After spending the past fourteen years living in an apartment, we're buying a house! Yay American dream or some bullshit like that — but honestly, Yay to Having Space. I'm very excited to have more room. And a kitchen with a proper counter I can actually line up bowls of ingredients on. And a laundry room where I don't have to wait for someone else to get their damn clothes out of the fucking dryer so I can use it. It's the little things.
We're also buying a house at a time a lot of people say is a terrible time to buy a house, but such is life. It's also really fucking stressful, and stress, surprising no one, is shit for creative endeavors. So not much on the story update front, but the homepage has a fresh new look, so there's that.
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The second Julius Nix story is up! I changed the title to something shorter. I'm enjoying the title style so far, kind of silly super basic titles for this weird series. This story is definitely more relationship focused than the first one. It's all from Julius's p.o.v, but that might have to change at some point. Father Dominic is a fascinating character I want to explore really deeply, but I also like the idea of slowly trickling details out as Julius forces him o̶n̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶e̶s̶ to get out of his church office.
Hope you enjoy! *blows the dust off*
Well, hi. So I'm making some changes around here. I've started writing a series of short stories about a private detective called Julius Nix who lives on a space station, and I posted some flash and micro fic stories that were just lying around. I realized I have a lot of things that are just lying around, languishing in a folder where I either wrote them once for one specific collection and then nothing ever happened with them, or half cooked story ideas that never developed into a full dish. I want to start looking over everything again, see what happens. I haven't touched the Facebook page in years, and I don't know when I'm going to again. Facebook in general is... not my cup of tea, honestly. Nice to see snippets of things people I know are excited about, but it's also easy to get bogged down and the company itself is terrifying, so. I'm keeping the page for now, just don't know what I want it to be or what purpose it serves. I also have a twitter account I've never used. I should probably do something with that... Anyway! Check out the stories, and if you like them, there's a handy ko-fi widget on the site now, should you be so inclined to show your appreciation. I also love hearing what readers think, so leave a comment, send me an email, find me on tumblr, all that good stuff. Hope you enjoy! Sherlock Holmes: Further Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells published by Belanger Books is now available for pre-order on Kindle, with print soon to follow! The official release date is October 26. The anthology looks amazing, with so many cool contributors (including Will Murray, the creator of Marvel's Squirrel Girl!)
Grab your copy here! One of the many anthologies I've been a part of was a collection of short stories published by Belanger Books that combined Sherlock Holmes and the works of H.G. Wells. Now I get to be a part of a sequel anthology! The Kickstarter campaign was a hit, fully funded extremely quickly (which I completely neglected to post about), and I'll post more details once the book's in print.
If you don't own the whole series yet, or if you know someone who would love them, here's your chance! For the month of July, the entire series will be available for $0.99 a book on Smashwords during their Summer Sale!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/34680 Another excerpt from Book 4 - working title is "The Colonial Cyborg," though I also like the title "Scotch and Gunpowder." The former is more relevant than the latter, but the latter sounds cooler. *shrug* “So why are we here?” I asked. “I mean really.”
“I beg your pardon?” “We could have stayed in the City. You’ve got hiding places all over.” “You were in danger.” “We're always in danger.” He hesitated, “I suppose I needed a break from seeing you injured.” I laughed sarcastically. “It does grow increasingly difficult,” he defended. “Your life is in enough danger without me adding to it—“ “Hey,” I tugged on his hand to get him to look at me. “You're serious?” “Of course.” “Well, I’ll be damned!” a very loud voice called out. Headed straight for us was a stereotype for ‘tall, dark, and handsome,’ dressed in work clothes and carrying a toolbox. Sherlock stopped with some reluctance, allowing him to approach. “Didn’t think we’d ever see you again!” The falseness of his nicety was even more exaggerated than when I’d first met him. Sherlock sighed, “West. You remember Dr. Watts?” Sean West, town repairman and occasional actor, nodded, “I do. As far as I know, neither of your parents are in jail, so what brought you out here?” “We needed a safe place to stay for a short time.” “Must be in a lot of danger to call travelling with Drifters safe.” His