The Insignia anthology series has some discounts going on this week, including 50% off on Volume 6 (Asian Birds & Beasts) which contains my story “The Star Ball”! Some volumes of the series are even FREE this week! Check it out! https://insigniastories.com/2019/03/05/sale-smashwords-read-an-ebook-week/
Short Stories
Furry Book Month Deals!
In case you missed it, October is Furry Book Month! Furry books are books that feature anthropomorphic animal characters. You can get several books that include my writing at a discount price this month! See below for deals that involve my work:
Mist: You can get $3 off paperback copies of my YA fantasy novel Mist if you order here: http://thurstonhowlpub.storenvy.com/products/21740489-mist (The deal will be applied at checkout.)
-You can get 20% off ebook copies of Mist if you order here: https://baddogbooks.com/product/mist/ and use coupon code FBM2018 at checkout.
SPECIES: Foxes: You can get $3 off paperback copies of the anthology SPECIES: Foxes if you order here: https://thurstonhowlpub.storenvy.com/products/23107239-species-foxes (The deal will be applied at checkout.)
-You can get 20% off ebook copies of SPECIES: Foxes if you order here: https://baddogbooks.com/product/species-foxes/ and use coupon code FBM2018 at checkout.
ROAR: You can buy paperbacks of the furry anthology series ROAR, including Volumes 6, 7, 8, and 9, which feature my stories, at half-price through the FurPlanet website: https://furplanet.com/shop/search.aspx?search=ROAR
-You can buy ebooks of ROAR at half-price through the Bad Dog Books website: https://baddogbooks.com/?s=ROAR&post_type=product
Exploring New Places: You can buy half-price paperbacks of this anthology here: https://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=998 and half-price ebooks here: https://baddogbooks.com/product/exploring-new-places/
A Glimpse of Anthropomorphic Literature: 40% off the paperback here: https://www.goalpublications.com/store/p3/A_Glimpse_of_Anthropomorphic_Literature.html# with coupon code FBM2018
-20% off the ebook of Issue 01 here: https://baddogbooks.com/product/a-glimpse-of-anthropomorphic-literature-issue-01/ with coupon code FBM2018
Civilized Beasts 2015 Edition: 20% off the ebook here: https://baddogbooks.com/product/civilized-beasts-2015/ with coupon code FBM2018
These deals will only apply for the rest of October! Be sure to snag your discount copies of these books ASAP!
Many thanks,
Amy
New Stories!
Hi, friends! I have some new short stories out since last we spoke!
“Beyond Acacia Ridge” is out in an anthology called Exploring New Places (paperback here, ebook here). This story is about two spotted hyenas who run away from the clan into which they were born, in search of freedom, friendship, and an impossible prize.
“The Last Roundup” is out in ROAR Volume 9 (paperback here, ebook here). This story features an anthropomorphic cattle dog rancher who must adapt when his livelihood is threatened by changing times.
Finally, “The Star Ball” is out in Insignia: Asian Birds & Beasts! The main characters in this story are a young boy in Kyoto who aspires to be an entomologist and a mischievous kitsune (magical many-tailed fox) who aspires to take over the city.
There, we’re up-to-date! I’d also like to mention that Where We May Wag, the charity anthology that features my story “Too Close to the Sun,” is now available in paperback here (it was previously available only in ebook form).
Thanks for checking out my stories!
Hyenas, Beagles, and a Fox from Space!
Today is filled with exciting news!
Firstly, Sy Montgomery’s book, The Hyena Scientist, has been published. This is a middle grade nonfiction book about zoologist Kay Holekamp and the Mara Hyena Project. I had the good fortune of being a research assistant on this project while Sy and photographer Nic Bishop were in Talek Camp working on the book, so I am featured in the book along with some colleagues I worked with in 2016. If you want to learn about hyenas, strong female scientists, the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, and the career trajectories of several zoologists (including myself), you should check it out. It’s a beautiful book that sheds some light on a very misunderstood mammal.
Secondly, Where We May Wag has been published! This is an anthology of short stories that deals with the difficult subject of animal testing with an attitude of hope and optimism. The profits from this anthology go toward the Rescue + Freedom Project, which rescues animals who have been victims of cruel laboratory experiments. The ebook version is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVVWRP7/, with a print version still to come. View the trailer for the anthology here: https://www.facebook.com/fontainepen/videos/168941473792458/
Finally, today is the last day for members of the Furry Writers’ Guild to cast their votes for the 2017 Cóyotl Awards. My short story “The Moon Fox” has been nominated for this award! You can read this story for free in Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores here: https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/fiction-all/stories-for-young-people-from-4-to-400/the-moon-fox/ FWG members can vote in the Cóyotl Awards here: http://coyotlawards.org/voting-2/ This is the first time my work has been nominated and I deeply appreciate your support!
Thank you so much for following this blog and my work!
Foxes and Dinosaurs and Crows: Oh my!
Here’s my news roundup for January!
Publications:
I have a short story in SPECIES: Foxes, an anthology from Thurston Howl Publications about foxes in lore and legend.
SPECIES: Foxes is illustrated by the wonderful Tabsley Abernathy, who made awesome illustrations of each of the authors as animals. Here’s me as a wolphicorn (wolf-dolphin-unicorn), pictured with a fox mask (my story in the book is about a fox who turns into a human and ends up working in a theater). Thanks, Tabs!
You can get a paperback copy of SPECIES: Foxes on Amazon here or on the THP storefront here.
A haiku I wrote was published in Haiku Journal Issue 56. I wrote it near the end of my high school years, and it’s about what it felt like to be leaving that time in my life behind. You can read the issue for free here. You can also buy a paperback copy here.
I also published a poem about attending the 2018 Women’s March in Eureka, California, in North Coast Journal. You can read it for free here.
Other News:
-I became a member of the Codex Writers’ Group this month!
–Mist and “The Moon Fox” were both nominated for the Leo Literary Awards! Thank you so much to whoever nominated them! ❤
-The Ursa Major Awards, Cóyotl Awards, and Leo Literary Awards are still open for nominations! The Leos will only be open until February 1, though. To see my eligible work, go here. I’d love it if Mist could get some love!
-The Dragon Awards are also still open for nominations! Mist is eligible in the Best Young Adult/Middle Grade Novel category. To nominate, go here. Thank you very much! ❤
As always, thank you for your support! I’m so grateful that amazing people like you are reading my words. Feel free to reach out to me anytime through this website, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads. I’d love to hear from you!
Awards Eligibility Post – 2017
Hi, folks! Despite my raging imposter syndrome, my rampant perfectionism, and the fact that I’m a very young writer who’s still learning and growing and rather nervous about putting myself out there, I’ve decided to do a post of my published writings from 2017 that are eligible to be nominated for literary awards! I care deeply about the work I’m doing and I’d love for my words to reach more people through this post.
Novel: Mist
-Eligible for young adult/middle grade, fantasy, first novel, and small press book awards, as well as the Ursa Major, Cóyotl, and Leo Literary Awards within the furry fandom.
Short Stories:
“The Moon Fox”: My first professional, SFWA-qualifying sale!
“When Pigs Fly”, ROAR Volume 8
“Hungry,” Fossil Lake IV: Sharkasaurus!
“A Fate Purse than Death,” The Supreme Archvillain Election
-These stories are eligible for the usual fantasy/science fiction short story awards. “The Moon Fox” is also eligible for professional debut awards, such as the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. “The Moon Fox,” “When Pigs Fly,” and “Hungry” are also eligible for the Ursa Major, Cóyotl, and Leo Literary Awards.
Poetry:
“What Doesn’t Kill You,” Werewolves Versus Fascism
-In addition to general and speculative poetry awards, “What Doesn’t Kill You” is eligible for the Leo Literary Awards.
“Bite Marks,” Fossil Lake IV: Sharkasaurus!
Thank you so much for your time! I look forward to writing more and better in 2018, and to reading YOUR words, too!
Wolves and Words: 2017 in Review
Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! Since it’s important to think about where you’ve been and where you’re going, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my accomplishments this year and my goals for next year.
Accomplishments: Wildlife
-I worked as an intern for the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program in Alpine, Arizona for six months. I tracked wolves with radio telemetry, helped to care for pups and release a young adult into the wild, monitored carnivores with trail cameras, investigated tracks and scat in the woods, and more!
A cute Halloween decoration in Alpine. It reads, “Just RAVEN about how much fun we had in Alpine.”
-I was listed as a coauthor on a scientific paper for the first time, an article about feral cat vocalizations, with some amazing colleagues I met while working as a field crew leader at Montana State University:
Jessica L. Owens, Mariana Olsen, Amy Fontaine, Christopher Kloth, Arik Kershenbaum, Sara Waller; Visual classification of feral cat Felis silvestris catus vocalizations. Curr Zool 2017; 63 (3): 331-339. doi: 10.1093/cz/zox013 https://academic.oup.com/cz/article/doi/10.1093/cz/zox013/3056230/Visual-classification-of-feral-cat-Felis
Accomplishments: Writing
-My first novel, Mist, was published by Thurston Howl Publications.
-I made my first professional, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America-qualifying fiction sale, my short story “The Moon Fox” to the zine Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores.
-I had three other short stories and two poems published. At least three more of my short stories will appear in anthologies sometime next year.
-I won NaNoWriMo in November, wrote 17 new short stories and various poems over the course of the year, and significantly rewrote an older story (“The Moon Fox”) which was then accepted for publication.
Accomplishments: Editing
-I became an editorial assistant for Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/about/our-team/
-I became an assistant editor/independent contractor, working with Goal Publications and AnthroAquatic Literary Editing.
Goals for 2018:
Wildlife Goals: Gain new experiences with animals, whether that means seabirds, dolphins, foxes, elephants, or dogs!
Writing Goals:
-Keep writing and submitting and improving my craft! I plan to write at least one new novel, start a visual novel, and hopefully get some more pro sales under my belt!
-Become an active member of Codex (my application is currently being processed).
-Continue to follow a modified version of this 1000 Day MFA plan.
Editing Goals:
-Keep learning more about the art and science of editing! My aforementioned positions as editor and editorial assistant are the first ones I’ve ever had in this field, so I’m still learning and growing, and I’m eager to do the best job I can!
Personal Goals: Become a more loving, compassionate, enlightened human being.
Thank you all SO much for following my updates and progress this year! Here’s to all of us learning and adventuring and growing together more next year!
The Moon Fox
Today, my short story, “The Moon Fox,” was published at Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores!
This story is about a little fox who is trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs. It’s a tale that’s very dear to me, and also my first short story sale at the professional payment rate set by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, 6¢ a word.
You can read the story for free at this link. I hope you will enjoy it! https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/fiction-all/stories-for-young-people-from-4-to-400/the-moon-fox/
Photomanipulation by Fran Eisemann. Stock used: “140” by m-everham-stock; “Full Moon” by raven2663
Furry Book Month
Source: Furry Book Month
NOTE: Thurston Howl Publications is also offering discounts! Get Mist at a discounted price this month! http://thurstonhowlpub.storenvy.com/products/21740489-mist
ROAR Volume 8
ROAR Volume 8 is now available! It is a PG-13 anthology of short stories featuring anthropomorphic animal characters, centered around the theme of “Paradise.” From the editor, Mary E. Lowd:
“Paradise can be the stark natural beauty of our own world; it can be the connections we have with the people we love; it can be a moment in time. Paradise can be a place we’re seeking or a place that we didn’t realize we already had until it started to slip away. It can have a dark side. Even shining science-fiction utopias can come with a price.
Read this book and take a journey through eighteen different visions of paradise—beginning with the personal and natural, traveling through the societal and technological, and all the way out to the supernal and divine. A great book can heal you when you’re hurting, give you an escape that you desperately need, or even rekindle a lost spark of hope.
Let this book be a small piece of paradise for you.”
My own story in the anthology, “When Pigs Fly,” is about a pig with a big dream. Check out a print (https://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=905) or ebook (https://baddogbooks.com/product/roar-volume-8/) copy of ROAR Volume 8 today!
Amy Clare Fontaine 