Category: book review

Release Day for Chromophobia!

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Rooster Republic Press surprised us with the early release for the trade paperback edition of Chromophobia: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women in Horror, edited by Sara Tantlinger, and featuring a story by moi, along with two dozen other lady horror writers!

Now Available!

While the pre-order window for the special hardcover edition has come and gone, you can still get your hands on the trade paperback version, rocking a brand new but no less intriguing cover for the amazing collection.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. In Kirkus’s review of the book, the anthology is described as

“a set of admirable stories featuring delicious twists, eerie creatures, and visceral imagery. They necessarily linger on assorted colors, befitting this anthology’s theme, but the prose throughout is vibrant in other ways. [..] It’s a fine sampling of an array of voices in the horror genre that will assuredly garner a bevy of new fans. Extraordinary tales of terror that are as grim as they are delightful.”

In the Editor’s Pick Booklife review, they say,

“An inventive anthology spotlighting women in horror and exploring the terror-inducing possibility of color, Chromophobia showcases the talents of new and veteran writers alike offering an eclectic mix of fresh horror stories as strange as they are inventive and unsettling.”

 

While the book will soon be rolling out to bookstores and other online platforms, you can get your copy now on Amazon. I can’t wait to get my hands on my own contributor copy. I hope you’ll enjoy my story “Gray Rock Method” as well as all the others within its pages!

Here, There, Everywhere

This past weekend was MileHiCon in Denver. I went for the first time and had a fantastic couple of days. I moderated a panel on writing short stories and one on dystopian fashion, and I really enjoyed the resulting conversations with my fellow panelists. Plus getting to see Connie Willis, Carrie Vaughn, Paolo Bacigalupi, and a bunch of friends from the NM writing community all in one place was wonderful.

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A view from the hotel lobby that reminded me of New Worth

MileHiCon is also the very last event I have planned for Implanted’s launch. Which would be sad if I wasn’t so exhausted from doing all the things these past few months. I cannot wait to get back to my old writing routine and the projects I’ve had to set aside. So it’s not so much an ending but another beginning, right?

I’ve already talked about the Implanted launch party and the joint event I did with Rebecca Roanhorse at BookBar. But a few weeks ago I also had an event at Bookworks in Albuquerque and another for my alma mater Clemson University.

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The Bookworks appearance was a lot of fun, and I got a chance to talk with some of the attendees and staff in greater depth than some of the other events I’ve done this year thanks to the welcoming space.

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Then, roughly a week later, I went back to Clemson where I went to undergrad. Thanks to Thompson Mefford who’s been a good friend all through college and beyond and is now a professor there, I was able to speak with aspiring writers in Clemson’s Honors College. I was a member of the Honors College as well back in the day, so it felt a little like coming full circle. I was super impressed by the enthusiasm and insightful questions the students had and hope they’ll keep writing!

In addition to all these events and convention appearances, I’ve also done a number posts around the interwebs. Latest highlights include:

Here’s a recap of some recent reviews of Implanted that make my heart happy. Needless to say I’m thrilled people are enjoying the book!

Having Faith Book Reviews | The Return Cart | Hopeless Bibliophile

The Albuquerque Science Fiction Society said in the October issue of ASFACTS that “Teffeau has created a fast-paced, exciting novel with great worldbuilding,” along with other nice things.

Plus in my first video review (!) Tod Foley of This is Fractopia also had some great things to say about Implanted and how it relates to fractopian fiction:

 

Finally, the audiobook version of Implanted (!) is finally out in the world. It’s narrated by Lauren Ezzo and produced by High Bridge Audio. I hope you’ll take a listen!

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That’s it for me!

One Week To Go!

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Did you know there’s only one week to go before Implanted is loosed upon the world?

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Things are rolling along–make that steamrolling–and I wanted to briefly check in before I head to Austin for ArmadilloCon later this week.

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I had a great time at RWA Nationals in Denver. It was intense, inspiring, and I left with lots of new contacts and things to think about. This is me (furthest on the right) and my New Mexico chaptermates having a blast:

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When I got back to town, the amazing Fran Wilde put together a worldbuilding roundtable with a group of awe-inspiring SF authors, including me, Mike Chen, Malka Older, Peng Shepard, and Tade Thompson. Check it out at Tor.com.

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I also got interviewed by the great team at Unreliable Narrators, where we talk about Implanted, the path to publication, and some of my influences. I had a lot of fun with their thoughtful questions.

