May 2024 Update

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The weather is getting warmer, and that's not all that's heating up! Yes, I know it's already a bit further into June than I'd like and I should have already posted this, so here's what happened in May...

Shore Leave will be here soon. I have to get the giveaway books together—although I'm not exactly certain how things will work out with the new venue. They say they are having an art show, but the details of where in the hotel have yet to be announced. I'll stop by, but I won't be selling this year. Maybe next time. There is also a last minute guest addition: J G Hertzler. I'm not familiar with him, but I'm sure many others are. Here's a bit from the Shore Leave site:

In theatre, Mr. Hertzler appeared opposite Academy Award winning actress, Holly Hunter in a new Irish play, By the Bog of Cats at San Jose Rep. Earlier, on Broadway, he appeared opposite Irene Pappas in The Bacchae, directed by Michael Cacoyannis. He has appeared with the Oscar winning actor, Roddy MacDowall in the 1996 National Tour of Dial M for Murder.

Perhaps his best-known work for television is his General Martok on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Other television credits include, Seinfeld, Roswell, Six Feet Under, Touched by an Angel, Charmed, Dr. Quinn, Diagnosis Murder, Quantum Leap, The Highlander, Brisco County Jr., Lois and Clark, General Hospital and One Life to Live, and over 50 episodes on the New Zorro series, filmed in Spain. J. G. was featured with Jennifer Beals and Christopher Walken in the film, Prophecy 2. In the film Pirates of Silicon Valley he appeared as Ridley Scott. He has also appeared with Al Pacino in the Barry Levinson/Norman Jewison classic film, ...And Justice for All.

Currently J. G. is voicing the Drookmani Captain and General Martok on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Last Fall, his radical memoir, Confessions of A Klingon Linebacker, was released in several formats. Signed hard copies will be available at a ridiculous cost! He also co-authored the Star Trek duology The Left Hand of Destiny (2003) with Jeffrey Lang. A fourth book is rumored to be planned for spring of 2025. Stay tuned.

I've also posted my latest writing activities on my Patreon site. You can read about them there. I've also posted my short horror story Neersville on Patreon, It is for paid subscribers only.

In other news, Terri Deno has 9 episodes out now for her new Kindle Vella story called Making a Thief.

Miranda Kate's new book Blood River (Tricky's Tales Book 3) should be out on Kindle by the time this is posted. Might be giving out a three-book Tricky trilogy at Shore Leave just in case you were interested!

Mary Rajotte has her story The Call of the Carrion Crows in the reprint anthology Shadowed Realms. It is available on preorder now for Kindle.

And I'm working on another short horror story I hope to submit later this year. Think trains.

That's all for now!

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Put a Little Mystery Into Your Life

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Yes, it's been a while since I've posted here, and that's my fault. But I do have some news to pass along!

Want to add a little mystery and intrigue to your life? Author Terri Deno has a new Kindle Vella story available. It's a tale of undercover police work called Making a Thief.

Here's a little about Making a Thief:

Detective Nolan Wells has had one case in his career that he just can't shake, and before he retires, he must figure out how to bring down the son of one of the most notorious diamond thieves in the world. He thought he would do anything to close the case, but when his daughter Zahara decides to go undercover to help out, Detective Wells is torn between getting the bad guy and keeping his daughter safe.

Do a bit of investigating yourself and check it out! Remember, the first 10 episodes are free to read on Kindle Vella now!

@terrideno check out my next #kindlevella story dropping May 2. First 10 episodes available free to read 📚📚 #booktok #readersoftiktok #writertok #kindle #thriller ♬ Detective - AShamaluevMusic

 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

The Loft Gallery

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Just a shout-out for a local gallery...

There is a local art gallery I visit—and have purchased from—having its annual one-of-a-kind sale. The folks there are friendly and willing to talk to anyone about their art. There are lots of different artists (23!) who hang (or display) their art here and many different types and styles of art to view.

