Author: marylowd

A Small Present in Three Parts

Merry holiday season!

It’s been a long, hard year for a lot of us, so we’re sharing three stories today as a Christmas present for anyone who needs one.  These three flash fiction stories fit together, following the voyages of a starship carrying scientists from world to world, making first contact with alien species, bringing small touches of hope and connection from the stars. Continue reading “A Small Present in Three Parts”

Treasure in the Sky

by Mary E. Lowd

A Deep Sky Anchor Original, December 2020

“Then he backed away from the yawning window, as if it were a portal that he could fall through and never land, floating forever, lost in the void of space.”

The short, stout, furry alien stared out the starship’s curving bridge window at the star-studded black sky.  His black fur blended into the sky like a shadow, but the blaze of white over his forehead stood out like a brand.  His rounded ears splayed, and he curled his heavy claws into fists.  “I don’t belong here,” he muttered, and the ship’s computer translated it.  “None of my people do.” Continue reading “Treasure in the Sky”

Somewhere Over the Ocean

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Boldly Going Forward, March 2020

“The inhabitants of Oceanica were not alone in the universe, and the aliens who had come to them from the void above the sky were strange.”

A’loo’loo swam eagerly back and forth, impatient for the spaceship above her, floating on the ocean’s surface, to open its hatchway.  There had been so little warning — A’loo’loo had only discovered the burst of radio waves coming from her planet’s orbit three tides ago.  Everything had changed since then. Continue reading “Somewhere Over the Ocean”

The Night Janitor and Alien Oceans

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Typewriter Emergencies, June 2018

“Rerin’s rounded ears flattened, and she looked out the window at those oceans again. Was there someone down there?”

Rerin jostled the control panel while rubbing it down with a rag.  The raccoon-like alien didn’t know how the day-crew got the bridge controls so sticky.  They were supposed to be searching the oceans on this world for signs of sentience — not snacking and boozing on Eridanii brandy.  Rerin had expected janitorial detail on a starship full of human and s’rellick scientists to be an easy job.  Instead, the naked-skinned primates partied all day, and the s’rellick shed scales everywhere — not to mention the extra work involved in tending to their live food.  Ugh.  Terrarium after terrarium filled with scuttling insects and rodents.  Rerin would not be signing on with this ship again. Continue reading “The Night Janitor and Alien Oceans”

Burnout vs. Falling Apart

I am so burned out. I’ve been writing at a breakneck pace for more than a year, and I’ve had the kids home, bouncing off the walls, dealing with loss and fear caused by the pandemic for nine months.

But I keep dragging myself forward on the novel I’m writing.

I keep wondering if I should take a break. Surely, after writing three novels in fourteen months, I’ve earned a break?

And yet, writing is what holds me together. Believing the books I write matter is what pulls me forward. And I need to be held together and pulled forward.

Universal Basic Income is Tenure for Writers

Apparently, today is the day that I can’t take it anymore and start ranting wildly about Universal Basic Income.

Years ago I was asked while on a panel at a convention, how can a writer best go about making money with their book?

My answer remains the same:  put your book aside, go into politics, and fight for Universal Basic Income.

Writing is a terrible, awful, horrible way to make money, and it always will be. Continue reading “Universal Basic Income is Tenure for Writers”

The Value of Longevity as Demonstrated by Grey’s Anatomy and Baby Yoda

I’m so glad to have Grey’s Anatomy & Station 19 back after all these months.  They’re such a bright spot in my week.

The thing about great art is that it helps the chaos of life make sense. And when you find a piece of art that can do that for you… it’s like a friend, a teacher, a warm comforting blanket, and a place where you can go to feel safe all at once.

I know every episode of Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t been brilliant. But many of them have been, and it’s grown over the years

And there simply are stories you can tell after 16 years (+ 6 of Private Practice & 3 of Station 19) that you just can’t tell without that kind of history. Continue reading “The Value of Longevity as Demonstrated by Grey’s Anatomy and Baby Yoda”