mmerriam | Shimmers & Shadows...

... is here.

careswen and I are excited to announce that, after surviving the steep learning curve involved in a crash course on how to publish a book, Shimmers & Shadows, a collection of my previously published short fiction, is available for purchase.

I am pleased to have this book in hand, and to have something I can sell at Conventions to people interested in my short fiction. One of the hard things about selling short fiction to numerous small press and semi-pro magazines is; it is difficult to easily steer people to your work. And now I have something I can hand to various family members, several of whom are not online.

If you would like a copy, you can buy it here.

If you would like a personalized copy, you can go to my website, click on the Make a Donation button and buy it directly from me using your paypal account. The book is $18.95 plus $3.95 for shipping in the United States, making the total $22.90. If you choose this option, please send an email to me at mmerriamATgmailDOTcom with your shipping information. For international orders, please email me with your address, and I can work out the cost of shipping.

tiny_wings, your artist's copy will be shipping right after I get home from CONvergence, so, Monday July 7th is when I'll send yours.

Technical Details: Printed Trade Paperback. 392 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, cream interior paper (60# weight), black and white interior ink, white exterior paper (100# weight), full-color exterior ink.

Now, for the list of people I need to thank:

tiny_wings for the incredibly beautiful artwork that graces the cover. You are a wonderful artist and an absolute joy to work with. I hope we can do another project together again in the future.

greykev who fixed the back cover and made it look so veryvery nice.

careswen who copy edited the thing, did all the layout, fought with adobe to embed fonts and create the .pdf, uploaded the whole thing using lulu's somewhat clunky system, guided the project to completion, and refused to settle for less than perfect.

I could not have produced this book without you three. Really, I think I had the easy part: All I had to was write the stories, which is something I love doing anyway.

So, what's inside, you ask? These bits of fiction:

"The Foundling" is the cheerful little tale of the ghost of a murdered child, the spirit of a shopping mall made manifest, a talking parking lot totem, and making the family of one's choice. An urban fantasy set in suburban Minneapolis, this short story appeared online in the Spring/Summer 2006 issue of Chaos Theory: Tales Askew.

"Twenty-One” is a science fiction piece about saving the world again and again until you wonder: is the world is really worth saving anymore? It was published September 2007 in Afterburn SF.

"Melpomene Run" is a science fiction (well, space opera) novelette and appeared online in the 15 August 2006 issue of Ray Gun Revival. "An emergency courier run to an endangered colony turns deadly for Lt. Lisa Cochrane as she uncovers corruption, intrigue, and sabotage all around her."

"Kearsee's Tale" is a story set in my fantasy world of Dolenbyd. This short story follows the adventurer Kearsee and the symbiotic creature named Solirik who resides inside her, as they search for a magical artifact and dodge zombies on a tropical island. This story appeared both online and in print in October 2007 in Worlds of Wonder.

"Callooh Callay" was published online in the Spring 2006 issue of Worlds of Wonder and follows the adventures of the brave men and women of the Literary Character Retrieval Force as they face the monsters of Wonderland.

"Darkly Through the Light Waters" was published online in the September 2005 issue of Sorcery & Science. Set in the intersection between Minneapolis and the faerie realm, this short story tells of a fey champion's love, honor, and fall from grace.

"Cindy," a poem that explores what comes after the end of the fairy tale, appeared in The Shantytown Anomaly #4 in January, 2007.

"Nor to the Strong" is a science fiction story which appeared online in the 1 April 2007 issue of Ray Gun Revival. "A weary soldier must come to grips with the line between being a warrior and being a murderer."

"Rija's Tale" is the first of a series of stories about Rija, a heroine in my original fantasy world of Dolenbyd. This short story was published online and in print in the Autumn 2005 issue of Gryphonwood.

"The Siege of Harnlow" documents more adventures in the series of tales about Rija, a heroine in my original fantasy world of Dolenbyd. This novelette was published online in five parts by Gryphonwood in October 2006 and was selected for The Best of Gryphonwood 2006 Anthology.

"Duel in the Moonlit Snow" is another short story in the series of tales about Rija, a heroine in my original fantasy world of Dolenbyd. After bandits attack the merchant train she travels with, Rija faces new dangers and the burden of responsibility. The tale was published online by Gryphonwood in June 2006.

"Protect and Serve" tells the story of Constable George Wellner who watches over the citizens of Morningside, Minnesota, whether they are space aliens, vampires, or other fantastic creatures. This piece appeared online in June 2007 in Bewildering Tales.

"And a Song in Her Hair" appeared in the December 2006 issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. This fantasy short story, called "darkly poetic" by Horror Scope and "poignant and rather chilling" by As if!:Austrailian Specfic in Focus, was inspired by a piece of amazing artwork created by my talented friend, Catherine Déziel (aka

tiny_wings).

"Stopping By" is a paranormal romance and time travel novelette set in rural Oklahoma, published online in two parts in the September and December 2006 issues of Lyrica.

"I Took the Tear" is a long science fiction poem about love and time dilation. It was published in print in the April 2007 issue of Illumen.

"Monday" appeared online in Surprising Stories #13 in January, 2007. Can the ghost of a recently murdered woman save her younger sister from the man who killed her?

"Far From the Fields" is a science fiction short story in the 1 November 2006 issue of Ray Gun Revival. "During a scouting mission on a dead world, Robert Wilson’s past comes back to haunt him. Will he make the easy choice or the right one?"

"Over the Bridge," an urban fantasy set in Minneapolis and St. Paul, is the happy tale of a murderous Goth-girl, a snarly Unseelie, a dead body, and the Mississippi River. It appeared online at The Harrow in July 2007.

"Poor Mesk" is a short tale of love, duty, murder, and insanity on a dangerous space colony. It appeared online in April 2007 at Worlds of Wonder.

"Jenny's Magic" appeared in print in the July 2006 issue of Beyond Centauri. This children's short story tells of a very practical nine-year-old girl who must reclaim her magic from the cat who stole it from her.

"Rainfall," set in the intersection between Minneapolis and the faerie realm, was published online in the February 2006 issue of Deep Magic. Tangent Short Fiction Review described "Rainfall" as "a breathtakingly beautiful story of a love that transcends time and space, a pure, self-sacrificing love."

"Out Among the Singing Void" is a science fiction and urban fantasy crossover piece set in a future version of Minneapolis. Appearing in print in Fictitious Force #3 in November, 2006, it tells the story of Maria and William, a married couple long separated by time and space, and their journey to find their way back to each other.

Okay, now that the business part is out of the way, here is how I really feel:

SQEEEEEEEEEEE!!! FFFLLLAAAILLL!!!! JUMPSUPANDDOWN!!! RUNSAROUNDINACIRCLE!!!
(falls down)