Their address is:

The Loft Gallery
313 Mill Street (Upstairs)
Occoquan, VA 22125

Website: https://www.loftgallery.org/

There are several rooms with art in every one. If you visit, take your time to look around. There is one room where you can pull up a chair and view the works—it does give you a unique perspective.

Note: This is in Occoquan, Virginia. Parking is at a premium, so a weekday visit (except for Monday when they are closed) is the best time. Also, the shop is at the top of a long, narrow flight of stairs. It's in an old building in an old town. So, unfortunately, it's not really good for access if you have trouble with a lot of steps.

Disclaimer: I have no association with The Loft Gallery other than being a customer.

 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave Update—Sort Of

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UPDATE October 12, 2023:

 

The Monster Mania Convention, which also uses the Delta Hotel Hunt Valley, has made arrangements to use the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor as its site for their 2024 convention. While the main halls are large enough for Shore Leave, I'm not sure it would have enough smaller "break-out" room for all of the panels that Shore Leave has. The hotel rooms are also more expensive. Again, if I find out anything, I'll pass it on!

 There is a slight update to the Shore Leave / Farpoint hotel situation. No, they haven't found a suitable location. They are having a joint farewell party at the hotel on October 28, 2023. This is from the Shore Leave Facebook page:

Event by Shore Leave, Farpoint Convention and Don L Ramsey

Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley

Public  · Anyone on or off Facebook 

Join the gang from Shore Leave and Farpoint for a final sendoff at the Delta by Marriott Hunt Valley Inn!

Here is the current schedule...and I believe there will be cake!
All activities will be in the Tack room...though I think most of us will also be found in the bar.

10:00 - The Bob and Howie Show - Authors Robert Greenberger and Howard Weinstein greet us one last time from 245 Shawan Road.

11:00 - Founders Remember (Cathy Dougherty, Regina DeSimone, Melissa James, Marilyn Mann, Denise Masters, Martha Sayre, Chris Schildt, Weston Scrimger, Renee Wilson; Moderator: Steve Wilson) Members of the committees of Shore Leave and Farpoint who were there in the beginning recall our 43 years at the Hunt Valley Inn.

2:00 - Weird and Wonderful Memories - (Moderators: Diane Baron and Susan Olesen, with special guest T.A. Chafin) Escalator roulette, Klingon raids, and how did that Studebaker get here? Our panelists and audience members recall their favorite bits of wackiness in the halls of HVI.

4:00 - Trivia Contest (Diane Baron)

8:00 - Marc Okrand - The creator of the Klingon language has a very long history with Baltimore, his convention home. Marc will talk about being a guest across five decades in Hunt Valley

Here's a map so you can see where the Tack Room is located (yellow circle on lobby level):

As you can see, it is not one of the larger rooms in the building. I suppose that's why most folks will be at the bar. Well, it's as good an excuse as any.

I'm not sure I'll make it there, but I'll try. After all, they say they'll have cake. Perhaps I can get the scoop on what's going on. If so, I'll pass it on to you.

You can read more about the hotel situation HERE.

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

No Room At The Inn

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As of this post, there is no news on possible new sites for the Shore Leave sci-fi convention. Or the Farpoint convention. I do wish the folks responsible for both con websites would remove the dates and location as they are no longer valid and are misleading at best. I know the Shore Leave staff has never been all that quick with their website updates, but still...

Even the hotel website doesn't say they are closing. You can try and book a room past the end of October and all you get is a message saying no rooms are available. That must be some sort of marketing strategy to keep the place full until the very end, I suppose.

If I find out anything for either convention, I'll post it here.

In other news, I am now on Bluesky social. It hasn't wowed me so far. Nothing bad, but not exciting, either. It's new, so I'll hang around and see what happens.

I'm working on what may be the last episode of my serial story, The Dark Scent of Rain, that I'll post on Medium. I don't think Medium readers are looking for that sort of content. You can read more on that HERE.

And, yes, I need to finish my Shore Leave posts on Medium, though it may not matter. Nobody read the first two.

