Author Archives: Marie Croke

Sale to BCS

When I first summoned up the courage to begin submitting my stories instead of hiding them pointlessly in notebooks, Beneath Ceaseless Skies had only just started publishing a few months before.

At the time I set my sights on it because it was gorgeous (I’m a sucker for pretty) and was one of the mags that published a higher percentage of stories I enjoyed reading (go figure, since about 90% of what I write is . . . secondary world fantasy).

Luckily for me Scott Andrews never accepted any of those submissions because I’m a whole hellava lot prouder of the story he did just accept.

I’m super excited to announce that my short story ”Shades of Amber” will be appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies!

This is also my third pro sale :)

The Rains of Imarcia Published

I’m excited to announce that The Rains of Imarcia has become my first published novel. You can find it for $5.99 at Amazon, B&N and download many different formats of it available at Smashwords.

Windrunner Sey arrives upon Imarcian soil to help stave off an impending war between two cities. What she didn’t anticipate was setting down in the midst of a storm that almost ruins her chances of success before she’d even begun.

For on Imarcia, the rains kill…

Cover Photo Copyright © Konradbak | Dreamstime.com

Sand-child on Daily Science Fiction

My story Sand-child is now available as a free read on Daily Science Fiction’s site.

Sand-child Published

“Sand-child”, my first professionally published short story, has been sent to all of Daily Science Fiction’s subscribers today.

It will be available to read for free on their webpage a week from now.

You can subscribe to Daily Science Fiction at their site to receive fiction straight to your inbox and can comment on the stories they publish on their facebook page.

Thank you, Anne McCaffrey

A long time ago I picked up a copy of Dragonquest off the basement bookshelf. It was already torn and bent up, but it had a picture of a man holding a baby dragon. I was probably ten. Ten + Baby Dragon = Win.

I can’t honestly say that Anne McCaffrey was the most influential author in my youth (that distinction lies with L. Frank Baum), but she was second.

So, in the wake of her death, I wanted to thank her…

For teaching girls all across the world that we can ride dragons too.

For proving brains are just as important as brawn.

For showing how talent isn’t always set, that it can grow and morph and sometimes even explode into being.

For setting the stage for female characters to continuously become more and more on par with male ones.

For proving to me that motherhood and writing are not mutually exclusive.

For giving me the inspiration to wish that some day a little girl will dream of living in my worlds.

Thank you, Anne McCaffrey. May you rest in peace.