Author: leigh

Spaceman Sid in “Mirages and Speculations”

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I’m delighted to announce my latest release – a fun, pulp-fiction style short which is included in Mirages and Speculations, a collection of desert-themed fantasy and science fiction. Over-the-top heroes and improbable adventures are at the core of the pulp fiction novels, action comics, and Saturday afternoon creature-features I grew up with. So when a red-rock, alien landscape on the cover of a favorite comic book caught my eye, I let my imagination wander, and Read More …

“The Last First Time” wins prize!

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I am delighted to announce that my short story, The Last First Time, is the Second Place winner in the 2017 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story competition! I wrote this charming story during a Short Story Intensive workshop led by my good friend, Mary Robinette Kowal (who you may also know as one of the hosts of the Writing Excuses podcast), and am pleased to share it with you now. You can read it free Read More …

Mother of the Waters in “Beneath the Waves” collection

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When I was invited to write a story for the Beneath the Waves collection, I knew that I didn’t want to write about the same sea-creatures everyone else would be writing about. Instead, I let my mind drift back to a vacation in the Caribbean a few years ago, and let my search through myths and legends lead me to the warm waters – with results I hope you’ll enjoy reading as much as I Read More …

One Magical Christmas in “The Very Merry Christmas” collection

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Around my house, we usually hold off on the holiday decorations until (much too late in) December, but since I just *happen* to have a story in this great holiday collection, I thought I’d break with tradition and share it with you now! The short story, One Magical Christmas, is part of The Very Merry Christmas Bundle, a collection of twenty holiday-themed short stories. Nick wants to plan a festive Christmas surprise for his girlfriend, Read More …

The Night of Brahma in “Visions of the Apocalypse” anthology

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I’m not a huge fans of apocalypse stories – but when the opportunity presented itself to write a story for the Fiction River anthology, Visions of the Apocalypse, edited by John Helfers, I accepted the challenge,  and The Night of Brahma was the result. People have been predicting the end of the world almost since the beginning, with speculations about the actual nature of mankind’s demise varying widely across the board. This led me to ask, ‘what Read More …

Paper Craft is back!

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If you missed my short story, Paper Craft, when it came out in the Ragnarok anthology, That Hoodoo, Voodoo That You Do, I’m happy to announce that it’s making a second appearance as a “QuickFic” selection on DigitalFictionPub.com I also have to brag a little, and post this review quote: “…Paper Craft by Leigh Saunders, was a perfect way to round up the anthology. I loved the way the story was structured, alternating between the Read More …

Heaven’s Flight in “Alchemy & Steam” anthology

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I got into Steampunk because of the cool costumes and nifty gadgets – and then started reading about the amazing worlds they “came” from. So when I had the opportunity to write an original Steampunk short story for the WMG Fiction River anthology “Alchemy & Steam” (edited by the fabulous Kerrie L. Hughes), I couldn’t resist! My story, “Heaven’s Flight” adds just a drop or two of magic to a world where gears and clockworks Read More …

Paper Craft in “That Hoodoo, Voodoo, That You Do” anthology

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Once in a while, I write creepy dark fantasy, just for the fun of it. Yeah, I know, I clearly have a twisted sense of humor. Go with it. So when I saw the anthology call for “That Hoodoo, Voodoo, That You Do,” (published by Ragnarok Publications and edited by Lincoln Crisler), I couldn’t resist the challenge: write a creepy, dark ritual short story, that leaves the reader going “but what if…” and makes them Read More …

Write the next line…

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One of my writing mentors often says that the way to get past writer’s block, is just to  write the next line, even if you don’t know where it will take you. I often think of it as just taking the next step while staring out across the trackless desert sands from atop a camel’s back, but that’s just the image I’ve created for myself. When I wrote Memoirs of a Synth: Gold Record, the Read More …

Memoirs of a Synth: Gold Record

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I’m very pleased – very, very pleased – to introduce you to my good friend, Brianna Rei, the main character of Gold Record, the first full-length novel in the Memoirs of a Synth series. If you’ve read the short story, Firstdawn, you’ve already met Brianna, and you know that she’s smart, a little sassy, takes risks for a living, and is always on the run. What you may not know is that she’s been pestering Read More …