Together is a Distant Star: A short story anthology coming soon!

How the anthology came about

A couple of years ago, there was some discourse in the writing community regarding the struggles some groups face in the publishing industry. One of the notable threads (and a subsequent blog post) was written by E.L. Lyons, and spoke of the difficulties many women authors face – particularly in the science fiction and fantasy genres. This spawned a plethora of other discussions about not only women, but queer authors, BIPOC authors, and more. It may now be 2026, but the industry is still flooded with predominantly male authors.

On the heels of those discussions, Natalie Kelda proposed the idea of creating an anthology to showcase some of those often-overlooked voices in sci-fi and fantasy. There was a lot of interest in the project, and soon, a group was brought together to bring it to life. Together is a Distant Star was born.

Now, almost two years later, we’re finally at the stage where we can begin sharing details about the project. But before I get into that, I want to say that this has been the absolute best collaborative project I’ve ever been a part of in my authoring journey. It was more than just the stories themselves; it was the people involved and the opportunity we each had to contribute our thoughts on every piece of the finished collection.

Delilah Waan deserves a huge thank you for acting as project manager and keeping everything on track, and Rachel from Bard & Butter for donating her time to proofread our stories. Another big thank you goes to C.B. Lansdell, who designed both the cover art and the interior art for the project.

About Together is a Distant Star

Anthology Synopsis:

How far would you go to find where you belong?

A shapeshifting alien changeling raised by humans. The “wicked” child selected as the village sacrifice. People trapped in rigid belief systems, oppressive regimes, well-intentioned families, complicated relationships, and their very own bodies.

Is it better to succumb and survive, or escape by staking everything on a slender hope?

What triumphs in the end, love or vengeance?

And if all that remains is ashes, is it still worth it?

Grapple with these questions by diving into twelve new science fiction and fantasy stories. Together is a Distant Star is a collaborative anthology that encompasses authors hailing from Europe to Australia, South Africa to South America, and celebrates a kaleidoscope of perspectives—female, nonbinary, BIPOC, queer, and more.

Featuring stories from: A.J. Calvin, C.B. Lansdell, Nancy Foster, V. Carvajal Leiva, Karen Lykkebo, Erika McCorkle, Branwen OShea, Alyse N. Steves, Delilah Waan, and Isabelle Wagner.

The anthology will release on May 19, 2026.

Where you can find Together is a Distant Star

Paperbacks and ebooks will be available on most major retailers (I will update my books page with a link once I have the details for preorders.) You can save it in your Goodreads for later here:

About my story, Tiiv Kaadan

My contribution to this collection is titled Tiiv Kaadan, and it features a couple familiar characters from Wraith and the Revolution: Daaros and Pablo.

While it ties into the novel slightly, it’s thematically different and is written from a different character’s perspective. Tiiv Kaadan has a cozy feel; it’s set in an upscale singles’ bar on the world of Megatropolis and details the first encounter Daaros has with Pablo. Though they’re from vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds, both characters feel alone and isolated due to that, which ultimately gives them common ground. (If you’ve read the novel, you know that Daaros comes from wealth and privilege, whereas Pablo was trapped on a dying and destitute Earth before earning his scholarship at MSTI.) They’re an unlikely pair, but I think that’s what makes them work so well together.

It was an honor to have this piece included in the anthology. I hope everyone who picks up a copy enjoys the whole collection; I’ve had the opportunity to read all of the stories ahead of time, and I think they’re all fantastic. Watch for Together is a Distant Star on May 19.