Short Stories by Lyssa

Love short stories? I release never-before-published shorts regularly on my Patreon account!

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

FEATHERS ON THE WIND
August 2021, Sing, Goddess! A YA Anthology of Greek Myth Retellings

About the Story: Nicothoë is cursed. The daughter of a demigoddess changed by Hera’s wrath into a harpy, Nico has lived her whole life conscripted into the service of the gods and believing she is a monster. But everything changes when she meets Icarus, a boy who is desperate to free his father from the persecution of King Minos. Through their quest to free the unjustly imprisoned inventor, Nicothoë just may find freedom herself—but at what cost?

About the Anthology: Aphrodite. Zeus. Medusa. Hercules. You’ve heard their names. You thought you knew their stories… until now. Lose yourself in this collection of eleven young adult re-imaginings of Greek myths from the authors of Snowy Wings Publishing. From magical kingdoms under the sea to the halls of a modern high school, from Ancient Greece to the distant future, you will find romance, courage, fantasy, danger, and more. With each story bringing a twist on a classic legend, there is something for everyone to enjoy again and again. Across the ages, the Muses call: SING, GODDESS!

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BEING TAMIKA
October 2020, Overmorrow: Stories of Our Bright Future

About the Story: Zaylah Santana just wants to be normal. After spending the last several years living with a progressive illness, a breakthrough new medical treatment promises to offer her a new life. Little does she expect to wake up in someone else’s body. It doesn’t take long for Zaylah to realize that the tradeoff for her cure means a change to her whole world: her family, her body, her identity. Can she learn how to be herself again, despite the costs?

About the Anthology: News feed getting you down? Spending too much time hate-reading and doom-scrolling? Grab a collection of science fiction, cast your eyes starward, and put the current moment in perspective. OVERMORROW: Stories of Our Bright Future is an anthology of science fiction short stories set in an optimistic future. From classic Golden Age style science fiction to wicked satire, from solarpunk to parody. Colony ships bound for distant solar systems, humans (and chickens) on Mars, Transhumanism and medical revolutions. This collection will transport you out of the present day to the bright future of the day-after-tomorrow.

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A Touch of Magic

THE CURSED TOWER and WITCH
July 2019, A Touch of Magic: A YA Anthology

About the Stories: In “The Cursed Tower,” a young girl has spent her life trapped in an enchanted tower that no living being can enter or leave, her life energy fueling a vengeful witch. The only way to escape the tower is by casting a dark spell—but will Rapunzel be willing to make the sacrifice the spell calls for, or will she remain trapped in her prison forever? Then in “Witch,” when a mermaid princess comes to her hoping to gain a human soul, an aged Sea Witch remembers the bargain she made long ago that led to her becoming a witch in the first place—and how it cost her the one thing the little mermaid now so desperately craves.

About the Anthology: Seven authors. Ten stories. Crafted with potions, curses, and fairy dust, each one of them is infused with just a touch of magic. In this Anthology, Snowy Wings Publishing opens doors into worlds of the fantastical—stories of those finding their true calling, those who live with curses, those who right the wrongs, and those who risk everything to save the ones they love. Among historical, contemporary, and futuristic tales, there’s enough magic to spirit you away.

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SEA-STARS AND SAND DOLLARS
July 2018, Brave New Girls: Tales of Heroines Who Hack

About the Story: 17-year-old Delia Randall spends her days studying aboard a massive scientific submarine and building robots in secret. But her secret comes out when disaster strikes the GalaX Undersea Habitat, and the only one who can prevent tragedy is Delia—and her hand-built ROV, Amphitrite. This short story in the Iamos universe, set thirty years before the events of Fourth World, tells the story of how Tamara’s moms first met!

About the Anthology: These collections of sci-fi stories features brainy young heroines who use their smarts to save the day. Girls who fix robots and construct superhero suits, hack interstellar corporations and build virtual reality platforms. Who experiment with new-fangled devices and tinker with time machines. Who defy expectations and tap into their know-how—in the depths of space, or the bounds of dystopia, or the steampunk-y past, or the not-too-distant future—to solve despicable crimes, talk to extraterrestrials, and take down powerful villains.

Revenue from sales of this anthology will be donated to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund. Let’s show the world that girls, too, can be tomorrow’s inventors, programmers, scientists, and more.

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Magic at Midnight

CINDERELLA.I.
May 2018, Magic at Midnight: A YA Fairy Tale Anthology

About the Story: Madeline knows her role in life—such as it is. She’s an animatron, a lifelike robot built to perform in a fairy tale-inspired theme park. And she’s an Ugly Stepsister. Her destiny is to play second fiddle to the famous Cinderella, to help her shine before the park’s audiences three times daily (five on weekends). But Cinderella isn’t content with being the star of the park. She believes she’s destined for something more. When Cinderella disappears, Madeline comes to realize that maybe she isn’t conscripted to the role the fairy tale laid out for her. And if she wants to save Cinderella, she’ll have to believe in herself… and her very life.

