PERCEPTION AS TRUTH
What if the sky was made of Papier-mâché
and the land a giant bathtub
with its stopper in New Zealand?
And what if the lines of latitude
were rings of wire suspending the paper dome
above the earth?
What if it’s all illusion and we’re simply make believe
and our eyes are telling us
what they perceive to be the truth?
What does it really matter?Why do we even care?
—
Leilanie Stewart © 2017
First published in Neon Highway Issue 19.
This week marks a major milestone in my writing career: after 5 drafts and a concept that was born 4 years ago, my fantasy novel is finally out on submission. Considering that over the past 4 months, we (Joseph Robert and I) have had a newborn and a house move to contend with, this has been no easy feat.
At the moment, I’m looking for both literary agents and fantasy publishers who read unsolicited manuscripts. Whilst there remain clear benefits to self-publishing certain types of novel – crime novels or erotica spring to mind – I’m still of the opinion that traditional publishing is the best route for debut novels of other genres. Knowing how to market and promote your book can only take an unknown author striking out on their own so far. Ideally, my aim is for my work to reach the widest possible audience; for me, that involves leaving it to the pros. In any event, I’ll be updating on the progress in forthcoming posts. Here’s hoping!
Just in time for Halloween, Joseph Robert has a new short story published in Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine Fall 2017.
His story, A Life in Books, appears on page 54. This is a good creepy one with a surprise ending. The morgue photo appearing on the last page of his work is a good fit for the piece…but no more spoilers! You can buy a copy from the link highlighted above or at editor Cinsearae S. Santiago’s Createspace page for the magazine.
The London Plane
Leilanie Stewart © 2017
Gladys put both hands on the tree and pulled herself up from the ground. She could see the waning moon through the bare branches. The sky was indigo blue, her favourite colour. The great artist had painted it all for her. She felt it.
“I was here before. I touched this tree once.”
Once, under a tranquil sky.
Her knees were still bleeding. She could see grit and fragments of leaves stuck to the grazed flesh. There was nothing she could do for now. More important things mattered. Like finding out how to get home.
She could feel the bark cracked and dry beneath her splayed fingers. As she stepped back, she let go of the trunk and looked at the medley of colours; brown, red, yellow like flax. There was a tree exactly like it outside her apartment back in England. A London Plane. A beautiful tree. Her favourite. She loved how they shed their outer bark in layers to reveal a multitude of colours beneath. A divine way to rid themselves of pollution.
Impulse overcame her. Her fingers worked like pale crabs, scuttling across the woody surface, peeling flakes from the tree. Fresh bark showed underneath the dead dregs of autumn. Around the trunk she walked, tearing at the tree. As the last flake of old fell, impulse gave way to addiction. Slivers of new green growth fell atop the pile of dead bark.
The trunk became thinner as she worked and Gladys noticed too that it was changing shape. As she peeled, the branches fell around her, exposing the nakedness of the moon. The tree was now a stump of its former self, standing barely five inches above her height. She pulled from the top, ripping lignin strands like threads of celery, until a dome appeared. Running her hands over the smooth surface following the line of the wood, she saw two distinct broad mounds, like shoulders. Yes, the shape she had carved was definitely human. Male.
Carved? Or revealed?
~END OF EXCERPT~
(November 2022: This story will be included in a short story collection soon to be published in 2023. Check back for more soon!)
The London Plane – First published in Monomyth Magazine Volume 10.1 (Atlantean Publishing, 2010)
Joseph Robert and I will be taking a writing – and online – hiatus for a short while as we contend with other exciting life events. Nevertheless, do keep stopping by to check our recent literary endeavours to date and we hope to be back with you again soon!
This post is technically a month overdue (no pun intended, considering I am on maternity leave), but between being busy with two author interviews for Too Full to Write and Lagan Online, as well as publishing Issue 6 of Bindweed Magazine and promoting my recently published novelette in Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine Summer 2017, updates on my novel pursuits have taken rather a backseat. So here goes:
Why Lulu is great for printing proof copies:
I finished my final draft on 30 June. Since I was so immersed in the story and knew it would be hard to read objectively for typos and inconsistencies, etc, I decided to print a proof copy on Lulu.com. My thinking behind this was that if it looks like a finished novel, it would be easier to read as a book rather than a manuscript draft, and less tempting to write all over with pen. I’ll admit, I did end up doing the latter when I decided to tweak the ending after all that, but the reading part still stands. Lulu is great for printing for several reasons:
1) It’s simple to use. Keep reading below for more info on this.
2) The books are of professional quality with a solid binding for a low price.
3) You can choose to print without publishing the book.
4) You have a lovely keepsake of your book whether it goes on to be published or not.
Here I am enjoying my proof copy in the park: Continue reading
This month has been a busy one for interviews: my second appearance is on website, Too Full to Write, hosted by author and entrepreneur, David Ellis. Rather than wearing my editor and publishing hat as I did earlier in the month, when Joseph Robert and I were jointly interviewed for Bindweed Magazine by Lagan Online, this one focuses on my own writing career and creative inspirations. I also add a few aspiring author tips for anyone thinking of getting into the business side of poetry or fiction. Enjoy!
This month my novelette, Til Death do us Boneapart, is published in Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine Summer 2017. I’m excited to see this story in print for a couple of reasons:
1. It’s my first novelette publication (my prose publications to date have been flash fiction and short stories in magazines worldwide and my satirical novella, Zombie Reflux from Meandi Books in 2014).
2. It’s a literary hybrid, mixing elements of horror, humour and romance into the tale (or tail if you like, since the protagonist is an ancient Egyptian mummified cat!), which is great for my writing CV, since I’ve just finished my urban fantasy novel that also combines a few of those elements.
My story appears on page 68 of the issue, which you can buy at the Amazon link above for the magazine. It’s told from the point of view of a mummified cat who is possessed by the spirit of the Ancient Egyptian cat deity, Bastet. She’s on a quest to be reunited with her long lost owner of two millennia, Nephthys.
Hope you enjoy it!
In May this year, I wrote a post announcing that my writer hubby, Joseph Robert, and I were jointly published in the ‘Inane Pure Slush Volume 14’ anthology published by Australia based, Pure Slush books. The anthology is now available as an Ebook on Google Books. Here are the links to read our individual stories:
Fear of the Mould by Leilanie Stewart – Page 120: Inane Pure Slush Volume 14
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This Really Happened by Joseph Robert – Page 51: Inane Pure Slush Volume 14
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Of course, if you want to buy a print copy, it’s available too from Pure Slush Books at Lulu.
This month, Joseph Robert and I were interviewed for Bindweed Magazine at Lagan Online. We answered 7 questions related to our editorial decisions and process focusing on our family-run magazine and sub-strand, Heavenly Flower Publishing.
Do check out the interview for more insight into our work as co-editors of Bindweed Magazine. You can also find other great literary resources including links to Literary Journals and Publications within Ireland via the Lagan Online website, so it’s well worth a good browse.
Enjoy!
Leilanie Stewart 