Skip to content
  • About
    • Bio
    • Press Kit
    • Content Notes
    • Reference
  • Fiction
    • Anthologies
    • Magazines
    • Free to Read
    • Free to Listen
  • Nonfiction
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

A. P. Howell

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror


  • May 7, 2025

    This is still not my circus…

    But I’ve been watching this year’s Worldcon drama unfold. Seattle used ChatGPT to vet program participants, based on three widely excoriated updates/apologies. Three folks on the WSFS/Hugo side of the convention (i.e. not the division that used ChatGPT) resigned. A number of program participants withdrew; so did a Lodestar nominee. Given the nature of convention… Continue reading

    Miscellania
    !ai, ai, chatgpt, hugo award, seattle 2025, worldcon
  • May 1, 2025

    Mental health book bundle

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month and author A. M. Weald has put together a number of book bundles full of titles touching on mental health issues. My short story “Stages of Pre-Bereavement,” all about grief and depression, is in one of the bundles (non-spicy SF/F). Do check it out and see if anything appeals.… Continue reading

    Buy Stuff
    book bundle, itch.io, short story
  • April 28, 2025

    More shorts

    “Stages of Pre-Bereavement” and “Always an After” are both available for sale on Itch.io. This seems like a nice afterlife for short stories, and maybe they’ll find readers who aren’t in the mood for a full anthology. Continue reading

    Buy Stuff, Publication
    horror, indie publishing, itch.io, reprints, science fiction, self-publishing, short story
  • April 15, 2025

    Itch.io

    I’m not a big gamer, so Itch.io wasn’t really on my radar until recently. A few months ago, I started hearing about people using it as a platform to sell books. I made a mental note of it and went about my business. But now I have a brand new Mac and freshly installed Vellum,… Continue reading

    Publication
    indie publishing, itch.io, reprints, self-publishing, short story
  • March 28, 2025

    “The Mermaid Who Declined the Sea Witch’s Offer and Is Doing Just Fine, Thanks for Asking”

    My latest story is online today at Corvid Queen: “The Mermaid Who Declined the Sea Witch’s Offer and Is Doing Just Fine, Thanks for Asking.” It’s very short and exactly what it says on the tin. I hope you enjoy reading it. This is a weird little piece for me. It’s one of two things… Continue reading

    Publication
    corvid queen, fantasy, flash fiction, short stories
  • March 4, 2025

    Deeply annoyed

    A couple years ago, I said I hoped I wouldn’t ever be really glad to vote in SFWA elections because (as a forty-something USian) voting is typically a defensive act intended to minimize harm. Well, here we are: I’m really glad to vote in SFWA elections. Transparency is poor; employee protections are inadequate; some writers… Continue reading

    Miscellania
    sfwa
  • February 3, 2025

    Things I enjoyed in 2025 (Part 1)

    Short Stories “Ten Minutes” by Marie Brennan (2024): A flash piece filled with subtle anxiety about what the narrator isn’t saying that nonetheless provides a convincing argument for the power and beauty of meditation. Novels Club Contango by Eliane Boey (2024): Feral capitalism, second-third-fourth chances, single parenting, murder, and an unreliable narrator on an oppressively… Continue reading

    Roundups
    recommended, recommended2025
  • January 11, 2025

    Lack of spoons and tolerance

    SFWA has been going through some stuff. There has been a staff exodus, two presidential resignations, one board member removed for cause, and a number of non-public issues. During the summer, the interim president urged members to do one thing that could help the organization move forward. I did a few small things: Well, it’s… Continue reading

    Miscellania
    sfwa, spoons
  • January 9, 2025

    New authors, you’re doing a great job

    For a few years, I blogged about Astounding Award-eligible authors. Neo-pro short fiction writers can get lost in the churn of publishing, social media, and short attention spans, and their work deserves to be celebrated. I’m increasingly less keen on spending energy promoting the Hugo-adjacent award (I’m not part of the Worldcon community, and recent… Continue reading

    Miscellania
    astounding award, astoundingaward2025, new writers
  • January 6, 2025

    Things I enjoyed in 2024 (Part 6)

    Short Stories “Field Notes From That Time I Accidentally Got Stuck In A Time Loop For A Week” by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor: A cute list story. “Bright Horizons” by P.A. Cornell: A story about AIs and the c-suite, optimistic only in that it’s set in 2042, not the 2020s. “The Five Rules of Spirit Binding… Continue reading

    Roundups
    recommended, recommended2024
  • January 1, 2025

    2024 by the numbers

    Okay, this isn’t all the numbers. No money details (there’s not much, but the rate-per-word math is simple) or word count info (I keep logs for some things, but generally not the short fiction) or even works started or finished (that’s more of a qualitative question anyway). Accepted: 2Rejected: 29Withdrawn: 0No response: 5On submission: 3Published:… Continue reading

    Stats
    productivity, retrospective, writing
  • December 31, 2024

    2024 in review

    Writing-wise, I didn’t finish any of the stuff I wanted to finish. That’s mainly down to exhaustion (see below). So I’ve simply pushed some of my 2024 goals back to 2025. (I’m not responsible to anyone but me, so I can do that.) Releasing at least one book feels quite plausible right now (though I… Continue reading

    Miscellania
    new year, retrospective
Next Page»

About Me

I write science fiction, fantasy, and horror. My short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies, plus the occasional podcast. I’m very proud to have work nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Brave New Weird Award, and Honorably Mentioned in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year.

  • Mastodon
  • Bluesky
  • Amazon
  • Link
  • RSS Feed

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Cover of Baubles From Bones Issue 3, Winter 2024

Baubles From Bones Issue 3 includes my fantasy short story “Farm Boy.”

ParSec 12 cover

ParSec Issue 12 includes my science fiction novelette “Adamere in Swan.”

Cover of Hearth Stories Issue One, featuring dandelions gone to seed against a brown background.

Hearth Stories Issue One includes my science fiction short story “Between the Storms” and a pair of conversations with author Akis Linardos.


Recent Posts

  • This is still not my circus…
  • Mental health book bundle
  • More shorts

find My work

Amazon

Bookshop

Itch.io

Newsletter

subscribe

blog posts

Copyright 2019–2025 A. P. Howell

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • A. P. Howell
    • Join 25 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • A. P. Howell
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar