Sometime last summer, I dropped this into a writing chat:
Have you ever thought about how plants intend for their children to be eaten as part of their lifecycle? Is this story fodder?
Turns out it was, in fact, story fodder.
My flash piece "Clementine grows into a tree" is available today in the fifth issue of Plott Hound magazine! The whole issue is available to purchase today; the story will be free to read online at a later date.
I love this piece. It's one of my favorite things I've ever written. A writer's forum I am part of has regular events where people write flash or short fiction, and I always find that I'm at my most daring and weird in those. I always love what I produce. I hope you like it too.
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A quick shoutout to my old friend Vincent Yu. A truly wonderful person who's debut contemporary fiction novel SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER drops TOMORROW!
On an otherwise unremarkable morning, the residents of a small town in Massachusetts all receive the same alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
Confronted with the options of fight or flight, planning or panicking, the people of Beckitt are stripped to their basest instincts and revealed as their truest selves. Russ squeezes his family into the bathtub, leaving his own survival in question; Nina sends an unforgivable text to her daughter; Milly confesses her unrequited love; and David hits the gas, speeding away from his wife and child.
Then the second message comes in: FALSE ALARM. PLEASE DISREGARD. ALL CLEAR. First comes relief, then comes the reckoning, as each person is forced to face the unforeseen aftermath of decisions they thought might be their last.
Vincent Yu’s searing debut follows this eclectic cast of characters over a period of many years, suggesting that the conflicts the missile exacerbated were simmering under the surface long before, and proving the ripple effects of the false alarm will be felt for years to come.
An urgent, fiercely heartfelt exploration of relationships in all forms, Seek Immediate Shelter explores the balance between love and loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness. What choices would you make if you thought your life were on the line? And if you survive, can you ever redeem yourself?
My copy arrived early, and I can't wait to read it. I feel like I spend so much of my time reading speculative fiction that it will feel a bit like a vacation to step into the real world for a little while.
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I have a new order link to add to the growing list! Tea or Coffee, Stars, and Gravity, which will contain my story "The Worst Stardrive in Paradise" is finally available to pre-order here!
The other links:
- 4LPH4NUM3R1C2.0 Podcast Episode 2: "Start A Family, Finish a Family", featuring "Long Live the Patriarch"
- Tea or Coffee, Stars, and Gravity, featuring "The Worst Stardrive in Paradise"
- Manawaker Flash Fiction Podcast, featuring "A Million Pennies for Hope"
- Plott Hound Issue 5, featuring "Clementine grows into a tree"
- A Breath of Time, featuring "Not Yet, Little Witch"
- Baubles From Bones Issue 8, featuring "Gargamax and his Kits"
- Twisted Trysts, featuring "A Rotting Crown of Birch"
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Happy spring, everyone. I hope the longer days and warmer weather bring more kindness for us all.
— Celia
