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.
Want to chat about this post? Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
Heart’s Desires, the latest issue of Uncollected Anthology, is available now!
Discover how a vampire learns to love baseball, how a heart transplant starts some odd conversations, the perils of an ill-fated love spell, finding the perfect footwear, and learning to control awakening power.
Explore your heart’s desire.
Stake Me Out to the Ball Game – Guest Author Mindy Klasky
The Perfect Shoes – Leah R. Cutter
Heart Talk – Rebecca M. Senese
Love Flu – Dayle A. Dermatis
Real Girl – Leslie Claire Walker
Here are the deets on my story, “Love Flu“:
Isa juggles being a nanny to tween Gretchen, studying for her MBA, and honing her magical cooking skills. Time for romance? Hah!
Then Gretchen casts an ill-advised love spell, and Isa’s world gets turned upside down.
In ways nobody—including Isa, Gretchen, and Gretchen’s divorced parents—expects.
Sounds like everybody’s going to be in need of Isa’s special hot fudge sauce…
Remember, you can sign up for the Uncollected Anthology newsletter and get the full story descriptions and links well before I get around to sending them!
A few years ago I wrote my first thriller story to submit to an anthology called Pulse Pounders, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. To my delight, he purchased the story. To my astonishment, Publisher’s Weekly called the story “a nail-biter,” and then I was gobsmacked when the story was shortlisted for The Year’s Best Crime & Mystery 2016.
Now the follow up volume, Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline, has come out, containing a new, but very different, thriller story by me. The first story was about a mother saving her child, present-day. The new story is set in space, near future, and there are more lives at stake. But it’s also a very personal journey for the heroine…
It’s a story I’ve had in mind for nearly 10 years, but finally felt I had the chops to write. I hope readers enjoy it. (And I hope it’s another nail-biter!)
Right now, the only way to get Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline is part of The Bump in the Night Thriller Bundle (curated by none other than Kevin J. Anderson himself), via Storybundle.
For $5, you get the following novels:
• Cold Hard Steele by Alex P. Berg
• The Demon in Business Class by Anthony Dobranski
• The Devil’s Churn by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Lady Sherlock – Circle of the Smiling Dead by Brooks Arthur Wachtel
• Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter
• The Daredevil’s Club Artifact by Janet Berliner, F Paul Wilson, Kevin J. Anderson and Matthew Costello
For $15 or more, you get these, too!
• Grave Beginnings by R.R. Virdi
• The Deep Sunset by Dean Wesley Smith
• Unnatural Acts by Kevin J. Anderson
• Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline by Fiction River
• Into the Fire by Patrick Hester
• Living Dead Girl by Susan Sizemore
• Death Wind by Travis Heerman and Jim Pinto
• Night Terrors by J.A. Pitts
• Whack Job by Mike Baron
That’s 15 ebooks for $1 each. That’s an amazing deal. I cannot wait to read these!
It’s summer, and when you’re lounging by the pool or on the beach, or hiding inside in blessed air conditioned comfort (because the sun, it burns, my precious), what do you want to do? Read!
Read all the things!
And now, if you’re a fan of fantasy and science fiction, you can!
StoryBundle’s latest offer is a bundle of bundles. Mmm hmm, you read that right. In total, you get 19 novels and 7 anthologies (I’m not counting up all the short stories in those anthologies), for the low low price of $15. That’s less than a dollar per book. With all that savings, think how many mocha frappacinos you can enjoy.
With the novels, you get the first three to four books in a series, for your binge-reading pleasure. These’ll last you all summer long—or a couple weeks, depending on how fast you read. 😉
There’s rousing space opera, light and funny romantic fantasy, gaming fantasy, Western time travel, and so much more.
I’m delighted to have stories in several of the anthology bundles, including Uncollected Anthology: Year 1 and The Faerie Summer Bundle. There’s also the Fantasy Bundle from Fiction River, and I know I have stories in a couple of those anthologies, too. Holy moly!
