I’m pleased to announce the sale of my story, “The Devil’s Masquerade” to the upcoming photo prompt anthology from Circlet Press.

While the anthology has yet to find its final name, the theme was simple: study the picture supplied in the call for submissions, and write whatever the heck it inspired. As with any Circlet project, it had to be interesting, contain elements of the fantastic, and be damned hot. “The Devil’s Masquerade” was the result, a sexy, sinful story about a pair of special investigators who go undercover at a decadent ball for the city’s elite, in search of someone – or something – not on the guest list.

More details to follow when available. This marks my fifth sale to Circlet, not counting something I can’t talk about yet.

This is just to let people know, or remind them if they already knew, that Clockwork Phoenix 3 is out in the wild and can be ordered online now.

See why Publishers Weekly says: “Allen’s third volume of extraordinary short stories reaches new heights of rarity and wonder . . . Without a wrong note, all the stories in this anthology admirably fulfill Allen’s promise of ‘beauty and strangeness.’”

Be sure to read my story, “Your Name Is Eve” and discover why Adam Callaway at Sensawunda says “It almost felt like a folktale; it almost felt like a poem…”, why Leigh Kimmel at The Billion Lightyear Bookshelf calls it “a very allusive story, almost literary in the delicacy of its handling of the characters and their activities” and why Nate Winchester at Impish Idea claims “…this one is my favorite so far. This is how you blur the line between metaphor and reality and draw the readers in and invest them in your work.”

With stories by Tanith Lee, Marie Brennan, Shweta Narayan, Gregory Frost, John Grant, Cat Rambo, John C. Wright, and more, this is one anthology that’s sure to astound, amaze, and blow the mind. And not just because I’m in it.