September Author Updates

Life Updates: Went to a 10 Things I Hate About You screening at the high school where it was set, my afro is getting really long, the salmon came through Olympia, and I got a kayak for my birthday.

September was such a great month for me! I got to hold my published copy of the new Interzone Magazine issue my short story ‘Building Blocks’ appears in. ‘Building Blocks’ is a science fantasy story that is all vibes. It follows the main character Versa as they go through a work day on a magical home construction team. Throughout the story Versa misses and thinks of home on the moon where they lived in a colony very unlike the village on Earth they live in now. Everything from the way people interact with and treat each other and how they think about and build homes.

‘Building Blocks’ is my attempt at writing a story that doesn’t have conflict or stakes. There are no big bads. Just Versa, their work crew, and their feelings about home and self. It’s one of the more literary speculative fiction stories I’ve ever written. It also is one of my increasingly few non-horror or dark stories. There’s no gore here, whatsoever. I’ve been told the story’s prose is gorgeous and poetic. I get into it more over on the Interzone Pod, where the editor of the magazine, Gareth, interviews me about writing, editing, and the story.

‘Building Blocks’ was also one of my sample stories I sent off for grad school at Bennington. I think I’ve mentioned it before on here, but if you haven’t been following me on my other channels I got some news! I applied to and got into grad school! I’ve been applying to MFA in Fiction programs and heard back from one in September with a yes and a scholarship. I’m drafting a longer post about the whole process that I’m hoping to have out next month, but for now here’s the short of it.

I want to be the best at what I do. And for me, to do that, I need the help and teaching I’d get through an MFA program. I know most people use it as a way to get their foot in the door of publishing and to have time to fully dedicate to writing, but I’ve been fully dedicating myself to writing and publishing for going on a decade now. And I’m good. I get that, but I want to be better, faster, stronger.

The way I want to teach and talk about writing and story needs a bit of masterful study. My stories need a harder push and challenge in a direction that will make them and me better in a way that is so shocking and wonderful that it’s undeniable. I’m honestly blown away that I got into Bennington. In my head, I had it that I would have to apply multiple years before I got into a program because that’s just the way things work with MFAs and grad school in general. Getting into grad school isn’t easy. My plan is to start next year in fall or spring depending on what program I go to.

Until then (and honestly, even during) I’m still focusing on my writing and career.

Some reviews have started to come out for Monstrous Futures, that has my horror scifi story ‘How I Creak for You.’ The story gets a special shout out in Gabino Iglesias review for Locus. He calls my story, the “one of the strangest, creepiest stories in the anthology.” For me, that’s high praise. Monstrous Futures, if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, is a Black Mirror-esque horror anthology focusing on science fiction horror stories about the near future. All of the stories are disturbing and interesting and original, so getting that review means a lot to me.

I will also have a new horror story out in Nightmare Magazine in November! I’m excited to share that with readers once its out. I’m also working on edits still for my novelette about mental health and suicide among children. Originally, I wanted to have it done by the end of October so I could send it off to an open call. But I’ve decided to take my time with the piece and do some more reading and research before performing my final round of edits. I’m proud of the responses I’ve gotten so far from readers and friends I’ve shared the story with. It makes me want to keep working on the piece to really refine it before submitting it out.

There’s a new edition to my author newsletter, Writing Skins, that’s for readers and fans of storytelling. It’s an author memoir book club, where me and subscribers of the newsletter will read an author’s memoir together and discuss it. I’ll also be writing a review or reflection on my reading experience with each of the books, as well. It’s a new idea and I’m looking forward to trying it out. It’s bound to change shape as we get more into the book club. My plan is to start it next year! You can find more details about it here.

I’m still working on plotting out my horror thriller and am a little over half way through with my final character plotline. It’s strange to read through such a long outline of the book and see the story in its entirety (almost) but not have a single word written toward the actual story. To help with the development and design of the plotline, I’ve been working on character profiles and setting descriptions. Together, they allow me to craft a plot that feels like its connected to a real world and people.

Time will tell if that will help the story and my drafting of it. I think it will, but you never know with writing.

Published Stories:

If you’re new to the website, consider subscribing to stay up to date with all my posts. I normally post once or twice a month and it’s always about writing and my author career. I’m Aigner! An award nominated writer of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and all things weird. You can check out my stories here.