Free monthly Science-Fiction and Fantasy stories, and a bit about my writing process. Come and see!
The Writings on the Wall #52 - A Monster Lives Here and other news
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[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack!
Greetings from the Xen’in Universe. I posted this on Substack at the beginning of the month, so I'm running several weeks late on Kit, sorry about that! That's why you got January's story last week, and you'll get this month's next week and the February recap the following Wednesday. After that, we should be back on track. So, I mentioned last time that I’d sold a poem to a new magazine called The Hillsather Press. After a one week delay, their debut issue (featuring “A Monster Lives Here”) was released on January 27. You can get it from various platforms, but I’ll just link to Amazon here.
It’s also available from Barnes & Noble and other retailers, so if you don’t like Amazon, make sure you check on your favorite platform. I haven’t read the whole issue yet, but what I’ve seen so far was actually really good! January Wrap-UpThis was actually a slow month, but the start of the year often is. I only managed 19,220 words, spread across 5 chapters of my serial, 4 flash pieces, 1 short story… and I resumed work on that Dragon Dice trilogy, though it’s been slow-going. I’d hoped to finish the second half of Book 2 by the end of the month, but not only did that not happen, I’ve been struggling a bit with the material, barely completing a chapter. I’m hoping to pick up speed though as I’ll soon be getting into some of the scenes I’m most looking forward to—so that should help! Coming up this monthNext up is an as-yet untitled Varushka adventure… Yup, you read that right! The Good Count will be making a new appearance, lucky us! You can expect this story to drop on March 4 (this is taking into account the delays mentioned at the top). And that’s all for this month! Enjoy the rest of your day. — If you like my writing, please consider buying a copy of my novel, upgrading to a paid subscription, or making a Paypal or Ko-fi donation. As an independent author, any of these would help a lot!
— Copyright (c) 2026 by Alex S. Garcia. [LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack! |
The Xen'in Universe
Free monthly Science-Fiction and Fantasy stories, and a bit about my writing process. Come and see!
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack. On the sixth day of my death, I heard the tolling of the bell. The sky was gray and my grave was nigh, and all that was left were but fragments of my soul. So the time had come. I once was told of a gaping void—far beyond the realms of men—where only gods stood, in ages old. Now it is barren, as barren as the Arid Sands. And there is where I now must head, to heed the voice I heard while I was dead. It spoke of ancient lore and...
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack. Greetings from the Xen’in Universe. March was another slow month, only slightly better than February, with 14,780 words written. That number was spread across nine chapters of my space opera serial, one short story, and a third of another. And still no work on that Dragon Dice novel! On the plus side, I now have enough of a buffer (on the serial front anyway) that I can focus on the novel. In theory, I should be able to...
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack. The world was old, the world was dark, the world was dying. And as the wind roared, and the rivers ran red with the blood of the fallen, I walked through the fog toward the dark citadel. A chilling breeze hit my face as I approached. I clenched my fists and walked on. There was no turning back for me now. My fate was sealed, as was that of my brethren. As I approached, the large black gates slowly swung open in eerie silence....