Tag Archives: Published

Published: Confessions

July 8, 2014 R. Parrish 1 Comment

First of all, can I just say I love this cover? Because I love this cover! I suppose you might have guessed that by the fact I’m posting it here full-size, but dude! I think it’s brilliant 🙂

This is Confessions: A Nightmare in Five Acts. It’s one long poem that is made up of a series of connected cinquains written by twenty-two poets, including myself. Confessions is the brain child of Joshua Gage who had the idea to create a collaborative poem using cinquains, organised everyone and went through all the effort of finding us a publisher, but find us one he did.

Confessions features the work of: William C. Burns Jr., Gary Blankenship, Michael L. Evans, Joshua Gage, Toni J. Gardner, Sandra Kasturi, Deborah P. Kolodji, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Sandra Lindow, Terra Martin, Robin Mayhall, Karen L. Newman, Rhonda Parrish, Pamela Pignataro, Terrie Leigh Relf, Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, Shanna, J. E. Stanley, Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, Gene van Troyer, Scott Virtes and Stephen M. Wilson. And best of all? It’s available now from Elektrik Milk Bath Press!

Confessions at Elektrik Milk Bath Press

(All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Science Fiction Poetry Association)

Poetry, Published

Published: The Grotesque

June 23, 2014 R. Parrish 2 Comments

My poem, The Grotesque, is in the most recent issue of Bete Noire. I freaking love this cover. I’ve been in a few issues of Bete Noire but this is my favourite cover of them all. It might be my favourite poem too, but that’s a close call. I’m proud of all the works of mine Bete Noire has seen fit to publish.

There’s another cool thing about this issue. I get to share a table of contents with a lot of talented folks, including Marge Simon. Marge and I work together regularly for Niteblade, but we don’t often get to share a table of contents, so that’s just a nice bonus 🙂

Published, Reviews, Writing

Published: Shattered

May 30, 2014 R. Parrish 7 Comments

I thought I’d made this announcement already, but turns out? No. I did not. Things like this are why I need Google Calendar, HabitRPG and multiple physical to-do lists to avoid forgetting things. And apparently, sometimes even that isn’t enough >_<

So.

My short story, Shattered, is included in the most recent issue of Kzine. I’m pleased with this story and proud that it found a home with Kzine which is a magazine that has always treated me right 🙂

One upside to my being slow about making this announcement is that the story has already been reviewed (along with the entire rest of the issue) over at Wizzley.com. They said:

What do cathedral gargoyles do at night? Well, shag, apparently, but they mustn’t be seen moving by humans otherwise they would shatter and cease to exist. But when a vandal knocks one off its pedestal, to what length would his lover go to get him back? Both violent and tender, this has to be the first gargoyle love story I have ever read.

You can check out the rest of the review here, and pick up a copy of Kzine here.

Lastly, because why not? Here’s a short excerpt:

His wings curved like scythes over his back, reaching the ground behind his heels and swooping up over the horns that crowned his head. Spider web cracks marred their surface, but the lines, oh, the lines. They made her want to growl, press her back against his chiseled chest, and feel him tight against her, his claws digging into her haunches just like last night.

But it was daylight, and so, even though she was perched at the very top of the cathedral, she daren’t even twitch a toe lest she be seen by someone below. Ever since the curse if one of her kind were seen to move by mortal man they would be shattered to dust and scattered to the winds.

The night was their time.

Published, Writing

Published: Seedpaper

April 2, 2014 R. Parrish 1 Comment

Not only has my short story, Seedpaper, been published in the most recent issue of Mythic Delirium, but it is currently being featured on the website as well. You can read it complete free right here and then pop over here to read the featured poems for April by Lynette MejÃa and Jane Yolen!

My list of favourite stories I’ve written is always evolving but right now Seedpaper would be in the top three so consider popping over and giving it a read. I don’t believe you’ll be disappointed if you do 🙂

Poetry, Published

Published: What Won’t Wait

March 29, 2014 R. Parrish Leave a comment

My poem, What Won’t Wait, is included in the current issue of The Stray Branch. Some of their stories and poems from this issue are available on their website for free. Mine is not among them LoL but they may give you an idea of whether or not you’d like to purchase the full issue.

It seems appropriate that this poem be published now. I wrote it as a part of a poem-a-month challenge, just like the one I’ll be starting on April 1st 😉

Poetry, Published

Published: Hereditary Delusions

February 18, 2014 R. Parrish Leave a comment

This Sunday’s prompt is a first line: “When the dust settled, a man stood there, clothed in white.”

