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Vera Brook

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News/Media

My first ever story in ANALOG

I am beyond thrilled to have my first ever story in Analog Science Fiction & Fact (September/October 2023 issue).

The title is “Fly Straight & Don’t Get Eaten,” and it’s my first published solarpunk piece. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that it imagines a green-tech solution to the problem of flooding in isolated rural areas. It’s also a story about a teenage boy forced to spend a weekend with an aunt he barely knows, which ruins his summer plans and possibly changes his life.

The cover of Analog Science Fiction & Fact, September October 2023 issue. A massive spaceship circles a huge red planet.

Here is a teaser. Please consider buying the issue or subscribing to Analog to read the whole thing. And if you do–thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy!


Fly Straight and Don’t Get Eaten

by Vera Brook

The payload was right ahead, a fat asteroid loaded with ice worth premium points.

Noah clenched his jaw and hurled his ship at the giant squid in his way. The massive alien tentacles whipped and slashed at him, glinting with electricity ready to zap him into oblivion. But he dodged them one by one. Evan and Blake could suck it. They’d never beat him. Almost there…

“Noah!”

He couldn’t help it: his gaze swung to the door. Or where he knew the door to be, though he couldn’t see it through his VR headset. A split second of inattention, but that’s all it took.

A tentacle rushed at him, filling his vision, all sharp teeth and vicious knobs.

Then—a burst of brightness and ear-splitting static.

He was dead. Game over.

Noah ripped off his headset and tossed the game controller on the bed. “Mom! What do you want? I’m busy!”

His mother glanced around his room. “Where’s your bag? You’re supposed to be packing.”

Noah didn’t budge. “I told you I’m not going.”

“Nonsense.” His mother crossed to the closet, pulled down his duffel bag from the top shelf, and dropped it on his bed. “You’ll have lots of fun. Your first camping trip! Your dad and I used to go camping all the time before the floods.”

Noah cringed. “You mean, cooking weird food over a fire and sleeping in a tent?”

His mother gave a light laugh. “Don’t worry. You’ll eat and sleep with the project crew. I’m sure the food and the sleeping arrangements will be just fine.”

“Wait. What project crew?” Noah felt a stab of annoyance. His parents were always trying to trick him into doing something he had zero interest in doing, making it sound like the most amazing experience of his life. But this was crossing the line. “You said it was a vacation. She expects me to work for her? I’m not looking for a job, Mom.”

Anyway, it was his last summer before college, and he was already booked. The Space Horrors tournament was in August, and he, Evan, and Blake were planning to compete as a team, which required an intense training schedule. Noah estimated at least five hours a day for team practice, plus two more hours to study the strategy tutorials and past tournament videos. Distributed across their three households, so their parents didn’t freak out about the screen time or complain about video games being a waste of time like they always did. Noah’s parents especially. 

“Relax,” his mother said now. “It’s not a job. Just family time with your Aunt Meg.”

Copyright © 2023 by Vera Brook

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Analog, Publication News, Science fiction, Short Fiction, Solarpunk

FLASH SALE!

My store, Vera Brook Shop, has been very quiet. So how about a flash sale to encourage you all to visit?

For a limited time, get a paperback of THE MISFIT & THE BEAST, my new YA romance about first love and high school theater, for only $9.99 (50% off) + shipping. Plus a free book as my gift!

Offer good only in the U.S. (sorry), while supplies last.

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Sale, The Misfit and The Beast, Vera Brook Shop

Book launch & store launch!

What better day to launch both my new book and my brand new online store than June 21, the first day of summer?

So without further ado, I give you THE MISFIT & THE BEAST, a young adult romance about first love and high school theater — and you can buy an ebook or paperback directly from me, the author, by visiting VERA BROOK SHOP!

If you buy a paperback, I will happily sign it for you and personally take it to the post office.

(The paperbacks are only available in the U.S. for now, but I am working on affordable ways to offer print books to my readers worldwide. So stay tuned as I learn the ropes of running a writing/ publishing/ book selling business.)

All the ebooks are on sale for $3 USD to celebrate the double launch.

Please share widely and help me spread the word!

And as always, thank you for your interest and support. It means a lot to me.

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Book release, The Misfit and The Beast, Vera Brook Shop, Young adult

The Misfit & The Beast is now on preorders!