In keeping with the holiday season (Halloween), I went to see a play last night in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab at the Olney Theatre Center called Brothers Paranormal. Here's a synopsis:

It’s 2007 somewhere in the American Midwest, and Thai-American brothers Max and Visarut haven’t had a single case for their paranormal investigation business since they opened. Finally, a customer arrives, Delia, a Black woman who has relocated to the area after losing her home in Hurricane Katrina. She’s seen a female, perhaps Asian, maybe Thai-speaking ghost haunting her house for reasons unknown. Max, who doesn’t believe in ghosts, is most excited to sign her up for a deluxe investigation package. But when the brothers visit Delia and her husband Felix, strange things begin to happen. Prepare to be thrilled, chilled, and moved! 

It's a good play (maybe a few plot holes that won't affect your enjoyment) with good acting, but it's rated PG-13, so you won't be as traumatized as when seeing The Exorcist for the first time. You can view the playbill HERE. Also, for a play on a small stage, the visual effects were done well.

 

That's all for the moment. I'll be back soon...

 

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

That's A Mighty Big Wrench

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I'm sure you've heard the idiom, "They've thrown a wrench in the works." Well, that's what has happened to Shore Leave 44...

If you're not familiar with the Shore Leave sci-fi convention, it is an annual affair that has taken place in Hunt Valley, Maryland for many years. There are artists, authors (and their books for sale), celebrity guests, and even scientists who provide entertainment and information to the hundreds of attendees. Over 1,400 people attended Shore Leave 43. I had already reserved my hotel rooms for next year's event.

Delta Hotels Hunt Valley - image from Hotels.com

Unfortunately, I've just heard that the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley where the event is held is closing October 30th. There has been no information on what will be done with the property as of this posting. That leaves the STAT Club searching for a new location on relatively short notice. While hopes are high, there is no guarantee that Shore Leave will continue.

Even worse, they are not the only ones with a convention site problem. Farpoint uses the same location for their convention. They have even less time to find a new venue as their con starts in February. This is a posting on their website:

Farpoint lists October 31st as the closing date, but the WBAL (local news station) article lists October 30th. Either way, Shore Leave (and Farpoint) is in deep trouble. I can't say it's a complete surprise. I noticed a definite lack of maintenance during my last visit. Perhaps this has been in the cards for a while now. 

At this point, I can't say if there will be a Shore Leave convention, or if there is, when and where it will be. They could do a "virtual" convention as they did during the heights of COVID, but that's just not the same. There are other venues within a reasonable distance, but they may be booked already. I couldn't even offer a guess as to what the cost differences might be.

So much changing and I haven't even finished my posts about the last Shore Leave convention! All I can say is, I'll keep you posted...

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

I've Had Enough Fun With Simily

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I think it's time to end my experiment with Simily. 

via GIPHY

I received this email from Simily this morning (June 14, 2023):

Wednesday June 13, 2023

Important Changes to the Simily Platform

To Our Fellow Similians,

Simily’s mission has always been to build a place where creative writers and readers can thrive online. As the platform has grown, we noticed a shift in the quality of content and engagement on the site which took us further away from this mission. Over the past few months, our small team has spent countless hours and resources defending the site from bad actors focused on driving spam and bot traffic. (If you’ve been with us for a while, you understand the bumps in the road and we can’t thank you enough for sticking with us!) 

It’s time we bring our focus back to creating a social platform that allows creators to share high-quality writing with an engaged audience.  

We’ve spoken to hundreds of you and based on your feedback, we are excited to announce a series of changes to the Simily platform. Each decision was made in an effort to make Simily a home for creative writing and foster an engaging community of readers and writers. These changes were designed to set our Similians up for long-term success and we can’t wait to continue this journey with you all! 

So, what’s different?

Social settings are changing. In an effort to support meaningful interactions on Simily, the ability to direct message other writers, create groups, and post in groups on Simily will now only be available to paid users.

There is an application process to become a Simily Writer. As of now, members will need to apply to become a writer on Simily. We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers.

