CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

A s you may already know, I'm a member of th e International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (IASFA), which supports authors of science fiction and fantasy, regardless of where in their career, they're at. And as you also might already know, the IASFA runs a promotion of free or 99c books every month, where they ask for a reader's first name and email address so they can add that reader to their newsletter mailing list. As an additional bonus for signing up to the IASFA newsletter as part of this month's promotion, you’ll get five free books in a variety of science fiction and fantasy genres. THIS month, from January 21-25, 2024, (ET), we have a tonne of urban fantasy titles either discounted to 99c (US) or for Free - and you can check out their authors and see if your next favorite is among them at this link, here : https://iasfa.org/jan24 .     One of those titles is Pixie Dust Dreaming, the seventh book in my C.M.'s Collections ser...

Today's flash fiction is an experiment in 6-word story-telling, to be found in the up-coming Another 366 Days of Flash Fiction. The Duality of Bells Bells ring for battle...then farewell.  

 From the current WiP, we have this - a contemplation of shipping evolution.   Of Sailing Ships and Starships   Tall ships sailed the open seas Finding land by waves confined Their sails like wings upon one breeze Their journey’s end yet unconsigned Steel ships lift from platforms bound to earth on planets charted Steel sails catch winds to be found In vacuum skies sun started.   Our hist’ries and our futures symmetric’lly reflected, and stories run through cultures of finding lands yet undetected.   In our paths do new songs grow and on new worlds does new hope find its ease Will we recall how, long ago, Tall ships sailed the open seas

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 ...