Greetings from the Wells,
It’s been about a month since my last post and I must admit, there’s been a lot going on. I’ve mostly been focusing on trying to write new prose fiction with some short stories on the back burner. As I’ve stated on social media a few months back, I am really going to make concerted effort to write more prose.
A few acceptances and upcoming pieces. My sequel to the “God of Phlegm” which appeared in Spectral Realms #11 is set to appear in the #135 of Space and Time Magazine. Others in this issue include poetry from Sara Tantlinger and Denise Dumars as well as fiction by Glen Hirsch and Alessandro Manzetti. You can find the full table of contents here: https://www.spaceandtimemagazine.net/current-issue.html
I’ve also had two pieces of prose fiction accepted into next year’s issue of Spectral Realms (issue #13); “City of Skulls” and “The Variant.” Spectral Realms has become a kind of family. It’s been heart-warming to say, now for the third time, that Scott Couturier and I will be sharing yet another table of contents together. My short story (I’m still writing them) “Gulaplast” is slated to appear in a February issue of Hinnom Magazine edited by the great C.P. Dunphey himself, a story I very much enjoyed writing. I’ll also have another short story, “The Secret of St. Cyr” which will be published in issue #4 of The Dark Corner Zine from Henry Moulder.
More news! The Startling Stories re-launch is up and running, thanks to Doug Draa’s continuous hard work and effort. The proofs are in and I cannot wait to see that issue in hand. My prose fiction, “Hazthrog’s Contempt” is scheduled to appear in issue #1.
I’ve been writing a new prose sequence, which as I’m sure some have seen me post about, is for a new anthology project called, “Trumpland: The Alternative History of the Future” from Michael Parker. Scott asked me if I’d be interested and at first, I wasn’t sure exactly what I would conjure or how I might flirt with inspiration.
After looking through some older pieces, I decided to invoke a darker, almost mythological sense of terror. Something dystopian, but not campy. Something Orwellian, yet not entirely overdone. We’re at a crossroads in our time, looking for the right path, at least one that offers a faint glimmer of hope at its grey-stoned edges.
Then I wondered, what would the dreams of the Cybers Gods be like? Assuming they even dream or assuming we could understand their thoughts or said ‘dreams.’ Would these dreams echo our worst nightmares? If so, what would that look like? So, Rêves des Cyberdieux or Dreams of the Cyber Gods was born. French seemed appropriate as the language of revolutions and delightfully grand for the occasion. I’ve enjoyed writing this sequence and I am looking forward to project’s launch.
Until then… stay weird ya’ll!
Fearfully Yrs,
Maxwell I. Gold
