2023 Awards Eligibility / 2023 Publications

Friends, I’m excited to share my first-ever awards eligibility post! I thought it would be fun to take a few minutes to share about all the pieces I published this year. I’d be honored if you’d consider reading any of these. :)

In general, horror stories and nonfiction are eligibile for Stoker Awards, while science fiction and fantasy stories are eligible for the Hugos, Nebulas, and Locus awards. Please see individual awards websites for specific rules.

My eligibility posts on social media:

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

“Wanted: Bone-White Skull-Patterned Lace Trim” | PSEUDOPOD

HORROR, SHORT STORY (6.1K)

About the Story

A modern Gothic Rosemary's Baby if the coven were a wholesome sewing circle.

Content Warnings

pregnancy, miscarriage, verbal abuse (in backstory), dead mother (off-page)

*Also available through your favorite podcatcher! Look for the PseudoPod podcast!

“CHINA DOLL” | ASEPTIC AND FAINTLY SADISTIC

HORROR, SHORT STORY (3.1K)

About the Story

A college girl begins dating a boy, but someone watches. (Themes of exoticism, transformation, and misogyny.)

Content Warnings

racism (outright & implied), racist historical events (off-page), sexual content, dubious consent, degradation, rape (off-page & instances involving shades of questionable sexual interaction)

*If you would like a complimentary copy for possible awards consideration, feel free to email me at kelseayuauthor@gmail.com or DM me at @anovelescape on IG/Twitter!

“THE ORCHARD OF TOMORROW” | CLARKESWORLD

SCIENCE FICTION, SHORT STORY (5K)

About the Story

In a future ravaged by climate change, a woman tries to win back her former best friend by telling a tale of the Monkey King and the Peaches of Immortality.

Content Warnings

climate crisis, death including death of parents (off-page), fire (off-page), starvation, class discrimination

*Also available through your favorite podcatcher! Look for the Clarkesworld podcast!

“A SCARCITY OF SHARKS” | RECKONING

SCIENCE FICTION, SHORT STORY (4.3K)

About the Story

In a future where (great) white sharks have not been seen for years, a team of scientists sets out to discover if they are truly lost.

Content Warnings

climate crisis, animal death & trophy hunting (off-page), shark finning (off-page), animal injury, self sacrifice

“IN MEMORIES WE DROWN” | CLARKESWORLD

SCIENCE FANTASY, SHORT STORY (6.4K)

About the Story

In a climate-collapsed world, a marine botanist in an underwater lab discovers a plant that tastes of the home she's lost.

Content Warnings

climate collapse, loss, grief, depression

“THE GATEWAY BACK TO GOTHIC: 13 GOTHIC HORROR BOOKS BY BIPOC AUTHORS” | PSYCHOPOMP

personal essay, nonfiction (1.7K)

About the Essay

Personal essay about falling back in love with Gothic fiction, accompanied by BIPOC Gothic book recs.

“HUOGUO" | STONE SOUP

personal essay, nonfiction (1K)

About the Essay

Personal essay about my family's hot pot tradition.

I’ve been fortunate to find such incredible homes for my pieces this year! As always, links and more info (including previews!) are available for my short stories here and my essays here. Thank you to everyone who has read or shared my writing! And special thanks to those who have tagged or messaged me with kind words about them! You make this all worthwhile. <3

New short story out in Clarkesworld!

My short story, “In Memories We Drown,” is now available free to read online over at Clarkesworld Magazine! It’s published as part of Issue 207, which can also be ordered via ebook.

Gorgeous cover for Clarkesworld 207!

BEHIND THE STORY

“In Memories We Drown” is my first science fantasy piece and my longest short story published so far. It was also the most challenging for me to write, in numerous regards.

Some stories, like “Wanted: Bone-White Skull-Patterned Lace Trim”, come out in a frenzy—the result of one weekend of typing away furiously. (Note: I did do one major revision for that story, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.) Other stories refuse to cooperate. This was the latter.

I wrote and revised “In Memories We Drown” over the course of a year, a process which included 11 drafts, 50+ hours, eight critiques, four brief interviews for research, and more words cut than I kept.

As I was talking to my friend, Maraia, about it this morning, I started thinking back on the origins. This piece was born from the skeleton of other stories. The setting, an underwater station, was one I originally imagined for a totally different (since trunked) story. Rosalie’s character arc was initially a piece pulled out of another finicky story that hasn’t yet cooperated (but which I still hope to get into shape someday). And the opening scene was one that has been vivid in my mind for a while now—inside an underwater lab, a bioluminescent plant pulses bright. It’s a story born of discards (those parts of the stories that I just couldn’t let go of) and one beautiful, imagined moment.

From there, I wove in food memories (the ones in the story were mostly sourced from friends and family, hence the brief interviews), a lot of ocean research, a dual timeline, and a love story.

The things I threw out mostly had to do with the challenge of world-building a story set underwater and how difficult it was to get Rosalie’s character arc to feel right. Usually, openings and endings come easier to me, and it’s the middle I find difficult. I kept writing and rewriting the middle, and finally realized that it was the ending that felt too cleanly tied up, to the point of feeling almost disingenuous in how I’d initially imagined it. It didn’t carry the right emotional wrap-up to match the rest of the story.

What I did land on is more of an open ending than what I usually write. It’s possibility without promise. I won’t say more because spoilers!

Also, I’ve learned that if I keep trying things and still can’t figure out how to fix a piece, I need to get some trusted eyes on it. The critiques I got from my husband, my mom, C.G. Drews, Jena Brown, Jill Tew, D.M. Vickerson, S, and Y.M. Pang were invaluable in helping me shape the story.

My story on Clarkesworld’s website!

Clarkesworld MAGAZINE

The much-beloved Clarkesworld is in no need of my endorsement, so all I’ll say is that it’s an honor being published in such a well-respected magazine for a second time.

“In Memories We Drown” was the first story I’ve ever submitted to a venue I’ve been previously published in. It’s been a dream come true having two of my three SF stories published at Clarkesworld. (My story, “The Orchard of Tomorrow,” was published in the July issue earlier this year.)

Thanks for reading my behind-the-story post about “In Memories We Drown”! As always, previews, story hints, and content warnings for all my stories are available on my short stories page.

New short story out in Reckoning!

My short story, “A Scarcity of Sharks,” is now available free to read online over at Reckoning Magazine! It’s published as part of Issue 7, which can also be ordered via ebook or print book.

Cover of Reckoning 7: creative writing on environmental justice, featuring an illustrated ship and wave in a gradient of warm pastels.

Gorgeous cover for Reckoning 7!

BEHIND THE STORY

One thing I’ve been wanting to do with these blog posts is share behind-the-story of various pieces. To explain how “A Scarcity of Sharks” came about, I first need to tell you about a different piece.

In 2020, I was working on a novel that required extensive research. I consumed over 70 pieces of media (nonfiction books, novels, movies, podcasts, documentaries), including a fair number which focused on sharks and oceans.

Here’s the (sad? funny?) thing: I never finished that novel. It’s the book I was writing during NaNoWriMo 2020 (I reference it in the Afterword to Bound Feet and in my podcast interview on Dog-Eared Nightmares). And aside from the trauma that abruptly stopped my work on that book, the story’s needs had grown out of control. All that research I did still didn’t feel like enough for the scope of the piece I’d planned to tell.

I still hope to return to that novel someday. But in the meantime, something was born of all that research.

Sharks have been my favorite animals for a very long time. I was vaguely aware that humans are killing off sharks, that we are hurting our oceans on a large scale. But I didn’t understand the extent of it until I began researching sharks and oceans on whole. I had thought to learn about these fascinating creatures and the alien environment in which they inhabit, but every single book and documentary included a plea to all of us. To care. To save our oceans. To stop killing sharks.

With that in mind, I began writing “A Scarcity of Sharks.” It was my first near-future sci-fi/climate fiction short story.

Screenshot of reckoning.press front page featuring short story "A Scarcity of Sharks" by Kelsea Yu.

It’s always fun seeing my story on the front page of a magazine when it’s just been released! Here it is at Reckoning on launch day.

