Updated Bibliography!

Sold six stories last year, four of which were published in 2022 and two of which are forthcoming in 2023. I've added them to the bibliography.

Updated Bibliography

 Finally took the time to update my bibliography with recent sales and updated links!

Hollow Skulls and Other Stories - Audio Versions

My debut collection "Hollow Skulls and Other Stories" includes 13 tales of horror and dark fantasy, a few of which have appeared in podcasts over the years. Though they're slightly different than the final versions that appear in the collection, the heart of each story remains.

1. A Pocket of Madness - Tales to Terrify
2. A Thing in All My Things - Pseudopod
3. Multo - LeVar Burton Reads
4. Pagpag - Tales to Terrify

Bonus audio drama:
5. She Who Would Rip the Sky Asunder - Red Shift
- Script written by Evan Pederson, based on the original short story by Samuel Marzioli

You can purchase the collection in paperback or e-Book 

from most online booksellers, including Amazon.com.

IndieMuse Reviews Hollow Skulls Collection

Richard Martin at IndieMuse gave Hollow Skulls and Other Stories 4.5 out of 5 stars!

"Samuel Marzioli has delivered a beautifully poetic collection of horror shorts with Hollow Skulls and Other Stories... It’s an incredible piece of work and one that makes me excited to read whatever Marzioli has in store for us next."

Check out the full review at the IndieMuse website.

Updates

I updated my bibliography, which entails added my debut collection and debut chapbook to the list, both of which are available for purchase at most online book retailers. And just to be clear, the story in my chapbook is NOT available in my collection. 

Hollow Skulls and Other Stories is LIVE!

After more than a year waiting, and loads of behind-the-scenes work, my debut collection has finally been published. Hollow Skulls and Other Stories includes stories that appeared in numerous podcasts and publications, including the Best of Apex Magazine, Shock Totem, and LeVar Burton Reads. While I've appeared alongside numerous talents over the last 8 years, I'm elated to finally have cover and content all to myself.

Hollow Skulls and Other Stories is available at most major online book retailers, including:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell's Books

Full Cover Reveal

The cover for "Hollow Skulls and Other Stories," created by Don Noble.

Hollow Skulls and Other Stories

I received the e-ARCs for my horror collection "Hollow Skulls and Other Stories," forthcoming from JournalStone Publishing. After more than a year of waiting, everything is finally ready. I'll drop the full cover tomorrow, which will mark a month before its official release date.

IGM's Paywall is Down; Stories Now Free to Read

Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show removed it's paywall, and now all their stories are available to read online for free. There were a lot of great authors published by this magazine, but since this is my blog, I'm only going to list mine, and leave you the hard work of finding other, worthy stories to you:

1) Everything Mimsy - A portal fantasy story, featuring some unique creatures from Filipino Folklore

2) A Mundane Encounter With a Civilized God - My Lovecraft parody.

3) The Burden of Triumph - Science fiction, set in space, from the point of view of a carnivorous alien

Note: none of these will be in my debut collection from JournalStone, tentatively coming January 2021, so this is currently the only way to read them (except Everything Mimsy, which appeared in "Fell Beasts and Fair: A Noblebright Fantasy Anthology").

Lots of News, But Not Lots of Time

I'll skip the obligatory note about time restraints, and just cut to the chase. I have a few publications and podcasts forthcoming this year.

1. My story "Devil on the Night Train" will appear in the anthology Fantastic Trains. This is the fourth story in my Filipino Monsters series, and will feature the Filipino urban legend "Devil Cigar Man." It will be published by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, and is due out on eBook in September and paperback in November.

2. "Symphony of the Night," a dark fantasy, will appear in chapbook form with exclusive illustrations by Luke Spooner. It will be published by Aurelia Leo and is due out sometime in October. It's available for pre-order now at Aurelia Leo's website.

3. My story "A Pocket of Madness" recently sold to Tales to Terrify, and will appear on their podcast sometime this year. "A Pocket of Madness" originally appeared in Digital Horror Fiction in 2018. This marks its audio debut.

4. My story "The Last Great Failing of the Light" was picked up as a reprint by Selene Quarterly, due out sometime in November 2020. It originally appeared in Myriad Lands vol. 2 (2016).

5. My story "Plastic Love" was purchased late last year by Gehenna and Hinnom Books for a chapbook line which will feature four short stories in paperback form. No news yet as to whether it will be illustrated, but I do know it's due out sometime in October of this year (2019).

