Check out these great new stories over at OMAM. All of these are flash fiction, so they are quick and easy reads.
Reads: 3 More Free Stories for You
Category: Uncategorized
Letter from the Editor
We are actively looking for new content and other support. Check here for my preferences as an editor, most of which are the same as others. These tips will help you clean up your manuscripts and cover letters, whether you’re submitting to me at OMAM or something fancy like Asimov’s.
We’ve been up and running for three months now, and I am getting a steady stream of submissions at this point. I’ve received about an even balance of short story and novel pitches, but not many offers for other things. (Hint: We need beta readers!)
I wanted to take the time to address some common issues, as well as offer some general tips on submitting to publishers–whether to OMAM or others.
I know that our “write with us” page does not provide specific guidelines. That omission is purposeful, as I like the initial interaction between myself and new authors to be first and foremost about us as people, not about the work. I am also willing to assist a novice writer through the submission process.
But what do you provide, whether that be a cover letter, a synopsis, or a manuscript, reveals a lot about you as an author and…
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NEWS: Proofing Some Paperbacks
Been working on new paperbacks of our recent releases.
So far, all of our releases have been ebooks, most on Kindle, but a few with wider distribution. I know that not every reader prefers, or even accepts the ebook format. Some folks prefer prints. And who can blame them? There’s something to the tactile feel of a book in your hand, the smell of the printed page.
Well, if you’re one of those readers, you might like to know that I have been working on building paperbacks for some of our main volumes. Paperbacks just take a lot more work than ebooks do–the formatting, setting the covers, etc. One nice thing that KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) offers is the ability to order proof copies of your paperbacks, even if they are still unpublished drafts.
So here we are.
I also have a proof copy of DANGEROUS GAMES, but a buddy asked to read it. Couldn’t deny such a…
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News: More Free Stories
We’ve got a lot of free content on the site now, and it’s only growing. Reach out if you’d like to send us a story. Currently, I can offer token pay.
Hi, everyone. I’ve been messing around with our “free reads” page, and I think I reconfigured it to be a bit more user friendly. Stories will no longer appear on the blog, but will rather be uploaded as static pages. Keep an eye on the “free reads” page for new stories, but I will also post the occasional update here.
Since here at OMAM we emphasize shared fantasy universes, I’ve separated all our free stories by which setting they take place in. Some of these, such as the OMAM CORE stories, are supplemental material to develop the worlds of our novels. And today, I’ve also added two new stories under the heading “Stories of the Sun Tribe.”
What do you think of those two quick and dirty covers I made? These two related stories are ones that I had published in other anthologies, long ago. Actually, they are probably two…
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OMAM NEWS: Full Valley of Magic Series on Sale
My full Valley of Magic series is now all in one place on Amazon. I’ll be working on paperbacks next month for the novel and novella. If you’d like a paperback of The Adventures of Iric, contact me. I’ve got a few of the previous editions still lying around.
Just in time for the new year!
With the republication of IN THE VALLEY OF MAGIC, my debut novel from a couple years back, you can now purchase the entire “Valley of Magic” series on Amazon. The whole package now includes a flash fiction collection, a flash-based novella, and a short story novel.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I came up as a writer doing short fiction, and continued with that format when I started writing professionally. All the books in the Valley of Magic series are composed of, or inspired by, short fiction. And you can get them all now on Amazon.
For a brief synopsis of the novel and cornerstone of the series, IN THE VALLEY OF MAGIC, I’ll refer you to one of the review comments from the first edition:
“JM Williams has written what he calls a short-story-novel. There is no single, main…
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NEWS: OMAM Year One Compendium Now Available (For Free)
If you’re looking for a risk-free option to see what my indie press has going on, this is your chance! Even free on Amazon! That took some work on my part, I’ll tell you.
