Blogs

I wrote earlier about my SF novelette, "Doorways," being narrated at the excellent podcast site, Tales to Terrify. Because "Doorways" is over 10,000 word, Tales spread it over two back-to-back episodes.

Part 1 went up last week and is available here. Every episode of Tales to Terrify is a lot of fun, so I'd suggest you just start at the beginning. But if you want to jump to "Doorways," it starts about the 12:00 minute mark.

Tales has now posted Part 2 here. Again, their episodes are very entertaining, but if you want to jump ahead, the concluding part of "Dooways" starts at the 13:20 mark.

Enjoy!

My Heroka novel, The Wolf at the End of the World, is included in a brand new ebook fantasy bundle, Fantastic Beasts, from StoryBundle. All fifteen books in the bundle are by pro SFWA writers and all of them feature a ... well, yeah ... fantastic beast. 

"Throughout human history, the creatures of myth have always been with us. From the gryphon's embodiment of nobility to the world-devouring snake that coils beneath the world till the end times, these beasts embody our hopes and fears. In these uncertain times, we need their strength, whether the great dragon is an obstacle to conquer or a friend to ride into battle. However they are used, they are the stars of this bundle, The Fantastic Beasts."

SFWA is an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting science fiction and fantasy writers worldwide. The Fantastic Beasts bundle was curated by SFWA members, presenting the works of fifteen different authors as they take on the theme in many different ways.

Pay what you want, and get the the base bundle with five titles. Pay at least $15 (c'mon, that's only a buck a book), and get the entire set of fifteen awesome novels.

The bundle runs from today until June 18, and then these great deals are gone. So grab your bundle now. Enjoy!

My SF novelette, "Doorways," is being presented in podcast form on episode #434 of the excellent Tales to Terrify site. "Doorways" first appeared in Postscripts Magazine from PS Publishing in the UK in 2008. It was a finalist for the Aurora Award the following year.

Because it's a long story, over 10,000 words, TtT is presenting it in two parts. Part 1 is up now, and part 2 will be going up in a couple of weeks. Dan Gurzynski provides the narration, and I think he does a fantastic job. "Doorways" starts at about the 12:00 minute mark of the episode. I hope you'll check out part 1, and return to listen to part 2 when it gets posted.

The Story:

Dr. Lucius Rainer, head of research at GenTech, is dead. But to Jack, it seems that his old mentor still lives on through his house. Certainly, Rainer's strange island retreat exudes the personality of its late owner: isolated and eccentric, brooding and uninviting.

But when GenTech learns that the house holds a working model of Rainer's final project, Jack discovers that the house shares one other trait with its former owner.

Dangerous.

The house will open only to Jack's biometrics, and will only allow two very specific people to accompany him: Wendy, Jack's now ex-wife, and Deak Sanderson, Wendy's new lover and Jack's former rival at GenTech. As the three of them explore the house and its secrets, Jack discovers that some doors—in this house and in life—should never be opened.

Select reviews:

"A couple months ago I was introduced to Douglas Smith by way of his collected short stories, Impossibilia. So I was looking forward to his story 'Doorways' and was not disappointed. ... This story has a cunningly satisfying conclusion. I find a good short story falls into two categories: There is the complete story, the novel miniaturised, which is a nearly perfect art form. These are hard to capture but constantly illustrated by such writers as Douglas Smith." —SF Crowsnest Book Reviews

"…is based on an interesting concept … The puzzles [in the story] and the final invention that they hint at are intriguing … Smith ties [the story's] denouement's metaphorical significance in well with the technological concept at the centre of the plot." —The Fix

You can still attend the last two of my free online workshops on how to market and sell short fiction, based on my Playing the Short Game writer's guide. The workshops are sponsored by the Newmarket Public Library and the Writers' Community of York Region (WCYR). You can still register online for the remaining two workshops, which will take place on the next two Tuesday evenings: April 28 and May 5.