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Finally, early reviews have been trickling in, which is gratifying to see. Even more so since people seem to like Implanted! Special thanks to all the reviewers who took a chance on a debut author.

Rainy Book Reviews | The Everlasting Library | Brian’s Book Blog | Elle Loughran | Splattergeist | The Literary License Podcast

Hopefully one of those convinced you to preorder the book, if you haven’t already!

Recent Oddments

Lots of things have been happening behind the scenes of late. Lots of writing (of course!) as well as editorial and administrative stuff to get my novel Implanted out into the world. But the busyness is helping to keep my nerves at bay as review copies are getting prepped and I start turning my attention to promotion.

In fact, I was recently interviewed by the wonderful people at the Breaking the Glass Slipper podcast, where I was able to talk about my influences in writing the book. I had a lot of fun with the questions, so be sure to check it out:

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In other news, my story “Glitch,” appearing in Shohola Press’s Abandoned Places anthology, got a shoutout by SFF Reviews, and they also liked the anthology overall, so that’s always good to hear.

Finally, a few weeks ago, I was able to participate in the Jack Williamson Lectureship, which is held at Eastern New Mexico University every year. S. M. Stirling was the guest of honor, and luminaries like Connie Willis and Walter Jon Williams were in attendance as well. Fellow NM authors Emily Mah and Sarena Ulibarri, who is also editor in chief of World Weaver Press, were also guests, and it was just plain fun to hang out and talk shop for the weekend with other SFF enthusiasts in the community.

 

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That’s it for me. Stay tuned!

Summer Roundup!

This summer has simply flown by, and I’m appalled we’re nearly halfway through August already. My writing has ebbed and flowed these past few weeks but I’ve been staying busy, even if it hasn’t always translated into words on the page. Behold:

June

To celebrate the release of The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirth by Roc, including my story “Against the Wind,” I participated in the anthology’s book launch in Santa Fe (which I talked about last time). There was also another author event a bit closer to home in Albuquerque at Page1 Books. I joined editor S.M. Stirling and fellow contributors Jane Lindskold, Emily Mah, Victor Milán, and John Jos. Miller.

Milan, Miller, Lindskold, Me (answering a question), Stirling, & Mah

Milan, Miller, Lindskold, Me (in orange), Stirling, & Mah at Page 1 Books in ABQ.

I’m so happy to be a part of this anthology, and am still thrilled with the review of my story in Open Letters Monthly.

July

I spent most of July on the East Coast, three weeks plus recovery time. There I visited with friends and family but also used the trip as an opportunity to attend Readercon in Boston. I’ve heard tremendous things about the convention over the years and decided my travel dollars would be better spent attending Readercon instead of this year’s Worldcon, which has been mired in controversy after controversy.

I had a wonderful time at Readercon, particularly the part where I got to hang out with some of my SF/F writing friends and make new ones. I was also able to meet Bart R. Leib and Kay T. Holt of Crossed Genres Magazine and thank them for not only publishing me twice in one of their anthologies as well as their magazine, but also giving me my first pro sale. So that was a special moment as well.

While I was in Boston, I also met with my agent Lana Popovic where, over a delightful lunch, we plotted world domination—er, rather discussed my next project. She’s closed to queries at the moment, but I highly recommend her if you are looking for an agent with a strong editorial eye and market savvy.

When I returned to New Mexico, I learned my short story “Jump Cut” published in the Journal of Unlikely Cryptography earlier this year had been nominated in Lady Business’s Short Fiction survey from Jan to March 2015.

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A heartfelt thanks to whoever nominated my story! I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know about this site, but I’ll be participating in the Lady Business’s quarterly recommendation periods to come, and I hope you will too!

Finally, the end of July saw the release of Vic Milán’s The Dinosaur Lords from Tor. I got a sneak peak of the book while it was being workshopped, and know you are in for a treat if you like Dinosaurs and epic medieval battles!

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August

This month has been thankfully quiet so far, allowing me to get back into my writing routine and get caught up on things. However, I’m looking forward to participating in my local convention Bubonicon at the end of the month.

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The theme this year is “Women of Wonder” with co-guests of honor Tamora Pierce and Catherynne M. Valente, toastmistress Mary Robinette Kowal, and guest artist Ruth Sanderson. August 28-20th at the Albuquerque Marriott Uptown.
I also want to mention that The Future Fire magazine is celebrating ten (!) years of publication! They published my story “Digital Ligatures” last year, and I encourage you to check out their stories and support their crowdfunding campaign by preordering the celebration anthology.

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That’s it for me. Happy writing!