Very happy to report that one of my fresh, new, post-Dropverse fics has been published: The Good Deaths, Part II .

The magazine folks at Beneath Ceaseless Skies also very kindly turned it into a podcast - wonderfully read by Tina Connolly (who I understand is from Kansas! like the main character!). Seriously, her reading is amazing. I kinda freaked out.

The story is historical speculative fiction, partly inspired by Ted Chiang's masterful (Hugo/Nebula-winning!) Hell is the Absence of God, partly inspired by Deadwood, greatly inspired by the sociological history of death in the Civil War by Drew Faust (This Republic of Suffering), and partly influenced by my unrelenting Orientalism (womp)! I kid on that last bit! Sort of.

Anyway, I liked Ted's brilliant idea of a world where religious beliefs are literally true: and I liked having people still being "atheists" in such a world. (Because come on, some things doesn't prove all the things, right?)

The character of Suttner is my atheist stand-in, though in his world, Tibetan Buddhism (reincarnation, numerous realms, karma, etc.) is literally true. Suttner's also second banana in this story (though he stars in The Good Deaths, Part I - out someday, I hope). In this: the wonderful, outrageous, heroic Carrie Nation is the star. And maybe should be the star of everything?

I love this character. I loved writing her. She was completely unlike anyone I'd ever written. She was completely unlike anyone I've ever known. She was a gigantic breath of fresh air. Carrie Nation's Adventures next? Carrie Nation in space? Seriously, this lady.

She's actually a real person, who lived in the 19th century and, yes, smashed up bars. Apparently that was a thing. An intense, fiersome lady, pre-Prohibition, church-lady-gone-crazy thing. Anyway, the main points of Good Death's Carrie's life are the same as actual Carrie: the "God talks to me" stuff, the hatchets, the bars, the alcoholic first husband. An amazing life! Trying to get inside that head was heaps of fun.

Going forward, I'm hoping to publish a few more from this verse (CW-verse? Buddhist Americana-verse?). Or other stuff! Who knows.

In the meantime, I'm proud of this fic, and so I hope one or two folks read it (I always wonder about the hit counts on these things... :)). And I can leave the best remark a writer can leave: I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!