Category Archives: Bibliography

Mystery, Dragons, Spies, and Custard

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Short Stories, Soul's Road Press

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Bothering With the Details: A Copyediting Cozy Mystery Short Story

Longtime copyeditor Lydia Menchin prides herself in having memorized The Chicago Manual of Style and being able to focus despite distractions. But the tech company she works for still fires her, assuming her age made her unable to understand electronic newsletters.

Lydia still reads the newsletter and finds the mistakes the new, clearly inferior editor misses.

Until she starts to suspect the errors might just be intentional….

“Bothering With the Details” originally appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, 2018.

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Dragons. Who doesn’t love them?But this collection isn’t just about the brutes or beasts. No, there are philosophical dragons. Technological dragons. Even sexy dragons.Not just fantasy dragons. But science fantasy. Or straight science fiction. Historic and future dragons.You’re going to meet dragons from all walks of life in the pages of this anthology. Mostly unexpected. Not the kinds of dragons you’ve met before.

Come and explore all the myriad facets of these fascinating creatures.

Available in both ebook and print.

This anthology contains my story “Beautiful Soul,” set in Victorian London.

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Set your cauldron to bubbling, and read these fifteen tales of magic, sorcery, and enchantment!What if you could smell magic—or go to a bar and get a shot of magic to go with your cocktail? Will an aging sorcerer’s last pupil ever learn anything? And what could possibly go wrong when a pair of witches enter the local chili cook-off?Includes stories by DeAnna Knippling, Leah R. Cutter, Robert Jeschonek, Debbie Mumford, Annie Reed, Rei Rosenquist, Alicia Cay, James Pyles, Grayson Towler, Jamie Ferguson, Dayle A. Dermatis, Thea Hutcheson, Leslie Claire Walker, Sharon Kae Reamer, and Steve Vernon.This anthology contains a reprint of my story “Telling the Bees,” part of the Holly and Willow hedgewitch series.

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The Florentine Exchange:
A Page-Turning Spy Story Full of Twists and Turns

During a sultry summer in Florence, Italy, rule-following Libby must make an information exchange when her mentor, Antonia, sprains her ankle.

But then she discovers Antonia had two identical thumb drives. Was Antonia planning to give the wrong one to her contact?

Libby must make split-second decisions while her own life is on the line.

Clever spy thriller “The Florentine Exchange” transports readers to the sticky sumer humidity and historical beauty of Italy and keeps them on the edge of their seats, as only accomplished writer Dayle A. Dermatis can do.

“The Florentine Exchange” originally appeared in Fiction River Special Edition: Spies, 2019, and was reprinted in Voices Carry, and Other Stories of Women and Crime, 2020.

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Custard: A Romeo and Juliet Story (Sort Of)

Brownies—not the little girls or the fudgy treat kind, but the Scottish pixie kind—help take care of households by being superior with household chores.

Agnes and Neil, from different brownie clans and working at different manor houses, both pride themselves in their custard. Custard, which requires the best, freshest eggs.

A chance meeting over a favorite clutch of eggs starts Agnes and Neil on an adventure, and the chance to create something new.

Their story will never be forgotten.

Editor Dean Wesley Smith says of “Custard,” “Dayle Dermatis…is a storyteller whose compelling and playful prose I will follow down virtually any path.”

“Custard: A Romeo and Juliet Story (Sort Of)” originally appeared in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, 2021.

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I’m able to continue writing and publishing thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon.

New Uncollected Anthology and Fiction River issues!

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Fiction River, Mystery/Thriller, Short Stories, Uncollected Anthology

Uncollected Anthology: Alchemy

Enjoy the urban fantasy stories of the Uncollected Anthology: Alchemy now collected in this bundle.

Learn the secrets of a ghostly businessman or enjoy your perfect friends. Sip some very special booze and change a patron with love. Find a magical keepsake in a stoppered bottle of potion before jetting to ponder a special wall in Rome.

Explore the Uncollected Anthology with Alchemy!

My story in this issue is “Protected in Every Way.”

Amabella: intelligent, inquisitive, artistic, sporty. She leads a perfect life, with perfect friends.

Until she discovers something terribly, frighteningly wrong with her friends.

Surely there must be someone real Amabella can trust?

Gripping story “Protected in Every Way” is part of Uncollected Anthology 24: Alchemy.

“Dermatis has a love of lush language….” – Tangent Online

Fiction River: Dark and Deadly Passions

Dark and deadly passions fuel crime. Often violent crime. The stories in this compelling volume traverse an emotional rollercoaster. Some revenge stories uplift, while the very darkest stories shine a light on the disturbing underbelly of human nature. But heroism—or at least an attempt to do the right thing—provides hope. So, brace yourself for a swirl of emotions—and some dark and deadly passions.

