Considering I usually take the Summer off, it has been a very busy month. This has largely been due to the poor weather here in Germany, meaning my office space has been much cooler than usual. I also bought an air conditioner.
The month has been something of a mixed bag and it’s hard to believe it started just over four weeks ago. It has felt much much longer.
Anyway, let’s start with the positives. I had two stories published in anthologies in July.
The first, ‘Would?’, can be found in the Wild Hearts collection, released by Armoured Fox Press. You can pick this up on Amazon. More details can be found here.
The second, ‘Snapshots’, appears in the Summer 2025 edition of #OHMURR. This is published by Bewere Books. More details can be found here.
With SoFurry being down for an indefinite amount of time, I have been largely working on anthology stories. I have submitted two this month – one has already been accepted – while I’ve also been thinking about my next submission for the Furry Historical Fiction Society.
It has been a disappointing month regarding rejections though. Indeed, I have never had so many come through so quickly and it has been somewhat disheartening.
The good news is one rejected story has already found a home and I’m looking forward to showcasing this in October. However, two stories I believe to be my strongest were rejected just this past week and I don’t know what I’m going to do with them yet. I’ll assess the feedback and maybe seek out new markets.
Casting my eyes wider, it has been a difficult month regarding censorship, with a number of furry writers caught in the crossfire. I wrote a brief article about payment processors and puritanism here. Suffice to say, I hope this gets reversed and reversed quickly. It’s clearly a freedom of expression issue and we should fight like hell against it.
Finally, I was sad to hear about the passing of Of The Wilds on 15 July. He was a writer who I have followed on SoFurry for over a decade, while I had the pleasure of his company at BLFC in 2017 when I gatecrashed his craft beer tasting party. At such a big con, it was great to hang out in a more chilled environment, and many of the furs I met for the first time that night are still good friends to this day. RIP OtW.
July’s Reading
Sky’s the Limit by Ryft Sarri
It’s How You Use It: A Soft Cucking Tale by Alex Constance
Scars of the Golden Dancer by NightEyes DaySpring