[New Release] The Cainite Conspiracies Anthology

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I am pleased to announce that The Cainite Conspiracies, a collection of fourteen stories set in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade Dark Ages is now available. Stories were written by these fine authors, which include exemplary storytellers and Vampire: The Masquerade developers past and present: Maurice Broaddus, Renee Ritchie, Justin Achilli, Russell Zimmerman, Andrew Peregrine, Catherine Lundoff, Eddy Webb, Jacob Klünder, Ree Soesbee, David A. Hill Jr., Alan Alexander, Richard Dansky, Danielle Lauzon, and Neall Raemonn Price.

In celebration of this release, three of our authors wrote about their stories. You can read about “Family is Family” by Renee Ritchie, “Sand and Dust” by Andrew Peregrine, and “A Quest for Blood” by Russell Zimmerman.

I hope you enjoy this collection. I had a lot of fun putting The Cainite Conspiracies together!

November 30, 2016
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Official Release Date for Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling

Upside Down Inverted Tropes in Storytelling CoverApex Publications is happy to announce the upcoming release of Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling edited by Jaym Gates and Monica Valentinelli.

Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poems, and essays that will highlight the long-standing tradition of writers who identify tropes in science fiction, fantasy, and horror and twist them into something new and interesting.

Successfully funded through Kickstarter, Apex will release the anthology on December 13, 2016. Pre-orders are now available through Amazon.com.

“Speculative fiction fans tired of clichés will want to grab this expectation-subverting anthology.”
–Publishers Weekly, starred review

Over two dozen authors, ranging from NYT-bestsellers and award winners to debut writers, chose a tired trope or cliche to challenge and surprise readers through their work.

Read stories inspired by tropes such as the Chainmaille Bikini, Love at First Sight, Damsels in Distress, Yellow Peril, The Black Man Dies First, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, The Singularity Will Cause the Apocalypse, and many more… Then, discover what these tropes mean to each author to find out what inspired them.

Join Maurice Broaddus, Adam Troy-Castro, Delilah S. Dawson, Shanna Germain, Sara M. Harvey, John Hornor Jacobs, Rahul Kanakia, Alethea Kontis, Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Haralambi Markov, Kat Richardson, Nisi Shawl, Ferrett Steinmetz, Anton Strout, Michael Underwood, Alyssa Wong and many other authors as they take well-worn tropes and cliches and flip them upside down.

ISBN: 978-1-937009-44-1
Title: Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling
Release date: December 13th, 2016
Cost: $18.95 (trade paperback)
Page Count: 365 pages

Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is editor Jaym Gates’s (War Stories) second anthology with Apex Book Company, and it is the first for editor Monica Valentinelli. The two have put together an anthology with a strong mix of fiction and essays that is sure to both entertain and educate readers on tropes and how they are used by writers.

About Apex Publications: Apex Publications is a small press dedicated to publishing exemplary works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Owned and operated by Jason B. Sizemore, Apex publishes the thrice Hugo Award-nominated Apex Magazine. The Apex catalog contains books by genre luminaries such as Damien Angelica Walters, Catherynne M. Valente, and Brian Keene.

November 21, 2016
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Announcing the Final List of Contributors and Tropes for Upside Down

Less than 48 hours to go, and I couldn’t be happier with the way the Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling Kickstarter has gone. We have over 1,000 backers, and today I am happy to announce the final list of contributors. I’ve contacted everyone on the short list that I had contact info for, so if you do not have a response please let me know and I’ll be happy to follow up. Jaym and I are concerned about ensuring all of our authors are treated well; the caliber and quality of stories we received was nothing short of fantastic, and our decisions were very difficult to make.

Short Story & Poetry Contributors

Kat Richardson, Maurice Broaddus, Michael Underwood, Anton Strout, Shanna Germain, Ferrett Steinmetz, Haralambi Markov, Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Alyssa Wong, Nisi Shawl, Sunil Patel, Rahul Kanakia, Sara Harvey, John Hornor Jacobs, Delilah Dawson, Adam-Troy Castro, Alethea Kontis, Katy Harrad & Greg Stolze, Alisa Schreibman, Alex Shvartsman, Rati Mehrotra, Elsa S. Henry, Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Michael Choi, Michelle Muenzler, and Michael Matheson

Tropes Examined

Asian Scientist, Blind People are Magic, Chainmaille Bikini, Chosen One, Damsels in Distress, Epic Fantasy, First Period Panic, Gendericide, Girlfriend in the Refrigerator, Guys Smash, Girls Shoot, Heroine Loves a Bad Man, Jewish Magic, Love at First Sight, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Prostitute with a Heart of Gold, Retired Pro’s “Last” Job, The Black Man Dies First, The City Planet, The Magical Negro, The Power of Names, The Singularity will Cause the Apocalypse, The Super Soldier, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, World Ends/Sets/Reboots, and Yellow Peril

Essayists

Patrick Hester, Lucy Snyder, A.C. Wise, Victor Raymond, and Keffy Kehrli

Essay Topics

Are Tropes Bad?, an examination of Detta/Odetta from The Dark Tower series and how it relates to the gothic trope Jekyll and Hyde, the differences between the hero’s journey and the heroine’s journey using Labyrinth as an example, tropes from a queer (LGBTQA+) perspective, and the intersection of race and culture with respect to tropes and cliches.