In other (read: late) news, InterGalactic Medicine Show reprinted my story "Everything Mimsy," an ode to Alice in Wonderland and Filipino folklore, in its penultimate issue, #68. I'm really sad to see this publication close, but am honored to have had three stories appear in various issues throughout the years (including "The Burden of Triumph" in issue #42, and "A Mundane Encounter With a Civilized God" in issue #68). RIP, IGMS, and thanks for all you did!

LeVar Burton Reads, and Updated Bibliography

"Multo" aired on Stitcher Premium's version of LeVar Burton Reads on the 14th of August. I listened to it with my family when we vacationed in San Diego last week. My siblings and I were all Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, so it was pretty wild hearing the familiar words I wrote in LeVar's calm, distinctive voice. I might have used the phrase before, but this is "beyond bucket list"--mostly because I didn't even know this was a thing that could happen! The episode will air again, with ads, on the 21st on every podcast streaming service that offers LeVar's show. Hopefully his fans will like it.

I also updated my bibliography, just in case anyone is interested in other stories I wrote, including my distinctly Filipino lower mythology inspired stories: Servant of the Aswang, Pagpag, Everything Mimsy, and the forthcoming Devil on the Night Train.

Rey and the Force and Lukyanenko's Mirror and the Gloom

There will be spoilers for both The Last Jedi, and The Last Watch

With The Last Jedi, Rey's profound abilities have caused many fans to refer to her as a "Mary Sue." I don't believe it's deserved, and the fact a previous example of her sort of character appeared in one of my favorite fantasy series has only given me greater appreciation of what Disney's doing with her.

The Watch is a Russian urban fantasy series by Sergei Lukyanenko. It follows two groups of supernatural beings that are at eternal war with one another: the Day Watch (good), and the Night Watch (bad). Both groups gain their abilities from an invisible force that is emitted by all living things called the Twilight (or the "Gloom" in the films). In fact, the less "Twilight force" you emit, the greater your ability to absorb and wield it.

In the fourth book in the series, The Last Watch, the Day Watch has grown too strong. Though unconscious like the Force, the Twilight creates a mirror-magician to bring about a new balance. The Mirror is a neutral character, and is only as strong as the imbalance. So when enough members of the Day Watch are killed in battles with the Mirror, it fades back into the Twilight, its mission accomplished.

While I'm pretty sure none of the writers of the new Star Wars films have read Lukyanenko's series, the correlation between Rey and the Mirror is pretty strong. Kylo Ren is powerful, and has decimated the ranks of the Jedi. Shortly after, the Force inside Rey awakens and she's every bit as good as Kylo. In fact, the stronger he seems to be, the stronger Rey becomes. Just like the Mirror, training isn't necessary as the Force gives her what she might otherwise be lacking. The balance must persist, and when it doesn't, the Force steps in to make it so.

The concept of a mirror-magician is foreign to the Star Wars universe, but I think it's interesting how closely it resembles what's happening in the new trilogy. It even fits into the gaps of knowledge we have about the Force since there hasn't been a time in recorded (canon) SW history where the adherents of the dark side and the light side have been so low, with no potential for balance. (Remember, Luke blocked his ability to access the force, which means there's no representative of the light side out there anymore). Call Rey a Mary Sue if you like, but I much prefer to think of her as something like a mirror. It may be new to Star Wars, but it's also an intriguing addition to the lore.

Slow News Year

I've had a few publications since I last wrote.

"A Mundane Encounter With a Civilized God" appeared in Intergalactic Medicine Show's February issue.

"Servant of the Aswang" was reprinted in the Feburary issue of Apex Magazine, and again in the French horror anthology, Ténèbres.

"A Thing in All My Things" aired on the Pseudopod Podcast in August.

"Behind the Walls" appeared in an anthology of original horror stories called Cutton Block: Single Slices vol. 1.

"Love in the Time of Alien Invasion" was reprinted in the Fantastic Stories of the Imagination: People of Color Flash Anthology.

"She Who Would Rip the Sky Asunder" was adapted into an audio drama and aired on the Redshift Podcast.

As for sales? "A Pocket of Madness" sold to Digital Horror Fiction; a reprint of "Penelope's Song" sold to Far Fetched Fables, and is expected to air in January 2018; the Podcast Tales to Terrify picked up "PagPag" to air sometime in 2018; and "Beyond the Reach of Darkness" may appear in an anthology of original horror stories in January of 2018 as well.

Beyond that, one of my newer stories made semi-finalist in the Writers of the Future contest, and I have a few originals currently under final-round consideration. Hoping to get more, and better, news as we near the end of the year! I'll also try to update my bibliography, and this post, with links as soon as I can.

