She understood why she’d been chosen. That didn’t make it easy.
Welcome to November (a couple of days late, but hush). I have a new short story for you this month: “Chosen,” following a ship of human refugees into space… but not where they planned to go. It’s a side-story to THE SUNDERED, AND IT IS SPOILERY, but it stands alone just fine.
She understood why she’d been chosen. That didn’t make it easy.
“Imagine it, Sykes,” said Jason Iskinder, his dark gaze weighing her down, holding her in place. “No more deviations. A world without the inhuman, without the monsters. Forever.”
She could imagine, all right.
Earth was dead. There was a way out, for those who wanted to take it: servitude to the inhuman creatures who wielded magic, who offered mysterious, new homes apparently unconnected to this world. Iskinder offered survival without following monsters into shadow, though it still carried a price. Only humans like her qualified: intelligent, physically fit, and genetically pure.
Pure humans couldn’t use magic. If she said yes, she’d be saying goodbye to magic forever—not to its use, for she never could, but its existence, its ambience, its beauty. This was a “best bad choice” scenario. Dammit.
Other Updates
It’s been quite the month! I’m still working on final edits for the book on getting unblocked and into a daily habit of creation. So you know (and you’re the first public announcement) I am quietly retiring the name CreateIt22. It means a lot to me personally, but it requires too much explanation right off the bat. So! The book will be shopped around under this title: GET UNBLOCKED FOR GOOD: THE TWO-RULE RECOVERY.
In other news, holiday stuff and nonsense be upon us all. I urge you to make some time for yourselves in the middle of it if you’re swamped, and to try to spend some time with others if you’re alone. It’s a good season to fight for balance. You’re worth it.
Want More?
For regular updates, check out my Patreon. I have a free tier, and I love meeting new readers there. That’s also where I post most of my work-in-progress snippets.
And as I mentioned, I post daily pep-talks for creatives who struggle like I have with block, fear, and other issues of identity and worth.
If you’re new here…
Who the heck am I again?
My name is Ruthanne, and I do two things: I write weird stuff to entertain you, and I help other creatives make weird stuff, too.
I’ve published six books and fifty-plus short stories. I’ve led a convention panel on world-building, and taught courses on plot and character development. I’ve been the keynote speaker for the Write Practice Retreat.
I’ve also been dealing with severe chronic illness that left me hospitalized, and that pretty much slowed everything down. But the thing is, we all have a whole host of problems these days, don’t we?
I believe creation is deeply important, and one of the most human things we can do. It communicates truths we may not even consciously know. That’s why I keep writing, no matter how challenging life becomes; and it’s why I make daily videos to help other creatives, too.
We may be in an apocalypse of A.I. and unscrupulous corporations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be human. We create for one another, and yes—even the tiniest, silliest creation matters.
If you’re curious, my website has tons of free short stories, as well as three novellas and two novels, with more on the way. I also do daily pep-talks for creatives with a focus on those who struggle with creative block.
Currently, this newsletter is free, and I plan for it to stay that way. I also do regular updates through Patreon, with membership levels starting at “free” and $1 a month.
Questions? Comments?
Hit “reply,” and ask me anything! Subscribe if you haven’t already, and you’ll get Simon Night’s story free. I look forward to getting to know you.
See you on the written page!
-Ruthanne Reid
