…Probably to be added-to at some point as I think of more stuff (or put more stuff out).
As far as I know, the following works are eligible for Hugo and Nebula awards in the Novel (2), and Short Story (2) categories.
I also had a number of individual poems published this year, as well as a self-published collection, which I believe is eligible for this year’s Elgin award for poetry chapbooks. If anyone knows more about awards for poetry, I’d appreciate it!
So, here we go. Thank you for reading!
Novel:
The Lifeline Signal (Book 2 of the Chameleon Moon Series. 126k words.)
Parole is still burning. And now the day everyone has been waiting for is finally here: it’s collapsed. A lucky few managed to escape with their lives. But while their city burned, the world outside suffered its own devastating disaster. The Tartarus Zone is a deadly wasteland a thousand miles wide, filled with toxic storms, ghostly horrors, and just as many Eyes in the Sky as ever. Somehow, this new nightmare is connected to Parole. And it’s spreading.
Now Parole’s only hope lies in the hands of three teenagers reunited by their long-lost friend Gabriel – in their dreams. Growing up outside Parole, Shiloh Cole always had to keep xir energetic powers a secret, except from xir parents, Parole’s strategist-hero Garrett, and Tartarus expert Maureen. When Parole collapsed, all contact was lost. Now, connected by Gabriel and their colliding pasts, xie joins collapse survivor Annie and the enigmatic, charismatic Chance on a desperate cross-country race, carrying a disc of xir mother’s vital plans, whose encrypted contents may be Parole’s salvation. First they’ll board the FireRunner, a ship full of familiar faces that now sails through Tartarus’ poison storms. Together, they’ll survive Tartarus’ hazards, send a lifeline to lost Parole – and uncover the mystery connecting every one of them.
The world outside Parole isn’t the one they remember, and it didn’t want them back. But they’ll save it just the same. It’s what heroes do.
Reviews:
“The Lifeline Signal was a beautiful book, I was sucked into the story and couldn’t stop reading.” – Huntress Of Diverse Books
“It would be rare to find any one of these [marginalized] identities or traits in a protagonist, let alone all of them. This series is a really great example of why you should read self published fiction. It’s the sort of inclusive story that main stream publishers often don’t think is “marketable.” – The Illustrated Page
“WARNING: This book contains a lot of feels. It is an #ownstories book, and Sylver has nailed the relationships, LGBTQIA, and Spoonie aspects completely.” – Lexi Janmaat
Stake Sauce Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient Is Love. No, Really. (Kraken Collective Books. 64k words)
ARC 1, IN WHICH: A cute punk-rock vampire and a disabled firefighter-turned-mall-cop with a dark past join forces to battle the forces of evil.
Jude used to leap out of helicopters to rescue/protect people from terrifying infernos. Now, by day, he protects the local mall from rowdy teenagers who ride their skateboards inside. By night, he protects the the parking lot, and the rest of Portland, from undead, bloodsucking creatures of the darkness. Or would if he could find them.
But he’s just about ready to give it up (living with PTSD and pain from the traumatic event that cost him a leg, a friend, and a lot more is hard enough), when something crashes into his life. And his window. It’s one of these creatures of the darkness – and he’s a lot less scary than expected. More cuddly, with dark fuzzy wings, and neon-bright hair.
Pixie refuses to bite anyone. Assault/murder/draining fluids isn’t punk, even if being a vampire really kind of is. He’s very hungry by now, and the much bigger, meaner, deadlier vamps kick him around on the nightly. Jude would love to find and fight some actual undead bullies. And Pixie could use some help staying… ‘alive.’ Life sucks when you’re a vampire who refuses to suck blood.
Fortunately, there’s a really interesting new barbecue restaurant in the mall, with an intriguing new recipe. (We hear that the secret ingredient is… love. No, really.)
Reviews:
“An amazing story about love, friendship, consent, one’s own need for revenge, and never giving up.” – Mariammybooks
“I couldn’t not give this book 5 stars… I loved it, and I will have no doubts about picking up the rest in the series.” – MissBriony.com
Short Stories:
These both belong to the extended Chameleon Moon universe, but Always Be You stands alone, and Happy REGARDS was reprinted in Transcendent 2: The Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction from Lethe Press.
