When You're Ashamed of an Anthology You're In...

I've finally finished reading Viva Las Vegas from Gypsum Sound Tales. I have a story in this anthology, and that's the only reason I finished it. I'm not exactly proud of being in it, and have to disagree with the Amazon reviewer who said mine was the perfect introduction to the rest of the stories. I sincerely hope that is not the case.

My story is about Lady Luck, disillusioned with Vegas, trying to get the city to be better than a scummy pit of sex and crime. To which most of the other stories reply "Yeeeah, no."

I write diverse, inclusive, happy stories. Feminism and queer and glitter! Whee!

But this book is... What if that boring old white guy writer you hated in high school wrote demons into the plot of the Hangover? I lost count of how many times a character needed to "piss."

Judging purely by the pronouns and names in the author bios, I'm one of only two female authors in the book. My story is the only one with a main character who is female, and the only story where the female character has agency, is not evil, and is not just pretty set decoration.

None of the stories feature queer characters (well, all of my characters are queer by default -- Lady Luck is asexual and panromantic, but it isn't mentioned in the story so I don't count it). There was a black character in one story -- I know because the two times he was mentioned, he was called "the black man."

A couple of the stories are good. Most are meh. Several are downright ableist and fatphobic. I didn't even finish the last story because it was so insulting to fat people.

And the copyediting left a lot to be desired.

I love my story, and next year when my contract lets me, I'll post it here so you can read it for free. Until then, I'm not going to provide a link to it in my page of my work, because I can't endorse this book.

I'm a Poet!

My poem, The Dog Who Walked with Zombies, is now available in Dark Ink: A Poetry Anthology Inspired by Horror by Moontide Press!

For the rest of September, you can get free shipping by preordering here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AY6JNP3YMY2YE

But we're also on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Ink-Poetry-Anthology-Inspired/dp/0997483768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537553864&sr=1-1&keywords=9780997483765



My poem is thirty-some rhyming couplets (which can totally be sung to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme if you're so inclined) about a Very Good Dog who remains loyal to her human even though he's a zombie and he doesn't play fetch or pet her anymore.


It's a sad one (THE DOG DOESN'T DIE - I WOULD NEVER). I have lots of happy stories coming up, though. Promise.

Senator John Kennedy Stole My Title

Senator John Kennedy stole my title.

Okay, he probably didn't really steal it, but he did just describe the Kavanaugh hearing as an "intergalactic freak show." We spent so long picking out that title, and I'm just laughing hysterically.

I highly doubt anyone in the GOP would enjoy my book. It's all about equality and freedom and taking down oligarchs.

https://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p157/Jack_Jetstarks_Intergalactic_Freakshow.html

From A Cat's View Preorders!

 

Humor, adventure, romance, tragedy, and joy—FROM A CAT'S VIEW—a novel-length, mixed-genre collection of short stories that will tug at the whiskers of cat lovers everywhere. Stories are drawn from a pool of exceptional writers in the US and the UK who share fascinating insights into the relationship between humans and their feline owners.


Available now for preorder on Amazon in ebook and print editions. Take advantage of our PREORDER DISCOUNT and buy extra copies as gifts for your cat-loving friends and family.



My story is The Cemetery Cat, about a group of cats who live in a cemetery and purr to keep the ghosts calm. But when one ghost is woken up by some pesky humans, it's up to Pawdrey Hepburn to help him with his unfinished business so he can rest in piece. And maybe she has some unfinished business of her own... It's a sad one, but a hopeful kind of sad.

 

　



Also, if you sign up for their mailing list (you can opt out at any time), you can win one of five fabulous prizes! Click here for more information.

JACK JETSTARK’S INTERGALACTIC FREAKSHOW COVER REVEAL!!!!

You might have noticed I've revamped my blog colors. That's because it's time for the JACK JETSTARK’S INTERGALACTIC FREAKSHOW COVER REVEAL!!!!

 Preorder it here or add it on Goodreads!

Sarena Ulibarri, my amazing editor at World Weaver Press, did the cover and I love it so much!

　
I'm going to keep this post brief and just direct you to this page for more information: http://jenniferleerossman.blogspot.com/p/jack-jetstarks-intergalactic-freakshow.html


　

JACK JETSTARK’S INTERGALACTIC FREAKSHOW will be published on December 4, and starting in October, I'm going to be introducing you to one of my characters and talking about my inspiration for the book every Monday.

　

We're also planning an awesome giveaway in the coming months, so if you like cross stitch, stay tuned!

Diabolical Plots: Year Four

Diabolical Plots: Year Four is up for preorder now! This ebook-only collection contains 25 short stories from Diabolical Plots' website, half of which have never been published before.

My story Jesus and Dave is in this, along with The Man Whose Left Arm Was a Cat, which has never been published anywhere else. It'll be available for free in January, but if you can't wait, preorder here.

Publication and Announcements

One Last Ride on the Horse with Purple Roses is now available in Luna Station Quarterly, and is actually their featured story! It's free to read online and is available in digital and print, with cover art by Shreya Shetty!

http://lunastationquarterly.com/story/one-last-ride-on-the-horse-with-purple-roses/

One Last Ride on the Horse with Purple Roses is one of my sweeter, sadder stories. The type of story my grandmother likes.

It's about a woman who has just lost her young daughter, and she takes the daughter's imaginary friend to the park for one last time.

Luna Station Quarterly is a speculative fiction magazine featuring stories by emerging women authors, now in their 9th year.


I'll be in touch soon with the official cover reveal for my novel.

My next publication will be Love & Bubbles, which contains my story Shallows and which I'm the assistant editor of. Pre-orders and shirts are available here: https://gumroad.com/jayleejames

And this project is still in the very early stages, but I'm going to be co-editing an anthology with Brian McNett called Space Opera Libretti. Check out our site here: http://spaceoperalibretti.blogspot.com/

A Cover and a Kitty!

Take a look at this gorgeous cover of Dark Ink, an anthology of poetry inspired by horror! The artist is Leslie White, and it looks like a 1950s comic book.

This book contains my rhyming poem "The Dog Who Walked with Zombies." I can't wait to have this on my shelf!

Preorder here!


And we have a new family member! We sadly lost our cat Sulley last month, who was at least 18 and lived longer than the vet expected given all his medical conditions.

But on Saturday (Sulley's birthday), we brought home this big girl.

 

 

 

Her name is Chloe. She's 13, she's fat, and she's got a genetic deformity of her left arm (only visible in x-rays, and while she limps occasionally it doesn't seem to cause pain, just an awkward gait), but she is so nimble and active and is quite the snuggler.