Category News

Jan 18 2018

Cover & Contents Reveal for INSIGNIA Vol.5.!

Coming Soon!

Hi everyone, I’m excited to share the new cover and list of stories for our upcoming Asian science fiction themed anthology! This is the 5th anthology released for The Insignia Series and since it’s not region-based like the first 4 books, I decided to go green on this cover…Hope you all like the new look. 🙂

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CONTENTS

‘Stars Bright as Light’ by Joyce Chng

‘Islets of the Blest’ by Nidhi Singh

‘Uncle Ping’s Evening Farewell’ by Ray Daley

‘Connecting Through the Cosmos’ by Holly Schofield

‘Change of Light’ by Richard Agemo

‘The Galaxy’s Cube’ by Jeremy Szal

‘Kill / Switch’ by L. Chan

‘The Drowning Pool’ by Vonnie Winslow Crist

‘Love and Relativity’ by Stewart C. Baker

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Aug 14 2017

Update to Submission Call

Hi everyone! If you’re on summer vacation at the moment like me, hope you’re relaxing. (Or, getting lots of /editing done!).

In an effort to attract more submissions and be able to fill the first open anthology call sooner, I have opened the theme to ALL Asian science fiction. Your story must still satisfy the general submission requirements, so please check the Submissions Page for further details. Our ‘Birds & Beasts’ anthology call is still open too – so get writing!

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And I’d just like to say a quick thank you to all the authors who have already submitted and/or have helped share the submission call. Every new contact helps this tiny imprint grow!

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Check out the latest Insignia Series anthology here:

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Jul 23 2017

JULY NEWS: Smashwords Sale, Open Submissions, + more

Hi everyone, hope you’re all having a great July. Sorry I haven’t posted for ages, life’s been busy and I’ve cut back on my social media time recently. I hope to get back into things again from August though. I have a lot of projects I want to do. 🙂

Anyway, here’s what’s happening at INSIGNIA STORIES this month…

SMASHWORDS SUMMER SALE – ENDS JULY 31.

For the next week, all Insignia Series anthologies are on sale for just 99c! Simply go to the desired book page and enter the sale code listed with the usual BUY information. Easy!

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LINKS:

Insignia Vol 1: Japanese Fantasy Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/399204

Insignia Vol 2: Chinese Fantasy Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/462261

Insignia Vol3: Southeast Asian Fantasyhttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/627976

Insignia Vol 4: Asian Fantasy Storieshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/714228

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UPDATE ON OPEN SUBMISSIONS

Submissions for both the ‘Asian Dystopian/Cyberpunk’ and the ‘Birds & Beasts’ themed anthologies are still currently open.

I only need 2 or 3 more stories for the Dystopian/Cyberpunk call, so I’d like to close this soon. If you have a story -send it in! If you need more time, please message me about it. And if you have a friend who might be interested in submitting for this theme, please share the Submissions Page with them.

I definitely want to publish this anthology before Christmas, so need to get started with edits, cover design, etc.

As for the Birds & Beasts theme, I only have 2 accepted stories. This will stay open for a few months, so I hope to get more writers interested in doing this one. Tell all your friends!

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BOOK OF THE MONTH

I’m always happy to post a good Asian fantasy book recommendation here on the site. Reviews are also welcome. Email me at blackwingsandwhitepaper(at)gmail.com with your suggestions, links, images, etc.

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Dec 10 2016

Cover Reveal & Update – Insignia Vol.4

Hello everyone,

If you’re like me, you’re counting down the days until Christmas Day and/or the start of vacation!

Due to the chaos of work and life around this time of year, I am still working on editing/proofreading for Insignia Vol.4, so will delay releasing the ebook until January sometime. I really need the quiet of a few weeks off work to concentrate on it.

But, I do want to share a little treat with you all, so here is the finished cover and blurb!

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INSIGNIA Vol.4 includes 9 Asian fantasy stories with a mix of literary, contemporary, myth-based, and historical fantasy pieces. Countries included are Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, China, India, and Nepal.

