Publications – Page 2

“Light and Death on the Indian Battle Station” on Escape Pod

Escape Pod has just republished my story, Light and Death on the Indian Battle Station just in time for Diwali, the Festival of lights (which falls on October 27th in 2019). The story is read by Farah Naz Rishi. But it’s more than just reading, she’s had experience as a voice actor, and that’s what she brings to this production. The result is a simply lovely reading. Some bits almost moved me to tears. And it’s hosted by SB Divya, who also talks about Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and the resonance with the story. I am soooo thrilled! Here’s the LINK.

The story was first published last year in Fireside, illustrated (perfectly!) by Saleha Chowdhury. That’s the picture above.

“Genetic Changelings” in Working Futures Anthology

My story, Genetic Changelings, has been published (again) in Working Futures. (A slightly shorter version of this story was published by Flame Tree Press in its Science Fiction Anthology.) This anthology focuses on how work and lives will change with technological change. Genetic Changelings is about designer kids in a world where gene modification is easy – though expensive – and the social pressures developing around it. Excerpt:

““Randall, no! Get your tail off Imran’s neck right now!”
Two dozen squealing preschoolers are scampering around the rubber-matted playground, making infant mischief. They’re all Dezzies, designer kids, and they’re a handful.
“No wrapping your tail round anyone’s neck,” I say, crouching down to the boys’ level. “I don’t care if Imran raised his crest at you. Look guys, you’re both too smart to keep getting in trouble.”
Randall’s impish face, curly red hair and freckles somehow match his prehensile monkey-tail. Imran is darkly handsome, with a crest lying flat along his head and back. It’s mostly hidden under his weatherproof jacket, but he raises the red bit on top of his head to show me.
It’s bittersweet for me, being around small children – even these cute lovable not-quite-humans.”

“A Scent of Roses” reviewed in Locus Magazine

My story, A Scent of Roses, that was published earlier this year in Constellary Tales. I was delighted to find it reviewed in Locus by Karen Burnham. Here’s the LINK.

“Dilemma, with Omnivore” in Little Blue Marble

My story, Dilemma, with Omnivore, is out in Little Blue Marble!

The first part of this story was written long years ago, when I was a teenager. It reflects the feeling of magic I’d get at the marvelous little Tibetan shops in Janpath in New Delhi. One day, I ran across the old piece, typed it into my computer, and started to revise it.

All these years later, it’s a new story and it’s come out today. Click HERE to read the story.

Octonet got Reviews!

I am so thrilled with the reviews for my story, Octonet!

Here’s one from Cameron Coulter on the blog of the Skiffy and Fanty Show.

“This is a story where the main characters “just happen to be” POC/disabled/queer. I definitely enjoyed Sue and Martina’s romance, but first and foremost, this is a love story about octopuses.”

And one on BarnesAndNoble.com from Maria Haskins!

“After hearing that a bored octopus can get into all sorts of trouble, Suveera jokingly suggests the creatures might like to use cellphones. One thing leads to another, and when the researchers put adapted phones into the tentacles of the cephalopods, strange and wonderful things begin to happen (selfies aren’t just for humans, it turns out).”

A Kindness of Octopuses

I’m just back from Norwescon 42, and it was marvelous. For the first time, I did a reading – the beginning of my most recently published story, Octonet, which came out on Escape Pod. I don’t usually like to read just part of a story, but this time, since it was available on-line and free, anyone who wanted could read the rest quite easily.

I met the artist Guest of Honor, Tran Nguyen, the first day at the Guest of Honor banquet. She was charming and very interesting. Her artwork is delicate and luminous. Toward the end of the convention, I asked for her autograph in my Norwescon program book (which is a beautiful full-color thing with illustrations from artists in their art show). I was utterly delighted when she did this wonderful little doodle for me – an octopus girl.

(The color illustration below is the cover she did for “Kushiel’s Dart”)

My friend Goldeen Ogawa, writer and artist, also had her art in the art show. I got her autograph as well, and she asked me if I’d like a doodle. Of course I said yes, and she did the adorable octokitty below. (If you read my story – or listen to the podcast – you’ll see why this is completely appropriate.)

Researching the Octopus

“The people were interesting, especially in their various interactions,” wrote a friend to whom I’d sent my story, Octonet, recently published by Escape Pod, “but the octopuses were definitely the center of the action for me. How did you happen to focus on them and learn so much about them?”

With most stories, the sources of inspiration are buried somewhere in my mind. Maybe something surfaces, like the end of a tangled ball of twine, and it pulls me into a story.

The octopus story might have started at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco back in 2012, when they acquired three Giant Pacific Octopuses that were bycatch for crab-fishers. We went to see them – and it was remarkably difficult, because they camouflaged so well, and could slide their ample bodies into tiny crevices. In fact, we only saw one of them – with the help of a docent and careful directions.

