5. Why You Should Read (WYSR) "Play Devil" @bourbonpenn.bsky.social
It’s Jessie’s turn to play the Devil this week. Except then, more devils show up.
inkfoundry.net/review/why-y...
2. Why You Should Read (WYSR) Review "Atomic Chess" @bourbonpenn.bsky.social
A chess game played with elements from the periodic table and more.
inkfoundry.net/review/why-y...
New week, new author thread! This week I'm featuring Josh Pearce @fictionaljosh.bsky.social
1. Why You Should Read (WSYR) "A Clockwork Gun"
Lenore and her sister, living in her chest, acquire a gun that forces them to kill its targets.
inkfoundry.net/review/why-y...
Graphic showing covers of UNCERTAIN SONS, by Thomas Ha, and THE BEST WEIRD FICTION OF THE YEAR, VOL. 1.
Woot! Thrilled to see the 2 books I published last year as Locus Awards Finalists. Triple congrats are due @thomasha.bsky.social repped in Collection, Novelettes, and Short Stories categories.
locusmag.com/2026/04/2026...
Oh damn. Whoa. Thanks to the folks who enjoyed UNCERTAIN SONS AND OTHER STORIES (collection), "Uncertain Sons" (novelette), and "In My Country" (short story). And thanks again to @undertow.bsky.social and @clarkesworldmagazine.com. Congrats to the finalists. An honor to be in your company.
You rarely hear anything once a story is published. So it was nice to get this note from a reader today: "I loved your story in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social. It really inspired me!"
I'm not certain the piece is particularly inspiring, but you can read it here:
www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/rop...
covers of bourbon penn, cold war submarines, the making of the atomic bomb, and karpov's my best games
page of handwritten text in a spiral-bound notebook, largely illegible
Contributor copies of my story ATOMIC CHESS in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social , some of the reading that went into it, and a bit of the first draft. Read the full story here: www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/ato...
2 paperback copies of magazine Bourbon Penn on grey rug. Covert art depicts yellow bird like a goldfinch in diving bell / steampunk helmet
My contributor copies of @bourbonpenn.bsky.social issue 38 have arrived. Many thanks to editor Erik Secker. You know what to do.
And a new one, just published last week, in the estimable @bourbonpenn.bsky.social
www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/rop...
“She was obsessed with the devil, so it’s no surprise we ended up here. I heard the police questioned her for twelve hours.”
Some hellish fiction (in the best possible way) from @janstinchcomb.bsky.social in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social
www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/que...
Cover of Bourbon Penn Issue 38, yellow canary(?) standing in a desert with large cloud and gray skies, wearing an old timey diver helmet with hose
"Middle Song." Bourbon Penn, Issue 38. March 2026. (6,700 words, Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror.)
Day 89! I read Queen of Hell by @janstinchcomb.bsky.social published by @bourbonpenn.bsky.social. Perhaps the worst of arranged marriages is to an old man named Nick. Read my review here: mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/30/s...
ICYMI
A big week for me and the short story.
I had my second appearance in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social with "Queen of Hell" (on a TOC full of stars, so read the whole issue)
www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/que...
“Angela was the one who told me about willful possession, which sounded like something Gwyneth Paltrow would say, so I didn’t take it seriously at first.”
“‘Exorcism is a lifestyle, not a cure,’ she went on...”
@janstinchcomb.bsky.social @bourbonpenn.bsky.social www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/que...
You know what’s a great story about trolls (or maybe not trolls?) and changing childhood friendships?
Shepherd Not Sheep by @strantzas.bsky.social over in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social!
Treat yourself :)
www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/32/she...
ATOMIC CHESS (www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/38/ato...) my new submarine/chess story in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social features the same shadow organization previously found in UNNAMED GOVERNMENT AGENCY (www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/21/unn...) and in @kaleidotrope.bsky.social (kaleidotrope.net/archives-2/s...)
Excited and proud to have my story "How to Believe" appear alongside such great writers in the latest Bourbon Penn.
A talented student drops out of college to worship New York's only superhero, whether that superhero wants to be worshiped or not.
@bourbonpenn.bsky.social
I know I say this every time, but if you’re not reading BOURBON PENN your head’s not on right.
Bourbon Penn 38 is live! Featuring new fiction from Thomas Ha, Cody Goodfellow, Michael Kelly, Charity Ogechi, Jan Stinchcomb, Josh Pearce, Salini Vineeth, and Jim Marino.
@thomasha.bsky.social @undertow.bsky.social @janstinchcomb.bsky.social @fictionaljosh.bsky.social @jamesjmarino.bsky.social
I'm honored to have my exorcism story, "Queen of Hell," in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social alongside these great writers.
Happy Women in Horror Month! 🖤
Latest story, "Middle Song," now out in @bourbonpenn.bsky.social. Soldiers on a search for fugitives wander into a strange roadhouse. Standalone but loosely tied to a group of stories that started in 2022 right here in BP. Always glad to be back and in a ToC w/great fellow authors.
Bourbon Penn 38 is live! Featuring new fiction from Thomas Ha, Cody Goodfellow, Michael Kelly, Charity Ogechi, Jan Stinchcomb, Josh Pearce, Salini Vineeth, and Jim Marino.
@thomasha.bsky.social @undertow.bsky.social @janstinchcomb.bsky.social @fictionaljosh.bsky.social @jamesjmarino.bsky.social
Bourbon Penn masthead showing artwork of a goldfinch with a steampunkish helmet/diving bell.
Delighted to have a new story, "Rope," published in one of my favourite magazines alongside this powerhouse ToC. It's short and strange, and I hope you'll give it a read.
www.bourbonpenn.com
@bourbonpenn.bsky.social
Very happy to have sold my horror short story Ostentation to @bourbonpenn.bsky.social, which will appear in a future issue. Great start to the week!
And the Nebula Finalists for Best Novelette are... “Our Echoes Drifting Through the Marsh” Marie Croke (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 1/9/25) “Uncertain Sons” Thomas Ha (Uncertain Sons) “We Begin Where Infinity Ends” Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld 2/25) The Name Ziya Wen-Yi Lee (Tor) “Never Eaten Vegetables” H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld 1/25) “The Life and Times of Alavira the Great as Written by Titos Pavlou and Reviewed by Two Lifelong Friends” Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 3-4/25)
We here at Chateau Undertow are thrilled to say that @thomasha.bsky.social 's novelette "Uncertain Sons" is a Nebula Award Finalist. Congratulations Thomas, and all the nominees.
In the February issue I reviewed stories from @bcsmagazine.bsky.social @lightspeedmagazine.com @smallwondersmag.com @bourbonpenn.bsky.social @castofwonders.org @podcastle.org and @fantasymagazine.bsky.social - subscribers.locusmag.com/content/buy-...
You can read the full column in the February issue of Locus: subscribers.locusmag.com/content/buy-...
I also review stories from @bcsmagazine.bsky.social @lightspeedmagazine.com @smallwondersmag.com and @bourbonpenn.bsky.social !
I am reading my way through this issue and holy schmoly this is goood and very very very unsettling-disturbing-weird-wonderful.
We here at Chateau Undertow are delighted to learn that @thomasha.bsky.social 's "Uncertain Sons and Other Stories" is a nominee for the @bsfa.bsky.social Awards in Best Collections.
Congratulations, Thomas!
bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-...
Bourbon Penn 38 cover reveal. Early release available now to subscribers!