The Mormon Steampunk anthology Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel is now available on Amazon. I have a story in it called “The Miracle of the Gulls” based on the true story of Olive Oatman (although, as this is a steampunk story featuring mechanical men and zeppelins, I’m obviously using “based on a true story” in the loosest possible sense.)

I read Olive Oatman’s 1857 biography for research and included a lot of the old-fashioned words I found there which hopefully makes the story stand out a bit. I’ve got to say I loved working with editor John M. Olsen. His suggestions certainly improved the story overall.

Here’s a little blurb to give you an idea what the story’s about:

Swarms of mechanical locusts descend on Deseret, destroying farms in the process. Thomas Durant, the man who is building the new railroad, is only too happy to buy up these now worthless patches of land when a mysterious figure named Olive Oatman arrives in town, fresh off the zeppelin. She’s searching for her long lost brother, but where has she been for the last five years? Why does she keep her face covered? What other secrets is she hiding? Will she be the one who can finally stop the locusts?

And here’s the table of contents:

New Year’s has long been my favorite holiday. I like that you don’t have to stress out about trying to buy the perfect present as with Christmas or the other present-based holidays throughout the year. You don’t have to make awkward small talk with distant relatives like on Thanksgiving. Halloween is fun, but worring about trying to get the right costume is still stressful.

No, with New Year’s, you don’t have to do anything. Just celebrate in your own way and stay up until midnight if you want. It’s like a reward we all get for making it through the stressful holidays. And unlike the Fourth of July, you get the next day off to sleep in, so you’re not punished for staying up to watch fireworks by having to wake up early for work the next day.

I also like the feeling that we can all get a fresh start in the new year. It’s a good feeling. I guess making resolutions can be stressful, but those are optional. I didn’t make any this year.

On Christmas Eve this year, I received a rejection letter for a story I put a lot of work into and wrote specifically for one specific magazine. (Editors, don’t do this. Please wait until the day after Christmas to send out rejection letters.) It put a damper on the whole holiday. But on New Year’s this year? I got two acceptances! See. A much better holiday.

One of my stories was accepted by the recently resurrected Gallows Hill Magazine. In fact, I have the honor of being the first author to be featured on their new Fiction Fridays segment with my flash fiction horror story Three Views of a Dentist. Just looking at the picture they picked to accompany it gives me the creeps. Check it out and give it a like if you think it’s worthy.

I’ll tell you more about the other story that was accepted in a future post.

Anyway, Happy New Year’s!