MeFi Projects

I chose to release my submarine novel for free under a Creative Commons license because I am committed to the open-source ideal. Unfortunately, it seems that no publisher would ever touch CC these days, and (more distressingly) lots of readers won't consider it because of our sad cultural heuristic of "free novel = awful". And then the book also doesn't fit nicely into any particular category. It's not really science fiction (the science is realistic). It's not really alternative-history (Hitler doesn't win the war). And it's not even a good fit for submarine novels (the submarines in it are cargo subs, not war subs — it also has strong female leads.) I fear I've doomed the thing to obscurity from the start. But I put years of work into it. I re-wrote it many times. I had it professionally copy-edited. People who do read it, love it. I love it. But this promotion stuff sucks. So if it sounds even vaguely appealing, save me by giving the book a shot! And then tell someone else about it… [more inside]
posted by kunstcleaver on Feb 18, 2024 - 4 comments

A climate-fiction text adventure with dystopian themes, set in 2051. Can you survive for one week as a regular person under the rule of the York Emergency Authority? (Maybe you can do more than survive, and blow oxygen on embers of resistance.) With beautiful art by Dibujos de Pam! Play for free in your browser, desktop or mobile. [more inside]
posted by mcbaya on Nov 15, 2023 - 4 comments

I've finally pulled the trigger and started a Substack! [more inside]
posted by TheWhiteSkull on Sep 4, 2023 - 1 comment

A fundamentally hopeful new genre, solarpunk envisions a future of green, sustainable energy used by societies that value inclusiveness, cooperation, and personal freedom. Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation features A.C. Wise, Daniel José Older, Kristine Ong Muslim, Nisi Shawl, Lavie Tidhar, and others, all exploring solutions to environmental disasters. [more inside]
posted by joannemerriam on Jun 17, 2017 - 3 comments

I wrote a book! We made a trailer for it! Animation by Phineas and Ferb's Patrick O'Connor. Thanks to all the MeFites who helped me get this far!
posted by Mchelly on Aug 3, 2015 - 3 comments

How to Live on Other Planets: A Handbook for Aspiring Aliens explores the immigrant experience in a science fiction setting, with fiction and poetry from Sturgeon winner Sarah Pinsker, James Tiptree, Jr., Award winner Nisi Shawl and Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award winner Ken Liu, as well as 32 other writers, most of them themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants. [more inside]
posted by joannemerriam on Feb 11, 2015 - 3 comments

My small press, Upper Rubber Boot Books, has just released the first nine titles in the Soles Series of Stories, which comprises standalone ebook short stories spanning the speculative fiction gamut, including science fiction, literary stories using SFnal tropes, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic, steampunk, slipstream, alternate history, utopian and dystopian, fantasy, and horror. [more inside]
posted by joannemerriam on Jun 6, 2014 - 0 comments

My fantasy short story, The Interior of Mister Bumblethorn's Coat, was published by PodCastle yesterday. The story originally appeared in Fantasy Magazine, and was also reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2011, edited by Rich Horton. [more inside]
posted by overglow on Jan 17, 2012 - 2 comments