176 and 177

I finished story 176 about three weeks ago, a flash piece called "Between Worlds," about a guy on a journey that's longer than what might be healthy. Just finished 177 a few minutes ago. It's called "Those Who Live in Negative Space," and it's 8,500 words long. The narrator takes an unknown someone on a tour of a great artist's sculptures that might change their entire worldview.

174 and 175

In the last month I've finished two more stories, "The Shallow One" (174 of the One-Thousand), a light-hearted Lovecraftian story which was commissioned by the Drabblecast to run later this month, and "Turf War 2200" (175), which is a goofy piece of flash fiction about a fight using lawn equipment and that fight's consequences.

Awwwwww Yeah

Listen To My Latest

Art by Carly Heath

Listen to my two latest stories at the Drabblecast. Episode 427 includes my very short stories, "Life and Times" (140 of the One-Thousand), and "Sometimes I'm a Chair" (150). You can read them there also, but scroll to the player at the bottom if you want to listen: https://www.drabblecast.org/2020/07/04/drabblecast-427-doubleheader-matthew-sanborn-smith/

173

Just finished and submitted my 173rd story, "Three Princesses," a fantasy retelling of "The Three Princes of Serendip," told in a science fictional setting. That's my 940th submission.

David C Roy's Kinetic Sculptures

172

Finished story 172 last week. It's called "Expiration Date."

171

Oops.I finished 171 a month ago. Instead of calling it, "A Sensitive Woman," I changed the title to, "Their Heads Filled to Bursting."

170

About a week and a half ago, I finished story 170, a flash fiction piece called, "You Will Find Yourself Buried Beneath Rubble." I wouldn't be surprised if I finish 171 soon, probably called, "A Sensitive Woman."

New Fluff Cover

 

I had to redo the cover for the e-version of Fluff and Buttons on the Teddy Bear Range because modern resolution meant the old one was too small, but I've been unhappy with the text on the old one for a long time. It looked too blurry in the thumbnail. So here's the new cover. If you're hankering to read it, it's on Amazon, and back on Barnes and Noble and Kobo for the first time in years.

IRL Science Festival

Not In Real Life, but Indian River Lagoon (though it did happen in real life, too). We were rained out, eventually, but not before I had an incredible food truck panini with barbecued pulled pork, cheddar, and mac and cheese in it. Sounds gross, but it was great. 

We threw a tarp over ourselves for the first downpour and gave up well into the third. My shoes, as you can see, were submerged

My New Collection

Here's the cover of my latest collection, The Algebraic Woman and Other Stories. And here's the description:

Darpana is a woman made of math, enslaved to the mathematicians who created her. Any human or humans who stand too closely become her input and her personality and body change with each new encounter. When no one is around, she disappears. How would you escape if you only existed in the company of others?

In this collection, Matthew Sanborn Smith explores dark futures and fantasies of people merging bodies, the sky splitting open, and an artist’s asylum that houses deeply disturbing work.

Stories include:
The Algebraic Woman
Puppies for Sale
And the Midwives Their Faces Abloom
Maisy’s Many Souls
Red and Roxanne
The Cat in the Helmet Comes Back

So, for only $2.99, how in the world can you say no to that? Trick question. You can't, of course. Get it at Amazon now and some other places soon.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Woman-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B07YSTW4PM/

169

I just sent out story 169, "The Substitute Secret Agent." It's a meta meditation on American capitalism, loneliness, and responsibility. I think it's one of the best things I've ever done. As always, editors may disagree.

168 And A Sale

Just finished story number 168 last night, "Three Fates," and sent it off to an editor. If I can stick to my schedule, these numbers will be falling more rapidly than they have in years.

I sold story 165, "I Was Meant to Live Another Thousand Years," to Kaleidotrope last night. Don't look for it till 2021, though. Fred at Kaleidotrope published my story, "Three Kingdoms" (no relation to "Three Fates") in 2014. I'll let you know when it's available.