A new Uncollected Anthology is always a publishing event I look forward to, and Mystical Maps definitely fits the bill for me. For one thing, I'll get to read fantastic new stories from some of my favorite writers!
I also had such a great time writing my contribution, Charting the Unseen. I got to revisit Atlanta, which is a favorite Urban Fantasy setting for me partly because it's so deeply strange. After spending ten years there--especially during the already bizarre 1990s and in my twenties--paranormal and supernatural events in and around the city simply make sense.
Another great aspect of this theme is the strange and changeable nature of maps themselves. They've been scratched in the dust of the moment, committed to memory before being lost to the breeze. Painted on cave walls and etched in stone.
Some of our oldest maps are fanciful delights, with dangerous creatures drawn in the unknown margins to keep sailors on track and out of peril.
Now they've transformed again, and dramatically in my lifetime. I've always loved globes and atlases and the sometimes-unwieldy paper maps that used to live in the huge glove boxes of touring sedans. But that unwieldy (and eventually unfoldable) aspect certainly could become a problem, even before considering shifting political boundaries and roads getting added and throwing everything off.
Now many of us carry GPS devices in our pockets, along with electronic maps that are updated almost in real time for traffic problems. Talk about a sea change!
Since I'm the sort who still keeps a traditional road atlas in my car despite the brilliant media display and turn-by-turn navigation, has a globe depicting the near-unrecognizable European borders of 1985, and hangs on to those old maps that have long since lost their creases, I took a current-yet-throwback approach to my story for Mystical Maps.
You'll meet Natasha Thatcher, a mapmaker with amazing skills who follows old and mysterious traditions, even as she maps out an up-and-coming neighborhood in modern Atlanta. She may work with specially prepared papyrus, but she happily uses a smartphone, too.
I hope you'll join Natasha as she helps discover the true nature of the latest trendy neighborhood in town, and typically unseen things that nevertheless have an influence.
You can pre-order Charting the Unseen now for delivery right to your inbox on December 1 directly from Spiral Publishing, or you can shop from your favorite online retailer through our Books2Read pages.
We're adding those links for each story, but with over one hundred publications, it takes time. If you see an ebook you want to buy from another retailer or in print but the Print & Other Options button isn't there yet, please let us know and we'll get it added right away.
In the holiday spirit and as part of the grand opening of our online store, you'll get 50% off of your purchase only at our store! The discount will automatically be applied to your cart and covers all your ebooks through the end of 2023!
And yes, you can indeed send this and all our other stories as gifts.
Jason A. Adams and I are delighted to have several stories featured in previous editions of The Uncollected Anthology, so be sure to check those out, too.
And I hope you'll consider taking a look at all the other fabulous tales in this and all other editions of The Uncollected Anthology. Part of the joy of this project is sharing a table of contents with some of the best Urban Fantasy writers working today, and getting to read their takes on each edition's theme. You can buy them individually or as one ebook anthology, and a print version of the Mystical Maps anthology will be available soon.
May your upcoming holiday travels be easy and joyful, without need of mystical or other sorts of unpredictable maps, and happy reading!