writing

Autumn Stories!

Happy Sunday afternoon,

We took my older dog to the Farmers’ Market earlier and browsed for a shepherd’s pot pie, and Kalamata olives, and a make-your-own flower bouquet and such things. We also bought a pretzel and candied cashews because my dog loves to share those two items and this week we received some medical news about him that, while not unexpected for a 10+ year dog, is still sad. But we weren’t sad while we sat on the bench and ate snacks and people watched.

Then, in glamorous style, we moved all the furniture out of our bedroom to hunt dust bunnies via the vacuum-then-mop approach. Luckily, I had plans with my friend Lyn so that gave me an excuse to leave after the hunt was over but before we could expand the dust bunny search to other rooms in the house. While in Lyn’s sunroom, I had the chance to share about some of my recent stories. First, I’m thrilled to have another story placed with Air and Nothingness Press. The books are absolutely beautiful works of art and my story “Interview with a Time Traveler…Again” is in wonderful company with other talented authors playing with memory and how memory is corrupted on an individual or societal level.

Purchase link.

I’m also excited to be part of a fundraiser for cat rescues by donating my story “Strangely Familiar.” Here’s the “official” description from eSpec Books:

This charity anthology of speculative fiction stories and real-life accounts has been organized and contributed to by those with a heart for these hard-luck cases. All profits from sales will 100% be donated to cat rescue organizations dedicated to finding home for these kitties, where possible, or giving them the care that they can-medical or Trap, Neuter, and Release-before returning them back into the wild.

Can you help us, help them?

Featuring stories donated by Sherri Cook Woosley, Lisanne Norman, James W. Bates, Patrick Thomas, Rigel Ailur, Amber Davis, Will McDermott, Jacob Jones-Goldstein, Sharon Lee, Marc L. Abbott, Kris Katzen, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Eric V. Hardenbrook, Charles Barouch, Brad Jurn, F.R. Michaels, Grace Bridges, Nancy Jane Moore, Christopher J. Burke, and Anton Kukal.

The continuation of A Future for Ferals! The Kindle version is available now and the print version will be available within days. Purchase link

My BIGGEST news of all? An anthology of 16 of my stories…with 8 illustrations! Many of the stories have been published in esteemed venues like Abyss & Apex, Dreamforge Magazine, and Flash Fiction Magazine. Others are brand new and this is their first release. I’m giddy to have one collection with so much of my work gathered.

What does the name mean? Well there’s a poem called “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti about two sisters who are tempted by goblins selling this forbidden fruit. The story is what happens when one sister becomes addicted to the enchantment and the other sister has to save her and the price she must pay. I read it in grad school and have never forgotten it so my first story involves the mythology of Goblin fruit and the metaphor extends through the rest of my stories.

This upcoming week is, of course, filled with commitments and dental visits and my teaching two evening exercise classes after teaching high school classes all day. But these stories are to be shared. Maybe around a campfire, maybe as a Yuletide gift, maybe just because. And when you share these stories, you will be sharing my whimsy and I hope it sparks your own.

I will have copies of these books, and more, at the Authors and Artists Sale at the Armory in Bel Air, MD on November 1st.

My last scheduled appearance this year will be Philcon in Philadelphia from November 21-23rd.

Love,
Sherri

Cozy Monster Stories

This is my absolute favorite time of the year. I may be “basic” according to my students, but I love the changing leaves, I love the crisp mornings, I love pumpkin spice lattes, corn mazes, Homecoming football games and dances, firepits. The only thing I don’t love is how fast the season goes. 

I had a fantastic time at FrightReads Festival.

I was able to connect with Liz from Caprichos Books and share a table with author Tim Baldwin. Richard Chizmar was there with his latest Stephen King collaboration and the Ghostbusters were walking around keeping people safe from Slimer and I got a chance to speak with author John French who wrote for the same collection as my “Mother’s Instinct.”

I have two more live events to offer my newest Cozy Monster books (“Mother’s Instinct” and “Postcards from a City of Monsters”) :
           Authors and Artists Holiday Sale at the Armory in Bel Air on November 2nd. It opens to the public at 10AM and goes to 3PM.
           Books and Brews on November 17th from 12-4 at 203 Market St. in Havre de Grace. 

