September 2023 Update: Rhapsody of the Spheres Published

Cooler nights and shorter days have arrived, marking the approach of autumn. There's even a tinge of colour in the leaves of some of the old maple trees in the neighbourhood. This time of year always puts me in a back-to-school mood, and though I’m no longer enrolled as a full-time student, I’m still taking online courses here and there. 
 
It’s been a good summer publication-wise. I’ve had acceptances from some markets that I’ve tried to get into (or get back into) for awhile. One I’m always happy to see my work appear in is Third Flatiron, and August saw the release of the Third Flatiron anthology Rhapsody of the Spheres, which included my short speculative humor piece, “The Art of Music Surfing.”

 

Recent Publications

Articles:
“Harnessing the Power of Rejections,” Funds for Writers, Volume 23, Issue 33, August 25, 2023.

Poetry:
[Despite the greengrocer’s demands], Saturday Evening Post: Limerick Laughs May-June runner-up, August 28, 2023, https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2023/08/may-june-2023-limerick-laughs-winner-and-runners-up/
 
“If You Should Meet a Black Hole,” Utopia Science Fiction Magazine, August/September 2023.
 
“Mycelial,” The Future Fire, Issue 2023.66, July 2023, http://futurefire.net/2023.66/fiction/mycelial.html
 
Reviews:
The Astronaut Always Rings Twice, edited by Shannon Allen and JR Campbell, published in The Fifth Dimension, August 2023, Hiraeth Publishing.
 
Wild Kin, by Marlene Grand Maître, posted on The Miramichi Reader web site, August 27, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/08/wild-kin-by-marlene-grand-maitre/
 
Short Stories:
“The Art of Music Surfing,” Rhapsody of the Spheres, a Third Flatiron anthology, August 21, 2023.
 
“A Subtle Form of Combat,” published in Yay! They’re Here! Edited by Helen Davis and Elizabeth Davis, Dead Fish Books, August 2023.
 
What I’m Working On
As we head toward NaNoWriMo in November, I’m getting back into writing fiction after a short break. I still have my usual stack of books to review as well.
 
Coming Soon
My poem “First Contact,” which first appeared in Eye to the Telescope Issue 42, Notional Ekphrasis, has been accepted for the Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume I, which will be published by Ansible Press.
 

August 2023 Update: Yay! They're Here! Is Here

Scheduled for release today by Dead Fish Books is Yay! They’re Here!, a collection of first contact stories. My short story “A Subtle Form of Combat” is included in the anthology. The idea for “A Subtle Form of Combat” was sparked a few years ago at a writers’ group meeting. We were talking about something—I can’t remember what, exactly—and the question, I wonder what aliens would think of hockey? popped into my head. I was glad “A Subtle Form of Combat” found a home in this collection.

A second piece of good news: each year, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (SFPA) issues poetry anthologies for short (“Dwarf Stars”) and longer (“Rhysling Award”) poems. These anthologies serve as the basis for SFPA members to vote on the outstanding poems of the year in each category. I am happy to say that I had two poems, “The Changing Face of Fear” and “[mission to Titan]” included in the 2023 Dwarf Stars Anthology, and one poem, “First Contact,” included in the 2023 Rhysling Anthology. I always consider it an honour to make it into one of these annual anthologies, so getting into both is a bonus.

Recent Publications

Poetry:
“And Then There Were None,” Triangulation: Seven-Day Weekend, Parsec Ink.

“The Changing Face of Fear” and “[mission to Titan],” 2023 Dwarf Stars Anthology, Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

“First Contact,” 2023 Rhysling Anthology, Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

[thunder roars], Spaceports and Spidersilk, June 2023, Hiraeth Publishing

“Till Next, Nichelle,” Lorelei Signal, July-September 2023. This poem was inspired by a news story about Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols passing away. https://www.loreleisignal.com/till-next-nichelle

Reviews:
100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by  Ken Jennings, posted on The Miramichi Reader website July 31, 2023 https://miramichireader.ca/2023/07/100-places-to-see-after-you-die-by-ken-jennings/

Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins: Inside Early Baseball in Illinois by Robert D. Sampson, posted on the Sports Literature Association’s book review site July 23, 2023, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2023/07/23/ballists-dead-beats-and-muffins-inside-early-baseball-in-illinois-by-robert-d-sampson/

Green Islands: Poems From the Great Bear Rainforest, by Ian Thomas, posted on The Miramichi Reader website, July 17, 2023. https://miramichireader.ca/2023/07/green-islands-poems-from-the-great-bear-rainforest-by-ian-thomas/

The Sibyl, by Hamant Singh, Star*Line 46.3, Summer, 2023.

