Category Archives: Dayle A. Dermatis

Three sales to Fiction River!

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Sales

I’m utterly delighted to have sold three short stories to Fiction River at the annual Oregon Coast Writers Anthology Workshop!

“The Scent of Amber and Vanilla” will appear Pulse Pounders (thriller), edited by Kevin J. Anderson, in December 2104.

“Ignite the Night” will appear in Sparks (YA), edited by Rebecca Moesta, in August 2015.

“The Imperfect Otter Empire” will appear in Recycled Pulp (variety of genres), edited by John Helfers, in December 2015. John called my story “A kooky little palate cleanser.”

These three stories join three others I sold previously to Fiction River:

“Living With the Past,” Fantastic Detectives, Fiction River, August 2014

“Leave a Candle Burning,” Fantasy Adrift, Fiction River, April 2014

“The Sound of My Own Voice,” Hex in the City, Fiction River, 2013—available now!

The most wonderful time of the year!

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

It’s October, and you know what that means? It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it is if you turn into a crazy woman because of Halloween. I love me some Halloween, baby.

It surprises me that I don’t have any stories set at Halloween, something my creative brain is trying to rectify as I type. But I do have some fantasy stories with vampires and ghosts and Old Scratch himself, so if you’re looking for some holiday-themed reading, here are my suggestions!

(Note: None of these are super-spooky, and all of them have some level of humor. Because, well, it’s me we’re talking about.)

“Blood Relations”

The woman known as the “Vegan Martha Stewart” learns who her infamous father really is…and their relationship threatens to ruin their respective empires. A funny fantasy short story—with a bite!

Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | Smashwords

“The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip”

Angrrr Management were four talented guys. (They really were. I wasn’t just some starry-eyed groupie; I knew decent music and I knew stage presence.) Talented, yes, and awfully pretty, all of them. And every last one of them was dumber than a post. Had they never HEARD of Robert Johnson?

“The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip” is a hilarious urban fantasy short story about 80s hair metal and selling your soul to Satan.

Includes bonus short story “Hell’s Belles”!

Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | Smashwords

“Feline Design”

Even Satan needs a vacation once in awhile. But perhaps taking the form of a fuzzy kitten wasn’t the smartest of ideas…. A Miranda Contreau paranormal short story.

Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | Smashwords

“Hell’s Belles”

Teaching etiquette to a spoiled debutante can be hell…literally. A funny fantasy with a wicked Southern twang.

Includes bonus story “The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip”!

Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | Smashwords

“Some Old Lover’s Ghost”

Helena runs Paranormal Manifestation Services–PMS for short. When she’s hired by Beth and Marguerite to find out why a ghost is bothering Marguerite, she doesn’t expect to get a crush on Beth…which makes things especially awkward when she learns who the ghost is. Rainbow Reviews called this short story “unexpectedly romantic [and] heart-wrenching.”

Includes a bonus interview with the author about the writing of the story, her own paranormal experiences, and more.

Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | Smashwords

Euphoric

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Sales

I’ve signed the contract, so now I can announce the very, very exciting news!

I’ve had a short story accepted for a Mercedes Lackey-edited anthology of stories based in her awesome Elemental Masters universe!

::runs around in small circles, hands flapping::

I’ve been reading Misty’s work since…well, let’s just say math would be involved in figuring it out. A long time. And I love the Elemental Masters series. It’s mostly set in Britain (although our stories didn’t have to be), pre-WWII, and the premise is that there are people who have elemental magic, the ability to work magic based on the four elements and to interact with the attendant elemental creatures (water magicians commune with sylphs and naiads, etc.). Additionally, each book is based loosely on a fairy tale or legend.

I set my story in and around Castle Coch in south Wales, a place I’ve been to several times. It’s truly a fairy tale/fantasy castle, with conical-roofed towers and incredible decorations. Unsurprisingly, my underlying fairy tale is Rapunzel. (See also below.)

I love writing romance and erotica (obviously), but fantasy was my first love, and any opportunity I get to write fantasy makes me happy. To be a part of this project makes me insanely joyous.

I have to thank a few people for helping me on this journey:

  • Ken, for putting up with me every time I thought I couldn’t do it, thought the idea was stupid. I haven’t had much faith in my writing ability lately, and he’s done nothing but prop me up and say all the right things I needed to hear.
  • Kris & Dean and the Oregon Writers Network, for not only holding so many workshops that have helped me grow as a writer, but for making it possible for me to be in the right place at the right time for this opportunity.
  • Lee Rebennack, for immediately saying “Rapunzel” when I asked those in our hotel room at Phoenix Comicon what their favorite fairy tale was. That smashed into the idea of using Castle Coch and my brain did that wonderful writerly “OoooOOOoooh!” that happens when the right ideas come together.

I’m probably overreacting to this—I mean, hell, I’ve sold more than a hundred short stories—but given how hard it’s been to even finish a short story lately, much less how I’ve questioned whether I should be even doing this, I’m going to go with the euphoria.

Is it magic…or madness?

By Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF

“Berengere” by Dayle A. Dermatis

When Berengere’s husband, the king of Coraise, goes away crusade, his brother Jean assumes the role of Regent—and makes Berengere, her sister, her husband’s grandmother, and her closest servants “guests” in his chateau. Berengere knows they’re really prisoners, but there’s nothing she can do except try to make their appartements more pleasing by painting murals of the outside world. Are the murals a means of escape…or is Berengere slipping into madness?

