Immortal Work's "A Mighty Fortress"...And Then There Were Four

In the end, it took four volumes to contain the stories, and truth be told, I'll bet they could publish a few more when it's all said and done. The call went out years ago for stories containing two things: Steampunk and Mormonism.

They were pleasantly surprised.

Now, the fourth in the collection is available tomorrow. A Mighty Fortress can now be yours after 2/18/20. Just click: HERE to preorder now or wait until tomorrow. Either way, it'll be a great way to complete your collection. And if you haven't got them all, just follow the links on the Amazon page. You can also go to the publisher's page, Immortal Works. You can access that site: HERE for these and other amazing books.

In A Mighty Fortress, I know many of the authors personally, one I met while living in Denmark in the mid-1980s. Crazy world! I have a story in Book #2, Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel. I recommend that book, after you order and read A Mighty Fortress, of course.

And, if you'd like to know more about several of the stories, check out this YouTube video preview. You can get there by clicking: HERE.

A Mighty Fortress available 2/18/20. The perfect thing to get you through those winter blues, or summer blues if that's where you are.

Please check out these other Mormon Steampunk anthologies!

Hey Look...Our Book Is The State's Best!

I've never been included in an award-winning anthology.

Until now.

When I heard my publisher was considering an anthology (or several anthologies...) based on Mormon Steampunk stories, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring, or my story into the pile. The book came out February of this year. Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel was number two of four anthologies based on the Mormon Steampunk theme, all from Immortal Works.

I did not know this, but my submission, The Goat in the Machine, was the collection's first story. That was cool, and an honor. On Saturday night, at the League of Utah Writer's Quills Conference awards were handed out and our little book received first prize in the Collections category.

A Gold Quill winner!

If you want to read award-winning literature, PLEASE click: HERE for the link to order the book or get an e-copy. And when you do receive your very own copy, mine will be the first story you'll see. It will introduce you to the collection and invite you in with humor and award-winning writing.

But seriously, it's an honor to be included with such other amazing writers and to see the hard work be recognized. If you do get the book, I'd love to know what you thought of the book and my story. Thanks John for including my little story in your book!

Don't Take Too Much Stock In Good Reviews...

I've heard this piece of advice more than once and from people involved in many varied walks of life:

Don't take too much stock in good reviews.

I think I first heard it from my university choir professor. Occasionally, we would receive a review of a concert we did, or a specific piece of music we performed. I remember, when news of a good review appeared in the newspaper (how we received news back in the day...), our group was giddy, and when a critic wrote something less than flattering, we would discuss their point of view before and after (sometimes, during...) class. Dr. Thompson (an amazing man...) would caution, "Don't take too much stock in a good review," 

The reason being, because if you believe the good reviews, you'll have to believe the bad ones, too.

The older I get, the more I understand the wisdom behind the words.

Tonight, as I'm waiting for my daughter to finish up her rehearsal, I found myself pulling up my author pages from Amazon and Goodreads. I don't have page after page of published works, but I have more than a couple. Most of my listings come from anthologies. Reviews of anthologies can be hit/miss. If the reviewer especially liked your story, they'll single out your story and give comments. The same can be said if the reviewer did not like your story. You get the same treatment, only the words are the opposite of uplifting, inspiring, grin-provoking.

I remember, after a couple of my stories were printed, pulling up Amazon and Goodreads often to see if there were any new reviews. Most of the time, my name was not mentioned and I was never sure if I was one of the stories included in the "some of the stories were strong" category, or if they belonged in the "of course, not all stories were good" pile.

I should have heeded my professor's advice.

It's been a while since I've even checked for comments on my pages. The last book in which one of my stories is featured has only one review on Amazon, and it's pretty short:

I really enjoyed this anthology. The stories do not require any knowledge of Mormons or Mormon beliefs, which makes them accessible to anyone who enjoys steampunk, alternate history, fantasy, or science fiction. Check out the first anthology in the series, too!

I found myself wondering what people think of my story in Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel--it is, after all, the first one in the anthology (to order the book yourself, click: HERE--shameless self-promotion...). I suppose craving a good review is my way of seeking validation, of having someone tell me my stories deserves to be included with the other authors. Then I remind myself, if it wasn't, my story wouldn't have been chosen in the first place.

Though I don't have a lot of comments/reviews, one from Redneck Eldritch singled out my story. He said he couldn't get into the book because I wrote about counties in Louisiana, not parishes. This time, I took my dear teacher's advice and let it (mostly...) roll off my back.

