I just got the paycheque for “We Are the Flower“, the story I wrote for you. This post is going up a day late because I didn’t hit the Publish button! But I know you would forgive me for that, as you and all my friends have forgiven me for never being a birthday-rememberer. Ever since 2016, when Spells of Blood and Kin was published and the US election exposed cultural progress as the frail thing it is, in need of constant action and support, I’ve been in the privileged position of being able to donate all of my short story income to causes I support. The #FictionFightsBack initiative kicked it off for me and I’ve kept up the habit. The arrival of this money in my account was particularly well timed, Mary, because it would have been your birthday, and we had a Zoom call with some of your dearest ones who confirmed to me that you would have loved to see this donation go to the Movement for Black Lives. So there it has gone. I miss you a lot. We used to joke that when you were away it was my job to be the weird one […]
“We Are the Flower”
It’s been ages since I’ve had a new story out! Writing moves in uneven cycles sometimes. Some stories take years to finish and sell, while others are born fully formed and land with the right editor immediately. I’ve been doing this long enough that I don’t worry about slow periods – but I do love the times when I have something new to announce. “We Are the Flower” is up at Podcastle, read gorgeously by Jen Albert. The whole Podcastle team is a delight to work with, and they produce a steady stream of fascinating and high quality stories. This one, I have to warn you, is a bit of a tear-jerker. I wrote it for my friend Mary, who passed away unexpectedly and tragically. Mary was a dear friend and also a wonderfully kind and supportive reader of my work, and I had been planning on writing a story just for her. Right now, in the middle of the ultimate demonstration of how our plans can be swept away, seems like a fine time for this story to meet the world. […]