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of my 2019 novella about AI in the workplace,
"The Auditor and the Exorcist."

MG Book Review: The Piper’s Promise

I recently read the most recent book in Leah Cypess’ “Sisters Ever After” series. This clever MG fantasy series upends fairytales by re-centering the story on a previously-unknown sibling of the tale’s original protagonist. The main character of The Piper’s Promise is Clare, the little sister that Cypess invents for the infamous Pied Piper, who she names Tom.

The Pied Piper fairytale runs something like this: The Pied Piper draws all the rats from Hamelin with his magic flute, and then, when the town withholds the promised payment, draws all of Hamelin’s children away, never to be seen again. The classic tale invites questions–where did the Piper get the flute? And what did he do with all those children? Cypess delights in unfolding her answers to these questions slowly, drawing us both into the time-slipped Faerie Realms and into layers of backstory and intrigue.

Readers who relish the factions and intrigue of Tui T. Sutherland’s popular Wings of Fire series will find much to enjoy in Cypess’s underground faerie realm, where the lean cast of fae characters nonetheless manages to run the gamut of shifting allegiances, high stakes, and betrayal. The focus, however, is on the bond between Tom and Clare, as Clare moves from a young girl reliant on her brother to a courageous heroine who must choose between her Fae upbringing and her humanity. Clare’s steadfast belief in her brother’s essential humanity propels her to unravel the truth behind his seemingly cruel actions.

I found this to be an imaginative retelling of the Pied Piper tale that wraps the essence of sibling love in faerie magic, with a side of nearly-grown-up politics and intrigue. Well worth the read for fantasy readers aged 9-12, especially fans of anything faerie; like the others in the series, it may especially appeal to little sisters.

The next book in the “Sisters Ever After” series, The Last Rose, will be out in early December.

Free STEAM lessons

With so many families suddenly homeschooling, I made three free astronomy mini-lessons. They’re for kids 8-12, & they explore the number of stars in the sky and the vastness of the universe. If you live in the city & your kids can barely see the Milky Way at night, these lessons are for you.

Each lesson has a short reading and a STEAM activity. Total time about 30-60 mins per lesson, depending on the kid.

Please share, remix, reuse & enjoy. (CC-BY-4.0)

Stars, Skyglow, and You

This image of the Milky Way is by Bruno Gilli/ESO, http://www.eso.org/public/images/milkyway/

2019 award eligibility post

The end of the year is a time to look back, to reflect on the new stories I’ve had published this year… and to note which of them are eligible for genre awards, in case anyone’s tempted to nominate one.

Here’s my list of award-eligible fiction for 2019. I note also that it’s my second year of eligibility for the Astounding award.

SFF Short Stories
🚀 “The Zest for Life,” – published in Future Science Fiction Digest, Issue 2, March 2019.
The plastic-pollution problem is solved by our appetites.
Kori and Nori Go Out For T. A. C. O.s – published in Young Explorers’ Adventure Guide Volume 6, December 2019.
Two adventurous child-droids go on a mission. Outrageous puns, post-apocalyptic adventure, and maybe even a TACO at the end.
SFF Novelette
🚀 “The Auditor and the Exorcist” – published in Working Futures, October 2019.
A story about the future of work in a near-future world with AI-mediated social credit.
Literary Flash Fiction
🚀 Salt, Spices, Fat, Honey – published in Flash Fiction Online, January 2019.
A brief meditation on hunger, need, and co-dependency.

New story: Kori and Nori Go Out For T. A. C. O.s

I have a story in the Young Explorers’ Adventure Guide, Volume 6, which is now available on Amazon. YEAG is a fantastic anthology series packed with fun SF for middle-grade explorers of the universe. Plus, I’m sharing a TOC with Nancy Kress! Woot!

My story, “Kori and Nori Go Out For T. A. C. O.s”, features two adventurous child-droids on a mission. I promise outrageous puns, post-apocalyptic adventure, and maybe even a TACO at the end.

If you have any elementary-aged science-fiction readers in your life, the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide is stuffed with new worlds and new adventures written for kids. Or, as the Kickstarter put it, “24 more amazing science fiction stories for girls, boys and robots of all ages.”