I’ve been spending most of my time on longer projects, so this has been a somewhat slower year for short fiction. I do have a novelette out in Lightspeed that I’m particularly proud of:
The Archronology of Love (Lightspeed Magazine, 8900 words) – A love story, a mystery, AND I got to invent an entire academic field! Here is an excerpt from the opening of the story:
This is a love story, the last of a series of moments when we meet.
Saki Jones leaned into the viewport window until her nose nearly touched the glass, staring at the colony planet below. New Mars. From this distance, she could pretend that things were going according to plan—that M.J. was waiting for her in one of the domed cities. A shuttle would take her down to the surface and she and her lifelove would pursue their dream of studying a grand alien civilization.
It had been such a beautiful plan.
“This is a fascinating, intellectual, and emotionally moving (one might say tear-jerking) story that showcases just how much Yoachim is on top of her game right now.” –Karen Burnham, Locus
I also had three flash stories out in Daily Science Fiction:
A Voice the Color of Blood (Daily Science Fiction, February 20, 2019)
My senses are overwhelmed by the navy blue rumble of a distant explosion. A hush falls over the barracks as we listen for alien missiles outside. I close my eyes and wait in colorless silence.
A Wedding Gown of Autumn Leaves (Daily Science Fiction, April 18, 2019)
The day before my wedding, my dress is a pile of birch leaves. I sort through them and pluck out all the worms and bugs. The leaves are vibrant yellow and orange, fresh from the tree and still pliable enough to sew. Birch is a symbol of beginnings, a good choice for weddings.
Just Coffee, Every Morning (Daily Science Fiction, November 25, 2019)
I come home from work to find you still in your pajamas, sitting up in bed and staring at the side table. “You were so excited to finish that cityscape you were painting, what are you doing in bed? Are you feeling okay?”
