Summer Heat Waves...
Bring writing hot streaks.
I have some new subscribers, so welcome to everyone receiving this newsletter for the first time. I’m so glad you’ve joined us.
I also recently sent a bonus post called, “I Didn’t Win the Nebula, and That’s Okay.” If you didn’t receive that one, click the link to read my thoughts on what it’s like to be a first-time Nebula loser.
RECENT NEWS
Now back in Canada and getting into my routine again, I can say my overall experience at the Nebula Conference and Awards Ceremony was pretty great. I got to visit sunny California, meet some online friends in person for the first time, watch some of them win awards, and so much more. I highly recommend it if you get the chance.
My next in-person appearance will be at the World Fantasy Convention in October, taking place in Niagara Falls, NY. It’ll be my first time at this conference too, so if you’re there, stop me and say hi. I’ll also probably have a limited number of signed copies of my novella, Lost Cargo, with me, so if you want one, hit me up.
In other recent news, the table of contents for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 was announced on June 11, and I’m on it! I’ve been keeping this news under wraps for like three months, so it’s such a relief to finally be able to share that “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont” is included in this book.
When I tell you it’s been a dream of mine to have a story in this anthology series since its inception, that’s no exaggeration. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I received the acceptance email from the great John Joseph Adams. And if that wasn’t enough, the guest editor is Hugh Howey, whose work I’ve long been a huge fan of. I couldn’t have asked for more. And now that I know the company I have on this TOC, I can’t wait to receive my contributor copy and read it cover-to-cover.
Another cool thing that happened is that Flame Tree Publishing’s Immigrant Sci-Fi anthology made the longlist for the British Fantasy Awards. If you recall, my story, “El Bordado,” inspired by my family’s immigration to Canada, is included in that anthology. I’m not sure when the shortlist will be announced for this award but it’s nice to see that this anthology that I’m really proud to be a part of, resonated with some readers enough for them to include it on this list.
AWARD ELIGIBILITY
Voting for the Aurora Awards is open and “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont” is a finalist for Best Short Story.
CSFFA Members have until July 13, 2024 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time to finalize their ballots.
My story is available through the voter’s packet, but for anyone who prefers audio, you can check out the podcast version (as well as the print version) at Fantasy Magazine. Narrator Nan McNamara did an amazing job with this story.
RECENT FICTION SALES
My story, “Free,” was recently reprinted in audio by Tall Tale TV—just two days after receiving the acceptance. If you missed it, you can read or listen to it here.
“Free” was originally published in The Bronzeville Bee in 2020. It’s about a human-alien hybrid who escapes the facility where she was created.
FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS
INTERVIEWS
My recent interview with Radon Journal, following their reprinting of “Decorative,” went live over the Nebula weekend on June 8. If you missed it, you can find this interview here. They asked me some really great questions. I hope you’ll give it a read.
WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO
I hit a bit of a writing slump earlier in the year, but lately I’ve been going strong. This month I’ve written five new stories, which brings my year total to ten, including “Through the Machine,” which I recently sold to Lightspeed Magazine.
The ones I completed this past month consist of my very first werewolf story, but in true P.A. Cornell fashion, it’s not really about the trope. My husband and alpha-reader agreed to read this one with the caveat that he doesn’t like werewolf stories, and then handed it back saying he enjoyed this one a lot. So I’m calling it a win. Hopefully it finds a home soon.
The second story is a fantasy piece inspired by a traumatic event from my childhood. I won’t get into too much detail about that, except to say the story itself isn’t really dark, despite what inspired it. It’s a story I’ve wanted to tell for a long time, so I’m glad it finally made it onto the page. I’m hoping some editor out there will connect with it so I can share it with you soon.
The third story is hard to describe without giving too much away, but I’m calling it a “fun little romp with death.” All of these are cozy little stories with smaller stakes, but that’s the vibe I’ve been feeling this month, so that’s what I’m sending out into the world. We’ll see what happens.
The fourth story I can’t really talk about at the moment because I wrote it as part of an anonymous Codex contest which is currently running. But I can tell you this one’s flash length.