I have stories on Simily, what happens now? If you posted on Simily before this change took effect, all of your stories will be reverted to drafts. We encourage you to apply to be a Simily Writer through our application process! If your application is not accepted (or you decline to apply) you have until August 1, 2023 to download your drafts from the site before they are deleted permanently. If you are approved as a Simily Writer, your content will be published live on the platform. All new writers will be required to apply for the ability to post content on our site.

Can I apply to be a Simily Writer? Absolutely! Submit your application through our application process!

What about my earnings? When an author is approved as a Simily Writer, all earnings from previous stories will be maintained. If you have a current balance above the minimum earnings threshold, you can request a payout by emailing hello@simily.co.

The following countries are eligible to be paid out through Simily: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

For additional information, please view our Community Guidelines and FAQs.

We know these are big changes for Simily! If you have any questions or would like to share feedback, please do not hesitate to reach out to hello@simily.co. 

Thank you!

Simily Co-Founders

When I checked my Simily page this morning, I found that six of my stories had reverted to draft. Everything I have there has been posted before the changes took place. They said all would be reverted, but it seems they couldn't get that right, either. Did they forget? Are they not done? Who knows? And the posts that went back to draft were all my most recent posts. What they said and what they did don't match.

UPDATE June 14, 2023: All of my posts have been reverted to draft. END OF UPDATE

They also said we'd keep our earnings. That didn't quite work out either. I know others have complained about losing earnings previously. 

And if you've followed my posts in other places, you'll know I wasn't happy about the repeated outages lasting for days with little (or no) information as to what was going on.

These statements worry me: "We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers." It doesn't say who will be "curating" or if there could be a discussion about it if a post is denied. It's just another form of censorship. I seldom (ever?) post anything controversial, but it doesn't sit well.

They do give an address for Simily in their e-mail. It's 4387 W Swamp Rd # 4718902 Doylestown, PA 18902-1039. 4387 W Swamp Rd Doylestown, PA 18902 is a Parcel Place, so they are using that as a mail drop. This brings up the possibility it is being run out of someone's basement/home office. Not necessarily bad thing, but not confidence inspiring—especially considering the other problems I've mentioned.

I really don't think the Simily folks are malicious. I think they're incompetent. Or perhaps less competent than they need to be. Just an opinion. Anyway, I'll be leaving Simily. Might take a few days to copy stuff and all, but it's time...

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Travel Advisory For Shore Leave 43

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Just got an e-mail from the Shore Leave folks this morning. Due to the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia, they are warning folks about possible detours and traffic problems for those coming in from the northeast. I-95 is bad enough under normal circumstances, so take heed!

Shore Leave 43 Travel Advisory for anyone coming in from Philadelphia and points north

Sunday (6/11/2023) a portion of I-95 near Philadelphia collapsed due to a tanker truck that caught fire while parked underneath an underpass. This is reportedly near the Cottman Avenue exit. All lanes of I-95 are closed in both directions between Woodhaven Road (Exit 35) and Aramingo Avenue (Exit 26).

According to officials it will take months to get that fixed. If you are traveling to Shore Leave from Philadelphia and/or points north, please plan an alternate route such as the New Jersey Turnpike. Since everyone else will be doing the same, please plan on heavier traffic and delays. Please drive safely!

The Shore Leave Team

Shore Leave 43

www.Shore-Leave.com

Plan your trip accordingly!

 

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update On Shore Leave 43

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There have been a few updates from the Shore Leave convention folks. You can check out the web site, but here's their latest news directly from them (received June 5) that summarizes it all! And, as always, I will be there with books to give away!

Dear Fellow Fans,

We would like to provide an update on Shore Leave 43, our guests, planned programming, and other topics of interest and importance.

When:  7-9 July 2023
Where: Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley, 245 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Web:    www.shore-leave.com

Update: Our room block is Sold Out for Shore Leave 43. Please view our list of alternate hotels for a list of other accommodations in the area. (Our room block is sold out, not the convention.) To be placed on the Delta Hotels’ waiting list, please contact Delynn Powelson (waiting list only please).

