During our extended stay-at-home time last year I was invited to contribute to the Alvarium Experiment’s newest project, an anthology of humorous speculative fiction entitled THE LIGHT FANTASTIC. Nine talented award-winning authors have contributed ten stories thst tickle the funny bone in varying ways, from light to dark, from slapstick to deadpan, from satire to parody. I first (and last) participated with this group as part of the initial anthology, The Prometheus Saga, and contributed the award-winning short story, The Strange Case of Lord Byron’s Lover. Since that time, the consortium has gone on to write and publish four other collections. THE LIGHT FANTASTIC is the sixth.
My story, Farewell, My Lovely Slip-Slider is both an homage and parody of Raymond Chandler’s iconic Philip Marlowe novel, Farewell, My Lovely. Slip-Slider brings together a beautiful multiverse criminal, a heartbroken pizza baron, and a dog named Pepperoni. All in a day’s work in the life of Slip-Sliding government agent Marlon Phillips. Working for a government agency so secret it has no acronym, Phillips tracks the lovely outlaw across multiple dimensions. Will he catch her? And what about poor Pepperoni?
Farewell, My Lovely Slip-Slider and the other nine stories will be launched individually on Thursday, September 9, and each will cost only $0.99 at the Amazon Kindle store. But wait, there’s more! To celebrate the big day, the Alvarium Experiment hosts a virtual party commencing at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 9. Here’s the link to the Facebook page where you can join the party and exchange posts with the authors. Bria Burton, one of the authors, will give away a $100 Amazon gift card. Parker Francis (that’s me) will be there from 6:00 to 6:30 posting about my story and I’ll have a few giveaways of my books for those commenting and answering quiz questions.
Remember you can join the party on the 9th from the comfort of your home. No need to dress in your party clothes unless you wish to impress. See you then.