The list:
• The Digital Sea Complete Box Set by Thomas K. Carpenter
• Uncollected Anthology: Year 1 by Uncollected Anthology
• The Fates Trilogy by Kristine Grayson
• The Faerie Summer Bundle by Jamie Ferguson
• The Washington Witches Series, Volumes 1-3 by Mindy Klasky
• The Diving Series Starter Bundle by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Fantasy Bundle by Fiction River
• The Thunder Mountain Starter Bundle by Dean Wesley Smith
• The Science Officer Omnibus 1 – Volumes 1-4 by Blaze Ward
• Feyguard Books 1-3 by Anthea Sharp
This crammed-full-of-ebooks package is available only until August 9, so binge while the binging is hot (and so is the sun).
As a bonus, you can choose how much money you want to give to the attached charity, AbleGamers, which tailors game equipment and systems to help disabled gamers join the large online community of gaming, providing social outlets and entertainment for folks who usually struggle to participate.
Seriously, what’s not to love? You can get more info and buy it at StoryBundle to read on your favorite device, by the pool or hiding from the evil sun.
I’ve been remiss in announcing some new publications, so here are three—two fantasy stories and one romance story—for your reading pleasure.
Still-Waking Sleep by Dayle A. Dermatis
literary alchemical fantasy short story
Fiction River’s latest anthology contains my story “Still-Waking Sleep,” which is one of the more unusual stories I’ve written. The editor of the volume said I created a new subgenre: literary alchchemical fantasy. Okay, I’ll take that!
Tangent Online reviewed the issue and said of “Still-Waking Sleep,”
“Dermatis has a love of lush language…that fits well into the story.”
(I recommend you read the issue before you read the review, because it contains some minor spoilers.)
Here’s what the issue is all about:
Humans prove great fodder for fiction. But what about the universe of possibilities offered by the nonhuman protagonist? The eighteen daring humans of Fiction River’s latest volume explore just that. From a goblin who must choose whether to risk everything for love to a heroic rat adventuring at sea to sentient underpants (yes, underpants), these nonhuman tales demonstrate why Adventures Fantastic says: “If you haven’t checked out Fiction River yet, you should. There’s something for everyone.”
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
and in print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
You can also check out the book’s product page here and learn more about the entire Fiction River series.
Girls That Glitter by Dayle A. Dermatis
urban fantasy short story
Fans of my Nikki Ashburne/Ghosted series, rejoice! For here is a new Nikki story. It has drag queens in it. It has a search for missing paperwork. And it’s my homage and fond farewell to the Sunset Strip House of Blues.
Here’s what the issue is all about:
Think you know a tavern tale when you hear one? Think again. The seventeen stories in this volume run the gamut of genre and mood. Bars filled with glitter and ghosts stand alongside taverns filled with orcs and adventurers. Exclusive members-only drinks served at the end of the universe war with coffee bars with strange employee policies in the Pacific Northwest. Dive bars, afterlife bars, gay bars—you name it, and you’ll find it in Tavern Tales. So, grab a drink and get ready for one of the most entertaining Fiction River volumes yet.
I love every story in this issue.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
and in print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
The book’s product page
More about the entire Fiction River series
Leave a Candle Burning by Dayle A. Dermatis
romance short story
The second issue of Heart’s Kiss is out now, with my story “Leave a Candle Burning.” Hurrah!
About my story:
Claudia lives a vagabond life, crisscrossing the country doing research for a reality show about American myths and legends. Christmas finds her in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, at a small hotel allegedly haunted by the Lady in White, who leaves a candle burning for her husband, lost in the snow.
The ghost might not be real, but Claudia’s attraction to the mysterious Reese, who once lived in the Victorian house, definitely is. Will he be what it takes for Claudia to change her wandering ways?
