My story this week is good news–a worthy topic by itself. And I do have a story for you to read. You just have to go to Fantasia Divinity to check it out.
August is shaping up to be an excellent month. Fantasia Divinity published my short story, “Unicorn,” which is a tale of the horned immortal, but his immortality carries a high price. You can read it free here: http://fantasiadivinitymagazine.myfreesites.net/issue-1-august-2016.
And Story Emporium: Purveyors of Steampunk and Weird Western Adventure published my flash fiction, “Candle in the Dark,” in their latest anthology. It’s probably the most compelling ghost story I’ve ever written, and it clocks in at only 150 words. The comments I got in Absolute Write‘s Share Your Work forum were priceless. My favorite: “Thanks, Cathleen–I was just getting ready to go to bed. Now I get to stare at the walls.”
I really shouldn’t be so stoked over giving a dear friend insomnia. But hey, you can sleep anytime. And I’m sure someone will get even. I critique there, too. 🙂
I’m working on writing a story, too, but it’s a sad one, so it’s going slowly. Funny tales, or those motivated by anger, blaze out of me, quite often in a single sitting. Even scary stories can quite often be written quickly, since it’s impossible for me to scare myself. But tales where my tears fall as I type take some time. I can only pour out so much at once.
It’s probably just as well. I don’t think many people want to read a collection of stories that make them cry. If nothing else, you might run out of Kleenex reading them. I emptied a box the first time I had to kill a character.
Writer’s egos are such fragile little things, so the validation of trade publication means a great deal to me. Thanks for letting me share it with you. 🙂
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
Awesome news. Cheers, Cathleen! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Bette. 🙂
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Great twist on a traditional unicorn!
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Thanks so much. I’m glad you liked it. Unicorn was actually a hard story for me to write.
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Thanks for sharing this, Cathleen. Have a lovely weekend. Jo
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Thanks back at ya, Jo. Hope your weekend is both productive and pleasant. 🙂
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Fun-fan-tastic, Cathleen. Congratulations. I haven’t been much into fantasy but I so enjoyed the unicorn story. Can’t help smiling. ❤ 😀
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Thanks so much, Tess. That story was a hard one to write. I knew how it was going to end, so I had to take breaks from writing because of the sorrow pressing in on me.
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❤ ❤ I know what you mean and congratulations a.g.a.i.n.
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Congrats on the publications, Cathleen. You’ve had a great month and It’s only the 5th! 😀 I’m going to head over and read Unicorn.
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Thanks, Diana. Yeah, I should really get on the ball and submit more. This seems to be a lucky month. 🙂
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Brava, Cathleen. Not only am I beaming for your success, I’m chuckling from the delighted tone of this post. How sweet to write to someone feeling really good about herself. Keep on with the excellent work.
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I just read Unicorn, Cathleen – what a compelling story. To question what is human, what is worthy, what can be sacrificed, what should be saved – essential questions for all of us to consider. Totally immersed while I read it.
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Thanks so much, Sharon. It was a hard story to write because it was so sad, but I liked it quite well when I finished it.
And I was feeling pretty good when I wrote this. Sometimes, it’s just nice to share happy news. Hopefully, it will give everyone a little more hope. I’m getting published, and I’m not even remotely famous. 🙂
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Congrats
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Thanks. 🙂
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That is wonderful, Cathleen. Congratulations 😀
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Thanks so much. I’m hoping for a little more hope spreading through the blogosphere. Hey, we can all get published and throw confetti. 🙂
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