Description
A mesmerizing first collection from the cross-genre author, science writer, and artist J. Dianne Dotson, THE SHADOW GALAXY features short stories and poetry spanning magical realism, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and Appalachian tales. With stories and poetry spanning three decades of work, the author taps into journeys both fantastical and deeply personal. Categories include Shadow Shores: Tales from the Sea; Other Futures: Tales of the Galaxy and a Place Called Earth; Into the Darkest Hollow: Tales of Horror; Love and Other Moments: Traces of the Heart; Far Appalachia: Tales from the Ancient Mountains; and Resonant Thoughts: Some Poetry.
Among these pages, Dotson captures the longing, regrets, and dreams of those living by the sea, such as in "One Evening in Fogvale." In "RODER," a young woman risks her life to help find a robot who captured her heart. "Topaz Sundered" explores an exoplanet mining expedition gone horribly wrong. In "The Queen and the Mountain Laurel," a young Appalachian girl teaches her father an important lesson with the help of mountain spirits. The poem "Obsidian" eviscerates with raw pain from betrayal. Dotson weaves these and many other tales and poems of mysticism, exploration, horror, pain, nostalgia, and wonder, for no shadow can exist without light.
About the Author
J. Dianne Dotson, who also writes as Jendia Gammon, is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author of THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN (Android Press), THE SHADOW GALAXY: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry (Trepidation Publishing), and the four-book space opera series THE QUESTRISON SAGA(R) (Heliopause; Ephemeris; Accretion; and Luminiferous). Dianne is also a producer and small press publisher alongside her husband, Gareth L. Powell.Dianne dreamed up other worlds and their characters as a child in the 1980s in East Tennessee. She formed her own neighborhood astronomy club before age 10, to educate her friends about the universe. In addition to writing stories, she drew and painted her characters, designed their outrageous space fashions, and created travel guides and glossaries for the worlds she invented. Dianne's short fiction is featured in several anthologies and magazines. She holds a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and spent several years working in both ecological and clinical research. Dianne is also a science writer and an artist. As a convention guest, Dianne provides insight into science fiction writing and characters (Nebula Awards Conference, Star Wars Celebration, San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon, Cymera Festival, and BristolCon, among others), the science of science fiction films, and offers lectures on writing and world-building at conventions and universities.Dianne is a member of the Science Fiction Writers Association, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Horror Writers Association, the British Science Fiction Association, and the British Fantasy Society. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California and is married to British science fiction author Gareth L. Powell.