Category Archives: Author

Busted, by Sophie Mouette

By DayleJanuary 10, 2017Erotica, Little Kisses Press, Short Stories, Sophie Mouettelesbian erotica

We had so much fun writing this story!

When cop Elle and hippie Destiny get it on at the beach, they discover a mutual love for voyeurism and exhibitionism that leads to even more steamy encounters. A sexy-fun short story from acclaimed lesbian erotica author Sophie Mouette.

“Busted” originally appeared in Caught Looking: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists (Cleis Press, 2006) and was reprinted in Soaking Wet: Lesbian Sex Stories, Cleis Press, 2011.

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

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Uncollected Anthology, Issue 10: Fabulous Familiars

By DayleNovember 2, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Soul's Road Press, Uncollected Anthology

Witches and familars go together like shortbread and tea or cheese and wine, and so Fabulous Familiars is the theme of our 10th issue. It doesn’t seem possible that we’ve put out 10 issues already. Thank you, dear reader, for being a part of this project!

Fabulous Familiars required an equally fabulous guest author, and we found just the person in Valerie Brook. Her story is a whole new take on the idea of a familiar, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as all the others. I hope you do, too.

“Hedging the Witch”

An honest politician: far more rare than hedgewitches, at least in Portland, Oregon.

When one such politician asks hedgewitches Holly and Willow to investigate whether his rival employs a magical advantage, Holly’s familiar, Cam, must support Holly through a treacherous investigation…or risk losing her forever.

The first story in a spellbinding new urban fantasy series by the author of the Nikki Ashburne Ghosted stories.

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

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

“In the Matter of Snake Vs. Stone,” Michele Lang

Something wicked walks in Buffalo…

Rikki Pollard, a divorce lawyer for the down and out in gritty Buffalo, NY, makes a living out of rendering asunder what the Lord had brought together. Despite her unholy trade, Rikki never expected to encounter Old Scratch himself in open court.

But now she has to rescue her young client, Chance Stone, from a fate worse than death. It’s Rikki vs. damnation in a courtroom custody case like no other. To save Chance, she will have to outwit the devil himself, with only a little voodoo-related backup. A supernatural courtroom adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

“Un-Familiar,” Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Winston’s familiar Ruby, a small black cat, avoids dogs whenever possible. So when Winston finds her in cahoots with a toy poodle-Chihuahua mix, he wants to know why.

Ruby, usually so vocal, says nothing. Her silence, that dog, and a storm in the Oregon Coast community of Seavy Village all combine into one of the most memorable days of Winston’s life.

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

“The Mouse Who Laughed,” Leah Cutter

As a familiar, Ina expected to bond happily ever after with a single master or mistress.

Not two.

And certainly not three.

But when her current Master turns on her, attacks her, she breaks the bond and flees for her life.

What’s a poor mouse to do?

If you need a pick-me-up, “The Mouse Who Laughed” fits the bill nicely as a warm fantasy about learning to stand on your own two (or four) feet.

“The Reveal Within,” by Rebecca M. Senese

Eed graduates from an insect familiar to a raven familiar, but his first pairing with a pushy warlock ends in disaster. Eed barely escapes before the warlock enslaves him, breaking the rule of cooperation between witch and familiar.

But when Eed tries to return to the raven clan, he finds himself blacklisted. Facing enslavement to the warlock or getting busted back to insect, Eed turns rogue.

How can Eed clear his name before the raven clan catches up?

Guest Author

“Aunt Fabulous and the Talking Tattoo,” Valerie Brook

Magnificent Maggie Fontaine has been around the mysteries of magic all her life. But when she wakes up with an underage hangover and a talking press-on priestess tattoo on her arm, all Mag wants is for both things to go away. When Aunt Fabulous turns out to have vanished overnight, and it’s up to Mag to find her guardian, will the strange talking tattoo be a help or a hindrance?

Want More?

We do have a website and a newsletter, for the sole purpose of telling you when the next batch of stories is available. Check them out!

