Fellowship Fantastic

Here's the cover of Fellowship Fantastic from DAW Books, edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg, featuring my short story, Almost Brothers. It comes out January 2008. My story happens to be the lead story in the book! (insert sound of me cheering here)

When I first saw the back cover I said, "Why is my name first?" Then it hit me when I saw it first in the title listings. Wow. I'm still in shock a little.

I'm so excited about this anthology and am so pleased that my story was chosen to be first. It's my third published short story, I have five more coming out over the next year and a half, and I feel like it's some of my strongest work. I had some great help with it, but I worked really hard on this story.

Anyway, the cool thing about this book for me is that I'm in there with some amazing writers that I've been reading since I was a kid. I've been reading Alan Dean Fosters's books since I was a twelve. Also, Nina Kiriki Hoffman is a World Fantasy Award winner and I love her work. Then there are also several up and coming writers like Brad Beaulieu, Chris T. Pierson, Steven Schend and Don Bingle. Russell Davis is a great writer as well, and I'm feel very blessed to have my story in such good company. There are also stories by Jody Lyn Nye, Brenda Cooper, Fiona Patton, S. Andrew Swann, and Alexander B. Potter.

The back of the book says it best: "The true strength of a story lies in its characters and in both the ties that bind them together and the events that drive them apart. Perhaps the most famous example of this in fantasy is The Fellowship of the Ring. But such fellowships are key to many fantasy and science fiction stories.

Now thirteen top tale-spinners offer their own unique looks at fellowships from: a girl who finds her best friend through a portal to another world . . . to four special families linked by blood and magical talent . . . to two youths ripped away from all they know and faced with a terrifying fate that they can only survive together (that last line is about my story) . . . to a man who must pay the price for leaving his childhood comrade to face death alone . . . to a group of urban mages playing the “True Game” for high stakes indeed . . .

There are memorable tales of those brought together by necessity, by friendship, by family bonds, and by twists of fate, joined—willingly or not—in fellowship that can change their futures and their worlds."

Cool description, eh?

So, I read the first 13 pages of Almost Brothers at Gen Con and it was a very emotional experience. I almost cried while reading it--I teared up a few times. I had forgotten how brutal I was to the characters in the story and reading it out loud to twenty-something people brought out my emotions."

Even when I was reading the proof pages the other day as the final check before publication I got emotional. I think this story just brings out things because of the harshness. Being brutal to your characters is a good idea in fiction. It makes the reader keep going and obviously, it makes the writer cry. Sniff.

Be well and good luck with your own writing.

Paul Genesse

www.paulgenesse.com

Author of The Golden Cord
Book One of the Iron Dragon Series
Five Star Books (April 2008)