Matthew Kressel

Burned out and looking to put her past behind her, a former addict and recovering influencer interviews her fellow travelers en route to witness the first rain on Mars. Sakunja Salazar had it all. Money, toys, women, and all the drugs money could buy. A breakout Holo influencer, seemingly overnight she lifted her family out of their tiny Mexico City apartment and into the world of the rich and famous. That all changed when she hopped on a rocket and blasted into the cosmos, never to hawk lavender moisturizer again. What goes up must come down, and when Sakunja finally crashed back down on Mars an alcoholic, addict, and has-been she thought her life was pretty much over. That is, until a magazine editor discovered her photography and offered her a job. Now, she's the resident documentarian on a barebones expedition seeking to be the first humans to witness rain on Mars. For the first time in her life, Sakunja is turning the spotlight on someone else-interviewing her fellow travelers about what brought them to join this incredibly foolhardy crew of souls adrift in a world unseen.

An old man is forced to leave his ancestral home and migrate to a new Earth. A long-dead woman is recreated by an all-consuming evil menace in the distant future. The last surviving humans hope to escape a decimated galaxy through a collapsing black hole. Two orphans must play a game against monsters to save the world.In these mind-blowing, tragic, and often touching stories, multiple Nebula, World Fantasy, and Eugie Award-nominated author Matthew Kressel takes the reader on adventures through time and space, love and loss, and what it means to be human.Praise for Histories Within Us"A dazzling collection that explores distant worlds and hits close to home. Kressel's stories will open your mind, occasionally break your heart, and offer you hope in the end." - A.C. Wise, Sunburst Award-winning author of Wendy, Darling and The Ghost Sequences"Kressel weaves together beautifully imaginative tales that span time and galaxies, that are full of love, betrayal, heartbreak, and triumph. This is a collection about what it's like to be human in the face of despair and they are stories we all need right now." - A. T. Greenblatt, Nebula-Award Winning Author of "Give the Family My Love""Explores the essence of memory, identity, and the intertwining threads of humanity's past with the vastness of the cosmos. Each story is an intense and soulful journey into the heart of the still undiscovered territories of what it means to be human." -Christopher Barzak, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Before and Afterlives"The stories in this collection are breathtaking, and after a few of them you feel the universe pressing in on you or-and this is worse-observing you. A] great collection... Highly recommended." -Karen Heuler, O. Henry Award-winning author of A Slice of the Dark and Other StoriesPraise for Matthew Kressel's Short Fiction"Excellent...definitely worth reading." -Tangent Online" His story] blew me away. As soon as I read it, I knew I had something." -Ellen Datlow" 'The Sounds of Old Earth'] is a powerful story that is both tragic & hopeful - unexpectedly. And beautifully written. Thank you for sharing it." -Joyce Carol Oates"One of my very favorite stories out this year...this story had me in tears reading it." - SFSignal"A powerful story that deals with technology's deeper value and our rush to have it." -Edge of Infinity

Writing, editing, submitting, and publishing fiction can be overwhelming for beginners and experts alike. In Dispatches from the Outer Deep, multiple Nebula and World Fantasy Award nominated author Matthew Kressel answers the questions all writers face when writing short and long form fiction: What makes editors stop reading on the first page?How do I create compelling characters?Why is cultivating boredom good for creativity?Does a daily word count actually matter?How do I deal with rejections?How can I channel my emotions into my fiction?And more This book of advice, tips, tricks, techniques, knowledge, and more will help you navigate the tricky and often complicated world of fiction publishing like a pro

About Queen of StaticQueen Mashit has usurped the throne of Sheol from Ashmedai, who now swings in a cage above a river of fire. Mashit wants to bring life to Sheol and the myriad Shards-shattered universes where demons dwell in abject misery. Mashit has captured a quartet of Lamed Vav-special humans with the power to sustain universes-and tries to force them to her will. Meanwhile, she sends her daughter, Daphna, to Earth, hoping to establish rule over humanity there. But Daphna, long estranged from her mother, is not keen on her mother's schemes. And neither is the imprisoned Ashmedai. While Ashmedai and Daphna hatch plans of their own, Daniel Fisher, once a Lamed Vavnik himself but now beset by a dark and all-consuming curse, travels to the far corners of Earth seeking a doorway to Sheol, determined to save humanity no matter the cost.Queen of Static continues the Worldmender Trilogy, a series that The Huffington Post has referred to as a "unique fantasy cosmos" and that NPR has said is a "feast for hardcore fantasy fans."