If you don’t feel like attending a live event, the books are available wherever books are sold. Caprichos Books (which used to be behind the Armory) is now in Ocean City, but Liz will ship them to you.
Barnes & Noble (in Bel Air) doesn’t currently stock copies of my books, but they can order them. (If they receive enough orders then they will stock them). Finally, I haven’t gone through the process to donate copies to Harford County Public Library (or your local library), but if people ask then they will buy them. Librarians rock that way.

Note: I’m happy to meet up to sign any of my books for a personalized gift for the holidays. 
Note 2: Thank you to everyone who purchased either of these books. If you’ve ordered a book I am SO APPRECIATIVE. But I need reviews to boost my credibility before the shopping season commences. Please write a one-sentence honest review and post it. It means a lot to myself and the small publishers who are publishing beautiful books.

Have a wonderfully fantastic Autumn and I hope to see you at one of the next two book events!

Love,

Sherri

Upcoming Appearances

I haven’t had a chance to post since I attended Shore Leave 2022 as an author guest. It was a really fun con and I enjoyed talking to so many other writers that I haven’t seen in so long.

I have some upcoming appearances:

Wednesday, September 21st I’ll be reading at CHARM CITY SPEC in Baltimore. The reading series is hosted by The Ivy Bookshop (5928 Falls Rd. Baltimore MD 21209) and begins at 6pm. We’ll be outside on the patio taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

Saturday, October 1st I’ll be selling books at FRIGHTREADS BOOK FESTIVAL. The festival is at 1031 Benfield Blvd., Millersville, MD 21108 from 12-6 pm. I’ll have copies of the new novel, ASHES OF REGRET and the anthology Orpheus + Eurydice Unbound. My story is the first in this collection from Air and Nothingness Press. These books are only available from the publisher, but I have copies.

Saturday, November 5th I’ll have a table at the Authors and Artists Holiday Sale at The Armory in Bel Air from 9-2.

Finally, I’ve accepted the invitation to return to Farpoint 2023 as an author guest from February 10-February 12th in Hunt Valley, MD.

More dates will be added, but I hope to see you at one of these events!

Love,

Sherri

Upcoming Events 2022

I’m excited to share that I have two new short stories coming out in anthologies soon:

“Swan Dive” is a retelling of the Zeus and Leda myth, but told from her point of view. Leda was the mother of Castor and Pollux, Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy. She FINALLY gets her own story.

“An Excuse, An Invitation Even”, a retelling of Orpheus meeting Eurydice, if he were a traveling musician in the 1850’s American Wild West and Eurydice was a rider for the Pony Express.

I also have some appearances scheduled:

Balticon 56 at the Renaissance Hotel in Baltimore over Memorial Day weekend (May 27th-30th).

Shore Leave at the Delta Hotel in Hunt Valley from July 15-17th.

FrightReads Book Festival at the Benfield Sports Center in Millersville, MD on Oct. 1st.

AND

Next week I’ll have some exciting book news!!!!

Stay healthy and keep reading and writing!

Love,

Sherri

FARPOINT 2022 SCHEDULE

I’m happy to be returning to Farpoint as a guest author this weekend in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Here’s my schedule:

FRIDAY

Climate Fiction As Activism – Fri 4 PM – Salon C

Book Fair – Fri 10 PM – Hunt/Valley Foyer

SATURDAY

            Author Autographs (Woosley) – Sat 11 AM – Author Autograph Table 002

            How To Sell Books From Your Website – Sat 1 PM – Salon C

            Sci-Fi And Fantasy Evolution (mod) – Sat 3 PM – Salon C

            Author Readings (Gribble/Woosley) – Sat 4 PM – Derby

SUNDAY

            Gender Tropes And How To Avoid Them – Sun 10 AM – Salon C

            Magic as a Character — Sun 11 AM — Salon C

            Author Readings (Povey/Gribble/Woosley) – Sun 12 PM – Derby

Author Autographs (Woosley) – Sun 1 PM – Author Autograph Table 002

I’ll be reading from my most recent story in Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging.

