Sale and Snippets
Earlier this week, I got the official acceptance for my story “Corrupted,” which will be in the anthology THE MODERN FAE’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier.
To celebrate, have a pair of snippets. I’ve posted a bit from the short story beneath the cut, along with a bonus piece from LIBRIOMANCER.
From “Corrupted”
I needed three things if I was going to have any hope of saving this city: one empty detergent bottle, one magazine clipping of Zoe Saldana from Star Trek, and one stolen child.
The idea of taking the kid bothered me. I despised playing into fairy stereotypes. Larry would tease me about it for years.
After he got over the fact that I had kidnapped a four-year-old, I mean.
From LIBRIOMANCER
I kept the Triumph three miles below the speed limit. Partly because the car didn’t do too well above seventy, but mostly because we couldn’t afford to get pulled over with the number of weapons Lena had packed. Shotgun, handguns, swords and knives, and a pair of old baseball bats were all neatly laid out in the trunk.
Smudge sat on the dashboard, reminding me a little of those dancing hula girls as he turned to and fro, watching the passing cars. Driving fascinated the little spider. I had never figured out exactly why, but he was happy there, and in the winter he helped keep my windshield defrosted.
Anita K.
March 10, 2011 @ 9:55 am
I am terrified of spiders, but I still want a little hula-Smudge! 😀
Jim C. Hines
March 10, 2011 @ 10:23 am
That would be awesome! I wonder if there’s anywhere that does custom dashboard toys…
Ali
March 10, 2011 @ 1:47 pm
Those were two very amusing snippets! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 I really like the voice of CORRUPTED. Then again, I’m a sucker for a faerie story.
Jim C. Hines
March 10, 2011 @ 1:50 pm
Thanks! I’m really pleased with how that story turned out, especially considering how much I struggled with the early drafts.
Jackie (Literary Escapism)
March 10, 2011 @ 7:48 pm
Now that you’ve teased us, when does the anthology come out?
Jim C. Hines
March 10, 2011 @ 8:19 pm
Hi Jackie! I … don’t actually know. It’s going to be one of DAW’s monthly anthologies, and I heard rumors about 2012, but I have no real info on the release date. I’ll probably post an update when I know more.
Jackie (Literary Escapism)
March 10, 2011 @ 9:26 pm
Thanks! 2012 still works. *grin* I’m adding the anthology to my list of upcoming novels and I wanted to make sure I added it to the right year. There’s still a lot of 2011 left yet so I didn’t want to automatically assume 2012.
Teresa
March 10, 2011 @ 10:23 pm
Woo Smudge!
Thanks for the fun snippets. Both sound most excellent! *cue air guitar*
Ali
March 11, 2011 @ 8:20 am
Early drafts can be evil. Wasn’t it Stephen King who said, “The first draft of anything is crap?” Because I tell myself that on the days where the first draft seems to resemble Frankenstein’s monster. 😉