As noted in my previous post, life was A Lot last year. In putting this list together, to my shame and frustration, I had to do forensic work to even figure out what, if anything, I had to write about. Part of this is due to lag between writing a thing and it actually being published; part of it is that stress has turned my brain into a basketball hoop, where memories go in and then immediately fall right back out and bounce off into a bush somewhere.
That said, I did indeed make things that people can read, and here they are!
Novella/Serial/IP Story
Bloomburrow is a Magic: the Gathering serial that qualifies as a novella if it’s taken as a single story. It was released in July, and gave a lot of furries and Redwall/Mouse Guard fans a new world to explore and new characters to love. Both of the main characters, Helga and Mabel, let me show parts of myself in fiction, namely my (undiagnosed) AuDHD and experiences as a mom and wife. Being able to introduce readers to a whole new plane was both intimidating and awesome, and I was delighted that so many people loved reading the story as much as I loved writing it.
Novelette
My story “Courier’s Honor” appeared in the anthology Traveling Light: Tales of the Magical Gates by Worldbuilding for Masochists. Equal parts The Warriors and Mirror’s Edge but fantasy flavored, it’s the story of a courier trying to deliver a package in a city made of walled gears that turn periodically, opening and closing doorways between them. She’s pursued by members of rival gangs trying to steal the package, and she has to fight and run her way to her own gang’s home base. Action! Adventure! Sass! Check it out.
Short Story
“A Magical Correspondence, to the Tune of Heartstrings” appeared in Uncanny Magazine Issue Fifty-Seven in March 2025. This story let me process some of my feelings about hobbies and overwork and the ways that even well-meaning family and friends can stress us out, especially when we’re trying new things. It’s also a sweet love story with magic and musical instruments and dancing and little a smooching, as a treat.
Flash Fiction
“Lies Seek Shadows” can be read in 99 Fleeting Fantasies, an anthology of fantasy flash fiction. In this story, a particular kind of seer is asked to answer a thorny question, and the customer is definitely not always right. I wrote this one a long time ago, inspired by some events that were current at the time, and it was nice that it found a home in this great book.
That’s it! Unless I memory holed something, which is entirely possible.
And of course, if you happen to be reading this for award eligibility reasons, may I humbly ask that you consider Escape Pod for best semiprozine or best podcast or whatever similar category it might fit, and Mur Lafferty and myself as best editors of the short form variety. We work pretty dang hard to bring you some truly awesome fiction on a weekly basis, along with our amazing teams of editors and producers, and so do all the folks in our sibling podcasts at Escape Artists.
What about 2025, you may ask? We shall see what unfolds…