ON SPEC 2026: New Canadian Literature of the Fantastic

Posted on by

The On Spec Anthology Kickstarter is now live! Until April 15, you have a chance to help fund this anthology of Canadian speculative fiction, featuring the following anchor authors: Candas Jane Dorsey, Marcelle Dubé [Hey! That’s me!], Michèle Laframboise, Fiona Moore, Douglas Smith, Hayden Trenholm, and Liz Westbrook-Trenholm. Once the Kickstarter funds, there will be an open call for submissions, and the anthology will launch at Can*Con: Ottawa’s Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Convention in October. Thanks to Shadowpaw Press, our wonderful On Spec Magazine will live on.

The cover art is by Calgary artist James Beveridge, who has created many covers for On Spec Magazine, and the interior will include, as is On Spec tradition, a cartoon by Lynne Fahnestalk.

There are some amazing rewards, including SFF novels and collections, and signed artwork by Lynne Fahnestalk.

Check out the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edwardwillett/on-spec-2026-new-canadian-literature-of-the-fantastic

Help bring the project to life!

BARNEY’S DINER

Posted on by

I have a short story in the March/April 2026 Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. “Barney’s Diner” tells the story of a young waitress who is alone in a diner late at night in the aftermath of a blizzard when her greatest fear comes to visit her. As well, I discuss how the story came to be in Trace Evidence, the AHMM blog.

This is my eighth story in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

In a Christmas mood…

Posted on by

Occasionally, I write short stories set at Christmas time. It’s the only time I ever get romantic in my writing–at least, as romantic as I get. I have four to offer. Note that “McKell’s Christmas” is free until after Christmas.

Here’s where to find them:

Running Away from Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/b6Z7LZ

A Yukon Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/bPdDrb

Trepalli’s Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/m2vDp7

McKell’s Christmas: https://books2read.com/u/brWJ8w (FREE!)

FREE Christmas Story

Posted on by

For the past couple of years, I’ve offered one of my Christmas short stories for free, to celebrate the season. As with all my Christmas shorts, this one is a bit romantic—as close to romantic as I come, anyway. “McKell’s Christmas” fits into my Mendenhall Mysteries series, which comprises six novels and five short stories (so far).

Here’s the link to the free short story: https://books2read.com/u/brWJ8w

I’m not sure when Amazon will flip to free, but all the other venues already have. The story will remain free until after Christmas.