BLOG TOUR ~ Rise: Queer SciFi’s Tenth Annual Flash Fiction Contest #ExclusiveSnippets #Excerpt #Giveaway

Posted on October 25, 2023November 8, 2023 by Addison Albright Leave a comment

Rise
Flash Fiction by 120 Authors
Edited by J. Scott Coatsworth

Series: Queer Sci Fi’s Annual Flash Fiction Contest
Release Date: Wednesday, October 25 2023
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink
Cover Artist: J. Scott Coatsworth
Story Type: Anthology/Collection
Word Count: 35,000
Primary Plot Arc: Speculative Fiction
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction
LGBTQ+ Identities: Ace, Bi, Demi, Gay, Intersex, Lesbian, Poly, Trans
Pairings: MM, FF, MF, NB etc
Keywords/Categories: anthology, collection, short stories, flash fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, science fiction, paranormal, horror, gay, lesbian, ace, asexual, bi, bisexual, demi, demisexual, intersex, poly, trans, transgender, FTM, MTF, contest, Ace, Asexual, Bi, Bisexual, Demi, Gay, Intersex, Lesbian, Poly, Trans, Transgender, new release, announcement, giveaway

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Queer SciFi’s Tenth Annual Flash Fiction Contest

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Series Blurb

Every year, Queer Sci Fi runs a one-word theme contest for 300 word flash fiction stories, and then we choose 120 of the best for our annual anthology

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Book Blurb

RISE

(Noun, Verb)

Eight definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell:

1) An upward slope or movement
2) A beginning or origin
3) An increase in amount or number
4) An angry reaction
5) To take up arms
6) To return from death
7) To become heartened or elated
8) To exert oneself to meet a challenge

Rise features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

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✨ Exclusive Snippets ✨

Little Bites

Thanks to Addison for hosting us on this release day for Queer ci Fi’s ninth annual flash fiction anthology, Rise. We had more than 450 submissions this year, and chose 120 of them for this anthology. Since each story is just 300 words long, I thought it would be fun to share some teasers – some of the provocative opening lines to whet your appetite:

“It tasted like honeysuckle and lilacs, the first breath after I died.” Dionysus’s Garden, by Markus McCann Edgette
“Iron tasted the same as blood. This was one of the first lessons Alioni learned from working on mechas.” Ironheart, by Chloe Spencer
“Three hours into my ritual beneath the new moon, and five hours after I’d started desecrating the grave before me, I lit a freeze-dried raccoon placenta on fire with a spark at the tip of my finger.” Never Say Die, by Nia Quinn
“No. He just … I’ve made this statement before. Why do you keep asking?” Blood of the Innocents, by Ani Fox
“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to build a drive-in on the old A-bomb test site, but the land was dirt cheap and glowed in the dark, which saved immeasurably in lightning expense.” It Came From Atom City, Dean Wells
“She is all silk chiffon and skin and bones and sockets without eyes. She is lace gloves that crinkle without meat to fill them.” Deadname by Oliver Nash
“For three days, we walked the sundered path, until we came to the precipice, the place where the world wears thin.” In the Shadow of Your Heart, Chad Grayson

These are just a few of the great stories in Rise – grab a copy and see for yourself!

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Tour Excerpts

It’s a simple recipe.

Passed down in whispers and hands tracing hands through flour and faith. Never written down, paper being too precious for such a small spell, some might say. Like something must be loud to have worth.

A common myth, one that serves her quiet magic well.

She sits pretty in commonhalls and houses, empty eye-sockets and a cloak of harmless charm enough for most to dismiss her. Certainly, her weaving or kneading is all her pretty head can handle.

She listens, and her hands move. Each stitch another secret, gossip kneaded into every loaf.

—From Simple Recipes for Small Magics, Ziggy Schutz

It wasn’t the principles that Matt Harden objected to. The principles were fine: Limited planetary resources. Circle of life. The wrongness of playing God.

But, he thought as he spread the herbs on the basement floor in the prescribed way, the principles were bullshit when you were faced with reality. When the only man who’d ever held your heart was stolen from you by a moment’s distraction behind the wheel. When you never had the chance to even say goodbye. When your body in bed was as cold and alone as a corpse in a coffin.

When the night mist was clammy on your neck and the grave-dirt heavy on your shovel.

—From Principle and Reality, Kim Fielding

“He’s here,” Matt said, slamming the door behind him. “You ready?”

“Think so,” Rory said. He’d finished the salt circle, and quickly moved on to placing the candle in the center.

“Will this work?”

“It’s this or nothing.” Once Tiff told them she’d survived a run in with the killer known as The Hook, Rory knew they were as good as dead. Supposedly this bastard had been killed before, but he never seemed to stop. Much about The Hook seemed unreal, but Rory thought it was the only weapon they had – the unbelievable. Besides, they were gay; those characters always died first.

—From Best Served Cold, Andrea Speed

“You do realize,” the nurse said gravely, “that without your parent permission form, this procedure can only be temporary.”

“I do,” Sharon said nervously. Sharon. That was a good name, right? Sounded like Shawn, but wasn’t. Was a girl’s name. A woman’s name. She liked Sharon.

“And that given your parent’s lack of support for this, there will be a counselor assigned to your home to ensure your safety?” The nurse continued, checking the talking points on her tablet with precision.

“I won’t need it,” Sharon said nervously. “They think it’s a phase, but they’re not, you know, hostile.”

—From A New Day, Amy Lane

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