elou carroll

Have I mentioned that I love the moon? I love the moon. Most of my favourite fairy tales, fables, and myths have something to do with the moon. I once dressed up as a moon princess, and it may be the most wonderful I have ever looked and/or felt. There is a novel sitting in my head (until I am ready to write it) that features her loveliness, the moon. A recent theatrical obsession, Punchdrunk’s Viola’s Room, features the moon. (If you’re in London before September 15th, you should go and experience it. Run. Do not walk.) I really love the moon.

Naturally, when I saw that Flame Tree Press was adding a moon-themed title to their pool of Gothic Fantasy anthologies, submitting felt like fate. I’ve been trying to wheedle my way into this series for some time now, and to make it into the moon-themed anthology with one of my favourite bits of flash fiction… Well, it’s a bit of a dream come true, if I’m honest.

“Shattered Moon, Hungry Sea” previously appeared in online-only form on Apparition Lit after winning their November 2020 Flash Fiction Challenge. I can’t think of a better physical, print home for it than this. There is foiling. There is embossing. It’s a hardback. I mean, it’s book production heaven.

I will save my usual excerpt for the “It’s out!” entry, but for now, I will leave you with a link to the rest of the contributors, whose work will be published alongside several classic stories and tidbits from international myths, which you can see here.

Just look at this cover. Look at the sheer amount of foiling. Beautiful.

In much scarier writing news, I have passed the novel—yes, that same novel that has been living with me and me alone since 2019—to a wonderful writing friend to read over before I begin querying it in the autumn. I am very scared. Quietly hopeful—I love this book—but very scared.

Apparently, I am not ready to be rid of those characters for even a little bit, however. Today, the first, tentative words of its sequel crept out of my brain and onto the page. We love a good, old-fashioned duology in this house.

We’re also in full swing on the novella challenge. I was wrong, it’s a 10 week challenge, not a July challenge. Phew. It’s slow going, but it’s very strange and I like it already.

Wish me luck!