Allison Pottern

@apottern

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Allison Pottern@apottern· 26d

Spent a lovely evening flexing my creativity muscles at the Concord Public Library with @csecooney.bsky.social and Carlos Hernandez and their Negocios Infernales deck. Beautiful, thoughtful, inspiring, unsettling, all the best things. What stories would you tell from these cards?

Three cards from "Negocios Infernales" on a blonde woodgrain table.

The first reads "Pain is the opposite of thought" and depicts a vascular boarder with bloody hearts, and in the center two bodies (one shadowy, one Christ-like) pierced by swords? long pins?

The second card reads "Thrones make children of us all" and features a crackling orange border; in the center sits a corpulent baby in a crown before shadowy bowing supplicants. There is a manifest-destiny style ship in the lower left.

The third card reads "A seed spends most of its life asleep" amd features a galactic purple border. In the center are a series of ovals, the two center ones attached to the border via ubilical cord, containing a curled up fetus.

Allison Pottern@apottern· 28d

I gave out way more marketing business cards than I was expecting at #Readercon so for those who missed it, yes! In addition to writing spec fic, I also coach writers on book marketing. That means I help writers pick the best strategies to promote their work and learn the jargon to self-advocate!

A dark teal business card with the word Marketing in orange script down the left side. At the top of the card is a dense, tiny paragraph full of the different kind of marketing strategies we could discuss if you decided to work with me! Things like publicity, promotions, author events, social media, etc. Below that are the words "You've spend years crafting your book ot get it out into the world— and I've spent years helping authors market and sell theirs. Now let me help you..." and a bright yellow QR code that links to my website.

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jul 8

I'll be at #Readercon this weekend with new business cards in hand and a song in my heart! Who else will be there? Come say hi and I'll let you pick your favorite!

A stack of light blue business cards fanned out, each featuring a different publication by yours truly plus a QR code to get you straight to it. In the middle is a small stack of cards fanned forward that show the front of the business card, which has a spooky-looking forest tinted black and sepia with hints of cyan, along with two forlorn, flying birds. At the bottom of the card is my deets: Allison Pottern, speculative fiction writer & marketing coach, with my email, website, and bluesky handle. Yes, it looks like I spent way too much time on these. But does it make me inordinately happy? Absolutely.

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jun 12

This anthology is still one of my proudest accomplishments and full of some of the best spec fic writers I know. And there's never a bad time for self-reinvention. linktr.ee/newyearnewyounewstories books2read.com/newyearnewyo...

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jun 4

Hope your path today leads you somewhere magical (or at least eventually with donuts)

A woodland path dappled in sunlight with large trees on either side and arching over the path. At the end is emerald green foliage.

Allison Pottern@apottern· May 28

Sometimes, when the ghosts speak, we have to listen. The Ghastling, Book 23, available now: theghastling.com/the-ghastlin...

"I remember two things a psychic once told me - one of the few psychics we couldn't completely discredit. She said the dead are naturally drawn to things they loved in life. Second, once the other side gets a whiff of anyone who's had a paranormal experience they home in. You're like a door that's open a crack and they all want to get a peek. I didn't need that kind of aggravation.
But sometimes aggravation just follows you home."
CRADLE TO GRAVE by K.E. Redmond

"But once at the gate to the cemetery, I could go no further. While I heard nothing from the road, I was sure the moment I passed through that gate the ghosts voices would be upon me. It would not just be my siblings, but my family and strangers as well. What cacophony of rage or grief would I have to endure while we made our supplication? I did not know how I could ask the dead for anything, when I was alive and they were not."
SOUL CANDLE, LIVING LIGHT by Allison Pottern

Allison Pottern@apottern· May 19

I had @trollbreathmag.bsky.social in mind when I wrote this humorous/heartfelt no-longer-chosen-one poem. So honored they picked it up! "Why I Divorced the Chosen One" coming Fall 2026 It's extra special because they were my debut spec fic publication too 🥰 magazine.trollbreath.com/cryptid-car-...

A promotional image celebrating my debut speculative poetry publication! Against a watery background, sunlight streaming in through the top of the water, are the words "Coming this fall in Trollbreath magazine." Below, on what looks like a torn piece of paper, reads:

Why I Divorced The Chosen One
by Allison Pottern

Because I chose him first,
(yes, even before the prophecy)
when he was no one,
part-time at a dive shop, smoking weed,
writing perfectly average
love songs.

Allison Pottern@apottern· May 12

OMG @mariahaskins.com reviewed my novelette for @locusmag.bsky.social and had such very lovely things to say. Am I dreaming?? "Mother, Darling" @strangehorizons.bsky.social: strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...

