CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Today's reading is the November 20 entry of 365 Days of Flash Fiction . When ancient creatures are a part of everyday life, defending against them becomes par for the course. You can listen to the reading here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C2twWctwbY   Science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, speculative fiction and a touch of horror, this collection plays with just about every genre, touching on everything from dragons to mermaids and pixies to zombies and trolls, this collection has a little bit of everything to share.   3 RD EDITION NOTE: This edition is a renewed version of Editions 1 and 2, with the main changes being the new cover, new front and back matter, extensive re-paragraphing, Americanization of spelling, and some minor word changes. Outside those changes, most of the content remains unchanged. Cover art is by Jake at JCaleb Design . And you can find the collection here: https://books2read.com/u/4NwrOo

This week’s verse moves from a science fiction poem about the dangers of an unauthorised planetary excursion to a fantasy verse about monsters and heroes. It is taken from Another 365 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2019. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dangers in the Dark With carapaces shining and throwing torchlight back our nemesis revealed themselves a gleaming black on black And we knew then why the miners in all good sense had run knew why those brave folk shook and craved work in the sun for, suddenly, we did the same and our oaths we did regret for we had sworn to clear the mines and see all dangers met We had though it orcs or goblins or elves gone dark We had not anticipated multi-legged monsters to come hunting in the dark. We had thought bipedal, bows and arrows, ...

This week’s verse moves from a poem inspired by the global unity that grew out of the Je Suis Charlie terror attack of 2015, to a fantasy poem about an encounter with underground monsters. It is taken from 366 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2016. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   The Creepers in the Tunnels Knew The creepers in the tunnels knew from whence would come the travellers’ doom. They grew along the walls and watched, as the intruders set a fire and cooked what would be their final meal in the dark, where night concealed creatures of more subtlety than the creeper growing free along the arching walls that they had so carefully avoided, when they set up camp. The creepers in the tunnels knew the subtlety’s wherein they grew, and watched with plant’s delight as, from behind each stalactite, the weavers on their ...

Of Hunters and the Color Blue is the first short story to be found in The Loft Anthology . It is also available as a stand-alone short story. A letter reveals the writer’s love for her daughter, and her reasons for leaving the child behind. It is a tale of flight and rescue, the birth of an AI, and reveals a weakness that plagues the deadly enemy on her trail. Of Hunters and the Color Blue is currently available as a stand-alone story , but will be included in The Loft Anthology, and the 2013 collection of short stories and poetry. It can be found at Smashwords , Kobo, Amazon-Kindle , iTunes, and Nook. First Page: Of Hunters and the Color Blue To my daughter, With regards the Hunters: I discovered one way of unmasking them for others. They were… are, infallibly drawn to blue. As a general rule, they cannot pass it by and leave it be; they have to touch it, caress it, and take it with them. They cannot help, but possess it. Who would have thought that a c...