New Story Listed at Queerteen Press

Posted on 5 March 2012 by Hayden

Woot, I say! Short story number six is now listed at Queerteen Press, and it’s “Erl-King”, which turned out to be the hardest story to revise for me. It’ll be released in April.

The story was already written a certain way when I decided to submit it to the publisher as part of my short story collection with them. Then I had to change a bunch of things, basically ripping out at least half of the story I wrote originally and then picking through the rubble and recycling passages for the new version. It was brain-draining work, which is why it was the last story I submitted to them. It’s also a retelling of Goethe’s ballad, which you can read here.

Here’s the story blurb:

Baltasar grows up in a world of absolutes, of black and white, right and wrong. Just as his brothers and sisters who went before him, the boy is groomed to follow only one road, at the end of which is a life no different from his parents’ and grandparents’. His parents’ strict teachings and the naïveté that results, however, render him ignored and friendless, and Baltasar spends much time alone.

During one of his solitary wanderings in the countryside, he stumbles across an enchanted land and its melancholy, ageless ruler — a land full of color and magic, and a bond that defies everything he’s always known about the world. But what’s unusual, tempting, and exciting doesn’t always lead to a clearer path, and Baltasar is forced to choose between two wildly diverging worlds, with each exacting a high price.

Erl-King is a retelling of Goethe’s ballad by the same title.

And an excerpt can be found here. As for the rest of the short stories, we’re down to the last two titles to edit and process, and those will be out sometime in May, according to my publisher, with the print and e-book anthology containing all nine stories set for the end of May.

Now Available: The Winter Garden

Posted on 26 February 2012 by Hayden

Short story number four is now available! :D One of the moodier stories in the collection, but it’s also the most “love story”-esque as well.

Anyway, here’s the blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Nicholas’ fragile health forces him into a life of isolation and loneliness, his connection to the outside world nothing more than a glimpse between the bars of an iron gate in his family’s spacious and paradise-like garden. His life changes when a bold young stranger not only befriends him but also dares to trespass into Nicholas’ quiet world.

The two boys’ friendship deepens as Adrian’s visits increase, their connection strengthening in defiance of too-real dangers posed by the coming winter on Nicholas’ health. It’s a bond that withstands the sting of separation, bringing both boys back to each other again and again, weathering time and ensuring that the impossible is, in the end, very much attainable.

As always, if you purchase directly from the publisher, you’ll receive a 20% discount, and this special is available only for a limited time.

Now Available: Out of the Depths (And Some Goodies)

Posted on 29 January 2012 by Hayden

Heads up! My short story, “Out of the Depths”, is now available from Queerteen Press in e-book format (note: short stories are only available in e-book format). In brief, it’s a horror / gothic retelling of the “Pygmalion” myth.

Blurb: It has been a year since Konstancji’s lover passed away, but rather than move on with his life, Konstancji hires one young man after another to sit for him as he obsessively works on a statue. What’s apparent is the fact that each sitter dies and is replaced with a new one, his grieving family compensated generously.

What no one’s aware of, though, is the purpose of the statue, which is the means through which Konstancji hopes to bring his beloved back from the dead.

If you purchase directly from the publisher, you’ll receive a 20% discount. Go here to buy it as well as to read an excerpt if you want to get an idea of the piece’s tone and style.

And some extra bits of news!

“The Knight”, a short story due out in March, is now listed at Queerteen Press. It’s a retelling of the “St. George and the Dragon” legend, and you can read the story’s description and an excerpt over here. And then there’s Mimi Attacks!, the next book in the Masks series (this is book number five), which is all about superheroes, supervillains, crazed fangirls, and a sixteen-year-old boy who always ends up with the short end of the stick. Book blurb and excerpt can be found here. Since this is a novel, it’ll be available in both print and e-book formats.

There you have it! And if you purchase a copy of “Out of the Depths”, I hope you enjoy it. :) It’s the only horror story in the collection of short fiction that I’ve contracted with Queerteen Press.