P.G. Galalis – Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Other Fictions

When Is a Fantasy Novel Not a Fantasy Novel?

Answer: When it’s Jonathan Geltner’s wonderful debut, Absolute Music (2022, Slant Books).

I found this story about a search for the “world behind the world” quite a beautiful read–contemplative, quietly funny, seriously profound, and richly evocative in its descriptions of both physical place and inner life. The narrator McPhail is a struggling fantasy writer, and this narrative–a fictional memoir–is essentially the inescapable procrastination project McPhail finds himself pursuing instead of the overdue second novel of his fantasy trilogy. After an unexpected brush with a tragic memory, what must the artist work through before he can rediscover his art?

The result is a stunning contemplation from Geltner, a translator and self-described amateur philologist (a point of favorable comparison to a certain famous fantasist), on the metaphysics and theology of fantasy, which I would place beside Tolkien’s seminal “On Fairy Stories” as an important contribution to the poetics of fantasy–the modern project of “mythopoetics,” if you will. I understand from his social media posts that the author’s next writing project is in fact a fantasy novel; I eagerly anticipate its release.

If you, like me, find yourself in the slim part of the Venn diagram that appreciates both high culture, serious considerations of theology, and Dungeons and Dragons (McPhail’s DnD group is a treat!), this is the novel for you.

A Superhero Story

The last time I posted, I alluded to some additional story news I hoped to share soon. Well, here it is, albeit rather belatedly: “Three Times Dad Saved the World, and One Time He Didn’t” appeared in the December 2021 issue of Future Science Fiction Digest, edited by Alex Shvartsman.

I’m really honored to have a story in Future SF, a magazine that specializes in publishing international science fiction, whether in translation or penned by writers from non-anglophone countries. Every so often, Alex will open to submissions from other authors, and I was thrilled that he liked this one of mine. It’s my take on a superhero tale, from the eyes of a mourning son. I hope you enjoy! And be sure to check out the other stories in the issue by Wanxiang Fengnian and Christine Lucas–they’re superb.

A Drabble and a Podcast

Two new publications to share with you since my last (*ulp*) very-long-ago update:

Cover of Martian: The Magazine of Science Fiction Drabbles Issue 1, Fall 2021, picturing an alien cityscape against a blue and orange sky, with a lone cloaked figure walking towards it on a road.

Jupiter Mission One is a drabble–a complete story of exactly 100 words—in Martian Magazine, a new publication from editor Eric Fomely specializing exclusively in such stories. While this is the first drabble I’ve published, I’ve played around with the form before (dare I say, I’ve dabbled in drabbles?), and it’s delightfully challenging! It’s easy to pump out a hundred words of description or narrative; the challenge is to tell a whole story, beginning, middle, and end, with a conflict and resolution, rather than just a vignette or sketch. If you’ve ever attempted to write a sonnet, writing a drabble is a similar experience, where limitation and structure breed creativity, only in narrative prose rather than verse. I hope you’ll give this one a read and drop me a line if you enjoy it!

In another first, my story Knock, Knock, Wolf, originally printed in Footsteps in the Dark from Flame Tree Publishing, has been produced for audio by the best in the business over at the long-running PseudoPod horror podcast. I thought narrator Rish Outfield did an amazing job bringing the widow Clarabel to life in this dark, chilly tale, and it was a real thrill listening to a voice actor perform my work! The episode dropped back in July, but it makes a great listen right now at this time of year here in the American northeast, when the bare trees rattle their bone song to an empty sky…

That’s all for now, but I should have another new story to announce soon… Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Out Now! New Fiction Sep. 2020

A short lyrical account of a far-future city, pining for a savior from the stars…

The dark, suspenseful tale of a misanthropic widow facing off in a battle of wits and magic against a certain wolfish visitor…

My two newest stories are out this month!

“The Sound of Her Clarion Thunder” appears in Issue 4 of the flash fiction and poetry ‘zine Frozen Wavelets. This one had its genesis in my writing group’s just-for-fun flash fiction contest and Ray Bradbury’s “Rocket Summer.” You might hear some echoes of that classic in the story’s opening, but from there I think you’ll see it takes quite a different turn. You can read it here.

You can find “Knock, Knock Wolf” in Footsteps in the Dark, the latest release from Flame Tree’s popular Gothic Fantasy series. You might call it a witch vs. werewolf story, or maybe a chilling sequel of sorts to Little Red Riding Hood. Whatever it is, I think you’ll find it the perfect read for a chilly autumn evening! I’m really delighted to be in such great company, both contemporary and classic. You can get your copy of the book here.

