Why we're here.

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

Sunday, December 7, 2025

Where Angels Dance Published

My humorous poem, "Where Angels Dance", has just been published in the December 2025 issue of  Lighten Up Online, a quarterly e-zine I heartily recommend to fans of humorous verse.

(The phrase "heartily recommend", quoted from Art Linkletter's endorsement of the LIFE board game, has been permanently imprinted on my brain like any unforgettable movie quote).

In other publishing news, I'm working on the final stories for what I hope to be my first collection of short stories, tentatively titled, "The First Star is Always the Farthest: Science-Fiction Short Stories by Shawn M. Klimek".

I hope to follow up with a collection of fantasy stories within six months. Should I use the same title, and make it a volume 1 and 2? It might help with subsequent sales to market them as a pair. (The title is admittedly rather hefty, so that begs careful consideration).

Anyway, here are some ChatGPT rendered book cover mock-ups, generated strictly for inspiration.
 (I would never publish an AI book cover).







Monday, November 17, 2025

Rejections and Acceptances

It's been a while since I updated this site.  Not only has "ALONE" been long since published, I've already ordered and received my own copy. 


So, what's new in creative writing?

Not a lot, publishing wise. It's been a long time since I submitted anything.

A few weeks ago, I finished my very untraditional superhero story, Token Heroes, and submitted it to Clarkesworld, earning a one-day form-rejection. (Totally expected, but their quick turn-around is one of the reasons I started there). Next, I submitted it to The Colored Sky, for another one-day rejectionthis one personal, and with some useful feedback. 

"...I thought this was an entertaining, dynamic story, but I think I might have liked a little clearer understanding of the motives of the aliens. Additionally, I think I would have liked a little more character development..."
Having received such useful feedback, it only makes sense to rewrite it before sending it out again.

To keep up the momentum, I submitted Mercury is a Hellscape and Survival of the Humblest to Star*Line Magazine, who had personally rejected some poems back in 2020 (thus, a good experience despite the rejections). I subsequently realized that Survival of the Humblest was among those rejected in 2020. Based on their usual response speed, I should find out whether both have been rejected in the next few days.

I submitted three poems to a U.K. based online publication, "Lighten Up Online", and they asked to publish one of them, "Where Angels Dance," in their December issue (or else their March issue, if they run out of space).

So, a single win, thus far, though unpaying. Hopefully, not the last acceptance before this year is out.


Monday, September 15, 2025

ALONE to release September 30

Two anthologies featuring my microfiction have launched or will launch in September, 2005:

"Isolation isn’t just silence—it’s a presence. It whispers, stalks, devours. In this collection of chilling micro-tales, some find themselves abandoned, others exiled, many trapped in grief or madness. Each story reveals a different face of solitude, where absence becomes a tormenting companion and shadows take on lives of their own.

Step inside Alone, and discover what lingers when the world falls quiet. These brief but brutal visions remind us that sometimes the scariest thing in the dark… is being the only one left."

ALONE, an anthology of flash fiction horror (200 scary words) is set to launch on September 30, 2025.



This anthology contains my flash fiction story, "The Lonesome Curse." 

Prepurchase Link: https://books2read.com/BHP-ALONE


A SINGLE MOMENT –– A HUNDRED WORDS –– A UNIVERSE OF POSSIBILITIES

What happens after the unknown has arrived? When the echoes of first contact fade, humanity is left to navigate the tremors of change — new alliances, fragile peace, simmering conflicts, and the birth of strange, dazzling futures.

This anthology of drabbles — stories told in exactly 100 words — gathers a chorus of voices exploring the second wave of discovery. From hopeful to harrowing, exhilarating to unsettling, these bite-sized tales reveal how the aftermath of contact can shape civilizations, destinies, and the very meaning of being human.

Prepare...
The Second Wave is here!

Paperback: ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FND9Q9J9; E-book: ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FNB9VJSH

This anthology contains TEN of my science-fiction drabbles: 
 1.        Surface Tension
 2.        Peace Prayer 
 3.        Visit with a Capital V
 4.        True Sounding
 5.        Make Room for Mooms
 6.        Mixed Connection
 7.        Getting Along
 8.        AI Oversight Taskforce
 9.        Ugly is as Ugly Does
10.     Warped Art Heist 

https://www.amazon.com/Drabbles-Second-Wave-S-Charly-ebook/dp/B0FNB9VJSH
https://www.amazon.com/Drabbles-Second-Wave-S-Charly/dp/B0FND9Q9J9


Wednesday, July 30, 2025

THE UNLIKELY MIRACLE OF INTELLIGENT LIFE

[Unlike most posts on this blog, this one isn't about my creative writing--although the subject has often stirred my imagination. I've read multiple articles over the years on this topic (the rare miracle of life)  but couldn't locate just one quite so complete as this one (compiled by ChatGPT 3.5, if I remember correctly). The Illustration below was generated by Dall-E.].


The emergence and persistence of intelligent life on Earth depends on a remarkable chain of conditions and events—many of which seem extraordinarily improbable. While some may eventually be explained by necessity or probability across vast cosmic scales, from our limited view, they appear as striking “coincidences.” Here’s a catalog of major ones, grouped into cosmic, planetary, and biological categories:


🌌Cosmic-Scale Coincidences

1. Fine-Tuned Physical Constants

The values of fundamental constants (e.g., gravitational constant, speed of light, strength of the electromagnetic and nuclear forces) seem precisely tuned to allow matter, stars, chemistry, and life.
Slight variations would prevent stable atoms, fusion in stars, or the formation of complex molecules.