Daniel Fisher is about to discover he's one of the Thirty Six, a group of hidden saints who can create and destroy worlds with their actions. When Ashmedai, king of demons, abducts Daniel and carries him to the hell realm of Gehinnom, Daniel learns that Mashit - queen of demons - plans to murder the Thirty Six, collapsing the universe and killing everyone in it.To save Earth from destruction Daniel must fight his way through a pandemonium of demons and court the aid of mysterious nomadic warriors. And though Ashmedai says he wants to help, the demon king may have plans of his own.Praise for King of Shards"Surreal and exotic...Scary, exhilarating fun " -N.K. Jemisin, Hugo award-winning author of The Fifth Season."A radical reinvention of faith and folklore, not to mention the portal fantasy...majestic, resonant, reality-twisting madness." -NPR Books"An imaginative, intelligent, and soaring debut...A hell of lot of fun." - -Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World"A robustly imagined fantasy world... pleasingly unpredictable. His skill at extrapolating traditional religious lore into the stuff of fantasy bodes well for future books in the series." -Publishers Weekly"In this prismatic tale of demons, righteous warriors, and multiple universes, Kressel plumbs the depths of Kabbalistic lore to create a unique fantasy cosmos... An] engaging new epic fantasy." -The Huffington Post"With surprising twists and a deep and detailed universe, King of Shards, the first in a trilogy, is likely to be remembered." -Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog"With King of Shards, Kressel threads portal adventure through ancient mythos. His demons and demi-gods and his very human (or mostly human) characters have to work their way through the terrifying, violent, and often beautiful alternate planes he's built using his incredible imagination and traditional and Apocryphal knowledge as a tableau. You will emerge transformed." -- Fran Wilde, author of Updraft" A] fascinating first novel...King of Shards is the first entry of the Worldmender Trilogy, and its use of Hebrew culture and legend to build a complex, dynamic setting serves to imbue every page with an epic mythos. Kressel presents a compelling alternate reality that readers can escape to while also pondering the nature of what is real." -Shelf Awareness"Kressel's rich landscapes sing with ancient resonance by the light of modern flair. He weaves compelling tradition with innovative high Fantasy; culture and creativity become foundations for new myths featuring heroes built to shine." -Leanna Renee Hieber, award-winning author of the Strangely Beautiful saga"A gripping trek across a unique desert world rich with Kabbalah-inspired magic and vivid demons builds to a whirlwind climax." -Scott H. Andrews, Hugo and World Fantasy Award-nominated editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine"This novel shakes the foundations of everyday reality, and the ensuing chaos is pure pleasure." -Christopher Barzak, author of One for Sorrow and Wonders of the Invisible World

Clarkesworld is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction (new and classic works), articles, interviews and art.Our May 2015 issue (#104) contains: Original Fiction by Matthew Kressel ("The Garden Beyond Her Infinite Skies"), Andrea M. Pawley ("For the Love of Sylvia City"), A Que ("Mrs. Griffin Prepares to Suicide Tonight"), Ian Muneshwar ("Ossuary"), and Bo-young Kim ("An Evolutionary Myth ").Reprints by James Van Pelt ("Solace") and Hannu Rajaniemi ("Tyche and the Ants").Non-fiction by Andrew Liptak (Destination: Mars), an interview with Cat Rambo, an Another Word column by Ken Liu, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.

Clarkesworld is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction (new and classic works), articles, interviews and art.Our November 2014 issue contains: Original Fiction by Matthew Kressel ("Cameron Rhyder's Legs"), Robert Reed ("Pernicious Romance"), and Ken Liu ("The Long Haul From the ANNALS OF TRANSPORTATION, The Pacific Monthly, May 2009").Classic stories by Pat Cadigan ("Cody") and Ken MacLeod ("The Vorkuta Event").Non-fiction by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro (Drugs in Science Fiction), an interview with Jo Walton, an Another Word column by Wesley Chu, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.

Clarkesworld is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction (new and classic works), articles, interviews and art.Our May 2014 issue contains: Original Fiction by Matthew Kressel ("The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye"), Maggie Clark ("A Gift in Time"), and E. Catherine Tobler ("Migratory Patterns of Underground Birds"). Classic stories by Howard Waldrop ("Night of the Cooters") and Andy Duncan ("Beluthahatchie").Non-fiction by Ed Grabianowski ("From Wooden Legs to Carbon Fiber Hands: How Technology Improves Prosthetic Limbs"), an interview with L. E. Modesitt, Jr., an Another Word column by Bud Sparhawk, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.