Bibliography Updated

I updated my bibliography with three new publications, including "Pagpag" from Apex Magazine #89 and "Penelope's Song" from the 3rd Spectral Book of Horror Stories. Also added a few publications, forthcoming in 2017, to the bottom of the list.

My 2016 Writing Year in Review

By all accounts, 2016 was a good year for my writing. I had a number of originals published, all of which I'm proud of, and tied my all-time record for 11 stories sold in a single year. While my output was low, I did end up extensively rewriting a number of old, trunked stories that eventually sold, and even started my first novel.

Originals:

My absolute favorite is "Pagpag," which appeared in issue #89 of Apex Magazine (October). Paula Guran called it, "A poignant, textured story," and it's free to read at Apex Magazine's website.

That same month, The Spectral Book of Horror Stories Vol. 3 released "Penelope's Song," a sad, but (I think) ultimately hopeful tale about a developmentally disabled girl who must defend her group home from a monster.

"The Last Great Failing of the Light," a dark, second-world fantasy--about hope and loss in a dying world--came out July 16th in Myriad Lands Vol. 2: Beyond the Edge.

"Winter Fever," a horror story inspired by my fever dreams, appeared in the final issue of the great Shock Totem (#10, March 2016). Inspired by my own fever dreams.

"Midnight, San Francisco"--a rare (for me) science fiction story and among the first stories I ever wrote--appeared in Stupefying Stories Showcase on September 16th.

Reprints:

"Multo" was included in The Best of Apex Magazine Vol. 1 (January) and in the Apex Magazine 2015 Sampler (February). "Smart Money" appeared on Evil Girlfriend Media (March). "So Praise Him," my Lovecraft meets Pentecostals horror story, appeared as a Digital Fiction Short Story in June and then again in the Digital Fiction anthology "Largely Deceased" in July. "Multo" also appeared in Expanded Horizons #50 (June). An updated and slightly expanded version of "Burning Men" was published in Sci Phi Journal (August), and "Love in the Time of Alien Invasion" is forthcoming in Fantastic Stories of the Imagination's POC flash fiction anthology (Kickstarter in December, and an ebook in 2017).

Forthcoming Stories:

I also made a few choice sales that will appear next year, including "A Mundane Encounter With a Civilized God" (IGMS, February 2017), "Behind the Walls" (Single Slices, 2017), "Beyond the Reach of Darkness" (Fifth Spectral Book of Horror Stories, October 2017), a newly polished version of "Servant of the Aswang" (Apex Magazine, 2017?), and "A Thing in All My Things" (Pseudopod, 2017).

Halloween costume

Not everything is writing all day, every day. Sometimes I take a break and Halloween with the best of 'em.

I wanted to make Mario look as real as possible, not the cartoony version most people dress up as. It took me three months to grow the beard that I would eventually shave down into a suitable mustache. For the heck of it, I played the theme song on my cell phone, tucked into the front pocket. People seemed to get a kick out of it.

Pagpag released in Apex Magazine #89

Pagpag was the third, though far from last, story I wrote inspired by Filipino folklore and urban legends. The antagonists in this are based on the aswang, though unlike my previous story "Servant of the Aswang," I've taken some liberties with the folklore to give readers a little something new. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Apex #89

The issue features original fiction by Kristi DeMeester and me, as well as a reprint by Adam Roberts. You can purchase a Kindle version of the issue at Amazon.

"Midnight, San Francisco" released in Stupefying Stories Showcase

Bruce Bethke accepted this story in 2012. It was among my first sales and one of the few positive things that kept me writing. However, it was immediately slated for a "sooper sekrit" project that would eventually never see the light of day. I queried probably twice a year on this one, until a few weeks back Bruce finally had a solid answer. To paraphrase, "I want to release it this Friday on Showcase." To which I said, again paraphrasing, "Yes, please." And he did!

Midnight, San Francisco

I don't write many sci-fis anymore, but this little number fits right in with my "Smart Money" and "Stanley P. Strauss, Destroyer of the Universe." They're all silly and might even make some of you laugh.

Reprint Sale and old sale update

I'm pleased to announce Expanded Horizons purchased "Multo" for their June issue. Not sure exactly what day it'll go live, but I'll try to post an update when it does.

"Burning Men," which has been out of print since Penumbra eMag folded, will again see the light of day this August from Sci-Phi Magazine. It's been slightly expanded and polished since its debut. I'll post more about it when it goes live as well.

Reprint Sale: So Praise Him

Digital Horror Fiction has acquired the reprint rights to "So Praise Him," my H. P. Lovecraft meets Pentecostals horror short. It's one of my favorites and I'll be glad to get more eyes on it. No word yet on when it will be published but, as always, I'll be sure to update when the time comes.