Software Reality

Travel writing competition at Fingerpress

If you enjoy reading about other peoples' travel adventures - or writing about your own - then check out my new website Fingerpress Travel.

As the name suggests, it's the 'sister website' of book publisher Fingerpress. In fact they tie together with a rather nice competition. Anyone can post articles and 'true stories' to Fingerpress Travel; site users then vote for their favourites. After a while - actual time TBD based on how many submissions we receive - we'll pick the top-voted articles/stories and publish them in one or more travel books.

Naturally we'll pay for the articles we publish in the travel books, on a per-word basis plus a free print copy of the book.

All entrants who submit an article of 1000 words or more will also receive a free ebook copy of the first travel guide we publish, so you really can't lose!

Here's an excerpt from a "walking tour" that was posted to the site a couple of days ago:

One of the great things about London is the large number of world-class landmarks that are within reasonably close proximity to one another. This article describes a long walk that I took through the city back in 2008. It's a long enough hike (about 5 miles) that most people wouldn't want to do all of it in a single go, but it can be done in sections, or you can "cheat" and take the tube.

Read more travel guides and stories at Fingerpress Travel.

All Aboard the Grim Love Bus

This "flash fiction" piece (aka "short-short") was published on AntipodeanSF back in August, with the shorter title "Grim Love Bus". It's since moved to their dusty archive room; you can also catch the podcast version (narrated by Mark Tremble); and here's the story in its 500-word entirety:

All Aboard the Grim Love Bus

by Matt Stephens

The doors of the Redhound bus coalesce in Prisca's face, stripping cuticles from the tip of her nose. She peers through the gloop, locates the murky form of the bus driver, and fixes him with her deadliest glare.

"I was right here!" Prisca yells. "What'd you shut the door for?" The driver indicates with his thumb that he can't hear a thing and she should activate her Closed Loop audioconf. Grumpily she twitches her head and repeats the accusation.

"Sorry." He sounds genuine. "Procedures and all that. I have to regulate passenger intake. Give it ten minutes, then I can let you on."

"But you leave for Tau Ceti in ten minutes!"

"I promise, I'll let you on. Meantime, why not switch on your VCR? Let's have some fun while we wait."

She starts in surprise. Are bus drivers really allowed to do that? Even starbound space-pilot bus drivers? Still... she can't piss on this guy. He holds power over her right now. Shrugging, Prisca flutters her eyelids to login to the Virtual Chat Room. Her shoulders hunch and she stands alone, slumped like a solitary zombie.