This past Tuesday, workshop #1 covered rights and licensing for short fiction, how to build a strategy for marketing your short fiction, finding markets, picking the best market to start with, and how to submit (and how not to submit). See below for what the next two will cover.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 7-9pm EDT — Playing the Short Game #2: You Sold a Story! Contracts, Editing, & Reality

This workshop takes a writer from when they learn an editor wants to buy their story to after it's published and the reviews start coming. Topics include:

• Understanding how editors and slush piles work
• Why editors choose or reject stories
• What to look (and look out) for in short fiction contracts, and how to ask for changes
• How to work with an editor during the editing process for your story
• How to handle rejections and reviews
• How much promotion is reasonable when you sell a story
• Cool things that might happen: Awards, best of anthologies,…and even movies

Tuesday, May 5, 2020, 7-9pm EDT — Playing the Short Game #3: How to Make Your Short Fiction Work for You

This workshop focuses on the phase in a short story writer's career when they've established themselves and have built up a backlist of published short fiction. It will explain the many ways a successful short fiction writer can leverage their own inventory of published stories, as well as other aspects of an established short fiction writer's life. Topics include:

• Leveraging your backlist
• Selling reprints
• Selling in foreign languages
• Selling audio rights
• Publishing a collection
• The indie option for short fiction
• Discoverability tools and promotion for established writers
• Career progression in short fiction

Again, you need to register online with the library.

I'll be giving three free online workshops on how to market and sell short fiction, based on my Playing the Short Game writer's guide, sponsored by the Newmarket Public Library and the Writers' Community of York Region (WCYR). You need to register online for the workshops, which will take place on three consecutive Tuesday evenings: April 21, April 28, and May 5.

Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 7-9pm EDT — Playing the Short Game #1: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction

This workshop will give you critical advice on how to sell your short stories to professional markets and to build a career as a short fiction writer. Topics covered include:

• Rights and licensing for short fiction
• A strategy for selecting your target markets
• Finding short fiction markets
• Selecting the right market
• Submitting short fiction to a market
• What not to do when submitting
• What to do after submitting

Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 7-9pm EDT — Playing the Short Game #2: You Sold a Story! Contracts, Editing, & Reality

This workshop takes a writer from when they learn an editor wants to buy their story to after it's published and the reviews start coming. Topics include:

I was on Chat and Spin Radio in the UK on Thursday April 16, talking about my writing. The short interview (ten minutes, maybe) is now up and available here, starting at exactly the 35:00 minute mark. Enjoy!

I'll be on Chat and Spin Radio today, April 16, at 1:40pm Toronto time (EDT) talking about my writing. Tune in if you're around then.

I've pulled together a list of selected audio / podcast versions of my stories that have been produced over the years and that are still available online. There are currently six stories narrations available, with two more coming soon. I've recently sold my urban fantasy tale, "Out of the Light," to The No Sleep Podcast, and my SF mathematics revenge tale (no, really), "Doorways," to Tales to Terrify. Enjoy!

StarShipSofa, the science fction podcast, recently posted its production of their audio version of my Aurora Award-finalist novelette, "Enlightenment." In it, we return to the world of Scream, RIP Force, and the Merged Corporate Entity from my Aurora Award-winner, "Scream Angel."

I originally wrote "Enlightenment" in response to an invitation from Andy Cox, publisher of TTA Press in the UK. Andy had just acquired the venerable UK science fiction magazine, InterZone, from its long-time publisher and editor, David Pringle, and was soliciting stories for his inaugural IZissue.

I'd had the pleasure of selling stories to Andy's dark fantasy magazine, The Third Alternative (now Black Static), so I was thrilled when he invited me to submit and even more thrilled when he bought the story.

The narration of "Enlightenment" on StarShipSofa is by Drew Mallory, and he does a fantastic job. You can listen here. The story starts at about the 7:25 mark of the podcast. It's a novelette and over an hour in narration, running to the 1:08:35 mark, so get comfortable, grab a drink and a snack, and settle in for a listen.

Even better, why don't you buy a copy of the ebook of "Enlightenment" at my new online store or at your favourite retailer and read along? Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy the story.

I have just launched a new online store where you can buy my books directly from me. Woo hoo! Please check it out and let me know what you think.

I'm offering ebook editions of all my books, but also signed, personalized print copies of my full-length titles. Scroll down through the titles, or use the filters at the top to narrow your search (science fiction, fantasy, collections, print, ebooks, etc.)

You can also get these discounts:

• 15% off if you use the "Share" button to share any title on social media
• 15% off if you refer a friend (and they'll receive 15% off, too)
• Discounts for select combinations (e.g., buy one of my collections, get the other for 20% off)

And if you become one of my mailing list subscribers, you'll receive a 25% discount on ALL titles all the time.

Ebooks can be downloaded directly, but you'll also receive a BookFunnel link, which will step you through how to get your ebook onto your reader.

Special offer: Pictured above is The Heroka ebook bundle: all three Heroka shorts plus the novel, The Wolf at the End of the World. This bundle is available only at my store and for a discounted price of $6.99. Plus you can apply your discounts.

Note: You can still shop at my other bookstore, where you buy directly from the retailer of your choice in your own country, including Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Indigo, and many many more.