I’ve featured this anthology during January, and I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting some of the authors. Now here’s Loni Townsend to wrap up this Featured Author month.
What happens in the dark will come to light.
Thanks for featuring FULL DARK this month and letting me pop onto your blog, Lee. I got pretty lucky when it came to this anthology. I’m critique partners with Melissa Maygrove, and I kept in touch with her via email. She had previously mentioned her desire to do an anthology, and I told her to keep me in mind if she ever wanted contributions. My story, Just a Matter of Time, came to me one afternoon, and I ended up pounding out the short story within a few hours–the fastest I’ve ever finished a story. It took about four revisions before it was where I wanted it to be, but once it was there, I was smiling. I didn’t originally write it for the FULL DARK anthology, but I knew it’d be a good fit and sent it to Melissa to see what she thought. Much to my joy, she agreed.
Just a Matter of Time is actually the first one in the anthology, and as I cruised through the anthology’s preview, I found you can actually read the whole story in the provided Kindle snippet. I’d definitely recommend checking it out, and then picking up a copy to read the rest of the fabulous stories. All proceeds are donated to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Loni Townsend – Wife. Mother. Writer. Ninja. Squirrel. By day, she writes code. By predawn darkness, she writes fantasies. All other times, she writes in her head. People call her peculiar with a twisted sense of fashion, but don’t let those understatements fool you. Her behavior is perfectly normal for a squirrel disguised as a human. That’s part of being a ninja—blending in. Find her at her blog at http://lonitownsend.com.
Thanks so much, Loni.
When I read Loni Townsend’s contribution to FULL DARK, I applauded her fresh take on an ancient story. Her MC was perfect for this century.
For thousands of years, the Grim Reaper, has roamed the earth, reaping human souls. He really comes into his own on October 31. He’s easy to spot: skeleton, hooded robe, scythe, and the imagery is clear. But when did this spooky character emerge? From what I could find, he arrived with the pandemic called the Black Death in the 14th century. Now that I’ve spread cheer, want to take another of those little T/F quizzes? Well, just in case, here’s one for you.
A Fourteenth-Century Icon
- During the mid-1300s, the Black Death destroyed about 1/3 of Europe’s population.
- The plague that caused the Black Death is really a rodent disease that’s always present, and only includes humans accidentally.
Answers to last week’s T/F Quiz on anthologies and sci-fi.
1 Early science fiction was developed and nurtured in serial newspaper articles.*FALSE. It was the pulp magazines like Amazing Stories that really gave sci-fi the boost in popularity.
2 One of the early sci-fi pulp fiction magazine was edited by Hugo Gernsback. The Hugo Award was named after him.
*TRUE. This magazine really gave sci-fi the audience it needed. Some early contributors included: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Howard Fast, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, and Thomas M. Disch.
The Pulp Fiction Magazine that kick-started sci-fi
Quote of the Week: “I drive a motorbike, so there is the whiff of the grim reaper round every corner, especially in London.”
― Benedict Cumberbatch
Congratulations to Loni. I’ve always enjoyed reading her blog. Her posts are funny, but there’s also a kindness, a humanity to them, that makes you feel you know her, as if she’s a friend.
I’m sure her story is a fantastic contribution to the anthology. Thanks for boosting her signal.
It’s interesting, isn’t it;? Some bloggers you just feel as if you know.
Fun to highlight the authors of Full Dark. I bought it and still need to read the stories! Interesting facts on the Black Death.
I’ve read it, so I know you’ll enjoy the stories.
Short stories always take me longer than I think they will (especially if there is a specific word count). Impressive that it didn’t take Loni long to write such an impressive piece. Wonderful to learn more about her and her writing here. Thanks!
Also- I have been enjoying the T/F. Learning all the time. 🙂
I just added Alligators Overhead to my school library this week. The first day I talked to a class of 4th graders about it and held it up- a boy snatched it up and checked it out right away. I told him I can’t wait to chat with him about it.
Thank you so much. I really do aim my middle grade stories at boys. Not that I don’t love little girls, but I have two sons, and guess I identify with their reading tastes.
I used to do the T/F when I posted during the AtoZ Challenge, but I enjoyed finding out new things about my topic, so I decided to start that little quiz as a regular feature. Glad you’re enjoying it.
Thanks so much for the intro Lee. I liked the short story and how awesome she wrote it in hours only.
You bet, Nas. Always great to see you here.
The quote by Cumberbatch is awesome! I am going with T and T for those two T/F questions.
I am looking forward to reading Loni’s story!
I love that actor, and I did find that quote perfect for this post.
When I think of the Grim Reaper, I think of Death from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. I read someplace that they think that the plague wasn’t transported by rodents, that they’d been wrong about that. I can’t remember what it was, though, then.
It wasn’t the rodent, but the fleas they carried that had the disease. At least, that’s what I remember. And those fleas were often found on rabbits which were frequently hunted and brought into the home for dinner.
