Friends who are familiar with my writing know that some themes tend to come up again and again in my stories. Two such themes are family and memory. I decided to dig around on the topic of why I find human memory so fascinating in this blog post that appeared in Analog's blog, The Astounding Analog Companion. It was published as a companion piece to my…
It's always a good day when I get to share a piece of writing that's new and finished and ready for the world to see! I am honored to announce that my SF short story "Recollection" appears in the March/April edition of Analog! Memory tech, water shortages, and the ethical challenges of a civil servant in a post-apocalyptic desert world. https://www.analogsf.com/ How to buy: Support your…
I'm pleased to present you with a new story for the new year! "Drowned Prison" appears in Galaxy's Edge #48 and is now available! I get to share this issue with talented and established SFF authors as well as with Kai Wolden and Mica Scotti Kole, two fellow Writers of the Future authors from WOTF 35. My story is a mystery set in a rather creepy…
I love magic tricks. Card tricks, sleight of hand, people disappearing into boxes and slipping out of chains. I don’t understand any of them, but I love them. Even though the astonishment I experience makes me feel a bit stupid and crazy, I usually I end up laughing because I’m so perplexed by what the illusionist just did right in front of my eyes. Last year,…
Secrets, injustice, and magical paintings that carry the emotions of the painter. As some of you know, I have more than one novel brewing in the back of my head. One such novel idea, which I have yet to fully outline, has in the meantime trickled out into several fantasy short stories. One day, I hope to write the novel itself! But if you want a…
“Honey, is there anything else I can do for you?” My miserable six-year-old looked at me with tears in his eyes. “Snuggle me.” The morning had begun with an announcement from my kiddo that his tummy didn’t feel good. For the next five hours, we attempted a semblance of our regular morning schedule, punctuated about ten times with rushing-to-the-bathroom episodes. This may be the sickest my…
I have never done this before. I have never been eligible before this year! These two short stories of mine were professionally published, and thus are eligible during this season of writing award nominations. Here's where you can find them: UNTRAINED LUCK - In Writers of the Future Volume 35, buy it from Galaxy Press here / buy it from Amazon here. INHERITANCE - in Escape…
You’ll find yourself among “our kind of people,” my friend told me as he described what it would be like to attend World Fantasy Con. Just the presence of “world” in the title was enough to intimidate me. I’ve been to a handful of conferences before, and I usually feel small and overwhelmed by both the crowds and the amount of information being poured across my…
Today’s post is short! Because the link I’m going to share will take you to my recently launched Patreon page and there you can listen to the short video I recorded on my Elise Stephens Patreon Page. Basically, I’m creating a way for friends and fans to support the writing I’m doing. I've encountered many lovely people who want to help support my writing, but aren’t…
Lake Kachess, WA Pebbles grind beneath my shoes on a rocky beach overlooking the blue-green waters of Lake Kachess. The clouds are clean white and bunched, like someone pushed them together to bulk up their size, then puffed them up using a straw. One cloud strongly resembles a charging elephant—how long has it been since I looked for shapes in the clouds, and for only my…