CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Screams for the Dying is the fifth and final short story to be found in An Anthology of Worlds . It is also available as a stand-alone short story. Screams for the Dying is a short science fiction story that blends myth, fantasy and science fiction. In the time in which this short story is set, banshees and star ships are real, and so are a lot of other things. Screams for the Dying is available as part of An Anthology of Worlds , and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , iTunes , and Nook. First Page: Screams for the Dying   I had lived here from childhood to my thirtieth year but, in spite of the wattle dancing on the breeze and the eucalyptus-scented air that brushed across my skin, I knew I no longer belonged. My nostrils remembered the faint fizz of Kelfa blossoms from the sun-drenched planet of Bolan, and my eyes recalled the darkness of subterranean living on the asteroid of Quorbet. Now, as I stood, again, beneath the gold-fleck...

Score Card At the beginning of the year, I laid out a writing and release plan. It went through two changes before I put it into action… and then it went through a third before the end of the quarter. The following score card is based on the goals as they were before the third change: 1 dark fantasy: 3 completed, 2 released; 1 romance novel: 1 completed, 1 released ; 1 annual: not completed; 1 novella: 1 completed, 1 released; 1 chapter book: 4 revised and released (but only 1  illustrated as originally planned); 0 short stories: 6 revised and released. What I learned. I have discovered that goals change, as plans progress and we learn how to do things better or differently. So, here’s what I’ve learnt in the first quarter of 2013: My initial release plan was okay, but did not let me respond to areas that sales showed my readers were interested in. I changed it, and the new tiered system is working fine… for now. Writing new words is different to preparing ...

This was a four-day work week, so I put in more time writing, but not as much as I might have. I also had to make some clothes for the littlest podrat, who is too skinny and tall for store-bought clothes to fit. The things we do. This week also marked my return to walking after the very rough start to doing that this year. Beyond that, this week was a week I tried to dedicate to producing new words; next week has to be dedicated to publishing, as I am now three releases behind my ‘on average, one release per week’ goal for the year. I will also be trying to maintain a minimum of 1,500 new words produced per day… let’s see how that works out. Tier 1Tasks DarkFantasyNovel1C—Shadow’s Fall written as C.M. Simpson: Into beta read and editing stage. This project is running 137 days ahead of schedule. Tier 2 Tasks RomanceNovel14A—Taylor’s Story written as Madeleine Torr: Added 5,000 words. At the beginning of the week, this project was running 62 days behind the original ...

Nettlefold Princess is the fourth short story to be found in An Anthology of Worlds . It is also available as a stand-alone short story. All is not well in Nettlefold Hollow. Amity claims she see things in the shadows and refuses to go out at night. Her classmates laugh at her until she goes missing on the way home from school. When her best friend, Samantha, looks in Amity's locker and finds her diary, she learns that Amity was being haunted by a fairy prince. Who can she rely on to help her with a problem like that? Nettlefold Princess is available as part of AnAnthology of Worlds , and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , iTunes , and Nook. First Page : Nettlefold Princess Nettlefold Hollow took its name from the myriad nettles that grew there. Stinging nettles mingled with greater and lesser nettles as well as wood and hedge nettles. Clambering amongst the rocks and mingling with clumps of grass or peeking from beneath the blackberrie...