"There is so much to love about this novelette, including the way in which the horrors of the First World War have infiltrated and altered Neverland ...but to me, it’s the strong, yet fraught relationship between Wendy and Jane that is the heart and soul of the story. Combined with Pottern’s gorgeous prose, it makes for a gripping tale that imbues the story of Peter and Wendy with a sense of real-world peril, tragedy, and triumph." —Maria Haskins, reviewer for Locus Magazine

Allison Pottern@apottern· Apr 16

Pre-order now: The Ghastling, Book 23, featuring my Jewish ghost story, "Soul Candle, Living Light" and other chilling tales and illustrations. theghastling.com/the-ghastlin...

Allison Pottern@apottern· Apr 14

See my name all tiny at the bottom! My Ashkenazi ghost story "Soul Candle, Living Light" found the perfect home in UK penny-dreadful-style mag The Ghastling alongside other spooky tales. Look at this gorgeous cover! And it's fully illustrated! Pre-order link: theghastling.com/the-ghastlin...

Cover of The Ghastling magazine, Book 23 "Tales of Ghosts, The Macabre, and the Oh-So Strange". Against a mottled gray background, is a black and white drawing (or possibly block print) of a gargoyle sitting pensively, a red sun in the distance behind one wing.

At the bottom of the cover, the stories authors are listed, including yours truly, Allison Pottern at the from of the list!

Allison Pottern@apottern· Apr 8

This anthology still rocks and these writers keep getting more and more recognition. books2read.com/newyearnewyo...

Promo graphic centering the cover of NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A SPECULATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF REINVENTION featuring Elizabeth Bear, Daryl Gregory and edited by Chris Campbell.

Text:

Give the gift of short speculative fiction

For the friend with a fish tank who wishes they could be aquatic (and/or in love)

For the reader looking to rewrite their own fairytale

For that friend who may or may not be dating a ChatBot

For fans of “timey-wimey” stories (you know when you are)

For folks who are obsessed with the moon rn (same girl, same)

Now available from your favorite book retailer!

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 27

We've also received lots of thoughtful reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, etc. And we are always looking for more! Interested in reviewing NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A SPECULATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF REINVENTION for your blog, newsletter, Goodreads, etc? DM me or request an ARC thru our linktree! tr.ee/b6eEzQ8zXI

A tablet displaying the cover for NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A SPECULATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF REINVENTION against a gray background

Text:

Request a review copy!

speculative fiction stories by:
Elizabeth Bear
Daryl Gregory
F.E. Choe
Shen Tao
Brigitte Winter
Chris Campbell
and more!

it's never too late to review a book you love!

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 27

Author and SFF industry blogger @mynachang.bsky.social was an early reader and advocate for this anthology and featured a great interview with our editor @chriscampbell.bsky.social on her blog, Microverse. mynachang.com/2024/08/30/e...

Quote: "I read the whole thing twice! From the unsettling tension of the first story to the bittersweet triumph of the final piece, each of these stories is meticulously crafted. Readers will find wonder, fury, and excitement in these pages, but most welcome to me is the underlying theme of hope."
—Myna Chang, MicroVerse

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 27

@sueburke.bsky.social, author of SEMIOSIS and DUAL MEMORY described this collection of stories as akin to "eating a box of chocolates" with their range of themes and tone. Mmmmm. semiosispax.com/2025/01/03/g...

Quote from SUE BURKE author of Semiosis and Dual Memory:

Now hear this: New Year, New You: A Speculative Anthology of Reinvention is a great way to start your 2025 reading. It offers two dozen science fiction and fantasy short stories united by the idea of personal change. Themes include time travel, Greek myth, fairy tales, foreseen death, odd dystopias, programmed memory loss, and manufactured life. Many are quite short, and the tone varies from playful to horrific.

I enjoyed them all, like eating a box of chocolates or bento box, and was sometimes left a little breathless.

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 27

Early on, NEW YEAR, NEW YOU also receive lovely, generous blurbs from two SFF authors we greatly admire, @sherwood.bsky.social and @jamsternazzy.bsky.social who rallied behind this project.

Blurbs for NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A SPECULATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF REINVENTION:

"What exactly does "reinvention" mean?
The authors in New Year, New You share twenty-four unique takes, whether by dimension portals in the desert or death and rebirth or time traveling therapy or technologies allowing us to be our best—and worst—selves. A delightful, thought-provoking, and multi-faceted examination of the intentional, unintentional, drastic, and subtle changes we make for ourselves and others."
—Naseem Jamnia, author of The Bruising of Qilwa

"This anthology features twenty-four tales both intense and beguiling, from names I believe are fast on their way to the stars." – Sherwood Smith, author of Crown Duel

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 27

A hugely exciting coverage: Alexandra Pierce giving a nuanced review of both the stories and the theme of our anthology in the November 2024 issue of @locusmag.bsky.social: locusmag.com/review/new-y...

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 27

There's has been a lot of discourse lately about reviews, especially for older and indie titles. NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, released in 2024, got lovely coverage from indie & mainstream reviewers alike. I wanted to highlight them again w/ a big THANK YOU 🧵 (and we're still happy to give out review copies!)

The title "NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A Speculative Anthology of Reinvention" across the top, with the cover in the middle of the title.