And, maybe, from my first novel, Walking Through Fire, since the second book (Ashes of Regret) will be releasing this summer. Or should I read from Ashes as a preview?

Hope to see familiar faces and meet new friends this weekend!

Love,

Sherri

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I love this time of year! Friends, family, and food are the heart of the holiday and I appreciate the emphasis on gratitude and the opportunity for me to grow by choosing to focus on the good and not the setbacks. For example, this year has been the year of anthologies for me. I have short stories in: Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day, Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2021, Once Upon a Dystopia, Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging, AND an acceptance for an anthology forthcoming in Spring, 2022.

Check out this beautiful cover!

My short story “Gargoyles of Prague” is being included in the anthology DARK CHEER: CRYPTIDS EMERGING Volume Blue. The story is based on my experience of being a mother of a child with a life-threatening illness and the year I spent teaching English in Prague, Czech Republic. It will be released in early December by Improbable Press. Please enjoy this excerpt:

When the hospital door closed behind his mothers, Toby stepped closer to the window. In the gloam, the urban landscape had morphed from buildings into mysterious shapes. Grit – rock against brick – scraped outside his seventh story window. Curious, Toby leaned his forehead against the cold glass to see better. No locks on windows this high; only solid panes.

Suddenly gray claws came into view and dug into the brick wall to find purchase. Wings the same shade smacked against the window. Then a gray face, chiseled, filled the window. A feline face with carved nose, eyes, and whiskers. Wings pressed tightly to its back. Sharp teeth and a tongue that hung out in mid-pant. A statue. One of the creatures that decorated so many of Prague’s ancient buildings.

            “Come out,” the gargoyle said. The voice sounded like it looked: coarse and solid.           

            Toby’s hands trembled. “I don’t know how.”

            “Yes, you do.”

More good news! Improbable Press has chosen to turn my short story into an illustrated children’s book! I will share details soon, but I’ve seen the artist’s portfolio and I can’t wait to see what she does with Toby and my gargoyle and the incredible Charles Bridge.

AND…I have another story acceptance for an anthology centered on Greek mythology and history.

For those who have stuck with me after reading my novel Walking Through Fire, I have the rights back from the publisher and I sent off the draft of ASHES OF REGRET (Book 1.5 that features Tamaki) for a final editorial readthrough. I’m also working with a graphic designer for the cover and a map!

Finally, I had the opportunity to be a guest on MOUTHFUL OF GRAFFITTI, a podcast for musicians and authors hosted by Brad Cox. Take a listen here as I talk about our pandemic chickens, local festivals, and more about the inspiration for “Garygoyles of Prague.”

I have a lot of plans for 2022 in the works and I can’t wait to share them with you as we get closer.

Enjoy the holiday and enjoy a good book!

Love,

Sherri

Book Review of BLACKFISH CITY and THE LESSON

Here’s my third and final book review of CHARM CITY SPEC authors and hopefully a helpful guide for your favorite book lovers during the 2019 holiday season. Did I choose these books because of the beautiful colors on the covers? If so, it was unconscious. I CONSCIOUSLY chose these two books because they have fantastic ideas, lyrical prose, and are so immersive that you will have a book hangover when you’re finished.

Such beautiful covers!

BLACKFISH CITY by Sam J. Miller

Genre: Speculative fiction, YA, dystopia

Premise: (back cover) When a strange new visitor arrives in a floating city in the Arctic – humanity’s last hope after the ravages of climate change – the city is entranced. She’s riding an orca and has a polar bear at her beck and call. She’s called “the orcamancer,” and she very subtly unites four desperate people to stage unprecedented acts of resistance. By banding together, they will learn shocking truths about themselves – and save their city before it crumples under the weight of its own decay.

Who would love it: Well, according to Miller’s Twitter account (@sentencebender), anyone who is “a fan of polar bears…or killer whales…or bad-ass lesbian grandmothers.”  Me. I’m a fan of all three. But, that doesn’t touch on Qaanaaq, the actual floating city he’s built, or the story of both refugees and elite within that city, or mysterious broadcasts or nanobonding. People who are fans of those things will also love this book.

Favorite character: Too difficult! I’ll go with a favorite moment instead.