Coronavirus Log: Day 19

Whew.

It’s exhausting staying home. With your family. During a global health crisis. While still trying to do your job remotely.

For all that, though, things have settled into a (nice?) routine, and less time driving places, running errands, and going to kids’ activities has continued to mean more time for personal projects: home improvements, writing, reading, gaming, playing with kids. Really fortunate that this thing hasn’t yet hit our family or loved ones in any more immediate way than Stay-At-Home.

Part of the routine has also been reading the day’s news at night before bed. Not a good idea, yet I keep doing it for some reason.

stuff that’s been done

I’ve gotten back to work on revisions to an old story draft that I’ve had kicking around, literally, for years.
Finished watching the first season of Star Trek: Picard. More on that another time, but I generally enjoyed it. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes only out of a stubborn loyalty to all things Star Trek.
Been playing The Outer Worlds, as mentioned previously. It certainly treads some familiar RPG paths, but for all that, it’s quite immersive, and familiar is exactly the kind of comfort-gaming experience I’m looking for right now. Also dabbled a little in Disco Elysium (which is not at all on the familiar RPG paths), which I’ll pick up again when I’m done with TOW. Started both of these up because they’re Nebula nominees.
LOTS OF NEBULA READING. I’ve finished everything at novella length and shorter, but unfortunately I’ve run out of time on the novels. I’ve done my best to at least look through the one’s I hadn’t already read, in an effort to make sure the one I want to vote for really is my favorite. (I think it is). In general, about half the categories presented me with a clear favorite, and the others gave me some really tough decisions. So much strong and varied writing throughout. All-in-all, this has been a really enjoyable month of reading.
I unfortunately did not get to any of the Andre Norton MG/YA nominees. I’ll leave that decision to those more knowledgeable in the field, but I definitely need to make more time to get to this category next year. And I still want to read all of these in the near future.

Stay well, friends!

Announcement: New Fiction, Coming Soon!

footsteps-in-the-dark-short-stories-ISBN-9781839641879.0

I’m very pleased to announce that I’ll have a new short story appearing in the upcoming anthology, Footsteps in the Dark, from Flame Tree Publishing’s Gothic Fantasy series. These beautiful books collect classic stories from some of the greats alongside new stories from current authors–including, now, yours truly!

The story is called “Knock, Knock, Wolf,” and I hope it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I look forward to telling you a little more about the story-behind-the-story when it comes out (June in the UK, August in the US).

Coronavirus Log: Days 4-8

I’ve missed a few days! It’s been an odd combination of first having nothing new to report, and then having too much to do.

My children attend the same school system in which I teach, and Thursday was the day the district officially implemented our remote learning activities. (The teacher’s union helpfully and rightfully negotiated Tuesday and Wednesday as prep days for teachers develop resources and materials for an unprecedented situation). For me as a teacher, putting together activities for my students is actually a nice outlet–I do rather enjoy designing curriculum in general, and the present situation is something of a unique and enjoyable challenge. Even better, it’s really nice to read what my students are writing about this unique event. Now more than ever, it’s our writing that will help create community when we’re apart from each other.

As a parent, it’s a welcome relief to see my own children get back into their own school work. Their teachers have posted an impressive set of resources, complete with daily schedule and plenty of student choice, and none of it unreasonable or overly demanding. Truth be told, I think my kiddos are happy to have something new and engaging to do, though I don’t think they’d admit it. My second-grader had a virtual “snack time meeting” with his teacher and class this morning on Zoom. Really lovely to see the continued sense of community there, too.

Stuff that’s gotten done

Reading for the Nebulas has continued, if at a somewhat slower pace. Still reading my way through the novelettes, with a detour into the game writing category, as well. Really interesting to see the diversity of games there! I’ll write more about that particular category in a future post.
In my last post I mentioned watching The Walking Dead, which is one of three current shows I’m watching these days. The others are Better Call Saul, which continues to be just phenomenal. Monday night’s episode was so good, but then again I think I say that every week with this show. Definitely a topic for a future post. The third show I’m watching, of course, is Star Trek: Picard. Full disclosure: I’m entirely unable to remain objective about this one. Let’s just say I’m thoroughly enjoying it, and I’ll save my gushing at least until the first season ends (next week!), and I’m able to think and articulate a little more critically what I’ve enjoyed about it.
My kids got me to download and try playing Brawl Stars with them, which if you haven’t heard, is all the rage right now (at least with 2nd and 3rd graders). I can see the appeal for them, but I was like… meh. It’s hard to get into when you’ve just started playing The Outer Worlds! (Which, by the way… phenomenally immersive. Kind of like a cross between Fallout and Mass Effect so far. Absolutely nothing wrong with that!) Anyway, I’d much rather play M:TG or a board game with my kids than Brawl Stars. (Disclaimer: My negative attitude may be a direct result of having my butt whooped within the first five minutes of playing… Just saying. ;P ).