Hi. I wrote a new book, in a new series, and I can’t wait for you to read it!

THE MISFIT & THE BEAST is a gripping, emotionally charged contemporary teen romance about first love, high school theater, and the courage to break the rules, be true to yourself, and follow your heart, no matter what.

Pre-order your copy today and take advantage of the special prices! 

Out on June 21, 2023 (the first day of summer). 

Stacked paperbacks of The Misfit & The Beast by Vera Brook

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: The Misfit and The Beast, Young adult

My flash science fiction published in Radon Journal and Factor Four Magazine!

Flash stories are very short — under 1500 words. Since many of my short stories grow into novelettes lately (7,500 – 17,000 words), writing flash is a challenge. So I’m especially thrilled that two flash stories of mine got recently published!

“If You Love Him, Hide the Grave”

in Radon Journal (Issue 3, January 2023)

*

“Scales”

in Factor Four Magazine (Issue 20, February 2023)

*

Cover of Radon Journal Issue 3.
Cover of Factor Four Magazine Issue 20.

Both stories are dark science fiction and set in outer space. If you have a chance to read them, I hope you enjoy! Free to read online, but please support the magazines if you can. Thank you!

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Science fiction, Short Fiction

Vera’s highlights from Confluence 2022

This weekend (July 29-31) I attended my first Confluence in Pittsburgh, and I’m so glad I did!

Confluence is a small but incredibly fun, welcoming & inspiring conference that brings together writers, editors, readers & fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It’s organized by Parsec, Pittsburgh’s speculative fiction organization, and I highly recommend it. I had a blast.

Confluence logo. Beige text on black background.

Here are some highlights.

Meeting friends, old and new

Writing can get lonely, and I haven’t been to any writerly event since the pandemic started, so the biggest highlight of the conference for me was the people (isn’t it always?).

I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to catch up with old friends, see some of my Twitter friends face to face for the first time, and make new friends & connections. (I wish I remembered to take more photos!)

It was lovely to finally meet Susan Kaye Quinn, a scientist-turned-science-fiction-writer like myself, and my long-time inspiration and role model in the indie publishing world. Like Susan, I crave and try to write science fiction that’s hopeful & optimistic, at least to some degree, including solarpunk. After all, science fiction can do more than identify problems and warn of dangers ahead. It’s also a laboratory for ideas and a testing ground for solutions. (In my excitement, I forgot to take a photo with Susan. Next time!)

It was also terrific to hang out with my writer friend Marie Vibbert; to talk short fiction with Scott H. Andrews (editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies), Neil Clarke (editor of Clarkesworld), and Charlie Oberndorf; to swap novels with Shannon Eichorn (I can’t wait to read Rights of Use); to chat about the writing life with Herb Kauderer; to play board games with Michelle Steiner and Mowgli Assor, both librarians extraordinaire; and to meet so many other amazing writers, editors, publishers, and fans.

A selfie of Vera Brook and her friend Marie Vibbert, both smiling at the camera. Marie is wearing awesome crystal cube earrings.
Marie Vibbert (left) and Vera Brook (right) at Confluence 2022.

Conference programming

Another highlight of the conference was the programming. Lots of fun & informative sessions to attend! But don’t take my word for it – see for yourself. The full Confluence 2022 schedule can be found here.

I had the pleasure of moderating two panels (with thanks to the Confluence organizers for trusting me with the job!):

  • “Reading Short SF: Why You Should Be Reading Short Fiction, Both Classic and New“ – with panelists Neil Clarke (Confluence’s Guest of Honor) and Michael Swanwick, and moderated by yours truly
  • “Suspended animation, FTL, AI: Which common SF ideas may become reality (and which are unlikely)” – with panelists Marianne Porter, Alan Katerinsky, Charles Oberndorf, and Barton Paul Levenson, and moderated by yours truly

Writing workshop

Finally, I participated in “Your Story’s First Five Pages” writing workshop taught by Scott H. Andrews, and it was excellent! A lecture on short-fiction craft from a long-time editor is always a treat, but we also submitted, read, and discussed each other’s work (the first five pages of a short story, as the name of the workshop suggests). Thank you, Scott! The workshop was super helpful. Now to apply it to my own short fiction…

In conclusion, I can’t wait for Confluence 2023!

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: conference, Confluence, Parsec, Short Fiction, writing workshop

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