The polar bear opened his eyes and looked at Kaev.

In the instant of that eye contact, Kaev felt like he had broken free of his body. A happiness surged through him, warm as the sun, blissful as a thousand orgasms. The peace he’d felt while sitting there had been ten times greater than the joy of fighting, but this new sensation was ten times greater than that peace had been.

“Hello, Kaev,” Dao said. He and his soldiers had their backs to the grid edge; they could not see the polar bear. “You’ve been sitting here for a long time. I’ve got to presume that means you wanted us to find you.”

But Kaev could not hear him.

We are one, he thought, eyes locked with the animal’s.

Final Thought:

Miller’s debut THE ART OF STARVING won the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction. His newest book DESTROY ALL MONSTERS dropped on 7/2/19.

 

 

THE LESSON by Cadwell Turnbull

Genre: Science Fiction

Premise: An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years the people of the US Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of superadvanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders and a peace that cannot last.

A year after the death of a young boy at the hands of an Ynaa, three families find themselves at the center of the inevitable conflict, witness and victim to events that will touch everyone and teach a terrible lesson.

Who would love it: Wilton Barnhardt says, “I came for the aliens and a war of the worlds. I stayed for the deadpan St. Thomas humor, the complicated, charming, sexy island folk, and Turnbull’s delicious prose.”

Favorite character: Most people know that I have a soft spot for the familial, for the moments that ground fantasy in a web of relationships. Here’s our intro to Derrick (who is much more respectful that MY teenaged son).

Fifteen days before

“Aren’t you going to close the door?” Patrice asked.

“Grams said I can’t close the door if I have a girl in my room.”

“We grew up together.”

“That’s the problem. You grown now. Can’t have you up in my room with the door shut.”

Patrice glared at him, communicating all she could.

“Her words,” Derrick said.

“Boy, don’t you close that door!” Grandma Reed yelled from the living room.

“I know, Grams.”

“Come here for a second!”

“Be right back,” Derrick said. He grabbed some home clothes as he left to change out of his school uniform.

Patrice sat on Derrick’s bed.

Final Thought: Now I have to look up Turnbull’s Asimov’s short story “When the Rains Come Back” (made the Barnes and Noble’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy’s short fiction roundup in 2018) and Nightmare story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” (selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018.

SNEAK PEEK

Welcome new followers! Thank you to the readers who’ve stuck with me. We had some bumps — but we’re rolling now. So, I’m posting the first chapter of GATES OF NEW BABYLON, second book in The Misbegotten Series..AND NOW IT HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN.

HOPE YOU LIKED IT!!!

 

Book Review of SOONER OR LATER EVERYTHING FALLS INTO THE SEA and UNCOMMON MIRACLES

Here’s my second of three book reviews of CHARM CITY SPEC authors AND hopefully a helpful guide for buying gifts for the readers in your life during the holiday season.

For something a little different, I selected two short story collections: SOONER OR LATER EVERYTHING FALLS INTO THE SEA and UNCOMMON MIRACLES. Short stories are nice for those who like to experience many different “worlds” and casts of characters, who want to answer one question or examine one moment in time rather than commit to a three-act structure, and for those who, practically, have less time to read. Convinced? If so, here are two collections that would make a wonderful gift this holiday season.

Storm sunning herself between books.

SOONER OR LATER EVERYTHING FALLS INTO THE SEA by Sarah Pinsker

Cover art by Matt Muirhead

Genre: Speculative fiction, literary

Premise: There are thirteen different stories, so there are thirteen different premises. However, Publisher’s Weekly gave this collection a starred review. Here’s what they said:

*This beautiful, complex debut collection assembles some of Nebula winner Pinsker’s best stories into a twisting journey that is by turns wild, melancholic, and unsettling…The stories are enhanced by a diverse cast of LGBTQ and nonwhite characters. Pinsker’s captivating compendium reveals stories that are as delightful and surprising to pore through as they are introspective and elegiac.”

If that’s too oblique, here’s some specifics: In this debut collection, you will meet runaways, fiddle-playing astronauts, a touring band, under-employed Americans, retired time travelers, and dopplegangers.