I used the prompt right there (supplied by Beth Cato to NaNoLJers) to write a poem entitled Hereditary Delusions which was published today at Every Day Poets. As you’ll see when you read it, I didn’t use that exact line and I didn’t use it to start the poem but it inspired it nevertheless. Sometimes when I post story prompts and such at NaNoLJers people email me and say ‘Can I just change this–‘ Dude, they are just story prompts. They aren’t meant to feel restrictive, exactly the opposite, in fact. I think it’s important to know that it’s okay to bend the rules sometimes*–especially when it comes to finding inspiration.

…anyway, I’ve totally gotten off the point of this post which was that Hereditary Delusions is up and available online for you to read for free, so please take a peek and let me know what you think 🙂

*Those times never include when it comes to following submission guidelines though LOL

Published, Writing

Published: The Other Side of the Door

January 27, 2014 R. Parrish 4 Comments

My story, The Other Side of the Door, is included in Issue #8 of KZine. I love this story. I love this story.

I wrote it while we were on vacation last year. On this particular evening, we were in Digby Nova Scotia staying at the Come From Away Inn, right by the water. Our room had a balcony that opened up to the ocean and I spent a lot of time out on it looking at all the different kinds of watercraft, taking photos and soaking up the atmosphere. In fact, I wrote The Other Side of the Door the very same night I took this photo from our balcony:

This is also a very personal story to me, which is not to say it’s autobiographical by any means LOL but I did pick bits and pieces from it out of my own childhood. As you can imagine that makes it extra special to me, and makes me both excited and nervous about sharing it with the world. I do hope you’ll check it out though 🙂

KZine #8 available on Amazon

April PAD, Published

Published: Their Closet Existence

January 14, 2014 R. Parrish Leave a comment

I felt like I should go take a photograph of my closet to go with the announcement but after about half a second of thought I dismissed that idea LoL

My poem, “Their Closet Existence” was published today on Every Day Poets. On its surface this is a poem about mine and Jo’s closet, but on a deeper level I think it’s about who we are. Deep or shallow, I am really proud of this poem and I hope you’ll take a look and give it a read.

Poetry, Published

Published: The Choice

December 30, 2013 R. Parrish 2 Comments

My poem, “The Choice”, was published in this month’s issue of Disturbed Digest. Bonus points? My name made it on the cover. I love it when my name makes it on the cover 🙂

“The Choice” is a short little zombie poem that I am quite fond of, and I am totally blown away by the company its keeping. I mean, do you see those other names on that cover?

You can pick up a copy of this issue by clicking on the cover image (which will take you to the store).

Published, Writing

Published: Bedtime Story

October 23, 2013 R. Parrish 1 Comment

I am honored and proud beyond words that my story, “Bedtime Story”, is included in Tesseracts Seventeen: Speculating Canada From Coast to Coast. Having my work included in a Tesseracts anthology was totally a bucket list item for me, and you can bet that now that I’ve done it once, I very much want to do it again, and again, and again 🙂

I woke up one morning from an incredibly vivid and stylized dream and I quickly scribbled the words:

“I was hiding in my parents’ closet with a friendly lamp who promised to stay the night with me, and Laura, a battle-scarred doll of my mother’s.”

I had so many ideas for this story based on that dream, ideas that involved dragons, witches, goblins and rats. It took me a very long time to mentally construct the story, cutting out several of the original elements until only the strongest remained. It took me even longer to be brave enough to put my pen to paper and start to write — I was totally intimidated by the story. I felt like it had the potential to be the best thing I’d written and I didn’t want to screw it up.

Once I finally did write it, it turned out I was right — it was the best story I’d written up until that time. I love it, and I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Tesseracts to check it out for yourself (not to mention all the incredible other authors who I’m sharing a table of contents with!).

In the meantime, Tesseracts Seventeen is officially being released today, and EDGE Publishing is having an online book launch for it. You can check it out here — Bitten By Books Online Launch of Tesseracts Seventeen and $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway. Over the next 24 hours or so all the contributors to Tesseracts Seventeen will be popping by to chat, answer questions and all that good stuff so consider popping over to see what’s going on. I was going to say you can also enter by using the Rafflecopter code below… but I’m not 100% sure that comments or questions left on my personal blog will count, so to be 100% safe, pop over to Bitten By Books and comment there. Despite the name, I’m pretty sure none of us will bite 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck winning that Gift Card, and also if you pop over, tell them I sent you. I think they are keeping track LOL

I write, I edit and I take a lot of naps.