CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

This week’s verse moves from a fantasy poem about the end of a war to a horror fantasy poem about defeating a subtle evil. It is taken from 266 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2016. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   Demons in the Dark A hand at my hip, a demon at my side, a monster in my closet, where our worlds collide. A whisper in the dark, warm breath upon my neck, a presence walking with me, fear haunting every step. An arm cross my shoulders, tucks me close to another’s side, a firm grip keeps me standing from where I’d rather run and hide. The monsters in our minds, the monsters ’neath our beds, the monsters in our closets are the fears that feed our dread. So I brush away that hand, bid that presence firm adieu, disentangle that iron grip, tell the monster we are through. And i...

This week’s short story takes us from the science fiction tale of a colony investigator discovering that not all legends are made equal to a rogue going the extra mile to save his world against great odds. Welcome to Miguel Unmade . Captured by the space wolves and held aboard their battle cruiser, Miguel doesn’t think things could get worse—and then he discovers he’s sharing his cell with the very two psychopaths he’s been trying to avoid. Dragged into their next deadly scheme, he faces two choices—do what they want and live as their captive, or save Earth and die horribly as a result. Either way, he loses. Just how much he loses is up to him. Miguel Unmade is available as a stand-alone novella-length short story at the following links: books2read.com/u/4jawWl . 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?

LAST WEEK, Tiger said he was going to try to sneak aboard an Odyssey cruiseliner. This week, Simone reveals she's been moved into more 'secure' quarters by Odyssey, and that they're hiding something from her. Chapter 12 Excerpt –Lotsa Luck Good Luck, Tiger! Break a leg, and all that kind of stuff. And take care. I’m glad to hear you’re all right, and I hope you made it off the ship you were hiding on, and onto a cruise liner, although no-one’s told me you’ve made it, yet, so I can’t wait for news. Seems to be the story of my life, waiting. I’m still waiting to hear from my parents. I thought they were with Odyssey, but Odyssey has gone really quiet about them, so I’m hoping for them, too—hoping that nothing has gone wrong between Odyssey getting them off-planet, and getting them here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The complete series is available as short, indiv...

This is just a quick note to say IT'S HEEEERE! Trading by Shroomlight , the fifth book in the Magic Below Paris series is now live on Amazon. Three caverns are secure, but a fourth stands in peril. Can Marsh and the shadow mages make the difference needed to save it? An assassin. Two rebellious children and a kat with attitude. And a cavern on the brink of falling to invaders. Ambushed on arrival, Marsh and the Protectors discover a cavern on the brink of destruction. With its inhabitants driven from their homes, and raiders on the move, Ariella’s Grotto is close to falling. Can Marsh and the Protectors tip the balance? Or is the Grotto destined to fall. And, if it does, can they hope save those taken?

This week’s verse moves from an eerie speculative piece about a dangerous journey home to a fantasy poem about ending a war. It is taken from 366 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2016. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   King Ruford's Peace A lternatives were few and far between, B ut we tried, C ourse we tried. D ecided there was nothing in between, E nding or capitulating to our foes unseen, F inally deciding what our fate would be, G oing forward with the plan. H ow could we explain that we, I nstead would fight to our last man? J ust when all seemed bleak and lost, K ing Ruford came through skies storm-tossed L anding lightly a-dragon-back, M eeting our leaders to suggest a different tack. N o-one had fought as long as he, so O f course, he was the one to make us see that there were other P ossibilities. Q uite...