About the Anthology: Turn the pages and fall into the enchanting worlds of beloved, age-old fairy tales made new again in this fifteen-story collection from Snowy Wings Publishing. From sci-fi to fantasy, contemporary to historical, paranormal and more, there’s a fairy tale retelling in this collection for every reader. Featuring stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors as well as emerging voices, this anthology will take you to distant worlds and back again—all just familiar enough to make you feel at home.

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Wings of Renewal

SEVEN YEARS AMONG DRAGONS
October 2015, Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology

About the Story: Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a fairytale… until the day she killed her mother. In this sci-fi/fantasy retelling of Snow White, dragons dwell in the heart of the mountain, weaving magic and mining crystals with the power to fuel the world—and a princess leads her people in a war against a power-hungry technocracy.

About the Anthology: The future is vibrant, hopeful, and filled with dragons. In Wings of Renewal, nineteen authors explore the exciting new subgenre of solarpunk through the lens of majestic dragons. Whether they irrigate dry terrain or serve as spaceships, are mythic beasts come to life or biomechanical creations of man, these dragons show us a world where renewable energy overcomes gas and oil, and cooperation replaces competition. If you love fantasy/sci-fi fusion, this is an anthology you do not want to miss! So hop on solar wings, and follow us into futures that—for all their witches and dragons—are far more possible than they might seem.

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Perchance to Dream

GALE
June 2015, Perchance to Dream: Classic Tales from the Bard’s World in New Skins

About the Story: Miranda doesn’t want to be different. On Gale, being different can get you killed. When her seizures began, Miranda tried to keep her abnormality secret. But then the visions started—ominous hallucinations of strange lights in the sky, an otherworldly monster with wings like a dragon, and a girl who appeared from the clouds like a bolt of lightning. Despite the ever-present threat of the Watch, Miranda is determined to find out what the visions mean. Little does she know that the answers might lead her to freedom.

About the Anthology: In Perchance to Dream, some of the hottest names in YA today reimagine ten of Shakespeare’s best-known plays and sonnets for a new audience. From sci-fi adventures on distant moons to modern magic found in everyday places, these updated myths pay homage to the Bard’s timeless storytelling while spinning fresh and original tales that will captivate readers all over again.

 

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Star-Heart

STAR-HEART*
November 2014, Astroromance

About the Story: Kimber is a dreamer. Even though her old-fashioned family thinks she should keep her feet on the ground, she’s determined to enter the annual stratos surfing race—a dangerous but exhilarating sport held 120,000 feet over the Earth. When she finds a broken-down stratos board in a trash heap, Kimber suddenly realizes her dream could come true… if she’s willing to put aside her prejudices and accept a helping hand from her arch-nemesis, rich boy Jase Hart.

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The Choice

THE CHOICE*
June 2014, Ama-gi magazine
December 2015, updated version published as a stand-alone short story

About the Story: What makes something worth living for? What makes something worth dying for? Marin thought she knew the answer. As an Enforcer, she knew that she—and everyone on Iamos—lived for the geroi. But all that changes when she meets a young farmer’s apprentice named Eos, who tells her about a legendary city called Elytherios. This award-winning short, set thirty years before the events of Fourth World, introduces us to two characters Isaak and Nadin encounter on their journey. Though it’s not required that you read Fourth World before “The Choice,” it may help you better understand the world, characters and the words they use.

* originally published under the penname Alyssa Altadonna

ADULT FICTION

Echoes of LibertyREDFEATHER
September 2016, Clarion Call Vol. II: Echoes of Liberty

About the Story: Captain John Redfeather—previously known as Eloisa Smith, daughter of one of Charleston’s wealthiest plantation owners—fought hard for her freedom, and earned her name as one of the most feared pirates in the Western Sea. When she meets “Demon Anne” Connor, it’s not a hard decision to offer a fellow sailor a chance at freedom, too. Based loosely on the lives of real-life lady pirates Anne Bonny and Mary “Mark” Read.

About the Anthology: From the starlet Marilyn Monroe to the privateer Redfeather; from the tuath of 12th century Ireland to a secret bunker in WWII Berlin; from a new hope for peace on the American frontier to a last hope for liberty in ancient Athens, the authors in Clarion Call Vol. II—the 2016 anthology from the Agorist Writer’s Workshop—bring us stories of liberty from our past, or the past that might have been.