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Hauntingly Good Publications!

By DayleOctober 31, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Fiction River, Mystery/Thriller, Romance, Sales

So much good news to impart!

First, a new publication: Haunted, an anthology from Fiction River edited by the fantastic Kerrie Hughes, is now available. It contains my story “Land of the Living,” a Nikki Ashburne/Ghosted short story.

Rubicon: less rehab, more luxury spa for the ultra-rich elite of Hollywood.

Nikki Ashburne: less recovering from an accidental OD, more hiding from the world and grieving for her beloved grandmother.

Nikki’s Rubicon roomate: less alive, more ghost.

Nikki’s choice: less hiding away, or more living?

Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | all other retailers

TWO BUNDLES

Magical Tales of Witches!

I have a story in a frightfully luscious bundle of Witch stories!

For only $2.99, you can get 20 short stories of witches and spells. That’s a mere $0.15 per story. Way cheaper than the mocha frappuccino I had in an airport recently to keep me awake on the flight (I had work to do, don’tcha know).

I read all of the stories this month and let me tell you, they are delicious—some spooky, some funny, and all witchy goodness.

My story in this bundle is “This is the World Calling”:

Tansy and Ki come from two of the most powerful witch dynasties—and the feud between their families 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.

Note that the price will go up to $4.99 on November 2, so strike while the witchy iron is hot!

Available in ebook format from these fine establishments:
Amazon | K obo | iTunes | Barnes & Noble

Pulse Pounders!

This one’s called Pulse Pounders, and it’s a bundle of novels and anthologies. Coincidentally, one of the books is the anthology Pulse Pounders, which contains my story “The Scent of Amber and Vanilla” (which was an honorable mention in the The Year’s Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016). So if you haven’t bought the story already, here’s your chance to have it along with a bunch of other nail-biting, roller-coaster-ride stories.

Plus, the the anthology is bundled with 10 other books, all for only $15 (you can pay more if you want the novel authors, anthology editors, and/or the charity to get more). That’s a pretty sweet deal…just don’t blame me for your sleepless nights because you couldn’t put the books down.

Available in ebook format from S torybundle

SPEAKING OF GHOSTS…

What Beck’ning Ghost
a gothic romance novel

Touch not the cat bot a glove…

The MacPherson family crest above the door gives Rachael de Young, genealogist and psychic, an unexpected chill. She doesn’t know that by crossing the threshold, her life will change forever. Because the MacPhersons are a family cursed by jealousy, betrayal, and fire….

Rachael grows closer to the truth even as she grows closer to the ghost of Jordan MacPherson, who died in the tragic fire…and could very well be the person sabotaging her research. But she must trust Jordan’s love in order to find the strength to face her own fears, break her one cardinal rule, and stop a madman before he can kill again.

Available from these fine establishments:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | A llRomanceEbooks

Waking the Witch
a gothic novel

Four boys confess to the murder of a woman who died a hundred years ago…

The violent encounter Rowan Everly survived in college jolted awake her psychic power to see past images while holding a related object. At the behest of a friend, she comes to the privileged prep school town of Millburn, New York, to investigate the current rape and murder, and hopefully clear her friend’s son’s name.

Rowan’s not sure she’s up to the task. Her deeply ingrained mistrust of men makes her question where her loyalties lie. The deeper she investigates, the less anything makes sense. The boys seem truly horrified by what happened—almost as if they hadn’t had control over it.

Her initial encounter with sheriff Toby Candusco isn’t pleasant for either of them. But his calm support of her, and his unwavering desire to see justice done, gives her the strength to not only face her fears, but to reexamine the core beliefs that shape who she is.

Only then can she face and destroy the real menace…and save everyone around her.

Available from these fine establishments:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

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Writers! Here’s a great opportunity!

By DayleOctober 31, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fiction River, Short Stories

Writer friends! Want to write for professional short story markets and experience in real time how the selection process works, while hanging out with a whole slew of smart, savvy, creative, and fun writers and editors?