Coronavirus Log: Day 3

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Well, watching The Walking Dead tonight was a slightly different viewing experience in the context of an actual global pandemic.

As more and more widespread closures are announced, and for longer durations than originally planned, the reality of a partial national lock-down is starting to set in. We treated this mostly like a normal weekend at home, minus the usual hubbub of youth sports and activities, but tonight we also talked as a family to lay out what the first full “school week” might look like without school. We’re all in this, figuring it out together. The kiddos have a great attitude so far.

Stuff that got done

Sorted and boxed books for the near-future move we’re planning. There are many, many books. Should society fall, we’re doing our part to preserve our collective human knowledge. Between my psychologist wife and I, we’ve pretty much got covered the areas of statistics, social psychology, education, modern sci-fi and fantasy, the nearly complete works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and a healthy portion of the traditional Western and American literary and canon, including some in the original Latin and Greek. My kids will primarily be preserving Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Harry Potter, and the works of Mo Willems for posterity.

I installed two drawer catches on two kitchen drawers that never stay closed. In typical fashion, I made a simple project more complicated than it probably needed to be, but I still finished the job before the frozen lasagna was ready for dinner, so I call it a success. And now the drawers stay closed, which I have to admit is nicer than expected.

Nebula reading: Continued making my way through the novelettes, and I have to say, they’re really enjoyable so far.

Keep well, keep distant!

Coronavirus Log: Day 2

Twitter has been full of coronavirus content. I’m officially burnt out on toilet paper jokes. But here’s my favorite tweet so far:

Tweet by Ben Rosen

Jerry is annoyed his girlfriend only washes her hands the length of the Kit Kat jingle

George accuses a co-worker with allergies of having "corona cough"

Elaine wants to break up with her boyfriend but he's quarantined

Kramer starts making his own hand sanitizer in his bathtub

12:53 AM 3/7/20

That’s gold, Jerry. Gold!

Stuff that Got Done today:

Finished reading this year’s Nebula-nominated short stories. Some good stuff there, but I’ve narrowed it down to my top two. Going to have to sit with them for a few days. Mostly I read in-between parenting duties and…

Working on some home-improvement projects. Namely, I finally put the finishing touches on the DIY kitchen remodel we did five years ago. You know how these things go.

Tonight I started working through the Nebula finalists from the novelette category. Figured out how to get them all onto my Kindle for easier reading at the longer length. If your interested, here’s the list:
- “A Strange Uncertain Light”, G.V. Anderson (F&SF 7-8/19)
- “For He Can Creep”, Siobhan Carroll (Tor.com 7/10/19)
- “His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light”, Mimi Mondal (Tor.com 1/23/19)
- “The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 7-8/19)
- Carpe Glitter, Cat Rambo (Meerkat)
- “The Archronology of Love”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed 4/19)

Happy reading (and social distancing)!

Coronavirus Log: Day 1

With over a hundred confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, a number of Boston area schools are shutting down for a minimum of two weeks starting today, mine included.

I try to be a glass-half-full, silver-lining kind of guy, so as long as my family and I are all fortunate enough to be healthy, I’m going to see this as an opportunity to Get Stuff Done. Of course this means taking advantage of the extra writing time, but I’ve got plenty of other things to try crossing off my list.

First up today: Nebula reading!

As a newly-minted SFWA member, this is the first time I’ll be voting on the Nebula Awards–pretty exciting! I’ve always tried to read at least some of the various nominated works and eventual winners, but I’ve never read all of them. As someone with a ballot now, though, I feel a little extra responsibility to make an effort to read as many of the works as possible before voting closes at the end of March.

Nothing like a little social distancing to help with that project!

My plan is to start with short stories and work my way up the word-count categories to novels. (I’m worried that if I start with the novels, I’ll linger and take too long to read them and run out of time; whereas, if I leave the novels to last, I’ll be motivated to read more quickly.)

If you’re interested in checking out the full slate of 2020 Nebula finalists, you can see it here. In the meantime, here’s the list of nominees from the Short Story category: