Unwelcome Bodies (29 page)

The cloudscrapers wanted him to be an example? Well then, he’d be an example of someone who had paid the price for insurrection, and he would make his people understand that it had been a price well worth paying.

And eventually, he’d figure out a way to do something more effective, if someone else didn’t beat him to it.

He looked at Roland, who met his gaze with sudden understanding. Roland clasped his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Fuck Order,” he said. “I’m in.”

Seph curled his fused lips into a genuine smile, and ushered his first customer through the door of his shop.

Notes on “Brushstrokes”

The impetus for this story was my desire to write about pretty boys in pretty makeup doing pretty things to each other. Then I realized I needed a plot. 12,000 words later, I had a story. In the original draft, Seph was a pretty little milquetoast, but in revisions, I gave him a backbone, which drastically improved the story (and gave it extra sex, which is always a bonus).

—Acknowledgments—

When Apex contacted me to see if I’d like to release a short story collection, my first thought was that they were insane. “It’s too early in my career! What are they thinking?” Then my ego stepped in and said, “Shut up, you.” Thank you, ego. I can always count on you.

So as you’ve probably noticed, I have conversations with myself. That’s because I’m a writer, and we’re all nuts. In fact, writers are just sociopaths with a great coping mechanism. Instead of doing horrible things to flesh and blood creatures, we do horrible things to creatures made of pixels and ink and imagination. It’s fabulous. We get to contemplate all sorts of terrible acts, and when we write them down, people pay us money and tell us we’re geniuses! Huzzah!

Here are just some of the people who have supported my coping mechanism over the years:

First off, I need to thank my writing group: BRAWL. We’ve never actually determined what “BRAWL” stands for, other than agreeing that the B is for “Boston.” They vetted just about every story in this collection and made them stronger. Thank you.

I also need to thank the instructors of the Viable Paradise writing workshop for their invaluable lessons about both the business and the craft of writing. So thank you to Jim Macdonald, Debra Doyle, Jim Kelly, Steve Gould, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and also to Laura Mixon who came along later when I was one of the support staff for the workshop. Thanks also to my fellow students, and the students the two years I was staff. And additional thanks to Teresa for giving me the title for this collection. I never would have come up with something this evocative on my own.

But wait, there’s more! Needless to say, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Jason Sizemore from
Apex Magazine
. He’s been a tireless supporter of mine ever since buying “Big Sister/Little Sister,” and I couldn’t be more grateful. And speaking of Apex, I also need to thank Geoffrey Girard, the editor of the tome you’re holding in your hands. The other editor who’s really helped me out is William Sanders from
Helix
. The exposure he’s garnered for my stories has been awe-inspiring.

On the writing front, Ellen Klages and Michael Burstein—two excellent genre writers whose work couldn’t be more different—have not only advised me, but have continually given me encouragement when things have looked bleak.

Can I thank WisCon as a whole? Sure, why not. Hell, I should also thank all my friends and family who’ve rooted for me over the years, and everyone who reads my LiveJournal, but if I mention them each by name, this will start getting ridiculous.

Of course, I can’t forget my husband and my cats for the love and support they’ve shown me over the years. Okay, so my stories creep my husband out, and the cats can’t read, but they encourage me nonetheless. So I love them anyway.

And finally, thank you, dear reader. You’re why I do this. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t bother writing down all the icky things in my head. Thank you for giving me the excuse to indulge myself.

Author Bio

Jennifer Pelland has spent nearly her entire life in the state of Massachusetts, growing up in the western half of the state then fleeing east for college and beyond. Because life doesn’t offer enough chances to make funny voices, she does radio theater and has been known to belly dance from time to time. Jennifer shares her home with an Andy, three cats, and an impractical amount of books.

Don’t miss Jennifer Pelland’s debut novel
Machine
!

Machine
Jennifer Pelland

Machine
follows Celia’s maladjustment to being downloaded to a bioandroid body and divorced by her wife. A science fiction novel that explores trends in society and technology.

2012 Best Science Fiction of the Year—B&N.com

ISBN: 978-1937009137 (Trade Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1465720054
Pages: 316

Available at ApexBookCompany.com