I have a new piece of short fiction on the way! “Preserving Phylais” is a science fiction story about a human colony adjusting to life on the distant world of Phylais…a world ruled by sentient plants the colonists come to call Preservers.
“Preserving Phylais” follows two members of the colony: an acolyte whose job it is to communicate with the dominant plant species of the planet, and a construction foreman struggling to adjust to the ecological demands of Phylais.
This story will be released on July 1, 2023 in the ZNB Presents online magazine, which is run through the Zombies Need Brains Patreon. It will also be included in the ZNB PRESENTS: YEAR TWO anthology e-book, due out sometime in mid-2024.
THE MODERN DEITY’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY
Themed anthology from Zombies Need Brains which includes my Aztec-inspired urban fantasy short story
*The Kickstarter Edition is essentially the ‘first edition’ of the book, which is available exclusively from the publisher. A limited run of 500 copies of this edition was printed as a reward for those who backed the kickstarter to fund the anthology. Once they are gone, they are gone.
The old gods are still with us.
The world is constantly changing, evolving, growing. In order to stay relevant, deities must change with the times as well. In this anthology, fifteen science fiction and fantasy authors tackle how gods and goddesses have adapted to the surge in technology and the mercurial beliefs of humanity. So sit back and watch Hera try her hand at marriage counseling, while Macuilxochitl conquers the world of online gaming. Buy a ticket to Anubis’ magic act or roam the back tents at the local carnival and catch Doc Saturday’s medicine show. Take a sip of wine at Dionysus’ winery or grab some potato pancakes at Baba Yaga’s café. Whatever your taste, here you will find interesting twists on how deities have found their way in our modern world from Crystal Sarakas, Juliet E. McKenna, Tanya Huff, Edward Willett, Daniel Roman, Jennifer Dunne, Jean Marie Ward, Mike Marcus, A.L. Tompkins, Daryl Marcus, Alma Alexander, Kari Sperring, A.J. Cunder, Irene Radford, and N.R. Lambert.
And remember to beware. You never know who…or what…you will meet next!
“The Teotl of Gaming” follows Macuilxochitl, the Aztec god of games, as he tries to get by in the modern day by running an MMORPG video game company. But having the deific equivalent of a day job isn’t something that comes easily to Macuil, and when you throw in his moonlighting as a gambler, it’s only a matter of time till things spiral out of control.
Daniel Roman 