The Journal of Michael Merriam

Because I know some of you got eReaders of one type or another for the holidays. And because as much I love writing, I also have to eat and pay bills. So here is my post-holidays marketing sales pitch for all my available books, both print and electronic.

Coffee For Your Body, Flames For Your Soul: Urban Fantasy Short Story

It came to the diner looking for a soul to devour.

At a late-night diner, the manager finds himself faced with a nightmare from his past: The Nalusachita, a mythical-creature of his Choctaw ancestors.

Determined to protect his customers from the shape-changing soul-stealer but unsure how, the manager sets out to clear the restaurant at closing time.

What neither manager or monster counted on was the eccentric patrons of the diner, and how they would react to the mythical creature…

Coffee For Your Body, Flames For Your Soul is available in ebook at Musa Publishing, Amazon, and Smashwords.

#

The Horror at Cold Springs: Steampunk / Supernatural Western Novella

When a disparate group of travelers find themselves stranded in a ghost town on the western Nebraska frontier, will they unravel the mystery of the missing townsfolk and survive to tell the tale?

The Horror at Cold Springs is available in print from The Sam's Dot Publishing Bookstore and in all ebook formats from Smashwords.

#

Last Car to Annwn Station: Urban Fantasy Novel / Paranormal Romance - Readings in Lesbian & Bisexual Women's Fiction Blog pick for Top Ten Books, 2011.

“The fare is ten cents, miss.”

Mae Malveaux, an attorney with Minneapolis Child Protective Services, is burnt-out, tired and frustrated. Passing on an invite from Jill, her flirtatious coworker, Mae just wants a quiet night in. Leaving the office late, she’s surprised to find the Heritage Line streetcars up and running and hops aboard, eager for a quick trip home.
But this is no ordinary streetcar. Death is one of its riders, and Mae is thrust into Annwn, a realm of magic and danger.

“Your transfer, miss. You’ll need that.”

Mae’s life is turned upside down as human and fae worlds collide. Her budding relationship with Jill takes a perilous turn when they are hunted by mythical beasts, and Mae is drawn into a deadly power struggle. With Jill at her side, Mae must straddle both worlds and fight a war she barely comprehends, for not only does the fate of Annwn rest in her hands, but the lives of both a human and fae child…

Last Car to Annwn Station is available in ebook format at Carina Press, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and in audio format at Audible.

#

Shimmers & Shadows: Short Story Collection

These diverse short stories unfold where the faery realm intersects with the mundane world of the Twin Cities, in the spacefaring future of exploration and adventure, and in a mythical land of sorcery and danger. Here you will find tales of adventure, horror, enchantment, humor, tragedy, and romance where:
…a young outcast strikes a hard bargain with the Muddy River
…two very different spirits find sanctuary in a historic shopping mall
…a space transport captain makes a difficult choice and falls headlong into the middle of a conspiracy
…a fallen Seelie champion is caught between his dark past and unusual mortal friends
…estranged lovers discover whether science or magic will save their dying Earth
…death is not the end, time does not always run in a straight line, and the rain blesses both mortals and fae.

Shimmers & Shadows is available at Lulu and in ebook for Kindle from Amazon.

#

Should We Drown In Feathered Sleep: Near-Future Post-Apocalypse Fantasy Novella -- Long Listed for the 2010 Nebula Award.

A New Order

A new world is emerging years after war destroyed society. In a Minnesota lake, the last surviving loons, direct descendants of the legendary First Pair, await the one who can help heal the earth. Each year a human sacrifice is brought to them to be endowed with special gifts, but they come at a terrible price.

A Free Spirit

Even as the rest of the world rebuilds, Grace Kriske’s life is shattered. Unable to walk, she feels utterly dependent on her family and trapped in a community that disapproves of her rebellious ways. Grace’s only solace is her lover, David Tvedt, a trader who wants to take her away with him—if she’d let him.

An Impossible Choice

Yet something else calls to Grace—the loons. They haunt her dreams, lurking in her mind as if part of her deepest primal self. But when Grace is chosen as the new sacrifice, she’s afraid. Will she risk everything to help the community that shuns her, or will she choose her own path?