Always Be You (3.7k words)
Eight years before the events of Chameleon Moon Book 1, Regan was just beginning to feel secure in his new life. He doesn’t know many things for certain, even his place in Parole as it hangs in a fragile balance far above an ever-burning fire. But he has no doubts about how he feels about Rowan (who appears in the short story The Library Ghost in the collection Life Within Parole, and will again in Book 2: The Lifeline Signal).
Trust and intimacy like this is hard to find, and their connection quickly becomes one of the sweetest and most reassuring parts of his strange life. So far, sexuality hasn’t been part of it, not for either of them. But like many things in Parole and beyond, attraction/sexuality/sensuality are more complicated than they first appear.
This is a story about an asexual couple navigating consent, sorting out sometimes-confusing layers of attraction, and discovering new things about themselves and one another – like the fact that their orientations don’t entirely match up. But even if their sexualities are farther apart than they realized, it doesn’t mean they have to be anything but close.
Happy REGARDS (Reprinted in Transcendent 2: The Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction) 14.8k words
Happy REGARDS:
It’s Evelyn’s birthday, and Danae and Rose are determined to make it absolutely perfect. But like the old rule goes, the harder you aim for perfection, if something can possibly go wrong, it will. And in Parole, ‘going wrong’ will involve robotic cats and dogs, disaster-prone cakes, hungry carnivorous plants, mysterious “coincidences,” and strangely morbid birthday cards with elaborate wax seals. Parole never stops being Parole, even for one day. Fortunately, the people who live there wouldn’t have it any other way.
Poetry Collection
Words about love, loss, grief, PTSD, and jokes with no punchline.
Steps toward finding yourself and singing down the stars.
* * *
REVIEWS:
“RoAnna Sylver’s writing is magic and stardust on the sharpened edge of an ancient blade.” – Alex Casso, author of THE SECRETS I KEEP
“Sylver flawlessly reaches out and firmly grasps on to the emotions of their reader and drags them along for the painful, beautiful ride as they process the feelings they experience due to their lost love and the resulting grief.” – Leah, SMALL QUEER, BIG OPINIONS
“A moving collection of poems about grief and trauma, and I definitely recommend it. 5/5 stars.” – Laura, LAURA + THE VOICES
“These poems are beautiful, evocative and so full of meaning that you will need to read this over and over again.” – Ceillie, CANDIDCEILLIE
“This collection is dripping in raw emotion and beautiful language that has an almost lyrical quality to it. Sylver reaches deeper and takes their exploration of the craft further than some of their contemporaries which, at least for me, is a breath of fresh air. This was a privilege to read.” – Maggie Derrick, MAGGIEDERRICK.COM
“Reading this collection felt like I was reading a very personal diary, filled with thoughts that the character who has lost someone, is keeping to themselves. It’s a short read but I thought it was quite beautiful and it’ll give you a lot to think about.” – Sinead, HUNTRESS OF DIVERSE BOOKS
“It’s hauntingly lyrical, and absolutely not a collection to be read just once… invites you to wrap yourself in stardust and… not necessarily sing down the stars, as the description suggests, but sing yourself towards the stars, shining brightly along with them and dancing between them from glow to glow.” – Lynn, BOOK TALK
Individual Poems:
Ingrid Cold Sends His Regrets On Messages Lost In Translation – 3 Drops From A Cauldron (Page 23)
A really sad poem about the Mothman, my favorite cryptid. Also about the nature of being a ‘monster,’ breakdowns in communication, and trying/failing to warn people about impending doom. Which seems relevant to 2017.
A semi-erotic romance poem about the marriage between religion and spirituality, Catholicism and Paganism, order and chaos, and how good and evil are often just words. Also, puns.
Changelings – Koru Mag Issue 2
About the 90s book series Animorphs, and PTSD. How trauma changes you. How sometimes it’s hard to even recognize yourself. How we ‘morph’ into new people, forged by survival.
One Thousand Years – Koru Mag Issue 2
About the 90s animated Disney series Gargoyles. Also about the nature of ‘monstrosity,’ and trying desperately to fit into a dominant culture/expected identity box (of gender, ability, language, many sides to this box), while holding onto your deep-rooted, personal truth.
A Spell To Exorcise Your Favorite Ghost – Monstering Mag (With MP3 recording!A poem about grief, remembering, and moving on.
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