| Restore, Reflect, Retry, my fourth project with Choice of Games, is out now! You’ve played this game before. It’s a haunted game about a haunted game. You may not remember, but the game remembers you. I remember you. This is how I described the game in a recent interview: "This is a haunted game about a haunted game. It is the story of a 1980s kid being nostalgic about a childhood he never had. It is an analog horror game where the horror is ancient and familiar and lives in your house, and a science-fiction game where the science is fleshy and messy and only a squint away from the occult. It’s for the queer kids and the nerdy kids and the kids from broken homes, in whatever way your home was broken. It’s a bandaid and a nod—from my weird little heart to yours." You can read the rest of the interview here. You can get it now on Web | Steam | Google Play | App Store. |  Cover art by George Cotronis. |
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I have news! My debut novel, Sour Cherry, will be published by Tin House (North America) and Wildfire (UK & Commonwealth) in April 2025. Readers in North America can already pre-order the book.  Isn't she beautiful? Don't you feel like you've seen her before? Cover design by Beth Steidle. Here's the novel's description:
A stunning reimagining of Bluebeard—one of the most mythologized serial killers—twisted into a modern tale of toxic masculinity, a feminist sermon, and a folktale for the twenty-first century. The tale begins with Agnes. After losing her baby, Agnes is called to the great manor house to nurse the local lord’s baby boy. But something is wrong with the child: his nails grow too fast, his skin smells of soil, and his eyes remind her of the dark forest. As he grows into a boy, then into man, a plague seems to follow him everywhere. Trees wither at the roots, fruits rot on their branches, and the town turns to desperation. The man takes a wife, who bears him a son. But tragedy strikes in cycles and his family is forced to consider their own malignancy—until wife after wife, death after death, plague after plague, every woman he touches becomes a ghost. The ghosts become a chorus, and they call urgently to our narrator as she tries to explain, in our very real world, exactly what has happened to her. The ghosts can all agree on one thing, an inescapable truth about this man, this powerful lord who has loved them and led them each to ,ruin: if you leave, you die. But if you die, you stay. Sour Cherry confronts age-old systems of gender and power, long-held excuses made for bad men, and the complicated reasons we stay captive to the monsters we love. I can't wait to share it with you all! I have another story out this month! "Tell the King" is a science fantasy short story about queer Greeks in space, an oracle interpreting the dreams of the dead, carnivorous flowers, and meek horses. You can read it now in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
I have a new novella out in Uncanny Magazine this month! Look at this gorgeous cover by Galen Dara.  "An Elegy of Soil" is a story about grief, the ways we trap the ones we love, and the ways we set each other free.
Give it a read and let me know what you think. It's December, but I don't feel like doing any kind of year-in-review post. There is so much grief in the world near and far. The calendar indicates the nearing of an ending, yet nothing seems complete, and too many of the hard things are ongoing. It feels like such a small thing, but I suppose one offers what one can, and you never know what will bring someone else comfort. So, here it goes: I did have a short story out earlier this year that I didn't talk about much, even though it's one I'm pretty proud of. You will find it in the July/August issue of Uncanny Magazine; a story about ghosts in space, decomposing films, and queer love at the event horizon. I hope you enjoy it.  Also, Vajra Chandrasekera's brilliant new novel has been announced. You will find a description and ways to pre-order at the link, alongside a thorough and thoughtful roundup of resources about Palestine. I also highly recommend listening to this free episode of the Death Panel podcast with Rasha Abdulhadi, "Refusing Genocide."
Take care, everyone. I am beyond thrilled and shocked to share that I am a Nebula Finalist in two categories this year!
"The Prince of Salt and the Ocean's Bargain" is up in the Novelette category, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Sins of the Sires is among the finalists for Game Writing. I am incredibly honored to find my work on a ballot filled to the brim with absolutely brilliant people. Here’s the whole list. Also, "Ribbons" is on the Locus Recommended Reading list! Thank you very much for reading, sharing, voting. It really means the world. My interactive Greek epic retelling, An Odyssey: Echoes of War, came out about three years ago by Choice of Games. I think this game contains some of the best prose I’ve ever written. If you like Greek myth retellings in the vein of Madeline Miller’s Circe or enjoy games like Hades, this one might be for you.
And since Greek myth retellings seem to be something people enjoy reading as well as something I enjoy writing, I thought I’d take this opportunity to post a round-up of all the short-form retellings I’ve done over the years. There are of course elements of Greek myth, especially Greek tragedy, given my background in theatre, in most of my work. For example, Vampire: The Masquerade - Sins of the Sires is structured along different arcs that mirror ones from Greek myth (Cassandra, Atreides, Medea, Oedipus, and Achilles). But here are some more explicit retellings that should be easily recognizable:
I hope you enjoy these! And if you do, here’s a round-up of Greek myth retellings by Greek authors in The Linguist Magazine you might find of interest. If your favorites are not on the list, drop them in the comments!
Publication news from me!
I have a new novelette out in the September/October issue of Uncanny Magazine. It's called "The Prince of Salt and the Ocean's Bargain" and it's a queer fairy tale about desire and what we're willing to let go of in order to get what we want. Also, if you were looking for an audio version of "Ribbons," my trans take on the green ribbon tale originally published in the January/February issue of Uncanny, you can now head over to PodCastle. I hope you enjoy these! |
 
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