With stories by: Joyce Chng, Sheenah Freitas, Russell Hemmell, Allison Thai, Anna Tan, Tina Issacs, Nidhi Singh, EK Gonzales, and Kelly Matsuura.

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Oct 27 2016

Happy Halloween!

Hi everyone, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

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Yes I know I’m a few days early, but Thursday is supposed to be my Insignia Blogging Day and I wanted to get back into routine after neglecting social media recently and just dropping the ball with all-things-writing related.

I’m really sorry the blog hasn’t been active for a few months. After moving back to Japan in May, I’ve started back at work (teaching English) and am founding it quite tough after a three-year break. For example, this month is flat-out with Halloween events and let’s just say I’m not the spring chicken I was five years ago when I used to teach mostly small kids. I’m hanging in there though, and have enjoyed the events I’ve attended. 🙂

I also went back to Australia for a couple of weeks (in Aug/Sep), which was AWESOME, but has caused me to fall behind with the various projects I’m involved with. I’m determined though that November will be my winning month – I’m not doing NaNoWrimo this year, but will try to use the same focus and passion that participants will be harnessing on Nov 1.

Anyway, my only real Insignia Series news today is to confirm that Insignia Vol.4 is still in production, and will be published as soon as I can get it all collated and am happy with the cover etc.

I also want to add some book recommendations here on the blog for my Book of the Week category, so please feel free to comment below if you have come across an interesting Asian fantasy book recently and I’ll make a new post for it.

Finally, I’d like to thank all the contributing authors for their patience. They’re an amazing group of writers and I look forward to sharing their stories with you all soon.

Have a great Halloween Weekend all!

Kelly Matsuura

(Editor)

 

 

 

By Kelly M • Posted in News
0
May 28 2016

Memorial Weekend 99c Sale!!

Happy Memorial Weekend to our US friends! I’ve just moved back to Japan so am a little sad to be missing the holiday weekend, but I have great memories of trips to Chicago and Lake Michigan in previous years. It’s also pretty nice here in Nagoya. 🙂

I thought it was a good week for a little sale, so how does getting ANY Insignia Series anthology for just 99c sound?

99c SALE – May 27-30

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All three anthologies will be only US0.99c (or he equivalent in foreign currencies) this weekend on both Amazon and Smashwords sites.

Insignia: Japanese Fantasy Stories

Insignia: Chinese Fantasy Stories

Insignia: Southeast Asian Fantasy

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And writers, don’t forget to check out our Submissions Page. We’re currently seeking fantasy stories set in any Asian country, with Asian heroes/heroines. We need a good variety of both nationalities represented and also styles of fantasy. We lay out the stories in two categories: ‘Adventure/Folktales’ and ‘Adult/Literary’. YA stories are very welcome, and we have a special request for stories set in the India/Himalaya region. Deadline is JUNE 30, and more details can be found on the main submissions page.

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HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!!!

Apr 7 2016

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

It’s finally here!

‘Insignia: Southeast Asian Fantasy’ is now available for just $1.99!

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Buy Links:

| Smashwords |

| Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA |

(Coming soon to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, and more).

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Visit the Insignia Vol.3. Page here

Want to write for our next anthology? See our Submissions Page here

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Other titles in The Insignia Series:

Insignia: Japanese Fantasy Stories

Insignia: Chinese Fantasy Stories

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Mar 10 2016

March News

Hey everyone! Hope you’re having a good month so far and are looking forward to Easter. 🙂

I just wanted to do a quick post today for anyone who has missed seeing the new page updates in the past few weeks.

1) INSIGNIA: SOUTHEAST ASIAN FANTASY is on its way! I’m proofreading the book file now and hope to publish both the Smashwords and Amazon ebooks before the end of this month. Check out the new INSIGNIA VOL 3 page to see the table of contents and contributors’ names. Here’s the cover:

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2) Want to write for the next anthology? Details for INSIGNIA: ASIAN FANTASY STORIES are now available on the submissions page. Please read the criteria carefully and follow the submission timetable. I’m hoping for a good selection of both countries and sub-genres, so be creative! With this project, I also have a special request for India/Himalaya region stories. If you know any writers from this region or with an interest in Indian culture etc, please pass on the submission call information.