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Death is my vision of the Grim Reaper too! He’s so much fun. Pratchett does an excellent job at bringing memorable characters to life…er, I mean death. 🙂
Hi Lee,
Mighty impressive that Lori wrote, “Just a Matter of Time”, in just a few hours. I prefer short stories.
I believe the answers are false for number one and true for number two.
Must go now because it’s very late or very early, over here in the UK. Awake enough to remember I’m still your starstruckest fan, superstar author, Lee.
Penny’s human dad,
Gary.
I’m impressed, too. I barely get my quill sharpened in a few hours. Thanks for staying up late to visit. Always great read what you and Penny have to say.
Ah yes, just for the quill of it, I’d like to use a pen with a feather. Responding at a rather earlier time.
Penny says “Arf!”
Penny’s human dad,
Gary
I am so jealous of writers like Loni who can start and finish a story in a day. Kudos! Such inspiration I can only dream about.
I got lucky with this one. Most of the time it takes me a while to finish a story.
Hi Lee – good to read about the anthology again … I’m off to get it on my kindle … and am glad the proceeds are going to Gary’s foundation.
I think the two are false (up to 50% – over 30%) and true – it’s still around … I’ll have to check back re last week’s …cheers Hilary
The foundation seems to be a great resource, so I’m glad they’re giving any proceeds to it.
Contradicted myself in the quiz reply I see ! Yes I’m so glad the Foundation is easing others’ lives … cheers H
I loved Lori’s story. Interesting tidbit about the Grim Reaper.
I enjoyed her story, too.
I really liked your story too. 🙂
Hi, Lee! I enjoyed hearing about the anthology “Full Dark.” I’ve added it to my books to read list when I get back from my next trip ~ It’s full of IWSG member authors! I am interested in the origins of words, so it was fun to read the etymology of “anthology.” My Dad was a fan of pulp magazines, especially Ellery Queen, but occasionally he bought “Amazing Stories.” He used to have them in the bathroom, and that’s where I got my introduction to sci-fi and mysteries. Thanks for the memories. As for the Black Death #1 is true and #2 is false. I read a great alternate history “The Years of Rice and Salt” about the Black Plague in which the author Kim Stanley Robinson speculated what would have happened if Europe had been wiped out by the plague. His Mars trilogy is some of the best science fiction I have ever read. All the best to you, Lee!
Thanks so much for giving us that author’s name. I’m so interested in alternative history.
I’m glad your dad had Amazing Stories. I’d love to read some of those early stories by people like Le Guin.
I’m going to go with #1 being true and #2 being false.
It was interesting to hear about the process behind Loni’s short story. Full Dark is on my TBR list. Can’t wait to get to it and read Loni’s stories, as well as everyone else’s.
I think you’ll enjoy the anthology.
I hope you enjoy the anthology, Ellen. 🙂
Congrats on the story & the anthology – sounds terrific!!
The Plague taking out 1/3 of Europe is true – sad and horrific, but true
Just thinking about how that had to have been gives me the shivers.
Thanks!
Congratulations on having your story in the Anthology, Loni. I’m looking forward to reading it. Don’t know the answer to the question but hate rats, one of the few animals I say that about. Have a super week.
I don’t think you’re alone in hating rats.
Thank you, Beverly! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Hi Loni! (I’m waving like a crazy person) Nice to see you here! Congrats on the anthology.
I do believe 1/3 of the population was killed off. And I think the plague is a bacteria the rats and fleas carry on them ‘er in them.
I hope Loni sees your exuberance! 🙂 Thanks for playing the T/F game with me.
Weird! My comment ended up under Pat’s. That should be nice and confusing.
If WordPress would just get it right all the time, I’d be ever so grateful.
Hi Holly!!! *return frantic waving*
😀
Congrats to Loni on getting her story within. I know the black death was caused by rats, not sure it is always there though. So, true and false.
Do you have a few cats I can borrow just in case? I’ll bring them back, fat and happy.
She did! She did!
Thanks, Pat!
It’s always nice to meet other writers. Thanks so much for the intro to Loni. I did not know this about sci fi. Learn something new every day. 🙂 Have a great week!
I learn something new every time I log on to this contraption. Thanks for stopping by, Karen.
I didn’t know the answers… The idea of “Full Dark” reminded me of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, “Learning to Walk in the Dark.” It is a spiritual journey which looks at the role night plays.
Interesting. I like her writing, but I haven’t read this one.
Well, I missed the true and false.
Glad you were able to contribute to Full Dark, Loni!
I thought the history of early Sci-Fi was interesting.
Thanks, Alex! Me too. 🙂
Congrats to Lori on having her story published in the anthology. And awesome that you can read the whole story in the Kindle preview. I’ve never tried to write a short story. Maybe if I start reading more of them, I could see that they are really something I could write.
I like writing them as a relief from writing novels. They may shorter, but that doesn’t make them easier. At least, that’s what I’ve found.
Oh yes! I find it’s much more of a challenge to keep it short and to get an entire story wrapped up in such a short time!
Thanks for letting me invade your blog, Lee, and sorry it took me so long to get here.
I’ve enjoyed this month a lot. You got here, and that’s all that matters.