Rebecca A. Demarest's Blog

Since I became the local expert in Elsie Olmstead, I’ve had a few folks reach out to chat, but this might be the most fun one yet. KUOW reporter Kate Walters contacted me as she was working on a small feature about Elsie for the 90th anniversary of the fall of Prohibition and we had a lovely long conversation. You can listen to the story here on the KUOW site, or on their app!

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It definitely inspired me to keep working on the projects involving her stories, including a play she features in, a historical fiction novel, and an essay about the facts we can solidly identify about the rumors surrounding her. I hope to have some updates about those soon!

And another story published this week! Check out “The Walrus Whistles at Midnight,” in Tumbled Tales, a new anthology from Wandering Waves Press. It’s a noir mystery set in a ocean station future, and yes, it does feature something about walruses…check it out!

Good news, everyone! I have a new story out today!

“L0CK&K3Y” is a cyberpunk reimagining of a Sherlock Holmes story, set in the ambiguous future. Some days I think it’s really far away still, and others it seems all too close. Lock is up against one of their least favorite criminals–blackmailers–and Watts is ever by their side, assisting and learning as always.

It releases today in the newest edition of Hyphen Punk and you can get it wherever you get your ebooks, including Amazon.

As some of you already know, I’ve been working on a story for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) that is being used as a fundraiser for the organization. It’s a 30 day storytelling journey, where you receive an update about what you, a crew member on a journey to explore an exoplanet, have been up to. There’s the possibility of being randomly assigned the Captain, a scientist on the ship, a scientist on the away mission to the planet’s surface, or a marine sent as backup with the away mission. Fair warning, your character can, and just might, die on this mission. There are a limited number of tickets, so if you want one, get it now! Only $19 and it goes to fund more amazing research. 

First, a disclaimer: Annie Carl is a friend of mine who runs the Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds, WA. That said, I don’t hold punches on my friends’ work when it comes to review time!

What happens when you aren’t compatible with the things society dictates as the norm? This is a question that haunts Annie Carl’s novella, “Nebula Vibrations,” wherein our main character awakens far in the future as a test subject on a generation ship. She had been a rancher back on earth, a woman who was set apart from the rest of the population for her inability to tolerate an ident-chip, which makes her useful now.

Annie’s take on unexpected space adventure is fresh and sarcastic, full of biting commentary on the direction of humanity. It’s a witty rollercoaster full of realistic and painful emotions, while at the same time staying level headed and logical. I definitely recommend picking up this story if you’d like a burst of humanity along with your sci-fi.

This is a wonderful story, and I’m so glad it’s finally out and I get to demand all of you read it! And if you like it, you’ll love Annie’s recommendations in shop or on her Bookshop.org portal. Support your local bookstore!

When I saw the call go out for stories based on and reinterpreting those captivating movies directed by Hitchcock, I knew I was in. But I didn’t want to go with any of the popular standards, no matter how much I loved them, as I figured those would be the first go-tos of most of the writers. Instead, I dug a bit into Hitchcock and his career (that is a place of SAG violations and therapy bills, let me tell you!) and decided to dig out one of Hitchcock’s oldest movies to dust off: “The Lodger.” As a silent film, it takes more patience and concentration to enjoy, but the stories behind the film and its adaptation from the novel of the same name, caught my imagination and I felt called to retell the story from the perspective of the most important character: the young woman at the heart of everyone’s attention.

[image error] June Tripp as Daisy in “The Lodger” (1927)

I was thrilled when Black Beacon Books picked the story up for inclusion in their anthology, especially when I saw the quality of some of the other stories. Right now, it’s available for pre-order, and we’d love to goose it up the booklists on Amazon before its release on October 29th, so if you want a spooky story set to get you going, get yours now!

As a bonus, all the authors also did interviews about their work which are visible on Black Beacon Books’ facebook page, and mine is right here. I love the picture of me they chose for the author pic, too! Very thematically appropriate…

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Hey all! One of my absolute favorite stories got picked up for a YA Collection called Paradoxical Pets, which features stories about weird and unusual pets, with a definite sci-fi or fantasy setting. My story is Redgie’s origin story, a super smart octopus sidekick in a longer work I’ve been puttering around for a long time. Right now, they’re doing a pre-order of the collection through Kickstarter, and you should totally order your copy now! Don’t worry, the collection gets published whether they reach their goal or not, this just helps defray the cost of the brilliant illustrator they got who put together wonderful images of our pets. I can’t wait to see mine!

