In the tradition of periodicals whose names indicate their frequency of publication (Publishers Weekly, The Atlantic Monthly, Lapham’s Quarterly…), I bring you The Seldom.
My name is Dale Stromberg, and you’re receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it, or else because you have hacked the email account of someone who signed up for it.
I once wrote a story about a character, a writer, who “was a solitary woman who shied from human contact. She also possessed a lonesome disposition. She wished to maintain distance from others but also to bridge that distance. This was a paradox. The writing of stories, she felt, made the paradox possible.” It should go without saying that I was in no way describing myself in this passage. No, no, no.
But I am glad you’re reading this. Are we bridging a distance? Let’s suppose we are.
Mæj
As I mentioned last time, my contemplative high fantasy novel Mæj is to be published in 2024 by tRaum Books, an impossibly cool micropress based in Berlin.
I’m slowly working my way through a proof copy, hunting for typos. There shouldn’t actually be any typos; I have already edited and edited, edited and edited, edited and edited this manuscript. But, you know, just in case.
I decided to work from back to front, starting with the last page, and on the last page I found two typos.
Ah, ha, ha. This is a happy laugh. I am not crying tears.
That was page 648. I have worked my way up to page 615 as of this afternoon. The typos have been plentiful. Bounteous. I feel truly blessed.
Recent Reads
I want to share a book I recently read and loved. I came late to Sofia Samatar’s A Stranger in Olondria; it was published back in 2013. I’m glad I found it, and I wrote a review of it on Medium. The review begins by calling the book “delightfully written, a thousand-faceted curio whose every beautiful and strange detail reflects a delicate love of beauty itself.” It ends with this declaration:
“We must embrace the strange and disquieting power of magic and of the flesh, as well as that of the poet and the storyteller; we must accept it all, harmonise with it. We must embrace it with compassion.”
If you’d like to read everything between that beginning and that ending, the review is not paywalled as long as you access it through this link.
A Stranger in Olondria would make a good gift for a fantasy lover in your life. For other gift ideas, how about we segue to my news section…?
News
That was quite a smooth segue! This is what we need writers for.
Friends
Two writing pals have news:
Gift idea №1: Rachel A. Rosen’s fine cli-fi novel Cascade is on sale until Christmas. Find it at the publisher’s website. It has wizards and Canadian politics and leviathanic sea monsters.
Gift idea №2: Rachel Corsini’s fun romance novel Sushi and Sea Lions will be 25% off in Smashwords’ end-of-year sale (15 December to 1 January), and she’s got a Storygraph giveaway running from 18 December to 18 January too.
Váried Parályses
Earlier this month, I quietly published a little book of short stories when nobody was looking. (As if there is ever a time when everybody is looking.) It’s called Váried Parályses and collects eight stories previously published in literary magazines.
These stories might be claustrophobic. Or semi-hinged. Or regretful, or vengeful. Or sardonic, or evil. There’s more information about the book on my website. The paperback costs $4 (USD); I thought I’d mention that.
Like Sushi and Sea Lions, my little book will also be part of the Smashwords’ year-end sale. It normally goes for 99¢ (USD) but will be free. Those of you who find “free” unreasonable may wait until 2 January and pay 99¢.
Bonus hot tip: the Melancholic Parables ebook will also be 50% off as part of the same sale.
Instant Classic (That No One Will Read)
Speaking of books which I cannot believe you haven’t yet purchased…
Night Beats and tRaum Books released Instant Classic (That No One Will Read) just last month. I’ve got a story in it called “‘Art Is a Service’: Publishing’s Rise from the Ashes with Nao Hovgaard”.
Here’s what the publishers say about it:
“Instant Classic offers nine sardonic tales holding a carnival mirror to writers and stories. From a deal with the Devil to the ultimate AI-versus-human showdown, witness the terrifying spectacle of artists who will do anything to clamber out of the creative trenches alive.”
The book also features works from Tucker Lieberman, Ryszard Merey, Zilla Novikov, Rohan O’Duill, Anna Otto, and Rachel A. Rosen.
All proceeds are to be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
(You might donate to MSF directly too, if you are able.)
Well. So many books to buy. I feel like I’ve just done your holiday shopping for you. Except for the bit where you pay the money.
Stories
My last bit of news: I recently published a pair of very short stories.
My story titled “Story” was in Delmarva Review №16. I blogged about it.
Another story, “None Guessed”, was in Swamp Ape Review vol. 6, and I blogged about that too.
Something old
In case you’re interested, back in October 2020 The Collidescope published a short piece of mine called “Pontengisme”, which you can read here. In it, Bellatrix is buffeted by confusing winds while she is in a contrevoyant dream.
In Japanese, if you dream a thing and it comes to pass in reality, they call that “masayume”. Example: You dream of winning at darts; the next day you really do win at darts.
If, however, you dream of winning at darts but then lose at darts, they call that “sakayume”. My janky way of trying to coin an English equivalent for “sakayume” is “contrevoyant dream”. If you speak French, I suppose you are made ill by this.
And “pontengisme” is my janky way of trying to coin a Malay word. If you skip school or play hooky from work, you “ponteng”. If you make this an –ism, a doctrine around which to organise your life, that’s “pontengisme”. Nobody in Malaysia says this, as far as I know.
Maybe you’ll like the story.
Sharing is caring
If you know anyone who might like to get on the mailing list for this newsletter, I hope you will tell them about it.
That’s it. Thanks for reading.