You can buy the issue on Amazon or Barnes & Noble in ebook or print form, from Kobo in ebook, or purchase directly from the website. You can also subscribe to the magazine, which might not be a bad idea, because I have a story in issue #3 coming up, too…!
emagazine: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
print: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Heart’s Kiss website
If you’d like to get this sort of information—and more!—directly in your In Box each month, you can sign up for my newsletter. The May newsletter has publication news about three additional new stories plus an upcoming novel! BONUS: you get a free short story every month! What are you waiting for? Subscribe today!
Want to chat about this post? Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
Cassie suffers from a chronic disease and hides her sexuality from her family.
Feeling alone and adrift in her new home in Southern California, she turns to crafting little white lies—and maybe little white spells.
But when her only friend disappears, Cassie discovers a deeper magic than she ever thought existed…and must choose whether to come clean once and for all.
Especially to herself.
“Heaven Has Eyes” combines myth and reality in a touching YA short story.
Buy it at any of these fine online retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | iBooks
Want to chat about this post? Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
The Faerie Summer Bundle
20 faerie stories
The summer sun bathes the earth in warmth and light
Faeries dance under the moon at night.
Cross through the portal into a land ancient, beautiful, and wild.
See the wonders that enticed the stolen child.
Come away, O reader! To the Realm of Faerie.
But if you want to make it back home, you had better be wary…
This collection includes twenty tales of faeries and magic set in our world – and in others.
THE FLAT ABOVE THE WYND by Alexandra Brandt
SILVER DUST by Leslie Claire Walker
UNICORN MAGIC by Roz Marshall
BENEATH THE KNOWE by Anthea Sharp
LEXIE’S CHOICE by Deb Logan
FLOWER FAIRIES by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
PAULALEENA by Leah Cutter
ROLO THE GREAT by Annie Reed
THE FAKE PATH TO TRUE MEMORY by Brigid Collins
PROOF OF DEVOTION by Dayle A. Dermatis
BY DAWN’S BLOODY LIGHT by DeAnna Knippling
ONDINE by Brenda Carre
SNAP A TRAP, INC. by Louisa Swann
THE FAERY’S CHOICE by Jamie Ferguson
THE QUEEN OF MAY by Linda Jordan
SKYWALKERS by Marcelle Dubé
STORMRIDER AND THE LADY OF SOUL by Karen L. Abrahamson
THE BODY PLOT by Rebecca M. Senese
THE WISHING RING OF OLD QUEEN MAAB by Steve Vernon
HAWTHORN & WILLOW by T. Thorn Coyle
Jennie’s husband, Cal, wakes her up for a naughty meal involving a bit of restraint and some creative use of strawberries and crepes. Breakfast in bed never sounded so tasty—or sexy!—in this wickedly delicious short story from legendary erotica heavy-hitter Andrea Dale.
“Breakfast in Bed” originally appeared in Afternoon Delight: Erotica for Couples (Cleis Press, 2009).
Buy it at any of these fine online retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | iBooks
Want to chat about this post? Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
Former Hollywood party girl Nikki Ashburne sees ghosts—in fact, many of them are her friends. Okay, they’re kind of her only friends. Most ghosts stick around because they’re happy here and have no desire to move on…but sometimes, they need help.
Like when a decades-dead Marilyn Monroe impersonator wants Nikki to find her granddaughter. In Los Angeles.
Yeah. That’ll be easy.
Another story in the Ghosted urban fantasy series featuring Nikki Ashburne, “Living With the Past” originally appeared in Fantastic Detectives (Fiction River, 2014).
Buy it at any of these fine online retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | iBooks
Want to chat about this post? Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
Sorry to keep flinging news at ya’ll, but I’m not responsible for all these deals and deadlines. I’m not complaining about them, mind you—I just didn’t choose to have them hit all at once!
The Haunted Bundle is currently part of a promotion at Kobo Books, where you can get it for 30% off by using the code 30BOX when you check out.
It’s normally $3.99 for 20 short stories, which is dead cheap already, and 30% off is…uh, math. Cheaper. An even better deal. A steal!
But you only have until Monday, February 27, to get the deal, so gogogo!
Want to chat about this post? Join me on Facebook or Twitter.