eyes kept darting to my cyberoptic. “The Roaming Wolves owed me a favor,” Sherlock said. “They're perfectly safe, as long as one doesn't antagonize them… which I suppose could be said of most people.” West’s plaster smile didn't waver. “Well, that's true. I see you've embraced City life.” Sherlock glanced at his hand, and drew a quick line in the dirt with his stick, “The metal? Purely aesthetics.” “Ah. Will you be in town long?” “Perhaps a week.” “I'll see you around, then.” He moved on. I frowned. “He's going to be a problem, isn't he?” Sherlock scoffed, “Don’t concern yourself with West. I put up with his ego and prejudices for my whole life before I left.” I nodded, still uneasy, but took a breath and forced a smile. “Ok. Did you actually have a destination in mind, or are we just staying away from Carol for a while?” He chuckled as we resumed walking, “The latter to be honest, though I believe living apart from my father has been good for her. I hope he’s having more success with his second family than he did with the first.” “Do you really?” He thought for a moment. “I believe I do. Despite how bitter the comment sounded, I suppose I hope he’s happy. I certainly wish no ill on Rosemary or Art.” He sighed, and changed the subject, “I told Red she would hear from us in a week, but perhaps I should shorten that timeframe significantly. If the Roaming Wolves decide to leave, it will be shortened for us.” “It’s the first day, Sherlock. I’m sure the Drifters are fine, and so are we.” Here's a short selection from the upcoming fourth Watts and Sherlock book! After the attack on their home at the end of book three, Watts and Sherlock head for the isolation and safety of Sherlock's anti-tech Colony... “Watts and I needed someplace safe to hide. Shall we go inside?”
Sheriff Bishop sighed, “Come on. I hope whatever trouble’s after you doesn’t come all the way out here.” “It is highly unlikely, Sheriff,” Sherlock said as we gathered inside the small jail. “That’s why we came here in the first place.” “Whatever you’re runnin’ from have anything to do with the metal where the doc’s eyebrow should be?” Morgan asked. “Nope. Different explosion,” I smiled. Valdimir chuckled. “Regarding our presence here,” Sherlock got us back to business with a half-grin, “there was an attack on our home in the City, and we decided to come to the Colony until matters quiet down somewhat.” “There’s a war about to start between terrorists and security forces and we’re stuck in the middle,” I added. Sheriff Bishop’s brow rose, “I can see why you’d want to get out. Well, Carol will be glad to see you, not to mention having someone else in the house, I’m sure.” Sherlock froze, alarmed. “Why is my mother living alone?” The Sheriff realized what he’d let slip, “Oh, hell, I thought you’d know… your father’s fine, don’t worry. Richard moved in with Rosemary shortly after you left last time, wanted to be closer to Art.” “Ah,” a minuscule tension lifted from Sherlock’s shoulders. “Well. I wanted you and the cowboys to be aware of the Drifter clan camped outside town, and that they will be there for at least a few days, if not the full week.” “We will see how long we can stay, but make no promises,” Valdimir shrugged. “Depends on supplies.” “I appreciate the warning, either way,” Sheriff Bishop grinned. “I’ll see you around, gentlemen.” Valdimir returned to his people, and we made our way to Sherlock's childhood home. Not much had changed as we walked down the road. The sun was hot, the people curious but unwilling to come out from behind their windows and engage. Though I was prepared for it this time, the sky was still unsettlingly big. We turned off the main road and made our way to a two-story house worn smooth and plain by the weather. Carol answered the door with wide eyed surprise, “Sherlock!” “Hello, Mother. You remember my partner, Watts?” “Yes of course,” she was flustered, “what are you doing here?” She noticed our bags, “Oh, look at me standing here gaping, come inside.” “Thank you.” We followed her in, “I apologize for surprising you, but there wasn't time to send word ahead.” “You’re in trouble.” The corner of his mouth turned up in amusement, “Yes.” Carol sighed, and tucked a stray grey lock back into her bun. “Well, it's good to see you. I'll prepare the guest room, make yourselves comfortable.” I've posted three of my Sherlockian short stories for free download as pdfs! Whether you prefer Canonical Holmes or Holmes-with-a-twist, there's something for everyone, and more to come. If you enjoy them, consider leaving a donation on my ko-fi, or even just commenting to let me know what you think!
Hello! I'm Katie, and I write stories.
Whether you're familiar with my short stories about Sherlock Holmes, my series of cyberpunky mystery novels, or if you came here via my fanfics, welcome! I decided to create a website consolidating all my work, with links for everyone to purchase. The site's still a little under construction, but I'll work out all the kinks eventually. ;) Thanks for your interest! |
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