2. Stable Universe with Long Lifespan

The universe’s expansion rate (driven by dark energy) is just right—too fast, and matter would disperse before galaxies formed; too slow, and it would collapse.
This stability allows billions of years for stellar evolution and life to evolve.

3.  Formation of Heavy Elements

Only massive stars can forge elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and iron in their cores—and only supernovae or neutron star mergers can disperse them into space.
These elements are essential for rocky planets and organic life.

🌍 Planetary Coincidences

4. The Sun’s Unusual Stability and Type

The Sun is a long-lived, relatively stable G-type main-sequence star—rare in the universe.
It provides steady energy for billions of years, essential for life to evolve.

5. The Right Location in the Galaxy

Earth is located in the Galactic Habitable Zone:
Not too close to the galactic center (with high radiation and supernova rates).
Not too far into the sparse outer regions (with fewer heavy elements).

6. Earth’s Size and Composition

Earth is large enough to retain a thick atmosphere and support plate tectonics.
Its metallic core generates a magnetic field that shields against solar radiation.

7.  A Large Moon

Our unusually large moon stabilizes Earth’s axial tilt, moderating climate.
It may also have contributed to tidal effects that helped early life emerge in coastal environments.

8. Plate Tectonics and the Carbon Cycle

Plate tectonics regulate CO₂ levels over geological time, stabilizing Earth’s climate.
Without it, the planet might have experienced runaway greenhouse or icehouse states.

9. Presence of Water in All Three Phases

Earth’s distance from the Sun allows liquid water, a solvent crucial for life.
Water vapor and ice also help regulate temperature via the greenhouse effect and albedo.

10. A Fortunate Impact History

The Earth-Moon system likely resulted from a giant impact with a Mars-sized body (Theia).
Subsequent impacts delivered water and organics—without destroying the biosphere.
Crucially, no sterilizing impacts have occurred since life became complex.

🧬 Biological and Evolutionary Coincidences

11. Abiogenesis (Origin of Life)

Life arose from non-life in a chemical process not yet fully understood—possibly in deep-sea vents, tidal pools, or ice.
The emergence of self-replicating molecules was a huge leap, requiring very specific conditions.

12. Development of DNA/RNA and Protein Synthesis

The transition from simple molecules to complex informational systems like DNA and RNA is an extraordinary leap in complexity and efficiency.

13. Photosynthesis and the Oxygenation of the Atmosphere

Cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis, transforming Earth’s atmosphere.
Oxygen was initially toxic, but later enabled complex aerobic metabolism.
The “Great Oxygenation Event” was both a mass extinction and a requirement for complex life.

14.  Eukaryotic Cell Evolution

The merger of primitive cells (symbiogenesis) led to mitochondria and complex eukaryotic cells.
This allowed the emergence of multicellular organisms.

15. The Cambrian Explosion

Around 540 million years ago, a rapid diversification of body plans and organisms occurred.
It might have required just the right combination of oxygen, genetic innovation, and ecological feedback.

16. Mass Extinctions and Evolutionary Bottlenecks

Several extinction events (e.g., the Permian-Triassic and Cretaceous-Paleogene) cleared ecological niches, enabling mammals—and eventually humans—to rise.
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was an especially critical moment.

17. Complex Brains and Self-Awareness

Intelligence evolved only in a few lineages—cephalopods, birds, and mammals—with only humans achieving symbolic language, abstract thought, and technology.
This required long periods of evolutionary experimentation and environmental pressures.

18. Survival Through Climatic Catastrophes

Ice ages, supervolcanoes, and other catastrophes could have ended the line of intelligent evolution.
Humanity narrowly avoided extinction multiple times (e.g., the Toba eruption ~74,000 years ago).

🧠 Final Reflection

Even with a universe containing billions of galaxies, stars, and planets, the number and specificity of these “coincidences” has led many to see Earth as a uniquely fortunate cradle of life. Whether viewed through a scientific, philosophical, or theological lens, it underscores how delicate and contingent our existence may be.

Thursday, July 24, 2025

ALONE

I signed a contract today for my 200-word story, The Lonesome Curse, to be included in this recently announced anthology of horror flash fiction by indie publisher, Black Hare Press


 Also, note that Watership Sideways is already available.



Thursday, June 26, 2025

WATERSHIP SIDEWAYS AVAILABLE JULY 19, 2025

Watership Sideways, a contemporary Wonderland adventure for a grown-up, modern version of the classic Alice, will be published July 19th, 2025, but is available for prepurchase today here: https://books2read.com/AA-Shawn-M-Klimek

Look for more books in Black Hare Press, "Alternate Alice"  series, by other authors:


https://blackharepress.com/products/watership-sideways-by-shawn-m-klimek






All Ten Drabbles Accepted

I’m happy to report that all ten of my science-fiction drabbles for the “Second Wave” anthology have been accepted by Starry Eyed Press. Publication date TBD.

Although this is a nonpaying call, I confess to a sentimental fondness for this publisher, because the editor has always been kind and very supportive of my work.

In addition to publishing one of my science fiction short stories, “New Buyers for Old Earth” in their first anthology, “Cosmic Convocation”, ten additional science fiction drabbles in “First Contact”, the preceding book in the science-fiction drabble series to which “Second Wave” belongs, they also published my non-winning entry to their inaugural drabble contest, "Pocket SciFi".




(Perhaps I should reconsider my fondness since they did not judge my entry to be among the top three!)
But when I joined my first Facebook writers’ group, years ago (about 2017) the editor (A.S. Charly) was the first to ❤️ my writing. Over those first years, our respective writing efforts shared numerous anthologies together.
Finally, she generously posted a selfie with my book, Hungry Thing.  She's good people, and a pleasure to work with.