CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

The stand-alone edition of the novelette, Jalaya , released on January 7, 2024, and is now available for purchase. It can be found individually at any of the platforms on this Books2Read link , and it can be found as one of the stories in: A Collection of Battle and its Aftermath. For those of you wondering what it's all about. Well... The Short Version: It's about family, duty, love and war, and the perils of past secrets. The Longer Version: It's about: A yearly tradition. A dance not forgotten. A planet torn by a long-running war. Hunted by an implacable foe, and driven into the ruins of a town he once called home, Mark Leader, Michael, must try to save his people against savage odds. And try, too, to save the woman he loves. Will the secrets of their past save or doom their future? How It Begins: Michael looked down at the town in the sand. Red, flat roofs of clay interspersed by the elegant, wooden gables of buildings from northern climes, still stood in ...

Another Wild Wednesday is upon us, and by the looks of it many of us are dealing with cold and snow...or rain and hail, depending on where in the world you are. Luckily, I'm inside, nice and warm and just watching the weather go by, SO, if you're looking for books to read inside where it's warm and dry, check these out. You never know. If you've already read the Magic Below Paris series (8-book boxed set available for 99c, today, only), you just might find your next favorite author. (I see one of my other favorite series, here - Dark Landing , by Scott Moon and Craig Martelle). Titles in this sale (until midnight January 10, 2024, ET) include: Magic Below Paris Complete Series Boxed Set (Books 1-8): https://books2read.com/u/4N761G Quest: https://books2read.com/u/bajAP2 Darklanding 1-3 Omnibus: https://books2read.com/u/mdqD8E The Blood Witch Saga Omnibus Collection (Books 1-8): https://books2read.com/u/bpYW2k Stonecroft Saga Volume One: https://books2read.com/u/mB2ALZ T...

The first piece of flash for the year comes from the upcoming Another 366 Days of Flash Fiction . Complications in a New Beginning   “So,” Chalky asked. “We’re starting over?” “We’re starting over,” Anders confirmed, his eyes dark with determination. Chalky hefted her pack, and stepped toward. When Anders didn’t move, she glanced back. “You coming?” Anders looked at the hatch, looked at her, and shook his head. Chalky’s heart plummeted, and she tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. “But you sad ‘we.’” Anders nodded. “I did, but I didn’t mean we’d be starting in the same place. Point of the colony is exploration. We get dropped a distance apart. If we want to stead together, we need to find each other.” Hope surged through her. “So, we have a way of doing that, right?” Anders sighed, and hung his head. “Beacons and comms weren’t permitted, and all they’ll tell me is they’re dropping on the same continent in a grid.” Chalky’s heart fell, again, but she ...