fantasy

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

Spring Time!

It’s been a tumultuous couple of months here in the US. The constant news headlines have made it hard to find a creative space to let my imagination wander, but I told a group of students last week that this is an important time to put our thoughts to paper, to wrestle with our characters, to emphasize through the conflict in our stories what we as humans believe is right and good and truthful. Because truth comes across in fiction — not a literal truth but a truth so deep that our souls recognize it.

I’m excited to have a new market: The Atlantic Journal. My story, “Sunday Reverie” was published and met a warm reception at the launch party.

The story begins: “When I was a child, we played hide’n’seek among the tombstones of the Southern Baptist graveyard. While our parents were inside studying the mysteries of religion, we were feral children running our hands along the rough tops of the markers and along the smooth fronts, our fingers picking out lines that formed letters and noting numbers that had no meaning, no heaviness.”

From the Launch Party at Bird in Hand, Baltimore

I was also glad to partner with my friend Jen Chandler, an educator in Harford County, who put together a Future Focus Day at a local high school. I was one of the speakers and I had an opportunity to speak to two sessions of youth who’d signed up to learn about what it means to pursue a career in writing. We talked about AI and how marketing is changing, whether readers can separate art from artist, and how to get started. Some asked specific questions about their own work and others wanted to know whether they had to live more, experience more, before they could tell a story. (Spoiler: No)

The only thing that we didn’t touch on that I’m currently obsessed with is Severance. My family (well, my oldest has watched the entire thing. She’s the one who recommended the show) is watching it together and it is really mind-bending.

I have a couple of appearances coming up. I’ll share them here because cons and festivals are always nicer when you know someone. And, if you see me, I will talk about more than Severance. Probably.

Shore Leave 2025 July 11-13th Lancaster, PA Wyndham Resort and Convention Center

Book Fair at Bel Air August 23rd Bel Air, MD Bel Air Armory (37 N. Main Street)

*I’ll be sharing a table with author Tim Baldwin

Bel Air Festival for the Arts September 14th, 2025 Bel Air, MD Shamrock Park (39 Hickory Avenue)

*I’ll be sharing a table with author Xenatine

That’s all I’ve got for now. Feel free to reach out if you’d like me to be a guest speaker for your group or activity.

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

Another NEW RELEASE

August has been very exciting because I had TWO books release and they were both about cryptids, a monster from folklore.

Postcards from a City of Monsters is intended for children and their families or friends and is fully illustrated and was released by Improbable Press. Available here.

Mother’s Instinct is a different beast (I’m sorry). eSpec Books produces the books for Cryptid Crate, a quarterly subscription series that includes a t-shirt, a Challenge Coin, a stackable figure, and my book.

I had the pleasure of writing about a Dobhar Chu. Not sure what that is? I wasn’t either. Even though my Master’s Capstone was about Irish mythology, I had not heard of this “otter-alligator” that lives in both fresh and saltwater, is protective of their young, and will attack humans without fear. Once I had the setting: a mysterious island off the west coast of Ireland, and the characters: a mother researching for her dissertation and a young daughter with a special connection to animals, the plot began coming together.

I talk more about it in my interview with Paul Semel here

The book is available wherever books are sold, including from eSpec books here.

If you are local, I’m happy to sign your book. Also, I’ll be at the Bel Air Festival for the Arts on Sunday, September 15th in Shamrock Park and will have copies for sale. Thank you for the support!

Love,

Sherri

Summer Appearances

I had an opportunity to travel to Europe with my family this summer for three weeks and we went to Switzerland, France, Germany, and Italy with our niece, Izzy. The trip was full of many adventures and memories, but we are now back to reality — newly inspired for short stories and novels.

This was a fun moment where we stopped in the middle of the Swiss Alps for expresso and chocolate during the return from Milan.

Now I’m on my way to Shore Leave 43 as an author guest and I’m looking forward to speaking on panels and seeing author friends!

On Saturday, August 26th I’ll be selling books at FaunFest in White Hall, MD.

And, on Saturday, September 30-Sunday, October 1st, I’ll be returning to sell books at FrightReads Book Festival in Millersville, MD.

If you’re local, please come out to support authors and artists!

Love,

Sherri

Balticon 56

I had a fantastic weekend at Balticon in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore (this is exactly what gets burned down in my book Walking Through Fire, by the way). It was nice to see people again, to snack on cannolis in Little Italy and enjoy a paleta, a Mexican frozen treat made from strawberries and then dipped in chocolate.

My panels (and fellow panelists) were fun and we had spirited discussions.

I moderated: Keeping Your Anitheroes Likable

I moderated: What Should I Read Next

I was a panelist for: Magic in the Ancient Mediterranean

I was a panelist for: Gods as Characters

I also had a reading and chose to read from “Swan Dive” in Musings of the Muses and then the first chapter of my upcoming novel, Ashes of Regret.

