Twenty never-before-published short stories span the worlds of science fiction and fantasy, inviting readers of both genres to lose themselves in tales sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying, and always engrossing. Sword & Laser hosts Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt hand-picked their favorite stories, plucked directly from the brains of the S&L audience. From living space ships to hapless thieves getting more than they bargained for, this collection has something for every genre reader. Table of Contents: Foreword—Patrick Rothfuss Sword: Introduction—Veronica Belmont Soft as a Feather When Done Right—Nicole Feldringer A Night for Spirits and Snowflakes—Aidan Moher Saltwater Skin—Kristy Sutherland Partly Petrified—Auston Habershaw The Lesser Evil—Day Al-Mohamed White Flame—Jeffrey N. Baker How Fox Fixed the Sky—Stephen Case A Good Man—Zachary Tringali Knowing Better—Paul Krueger The Novice’s Guide to Adventuring—Sean Tadsen Laser: Introduction—Tom Merritt The Osiris Paradox—Sarina Dorie Leviathan! Leviathan! — Jacob A. Boyd Jonah’s Daughter—Adam Callaway Birdy—Rebecca J. Thomas The Same International Orange—Luke R. Pebler Afterword—Mike Murphy Data Dump—Trisha L. Senbastian Honeybun—Austin Malone False Lights—Victoria Hooper Only Darkness—David Emery
Authors
Jeffrey N. Baker graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta with a BFA in Animation. His passion for animation and video games led him to avidly pursue a position as a Character Animator. Over the years as he began to hone his career goals and found through his experience in the gaming industry that he had a true calling for Story Development. Now, he dedicates his time to fully developing his skills by writing short stories, working on stand alone Dragon Age modules, as well as working in independent game studios on fleshing out their story concepts. He would enjoy it if you took the time to read through some of his work and critique as much as you would like.
Day Al-Mohamed is an author, filmmaker, and disability policy expert with over 15 years of experience. Currently a Senior Policy Advisor with the Federal government, she is a proven leader in organizational transformation, legislation and regulation development/ analysis, and innovative program design. She is co-author of the Young Adult novel, “Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn,” is a host on Idobi Radio’s Geek Girl Riot with an audience of more than 80,000 listeners, and her most recent novella, “The Labyrinth’s Archivist,” was published July 2019. She is a Founding Member of FWD-Doc (Documentary Filmmakers with Disabilities) and sits on the Board of Docs in Progress. Her documentary, The Invalid Corps about disabled Civil War soldiers was recently licensed to Alaska Airlines and had its broadcast premiere on Maryland Public Television December, 2020. Day presents often on the representation of disability in media, most recently at the American Bar Association, SXSW, and New York ComiCon. A proud member of Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 24-01 (5th District Southern Region), she lives in Washington DC with her wife, N.R. Brown and guide dog, Gamma. She can be found online at www.DayAlMohamed.com and @DayAlMohamed
