Every Day Fiction to publish "There's Construction on Your Road to Doom"

Every Day Fiction has accepted my story, "There's Construction on Your Road to Doom."

Not a bad way to close out 2012.

They told me it should appear in the next couple of months, and I'll provide a direct link when it goes live.

Happy New Year!

RLR

Tangent Online reviews "The Flittiest Catch." (another good one)

Here's a link to the full review of the issue.

Reviewer, Michelle Ristuccia, writes:

"The Flittiest Catch" by Robert Lowell Russell begins with an interview with a captain on a very unusual fishing boat. As he is explaining the dangers of the job, the interview is interrupted by excitement on the deck. The title and setup are a parody of reality TV shows like “The Deadliest Catch.” This flash piece is a lot of fun and almost everything about it is a spoiler due to its length. Let's just say that the illustration shows an old guy with a long beard suspended from a balloon under the fishing blimp. And just in case you were trying to take it seriously, the story even ends on a pun.

RLR

My first Lois Tilton review and it doesn't suck!

Lois Tilton of Locus Online has reviewed the IGMS December '12 issue. 

For my story, she wrote:

“The Flittiest Catch” by Robert Lowell Russell

Fishing for fairy dust and netting a bunch of jokes.

For an 1100 word story, those ten words sound pretty good to me.

RLR

"The Flittiest Catch" is up at IGMS! The artwork is awesome!

My story, "The Flittiest Catch," is now live at Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show.

The issue includes a bunch of other great stories, too, including a pair from Nebula/Hugo/some other award I'm forgetting winner, Ken Liu.

It only costs $15 a year to subscribe, and you get access to back issues. And as a bonus, my story is also featured in audio.

Very excited about this!

Check out M.Wayne Miller's artwork for the piece. It's amazing!

RLR

"Mikey Frick Finds a Flower" is now live! (Kazka Press)

My story, "Mikey Frick Finds a Flower," is already live at Kazka Press.

The October '12 issue also includes stories from
Ada Hoffman: Sage and Coco
Cat Rambo: In The Mirror's Heart
Russ Colson: Journey to the Leak Point
Mary Ann Back: The Chamber
Jeff James: Burning Love
J.D. McLaughlin: The Skeleton's Wife

RLR

"Mikey Frick Finds a Flower" sells to Kazka Press

I received word this morning that Kazka Press has accepted my story, "Mikey Frick Finds a Flower," for their October '12 Flash Fiction Contest (theme: love beyond death) guest edited by Michael Haynes (a fellow Writeshopper and Codex member, though Michael read submissions "blind," without personal details attached).

The story is one of my personal favorites, and I'm glad it found a home. And better yet, there's no agonizing wait for people to read it since it'll come out in October.

RLR

A small story sells to a big magazine! "The Flittiest Catch" to appear in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show

I haven't added much to this blog recently, but I'm happy to report that my flash length Deadliest Catch parody, "The Flittiest Catch," should be appearing in the November issue of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

As you might expect, I'm very happy to have made it into this market. IGMS is a big deal, and I'll be curious (terrified) to read what reviewers think of my little story.

I tend to write stuff that falls outside of IGMS's PG-13 range, but I have two longer stories in the the pipeline that are PG-13, so with a little hard work (and probably some luck) I'm hoping this story is only the first of many to grace IGMS's pages. 

RLR

"Leave the Stone" now live at The Washington Pastime

My historical story, "Leave the Stone," has been reprinted by The Washington Pastime.

My Penumbra Blog Entry: See it Before you Write it, Then Get Busy Day Dreaming

I did a blog entry for Penumbra Magazine. Read my words of wisdom  here.

RLR

Tangent Online reviews my story, "Path of Stones," and other Penumbra #8 Stories

Here's a link to Tangent Online's review of "Path of Stones" and the other stories appearing in Penumbra's #8, fractured fairy tale issue. 

And here's the review itself:

“Path of Stones” by Robert Lowell Russell

This retelling of “Hansel and Gretel” was obscure and somewhat tricky to recognize. It was like several old fairytales combined, but the style was artistic, imaginative and intriguing. It maintained a successful dark tone throughout and the near-ending was especially morbid right up until the final lines. I enjoyed the suspense.

-----

I'd call this a positive review. I tried to do something a bit different with "Path of Stones," and I think this is reflected in the "obscure" comment. I was always worried that the clues I had in the story, including the title itself, would immediately tip the reader that this was a Hansel and Gretel story, but I don't think that was the case.

 I'm glad they found it suspenseful. I prefer writing "action" stories, and there tend to be sequences in what I write where I WANT readers to constantly ask: And then what happens? And then what happens?  And then what happens? If you haven't read my Digital Science Fiction story, "Floaters," much of the middle of the story is a running (literally) gun battle and chase.   


