Tag: Short Fiction

News

New Short Story! “Grandmother Kills Massive River Drake After It Ate Her Goat”

By Aidan Moher on March 7th, 2019

Photo by Ovinuchi Ejiohuo on Unsplash

My latest story, “Grandmother Kills Massive River Drake After It Ate Her Goat,” is now available to read for free on Curious Fictions!

That one-eyed drake swam up from the ‘glades one stormy night—big as a house, silent as a mouse. Might’ve been the same one that killed my third husband. Who knows? Was watchin’ my stories, mindin’ my own when I saw it through the window. Rose up by the riverside pen, shadow over the moon, wings drippin’ mud, scales blinkin’ star-like, teeth long as a dagger.

“Grandmother Kills Massive River Drake After It Ate Her Goat” is a 630 word flash story about a grandma who rediscovers the thrill of moon magic and embarks on a quest for vengeance after an enormous river drake eats her favourite goat.

Read “Grandmother Kills Massive River Drake After It Ate Her Goat” on Curious Fictions.

News

“The Penelope Qingdom” now available at Cast of Wonders!

By Aidan Moher on September 21st, 2018

I’m pleased to say that my story, “The Penelope Qingdom,” is now available in audio format at Cast of Wonders! The episode is hosted by Katherine Inskip, and narrated by the wonderful Andrew K. Hoe. The entire text of the story is also available on Cast of Wonders.

For fans of Stranger Things, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie,” “The Penelope Qingdom” is a love letter to growing up, ’80s Saturday morning cartoons, Dungeons & Dragons, and falling in love for the first time.

It’s always a thrill to hear one of your stories come to life in audio, and I’m beyond pleased that “The Penelope Qingdom” is part of Cast of Wonders’ library. They produce beautiful work, and I hope this publication will open doors to a whole new audience for one of my personal favourite stories I’ve written. And, can I just say how much I love the banner image they chose for the story? You’ll understand once you’ve listened.

“The Penelope Qingdom” was first published in 2016 by Mothership Zeta and can also be read on Curious Fictions.

Threads

Thread: On Self-publishing Short Fiction

By Aidan Moher on September 21st, 2018

In which I discuss my experience with self publishing SFF short stories.

Read More »
News

New Short Story! “The Dinosaur Graveyard”

By Aidan Moher on August 24th, 2018

Huzzah! My latest short story, “The Dinosaur Graveyard,” is now available FOR FREE on the Robot Dinosaurs! website.

“The Dinosaur Graveyard” is a long flash story (short short story?) about a robotics engineer spending a long night repairing her daughter’s favourite toy. It’s about dinosaurs (duh) and robot—but it’s also about parenting and coming of age, loneliness, kindness, and sharing passion.

Working on this story with editor Merc Rustad and artist James Kurella has been an absolute delight—and I’m stoked for the upcoming Kickstarter and physical release of the anthology.

You can find out more about the origins of “The Dinosaur Graveyard” here.

News

New Short Story! “Youngblood”

By Aidan Moher on August 14th, 2018

My latest short story, “Youngblood,” has been officially released! I describe it as LOST meets Jurassic Park—it’s about a girl and her velociraptor companion who live in a colony that was abandoned on a dinosaur-infested island. Things go awry when the corporation that left them behind returns, guns blazing.

I initially wrote it for Uncanny Magazine’s dinosaur issue, and it made it to the final round of cuts—but when it didn’t stick there, I decided to self-publish it. (Spoilers: selling an action-heavy dinosaur-themed short story to serious SFF short fiction markets is difficult.)

Read it here: https://medium.com/@adribbleofink/youngblood-42b6d5d70ad8

The “cover art” was illustrated by Stefan Tosheff. He’s a wonderful artist. Check out his work!

News

Short Story Sale! “The Dinosaur Graveyard” to ROBOT DINOSAURS!

By Aidan Moher on July 23rd, 2018

I’m pleased to say that I’ve sold “The Dinosaur Graveyard” to Merc Rustad for their online and physical anthology, ROBOT DINOSAURS!

When I first heard of the anthology a few months ago, as the first stories were hitting the web, I was so enthralled by the theme that I couldn’t help but write a story—despite there being only a glimmer of opportunity for it. I’ve long-admired Merc’s short stories, so I’m beyond thrilled to be able to work alongside them on this new project. One of my main goals as a writer is to produce fun, buoyant, and imaginative SFF, and a project like this—featuring robotic dinosaurs, an anachronistic match made in heaven—was a wonderful playground. 

“The Dinosaur Graveyard” is a long flash story (short short story?) about a robotics engineer spending a long night repairing her daughter’s favourite toy.

It’s slated for publication on August 24th, and will be available for free on the ROBOT DINOSAURS! website. I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

If you want to join me as part of the ROBOT DINOSAURS! family, Merc just announced that they’re looking for three more stories, and will be accepting submissions from August 1-15. Get writing!

For updates on the anthology, including weekly stories, check ’em out on Twitter: @robodinofiction. 

News

Reprint Sale! The Penelope Qingdom to Cast of Wonders

By Aidan Moher on June 26th, 2018

Now that the digital ink is dry on the contract, I’m very pleased to say that I’ve sold the reprint rights to my short story, “The Penelope Qingdom,” to Cast of Wonders. It’s a love letter to growing up, ’80s Saturday morning cartoons, Dungeons & Dragons, and falling in love for the first time.

As a huge fan of the Escape Artists podcasts, I’m absolutely thrilled to see “The Penelope Qingdom” find a new home at Cast of Wonders. It was initially published in parallel with the 2016 US election, so got a bit lost in the blast (and subsequent social media fallout that we’ve been experiencing for the past two years), so I’m looking at this as a second chance at life. Cast of Wonders’ target YA audience is *perfect* for this story, and I hope readers (and listeners) enjoy it. 

You can read “The Penelope Qingdom” right now on Curious Fictions. It was originally published in Mothership Zeta.

News

Short Story Sale! “The Red-rimmed Eyes of Tóu M?” to Nowa Fantastyka

By Aidan Moher on April 16th, 2018

The contract is signed and delivered, and I have a firm release date, so I’m pleased to say that my Patchwork Priest novelette, “The Red-rimmed Eyes of Tóu M?,” will be appearing in the May, 2018 issue of Nowa Fantastyka. This is the first time any of my stories have been translated into another language, so I’m quite chuffed. Nowa Fantastyka is one of the premier Polish SF magazines, and recent issues have printed stories by Ken Liu and Catherynne M. Valente, which is humbling company to keep.

Here’s the blurb:

To save his friend, Farid Sulayk, the Patchwork Priest, needs to get to O’oa Tsetse before the next full moon. But between here and a range of sky-scraping mountains riddled with danger. Ethereal Tóu M? offers Farid passage, but at a cost: defeat the warlock that holds Tóu M?’s village in her blood-soaked fist. As secrets are revealed and blood is spilled, will Farid’s battle-hardened mechanical arm and djinn magic be enough to see them through alive?

“The Red-rimmed Eyes of Tóu M?” first appeared in Grim Oak Press’s Unfettered II—which is amazing and you should buy it. The Audible audiobook is only $2! That’s nuts.

You can also buy “The Red-rimmed Eyes of Tóu M?” as a standalone eBook on Kindle for a buck. It’s a great introduction to Farid Sulayk, the eponymous Patchwork Priest, and the Steam & Sorcery world of the Sinking Moon Islands.