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Vera Brook

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Science fiction

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

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

SAND RUNNER is a contender in the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC)!

I’m thrilled to report that SAND RUNNER, my near-future science fiction novel, is a contender in the inaugural 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC). What an honor! And very, very exciting.

Image credit: Hugh Howey’s blog (https://hughhowey.com/the-spsfc-begins/).

Huge thanks to Hugh Howey and Duncan Swan for organizing, and to all the book bloggers and reviewers for reading & judging the entries!

And best of luck to all my fellow indie science fiction writers! I look forward to reading your books in the future.

SAND RUNNER by Vera Brook as ebook and paperback

Update:

Sadly, SAND RUNNER did not make it to the next round of the competition. But the reviewers’ verdict was that “Fans of YA are likely to get a kick out of it.” I can live with that! 🙂

Thank you to all the SPSFC reviewers for their time and effort reviewing the submissions, and congrats & best wishes to all my fellow indie writers, no matter what the outcome. And maybe the future iterations of the SPSFC could have a separate YA category? That would be great.

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Indie Writer, Sand Runner, Sand Runner Series, Science fiction, SPSFC

Two new stories published

I love reading and writing short fiction, so I’m thrilled to announce that two stories of mine were accepted for publication.

“Of Bugs, Debts, and Distant Planets” (science fiction, 995 words) was published in Fifth Di… (June 2021 issue).

And “Mira” (science fiction, biopunk, 1350 words) was published in Hyphen Punk (June 16, 2021 publication date).

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

Sand Runner Series Bundle now available

Binge read the first three books in the SAND RUNNER SERIES in one ebook bundle!
Includes:
  • SAND RUNNER (Book 1)
  • CAGE RUNNER (Book 2)
  • GHOST RUNNER (Book 3)
Sand Runner Bundle Cover
Promo collage for Sand Runner Series Bundle

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Sand Runner Series, Science fiction, Young adult

REX is now available as an audiobook!

Savannah is having a day from hell… until her favorite reality TV show comes on. (A science fiction short story of 7,000 words.)

Now also available as an audiobook, narrated by Stella June!

Here is Rex audiobook on Kobo. Coming to other online places soon.

REX by Vera Brook, now available in audiobook narrated by Stella June

Filed Under: News/Media Tagged With: Audiobook, Rex, Science fiction, Short Fiction, Young adult

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