QSFer Leo Otherland has a new speculative fiction collection out (horror, science fantasy, space opera, urban fantasy – ace, gay, lesbian, non-binary, trans FTM): Inflicted.
“Pain is pain. It all hurts the same.”
Inflicted with dark desire, one man chooses between idyllic pretense and disturbing reality. Haunted by the silence of deep space, an engineer chases an eerie melody. Torn between penance and pride, a dishonored prince challenges the course of history.
Suffering cracks our hearts and splinters our minds. It scars and alters us in irreversible ways. Yet while pain breaks us apart, it also binds us together. Our broken pieces can never rejoin as they once were, but they fit together to create new and distinctive wholes. Like the Japanese art of kintsugi, we can fill the velvety darkness of our scars with gold.
Inflicted with life, an intelligent machine questions the illogic of family. Tempted by the desire to die, a shop clerk confronts the promise of his life. Offered the chance to transform his disfigurement, a ruined being looks to the smallest of lives for acceptance.
An amalgamation of science fiction and fantasy subgenres, Inflicted invites you to peer into your own pain, examine your scars, and remember you are not alone. Pain binds us all, and how we face our brokenness redefines us. Immerse yourself in the brokenness of others and come away with a new understanding of self.
Get It At Amazon | Publisher | B&N | Sapphic Sweets & Dreams
Excerpt
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do my job like this.”
“Sorry,” I repeated. “Anything I can do to help?”
He stared at me, dumbfounded, and I squirmed a little. “What?”
“Did you just offer to help me kill you?”
“I guess, yeah.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I dunno. Seemed like the decent thing to do. Feels like you’re having a hard time here.”
“There’s something wrong with you.”
Author Bio
Leo Otherland is a queer author, literal goblin, member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and lover of all things strange and unordinary from the arctic north woods of Wisconsin. This elusive scribbler acquired his passion for weaving stories of dark and broken things through a childhood spent huddling in books and dodging the unfriendly spirits that resided in the haunted house he called home.
Currently, Leo remains in disbelief his book, Inflicted, was actually a success, and has locked himself away in a very ordinary apartment hidden away somewhere unobtrusive. In seclusion, Leo continues to doodle out several different novels at once, as well as various “short” pieces of fan fiction. During the few occasions he is not writing, this finicky, unrepentant otaku enjoys reading web comics, watching anime, and playing Japanese role-playing games. And while it’s rare to catch this skittish wordsmith out in daylight, he can occasionally be located on his website, leootherland.com, or on Facebook and Twitter @LeoOtherland. For more frequent updates, subscribe to his newsletter: bit.ly/TheGoblinSpeaks.
| Author Website | https://www.leootherland.com/ |
| Author Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/LeoOtherland |
| Author Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@leootherland |
| Author Twitter | https://twitter.com/LeoOtherland |