One note about reading the first chapter. I asked certain of my high school students to critique the content and I was pleased as an author to receive the feedback about what was confusing or what could be changed, but as a teacher I couldn’t have been more proud. Seriously, I’m amazed by my students and the skill and energy they bring to working with language and determining the elements of a story.

So, without further ado, here is the cover for Ashes of Regret. I will launch the novel at Shore Leave this July.

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

Upcoming Appearance at Balticon 55

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society will hold Balticon 55 as a free virtual convention Memorial Day weekend, May 28-31, 2021. The guest of honor is Seanan MacGuire. Seanan was the winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and her novel Feed (as Mira Grant) was named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2010. In 2013 she became the first person ever to appear five times on the same Hugo Ballot. To prepare for the con, I’m currently reading her novel MIDDLEGAME.

I’ve had the honor of participating in this convention for several years. This year I will be a moderator, a reader, and a panelist. I’m incredibly excited about my panel topics. Check out my schedule:

Friday, May 28th

2:30 PM Traditional Storytelling and Genre Fiction

Why am I a panelist: My Master’s Thesis was on the role of women in medieval Irish and Welsh texts. The myths began as oral stories and I’ve been trained to recognize techniques in the books that are a result of that origin

4:30 PM Reading: Sherri Cook Woosley

Should I read from an upcoming novel in my Misbegotten series or should I read from a short story?

Sunday, May 30th

11:30 AM Tell Me What to Read Next (Moderator)

Why am I a moderator? As part of the Charm City Spec reading series, I have a familiarity with contemporary speculative fiction. I hope everyone leaves our discussion with a huge To-Be-Read list!

2:30 PM The Motivations of Monsters

Why am I a panelist? I love the idea of discussing how monsters have evolved in fiction to represent fears of each generation. My background in world mythology and fairy tales will help to be specific about monsters from various time periods and various cultures.

7:00 PM Writing Compelling Villains

Why am I a panelist? This is a time ripe for writing anti-heroes and villains because of the rage against what is happening in our society. From Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince series to Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorn and Roses series to Baru Comorant, we have characters making devastating — and horrible — choices for the greater good. Does the end justify the means or is that just something that villains say?

I hope to “see” you at Balticon this weekend!

Love,

Sherri

This Weekend at Farpoint

Hello! This is just a short message to let you know that I’ll be at Farpoint Convention this weekend. Special guests from the Star Trek universe will be there and I’ll be on literary panels.

Here’s my schedule:

Sherri Cook Woosley

Tales Of Woe — And Healing – Friday 7:00 PM – Salon C

Book Fair – Friday 10:00 PM – Hunt Valley Foyer

Furry Familiars And The Like – Saturday 10:00 AM – Salon C (MOD)

Author Autographs (Stilwell/Woosley) – Saturday 1:00 PM – Author Autograph 1

Author Readings (Attico/Woosley) – Saturday 2:00 PM – Salon E

Building A Better World – Sunday 11:00 AM – Hunt Ballroom

Author Readings (Povey/Woosley) – Sunday NOON – Salon E

Setting As Character – Sunday 2:00 PM – Salon C (MOD)

Some more good news: I was honored to be nominated as an author and to have WALKING THROUGH FIRE nominated as best book by local author for the Baltimore Sun’s Readers’ Poll 2020. This would be really nice to brag about when I’m looking for a new publisher later this year, so please go to the People & Media section and VOTE. You can vote each day until March 6th.

And, (drum roll) I’ve finished a draft of the first part of GATES. To celebrate, here’s a snippet:

The Hotheads came around the corner, moving in uncoordinated motions. Tattered clothing hung off their emaciated bodies. Shuffling forward without apparent purpose, no handler in sight.  Used to be two men and a woman, based on clothing, although the bright red paint covered any distinguishing marks. They could be anyone. Or no one.
Just let them go. Scout’s voice pleaded inside her mind. They aren’t hurting anything.
Tamaki shook her head. She knew more than Scout did about this. And she also knew this was a test from the Alchemists. Deliberate or not, Nguyen would be reporting back to Gavin whatever happened in the next five minutes. Having her future threatened made Tamaki realize that she not only wanted to be an important part of the Alchemist’s future school, she wanted to be their candidate for the Council of gods. Maybe that was too ambitious, but it was what she wanted. It would take away the pain of her grandmother’s refusal to teach her. It would show everyone, objectively, that she deserved a place in power.
Nguyen looked at her. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Her voice was steady.
No, please no. Scout’s voice was frantic. Tamaki, remember what happened at Ekur Temple. Remember that this was your second chance.
It was her second chance. And she wasn’t going to screw it up.
Love,

Sherri

 

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!!!