CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

This week’s short story takes us from a fantasy setting where a rogue finds angels more embedded in his world than he'd like to an urban fantasy tale where a trapped soul fights to get free. Welcome to The Buried Blade . When the grass in one of her uncle's fields starts to die, Amanda tries to work out why, but her uncle only sees stones, where she sees fragments of pottery. In a war as old as time, will Amanda convince her uncle of the truth, and remain unscathed, or will she fall under the control of an old and subtle power? The Buried Blade is available as a stand-alone short story at the following links: https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Blade-C-M-Simpson-ebook/dp/B00B28R1NS/ . 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?

Death Comes in Bone has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades . It is a dark fantasy short story about a skeletal assassin. Murdered by his closest friend, Tanag is not surprised to wake and find himself dead. He is surprised, however, that others have come to the caves hidden not so far from what used to be his home. As the adventurers plunder his bones and move on, Tanag remembers who killed him, and the vow he made as he died. In order to fulfil that vow, Tanag must rise and leave his impromptu tomb—but first he has to get his sword back from the adventurer that woke him and took it from his remains. Death Comes in Bone is available in electronic form from, among others: Smashwords , OmniLit , DriveThruFiction, Amazon-Kindle, Kobo, iTunes , and Nook . Here's the first page. First Page: Death Comes in Bone Tanag woke as light broke into his resting place. He didn’t know how long he’d been dead for, knew only that he’d been murdered and that he was still ...

The Reptiles’ Blade has been incorporated in to An Anthology of Blades . The Reptiles' Blade is a science fiction novella about a retired military member, a lizardine warrior-come-“diplomat” and some high-level negotiation that very nearly goes astray before it even gets started. When Felicity Shannara Jones is ordered by her command to infiltrate a criminal organization using humanitarian aid as a front, she isn’t sure she’s the right girl for the job, but then she finds Mika, second planetary adviser to humanity’s current foe, and she knows things just got serious. When Mika escapes custody, things go from serious to dire in one jet-propelled moment and Felicity, with her history in the lizardine war, finds herself in the firing line once more. The Reptiles’ Blade is available from Smashwords , Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Omnilit, DriveThruFiction and iTunes. First Page: The Reptiles' Blade Felicity Shannara Jones, Captain Jones to most who knew her, Felix to her ...

Stiletto’sLuck has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades.   Stiletto’sLuck is about an assassin dealing with the consequences of taking part in a battle for reasons of his own, while trying to remain uncompromised by either side. They could have called him Scimitar, Blade or Dagger, but, no, his parents had to call him Stiletto. Stiletto did the only thing he could. He learned to be the best at what he did, and he learned to walk tall - without the heels. When he finds himself in the center of a plot to assassinate the most powerful men in the city, Stiletto has only one question: How on earth is he going to walk out of this one? Stiletto’s Luck has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades , and is currently available as a stand-alone title from Smashwords , Amazon-Kindle and CreateSpace and will be distributed from Nook, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iTunes. First Page   Stiletto's Luck Sheathed in a suit that shifted with the colors of a cit...

The Soul in the Sword has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades. When an Arach raiding party attacks a wagon train and moves on to take on the next town, Dannon is part of the out-riders who must clean up in their wake. The dead girl on the wagon is just one of many reasons he doesn’t like spiders, or the elves that ride them. The Soul in the Sword is a short tale of fantasy battle, which will be incorporated into An Anthology of Blades . It is available as a stand-alone story from Smashwords , and will soon be available from Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook. First Page: The Soul in the Sword The spider reared, raking down with its forelegs. Allun threw himself sideways, dodging the blade-like spines of one leg and blocking the other leg’s cutting edge with his sword. The spider lunged after him, wicked fangs flashing, their points gleaming dully in the dawn-light. Allun rolled from beneath them, turning to face the beast and its rider again. The ...

Here is the cover I created for my anthology this month: An Anthology of Blades is available from Smashwords, Kindle, Kobo, iTunes, and DriveThruFiction And here is the cover I created for Ellie Moonwater's next release on behalf of C.M. Simpson Publishing:

Blood and Iron has been incorporated into An Anthology of Blades . When a murderer follows the barbarian from one city to the next, he knows sorcery is afoot and that he must defeat it. With the help of his roguish friend, Stanislau, he begins his investigations. Blood and Iron is a short tale of sword and sorcery. It is available as a free read on this site or as part of An Anthology of Blades . First Page: Blood and Iron “The difference is not that he kills, but how and why he kills,” Stanislau said. “Every woman he touches. The only thing they have in common is you.” Haft knew where this conversation was going. He’d had it before. Next Stan would be telling him they had to leave another city and Haft had his eye on the prettiest wench yet. Stan did not know about her; Haft could keep his secrets better than the petty sneak gave him credit for. At least Haft did not have to make his living by sneaking. He only had to do that when wenching, sneaking and ...