March 24, 2016
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Empty Head

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I wrote about 3,000 words this morning and edited another 5K. All very deep and esoteric — plus I wrote a song. The 1800s-era tune is related to The Queen of Crows. When in doubt, go interstitial! Hoping to get the sheet music down; have to book at trip to the Madison Music Foundry to make that happen.

It’s cold, the house is quiet, and I’ve got some new music recommendations from my brother I’m drowning in. (Bat for Lashes and the dear SO also approves.) I’m super close to putting on a scarf and my voice is going, but I’m just shy of center. My creativity is exploding. My consulting techniques are improving, and my focus is getting sharper.

All in all, I have no complaints. Like I said last week, life takes a weird turn, and I turn to all my arts, because they give back to me. Just a lot on the agenda, including a class for basic macrame, and no time for sniffles or sneezing. Feh. But, there it goes. Sniffling. Sneezing. A shot of something or other in my coffee. (Okay, you got me. It’s whiskey.) But, the speakers are on maximum, my pitches are beginning to come to fruition, and there’s definitely more to be edited, written, polished, and consulted.

I’m actually drawing back on marketing-related updates to the website and will likely do that once a quarter. Right now, I’m more concerned with getting new stories and projects out the door. The best way to keep up on what’s happening, of course, will be here and Twitter. Facebook when I’m not annoyed with it. And yeah, I can get VERY annoyed with it. 🙂

Sigh. Twitter. I swear, for as much as I get out of it, every time I turn around there’s something else to be frustrated about. So…. change topic to Alexander McQueen: I WANT THIS! And, well… If I had to be honest… About half the jewelry on this page in particular — as many designs relate to skulls. Hee. Okay, pie in the proverbial sky? Isn’t this the most kick-ass riding jacket you’ve ever seen? LOVE.

Also, would like to point out Maybelline has some smashing nail colors for Spring. Very happy with their “Sapphire Siren” and “Go Go Green.” (Remember, cats and kittens… I always wear more than one at a time…)

Screw it. I’m dropping by Sephora sooner rather than later.

    Mood: Eyebrow raise. Pretty much been that way ALL day.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I gave up soda, so hit the ginseng yesterday. And then I broke down and had a soda. So, once again, trying to be good today. I have new coffee!
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: WHY IS IT SO COOOOOOLLLLLLDDDDDDDD?
    In My Ears: “Milano” by Utopia
    Game Last Played: Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
    Movie Last Viewed: Empire Strikes Back
    Latest Artistic Project: SHINIES. Still need to take pics…
    Latest Release: “The Button” We Are Dust anthology
February 4, 2013
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A Semi-Obligatory but Sort of Not Really Progress Update

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2013 is off to a fantastic start! I’ve delivered a little over 10,000 words of fiction so far, submitted quite a few other pieces, and circulated a number of pitches plus I’m now diving head first into Kickstarter planning, new stories, scripts, and RPG-related material — and that’s just for my writing and editing plate. That Cortex Plus Hacker’s Guide Kickstarter I mentioned earlier? Funded in less than a week! Now onto the stretch goals! For John, we’re celebrating the upcoming release of his new game ROFL! which will be released through Cryptozoic and working on a few other sekrit projects.

I also just received my schedule for the GenCon Writer’s Symposium. I was invited to work with SFWA publicist Jaym Gates on the Business Track; I have not opted for any panels outside of that. I’ll post a final schedule later on. I also have two time slots in Author’s Alley where I’ll have my books and games to sign and I’ll be doing a reading with author Paul Genesse.

I was so excited about everything that’s been going on, I got a little lax with my social media embargo. I gotta tell you, it feels great to be in smack dab in the middle of a whirlwind and so much fun!

    Mood: Boo-yah
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I WILL NOT CONFESS MY ADDITION.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: A few, but it’s darn cold!
    In My Ears: Amy’s Choice Doctor Who
    Game Last Played: Bears!
    Movie Last Viewed: Resident Evil: Apocalypse
    Latest Artistic Project: Holiday gifts
    Latest Release: “The Button” We Are Dust anthology
January 17, 2013
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Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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