The deadline for advance registration is June 19, 2023. At-the-door registration will be available at the convention at the following prices:

Weekend: $120
Active Military receives a $10 Discount (ID required)
Friday Only: $45
Saturday Only: $85 (includes Masquerade and Ten-Forward)
Saturday Evening Only: $25 - For admission to Masquerade (viewing attendance) and Ten Forward only. To participate in the Masquerade, you must have at least a full Saturday membership.
Sunday Only: $50
Teen (13-17): $60
Youth (5-12): $20
Supporting (non-attending) Membership: $10

On-site registration (as well as badge pickup for pre-registered members) is now upstairs in the hotel lobby. The hours are:
Fri from 10 AM to 7 PM
Sat from 8 AM to 5 PM
Sun from 9 AM to 1 PM

Guests

Actor Guests

Grace Park (Sat + Sun only), Aaron Douglas, Claudia Black (Sat + Sun only), Ben Browder (Sat + Sun only), Alaina Huffman, Peter Macon, Penny Johnson Jerald, Robert Picardo (Sat + Sun only), Robert Duncan McNeill, Bonnie Gordon.

Photo-Ops
All photo-ops will be done on Saturday. The following photo-ops are available:

Single Actor Photo-Ops Prices
Grace Park ($80)
Aaron Douglas ($60)
Claudia Black ($80)
Ben Browder ($80)
Penny Johnson Jerald ($70)
Peter Macon ($60)
Alaina Huffman ($70)
Robert Picardo ($60)
Robert Duncan McNeill ($60)

Combo Photo-Ops Prices
Voyager Combo Picardo/McNeill ($95)
Trek Combo Picardo/McNeill/Jerald ($135)
Farscape Combo Black/Browder ($135)
Stargate Combo Black/Browder/Huffman/Picardo ($205)
Orville Combo Jerald/Macon ($105)
Battlestar Combo Park/Douglas ($115)

(All prices are per print. Multiple people may appear in a single photo, however there will only be one print per photo-op ticket.)

Autographs
Claudia Black and Ben Browder will each sign one item for no additional charge during the Official Autograph Sessions on Saturday and Sunday. One Photo Ops photo may count as your free item. Additional items to be signed, in addition to photo op pictures, will be priced at the guest's listed autograph price. Please read the Autograph Policy on our website for full details on the official autograph sessions and autograph line.

All actors will be at their tables signing autographs during the weekend for a fee:
Grace Park ($50)
Aaron Douglas ($40)
Claudia Black ($50)
Ben Browder ($50)
Alaina Huffman ($40)
Penny Johnson Jerald ($50)
Peter Macon ($40)
Robert Picardo ($40)
Robert Duncan McNeill ($40)
Prices are subject to change at the guests’ discretion. Please note that autographs are not included in the price of photo op photos.

Author Guests

Chris Abbott, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Rigel Ailur, Lorraine Anderson, Derek Tyler Attico, Diane Baron, Christopher Bennett, Kirsten Beyer, Alan Chafin, John Coffren, Russ Colchamiro, Greg Cox, Keith DeCandido, Mary Fan, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Michael Jan Friedman, Phil Giunta, Rande Goodwin, Robert Greenberger, Amy Griswold, Glenn Hauman, Andrew Hiller, Amy Imhoff, David Mack, Mike McPhail, Christopher Ochs, Susan Olesen, Joshua Palmatier, Robb Pearlman, Scott Pearson, T.J. Perkins, Roberta Rogow, Aaron Rosenberg, Jenifer Rosenberg, Melissa Scott, Hildy Silverman, Amy Sisson, James Swallow, Dayton Ward, Laura Ware, Howard Weinstein, Richard White, Steve Wilson, and Sherri Woosley.

All author guests, including any science authors, will be at the Meet-the-Pros Party on Friday night from 10pm to midnight. Our bookseller is Larry Smith Bookseller (Sally Kobee, proprietor).

Science Guests

Wayne Bird, Kenneth Carpenter, Kelly Fast, Jerry Feldman, Joshua Handal, Thomas Holtz, Lindley Johnson, Stephen Lesnik, Adeena Mignogna, Timothy Miller, Ray Villard, Brent Warner, and C. Alex Young

Science programming will take place as always Friday evening 6-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 1pm.

Artist Guest

J.K. Woodward

Performing Guests

The Boogie Knights, The Chromatics, Luna-C, Bonnie Gordon, Charnock's Comedy Cabaret and Science & Magic with Willie Yee.



Vendors
We have a sold-out vendor room with a wide variety of goods. Many of our vendors are participating in programming, such as workshops and demonstrations. Please read the dealer and programming pages on our website for all the details.


Emporium
The Emporium table downstairs will have this year’s Shore Leave shirts and many other Shore Leave goodies for sale. They will also be selling Photo-ops tickets while supplies last.


Programming

We will have our usual full tracks of programming, the masquerade, the art show, the food drive, charity auction, a fan film track, science programming, children’s and teen programming tracks, workshops, and other special events. Please go to our volunteer page if you’d like to volunteer at the convention, the Lower Decks Crew would love for you to join them.

Free Workshops
Stargazing (Fri and Sat night), Sungazing, (Fri and Sat during the day), and many more to be announced. Check the website for details on these and other workshops.

Gaming

Gaming hours (5 pm-midnight Friday, 10AM-Midnight Sat, 10AM-4PM Sunday

Other Information

Our room block at the Hunt Valley Inn is sold out (just the room block, not the convention). Please view the list of alternate hotels on our website for other accommodations in the area.

Please be aware that due to hotel staffing shortages there will not be any shuttle services. There will also not be any room service, though orders can be placed for pickup. We will announce the availability of food services throughout the weekend on our website as soon as we know it.

Do you want to be part of the action? Join our parent organization, STAT Club of Maryland, and become part of the Shore Leave team. Check out statclub.org on the web, and email membership@statclub.org for information.

If you have any questions about the convention, please go to this page and follow the link(s) to the appropriate topic(s): https://www.shore-leave.com/contacts/

Keep checking our web site www.shore-leave.com for updates. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr!  You can help spread the word by reblogging our posts and sharing them with your followers..

We hope to see you all in July!

Cheers,

Your Shore Leave 43 Convention Committee

www.shore-leave.com

P.S. Please be sure to avoid confusion and misunderstandings by checking out our COVID-19 and Service Animals and Pets policies.  These and other important policies can be found on our website at https://www.shore-leave.com/info/policies/

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Shore Leave 43

www.Shore-Leave.com

That's all for now!

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

New Release! Slipping Through

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I have stories out in a new anthology!

It's now available and I can pass on the news! It's called Slipping Through (click on the title to take you to Amazon) and it's all about passing through to other dimensions, the afterlife, or, well, who knows?

I have three entries in this anthology. One is a short story (Memory Lane) and the others are flash fiction (On the Flip Side & Wrapped in a Mystery). The other stories are from Miranda Kate (who put this all together), Michael Wombat, and Victoria Pearson. Here's the table of contents:

As you can see, there are a lot of stories here, so there's a good chance you'll find a few that strike your fancy. I don't have all my "Amazon Author page" stuff sorted out yet, but that will happen shortly...

If you want to see how this came about, you can read my previous Patreon post here.

Also, if you would like to see other stories and poems I've done, please check out this list!

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Your Fingers Will Be Slipping Through The Pages

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And the pages they will be Slipping Through will be those of an anthology from Miranda Kate!

Yes, it's been a while, but I have a couple of—oh, wait, make that three*—stories coming out in print thanks to Miranda Kate who invited me (and a couple of other authors) to write something for her reworked anthology titled Slipping Through.

