(Cover art by Justin Adams of Varia Studios.)
My story “The Darithian Life Cycle” (science fiction, 3,500 words) was purchased by “When Worlds Collide”, an anthology by ZNB Publications.
This is a well-established pro market, and one that is very hard to crack. There were over 800 submissions for the five spots in the antho that were not commissioned–long odds!
The anthology is available via pre-order at their store: https://zombies-need-brains-llc.square.site/ and it will also be available at Amazon.com, B&N, and other stores.
Here is the back cover copy and table of contents, from the publisher:
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE:
What could possibly happen when two cultures meet for the first time?
In WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, anything.
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE presents fourteen original stories where two different societies intersect and deal with the aftermath of that meeting. Will the conflicting cultures merge and adapt and find peace? Or will they clash, unable to either accept their differences or acknowledge their commonalities? Who will survive when the last of the Fae battle a world-killing AI? What happens when a being who is part of a vast collective-consciousness is forced to face their own individuality? Can a werewolf ever break free of the unholy pact its fae creator has made with humanity? Will Earth really manage to commit the biggest and most egregious faux pas in history when it’s on the cusp of joining the Galactic Union? And why is it that two very different kinds of elves are angrily facing off at a simple dinner party?
Whether your taste runs to humor, horror, science fiction, or fantasy, the stories collected in this latest anthology from Zombies Need Brains and written by some of today’s hottest SF&F authors will delight, thrill, and terrify you.
Join Christopher Leapock, Howard Andrew Jones, Gary Kloster, Louis Evans, Peter S. Drang, Esther Friesner, S.C. Butler, Nancy Holzner, Auston Habershaw, Violette Malan, Stephen Leigh, Alan Smale, Steven Harper, and Jordan Chase-Young as they delve into what may happen…WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.
Contents:
- “The Erratics” by Christopher Leapock“
- Brother of Swords” by Howard Andrew Jones
- “Walls of Teeth and Iron” by Gary Kloster“Faux Pas” by Louis Evans
- “Darithian Life Cycle” by Peter S. Drang
- “Seelie With a Kiss” by Esther Friesner
- “What and Why” by S.C. Butler
- “Melusina” by Nancy Holzner
- “Malevolent Liberation of Pret” by Auston Habershaw
- “Mercenary Code” by Violette Malan
- “Deep Heart Inside” by Stephen Leigh
- “Dogs of Babylon” by Alan Smale
- “Eight Mile City” by Steven Harper
- “How the Fae of Savernake Forest Fought the AI that Ate the World” by Jordan Chase-Young
