My First Print Zine Short Story Sale Is Out

It took several attempts and some polishing but I finally found a home for one of my more unique, non-space opera science fiction shorts, the third ever short story I wrote. It’s in the latest issue of Tales Of The Talismanbought actually last summer but too big for that summer issue, David Lee Summers held it for this year’s issue with my consent. It’s great to not only have it out but have made the cover list. Here’s the full TOC:

Table of Contents for Tales of the Talisman Volume 8, Issue 1

    • Sol Crystalis Miracalis
      Story by Quincy Allen
      Illustration by Teresa Tunaley

 

    • Silicon Searchers
      Poem by Richard H. Fay

 

    • Dear Cthulhu
      Article by Patrick Thomas

 

    • Through a Lens Brightly
      Story by Brock Marie Moore
      Illustration by Tom Kelly

 

    • Frontier Adventure
      Poem by L.B. Sedlacek

 

    • Touch of Silence
      Story by Simon Bleaken
      Illustration by Jim Collins

 

    • The Day That the Screens All Died
      Poem by Ann K. Schwader

 

    • Steam-Truckin’
      Story by C.J. Killmer
      Illustration by Teresa Tunaley

 

    • What Voids Are These
      Poem by Anna Sykora

 

    • End Run
      Story by Robert Collins
      Illustration by Russell Morgan

 

    • How to Construct a Human
      Poem by Lauren McBride

 

    • La Migra
      Story by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
      Illustration by Paul Niemiec

 

    • Shooting Star
      Poem by Louise Webster

 

    • Listening
      Poem by Larry Hammer

 

    • The Devil You Know
      Story by M.E. Brines
      Illustration by Jag Lall

 

    • Tempest
      Story by Neil Leckman
      Illustration by Paul Niemiec

 

    • Mission Stardust
      Poem by Ann K. Schwader

 

    • The Elemental Just Can’t Explain Himself
      Poem by CEE

 

    • The Ultimate Astronaut
      Story by K.S. Hardy
      Illustration by Laura Givens

 

    • A Conflicted Soul
      Poem by Lauren McBride

 

    • Streaming Light
      Story by Kelly Dillon
      Illustration by Morland Gonsoulin

 

    • Obolusless
      Poem by Neal Wilgus
      Illustration by Filo Martinez

 

    • The Reaper’s Scythe
      Story by Bruce Markuson
      Illustration by Jag Lall

 

    • Misdirection
      Story by Scott Allen Abfalter
      Illustration by Erika McGinnis

 

    • Power Of Littleness
      Poem by Alessio Zanelli

 

    • The Forbidden
      Poem by W.C. Roberts

 

    • Portal
      Story by Glynn Barrass
      Illustration by Tom Kelly

 

    • Book Reviews
      Reviews by David Lee Summers and Shawn Oetzel

 

    • About the Contributors

 

Cover Reveal: My first print magazine sale is finally coming out

Here’s the cover to the next issue of Tales Of The Talisman, and I got a mention. This is the third short story I ever wrote. Quite excited about it. Very much influenced by my time in El Paso. Editor David Lee Summers is a close friend and I’m excited and honored that he liked it enough to publish it. He as rejected stories from me before and since. “La Migra” is about two cousins from deep in Mexico who cross the U.S. Border at El Paso and get abducted by what they think are border patrol. But then they start to have questions about things going on. And it turns out, they were taken by aliens. It’s a humorous culture clash tale. Written with input from friends on both sides of the border, including Mexicans and an actual Border Patrol agent. Lots of local color in descriptions. Anyway, excited about it and wanted to reveal the cover. Really looking forward to it. Tales has published some great stuff by some great people, including friends like Jaleta Clegg, Jennifer Brozek, and more. Proud to be a part of that family.


Bryan Thomas Schmidt is the author of the space opera novels The Worker Prince, a Barnes & Noble Book Clubs Year’s Best SF Releases of 2011 Honorable Mention, and The Returning, the collection The North Star Serial, Part 1, and several short stories featured  in anthologies and magazines.  He edited the anthology Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 for Flying Pen Press, headlined by Mike Resnick. As a freelance editor, he’s edited a novels and nonfiction.  He’s also the host of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Chat every Wednesday at 9 pm EST on Twitter under the hashtag #sffwrtcht. A frequent contributor to Adventures In SF PublishingGrasping For The Wind and SFSignal, he can be found online as @BryanThomasS on Twitter or via his website. Bryan is an affiliate member of the SFWA.