Twelve All in Dread: The Twelfth Witch and Other Stories, by Juliana Rew, posted on Goodreads July 24, 2023, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123193306-twelve-all-in-dread

Women’s American Football: Breaking Barriers On and Off the Gridiron, by Russ Crawford, posted on the Sports Literature Association’s book review site July 22, 2023, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2023/07/22/womens-american-football-breaking-barriers-on-and-off-the-gridiron-by-russ-crawford/

Short Stories:
“The Price of Remembering,” Shelter of Daylight July 2023, Hiraeth Publishing.

What I’m Working On
More book reviews in process, as well as some humor pieces.

 

July 2023 Update

There are two pieces of good news to start out this month’s update. First, my short story “Escort Duty” was published in NewMyths Issue 63. This story features two of my recurring characters, Quicksilver (an AI-enhanced Russian Blue cat) and Pepper (a border collie, also AI-enhanced). The meme at the left is one of narrator Quicksilver’s observations from the story. As you might guess, there’s a friendly rivalry between Quicksilver and Pepper as they work shoulder-to-shoulder on assignments for the Galactic Space Service. A link to the story, which is free to access, is below.

https://sites.google.com/newmyths.com/newmyths-com-issue-63/issue-63-stories/escort-duty?authuser=0

Also, my speculative haibun collection, In Days to Come, released in print format by Hiraeth Publishing in 2022, is now available in electronic form. The poems in this collection cover a range of themes, including climate change, reactions to news stories, speculations about what we might find when we spin out to the stars, and imaginings about what shape and form alien encounters might come in. In Days to Come is now available as an ePub and as a PDF, at a cost of $1.99 US. For those interested in checking them out, ordering links are below:

ePub:  https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/in-days-to-come-by-lisa-timpf-2

PDF:  https://www.hiraethsffh.com/product-page/in-days-to-come-by-lisa-timpf-1
 
Recent Publications

Non-fiction:
“Dances With Al,” a true story about our border collie Emma and her enthusiastic greetings for our neighbour Al back when we lived in Mulmur Township, appeared in More of Our Canada, July 2023.

Poetry:
“Foreshadowing,” originally published in Neo-opsis, received an honourable mention in The Ontario Poetry Society’s 2023 “Across the Universe” contest, and was included in the Across the Universe 2023 Chapbook Anthology.

“A Squirrel’s To-Do List,” The World Around Us: Canadian Anthology of Verse 2023, The Ontario Poetry Society, June 2023.

Reviews:
The Earthborn, by Arlene F. Marks, posted on The Miramichi Reader site, June 19, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/06/the-earthborn-by-arlene-f-marks/

Short Stories:
“Escort Duty,” NewMyths Issue 63, June 2023.

What I’m Working On
For the last little while, I’ve been working on a poetry collection to send to a potentially interested publisher. More on that as things progress.

Coming Soon
I’ve had a few short stories, poems, and a short humour piece accepted for forthcoming publications, so looking forward to seeing those in print.
 

June 2023 Update

My short stories “The Roxy Ruling,” previously published under the title “Roxy’s Rule” in New Myths in 2017, and “Where the Hearth Is,” which appeared in Home for the Howlidays, edited by M.L.D. Curelas and published by Tyche Books Ltd. in 2021, were included in WolfSinger Publications’  Tails From the Front Lines 2: The Thin Blue Line. 

The book was launched May 15^th in conjunction with Law Enforcement Memorial Day. Proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the  El Paso County (Colorado) Sheriff's Office K9 program in memory of K9 Jinx who was killed in the line of duty on April 11, 2022. That's Jinx's photo on the cover of the book.