RECKONING MAGAZINE

When I saw that Reckoning, a magazine dedicated to creative writing on environmental justice, had an open call specifically seeking ocean-themed stories, I sent them my shark story immediately. I was absolutely thrilled to receive an acceptance from Octavia Cade, the fiction editor for Issue 7 (who is also an accomplished writer)! I knew I had found the perfect home for this piece.

That’s the story behind “A Scarcity of Sharks!” Thanks for reading my behind-the-story post. As always, previews, story hints, and content warnings for all my stories are available on my short stories page.

Podcasts & Events

Friends, I have some links to share today! I was a guest on two podcasts recently, and I was part of a flash fiction reading event last week that was recorded. :) It has been such a joy sharing and talking about my work with wonderful fellow authors and industry professionals, and I really, really appreciate everyone who has invited me to various podcasts and events!

DOG-EARED NIGHTMARES PODCAST

L.P. Hernandez is a fellow author from the My Dark Library novella series (published by Cemetery Gates Media with Sadie Hartmann)! His novella, Stargazers, was the first published in the series, and it is SO good—I hope you all consider picking up a copy if you haven’t already!

L.P. was kind enough to invite me to join him as a guest on his podcast, Dog-Eared Nightmares! Last Friday eve, we chatted about Bound Feet, being newer to horror, diaspora feelings, writing things that make you feel vulnerable, and more. I also shared tips for submitting short stories and advice for new horror writers. I had a blast, and I’d be thrilled if you gave it a listen!

Listen on: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Podbay | Bullhorn

CUTTHROAT QUEENS PODCAST

I’ve been listening to Cutthroat Queens with Brett Mitchell Kent, Elton Skelter, & Chelsea Pumpkins from the start, so I was thrilled when they invited me to be a guest on the show last month!

I joined Brett, Chelsea, and fellow guest author Emma E. Murray to talk about our respective books (Bound Feet for me, Exquisite Hunger for Emma), as well as our writing processes, book recommendations, and what it’s like writing dark stories. It was especially fun since we recorded on Emma’s book release day, so we were able to celebrate with her!

Listen to “Episode 6.5, Summertime Sadness,” which includes our conversation along with a chat between Elton and D.A. Holmes (Coming Out of the Coffin)!

LISTEN ON: PODBEAN | APPLE | iHEART

Screenshot of Cutthroat Queens Podcast episode 6.5, Summertime Sadness.

SPACE COWBOY BOOKS PRESENTS: FLASH FICTION READING WITH AUTHORS FROM FANTASY MAGAZINE

Last Tuesday, I joined fellow authors Sam Kyung Yoo and Moses Ose Utomi for a flash fiction reading of our respective stories in Fantasy Magazine! We were joined by host Jean-Paul from Space Cowboy Books and Arley Sorg, co-editor of Fantasy!

It was a fun, short little event (~20 min total) and I thoroughly enjoyed both Sam and Moses’ stories. The event was recorded, so you can watch/listen at the link below! You can also read my story, “Harvest of the Deep,” on the magazine’s website. If you’re curious, I also shared a fun little behind-the-scenes post about this story on Instagram here. :)

P.S. If you’re in the Joshua Tree, CA area, check out Space Cowboy Books! They’re a very cool indie bookstore that sells used & new books with a SF focus. And if you don’t live around there, they have a lot of cool online events and a podcast you can check out on their website.

EVENT: WATCH ON YOUTUBE | LISTEN ON BANDCAMP

STORY: READ AT FANTASY MAGAZINE

For links to all events and interviews, upcoming and past, you can always check out my events page here and my interviews page here! Thanks for tuning in! :)

New short story out in Clarkesworld!

Hi all! I had planned to publish a blog update each month, but too many things kept coming up and I ran out of time. So, instead, I’m going to try to share smaller updates as new things happen!

Today’s news is that I have a new story published in Clarkesworld Issue 202! “The Orchard of Tomorrow” is a near-future science fiction story featuring two former best friends, a peach orchard, and a story about Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from the Chinese classic, Journey to the West.

This story is dear to my heart, and I’m honored to have it published with such an incredible SFF magazine. Click on the cover above or the button below to read it online for free. You can purchase the ebook here or support the magazine here. :)