Why we're here.

A creative writing blog by Shawn M Klimek
(All rights reserved)

Sunday, February 16, 2025

DRABBLES: FIRST CONTACT by Starry Eyed Press published

As foretold in a post last November, Starry Eyed Press' "First Contact" drabbles anthology has just released as an eBook. The printed versions will soon follow. I have ten micro-stories (drabbles) in this one.

Here are the purchase links: 
📖 Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXBY42ZG
🌍 Global Link: https://books2read.com/DrabblesFirstContact


Thursday, December 26, 2024

Available Today: Tumbleweed-themed Horror Anthology, "THORNS"

I'm happy to announce that my dark and quirky, short story, "Dust to Dust" has been selected for inclusion in Black Hare Press' tumbleweed-themed horror anthology, "Thorns", available today!

Order here: https://books2read.com/BHP-THORNS







Sunday, December 15, 2024

Hungry Thing Sees 5th Anniversary

After two years of creative development, working by correspondence with Romanian illustrator Norbert Somosi, (me in Japan and he in Romania) our book “Hungry Thing” was published on December 19th, 2019: a dark fantasy tale told in five poems, illustrated with twenty, custom, black & white illustrations. To celebrate the publication’s five year anniversary, Norbert recreated color versions of two of the illustrations.

The End of Winter, by Norbert Somosi 

 

Hungry Thing, by Norbert Somosi 

Monday, November 25, 2024

Ten FIRST CONTACT themed science fiction drabbles accepted for Starry Eyed Press anthology.

As mentioned in a previous post, I dedicated myself to writing and submitting ten, science-fiction drabbles (the maximum allowed for one author) to a "FIRST CONTACT" themed drabble anthology announced by Starry Eyed Press. Happily, all of my submissions were accepted, and I signed a publishing contract them today.




For those who may be curious, here are the story titles. Let your imaginations roam!

·         Who Summoned the Ambassador?
·         The Regift (with Tom Jolly)
·         The Smart Alliance
·         Mind Readers
·         The Stalker
·         Hostess Seeks Host
·         Dynamic Upgrades
·         How Natives Rescued the First Human Colony
·         Fading Blue Light Special
·     ·         Pirate Lessons

Featured Author in Flash Frights #3, "CABIN" by Black Hare Press

Black Hare Press has finished compiling a third anthology of image/theme-prompted, horror micro-fiction, this one titled "CABIN". Also, for the third time, my submission (titled "Survivalist") was judged among the top three stories submitted. (Gratifying news! I worked very hard on it).
Once the competition closed, five additional story spots were advertised, so I wrote and submitted poem, “Cabin Made of Bones,” which was also accepted.
The book will launch on 15 December, 2025. Here's the link to reserve your own copy:- https://books2read.com/BHP-



Tuesday, November 12, 2024

42 Stories Anthology is FINALLY published!


I have only one, humorous, science-fiction micro-story in this huge anthology. It was submitted in July of 2018, so it has been an epic wait to see it in print. Unfortunately, albeit predictably and poetically, the cost will be a rather pricy $42.
UPDATE: The price will be only $30 until after the holidays.






This is an anthology of 1,764 micro-stories in a variety of genres, each consisting of exactly 42 words, and having a title exactly 42 characters long.

My story is titled: "New Vat-Grown Caretakers May Remember Old Tricks"

What is the significance of 42? Why, of course, it's the meaning of life, the universe and everything! Each story is exactly 42-words long and has a title 42-characters long. There are 42 such stories in each of 42 genre categories!

Featured Author Interview in Inner Circle Writers' Magazine Issue #70


 All about my writing, distilled onto a score of pages, with photos.

https://www.clarendonhousebooks.com/magazine