Below are several endorsement quotes, as well as an image of an astronaut and octopus tentacles entering from either side against a backdrop of stars.

“I read the whole thing twice... meticulously crafted.”
–Myna Chang, Microverse

“Delightful, thought-provoking, and multi-faceted...”
–Naseem Jamnia

“Intense and beguiling...”
–Sherwood Smith

“Nuanced...”
–Locus Magazine

“Complex and experimental...”
–SF Book Reviews

Allison Pottern@apottern· Mar 24

I think the story I'm revising is another novelette!? @strangehorizons.bsky.social published my first novelette last month (woo!) but I worry readers are daunted by its length. Do folks read novelettes? Or does the idea of a "long short story" make you skip it? strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...

FICTION

Quote
From the window of the nursery, Wendy saw Jane wobbling her way down Kensington Park Road on a borrowed bicycle, hair unbraided and wild like she’d been flying. Wendy’s throat seized with fear. Was that gold glittering in the girl’s hair? Had the neighbors seen? Was that his laughter that rang out from Kensington Park across the way?
end Quote

Mother, Darling
by Allison Pottern

2 February 2026
Strange Horizons

Allison Pottern@apottern· Feb 6

Ahhhhh you were so eloquent and the book is beautiful and it was an honor to celebrate you!

Allison Pottern@apottern· Feb 3

If you need a little feminist revenge story to fight the misogyny of the headlines right now, have I got the pair of jeans for you: "Bootcut" @havenspec.bsky.social havenspec.com/fiction/boot... (tw: sexual assault)

Allison Pottern@apottern· Feb 2

Look I made a graphic! Wendy Darling, struggling mother in post-WWI England, tries to extract her recalcitrant daughter from a war-torn Neverland. Novelette now up @strangehorizons.bsky.social 😍 strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...

A heading that says "Strange Horizons" and an illustration of a woman in victorian garb gazing at a London skyline with the silhouettes of two children flying off towards a distant star. A Zepplin is flying in from the left. A bag is at her feet.

Below the heading reads:

Mother, Darling
By: Allison Pottern

She gripped the windowsill, goose bumps on her bare arms, a mixture of relief and bitterness warring within her. She had guarded against this moment, but still it had come. She resisted the fantasy of doing nothing, of letting Jane fly off into her own mistakes. Or doing something rash, like burning the whole house to the ground.

Instead, Wendy gave herself one, no, two long moments, to hate Peter Pan.

Then she got to work.

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jan 29

I got the proof of my upcoming novelette w/ @strangehorizons.bsky.social and reader, I almost cried. @jolantru.bsky.social has been a huge advocate for this story of the beauty and brutality of motherhood, conformity, and growing up, set against the backdrop of a war-torn Neverland. **Out Feb. 2!**

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jan 27

The world is very cold right now but @anniecardi.bsky.social's WINTER WHITE releases today! Annie writes such brave, resilient characters with heart & sensitivity. Pia must reject her father's imposed isolation to save her brother and herself in this Winter's Tale reimagining. Also there's a bear!

The stunning cover of Annie Cardi's new YA novel WINTER WHILE. The title looks like someone has written it with their finger on a foggy window. Beyond the text is the blurred image of a person walking away into the snowy distance and in the corner, the silhouette of a bear.

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jan 22

Support indies, support authors, support a woman’s right to cast poetry magic. @dragons.bsky.social

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jan 17

No new pictures. Where are you at mentally?

Allison Pottern@apottern· Jan 9

Since it's my first post in 248573485 months, I wanted to remind you I have a free newsletter! I write about book marketing, craft, and the life of a creative person + resources, news, & tea recs. I'm weighing if I should keep it going. What do you think? pottern.substack.com/p/pushing-pa...

Allison Pottern@apottern· Dec 23

New year, new cover, same cutting-edge speculative fiction. Hot off the presses, the PB edition now also has the new cover! (Panic shopping right now? Ebook's on supersale at Smashwords! Or tell your reading loved one you'll have them the perfect bokish gift for NYE) books2read.com/newyearnewyo...

Two copies of NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A SPECULATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF REINVENTION, one with a pink cover and one with the title splayed across a starfield (that's the new cover!) stacked against each other. Same amazing stories, perfect reading for your holiday season, go grab one!

Allison Pottern@apottern· Dec 16

I had a really good writing day yesterday, the kind where you lose yourself in the work. I think my brain was grateful to disconnect from this reality for a bit and work through some stuff on the page. My creative friends, may you have a moment to dig into your art this week. You deserve it.

Allison Pottern@apottern· Dec 10

(I'm serious about review copies. Visit linktr.ee/newyearnewyoustories to request one!)

Allison Pottern@apottern· Nov 16

It's been pointed out to me that I should take more credit: I designed our new cover, drawing on the original tremendous cover art by @sciencegeekmel.bsky.social + inspo from the gripping stories within. Get the ebook on sale today and see if you can connect the dots! books2read.com/newyearnewyo...