Tails From the Front Lines 2 includes the eulogy that was read at Jinx’s memorial service, as well as the “Last Call” for Jinx, both of which were quite emotional. Link for more information about the book: https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/tails-from-the-front-lines-2
 
Recent Publications
Poetry:
“After the Explorers,” “Feeding the Monster,” “The First,” and “Mars Colonists Are Interviewed,” Eccentric Orbits 4, Edited by Wendy Van Camp, Dimensionfold Publishing, May 2023, https://dimensionfold.com/catalog/poetry-books/eccentric-orbits/

“Chimerapet” and “Making a Run For It,” Scifaikuest online, May 2023, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/scifaikuest-online

“Retirement Life,” On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic, No. 123, Vol. 33 No. 1, https://onspec.ca/current-issue/

Reviews:
Camp Zero, by Michelle Min Sterling, posted May 1, 2023, on The Miramichi Reader site, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/05/camp-zero-by-michelle-min-sterling/
 
Summoning Space Travelers, by Angela Acosta, excerpted in Star*Line 46.2, Spring 2023, full review at https://www.sfpoetry.com/sl/reviews/22reviews.html
 
Tuesday’s Child is Full, by PS Cottier, excerpted in Star*Line 46.2, Spring 2023, full review at https://www.sfpoetry.com/sl/reviews/22reviews.html
 
Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much, by Natalie MacLean, posted on The Miramichi Reader site, May 15, 2023 https://miramichireader.ca/2023/05/wine-witch-on-fire-by-natalie-maclean/
 
Short Stories:
As noted above, “The Roxy Ruling” (Previously published as “Roxy’s Rule” in New Myths) and “Where the Hearth Is” (first published in Home for the Howlidays) were included in Tails From the Front Lines 2: The Thin Blue Line, published by Wolfsinger Publishing May 15, 2023.
 
What I’m Working On
I’m continuing to work on reviews, as well as article ideas. Since reading C. Hope Clark’s article “The 25/50/25 Rule of Freelance Writing,” which was published on Writer’s Digest’s online site March 29, 2023, I’ve been trying to focus on stretching my writing goals, so I have sent, and will be sending, queries and articles to some new markets in the coming months. Another article by C. Hope Clark, this time in her newsletter Funds for Writers, titled “Finding the Balance” talked about the importance of devoting time to “long tail” activities, such as novels, and items with shorter completion times, so I've been finding time to plug away at some collection ideas that have been on the back burner.

 

May 2023 Update

With April being National Poetry Writing Month, I had set a target of writing a poem per day. I’m happy to say I exceeded that target, with over 40 poems (ranging from 3-liners to much longer) completed, and some already sent out to venues for consideration. I’m grateful for the prompts provided by the NaPoWriMo and Writer’s Digest websites, as well as the book Minimalism: A Handbook of Minimalist Genre Poetic Forms, edited by Teri Santitoro, for providing inspiration during this process.
 
Recent Publications
Poetry:
[“Oh, spare me the tails and top hat,”], posted on Saturday Evening Post Limerick Laughs as runner-up for the January/February 2023 limerick contest, https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2023/04/january-february-2023-limerick-laughs-winner-and-runners-up/

Reviews:
Dinner on Mars: The Technologies That Will Feed the Red Planet and Transform Agriculture on Earth, by Lenore Newman and Evan Fraser, posted in Interstellar Flight Magazine April 17, 2023, https://magazine.interstellarflightpress.com/dinner-on-mars-gives-food-for-thought-2492a7ac6dff
 
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II, by Denise Kiernan, posted on Goodreads, April 2, 2023.
 
The Wisdom Found in Hen’s Teeth, by Jules Torti, posted on The Miramichi Reader site, April 17, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/04/the-wisdom-found-in-hens-teeth-by-jules-torti/
 
Short Stories:
“By Ox and Axe,” initially published in The Quilliad, is now available in audio version on Robert Topp’s Read Me a Story, Ink! site. The purpose of this site is to serve as a reading resource children, parents, and teachers. In the case of “By Ox and Axe,” Robert has included the words below the sound bar, explaining, “That is a new feature I have added so that kids can read along as they listen. I have been told by a number of teachers that that would be useful to challenged readers.” Those interested in checking it out can do so by visiting the link below
 
https://readmeastoryink.com/stories/by-ox-and-axe/ 
 
What I’m Working On
For May, my focus will be completing book reviews, some assigned and some to be sent in on spec.
 
Coming Soon
On May 15^th in conjunction with Law Enforcement Memorial Day, WolfSinger Publications will launch Tails From the Front Lines 2: The Thin Blue Line. Proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the  El Paso County (Colorado) Sheriff's Office K9 program in memory of K9 Jinx who was killed in the line of duty on April 11, 2022. Two of my stories, “The Roxy Ruling,” previously published under the title “Roxy’s Rule” in New Myths in 2017, and “Where the Hearth Is,” which appeared in Home for the Howlidays, edited by M.L.D. Curelas and published by Tyche Books Ltd. in 2021, are included in this anthology.
 