All in all, most of the reviews/comments are positive, which means, mostly people who have read my stories have been pleased. And really, isn't that the most important thing? If not, it should be.

Find Me At FanX...And I'll Sign Your Book (Even If I Didn't Write It...)

One cool thing about anthologies (among many cool things...) is you get to have your stories along side so many other amazing authors's stories. The last story I submitted was fortunate enough to be included in a collection contained not in just one book, but four.

That's a lot of authors and a lot of stories.

Three of the books, All Made of Hinges, Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel, and Press Forward, Saints are now available (my short's in the yellow one...). The fourth book in the series is being compiled right now. In fact, here's the information on A Mighty Fortress:

Immortal Works (editor Holli Anderson) hereby calls for submissions for an anthology of MORMON STEAMPUNK to be called A MIGHTY FORTRESS.

Here is the deal:

1. The writer’s religious affiliation is completely irrelevant. We don’t care; we don’t even want to know.

2. The story does not have to be set in any particular world. The story must be in some sense “Mormon” and in some sense “Steampunk.” We’ll try to interpret those categories both broadly.

3. If your story is faith-promoting (Mormonism is “true” in the story), we’ll stop reading it. If it is mean-spirited (Mormons are all idiots), we’ll also stop reading it.

4. Stories should be at least 2,000 words long and generally no more than 8,000 words.

5. The deadline for submissions is April 23, 2019 or until filled.

6. Authors will not receive up-front payments. Authors will share in the revenues from sales of the book over time and will receive one (1) complimentary author copy.

7. Send submissions to hollia (at) immortal-works.com. Include the words “A MIGHTY FORTRESS SUBMISSION” in the subject line.

So, if you've got an idea for a great story and you're a quick writer, follow the instructions and submit!

I know what you're thinking..."Hey, I've got one of the three (or all of the three...) Mormon Steampunk anthologies. If only there were a way for me to get authors to sign them for me."

Well, your prayers have been answered!

Kind of.

If you're attending the FanX Comics Convention in Salt Lake this weekend, you will have the opportunity of running into (perhaps literally...) several authors with stories in these volumes. In fact, at 11:45am on Friday, there will be a mass signing at Booth 1546. I'm going to try and be there, but I know many of the authors will be there with pen in hand to autograph your book(s).

Don't have a copy/copies? No problem! We'll have them available, too!

If you're going, swing by Booth 1546, or several authors will also be at Bart's Tower on the vendor floor. Come on by, strike up a conversation. And I promise I'll sign any book you have, whether or not I've written it.

I'm sure I'm not the only one, either.

"Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel"...Comes Out Tomorrow!

Last year, a brain trust got together and thought up an idea for an anthology, a collection of stories highlighting an untapped literary genre of unlimited potential. And thus, the Mormon Steampunk Anthology was created.

A call for submissions were sent out and the stories came rolling in, so much so, an envisioned "one book" became three. Tomorrow, Book #2 comes out, Immortal Work's Put Your Shoulder the the Wheel.

I can't wait!

If you're interested in this particular collection, here's the book's lineup:

Goat in the Machine Scott William Taylor

A Reckoning in the Night Angie Taylor

Rachel’s Prayer Megan Rupp

Sisters Sorenson and the Mechanical Man Scott E. Tarbet

The Shop of the Clockwork Master Finlay Lofthouse

Blackhand Christopher Baxter

An Incident at Oak Creek Bryce Moore

The Miracle of the Gulls D. J. Moore

Solids Don’t Evaporate Mindie Erb

Many Hands Heidi Wessman Kneale

By Ailad’s Bootstraps Kurt F. Kammeyer

Painted Ghosts Kim May

Dame Ginny McLaserbeam and the             
Dastardly Duke                                               Judith and Michael Collings

I knew I was in this particular collection, but I didn't realize my story was the first. There's a lot of pressure being the first story--the first impression someone gets when they pick up the book and scan the first lines of the opening story.

Being a part of an artistic project is an amazing thing. Today Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel doesn't exist--tomorrow it does. Being human means creating. There's a drive within us, a need to make something, write something, bring into existence something that didn't exist before. I know it's just a little story in another book, but for me, it's an honor to have my name included with others, all trying to create something good. 

A special thanks goes out to John M. Olsen, Dave Butler, James Wymore, and Jason King at Immortal Works (and anyone else I'm forgetting...) for including my tale. I hope you get the book, and if you do, I hope you like my story about a man, an airship, and a precocious goat.