Miranda wanted to publish the main story from her Slipping Through collection as a separate book. That meant the remaining book would probably be too short. She asked if she could use a flash fiction I'd written some years ago as a "flip side" to a story she had written. I, of course, agreed. The story is called Flip Side. As you can see, I put a lot of effort into that title...

Anyway, Miranda also asked if I had anything else that might work. I thought I had a story started, but I couldn't find it. Maybe it had just been in my head and I'd never written it down. When I told her that, she asked if I could write something new. I found a few paragraphs of a tale I'd begun years ago...

"I might have a story that could work," I said as my palms began to sweat. "I can probably have something for you in a week." I paused. "Well, maybe ten days."

"Ten days is fine," she replied. "As long as I know something is coming."

Nine days and 5,000 words later, I handed in Memory Lane. It has romance, motorcycles, and a bit of unsettling horror. I was quite relieved when she said it was perfect for her anthology.

Perfect is a relative term, however. It wasn't much better than a first draft, so we emailed back and forth a bit about corrections and wording.

After nailing down the main story, Miranda asked if I had anything else that might work since the other authors had submitted a greater number of stories than I had. She wanted to be fair about it. I sent here a couple of flash fiction tales. I don't really do a lot of stories about inter-dimensional/time travel, so I didn't have much. This will teach me to have more finished stories on hand. She chose one of the flash stories, Wrapped in a Mystery, for inclusion in the anthology. That makes three!

So, my stories are now coming out and should be available in both print and Kindle versions June 1st! There are also stories from the prolific Michael Wombat and Victoria Pearson in addition to Miranda's works. With all the stories she's added, it should be quite a large book!

Here is the cover!

I'll provide a link once it's available.

* I had to update my original post when Miranda picked a third story!

Note: Miranda's original cover for Slipping Through was different. So, if you want to get the new edition, make sure it has this cover!

This post was first published on Patreon. You can see it by clicking this LINK.

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Grand Finale: National Poetry Month

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National Poetry Month has come and gone, but my poems, for better or worse, are here to stay—on Simily. Well, until I get enough to shove into a book and publish. Then I'll pull out those worth the effort (probably only about a quarter of them are worth a second editing) and add them to the others that are waiting to be placed into print. They're all first-draft quality for now, but that's what you get when you do one per day for a month. 

I'll get back to finish this someday...

If you wish to read the poems I've done, an updated list follows. You do need a membership to Simily to read them, but a basic membership is free. All of these links will redirect you to the Simily sign-up/sign-in page unless you're already logged into Simily.

Thirty Poems In Thirty Days April 30, 2023

Goodbye On A Rainy Day April 29, 2023

Rainy Daze April 28, 2023

Night Of The Full Moon April 27, 2023

Level Playing Field April 26, 2023

Forgotten Places April 25, 2023

A Yarn About A Cat April 24, 2023

Spinning Wheels April 23, 2023

Bad Delivery April 22, 2023

Sorting Through The Ashes April 21, 2023

Butterfly Dinners April 20, 2023

Summer Fashionista April 19, 2023

Words In A Bottle April 18, 2023

Morning Fog April 17, 2023

Sweet Mystery Of Likes April 16, 2023

A Mid-April Night's Dream     April 15, 2023

There Is No Poem Today    April 14, 2023

The Death Of A Thousand Sneezes    April 13, 2023

It Is Almost Summer    April 12, 2023

A Walk Through Kipling’s Wood    April 11, 2023

What A Tree Is Not     April 10, 2023

Cat-O’-Nine Tales     April 9, 2023

There’s No Business Like Snow Business     April 8, 2023

Swamped     April 7, 2023

City Rain     April 6, 2023

Cherry Blossom Time     April 5, 2023

Morning Haiku     April 4, 2023

Wistful Thinking     April 4, 2023

The Moon Gate     April 2, 2023

2023 National Poetry Month Kickoff!     April 1, 2023

That's all for my 2023 National Poetry Month efforts! I know some of you are saying it's too much. You do, however, have eleven months to recover from my pun-infested titles and a few of my sillier efforts until I do this all over again next year!

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved