CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

The Dragon in my Shadow is a stand-alone short story that can be found in An Anthology of Dragons. The Dragon in my Shadow is a short tale of office politics and betrayal, which shows that some childhood things can mature into adulthood with us. The Dragon in my Shadow is available as part of An Anthology of Dragons , and is also available from Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , iTunes and Nook. First Pages: The Dragon in my Shadow All my life, I’ve been ordinary. I’ve done all the ‘right’ things, made all the ‘right’ moves and failed spectacularly to actually achieve anything more than mid-line success. All my life. Nothing has worked. I finally resigned myself to a life of obscurity and lack-luster non-achievement, and settled into a steady cycle of work, home, garden, television, sleep and back to work again. There was no romance in my life. I’d been stung once too often and sworn off it, at least for now. No, I was content to keep plugging away at doing my job well, a...

The Duel is the third short story found in An Anthology of Dragons , and is available as a stand-alone title. A young lord is challenged to a duel while drinking at the local tavern. The consequences of losing are as dire as for any other duel. The Duel is available in An Anthology of Dragons , and is also available as a stand-alone title from Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , iTunes and Nook. First Pages: The Duel Ollie lifted a handful of foaming tankards as the inn door opened. His brown eyes picked out the expensive cut of the newcomer’s clothing as he raised the tankards in brief greeting, then set them on the bar. “Welcome, stranger,” he called, raising his voice above the friendly row that filled his tavern. He caught sight of a gloved hand raised in answering salute as the newcomer made his way to a vacant table along the wall. The tavern was busy tonight; two caravans, a squad of royal scouts and one of the baron’s patrols newly returned from their scouting, a...

Darkness and Light is one of the short stories to be included in An Anthology of Gods and Older Magic . It is currently only available as a stand-alone short story. Abselia has traveled a long way to reach the trading town. Shadows move at her arrival, and light shimmers in dismay. Can light’s champion find the stronghold of shadows, and solve the puzzle of its strength, or is she doomed to failure like all who have gone before? Darkness and Light is a short tale of dark fantasy and a battle older than time. It is currently available as a stand-alone title at Smashwords , but will shortly become available at Kobo, Kindle, and iTunes. It is one of the stories which will be incorporated into An Anthology of Gods and Older Magic . First Page The day had been hot and the road dustier than usual. Abselia looked at where the town rose to make a dark silhouette against the afternoon sun. It was larger than she’d expected, and she felt a twinge of unease. The duty lying bef...

For some reason, the eight-legged wildlife around my house is being surprisingly cooperative... in some cases, a little too cooperative for comfort.   "Good" Spider   Unidentified Garden Spider - (c) 2013 C.M. Simpson Outside (in the garden where it belongs); very small (less than half my little finger nail); probably not deadly; prefers to hide; will run from plastic ruler used in attempt to measure it (don't ask); Did I mention it's outside? "Bad" Spider Possible male mouse spider - (c) 2013 C.M. Simpson Inside (where it definitely does NOT belong); not so small (one to one and a half inches long); INSIDE!!!! poisonous, deadly to some, makes others extremely ill; will attack plastic container used in attempt to capture (also don't ask); possibly male mouse spider... need to work on positive identification in case someone gets bit; Did I mention it was INSIDE????? Plus, it looks like it's been chasing pa...

Everything has its Price is the second short story to be found in An Anthology of Dragons . It is also available as a stand-alone short story. When a young squire asks for a place at a merchant caravan's encampment, the price is a story. The tale she tells is one of a blin d bard's encounter with a dragon, but the ending is interrupted by the arrival of the knight she serves. Everything has its Price is available from Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , Nook and the iTunes bookstores. First Page: Everything has its Price “And what would you offer for a place by our fire?” the merchant-guildsman demanded. I let my eyes travel doubtfully over his portly, dust-covered frame and ignored the knight who had ridden up behind me. “A tale,” I replied. The knight snorted and rode past to make his camp not far from that of the caravan. I caught the gleam of interest that sprang into the guildsman’s eye before he could hide it. “A tale,” he repeated eyeing me with the s...

A week of illness. Not a lot done. First Tier RomanceNovel14A: Added 2,000 words. This project is currently running 25 days behind schedule. Second Tier ChapBook2—All Alone: Created 2 pictures. This project is at risk of running behind schedule. Backburner Projects Novella11A: added 1,700 words. Publishing Tasks Formatted and uploaded Ellie Moonwater novella to CreateSpace on behalf of C.M. Simpson Publishing . New Arrivals Ideas arriving this week: Novella14A: for one of my pen names. ParanormalNovel4A: for another of my pen names.