As I receive contracts and final edits from authors, I’ll post a teaser from their story here and on our Facebook page. You know where to get the rest, right? Comments are welcome.
In Ruins
By
J. M. Odell
Zahur heard Iko’s uneven shuffle, and straightened. Using the loose end of one of his bandages, he wiped up a drip of ochre pigment. Repainting the glyphs was a precaution, his way of ensuring they stayed fresh.
He hoped Iko came with good news. They’d been locked in limbo for far too long. Though the others seldom complained, Zahur felt responsible for their situation. Not that he’d done the deed; he’d been dead at the time. But Mhotep, chief architect of their pyramid, had known how to hold a grudge. Why else would he have hidden their invocation, stranding them on the path to the afterlife?
So, why did we take this story? A story that can make me laugh out loud and tear up in the same sitting gets my vote. The other editors also saw potential here. It’s a nice contrast to other stories and one reason we ended up rejecting another ancient Egypt set story that was as good in terms of story execution, but lacked this one’s range. We had some issues with pacing, particularly in the opening scene and Jo-Anne did a nice job addressing this in revision. The original was 5500 words; final edit is 4900 words.
Tune in tomorrow for our next tease. The full Table of Contents is here.
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