If you’ve known me for a while, you know I attend an Anthology Workshop on the Oregon Coast every year, and have sold a number of stories to both DAW Books anthologies and, more recently, Fiction River anthologies. This coming year, I’ve been invited to be one of the editors.

I’m told there are a few slots still open in the upcoming workshop, so let me tell you all about it.

Editors this year are Dayle A. Dermatis (me), Leah Cutter (a fabulous writer), Allyson Longueira (editor of Fiction River: Presents), Kristine Kathryn Rusch (multiple-award-winning writer and editor), and Mark LeFebvre from Kobo Books. Kristine will be editing two very special volumes, so the writers attending will be writing six stories for six anthologies.

Attendees will write two stories in early December, then four stories in four weeks in January. You get the anthology theme on Monday, and the story will be due the following Sunday. Lather, rinse, repeat. The anthologies will be different genres, so writers will get to stretch their wings as well as write in genres they already enjoy. (I challenge myself to write a story for every anthology, no matter how I feel about the theme. I have sold stories to themes I loathed—much to my surprise and delight.)

Anyway. This year, stories will also have two other special project chances:

A story, if not picked by an editor for an anthology, will have a chance for that editor to pick it for a special “Editor’s Saves” volume of Fiction River. That’s seven anthologies every story will have a chance to be in.

On top of that, WMG Publishing is bringing back Pulphouse Magazine, edited by Dean Wesley Smith. This will be an invite-only magazine, with stories only from this workshop, not open to outside submissions. Dean intends to fill the entire first year of Pulphouse Magazine, four issues, at the workshop.

Doing the math (ow), that means the six stories written by attendees will have a chance at seven anthologies and four issues of Pulphouse Magazine. This is way more than previous workshops, and I’m super excited!

WMG pays professional rates for stories, and you will have the chance to review the contract before you commit to selling them your work.

Plus there are lunches with editors and other writing/publishing professionals, and so many amazing talks every evening. The Uncollected Anthology project, for example, came from some late-night brainstorming sessions.

Dates are February 25 to March 5, Lincoln City, OR.

For more information, see http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/workshops/ (The website says the workshop is full, but I’ve been told there are still a couple slots available. At worst, you’ll be put on a waiting list, and you’ll know by the time the first story assignment is sent out whether you’re in.) If you’re interested, contact Dean Wesley Smith via his website. I’m also happy to answer questions about the workshop and my experiences with it over the years.

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What do Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, and I have in common?

By DayleAugust 13, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fiction River, Kudos, Mystery/Thriller, Short Stories

OMG OMG OMG flaily hands! My thriller story “The Scent of Amber and Vanilla” is an Honorable Mention in the The Year’s Best Crime & Mystery Stories 2016!

You know who else is on the Honorable Mentions list? Shirley Jackson, Stephen King,* and Elmore Leonard. Among others.**

Yes, I am running around the apartment screaming. No, I do not have pants on.

Eeeeeeeeeeee!

*Ironic note: The story was inspired by a writing exercise in King’s On Writing.

**Also, my friends Annie Reed, Kelly Washington, Dan Duval, and Angela Penrose have stories in the volume, and I know several other people in the Honorable Mentions list, so booyah! to all of you. I’m going to go lie down now.

Fancy a romp under the skies?

By DayleAugust 7, 2016Andrea Dale, Erotica, Publishing, Short Stories, Soul's Road Press

Naughty in Nature: Sizzling Stories of Sex in the Great Outdoors

NAUGHTY IN NATURE is a sizzling collection of stories by prolific erotic scribe Andrea Dale. Prepare to be both aroused and charmed by these delicious tales of sex and romance under the open sky, which appeared in such notable anthologies as Sweet Love, Fast Girls, and Lambda Literary Award finalist Best Lesbian Erotica 2005. In NAUGHTY IN NATURE you’ll find out why Violet Blue calls Andrea Dale a “legendary erotica heavy hitter”!

