…or, read on to read biographies of two of our authors, and excerpts from their stories!
Author: Annika Sage Ellis
About: Annika Sage Ellis (he/she) is a life-long creative with a passion for telling queer stories. In the scarce moments he didn’t have his nose in a book, he could be found immersed in the worlds of his favorite video games, or even creating his own tales to tell to friends and family alike.
Growing up and discovering the queer community just gave her more to tell—countless stories about people whose narratives are sidelined or silenced. Now, he explores the fantastic in the mundane and the mundane in the fantastic, with a focus on queerness, sexuality, and the radical act of changing ourselves and our world for the better.
Annika has been featured in her self-published collection of flash fiction, Escapism. He maintains an online readership for his Magnet Monday poetry series, and for all the various fictional and fandom projects on her roster. When not writing, he can be found dancing, baking, gaming, or reading.
Links: Personal Website | Ko-Fi | Tumblr
Title: Hands-On Learning
Excerpt:
The sun shone in spectacular rays over the city, a sure sign that spring was here to stay. With the trees and flowers coming back to life, it was no surprise that the citizens were up and about too. Creatures big and small took advantage of the perfect day, and Kieran was about to celebrate the change in the season with an opportunity he’d been waiting years for.
“Are you positive I look okay?” Utethi asked for the dozenth time as she slithered up the porch to their destination. Her black and red scales glittered, accented by creamy white stripes running from the end of her snout to the tip of her tail.
“Yes, I’m still sure,” Kieran replied. “You just shed last week; you’re practically glowing.”
“Of course you’d say that.”
“That’s what I’m here for, right? I’m your emotional- support mammal.”
She laughed, a jumping hiss. “Don’t say it like that.”
“It’s a little true.”
“Not if anybody asks.”
“Deal.”
Author: I. A. Ashcroft
About: A writer and web developer, I. A. Ashcroft journeys through life alongside their constant feline companion, Potato. Ashcroft has published two original sci-fi/fantasy novels, some short stories, and has been writing for fandoms for over a decade, loving tales that emphasize unlikely bonds, mythology, magic, and hope in the darkness. In between storytelling efforts, he enjoys cooking, fiddling with technology projects, and rolling dice with friends while wearing funny hats.
Links: Archive of Our Own | Bluesky | Tumblr
Story Title: Metamorphosis
Excerpt:
Jakob breathed, whimpering, frozen. He shouted mentally at his stupid feet, panting like an animal, but they still didn’t move. And the thing, the creature, it just kept staring into his soul, those twin micro-suns blazing merrily in its hewn face: terrifying, but beautiful. The damage to the grasses and mosses encasing its form was healing. All down its back, a carpet of fragrant flowers bloomed at unnatural speeds, dots of white, red, and deep purple brilliance; sprigs of culinary rosemary were even plumping up where its throat might have been, a strange beard where the seed packet had ruptured.
Silent, they just kept staring at one other, until Jakob felt like his heart would burst open and fertilize all of this lush, living green with his blood.
Then, the stone head cocked. A shudder of emotion rippled forth, a tangible curiosity and utterly alien intelligence.
Jakob finally managed to move. Memories ruptured through the adrenaline—all of his grandmother’s tales of land spirits and their ancient power—and he rolled to his knees, bowing to what his instincts knew as a ruler. For this, it was the Bauer wealth, wasn’t it? They’d managed to speak to this thing centuries ago.
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