Category Archives: Short Stories

Heart’s Kiss, a new romance magazine

By DayleFebruary 16, 2017Dayle A. Dermatis, Romance, Short StoriesHeart's Kiss

I meant to post this by Valentine’s Day (the official day to post about romance, even though romance readers are the most voracious of any genre and devour romances all year long, hurrah! And I am one of them.), but our home Internet went out, and Life. (Don’t talk to me about Life.)

I am thrilled to be in the inaugural issue of the brand new Heart’s Kiss, a magazine devoted to short romance. It’s edited by Denise Little, one of the top editors working today. She had her own imprint at Kensington, was the executive editor for Tekno Books (during which time she edited approximately a bazillion anthologies for Daw Books), and worked as a national buyer for Barnes & Noble). She’s also one of the funniest people I know.

But I’m here to tell you about Heart’s Kiss. The first issue has an interview with and a story by Mary Jo Putney, and more fiction from Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Christina F. York, Laura Resnick, Diane A.S. Stuckart, Petronella Glover, Casey Chapel, and Neesa Hart, plus some nonfiction as well.

You can get it for your Kindle or buy the hard copy, and even better, you can subscribe and never miss an issue (it comes out bimonthly). (Psst, I can tell you I have a story in an upcoming issue, too. I’m not officially announcing it ’til I sign the contract, but Denise has asked for the story, so it’s almost a done deal.)

My story in the first issue, “Then & Now,” was inspired by true circumstances, although I changed both the decade(s) and the outcome. It’s a lost love found again story, a second changes story, and it’s sweet and…well, you can read it and see. I hope you like it!

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The Haunted Bundle is spooky good fun!

By DayleFebruary 6, 2017Author, Bundle, Dayle A. Dermatis, Fantasy/SF, Short Stories, Soul's Road Press

The other day I watched a trailer for a horror movie on my computer. I use a standing desk, and by halfway through the trailer, I had backed up until my back was against a wall, as far away from my monitor as I could get. I knew what I was doing, and I was laughing out loud at my own ridiculousness…albeit it was a nervous laughter because I knew something was going to scare me in that trailer. It was just a matter of when.

Point is, most of us liked to be scared—in controlled environments. I might like spooky gothics, you might bloody slasher flicks, but there’s no denying the horror genre is here to say.

Which is not to say the stories in the Haunted Bundle are all scary. Mine isn’t. (I don’t think. It’s got a little suspense.) I haven’t read all of them yet, so I can’t say. The one thing they are all about is fantastic writing. I love the authors I’m in this bundle with!

Here’s the blurb:

Have you ever felt as though someone was watching you, but when you turned around no one was there?

How many times have you been unable to find something, then it later turned up in the exact place you’d searched over and over?

Why does your cat act as though it’s staring at something, even though you can’t see anything?

Just because you can’t see anything doesn’t mean there isn’t something there…

But don’t worry. Ghosts aren’t real.

Or are they?

And look at all these authors:

You can purchase the Haunted Bundle at any of these fine online retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Bundlerabbit

And check out the Goodreads page!

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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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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
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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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