My story, “Zero Tolerance,” is another in my series about justice-seeking Brittani Menchin, a not-quite-six-feet-tall math nerd, bank geek, and high school Fixer.

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I’m able to continue writing and publishing thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon.

The Real Housewitches of Calafia County: A Desperate Housewitches Short Story

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Publishing, Soul's Road Press

When the head of their local HoA tries to impose new rules on the annual Winter Solstice ritual, the four reigning witches of the gated community resolve to fight back.

A war consisting of both paperwork and magic.

All without breaking a fingernail.

Don’t mess with this coven!

Buy “The Real Housewitches of Calafia County”

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I’m able to continue writing and publishing thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon.

Stupid Games: A Brittani Menchin Justice Short Story

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Mystery/Thriller, Publishing, Soul's Road Press, ,

Brittani Menchin, decidedly not popular high school student, stumbles across her former BFF, Charlotte, in the girls’ bathroom.

Cutting herself.

Despite Brittani’s pain over Char’s defection, she can’t not help someone in need.

It will take all her geeky knowledge and wit to sabotage the idiotic game Char’s new popular friends have roped her into.

Fans of Veronica Mars will love this first story featuring justice-seeking Brittani Menchin, a not-quite-six-feet-tall math nerd and high school Fixer.

Buy “Stupid Games”

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I’m able to continue writing and publishing thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon.

Magic, Monsters, and Myth Storybundle

By Bundle, Dayle A. Dermatis, Novels, Romance, Soul's Road Press, Young Adult

The Magic, Monsters, and Myth Storybundle has a wonderful variety of work, and as curator Kristine Kathryn Rusch says, “…this bundle is all about the sparkle. Sometimes the sparkle is magic. Sometimes it’s a made-up world. Sometimes it’s love.”

When she first approached me about putting Beautiful Beast in this bundle, I warned her that there was no fantasy in it. It’s inspired by a fairy tale, but it’s contemporary YA. She didn’t care, and ended up renaming the bundle because of the variety of subgenres she was including.

I then asked her (and Jason, who runs Storybundle) if they’d like an issue of Uncollected Anthology, and they said yes. The UA cooperative agreed that our latest issue, Deities, would be perfect. So you’ll find a story from me in there as well: “Shattered, Scattered, and Saved.”

Additionally, WMG Publishing included Fiction River: Tavern Tales, which I also have a story in: “Girls That Glitter,” a Nikki Ashburne story.

If you pay $5 or more, you get five books, and if you pay $15 or more, you get twelve. A pretty damn good deal! This will be going on for only three weeks, so don’t miss out.

Once again, the charity you can donate to when you buy the bundle, is AbleGamers. As I said about the most recent Storybundle I was in, gamers with disabilities already need equipment tailored to their needs, and now, those that weren’t already housebound are stuck at home. We read for escape, and we also game for escape. Let’s let everyone have their chance!

For more information, go to Storybundle.com. You probably know the drill by now.  😉

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I’m able to continue writing and publishing thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon.

Publication in AHMM!

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Mystery/Thriller, Short Stories

My crime story “Pirate Pete’s” is in the July/August 2019 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine!

“Pirate Pete’s” was inspired by an amusement park in Florida that my friend Gayle worked at as a teenager in the 1980s (the story is set then, too). However, I made this park up, and the events that take place are fictional. Just some of the details about the place come from her stories about it.

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The latest Uncollected Anthology: Beasties!

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Uncollected Anthology

Enjoy the urban fantasy stories of the Uncollected Anthology: Beasties now collected in this bundle.

Discover how to deal with raising chickens and feathered serpents or enjoy some tasty ice cream with a side of monsters. Rid your apartment of something small and…blue? Commute with the dogs or take a strange-looking bird to the vet.

Explore the Uncollected Anthology with Beasties!

My story, “Telling the Bees,” is another Holly and Willow Hedgewitch tale. Enjoy!

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Surprise publication news!

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Fiction River, Sales, Young Adult

My YA SF story “Get Inside” is the lead story in Fiction River Presents: Among the Stars! This is a reprint anthology (“Get Inside” originally appeared in Fiction River: Feel the Fear) and I had no idea it was going to be reprinted, much less be the lead story in a volume. Hurrah!

Even better, Among the Stars is currently part of the Space Opera Storybundle that just went live. Get TEN ebooks for just $15! That means you can get Among the Stars and nine other space opera books. That’s a helluva deal.

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Have some music with your ghosts

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Novels, Soul's Road Press, , , ,

I don’t make playlists for all my novels. Some just don’t seem to need them. Or I just find myself wanting to listen to one song, which gets me in the mood for a particular novel or story.