Who would love it: Readers who like WINNERS… BECAUSE Sarah Pinkser’s stories have won the Nebula and Sturgeon awards, and have been finalists for the Hugo, the Locus, and the Eugie Foster Memorial Award.

 

Favorite character: Grandmother Windy (from Wind Will Rove)

“My grandmother was an engineer, part of our original crew. According to the tale, she stepped outside to do a visual inspection of an external panel that was giving anomalous readings. Along with her tools, she clipped her fiddle and bow to her suit’s belt. When she completed her task, she paused for a moment, tethered to our ship the size of a city, put her fiddle to the place where her helmet met her suit, and played ‘Wind Will Rove’ into the void. Not to be heard, of course; just to feel the song in her fingers.”

Final Thought: Pinsker’s first novel, Song for a New Day, also released recently so you should buy a copy of that too.

 

One orea bunny, two white with caramel markings, one striped with a Harlequinn face, one striped with solid face, and two fawn colored with gray bellies.

UNCOMMON MIRACLES

Genre: Speculative, Weird

Premise: “Julie C. Day makes a bold debut with this genre-bending collection of stories. At times whimsical, at times heart-breaking, but always clear-eyed and honest, Uncommon Miracles proves that Day has joined the front ranks of the writers carrying American fantasy into a new golden age.”

Specifics: (18 stories) A grieving man travels through time via a car crash. A family of matriarchs collects recipes for the dead. A woman gains an unexpected child in the midst of a bunny apocalypse. An outcast finds work in a magical slaughterhouse. Whether set in a uniquely altered version of Florida’s Space Coast or a haunted island off the coast of Maine, each story in this collection carries its own brand of meticulous and captivating weirdness.

Who would love it: Readers who like stories that are more Alice in Wonderland than Hallmark movie.

Favorite character: Cole (from “Everyone Gets a Happy Ending”)

“Steph and I are stretched out on plastic recliners, our laps full of her offspring: six desert cottontails, and for some unknown reason, one of the English Spot variety. After all my careful care – changing the bedding in their crate, cradling them when Steph disappears from their sight – the English Spot is still the only bunny who greets me when I come near. I’ve named him Cole. A fact I don’t share with Steph, though I whisper it to him like a lullaby when she isn’t near.”

Final Thought: Day recently released a novella titled The Rampant, an apocalyptic tale by way of Sumerian mythology.  Also, I love the cover art (by Tiffany Bozic).

Upcoming Appearances

Hello Friends,

I hope you’re enjoying Fall. It’s my absolute favorite time of year. Don’t come at me with your beach pictures or your bright white snow or even those cute little flower buds. AUTUMN IS THE BEST SEASON.

I have a couple of exciting upcoming events:

I’m being interviewed by Bob Mumby and Leslie Greenly Smith. The radio show will air live on Friday, 9/20 from 9-10 AM and then again on Saturday, 9/21 from 9-10 AM. It will repeat on 9/27 and 9/28 from 9-10 AM. The radio station is WAMN 970 AM.J  You can listen on the radio or online at http://khztv.com/WAMD/.

On Saturday, September 28th the Bel Air Public Library is hosting a Comic Con with a ton of free activities for the entire family including costume contests, video and board games, and a fandom scavenger hunt. I’ll be giving a talk from 11am – noon and then selling/signing copies of WALKING THROUGH FIRE.  Comic Con

October 18-20 I’ll be at Capclave, a literary convention in Rockville, MD that focuses on the short fiction form. I don’t have my programming event schedule yet, but will share when I do.

Nov 1st and November 3rd I’ll be at the Baltimore Book Festival 2019. I’ll be at both the SFWA area and the inspire stage. I’ll also be fangirling because the lineup of authors is INCREDIBLE. They’ve combined with the annual Light City Festival this year so will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Saturday Nov 2nd I’ll be in Bel Air at the Authors and Artists Event to sell/sign books.

Hope to see you at some of these events….and that you get a chance to curl up with a favorite book and your favorite warm beverage to enjoy this time of year.

Here’s the pup enjoying his (chew toy) version of a pumpkin spiced latte.

Love,

Sherri