Not as soon, but on the horizon, I’ve had a story accepted for Bikes in Space Volume 10, to be titled The Bicyclist's Guide to the Galaxy. Microcosm Press has posted a pre-order page, and they plan to run a Kickstarter project for the book September-ish.

 

April 2023 update

When I was growing up, I saw team sports as a gig for the relatively young. As an athlete, whatever I played, I played as hard as I could. Due in part to gradually deteriorating knees, I gave up competitive sport in my 40s.

My presumptions about sport and age were challenged when I read a copy of Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World. Written by Jean Duffy, the book revolves around a soccer team from South Africa composed of women ranging in age from their 40s to their 80s. 

These women find sport to be a wellspring of fitness, fun, and companionship. See the reference below for a link to a review I posted on Goodreads. Soccer Grannies launches May 10, 2023. An inspiring read.

Recent Publications (links are provided for those you can access online, free of charge)
Poetry:
“Occult Cases Squad,” Spaceports and Spidersilk, February 2023, Hiraeth Publishing.

“It’s Only Cute When They’re Little,” “Dogs in Space,” and “[Earth recedes],” Scifaikuest February 2023 print, Hiraeth Publishing.

“When on Alpha Tau,” Polar Starlight, Issue 9, March 1, 2023. https://polarborealis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/POLAR-STARLIGHT-9-March-2023.pdf

Reviews:
Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Catton, posted on Goodreads March 9, 2022, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5401974485
 
Eclipsing the Aurora, by Peter J. Foote, posted on The Miramichi Reader site, March 15, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/03/eclipsing-the-aurora-by-peter-j-foote/
 
Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World, by Jean Duffy, posted on Goodreads March 21, 2023, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62143480-soccer-grannies
 
A review of Soccer Grannies was also posted on the Sports Literature Association's review site, March 29, 2023, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2023/03/29/soccer-grannies-the-south-african-women-who-inspire-the-world-by-jean-duffy/

Fiction:
“Heart of Gold,” Cosmic Crime, March 2023, Hiraeth Publishing.
 
“The Saboteur” and “The Upper Hand,” Drabble Harvest #8: Out the Airlock, Hiraeth Publishing.
 
Other:
“Steampunk Horse,” artwork, Scifaikuest, February 2023 print, Hiraeth Publishing.
 
What I’m Working On
Through April, I’ll be attempting the poem-a-day challenge, hoping to come out of it with at least 30 poems. I also plan to make progress on some non-fiction article ideas.

 

March 2023 Update

 This year, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association changed their method of selecting poems for the Rhysling Anthology. There’s now a two-step process, where members first nominate poems in the “short” and “long” categories. That step is now complete. I’m happy to say that two of my poems, “After the Quest is Over,” and “First Contact,” both made it onto the long list. Both poems were published in Eye to the Telescope, in issues 46 and 44 respectively. The second step will see the numbers winnowed down by an editorial team, to determine which entries get tagged for the Anthology itself, and for award eligibility.
 
Recent Publications
Poetry:
“Send in the Clowns,” “[black hole],” “[dreading],” Scifaikuest February 2023 online, Hiraeth Publishing, https://www.hiraethsffh.com/scifaikuest-online
 
Reviews:
Death Interrupted: How Modern Medicine is Complicating the Way We Die, by Blair Bigham, MD, posted on The Miramichi Reader web site, February 20, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/02/death-interrupted-how-modern-medicine-is-complicating-the-way-we-die-by-blair-bigham-md/
 
“Finding a Place in the Medieval,” a review of Thinking Queerly, by Jes Battis, Interstellar Flight Magazine, February 6, 2023, https://magazine.interstellarflightpress.com/
 
The Garrett Bluenose Patterns: Celebrating Nova Scotia’s Rug Hooking Heritage, by The Teachers Branch, Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, posted on The Miramichi Reader web site, February 22, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/02/the-garrett-bluenose-patterns-celebrating-nova-scotias-rug-hooking-heritage-by-the-teachers-branch-rug-hooking-guild-of-nova-scotia/
 
The Ugly Truth, by Ira Nayman, posted on The Miramichi Reader web site, February 26, 2023, https://miramichireader.ca/2023/02/the-ugly-truth-ira-nayman/
 
What I’m Working On
Though I’ve been focusing on fiction for the past few months, March will see a shift to some non-fiction writing, as I have several ideas on the back burner.