Improbable Press Blog

By Ali Coyle I am excited to have a short story in Volume Blue of Dark Cheer Cryptids Emerging, IP's new two-volume anthology. Why write about cryptids? Why not! Mythical creatures fascinate me, especially shapeshifters. I never quite felt comfortable in my skin as a human until I learned the words 'agender' and 'nonbinary' to describe part of my identity. As a child (and teen and adult), brought up with strict certainties about gender, in my imagination I was a shapeshifter who could choose to be male or female or both or neither, human or animal or alien, whatever made...

Doing a live reading or discussion of your work is something most new authors dream about long before publication. However, when the time comes, it can also be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re not accustomed to public speaking. I was recently lucky enough to talk to the Romancing the Gothic group about my first novel Ghost Story, and I’d like to share some things I learned with other new writers who might find themselves scared of the prospect of talking in front of friends and strangers alike. So here are my five tips for live readings: Practice – it...

By Griffin Raynor “There is a dark corner in my room, and the shadowcast across my walls and carpet is far largerthan it should be, far deeper than it usually is.” So, my story, A Heavy Hug – quoted above – is going to be in an Improbable Press Anthology, Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging. This anthology is centered around cryptids of all types, both existing and invented, but with an emphasis on emerging – and on the more positive side of cryptids – creatures that laugh; creatures that love; creatures that humans can actually, perhaps, gaze upon without terror. My...

By Bo Starsky Living in a small town like I do, it’s rather special when you end up in the paper. It’s something of a sign that you’ve made it, and though the fame, if you could even call it that, is fleeting, it still feels pretty fucking good to be complimented on your work when you go to the shops on a shameful trip to buy more chocolate or chips and dip. So far in my adult life I’ve been in the papers twice, once by accident, and once on purpose. I have popped up one other time but...

By Atlin Merrick Just…just go around me. I'm going to be here awhile, stretched out on this grass, staring at the fluffy clouds while I tell youngsters to get off my lawn. Which is to say I am a tiny bit exhausted. O so weary of others doing what I used to do, and now I just want to squirt everyone with this hose I'm not holding and holler "Learn from my mistakes for heaven's sake! I also didn't follow submission guidelines! And do you know what it got me? Don't you walk away while I'm yelling at you!" Submission...