Last week, Baynam Books (ex-Unveiling Nightmares) acquired my novelette Moon Dust. I had almost given up on submitting this story because of how hard of a sell it was. First, it was the dreaded novelette, this length in between the short story and the novella, either too short or too long for most publishers. Second, the unusual blend of genres didn’t help: thriller, horror, sci-fi, and mobsters? What the heck is going on here? On the top of that, lots of swearing, violence, and a dark and explosive ending that warrants a couple of content warnings.
After being rejected nine times, which isn’t a lot per se, but a lot compared to the number of markets willing to acquire novelettes, I had shelved this story. Thankfully, I decided to read it again over the holidays. And well, it was fun, punchy, and worth another round of submissions. It was the good decision since Baynam Books, the new name of Unveiling Nightmares (consolidating their different imprints under one brand), picked it up!
Here is a blurb about the story. (Yes, you can expect chaos.)
| An underground lab. A dead scientist. A mysterious machine he was trying to destroy. Syd didn’t think things could get worse than being the reluctant leader of her own crime family—which she hates. That was before she found the dead body of Dani, the lead chemist of the family’s underground lab, and next to him, a mysterious machine he tried to hammer down. According to Syd’s late father’s notes, it’s a time machine, and Dani used it to steal the recipe for moon dust, a highly addictive drug that made the family’s fortune. Except Dani didn’t only bring a recipe back from the future. He also brought back a deadly pathogen that’s killing everyone underground. Moon Dust is a gritty thriller with sci-fi and horror elements set in a huis-clos setting that will keep you on the edge of your seat. |
This is a mock cover for the announcement, not the real thing!
For the anecdote, I wrote this story after generating a prompt with my phone’s autocorrect. The prompt was “The Sopranos and the first time machine.” I found it silly at first, but eventually a sillier idea came to mind, and I *had* to write it. I’m glad now you have a chance to read it. Only a few months to wait before you can read Syd’s story and hate her family as much as she does.
Moon Dust releases September 15, 2025, at Baynam Books.
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