Vaughan Stanger - SF Writer
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Hot Stuff

Updated 20 December 2015

I'm delighted to announce that the recently revived Plasma Frequency Magazine will be publishing my fantasy story Brown Cat Blues in their next issue, which is due for release on 1 January.
(This will be my second story to appear there.)

Wishing Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to you all!

Touching Tale

15 December 2015

My SF short story Invisible Touch is today's featured story at Daily Science Fiction. You can read it for free here.

Here is an excerpt from my published notes for this story:

"The core idea for 'Invisible Touch' popped up in my Twitter feed a little over a year ago.... If you type 'chroma key green screen bodysuits' into your preferred search engine you should find it. After a while I started wondering about job security for someone working in such a niche. If the work dried up, would that skillset find another use?"

Christmas Memories

14 December 2015

I've reduced the price of the Kindle edition of my Moondust Memories SF collection to $0.99 on Amazon.com and £0.99 on Amazon.co.uk from today until 21 December. I've also lowered the price of the paperback edition, which is also available from Amazon, to $4.99/£3.99 until the New Year.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Memories

3 December 2015

To celebrate the forthcoming publication of my SF story IInvisible Touch at Daily Science Fiction (scheduled for 15 December), I'll be reducing the price of the Kindle edition of my Moondust Memories collection to $0.99/£0.99 during the week 14-21 December. The price of the paperback edition, which is also available from Amazon, will be set at the minimum possible level ($4.99/£3.99) from now until the New Year, although the new price might take a few days to filter through, so hold your horses until you see the new prices on offer.

Cracked It!

11 November 2015

I'm delighted to announce that my short story Collapsing Into Life has been accepted for publication in The Other Publishing Company's Cracked Eye digital magazine. I'm told that my story will appear on their new publishing platform, which is scheduled to launch during the next few weeks.

More news as and when.

Climbing the Peaks, Diving into the Troughs

11 November 2015

(As other writers will confirm, acceptances have a habit of bunching up...)

I'm delighted to announce that my short story Insider Art has been accepted for publication by Abyss & Apex magazine. I've been sending stories their way since 2004, so if I ever needed proof that persistence pays, here it is.

More news when I receive it.

No Quarter

29 October 2015

I have sad news to report: Ian Rose has announced that QuarterReads is to close shortly (unless someone can take over from him, which seems unlikely). Ian devised a genuinely innovative publishing concept and implemented an easy-to-use website for readers and writers alike. Yes, and he paid his writers. But as with many indie publishing ventures, the economics proved difficult and the effort involved not comensurate with the results. Nevertheless, I applaud Ian's efforts and wish him all the very best in his future projects.

QuarterReads remains on-line at this time, although new registrations and submissions are disabled. If you have any credits remaining, now would be a good time to spend them. You can find thirteen of my stories and memoirs on QuarterReads. Many fine writers also have work on the site. In fact, you'll be spoilt for choice. But be quick before the goodies are gone.

Touched for Cash

21 October 2015

I'm pleased to announce that new publishing venture The 40p has reprinted my SF ghost story Touching Distance, which originally appeared in Postscripts #7. You can read it here for the princely sum of 40p!

(Belated announcement due to moving house!)

Bees Abroad Again

1 October 2015

Estonian magazine Reaktor has reprinted my short story Bee Futures in their September 2015 issue. My thanks go to Eva Liisa Sepp for translating my story.

Annoyingly, I can't get the link to work here. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you'll find a working link in today's posts (or you could copy
http://ulmeajakiri.ee/?tolkejutt-mesilastulevikud into your browser).

Plasma Kick

25 September 2015

Plasma Frequency is a well-regarded semi-professional SF and fantasy magazine, which published my story Warbling Their Way to War a few years ago. More recently, it went on hiatus after a PayPal fraud wrecked its finances. Editor-in-Chief Richard Flores IV has now launched a Kickstarter to get Plasma Frequency back in business. There are some neat rewards on offer.

If you feel able to support this initiative, either by sharing the news or making a donation, that would be a great help to Richard and his team.

Stylish Bees

19 September 2015

A downloadable (PDF) version of the latest issue of Szortal is now available from here. It's a particularly good-looking magazine. Bee Futures begins on p13. My thanks go to Martyna Bohdanowicz for translating my story into Polish.

Bees Abroad

6 September 2015

I'm delighted to announce that Polish 'zine Szortal has reprinted my SF short story Bee Futures. If your linguistic skills are up to it, you'll fnd the story here. Two Szortal readers have rated it 10/10, which is a tremendous compliment.

This reprint is my fiftieth acceptance in all (excluding royalty-paying sites like QuarterReads and AnthologyBuilder) and my second from Szortal. Bee Futures was originally published in Nature Futures.

Two Ways to Walk

28 August 2015

PS Publishing has just released a new issue of its Postscripts anthology series. Issue 34/35 'Breakout'  includes two stories by me: A Walk in the Woods, which was originally published in Interzone (2003), and its sequel A Walk in the Rain, published for the first time. The pair form a diptych at the centre of the anthology. I feel very honoured to have my work to be presented in this way. A big "thanks!" goes to Postscripts editor Nick Gevers, also to PS Publishing's head honcho Pete Crowther.

The Hive is Buzzing!

25 August 2015

In a lovely example of how the writing universe works (sometimes): Bee Futures is FREE to read at QuarterReads this week. You'll find it here. 

If you enjoy reading Bee Futures, there are plenty more on QuarterReads where that one came from, as the site hosts more than 1000 stories, poems and memoirs.

Breeding More Bees

25 August 2015

I'm pleased to
announce that my short story Bee Futures will be reprinted in a future issue of new British SF & Fantasy magazine The Singularity.

Bee Futures was originally published in Nature Futures.

Daily Disappearing Act

11 July 2015

I'm thrilled to
announce that my short story Invisible Touch has been accepted for publication in Daily Science Fiction. That will be my third story to appear there. Unlike its predecessors, this one is not part of my 'Reeves' series.

More news closer to publication date.

Walks of Life

10 July 2015

I'm delighted to confirm that the next volume of the Postscripts anthology series from PS Publishing will contain not one but two of my short stories, namely
A Walk in the Woods (originally published in Interzone) and its sequel A Walk in the Rain.

Postscripts #34/35 Breakout goes on sale in August, with pre-orders taken from late July. The announcement is here.

I'll admit to feeling chuffed that editor Nick Gevers describes me as an "ace short story writer". That's high praise indeed, especially when one considers the luminaries occupying the rest of the ToC.


Dead and Done

8 July 2015

Paul Cole has completed his marathon recording of The English Dead for his weekly
Beam Me Up show on WRFR LP/FM Rockland ME (wrfr.org). As well as the climax of my story there are (as always) plenty of interesting items in Paul's podcasts, so please listen all the way through. I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to Paul for recording The English Dead. He's done an amazing job.

You can download Beam Me Up #446 and #447, or the complete set of MP3s from my Podcasts page.


Ubiquitous Yesterdays

3 July 2015

Previously only available in Kindle format from Amazon, my ebook None of Our Yesterdays can now be pre-ordered for $0.99 to pre-order for $0.99from iTunes and Kobo, and soon other on-line book stores such as Barnes & Noble (Nook). For a full set of links to my ebooks at these bookstores, please go to my Books & Stories page.

From the book description:

"
This ebook collects two of my war-themed alternative history stories: The Peace Criminal and The Eye Patch Protocol. Both stories explore the great "what ifs" of Twentieth Century history, and will appeal to lovers of thought-provoking, character-based fiction."

Secret Squirrel

24 June 2015

There'll be further good news of the acceptance variety to report here soon. I'm just waiting on the contract...

Sofa so Good!

19 June 2015

I'm thrilled to announce that my SF story First and Third will be podcast by the Hugo-winning (2010) podcasting site StarShipSofa. First and Third was originally published in Postscripts 26/27 (from PS Publishing).

Accelerating Again

16 June 2015

I'm delighted to announce that my hard SF story Survival Strategies has been reprinted in Issue 4 of The New Accelerator. This story was originally published in Neo-opsis.

And once again, I'm sharing a ToC with Deborah Walker!


Darkly Illustrated

15 June 2015

Although my SF story Dark They Were, and Strange Inside was reprinted online in Polish by Szortal a few weeks ago, the PDF-zine version of the magazine is now available to download (it's free!). The magazine features some very stylish artwork. My story begins on p12.

I'm sharing electrons in this issue with Deborah Walker, who encouraged me to send a story to Szortal. Thanks for the tip, Deborah!


Memories a Pound a Pop

Updated 9 June 2015

T
his price-drop doesn't have much time left to run!

(Here's the perfect opportunity for British readers to sample my SF stories.)

The Kindle edition of my SF collection Moondust Memories is available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk for just £0.99 from 00:01 (BST) on 4 June until Wednesday 23:59 on 10 June
. After that, the price reverts to £2.49.

Reviews of Moondust Memories:

"The tell-tale sign of great speculative fiction is that you are still thinking about it days after you finish reading. This has been the case for me with Moondust Memories. Highly recommended." (Dylan Hearn, 5* rating)

"In summary, 'Moondust Memories' is a rewarding read in the best possible way. A wonderful collection of thought-provoking and challenging stories that you will enjoy whether you're a fan of sci-fi or not." (Paul Laville,
5* rating).

"
Intelligent and thought provoking short science fiction stories. Just my cup of tea." (Deborah Walker, 5* rating)

(Full reviews here.)


Retelling Tales

31 May 2015

I'm delighted to announce a pair of acceptances for reprints
.

Survival Strategies has been accepted for reprinting in The New Accelerator. This story was originally published in Neo-opsis 6. More details closer to publication.

Dark They Were, and Strange Inside has been translated into Polish and published by Szortal. This is the fifth reprint and third foreign language for this story, which was originally published in Nature Futures. My thanks go to
Martyna Bohdanowicz for translating this story.

Pod People 3

12 May 2015

Paul Cole has now podcast Part 3 of my SF story The English Dead for his weekly
Beam Me Up show on WRFR LP/FM Rockland ME (wrfr.org).

Download Beam Me Up #445 from here.
More details can be found on my Podcasts page.

First Tastes

11 May 2015

If you're new to my fiction, I've produced
a handy guide offering some entry points.

Pod People 2

30 April 2015

Paul Cole has now podcast Part 2 of my SF story The English Dead for his weekly
Beam Me Up show on WRFR LP/FM Rockland ME (wrfr.org).

Download Beam Me Up #444 from here.
More details can be found on my Podcasts page.

Pod People

Updated 17 April 2015

Paul Cole has podcast Part 1 of my SF story The English Dead for his weekly
Beam Me Up show on WRFR LP/FM Rockland ME (wrfr.org). He's incorporated some neat sonic enhancements appropriate to a story set on Mount Everest. Part 2 (and if required, Part 3) will appear in future editions of the podcast. This edition (No. 443) also includes an intriguing SF story by David Scholes (Living on Compressed Time),

Download Beam Me Up #443 from here.
More details can be found on my new Podcasts page.

Reduced Recollections

Updated: 7 April 2015

Promotion ends soon!


The Kindle edition of my SF collection Moondust Memories is available to buy from Amazon.com for only $0.99 (plus sales tax) until
08:00 (PST) on Thursday 9 April, when the price reverts to $2.99.

Reviews
of Moondust Memories:

"
Intelligent and thought provoking short science fiction stories." (Deborah Walker)

"The tell-tale sign of great speculative fiction is that you are still thinking about it days after you finish reading. This has been the case for me with Moondust Memories. Highly recommended." (Dylan Hearn)

"In summary, 'Moondust Memories' is a rewarding read in the best possible way. A wonderful collection of thought-provoking and challenging stories that you will enjoy whether you're a fan of sci-fi or not. (Paul Laville).


Two-Nil

28 March 2015

My Kindle format ebook None of Our Yesterdays is free to download this weekend (28-29 March). That's two intriguing alternate histories for the price of fresh air...

Download links:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Other country links: My Books page

Radio On The Up

27 March 2015

I'm delighted to announced that Paul Cole will be podcasting my mountaineering SF story The English Dead as part of his weekly Beam Me Up show on WRFR lp/fm Rockland ME (wrfr.org). This will be the first time one of my stories has been podcast. I'll post more details here in due course.

The English Dead was originally published in Hub 36 (2007).

Paging QuarterReads

14 March 2015

I've created dedicated web pages listing my QuarterReads stories and memoirs. Each link will take you directly to the corresponding piece (remember: $5 buys you 20 reads at QuarterReads).

If you enjoy reading my pieces on QuarterReads, please "favorite" me. That way you will receive emails from them about any pieces I publish there in the future.

5* Constellation

11 March 2015

My SF collection Moondust Memories has received another 5* review, this time from author Deborah Walker: "Intelligent and thought provoking short science fiction stories. Just my cup of tea."  (Amazon.co.uk)

Kindle ebook (USA & UK) and paperback (USA & UK) editions are available.

Get Back!

4 March 2015

Another of my memoirs is now available on QuarterReads
. How I saved Apollo 11 should appeal to anyone interested in the history of space flight and television broadcasting.

Performance Art

26 February 2015

It's not science fiction, or indeed fiction at all, but hopefully Shanghaied in Tucson (or, How I gave up writing Science Fiction and learned to love Frances Burney) will amuse my readers. This culture clash memoir is available at QuarterReads
($5 buys 20 reads). It was originally published in The Burney Letter in 2007.

(And no, I didn't give up writing Science Fiction...)


Lunar for Less

Updated 17 February 2015

Reminder: Promotion ends soon!

The Kindle edition of my SF collection Moondust Memories is available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk for only £0.99 until 23:59
(GMT) on 18 February. The price reverts to £2.49 thereafter.

Review quotes for Moondust Memories:

"The tell-tale sign of great speculative fiction is that you are still thinking about it days after you finish reading. This has been the case for me with Moondust Memories. Highly recommended." (Dylan Hearn)

"In summary, 'Moondust Memories' is a rewarding read in the best possible way. A wonderful collection of thought-provoking and challenging stories that you will enjoy whether you're a fan of sci-fi or not." (Paul Laville).

(Full reviews here.)


Steps to Recall

Updated 2 February 2015

Reminder! 

The Kindle edition of my short fiction collection Moondust Memories is available to buy from Amazon.com for just $0.99 (plus sales tax) until 23:00 (PST) on Friday, 30 January. The price then increases to $1.99 for the weekend before returning to normal ($2.99) at midnight on Sunday 1 February.

Review quotes for Moondust Memories (from Amazon.co.uk):

"The tell-tale sign of great speculative fiction is that you are still thinking about it days after you finish reading. This has been the case for me with Moondust Memories. Highly recommended." (Dylan Hearn)

"In summary, 'Moondust Memories' is a rewarding read in the best possible way. A wonderful collection of thought-provoking and challenging stories that you will enjoy whether you're a fan of sci-fi or not. (Paul Laville).


Teaching Assessed

25 January 2015

My new ebook, Family Tree, has attracted a couple of very pleasing reviews (two on Amazon.com, one also on Amazon.co.uk). On his blog, Dylan Hearn opines that "
Family Tree is a paean to teachers and the positive effect they can have on their pupil’s lives." I can't argue with that.

Supplying Demand at QuarterReads

23 January 2015

My SF short story Supply and Demand in the Post-War Economy is now available to read at QuarterReads.
This is the third story in my 'Reeves' series and
my eleventh to be reprinted at QuarterReads. The earlier Reeves stories are Writing on the Wall and Warbling Their Way to War.

A $5 payment purchases 20 reads at QuarterReads, which now offers 600+ stories, poems and essays from 170 authors for your reading pleasure.

Tree Climbing

5 January 2015

My new ebook, Family Tree, is released today. It is available in Kindle and epub formats from
most on-line ebook retailers, including Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, iTunes (UK), iTunes (US), Kobo, Barnes & Noble (Nook) and Smashwords. For links to other retailers, please visit my Books page.


This short story, which was originally published in Helix (2008), is particularly close to my heart. In part it is a what-if about the Apollo programme, but mostly it's about the importance of teachers. If you are a teacher, or if you were inspired by those who taught you, this story is for you.

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