Other novels demand them. Once while listening to Florence + the Machine’s Ceremonials, I thought, Woah, this song perfectly fits that gothic I’m planning to write! Wait, this one does too. And this one! In the end, I realized the album is the soundtrack to the novel (along with some Welsh music and a few other songs). (That novel, With Soft Whispers Laden, is on the To Do list, but not before Shaded and Spectered, the next two Nikki Ashburn books.)

But I’m here to talk about music and Ghosted.

Ghosted is set in Hollywood and nearby environs, an area saturated in music throughout its history. Recording studios, concert venues, the sunset over the gleaming blue Pacific providing inspiration…. So the playlist for the novel is full of California songs, as well as ghost songs and…well, just check it out. Maybe listen to some of the songs while you’re reading the book?

And if Ghosted makes you think of any other songs, let me know!

Ghosted Playlist

California Dreamin’ – Shaw/Blades
Caroline – Concrete Blonde
Celluloid Heroes – Blackmore’s Night
City of the Angels – Gowan
Come To Be My Friend – Shaw/Blades
Estonia – Marillion
Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
Going to California – Led Zeppelin
Haunted – Evanescence
Hello (Turn Your Radio On) – Shakespear’s Sister
Lonely in Your Nightmare – Duran Duran
Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor
Our Farewell – Within Temptation
Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Road to Dead – Paula Cole
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye – Soft Cell
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes – Asia
Stay – Shakespear’s Sister
Ventura Highway – America
Walking on Broken Glass – Annie Lennox
Watching You Without Me – Kate Bush
Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – U2
Why – Annie Lennox

And a reminder: if you’ve been waffling about getting the Sorcery & Steam bundle containing Ghosted and nine more fantasy books by amazing women writers, the offer is ending very soon. Help our project go out with a bang, and while you’re at it, help support our charity, AbleGamers.

Click here for more info!

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Sorcery, steampunk, ghosts, and magic

By Bundle, Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Novels, Soul's Road Press

My new urban fantasy novel Ghosted is not yet available in stores, but it is available in this amazing bundle! I’m overwhelmed to be included in a bundle with these incredible authors.

Here’s the deal: You pay how much you want for the first four books. If you pay $15 or more, you get a bonus of six more books, including mine. That’s a steal.

You can also choose how much goes to the authors and how much to a wonderful charity, AbleGamers.

From Curator Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Sorcery. Steam. Ghosts. A touch of romance. Mythic creatures. Some truly violent bad guys. And one little black cat.

We have everything in this bundle that a fantasy reader could want.

Including magic.

We have magic in all forms, from the magic that gods use when they come to Earth to magic that a familiar inspires when she helps a man with limited ability keep his spells fresh. We have vampires and werewolves. We have parasols and tea and lovely chocolates. We have FBI agents facing killers and assassins who can kill with a blink.

A fantastic story for every mood, and steampunk. Not enough to call this a steampunk bundle, but enough that we could add “steam” to our subtitle. (We can also add “steam” for another reason. One or two of these books have steamy scenes, that have nothing to do with engines and everything to do with heat between humans.)

We also have new releases in this bundle. Usually writers contribute the first books in a series or a book that fits the theme but has been published for a long time. Four writers—Dayle A. Dermatis, Catherine Banks, Michelle Fox, and me—decided to put their most recent book in the bundle. In fact, Catherine and Michelle have contributed books exclusive to StoryBundle. You can’t get those books anywhere else!

(Note: This bundle offer ends on March 15, so you have a limited time to grab it.)

The Books and Authors

  • Alchemy and Steam (anthology)
  • Blood and Magic, Ann Gimpel
  • Poison or Protect, Gail Carriger
  • Familiarity, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
  • Rare Stakes, Michelle Fox
  • For Love or Vengeance, Caridad Pineiro
  • Ghosted, Dayle A. Dermatis
  • Specters in the Storm, Pauline Baird Jones
  • Valkyrie’s Vengeance & Hunger Moon (Ragnarok: Doom of the Gods 1-2), Melissa Snark
  • Alys of Asgard, Catherine Banks

How do you get your mitts on all these ebooks. Click right here to go directly to the bundle’s page!

About Ghosted

After former party girl Nikki Ashburne accidentally overdoses and briefly died, she wakes up able to see ghosts.

A good thing, because she lost all her other friends in the process. Now she runs ghosts tours of Los Angeles with her spirit-friends’ help.

So when someone starts exorcising the ghosts of Hollywood, Nikki scrambles to find the perpetrator before her livelihood—and her only friends—vanish forever.

Come for the ghosts. Stay for the snark.

Just keep your mitts off Nikki’s friends.

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