Fast forward to three books about octopuses: The Soul of an Octopus, by Sy Montgomery. Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith. And Octopus: The Ocean’s Intelligent Invertebrate, by Roland C. Anderson, Jennifer A. Mather, and James B. Wood. I read them all in the space of a few weeks, and then I knew I wanted to write this story.

Of course that meant a deep dive (sorry!) into octopus territory. I found a 149-page care manual for GPOs from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. And a thirty-page Giant Pacific Octopus Husbandry Manual from the British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquariums. An article in Cosmos magazine, How the Octopus got its Smarts. Any number of Youtube videos, including this one which was a literal deep dive into octopus territory! And lots more random articles.

When I had the first draft done, I wanted an authenticity read (Within the limits of a sci-fi story!). I wondered if one of the authors of the last book would be willing. Dr Anderson had sadly died in 2014, but Dr Jennifer Mather was kind enough to review the draft for me and provided some helpful comments. I’m very pleased to acknowledge her help.

(Octonet has been through many iterations and edits since then – and a big thank you to all my critiquers! That was the writing part, not the researching part.)

So that’s the story of the story. I’m delighted Escape Pod published it – and also had an interview Dr Mather for the podcast!

SOME REFERENCES:

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery.
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith.
Octopus: The Ocean’s Intelligent Invertebrate, by Roland C. Anderson, Jennifer A. Mather, and James B. Wood.
AZA Aquatic Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group (AITAG) (2014). Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) Care Manual. Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Silver Spring, MD.
Giant Pacific Octopus Husbandry Manual, British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquariums (2011)
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/how-the-octopus-got-its-smarts

“Octonet” in Escape Pod’s Artemis Rising

I’m thrilled that Escape Pod has published my story, Octonet as both a Podcast (read by S. B. Divya) and in text.
I love how it’s come out. And special thanks to Dr Jennifer Mather, co-author of Octopus: The Ocean’s Intelligent Invertebrate, for reviewing my draft.

“Sometimes at night when my mind is calm, I think I hear the octopuses. Around the world, the great network of molluscan philosophers.

I had many reasons for moving to the Pacific Northwest – weather, closeness to potential clients and my big brother Rav, distance from a very ex ex. Slimy cephalopods definitely didn’t make the list.

But then Rav needed someone to fix their new IT system. And that’s how I met the octopuses.”

Review of ‘Light and Death’ in Locus

I was delighted to find that ‘Light and Death on the Indian Battle Station was reviewed in Locus at Locusmag.com. Karen Burnham mentions it as one of the two stories she most enjoyed in the October 2018 issue of Fireside (together with the amazing and powerful ‘STET’).

“Lord Yama, god of death, is involved with all the telepaths, and it is with him that Savi must eventually bargain.”

And because I really loved the art for that story, here it is again.

END

“A Scent of Roses” in Constellary Tales

Constellary Tales has accepted my short story, A Scent of Roses.

This story has been through many name changes. It started out as The Scent of a Dead Rose. (It actually was inspired by the intense perfume of a bouquet of dying roses in my room.) Then I changed it to A Duty of Grief, which better represented the story as I’d written it. Finally, I submitted it as A Haunting Scent of Grief... and Constellary Tales accepted it!

In the edits, they asked me to change the name to A Scent of Roses. They felt that the title I’d used gave away too much. I agreed, because why not?

I’m looking forward to seeing it published in Constellary Tales – soon.

Edited to Add (Feb 14, 2019): And here it is! A Scent of Roses

“But when his grandfather returned home, too late for the birth, he was furious.”

(Warning: It’s not a romantic story. The earlier title gets the mood of it better. Trigger warning for dead baby.)

END

“Lepers” in Mysterion

I’m thrilled that my short story, Lepers, has appeared again. It’s an 1100-word horror story set in Mumbai, near VT – Victoria Terminus, now renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

You can find the story here: https://www.mysteriononline.com/2019/01/lepers.html

It was written way back, and has been republished several times – and morphed along the way.

The latest iteration is in Mysterion, “an ezine of Christian-themed speculative fiction…” I did a partial rewrite of the story for this version, and I think bringing in religion gives the story additional depth and draws out some of the dilemmas at its heart.

END

On the Cover of Fireside, October 2018!

ETA: It’s not on the cover… but it’s still a gorgeous, perfect illustration!

ETA2: It *is* on the cover, of the E-book edition. (Fireside comes out monthly in e-book, and quarterly in print. So it’s the cover of the October e-book but not the Quarterly. See the last picture below.)

I was thrilled when Fireside accepted my story, Light and Death on the Indian Battle Station, and now it’s out.

I was *even more thrilled* to discover that my story was on the cover, with an the illustration by Saleha Chowdhury! Thank you Fireside, and Saleha, you nailed it!