Contains the following al fresco stories:

End of Season
Storming the Castle
After the Rain
Water
Undoing the Laces
Return to Wildwood
Flash!
Just Be
Outside in the Rain
Artistic License
Frozen

Order from Amazon
Order from Powell’s
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Opportunities abound!

By DayleMay 19, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Interviews, Podcast, Short Stories, Uncollected Anthology

I have a whole bunch of exciting news! Hold on to your hats.

First.

I’ve been going to an anthology-writing workshop on the Oregon Coast for many years. First called the Denise Little workshop (because Denise was the editor buying for DAW Books anthologies) where we wrote one fantasy story ahead of time and one overnight at the workshop, it’s now grown into a seven-anthology workshop with seven editors, and we write six stories ahead of time—one a week for six weeks, on a variety of themes and genres.

I’ve attended ten of these. I sold one story at the third workshop, and then again at the sixth. This year, I sold all six of my stories.

For next year, I have been invited to be an editor!

I’m gobsmacked, delighted, a little scared, and a lot excited. I continue to cycle through these emotions every time I think about this.

My Year of Trust is part of the reason I said yes. I trust that Dean and Kris wouldn’t have asked me if they didn’t think I could do it, and I trust in my abilities and experience.

But still…holy moly!

(For more about the workshops, both on the coast and online, that WMG Publishing offers, click the links. As of this writing, there are two spots open in the Anthology Workshop.)

Second.

Speaking of the Anthology Workshop, one of the editors that past few years has been Mark LeFebvre, Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations at Kobo Books and a published author in his own right. This year, he requested we do an Uncollected Anthology podcast for the Kobo website: an interview with me and some of the other ladies of UA: Leah Cutter, Annie Reed, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Leslie Walker, and Phaedra Weldon.

Obviously I think this podcast is worth listening to, but not for the reasons you might think. It’s freaking hilarious. It was recorded after a week of intense workshop sessions, and we were punchy. When I listened to it, I laughed out loud (and I was taking a walk at the time, so passers-by probably thought I was crazy), because I’d forgotten half the stuff we talked about.

So, highly recommended. It’s less than an hour long, and it’s really fun.

Third.

In which a colleague says nice things about me.

The “Fantasy in the City” bundle she speaks of is another exciting upcoming opportunity for me. A bundle is a group of short stories, or novels, or nonfiction, or even other electronic stuff, bundled together for one low price. It’s an opportunity for fans of one author to get a taste of other similar authors’ works.

In this case, it’s a bundle of twenty urban fantasy short stories. It’ll include my story “Living With the Past,” which is a Nikki Ashburne story set in my Ghosted series—and stories by phenomenal authors such as Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Leslie Claire Walker, Anthea Sharp, and Lisa Silverthorne, among others (I’ll post the full list when I know all the names).

This is my first bundle so I’m chuffed!

The bundle will go live Monday, June 20. I’ll have lots more information before then. It’s gonna be a blast.

Fourth.

There is no fourth. Three is enough for my writerly heart to handle!

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Uncollected Anthology, Issue 8: Out of the Woods

By DayleMay 2, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Short Stories, Soul's Road Press, Uncollected Anthology

What a great lineup we have this time! Not only do we have as our guest author the phenomenal writer Ron Collins, but former guest author Rebecca Senese has joined the team as a full-time member, so we have a new story from her, too!

Our theme this quarter is Out of the Woods. Urban fantasy normally takes place in cities, but what happens when the city encroaches on the forest, or vice versa…when creatures come out of the forest or we humans go in…?

“Tendrils, Twining”

Widowed Penny ponders selling the beautiful Victorian home she and her late husband shared. After all, the yardwork is more than she can handle…this spring, it looks as though the forest is encroaching.

Surely it’s an illusion.

But what if it isn’t?

And when myth and magic collide with urban development, who will win and who will lose…and who will get caught in the crossfire?