3) Have you read any good Asian fantasy books or short stories recently? I’m always happy to share published work with Asian main characters and/or settings under our Book of the Week category. If you’re an author and have a free Asian fantasy short story (or poem) published online or available to download, I could share this on our Free Stories page.

Send your links/queries to: blackwingsandwhitepaper(at)gmail.com

Have a great week!

Kelly Matsuura

(Editor)

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Jan 14 2016

BOTW: ‘Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction’

It’s a shiny new year, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited to start my 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge.Feel free to follow me and set your own reading target.

Also, I’m looking for new Asia-Pacific fantasy fiction books, anthologies, or short stories to share here on The Insignia Series blog. Please post a link in the comments or email me at: blackwingsandwhitepaper@gmail.com if you can recommend a good book or author!

This weeks book recommendation is ‘Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction’ 2005-2010′, edited by Dean Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar . There are more volumes in the Philippine Speculative Fiction series available on Amazon as well. Volume 9 was published in October 2014.

Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2005-2010

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Blurb:

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are all born to a Filipino family; an aswang nanny passes on her powers to her young gay ward; a family’s freezer gets a surprise visitor; a young boy discovers how his brother turns into a superhero locked in an eternal struggle with the Forces of Chaos; a company makes a fortune selling diseases. The Philippine Speculative Fiction series showcases the rich variety of Philippine literature. Between these covers you will find magic realism next to science fiction, traditional fantasy beside slipstream, and imaginary worlds rubbing shoulders with alternate Philippine history—demonstrating that the literature of the fantastic is alive and well in the Philippines.
This anthology is a collection of what the editors consider thirty of the best stories from the first five volumes of Philippine Speculative Fiction, published from 2005 to 2010.

Buy from Amazon.com

Add on Goodreads

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Do you write Asian fantasy? We’re still looking for a few more stories for our Southeast Asian fantasy themed anthology. Deadline is January 31 so there’s still time to write a piece or finish off a wip! We’re also interested in reprints.

For full details, visit the Submissions Page.

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Aug 13 2015

August News (& Submission Deadline Reminder)

Hi everyone, hope you’re all having a great month! I’m definitely enjoying summer in Michigan now that it’s finally warm, lol!

Today’s post is just a quick catch-up on what’s new here with The Insignia Series, and I’ll chat a bit about our open submission call as well.

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August Cover Wars (Masquerade Crew): the cover for ‘Insignia: Japanese Fantasy Stories’ is entered in this monthly cover contest. Voting is open daily, and you can vote for several covers at once, not just Insignia. Have a look, there are some great indie books listed in the contest too!

Here’s the site link: http://www.masqueradecrew.com/2015/07/august-cover-wars-round-one-vote-every.html

To everyone who has been voting, THANK YOU! Round One will finish next week sometime, so it’ll be great if you can help us  get through to round two. Every vote counts!

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New Facebook & Twitter pages: If you haven’t seen these new accounts yet, please take a moment to follow us! I’ll continue sharing Insignia news on my ‘Kelly Matsuura/Kelly Noro’ accounts, but I hope to build up the number of followers for the exclusive Insignia Series pages. I’d really like to see the current and potential Insignia authors following too, it will help me keep track of everyone a little easier. Thanks!

The Insignia Series on Twitter (@InsigniaStories)

The Insignia Series on Facebook

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‘Insignia: Southeast Asian Fantasy Stories’ open submissions: I hope there are some people out there working on their submissions already! I can’t wait to see what stories come in. All the submission information is on the Submissions Page, but the most important thing to remember is the deadline – AUGUST 31st!!!

If you have any questions about the story guidelines etc, please leave a comment on this post, or on the submissions page, or email me (Kelly) at blackwingsandwhitepaper@gmail.com. I’ll be checking this email address daily from now on.

If you would like to submit your story early, that’s okay with me, but I won’t be sending out acceptance notices until September. (I will confirm receiving your submission though, of course).

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