Welcome to the cover reveal for A is for Apocalypse, an anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish.
Often bleak, sometimes hopeful, always thoughtful, if A is for Apocalypse is as prescient as it is entertaining, we're in for quite a ride.” - Amanda C. Davis, author of The Lair of the Twelve Princesses
What do you get when you take twenty-six amazing writers, randomly assign them a letter of the alphabet and give them complete artistic freedom within a theme?
A is for Apocalypse
A is for Apocalypse contains twenty-six apocalyptic stories written by both well-known and up-and-coming writers. Monsters, meteors, floods, war–the causes of the apocalypses in these tales are as varied as the stories themselves.
This volume contains work by Ennis Drake, Beth Cato, Kenneth Schneyer, Damien Angelica Walters, K. L. Young, Marge Simon, Milo James Fowler, Simon Kewin, C.S. MacCath, Steve Bornstein and more!
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A is for Apocalypse
Edited by Rhonda Parrish
Poise and Pen Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-0993699016
ISBN-10: 0993699014
Cover Designed by Jonathan Parrish
To celebrate we have a Q&A for you with some of the contributors!
Question #1:
In choosing a theme for this, the first of a series of anthologies, I considered and rejected a great many "A" words. Tell us about your favourite word that begins with the letter A.
Alexis A. Hunter - As an author -- 'acceptance' has a beautiful ring to it. As a sci-fi writer -- 'apex' is particularly engaging. In general -- 'angel' is one of my favorite words, because they're one of my favorite 'creature types' to play with in stories. Plus I have a thing for wings and feathers.
Michael Kellar - My "A" word would be arachnid. I'm a spider person. (You could consider this when you get to "S is for...")
Damien Angelica Walters - My favourite word that begins with the letter A is anathema. It rolls off the tongue like a whisper, hiding its dark meaning in pretty syllables.
Marge Simon - Alliteration because it’s a beautiful word. Sorry if it doesn't connote anything bad, like assassin. ;)
Simon Kewin - My favourite A word is (possibly) Archaeopteryx. I love the shape of the word. It's exotic and fantastical and ungainly all at the same time - a little like the creature itself. It derives from the Greek archaeo (ancient) and pterux (wing). So, "Ancient Wing". Archaeopteryx is a lovely illustration of the forces of evolution in progress; it's a snapshot of a species in the process of changing from dinosaur ancestor to modern avian descendent. Here was a creature with a bony tail and teeth and feathers. And claws on its wings. I'd love to have seen one...
Sara Cleto - My favorite A word is amethyst, a purple-violet quartz often used in jewelry (particularly at Renaissance Faires!) As a little girl, I was obsessed with the color purple, and my mom's amethyst jewelry was the subject of much fascination- I was sure the stones had some sort of magical property, and I seem to recall trying to do spells with them... And now, in my old age, I'm deeply amused by their purported ability to prevent excessive intoxication.
Beth Cato - Tricky question since my absolute favorite word begins with B. For A words, I have to say I like "anaphylactic." It's morbid, I know, since the meaning is a severe allergic reaction, but I like the word because it has a cool poetic rhythm.
Suzanne van Rooyen - This is really tough to answer! There are so many great words starting with A like analogy, allegory and awesome! But I think my favourite is actually a name. Atreyu. Atreyu - the character from The Never Ending Story - was my first major crush as a kid and that film was such a huge part of my childhood. If I ever have a son one day, his name is going to be Atreyu.
Question #2:
As a contributor to this anthology you are privileged to have been able to read a proof copy of it already. Aside from your own story, which one is your favourite? No spoilers, please :)
Michael Kellar - "U is for REDACTED" got to me early on, and ended up being a perfect little glimpse of what would be important when facing the end of the world.
Marge Simon - That’s really, really a hard question to answer. But I’m picking Damian Angelica Walters’ moving “U is for REDACTED”. It reminded me much of one of my top favorite dark sf stories, “Testament”.
Sara Cleto - I'll admit that I haven't read through the entire anthology yet (it will be my reward when I finish this semester's grading!), but I adore Brittany Warman's story- as always, her images are haunting, powerful, and full of wonderful folkloric resonances.
Beth Cato - I loved R. It's one of the longer stories in the anthology, I think, and it's a unique take on events leading up to the apocalypse. The whole vibe is creepy and gritty.
Blurbs:
“Editor Rhonda Parrish gives us apocalyptic fiction at its finest. There's not a whimper to be heard amongst these twenty-six End of the World stories. A wonderful collection.” -Deborah Walker, Nature Futures author.
Editor Bio:
“Rhonda Parrish is a shapeshifter with talents to match her every incarnation- magpie tenacity for picking the shiniest submissions, nightingale notes for crafting tales, and bright, feline eyes for seeking out her photographic subjects. She balances on the knife-edge of darkness and light, a sorceress of both realms.” - Sara Cleto
***GIVEAWAY***
Three ARC copies of A is for Apocalypse. These are physical copies but I am willing to ship them to anywhere in the world. The Rafflecopter draw will run from May 12th to May 19th. On May 20th I will choose three winners and email them in order to get their shipping address. Anyone who doesn’t respond by May 27th will forfeit their prize and I will choose a new winner to receive it.
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