I grabbed the kid away as the thing ricocheted against the ceiling, fizzed, and exploded. “Ritika! That’s so stupid!”
But before I could scold her properly, the sound of divine footsteps echoed in the hall and inside our heads. We froze…

END

“The Churail and the Crow” in Asian Birds and Beasts anthology from Insignia

There’s a new anthology in the Insignia series of Asian-flavored speculative fiction: Asian Birds and Beasts. Here’s the cover, with the same styling as the previous five anthologies. It’ll be coming out August 20th, 2018 as an ebook.

I’m thrilled that one of my stories will be in this one. Here’s the table of contents:

CONTENTS

‘Reborn’ by Nidhi Singh

‘The Star Ball’ by Amy Fontaine

‘Raising Words’ by Stewart C. Baker

‘Apsaras’ Dance’ by Kelly Matsuura

‘Ravens’ by Russell Hemmell

‘The Azure Dragon’ Lorraine Schein

‘The Churail and the Crow’ by Keyan Bowes

‘Vermillion Nights’ by Joyce Chng

My story is a sort-of-reprint – it’s a greatly expanded version of a flash piece first published as Lena. I’ve always wanted to flesh out that story, and I’m happy it found a new home.

Listen to ‘Chicken Monster Motel’ Podcast

My story, Chicken Monster Motel, was recently published in Third Flatiron’s anthology, Monstrosities. Now they’ve published a podcast, which you can listen to over here: http://www.thirdflatiron.com/chickenmonstermotel.mp3

There’s also an interview with me: http://www.thirdflatiron.com/liveSite/files/Bowes_interview.html

Thanks, Third Flatiron!

“Chicken Monster Motel” in Monstrosities Anthology

My story, Chicken Monster Motel, is being published in the Monstrosities Anthology… and it’s got cover art! (Thank you, Juli and Keely!)

I love the table of contents – those titles! I’m so looking forward to reading the other stories. It’s coming out in March 2018, and you can preorder it on Amazon now if you want. (When I looked, it was priced at about $5 for the e-book.)

Contents

Chicken Monster Motel by Keyan Bowes
Five Billion Pounds of Soul by Larry Hodges
Sacrifice Needed, Alcohol Provided by Carl R. Jennings
#Notalltigers by Mark Pantoja
The Doomsday Machine Retires by Ray Daley
Alien TV Shows Are Bad for Your Eyes by Brian Trent
Got Them Wash Day Blues by James Dorr
This Tyrant Crown by Liam Hogan
The Great Mall by Salinda Tyson
Skywalker by Jennifer R. Povey
Eaten by Ville Meriläinen
Into Xibalba by Sita C. Romero
The Emerald Mirage by Martin M. Clark
TidBits by Sharon Diane King
The Catacombs of Constitutional History by Julia August

Grins & Gurgles (Flash Humor)
New Shoes by Robert Bagnall
Kismet by Barry Charman
They Saw Me Coming by Russell Hemmell
Bigger and Better Things by Joseph Sidari

Plus a special reprint by Edward Bryant.

“Picnic, with Xels” in Third Flatiron Best of 2017

My story, Picnic, with Xels, has been reprinted in Third Flatiron’s Best of 2017 anthology. It’s currently available only as an ebook, right HERE. (If anyone would like to review the antho for Goodreads or Amazon, now would be an excellent time.)

This story was first published in their Kurt Vonnegut Tribute Anthology, Cat’s Breakfast. Then, out of the blue, they asked if they could reprint it for the year-end anthology. I was, of course, delighted!

“Picnic, with Xels” in Cat’s Breakfast Anthology from Third Flatiron

A new anthology from Third Flatiron Publishing – it’s called Cat’s Breakfast: Kurt Vonnegut tribute. It’s available on Amazon as an e-book, and a print edition is planned.

It includes my story, Picnic, with Xels.

I’m thrilled to see it published. This is one of my early stories, and a favorite of mine for many reasons both writing-related and personal.

I was just counting up my short stories and poems published. This is the 26th. Thanks, Clarion!

[Edited to Add: They did bring out the print version, and it rocks! Each story has a little graphic accompanying it.]

Big Pulp 2016 Anthology reprints “Lepers” by Keyan Bowes

Big Pulp first published my story, Lepers, some years ago. That was for their online magazine.

Now they’ve reprinted it in Big Pulp 2016, in a beautifully produced paperback edition.

I’m delighted.

“Spoiling Veena” in Brave Boy World anthology

I’m delighted that my short story, “Spoiling Veena” is in this awesome new, very timely, anthology.

This story, first published in 2009 in Expanded Horizons, has since been reprinted several times. In that time, my own understanding of the story has changed. Here’s what I wrote about it in the book:

“Spoiling Veena” is my most-anthologized story. It was first published in Expanded Horizons, an online magazine with inclusiveness as its primary goal. Since I’m the kind of writer who keeps discovering that my stories are more complex than I thought when I wrote them, I’ll let this one speak for itself. I’m still finding layers in it.”

I’m really looking forward to reading the whole book.