And just recently I finished a sci-fi novelette that was super fun to write. It’s got some retro-futuristic touches, some hints of crime fiction, a sprinkling of alternate universe, basically it’s just a mishmash of fun genre stuff. The length of this one makes it a hard sell, but I’m really happy with it so if I can’t find a market for it in the usual way, I might just save it for a collection or something in the future.
Aside from that, despite the fact that I almost never write poetry because I don’t feel like I’m particularly good at, I felt inspired to write a poem this month too. I can’t tell you if it’s any good, but I was pleased with it and sent it out on submission, so we’ll see what the poetry editors think. This isn’t a speculative poem, and neither was the haiku I mentioned in a previous post. So maybe I’m more literary when it comes to poetry?
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: “440 Broad Street, Apartment 4C”
*As always, spoilers ahead so make sure you click the title to read the story first.
If you haven’t been paying attention, a lot of my fiction involves tried-and-true speculative tropes. That all said, my stories tend not to have a lot to do with those tropes, or as I like to put it, they’re not really about that.
“440 Broad Street, Apartment 4C,” is a classic example of this. On the surface it’s about an alien invasion a la War of the Worlds. But I don’t care that much about the aliens themselves, so for most of the story, they’re not really in it. Nor are spaceships or really much of anything that’s happening outside this apartment building. I only give you enough to let you know what’s going on in this world, but then I focus closely on a group of regular people just trying to get through this.
Fun Fact: The characters in this story are all loosely-based on people I’ve known in real life. The grandmother, Amihan, is somewhat inspired by my paternal grandmother, who lived with us while I was growing up.
When I read tropey sci-fi stories or watch movies like that, sure, I enjoy all the bells and whistles that come with it. Especially in the film medium, which is so great for all those weird, alien visuals. But as the hero in these stories works to save the world, I always find my mind wandering to what regular folks like you and me would be going through in a situation like this.
What’s it like for someone who isn’t a hero with all the abilities and resources to put toward saving humanity? What if you’re not privileged enough to be evacuated?
So I set this story in a building very much like one I lived in when my family came to Canada, and which is my first home that I can actually recall. A place with cheap rent that’s filled largely with new immigrants, like my family was, or maybe some young bachelor with a low-paying job that doesn’t even provide him with the means to own a bike, let alone a car. And yes, we lived on the fourth floor.
For these people, escape isn’t realistic. They also can’t hope for rescue, knowing they’re not important enough for that. For them, this is very clearly the end of the world and they’re resigned to their fate. All they can really hope to do is offer each other comfort in their final moments, and they spend much of their time just trying to have a few moments of “normal” before the end.
Fun Fact: One of my critique partners pointed out that he found it unlikely everyone in the apartment would eat Oreos the same way. He’s right, of course, but it’s my story, so I left it in. Thing is, that’s how I like to eat Oreos. But more than that, I wanted to use this as a symbolic way to link the characters together. They’re all very different from each other, but they have enough in common in this moment that it doesn’t matter. They bond through Oreos.
By pure coincidence, the residents of the fourth floor of 440 Broad Street are provided with one tiny bit of hope. A long-shot, to be sure, but a chance that they might be able to save themselves if they can survive long enough to reach a particular location, at a particular time. It’s not much, but it’s something.
These are just regular people though. They have no special abilities or training. Kevin, my MC, doesn’t even feel comfortable holding a gun, let alone using one. Not to mention the fact that they have zero knowledge of what these aliens are, or how to kill one. But the time they’ve spent together has helped embolden them enough to risk it all for one last shot at survival. What’s more, because they’ve come to care about each other, they’re personally invested in helping at least some of them survive if they can.
Fun Fact: If it’s not obvious, the Beatles song Adam sings is, “In My Life,” a personal fave.
The odds for this motley crew of neighbors-turned-family to survive are pretty slim, and as you see by the end of the story, (spoiler) they don’t all make it. Not even, Kevin, despite his being the POV character. As for those still alive at the end, I leave their fate hanging. Maybe they make it, and maybe they don’t. Ultimately, the story’s not really about that.
“440 Broad Street, Apartment 4C” was originally published in 2023 in Frivolous Comma.
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P.A. Cornell