Here at Of Metal and Magic Publishing, we’ve hit the ground running in our first month of operation. We’ve already got four books for sale, with at least one more coming by the end of the month–the re-release of my short story novel In the Valley of Magic under the OMAM branding. We’ve also got several stories you can read for free, right here on the site.
Adding to that free content, I am happy to announce that we have published a free sampler of the CORE novels we are releasing next year. This book contains the first chapters (or episodes, as we call them in our CORE books) of six upcoming novels, including:
- Call of the Guardian, by JM Williams
- Pariah’s Lament, by Richie Billing
- Scion of the Oracle, by E.A. Robins
- To Wield the Stars, by Douglas W. T. Smith
- The…
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REBLOG: A New Name in Fantasy
Further detail on this whole indie press thing.
“To name oneself is the first act of both the poet and the revolutionary.” – Erica Jong
I have traveled to galaxies, far, far away, and visited strange flat worlds, gliding through space on the back of giant turtles. I have visited hobbits in their little holes, elves in their great trees, and dwarves in their deep caves. I have confronted dragons, gods of war, and even The Nothing.
As a child, I took up my sword and recited the Knight’s Code.
Come on, you know the rest.
But my thirst for adventure could never be sated. To fill that ever-growing need for magic and wonder, I began creating my own stories. At first, I borrowed and stole from my favorite tales, but eventually, and with much encouragement, I started to craft my own worlds.
Afterall, isn’t that what fantasy is all about—discovering new…
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REBLOG: JM Williams, an ON TIME Author Interview
Thanks, Transmundane, for the fun interview! If you'd like to get to know me a little better, or get a sneak peak at the story I have in the upcoming ON TIME anthology by Transmundane Press, head over to their site. It's a very lovely website, if I may say so.
Monstrous Regiment Revisited
I’m about to revisit one of my favorite Discworld novels, “Monstrous Regiment,” after deciding I am in need of some lighter reading. So here’s a look back at what I had to say the first time I read (or rather listened to) the book.
I haven’t enjoyed a Terry Pratchett book in a good long while. Maybe it will provide some much needed catharsis. I’ll let you all know how the second trip through these pages goes.
~JM
I don’t think I have ever been so sad to finish a book. I wanted it to keep going; I was attached to the characters and their story. The book in question was Terry Pratchett’s Monstrous Regiment. I simply love the Discworld series. Pratchett is a master storyteller and he only got better with time. Book #31 is now one of my favorites. Sad that the man is no longer with us to give us more of these great stories.
Mild SPOILER ALERT for the content below. I will try to avoid telling too many of the book’s secrets, if I can.
This post is about male authors and their female characters. That is the core concept of Montrous Regiment, a tale of women adopting male gender roles and doing better than the men they emulate. The story centers on a group of women who enlist in the army disguised…
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Is Reading Facing an Existential Crisis?
Another great post by my associate, Richie Billing. Is the novel dead? I don’t think so. Is it changing? Is reading as a concept evolving? Absolutely. What readers want in a novel has markedly changed (a modern focus on characters versus concept), as have reading habits (Kindle unlimited, short stories, audio books and webcasts).
This is the transcript for the episode of The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed podcast of the same title. You can listen to the episode by clicking the links below.
Spotify >> https://spoti.fi/2FmzHPL
Podbean >> http://bit.ly/2PhfEIi
iTunes >> https://apple.co/38CTqrS
TuneIn >> http://bit.ly/2MPJiTl
Google Play >> http://bit.ly/2EhBxB2
YouTube >> http://bit.ly/39Dl3RY
Ello everyone. Firstly, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the festive period. I certainly did. It’s just Richie here today. Flying solo. And I’m going to talk about something that piqued my interest about a month ago.
I saw a blog post by a sci-fi book reviewer named Damien Walter. Now Walter used to write reviews for The Guardian newspaper, amongst a few other prestigious magazines. He’s a guy at the top of his field. In his post, Walter explains how he’s fallen out of love with the novel. That for him, it’s lost that magical…
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JM Williams 