CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

This week’s verse moves from a speculative verse about the decisions we face, to a speculative verse about a survivor. It is taken from 365 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2014. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I Live I live. The storm clouds riding in do not deny me. Harsh sun, they blot out for me, sheltering me. I live. The first rains cool my tongue, quench my thirst, chill me, and revive me to celebrate. I live. And rescue will come soon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can find the first two poetry collections at the links below - although there are plans to reissue them with more genre-appropriate covers in the future. The third collection will be released later in the year. books2read.com/u/mVLQZb books2read.com/u...

This week’s short story takes us from a fantasy tale of destiny in an elemental world of destruction to a fantasy setting where dragons rule the air and artefacts are closely guarded. Welcome to The Seeker from Hivrala . Sandfire is a dragon, a guardian of the mountains, and a servant of the Gatekeepers. It is her duty to collect those the Gatekeepers designate seekers and bring them to her masters. The only problem is that the latest seeker doesn’t want to go. Vestari doesn’t care what the dragon wants; as far as she’s concerned she’s not about to become a dragon’s pet—but now she has to choose: go with the dragon, or face the royal guard. If only she knew which was worse... The Seeker from Hivrala (Excerpt) Sandfire snorted at the air, snuffling down the sweet currents blowing up from the plains lapping at her mountain’s feet. She raised her snout and flicked out her tongue, tasting the sweetness, making sure the faint touch of sharpness was still there, t...

LAST WEEK, Tiger revealed he was safe, but that he wasn't going to join Simone until he couldn't help her more by being in the lab. This week, Simone says she's worried that something infected her team in FedExplore's Sharvin complex... and that it might have infected the ship she's on. Chapter 3 (Extract) – Something's Not Right Dear Tiger, You take care, yourself. I miss you. I hope Odyssey let you come join us, soon. I mean, we eventually have to be allowed to meet, right? They can’t keep us apart, forever. I’m glad you’re doing what you’re doing, because we’re not sure which way to jump—and I mean that literally. There wasn’t just one ship; there were two, and then they met up with another two, who were sitting not far off the warp points. They must have come in really slow for us not to be able to detect them—or maybe the orbitals were waiting for them to radio in. I don’t know. No-one’s taught me the comms pr...