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

“Primitive Area,” Kristine Kathryn Rusch

By the time Sara finds herself in the middle of the Idaho Primitive Area, she knows she made a huge mistake. Her decision clouded by the blush of new love, she agrees to accompany Travis on a weeklong hike. Sara, the city girl, in the woods, camping. And just when she thinks things can’t possibly get worse, she discovers just how wrong they can turn—but in ways she never expected. Magical ways…

“Rusch’s short fiction is golden.”
—Kansas City Star

“Paulaleena,” Leah Cutter

Pauli, the most recent of the Paulaleena fairies, must creep out of the woods and renew the pact with the human mayor of the nearby city.

The pact that keeps the world safe from the Dark Ones.

The pact forged by blood.

When this human mayor insists on seeing the Dark Ones herself, they both get more than they bargained for.

“Lights! Camera! Action?” Annie Reed

Private detectives Diz and Dee have worked for some pretty odd clients. Leprechauns. Fairies. The occasional Greek God.

Even Dee’s mother.

But their newest client could be the oddest yet.

Horror movie director Morte (as in death; he had it legally changed) can’t find the star of his latest B-movie flick, currently filming in the woods outside Moretown Bay. The guy’s a method actor who needs to “live the part,” and he occasionally takes off to do a little research. Only this time he’s playing a werewolf, and the full moon is right around the corner.

Hollywood invades the offices of D & D Investigations in this latest addition to the Diz & Dee mystery series.

“The Reveal Within,” by Rebecca M. Senese

Marnie waited too long to sign up for a painting course and ends up in a wood carving class. What the heck does she know about carving wood? She manages to make it through the first session without gouging her arm but has to drop the class. Her learning to carve? No way. But something in the wood calls to her, urging her to reveal…what? Marnie wants nothing to do with the class but the wood has ideas of its own.

“Peculiar Magic, ”Leslie Claire Walker

Death. Resurrection. Hope.

Beth died at seventeen, helping to save the world. Her boss, Malek—the serpent from the Garden of Eden in human form—brought her back.

She hasn’t been the same since. She can’t recall the details of her death. The missing memory haunts her.

When the supernatural creature who killed her hunts her down once again, Beth must face the mystery of her death head-on. If she can’t solve the puzzle of her hidden memory, she may lose something infinitely more valuable than her life.

If you enjoy mystical YA urban fantasy with an apocalyptic twist, you’ll love “Peculiar Magic.”

“Peculiar Magic” is a stand-alone story set in THE FAERY CHRONICLES series. For more FAERY CHRONICLES magic, visit leslieclairewalker.com.

Guest Author

“The Bridge to Fae Realm,” Ron Collins

Jonathan Hale is a delivery guy by day, and an underground music critic by night. He’s on his own and just getting his life back together when he runs across Micaela Alandari. She’s a kick-ass fae woman with an interesting bloodline that includes a half-brother mired in a losing war effort on the fae side of the tracks.

While Jon’s worried about keeping his job, Micaela’s got bigger problems for him to deal with. If he can’t get his act together, it could mean the end of civilization on both sides of the Bridge to Fae Realm.

Want More?

We do have a website and a newsletter, for the sole purpose of telling you when the next batch of stories is available. Check them out!

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“Dyrnwyn’s Fire” now available

By DayleFebruary 18, 2016Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Short Stories, Soul's Road Pressmagic, sword, Wales

New fantasy short story available!

“Dyrnwyn’s Fire”

Hitler seeks the magical Thirteen Treasures of Britain. Vivian, immortal lover of Merlin, faces the task of waking him from his bespelled slumber to guard the treasures—even though seeing him again breaks her heart.

According to legend, the sword Dyrnwyn, one the of the Treasures, blazes with fire when drawn. A weapon? A test of worthiness? Or an opportunity for Vivian to rid her heart of this cursed love once and for all?

“Dyrnwyn’s Fire” originally appeared in the collection Written on the Coast.

And if you enjoyed this story, check out the other stories in Written on the Coast!

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