I’ve posted a new short story, “A Prince of Tanȗr,” to the Free Articles and Fiction section of this blog.
“A Prince of Tanȗr” is the first story I’ve written in the setting described in my article, “Building a Better Barsoom.” It may be my first attempt at writing a bit of planetary romance, but it probably won’t be the last.
“A Prince of Tanȗr” will also be released to my patrons, free of charge.
I’ve posted a new short story, “Fragment,” to the Free Articles and Fiction section of this blog.
“Fragment” is an odd little story, dressed up as a short scholarly article in the discipline of Assyriology, possibly appearing in a peer-reviewed journal from some other line of history.
“Fragment” will also be released to my patrons, free of charge.
My debut novel, The Curse of Steel, has been available on Amazon since early October. As of this morning, the novel has been launched on Reedsy Discovery – you can visit its launch page at:
https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the-curse-of-steel-john-alleyn
Reedsy Discovery is a website where independent authors can promote their work, and readers can learn a little about new books before deciding which ones to invest in. Well worth a visit.
In fact, you can help me by visiting the launch page. There, you can read the first chapter of the story, check out its first formal review (five stars!), and upvote the novel. Enough upvotes, and the novel will get further promotion via Reedsy’s newsletter.
Meanwhile, the book is available for sale (Kindle e-book only for the moment, I’m afraid) at:
I’ll admit to being rather proud of my first novel-length venture into original fiction; I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.
I’ve posted a new version of “Safe Haven,” one of my oldest short stories, to the Free Articles and Fiction section.
“Safe Haven” is a tale set soon after the Trojan War, in a world that isn’t quite the same as the one familiar to us from the poems of Homer. Aside from the links on the Free Articles and Fiction page and in the sidebar, here’s a direct link as well.
“Safe Haven” will also be released to my patrons, free of charge.
As of this evening, The Curse of Steel is available as an e-book for Amazon Kindle. Here’s a link to the book’s page on Amazon US, but it’s also available on all of the overseas Amazon sites.
The catalog description:
A woman who shares the blood of the gods. A cursed sword that has ruined kingdoms.
In a single fateful day, Krava the Swift learns of her divine ancestry and gains possession of a weapon of formidable power. Suddenly raised to prominence among her Iron Age tribe, at first she enjoys her new life as a god-touched hero. She quickly learns that a hero’s life may be glorious but it’s also complicated – and possibly quite short.
Krava and her friends soon find themselves caught up in a deadly game of gods and kings. If she refuses to be a pawn, she may be forced to become a queen . . . or a curse upon all her people.
Time for some celebration: this is my first original published novel, after twenty-plus years of being a freelance writer. Hopefully not my last!
My patrons at the $2 level and up will soon be getting a code for a free copy in email.
I’ve posted “Guanahani,” a short story that I wrote in 2015, to the Free Articles and Fiction section.
“Guanahani” is a tale about a scientific mystery, but it’s also about people trying to survive amid the perils of human history. The story should be linked from the sidebar, but here’s a link as well.
I’ve posted “Departure,” a short story that I wrote in 2015, to the Free Articles and Fiction section.
“Departure” is a tale about (literally) star-crossed lovers and the sacrifices they may have to make to pursue their dreams. The story should be linked from the sidebar, but here’s a link as well.
I’ve just finished placing another of my old short stories under the “Free Articles and Fiction” tab in the sidebar.
This story is “A Fire in Winter,” a story set in the early stages of an American Revolution that is not going as well as the one in our history. As for what other differences there may be between that world and our own . . . well, better you see for yourself.
“A Fire in Winter” has also been released to my patrons, free of charge.
I’ve posted “Landfall,” a short story that I wrote a few years back, to the Free Articles and Fiction section.
“Landfall” is a tale about a slower-than-light interstellar expedition, which runs into trouble when it finally encounters a hospitable, Earthlike world after a thousand years of voyaging. What does a society organized around an eternal voyage do, when it becomes possible for the voyage to end?
The story should be linked from the sidebar, but here’s a link as well.
After a long delay, the first story in my “Human Destiny” setting is now available as an e-book on Amazon:
“Pilgrimage” is a 14700-word novelette, telling the story of how sixteen-year-old Aminata Ndoye first came to the attention of the alien interstellar empire that rules Earth. After Aminata is granted an unexpected degree of privilege by the imperial government, she is unsure as to whether to accept – unsure as to whether she can trust the aliens at all. She embarks on a journey of discovery, and what she learns may determine the path of her life . . . but first she has to survive the experience.
I first wrote “Pilgrimage” a couple of years ago, while taking an online seminar on the art of writing from diverse perspectives. The character of Aminata Ndoye had been in the back of my mind for a while – at the time, I had already written a novella about her and was shopping it around to markets – but I was inspired to write her “origin story” as an exercise for the seminar. Since then the story has seen quite a bit of revision, and I’ve decided to quit sitting on it and get it published.
Next up is the novella, which I hope to have available sometime next week, and then it’s on to a new story based on my world-building project from last month.