I've got another story currently under consideration that is a guns blazin' tale filled with murderous cats. I didn't think "Path of Stones" was all that dark or morbid, but there's no doubt about this new story. 

Fingers crossed.


RLR

Penumbra's Fractured Tale issue is live! (includes my story, Path of Stones)

Penumbra's Fractured Fairy Tales issue is now live and includes my story, "Path of Stones."  Buy a copy. NOW!  I've only had time to browse the issue I was sent, but Penumbra does some really nice looking work.

RLR

A story so nice, they're printin' it twice! Reprint accepted by the Washington Pastime

I just received word that The Washington Pastime is going to reprint my story, "Leave the Stone," which originally appeared at Frontier Tales. No disrespect to Frontier Tales, but I really liked the look of TWP and I'm glad this story is going to get a little more exposure.

RLR

"Path of Stones" to appear in Penumbra's Fractured Fairy Tales issue (May '12)

I just received word that my story, "Path of Stones," will appear in Penumbra's Fractured Fairy Tales issue out this May.

This was welcome news after a rough week of final exams (I did well on the exams, but not as well as I wanted).

This will be my third pro sale, and if Digital Science Fiction and Penumbra both eventually become SFWA qualifying venues (and I believe that is their intent), I will be able to go from from associate to active status (one more goal met).

I will be sharing a TOC with Damien Walters Grintalis and others (whose thunder I won't steal until they've had time to break the news themselves).

I'll provide additional links as they become available.

[edit] And I just realized this makes ten published stories for me (plus a reprint). Double digits, baby!

RLR

Quick update: "The Question" is now live at Dunesteef for its Valentine's Day ep.

The Question

A positive review for Digital Science Fiction's Heir Apparent anthology with a blurb about "Floaters"

Dwayne Russell (no relation) writes a nice review of Digital Science Fiction's Heir Apparent anthology and includes a brief blurb about my story, "Floaters." 

Of course, there’s also something to be said for stories that simply want to drop you into the action and let you follow along.  Heir Apparent starts with one of these, “Floaters,” in which a security agent is sent on an expedition to bring back the body of an old comrade.  There’s only one problem:  the body’s identity has been forged.

There are also good reviews of the anthology on Amazon, though my story isn't specifically mentioned.


I'm going to count this as my first positive review. Diabolical Plots reviewed my Daily Science Fiction story, "Blessed are the Sowers," but they gave me a shitty review and I hate them. I had a guy call "Blessed..." "hammy" on Daily SF's FB page. Maybe that's my first positive review. How'd he know I liked ham so much?

Two of my Nebula award nominees: "Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu and "I Kill Monsters" by Nathaniel Lee

I don't do reviews for a variety of reasons. Mainly, I don't enjoy overthinking why I liked something (or didn't), then trying to explain it to someone else. People like different stuff, so why should they give a shit what I think? I also think BELIEVING someone should give a shit about what I like (or don't) is kind of pretentious. I know plenty of people who write detailed, thoughtful reviews, and that's fine. Whatever floats their boat. But that ain't me.

However, this year is the first year I'm eligible to nominate works for a Nebula award, so I'm tossing this blog post out anyway (so yes, I'm a hypocritical dick). First a caveat: I haven't completed all my Nebula reading yet, so my two recommendations below are by no means the only pieces I intend to nominate. And if you're eligible for the award, feel free to email me your best piece. Getting to nominate stuff (and letting people know you're doing it) is awesome. I've received so MANY amazing pieces of writing. My story, "Floaters," is the story I've been tossing around for consideration (appearing in Digital Sci Fi's Heir Apparent anthology).

Now to the awesome! (direct links to both stories provided below)

I will nominate Ken Liu's, "Paper Menagerie." There's pretty much nothing that Ken writes that I don't like, but this one moved me more than any of his other pieces. 

I will also nominate Nathaniel Lee's, "I Kill Monsters."  One of the criteria I consider when I decide if a story is "good" is whether or not I'd want to read it again. Nathaniel's story is full of fist pumping awesomeness, so you're damn right I'd read it again.  In fact, if you want a roller coaster ride of emotion, read/listen to these stories over and over, back to back.

Yeah, you're welcome.

RLR

Stupefying Stories wants to publish "Elves are Douchebags"

Just got word that Stupefying Stories wants publish my story, "Elves are Douchebags." It's a touching philosophical discourse into the human condition, self identity, and the notion of "otherness." 

:-) Not really. But there IS touching.

Cross using mild profanity in a title off my bucket list.

RLR

"Leave the Stone" out today at Frontier Tales

My story, "Leave the Stone," is now live at Frontier Tales. It is my first western (though "Floaters" was sort of a "space western.") If you go to the Frontier Tales site, you can vote for your favorite western of the month.