 2014!

Last year, apparently drunk on tea and manic creativity, I  flooded Twitter and FB with Catmas carols. I put them on my old blog, along with the ones other people contributed.

The muse has struck again, so I’m back on Twitter/FB/G+ with them. I’ll post the new ones here as well. Feel free to join in on Facebook or Twitter! The more the purrier!

2014

Kittens we have heard on high/Meowing in their joyous glee/And the human in reply/Get down off the Christmas tree!#catmascarols #kittenswehaveheardonhigh

Kitten that purr/sweet-smelling fur/Playing with toys/bringing me joy/Merry merry merry Catmas #catmascarols #carolofthecats

I heard 3 cats meow for food/On Xmas Day, on Xmas Day/I heard 3 cats meow for food/On Xmas Day in the morning. #catmascarols #iheard3cats

2013

Kitten purrs, kitten purrs/Purring all the way/Oh what joy it is to hear a kitten purr today, hey! #catmascarols #jinglekittens

Kitten purrs, kitten purrs/It’s purring time by the heater/Purr and purr/Hear them purr/Soon it will be Catmas Day. #catmascarols #silvercats

O holy cats, the kittens are a-purring/It is the night of the sweet kitten’s purr…/Fall on your knees! Oh, give the kitten scritchies! #catmascarols #oholycats

God rest ye merry, gentlecats/Let nothing you dismay/Remember Bast, our Savior/Looks over us this day. #catmascarols #merrygentlecats

O come all ye kittens/Joyful and purricious/O come ye, o come ye/To eat gooshy food. #catmascarols #comeallyekittens

We three cats who rule your house are/Bearing gifts we traverse afar/Couch to armchair/Your fav’rite rug there/A hairball inside your boudoir. #catmascarols #wethreecats

We wish you a Merry Catmas, we wish you a Merry Catmas, we wish you a Merry Catmas, and a Treat—filled New Year! #catmascarols #merrycatmas

Do you hear what I hear?/A cat, a cat/Purring by the fire/With a sound as big as a lion. #catmascarols #doyouhearacatpurr

Last Catmas, I gave you a mouse/The very next day, you threw it away/This year, to save me from tears/I’ll give you a squishy hairball. #catmascarols #lastcatmas

Feed the cats/Let them know it’s Catmastime. #catmascarols #feedthecats #catcharitysongs #cataid

12 bowls of wet food/11 laps to sit on/10 catnip treats/9 laser pointers/8 beds to nap in/7 fish a-swimming/6 turkey drumsticks/5 HOURS OF SCRITCHIES/4 feather toys/3 paper bags/2 mouse-shaped things/and a pardon for climbing up the Yule treeeee #catmascarols #12daysofcatmas

My sweet Eostre, gone but so close to my heart

Oh catmas tree oh catmas tree, with branches made of catnip, your shiney bells to me foretells, tumbling through and backflip….

(Vicki-Marie Petrick)

~~~

Away in a catbox I don’t use my beds
This sweet little kitty digs, spatters and shreds,
The season’s for giving and so I will leave
Turds, birdies, and dead mice for you to receive.

The humans are moaning, they say it’s a mess
But these are the gifts that I proudly profess
And you’d better like it or you’ll get instead
Some cat barf and hairballs right smack in your bed.

(Meg Burns)

Food, glorious food (and recipes & stories)!

I’ve been juggling a lot of projects this year—along with writing, I’ve upped my freelance work (editing and designing, both on my own and for Lucky Bat Books)—and I’m dead chuffed to announce this one, because it’s not only groovy, but it’s to benefit charity!

CookingUpStoriesPupVersion-3May I whet your appetite with…Cooking Up Stories: Favorite Stories From the Oregon Writers Network.

My coeditor Louisa Swann and I came up with this idea at breakfast during a workshop in Lincoln City a few years ago, but finally sat down and discussed it seriously in February this year. Nothing would have come of it if a whole bunch of writers hadn’t gotten on board and sent us recipes along with essays, story snippets, and other fun pieces of writing. Trust me, there are some really yummy-sounding recipes in this book!

The beneficiary of cookbook proceeds is Beach Bark, a Lincoln County, OR, charity that provides emergency vet care to animals who are ownerless or whose owners can’t afford the costs. We chose it in part because it covers the area where we travel for workshops several times a year, but also because it’s a charity near the heart of Kip, the owner of the Historic Anchor Inn where we writers stay for the coast workshops. (It was at one of his wonderful breakfasts that we hatched up the idea for the cookbook.)

I collected the recipes and edited them, and Louisa designed the book, and also took the photos of Lincoln City that are peppered throughout. (Pun intended.) Louisa’s son, Brandon Swann, designed the cover. Dean Wesley Smith wrote the Introduction, and Lucky Bat Books donated the ISBNs and background assistance. None of the people who worked on the project were paid, so that more money could go to the charity.

So, what’s not to love? A great cookbook, a charity being supported…if you’re searching for that perfect last-minute gift, consider Cooking Up Stories!

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Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

Come celebrate with me on Facebook or Twitter! Wooh!

Warm up your holidays with some spicy stories!

sexy cover webIt’s that time of year again! Time for snow, eggnog, holiday cheer…and some spicy stories to heat up those chilly nights.

Last year my coauthor Teresa and I put out Sexy in Your Stocking: Twelve Erotic Tales for the Holidays, with stories by me (as Andrea Dale), stories by Teresa Noelle Roberts, and stories written together as Sophie Mouette.

Among others, the collection contains stories not available as single ebooks:

  • one Andrea Dale story, “Let It Snow”
  • two Sophie stories: “A Bird in the Hand” and “Bringing Back the Light”
  • three stories by Teresa: “Christmas Blizzard,” “Happy Krampusnacht,” and “Running Away From Christmas”

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Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

I have one additional short story that’s available as an individual ebook: “Peppermint Stick.”

Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

The stories below appear both in Sexy in Your Stocking and are available as separate ebooks. I’m just linking to Amazon here, but if you search at Barnes & Noble or Kobo, you’re sure to find them. (Or if you don’t, let me know—I’m still working on getting everything up everywhere!)

Happy, sexy, snuggly holidays to you all!