Trunk: stories that took the long way

"Not all those who wander are lost," as Tolkien famously said. Sometimes they're just taking the scenic route.

Here are 20 great science fiction and fantasy stories that took the long way to success. Each of these stories met with initial rejection before finding a home here. Publishing is a weird alchemy of mood, taste, and happenstance, and it takes tenacity to find just the right combination to let a story shine as it should. These are stories by authors who refused to give up on their work, and wisely so Here you'll find not only good stories, but author notes about each piece's circuitous route to publication. Enjoy these fine stories that almost didn't make it

Contents

After the Moon - J. H. SiegalAmberblight - Robert Luke WilkinsFalling Jupiter - Jeff ReynoldsAcquired Tastes - Liz LevinTake Another Little Piece of My Heart - Michael HaynesLost Souls - David WhitmarshThe Schoolteacher's Baby - Susan TaitelThe Ways of Plants and Spells - Daniel AusemaSuicide Grove - Steven MathesDog Days - Cara Masten DiGirolamoA Breath of Salt - Benjamin C. KinneyCrossing - Greg ClumpnerHad We Eyes, We Would Have Wept - Suzanne J. WillisA Moth Emergent - Colleen AndersonThe Grand Seeming - S. L. HarrisWorlds Bloom Through Cracks - Jo MilesThe Transformation of Tabitha Magee - Pete LeadFatherhood - B. Morris AllenDistillation Made Stronger - Rebecca BennetPlease Come Again - Pamela Weis

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1640760997
• ISBN13: 9781640760998
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Joyful Heave
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"