STONEGIVER
a fantasy short story found in IMPS & MINIONS
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In “Stonegiver”, a leaderless minion learns self-determination.
Imps & Minions explores the lives of the little guys of villainry, with 34 tales dedicated to servile underlings, mooks, henchmen, pawns, scamps and rapscallions. The stories range in tone from whimsical and lighthearted to dark and tragic, and span the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and “superhero”, with a few that are harder to classify. Collectively, they provide diverse looks at the complex and multi-faceted lives of imps, minions, and villainous underdogs of all stripes. Above all, they are compelling tales that show us the trials and tribulations of a colourful cast of characters normally relegated to the background.
Sh
apers’ Veil
a fantasy novel
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Shapers’ Veil is a fantasy novel that took me over twenty years to write, with frequent and sometimes extended interruptions caused by an abundance of Life happening: five sons to raise, ensemble and orchestra performances, cats to cuddle, and the ever-loving Living to Make. Throughout this time and with the mentoring of my writers’ group, the story was able to grow and mature. In Shapers’ Veil we have Kawi, a shape-shifter who takes the form of a hawk or of a man. Like a hawk, he is instinctively territorial, fierce to his rivals and protective of his friends. We have the Veil, a cloud of microscopic beings that shield his habitat from deadly cyclones. These beings, the Shapers, are parasitic; they feed on the nightmares of those whom they shield. When the Veil weakens and shrinks, cyclones threaten rivals and friends alike. Kawi must find the vanished species of Rua who can nourish it, or he himself must overcome his deepest instinct and face, instead of flee, the nightmare swarms.
Midsummer Storm (formerly known as “Silk and Velvet”)
a fantasy novelette
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It’s Midsummer in early Renaissance Scotland. A troubled clan chief charges a mysterious courier called Silk with a message that will determine the course of war in the Highlands. On the road to Edinburgh, Silk meets handsome musician “Velvet” Hugh MacToro. Will he prove distraction or salvation? Will she bring him luck – or ruin? The air is full of music and secrets…and more magic than you know.
Uno por Cada
magical realism short story – found in RUINS EXCAVATION
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Speculative Fiction stories that are set in or about Archaeological Ruins. The protagonist in each story is an archaeologist who is a Woman of Color. Ruins range from those in the American Southwest & Southeast to Central America, the Maya, to ruins in the Andes Mountains, Egypt, and to other places across the world. Some incorporate mythology of the ancient cultures who built and inhabited the places now in ruins. Some of the protagonists are descendants of the ancient peoples of the ruins. Publishers’ Weekly described “…the brightly featured Mexican magical realism of M. C. Chambers’ ‘Uno por Cada’ ” as one of the anthology’s “Most Memorable.”
Visual Silence
Science Fiction short story – found in RETURN TO LUNA
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“Visual Silence” by M.C. Chambers – Grand Prize winner of the 2008 National Space Society fiction contest. The Return to Luna short story contest, jointly run by the National Space Society and Hadley Rille Books, had open submissions from February 28, 2008, through June 15, 2008. We received many fine stories and we thank all the authors who entered.
Review by Bart Leahy:
M. C. Chambers delivers a technically well-grounded lunar rescue story. M. C. Chambers hits all the preferred qualities of the Return to Luna contest. If you were to ask, “Could this really happen in the next 50 to 100 years?” the answer is, undoubtedly, yes. In that sense, one must say, “Mission accomplished.”
M. C. Chambers 