I hadn’t done one of these year-in-review posts in a while, but 2023 was quite eventful and deserves a reflective post.
Short fiction: I didn’t write or submit much short fiction last year, but I feel the writing in what I did publish was pretty solid. Six stories, one of which appeared in a Shotgun Honey charity anthology that I am very proud to be a part of. Here they are:
- Jimmy’s Dad Is Back, Horror Tree: Trembling with Fear, December 31, 2023. (sci-fi horror)
- Brownie in Blue Lights, Ellipsis Zine, November 8, 2023. (sci-fi)
- Pancakes, trampset, September 16, 2023. (literary)(humor)
- Patron Saint, Shotgun Honey Presents: Thicker Than Water, August 2023. (mystery)
- Lightning Over Pasadena, BULL: Men’s Fiction, January 24, 2023. (general/literary)
- Until They Are Both Empty, Ellipsis Zine, January 13, 2023. (general/literary)
Novel: Early in 2023, I finalized my debut novel Shoot Your Shoot under the new pen name Fiona Embers, which is the name I will use for my romance work in order to distinguish it from the dark speculative fiction that I write as Maura Yzmore. Shoot Your Shot is an angsty contemporary romance with a high heat level. Here’s the logline:
When Roxie, a relationship-averse former basketball player, falls for her neighbor Chris, her avoidance of intimacy and his deep insecurities form an explosive combination – and a vindictive ex-lover lights the fuse.
I started querying the novel in March. In August, I signed a contract with Evernight Publishing, an outlet specializing in romance and erotica. The book is likely to be out in the first half of 2024. I am very excited about it!
Short-story collection: I sent out a short-story collection to a few indie presses, and I have tentative good news, but nothing final yet. Fingers crossed!
Plans for next year: Writing more short fiction and drafting the second novel during spring. Welcoming and promoting Shoot Your Shot. Hopefully finalizing the publishing deal for the short-story collection and maybe welcoming and promoting that, too.
Happy 2024 everyone!
Maura Yzmore 
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