CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

This is just a quick note to say IT'S HEEEERE! Trading by Shroomlight , the fifth book in the Magic Below Paris series is now live on Amazon. Three caverns are secure, but a fourth stands in peril. Can Marsh and the shadow mages make the difference needed to save it? An assassin. Two rebellious children and a kat with attitude. And a cavern on the brink of falling to invaders. Ambushed on arrival, Marsh and the Protectors discover a cavern on the brink of destruction. With its inhabitants driven from their homes, and raiders on the move, Ariella’s Grotto is close to falling. Can Marsh and the Protectors tip the balance? Or is the Grotto destined to fall. And, if it does, can they hope save those taken?

This week’s verse moves from an eerie speculative piece about a dangerous journey home to a fantasy poem about ending a war. It is taken from 366 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2016. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   King Ruford's Peace A lternatives were few and far between, B ut we tried, C ourse we tried. D ecided there was nothing in between, E nding or capitulating to our foes unseen, F inally deciding what our fate would be, G oing forward with the plan. H ow could we explain that we, I nstead would fight to our last man? J ust when all seemed bleak and lost, K ing Ruford came through skies storm-tossed L anding lightly a-dragon-back, M eeting our leaders to suggest a different tack. N o-one had fought as long as he, so O f course, he was the one to make us see that there were other P ossibilities. Q uite

This week’s short story takes us f rom the urban fantasy dreamscape of a vampire hunter and her nemesis to the science fiction world of a colonial investigator who finds that not all heroes live up to their legends. Welcome to Men of Sand & Light.   It was meant to be a surprise for Allan’s farewell, but the only person who got surprised was me. And the only farewell I was lookin’ at was my own, which just shows it’s never a good idea to look too closely at your heroes—even when you’re asked to, because now I’m gonna need a little help. Men of Sand & Light is available as a stand-alone short story at the following links: books2read.com/u/bP180r . You can also find Kristine Kathryn Rusch's latest free short story over on her blog: kriswrites.com . Why don't you go and check it out?

LAST WEEK, Simone told Tiger she and Odyssey were coming to rescue him. This week, Tiger reveals he's already left, and is about to try and sneak aboard an Odyssey cruiser on his own. Chapter 11 Excerpt –  Travel Plans Dear Simone     Your message got to me too late. I’m already off-world, and I don’t’ really know where I am. Don’t worry. That’s not because anything bad has happened to me. It’s because I stowed away. Yes, I did, and it’s not as hard as you’d think. The only problem is that I don’t know where I am, because I’m still hiding. I brought along a bunch of ration bars, but water’s going to be a problem in a couple of days. Fingers crossed we’ll have reached a docking bay, by then. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The complete series is available as short, individual ebooks, and will become available as an omnibus, later this year. In the meantime, you can find them on this blog, un