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

A sassy, light-hearted ghostly romance

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

“Some Old Lover’s Ghost” by Dayle A. Dermatis

Helena runs Paranormal Manifestation Services—PMS for short. When she’s hired by Beth and Marguerite to find out why a ghost is bothering Marguerite, she doesn’t expect to get a crush on Beth…which makes things especially awkward when she learns who the ghost is. Rainbow Reviews called this short story “unexpectedly romantic [and] heart-wrenching.” BONUS: Includes an interview with the author about the writing of the story, her own paranormal experiences, and more.

“Definitely a light-hearted read – kind of a lesbian Ghostbusters. What makes this story stand out is the strong narrator – she’s smart, funny and definitely opinionated. For some reason or other, the word ‘sassy’ comes to mind when I think of this story – and that’s a good thing.”
— Megan, goodreads.com

“unexpectedly romantic [and] heart-wrenching”
—Rainbow Reviews

“Some Old Lover’s Ghost was nominated for a 2008 Romance Erotica Connection Award for Best F/F Romance Short Story and for a 2010 Gaylactic Spectrum Awardfor Best Short Fiction.

“Some Old Lover’s Ghost” originally appeared in Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (Lethe Press, 2008).

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

First fantasy collection!

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

Five Funny Fantasies by Dayle A. Dermatis

Five Funny Fantasies is the first collection from prolific writer Dayle A. Dermatis. Prepare to be amused by these five humorous fantasy stories involving dragons and slayers, deals with the Devil, 80s hair metal, and much, much more!

Includes the following stories:

• If the Shoe Fits
• Feline Design
• Famous Last Words
• Hell’s Belles
• What Dragons Prefer

“Dayle A. Dermatis’s ‘If the Shoe Fits’ is a funny (and rather ingenious) semi-modern twist on Cinderella, in which we find out why that shoe was really so important to everyone.”
—Errant Dreams Reviews

“[What Dragons Prefer’ is] a very good short story with a classic twist at the end. This story is very well worth reading.”
—Steve Challis, Smashwords.com

“Simply put, the author’s writing style is really, really good!”
—A.A., Amazon.com

“I chuckled aloud at [‘What Dragons Prefer’]. Brilliantly succinct expression of a neat twist!”
—George, Podcastle.com

Cover art © Julien Tromeur / iStockPhoto.com.

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

New fantasy titles available!

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

I have two new fantasy short stories available!

“The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip”

“Angrrr Management were four talented guys. (They really were. I wasn’t just some starry-eyed groupie; I knew decent music and I knew stage presence.) Talented, yes, and awfully pretty, all of them. And every last one of them was dumber than a post. Had they never HEARD of Robert Johnson?”

“The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip” is a hilarious urban fantasy short story about 80s hair metal and selling your soul to Satan.

“The Devil Went Down to the Sunset Strip” originally appeared in Retro Spec: Tales of Fantasy and Nostalgia (Raven Electrick Ink, 2010).

Cover images © iScream Creative / iStockPhoto and Baris Simsek / iStockPhoto.

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Blood Relations”

The woman known as the “Vegan Martha Stewart” learns who her infamous father really is…and their relationship threatens to ruin their respective empires. A funny fantasy short story—with a bite!

Cover art © Robert Kohlhuber / iStockPhoto.com.

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

Things to read! And some are free!

By Andrea Dale, Dayle A. Dermatis, Erotica, Fantasy/SF, Soul's Road Press

Some groovy publishing news!

First, Sweet Confessions: Erotic Fantasies for Couples is now available for pre-order! Alison Tyler is giving away a copy, if you want to mosey on over to her blog and make a bid for it.

Sweet Confessions contains my story “New Day, New Life,” about a woman recovering from an illness and wanting to experience life to the fullest. It also has a Sophie Mouette story, “Sacred Places,” about a couple discovering a shared dark fantasy.

It’s edited by the venerable Violet Blue, and may be spotlighted on an OWN network show (!!), and has a slew of wonderful authors, so…. It comes out next month, but you can preorder it now.

Next, I wanted to let all you Kindle users know about two free short stories I have up on Amazon for your enjoyment.

“What Dragons Prefer” is a humorous fantasy story, written as Dayle A. Dermatis:

A dragon slayer arrives to rescue a threatened town, but the real threat and the dragon’s true desires are not necessarily one and the same.

The story first appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Fall 1994; and republished in Dragons: A Celebration of the Greatest of Mythical Creatures, January 1996.

“From Bitter to Sweet” is a literary erotica story (nothing terribly explicit in it), written as Andrea Dale:

An erotic lesbian short-short story about breakups, new love, and chocolate. Go ahead—savor it. Let it melt on your tongue….

The story originally appeared in Got a Minute? 60 Second Erotica (Cleis Press, 2007)

Both of these are short-shorts, and really too short for me to charge for them—but the downside is, even though they’re labeled as such, reviewers are complaining that they’re, you guessed it, too short! So, y’know, if you like them, it would please me greatly if you posted a nice review. That’s always better payment to me than money! (My mom and my sister are both still asleep, so I’m gonna get back to work now!)

Free fantasy story available!

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

“What Dragons Prefer” — free fantasy short story from Soul’s Road Press!

A dragon slayer arrives to rescue a threatened town, but the real threat and the dragon’s true desires are not necessarily one and the same.

“What Dragons Prefer” first appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Fall 1994; and republished in Dragons: A Celebration of the Greatest of Mythical Creatures, January 1996.

Available free in a variety of electronic formats from Smashwords
(includes formats for Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook).