The Tide Jewels

I have just completed a 15,000 word novella called The Tide Jewels. I wrote it as part of a challenge set by Wicked East Press. Ten authors get together to write ten prompts. The prompts are then sent in, divvied up, and sent out to a different writer. When I first got my prompt my muse groaned under the weight of having to write something which appeared to be high fantasy sword and sorcery--a genre I have so far avoided. But, after a good deal of thought I came up with a way I could put my own spin on it. I am very happy with the outcome.

The Tide Jewels will be published later in the year in the second book in the Wicked Bag series; Wicked Bag of Fantasy Tales edited by Jessica A. Weiss. In addition to the two main characters the story features a dragon, a cat, and a turtle. It is a re-imagining of the Japanese creation myths that can be found in the Nihongi and the Kojiki. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it.

From Shadows and Nightmares Nightfall Publications

...is here.

Included is my short story "The Little Contractor Tool Kit."

 I am excited about having a story appear alongside so many other  fabulous writers in this anthology.

From the website:

From Shadows and Nightmares - Our third anthology explores the dark imaginations of our authors. From the traditional stories of zombies and werewolves, to haunted items that will surprise you, our new and established authors challenge you to read this book with only one light on.

Zombies, werewolves, mentally disturbed individuals and ghosts fill the pages of the newest anthology.

New stories by James Dorr, Jeffrey Wooten, Michele Wyan, Mae Empson, Diane Arrelle, Quintin Peterson, Vince Darcangelo, Karyne Corum, Barry Rosenberg, Anne Lessing, Joyce Frohn, Janet Lorimer, Jennifer Moore, T.S. Charles, Devyani Borade, Mark Lee Pearson, Steve Coate, Stacey Longo, Michael O'Neal, Hall Jameson, Claire Rowland, Tamara Eaton

Whale Screamers: read an excerpt

This is the first part of the short story Whaling the Multiverse that was published last month in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. Thank you to Inna Basman for her artwork: an interesting interpretation of the whale screamer in action. If you haven't got your copy fly on over there now. http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/

Whaling the Multiverse

 by

 Mark Lee Pearson

We were in a harbour tavern on the floating city of Osaka when the skinny urchin flicked the noren aside and stepped in. He stood in front of the blue cloth with the white koi design and scanned the bar until his eyes fixed upon our ship’s captain.

“Captain Montagfire?”

Montagfire, a thickset half-breed in a sea green jimbei, was slouched over the bar, chewing the froth from a schooner of Asahi. He raised his shaven head and looked over his shoulder.

“What?”

The kid approached the bar. “Are you Captain Montagfire?”
 
“What is it to you?”

“I want to be a screamer.”

Montagfire furrowed his dark eyebrows and spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

“A short, skinny wretch like you? You couldn’t tickle a trout let alone scream at a minke across the multiverse. Why, you are all skin and bone! Those lungs,” he said, prodding the kid’s chest with his titanium finger—“Those lungs are barely keeping you alive.” He turned back to the bar to order a fresh Asahi. The kid didn’t take this as his cue to leave.

“With respect, sir—”

Montagfire spun his stool around and glared at the boy.

“I don’t need your respect, fish hole,” he said, tapping his titanium finger on the katana in his belt. “Give me one good reason not to slice you up and feed you to the sharks.”

Now, I’m not one to watch people disrespecting others like that. Montagfire may have been ship’s captain, but that didn’t give him authority to treat anyone like the barnacled end of a beluga’s backside. Besides, I wasn’t in the mood for the kind of bloodbath Montagfire was alluding to.

“Give him a crack,” I said.

“What?”

“Give the impudent rascal a chance. We just lost Saline Kid. Maybe—”

“He ain’t no match for Saline Kid.”

“And you ain’t no Ahab,” cried the kid. “Who are you to judge how well I scream just from the size of my body?”

Montagfire prodded the kid’s sternum with his titanium finger. “It is customary for a screamer—”

“Pollocks to your custom! I can compete with the best in the multiverse! Come outside. I’ll show you.” The kid thrust his chin out, clenched his fists, and stormed out of the tavern. Montagfire, never one to pass up a challenge, drained his schooner, spun off the barstool, and drew his katana.

“Wait, Captain,” I said. “That urchin knows no better. His life will be short enough without you cutting it shorter.”

But Montagfire was already halfway to the door when he yelled back at me, “You think I’m some kind of fool? There ain’t no way in this damn multiverse that kid can—”

Before the captain could finish the sentence a typhonic scream rattled the wooden walls. The windows shattered and splintered onto the floor. The side of the tavern came crashing in. Chairs and tables were thrown into disarray. Everything— fixtures, fittings and even customers that got in the way—was crushed as a mighty sperm whale forged headlong through the room, bowling Captain Montagfire off his feet and pinning him to the bar.

A ship’s wheel, the last fixture left hanging, dropped off the wall and cracked open on the sawdust floor. The bar fell silent.

The kid stepped back inside and called up the flank of the whale, “Now, Captain Montagfire, will you give me a chance?”

“Get this whale out of my face and perhaps we can talk business.”

The kid grinned at Montagfire then winked at me. I winked back. I was right; he was impudent but he was a character, too.

“Get this damn whale out of my tavern,” cried the landlord. “I’m trying to run a business.”

Cutlass and Musket; Tales of Piratical Skullduggery

An anthology of PIRATE STORIES, which includes my story The Tales of Blackleg Osai by Snarke P. Amor as well as a host of other fabulous stories by scabbard wielding authors is available now.

The Tales of Blackleg Osai features an unfinished book by an elusive writer, a famous bear with a personality twist, a sexy captain of a lethal ship called the Cuddly Quotient, a British Rail train, and various planks that lead the characters into a ragged maze of plots woven together with a wormhole or two.

BUY IT HERE






Table of Contents


Get Kraken…Michael A. Ventrella
http://michaelaventrella.wordpress.com/


Silver Hand Sam…Cherie Reich


Last Voyage Of The London Fog…Marc Sorondo


Old Billy, Old Friend…Darren Gallagher


Mist And Shadow…Sarah Zama


The Legacy Of Captain Jareena…Scott M. Sandridge


The Sapphire Ring…Reese Mills


Uncle Zapf…Harris Tobias


Lost Hope…Rebecca Hart


The Blood Of An Immortal…M.S. Gardner


Elixir Of Tears….Jason Andrew


Guardian At The Gate…Ken Staley


Voyage Of The Golden Goose…Gary Moeser


Tales Of Blackleg Osai by Snarke P. Amor…Mark Lee Pearson


The Devil’s Fog…Coy Hall


Captured…Kate Larkindale


Isle Of Sorrow…Lee Clarke Zumpe


Beneath The Death’s Head…Dev Jarrett


Treasure In The Charnel Pit…Henrick Ramsager

Review at Horrorscope

Thanks to reviewer Mark Smith-Briggs for his favorable comments on my story Whaling the Multiverse at Horrorscope.


The enjoyment of the work (In ASIM Issue 50) will depend on your particular tastes, but as always there is enough variety to ensure you’ll find something you like. Personal standouts included Mark Lee Pearson’s Whaling the Multiverse – an original sci-fi high seas adventure about a boy who attracts whales with his voice.


You can read the full review here:


Horrorscope

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Issue 50: Whaling the Multiverse

I am very excited to announce the publication of my short story "Whaling the Multiverse" in the 50th Anniversary Issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.


I would like to congratulate the staff of ASIM and thank them humbly for offering me this opportunity to celebrate their milestone with them. In particular, I am grateful to Jacob Edwards for the fantastic job he did during the editing process.


"Whaling the Multiverse" is the story of a boy called Flash who has a dream to be the best "Whale Screamer" in the multiverse. If you want to know what that means, why don't you pop over to ASIM
now and download the PDF, or better still purchase a print copy of the magazine for your collection. I promise that you will not regret it.


Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

The Tales of Blackleg Osai by Snarke P. Amor

Has been accepted by Wicked East Press for their pirate anthology:

WICKED EAST PRESS