CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

  January was a month for science fiction and fantasy, as I released my first three, stand-alone short stories: Jalaya: a science-fiction short story, updated from the version you can read in A Collection of Battle and Its Aftermath. Jalaya blends: a yearly tradition, a dance not forgotten, a planet torn by a long-running war, and a family separated by battle and time.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? You can find links to it on this Books2Read pag e: https://books2read.com/u/3JGvge The Lost Kings: is a fantasy short story, tweaked the tiniest bit since its appearance in A Collection of Shifters. It is the story of: a city under siege, a dragon under cover, five kings lost to time, and two orphans running for their lives. Hunted by invaders, Valan races t...

For readers on a limited budget, I am trialing a subscriptions approach with Reamstories , with the idea that readers will be able to access an increasing portion of my current catalogue, regardless of level, and at some levels gain early access to upcoming releases, or sneak peeks at works in progress, and do so more economically than by having to purchase each individual title. 'Access' means the ability to read the listed title as part of a subscription, not the ability to add it to a personal library without purchase. By the end of January 2024, the benefits for each tier will be as follows: At the base Overwatch Tier: Access up to Chapter 26 of Mack 'n' Me: Blaedergil's Host , Book 2 of the Mack 'n' Me 'n' Odyssey series, with more chapters scheduled for February); Access to Mack 'n' Me: Odyssey , Book 1 of the Mack 'n' Me 'n' Odyssey series; Access to the first 14 poems from 365 Days of Poetry , with more to come in Feb...

This week’s short story takes us from one woman's search for a war hero on a distant war-torn world to a science fiction tale of love and family against the backdrop of a long-fought war. Welcome to Jalaya .   Separated by duty, and reunited by the same Michael has helped the villagers survive the invasion for ten years. This year, he cannot. Cut off from escape, their only hope of salvation is to return to the village, and pray. Returning to the village means returning to his fiancé, forced by a secret family tradition to remain, when duty called him to leave. But reunions will have to wait. First they have to bring their people home. Jalaya is available as a stand-alone, novella-length short story at the following links: https://www.amazon.com/Jalaya-CM-Simpson-ebook/dp/B0084RX4FO/ . 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?

When I started this gig, I didn’t have a budget. Things are a little better, now, but still not up to the point where I can hire a cover artist for four covers a month. I’m getting there, but it isn’t, now. However, I have improved my skills in creating my own covers, and some of my earlier stories deserve better. You’ll see more cover upgrades as the year progresses, and I expand out to other sales platforms, but this is the first—for a story that won my heart a second time: Jalaya. Jalaya will be re-released this week, and I’ll announce it here. In the meantime, I hope you like the new cover as much as I do. Michael has helped the villagers survive the invasion for ten years. This year, he cannot. Cut off from escape, their only hope of salvation is to return to the village, and pray. Returning to the village means returning to his fiancé, forced by a secret family tradition to remain, when duty called him to leave. But reunions will have to wait. First Michael and th...

After a week with a broken computer,I forgot to let people know I was guest blogging over at Dark Side Down Under . A group of Australian writers of romance and other paranormal genres, they kindly hosted me on their regular A Bite Of… blog spot on Wednesday, July 17. I talked about the inspiration behind the stories and poems in An Anthology of Battle (which may also be found in my collection of Short Stories and Poems of 2012 collection), and gave an excerpt from one of my favorite stories, Jalaya . Feel free to go over and check it out.

Jalaya is the fourth and final short story to be found in An Anthology of Battle . It is also available as a stand-alone short story. Michael bound to the village chief and his soldiers by nanotechnology that provides a unique mental link. With it, he commands a military force divided into Marks, and inherited the duty of Protector. Ten years ago, he helped his community fight free of its township and become nomads so they could survive the depredations of fierce raiders. Ten years ago, he was forced to choose between duty to his people, and love for Caroline, his wife-to-be. When he left the city with his daughter, Caroline refused to go with them. Once a year, when their migration takes them close, he takes watch above the town, leaving a white flower at its edge. Every year, Caroline dances through the streets—for him. Every year, he watches from the hills, hoping she will join him. This year, the raiders attack, and everything changes. Jalaya is a story of battle, family, ...

Here are the covers I created this month: PoD E-book Large Print PoD E-book Version E-book version Large Print PoD Large-Print PoD E-book version E-book version

It has so far been a busy week. I have finally started releasing the stories I've been working on over the last week. There are, so far two new short stories and one short story re-release: Gulvane and the Dragon is my newest work. I wrote it this year. And here is what it's about: Preparing for a new era in his life, the wizard Gulvane walks the corridors of his mind, remembering the eras locked behind three doors. Forester, Fighter, Assassin. Behind each door lie the memories and skills of who and what he used to be, inaccessible, unless he chose to return to the professions he had left. Uncertain of where his life will lead him, or of what he will become, Gulvane wakes to find a dragon standing over his bed. Now, what would a creature such as that want with an elf like himself? Gulvane and the Dragon is currently available as a stand-alone short story, but will eventually be incorporated in An Anthology of Mythical Creatures , and the collection, Short ...