And look at this cover! How can you say no to that…

http://kck.st/3ehlLeP

Want to try National Novel Writing Month for the first time? Dooooo it! I’m here for you! What is NaNoWriMo you ask? It’s a chance for writers around the globe to try and write 50,000 words in one month. And if you didn’t know it, Seattle’s NaNoWriMo mascot is the Rubber Duck! I may have way too many ducks, and not enough all at the same time, so you’ll find me at write-ins around the city giving out ducks and competing in word sprints for new ones!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In an effort to help folks get set for the big months, here is a page I wrote ages ago with some pointers for world-building, plotting, and character creation. And if you want to connect with folks, here are some events I’m teaching/facilitating leading up to and during the big month!

I’m teaching a workshop called “A Scream is worth a 1,000 Words” with the Continuing Ed department at Shoreline Community College in person on the 29th. While it bills itself as horror, it is really focusing a lot on metaphors and usage of emotion and message in your stories, so it’s pretty useful across the board.The Shoreline CC Library and I are doing a free “PrepTober” session in person on 10/28 from 5-6 to talk about how to NaNoWriMo!Through November, we’ll be doing free in-person Write In Wednesdays at the library where you can come work on your NaNo story! (there will be rubber ducks)I’ll also be hosting virtual write-ins through the Neverending Bookshop on Saturdays and Thursdays. You can follow them on facebook for the links!

As always, I’ll be keeping you updated on my progress. I’ve got two big projects in the works for this month, one in cooperation with SETI (yes, alien searching SETI) and a sci-fi novel based around a delightful ship’s mechanic and a ring of unusual properties. (No. Not that kind of ring.)

Happy writing!

So! Fun news first: for the first time in a year and a half, I have a day job again. Yay! Trust me, the nonprofit world is BRUTAL right now for trying to get a gig in Seattle specifically. Don’t bother. There were 600 applicants for every 1 position in some cases. So. I went back to the corporate world (boo!) but for a truly cutting edge sci-fi company (yay!) doing people-y things (I understand the first few sentences of the theory before my brain goes to mush.)

With that said, my writing may slow down a bit, I won’t be quite as available to teach or coach, but I think this is the right move for me in this time. It’s a great team, at a really darn cool place, and we’ll see how long I can ride that wave. I HAVE sold 6 new stories, have a bunch that are in second round reading right now, and at last count…2 plays, 8 novels, and 5 novellas in the works, so don’t count me out just yet!

But now you want to know what I’ve been reading over the long silence since my last post. Well:

I recently read all of Charlie Jane Anders’ work, even the ARC of the sequel of her YA, and let me tell you…I’m working on a whole post just about her. For now, the rest of what I’ve been reading and enjoying is below. As always, any books I read and can’t stand go quietly into the night…

NonfictionLady Killers by Tori TelferNever Say You Can’t Survive by Charlie Jane AndersWriter to Writer by Gail Carson LevineThe Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald MaasSpellbound by Beauty by Donald SpotoThe Heroine’s Journey by Gail CarrigerSpec FicThe Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora GossThe Awesome by Eva DarrowsS by JJ Abrams and Doug DorstWarlock Holmes by G.S. DenningParasol Protectorate by Gail CarrigerWaypoint Kangaroo by Curtis C. ChenKilling Floor by Lee ChildLittle Thieves by Margaret OwenWinter Tide by Ruthanna EmrysAn Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank GreenVictories Greater than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane AndersA Dead Djinn in Cairo and the sequels by P. Djeli ClarkYou Sexy Thing by Cat RamboThe City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane AndersThe Hearts we Sold by Emily Lloyd JonesPrime Deceptions by Valerie ValdesRing Shout by P. Djeli ClarkNight of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham JonesMiranda and Caliban by Jacqueline CareyRocks Fall Everyone Dies by Lindsay RibarCurses by Lish McBrideStephen King’s The ShiningOil and Dust by Jami FairleighThe Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

I know I owe you some book recommendations (and I have a LOT pending right now) but it still needs to wait as I have been dealing with house-hunting, starting a new job, my husband starting a new job, closing on a house, fixing said house so it’s not a fire trap, packing to move into said house, and keeping up with edits from the SIX, that’s right, six stories that have been purchased recently.

The first one out is “Marinel” with Starry-Eyed Press’ new anthology Cosmic Convocation.

To put a cherry on top, I’m first up in the collection! I’ve also got an interview on their blog talking about my writing process and a little bit about the story if you are so inclined to read.

I’ll keep you posted about the other stories and when they go up. And as soon as we’ve moved, I’ll get this next round of book suggestions posted!