Should We Drown in Feathered Sleep is available in ebook at Carina Press, Amazon, and B&N. and in audio format at Audible.

I love it with the love. Seriously. I especially love the cold winter colors. It both reflects winter in Minnesota and frozen Annwn from the novel. I think the streetcar / train looks good, it has a nice ethereal feels to it. I think Mae looks very intense, pale, and winter queen-like. I am quite happy.

This time for the anthology Northern Lights: 20 MinnSpec Tales, which I had the pleasure to compile and edit. This will be for sale starting the first of September. I'm trying to pull together a release party in middle or late September (and if anyone can suggest a good local venue that can handle up to 40 and is free or stupid cheap, let me know).




Table of Contents For "Northern Lights: 20 MinnSpec Tales."

Kissing Frogs by Jaye Lawrence
Three Views of the Maiden in Peril by Catherine Lundoff
The Desires of Houses by Haddayr Copley-Woods
Come and Catch Me, Henry by Jason D. Wittman
The Disconnected by David Steffen
The Leviathan’s Teeth by Kelly Barnhill
Dinosaurs of the Great Depression by Damian Sheridan
Garbage Man by R. Scott McCoy
Guess Who's Coming to Gotterdammerung by Terry Faust
Bright, Bright City Lights by Lyda Morehouse
Can't Stop, Won't by Carrie Devall
At The Edge Of Twilight, Melissa Remembers Flight by Michael Merriam
Daedalus by Patrick Sullivan
Sabine Baring-Gould and the Werewolf by Roy C. Booth
Oh, Hell by Britt Aamodt
The Question by Sharon Boerbon Hanson
Narcissus in Links by Joel Arnold
The Radiator Burped by Abra Staffin-Wiebe
The Robber King And The Blood Orange Tree by Maggie Della Rocca
Run of the Fiery Horse by Hilary Moon Murphy

The wonderful art department people emailed the final cover art for my upcoming novella from Carina Press, Should We Drown in Feathered Sleep. If I said I was both excited and thrilled, it would be an understatement.

On Monday, I plan to start talking about the novella: Where the idea came from, the setting, the writing process as the novella moved from concept to completion. I promise to keep it spoiler free!

Since I'm so pleased with my cover art, I thought it would be a good time for a tip of the hat to the artist, Mitchell Davidson Bentley of Atomic Fly Studios.



I do have to say that I've been blessed with great cover art, be it this piece, Shimmers & Shadows, or the various magazines I've appeared in over the years.

You Don't Know What You've Got: Tales of Loss and Dispossession, which includes a reprint of my short story "Darkly Through the Light Waters" released today.



Product Description
The more you have, the more you have to lose. This unchangeable truth runs through every human life, whether it's wealth, family, love, or something deeper and more profound. Sometimes it breaks you. Other times it only makes you stronger. In this book, our writers explore the infinite paths of loss and the conflicts that come with it, bringing you a unique collection of stories from all genres and disciplines, following only one rule: There is nothing that can't be taken away from us.

My piece, "Darkly through The Light Waters," was originally published online in the September 2005 issue of the now defunct Sorcery & Science. It was the second story I ever sold. Set in the intersection between Minneapolis and the faerie realm, this short story tells of a fey champion's love, honor, and fall from grace.

*click image to enlarge

Shimmers & Shadows now has cover art, thanks to the wonderful efforts of my friend Katoo, aka Catherine Déziel, aka tiny_wings on LJ. You can click on the picture for a slightly larger image.



If you like this artwork, you should go over to her LJ and let her know. If you want something commissioned, she's great to work with, as I can attest.

After much discussion, careswen picked the initial concept and worked with Katoo throughout the process to make it happen. Although it is a single scene from a single story, I think it does an excellent job of expressing the flavor of the stories I lean toward as a writer. I'm also pleased with how recognizable the Minneapolis skyline is. And really, when are we ever going to have so much control over how the cover art looks again?

I have blurbs from fellow writers Adam Stemple (Singer of Souls), Jaye Lawrence (Kissing Frogs), and Hilary Moon Murphy (Run of the Fiery Horse) for the cover. There are a few logistics details to work out, but I'm hopeful that we will have finished book in hand in three or four more weeks.