I’m really pleased my first story sale of the year is to the CSFG for their upcoming anthology, A Hand of Knaves.  The theme is so much fun!

The central premise, as explained by CSFG in their submission call is:  “Rogues, thieves, pirates and ne’er-do-wells abound in speculative fiction. Sometimes heroic, sometimes villainous, often somewhere in between, rogues are as likely to steal one’s heart as one’s purse, and show little remorse while helping themselves to either.

So why do we love them? Because they’re imperfect, fallible, and even vulnerable under that carefully-maintained, world-weary exterior.

Rogues represent something we rarely see in our daily lives: ordinary people prepared to take on the “powers that be” by way of guile and subterfuge. But are they only in it for the loot, or are they – deep down – romantic at heart?”

The beautiful artwork for the anthology is by Shauna O’Meara.

My story, ‘The Pedlar’ is sharing the Table of Contents with some fabulous Aussie talent, and I can’t wait to read everyone’s stories. Below is the lineup for A Hand of Knaves:

• Eugen Bacon, Ace Zone
• Amy Brown, A Tale Of The Marriage Of Gawain
• David Coleman, Immortal, Coiled
• Tom Dullemond, The Killblaine Legacy
• Maureen Flynn, Gardening Through the Danse Macabre
• Rebecca Fraser, The Pedlar
• Isobel Johnstone, The Apothecary’s Apprentice
• Grace Maslin, A Question Of Identity
• Chris McGrane, Trojan Thoughts
• Claire McKenna, The One Who Walks The Permanent Way
• Cassandra Page, The Best Heist Yet
• CH Pearce, The Last Magicians of Sad Hill
• Simon Petrie & Edwina Harvey, On the Consequences of Clinically-Inhibited Maturation in the Common Sydney Octopus
• Louise Pieper, A Widow’s Worth
• Robert Porteous, A Fair Wind Off Baracoa
• Charlotte Sophia, Stardust
• HK Stubbs, Lost Property
• David Versace, A Moment’s Peace
• Angus Yeates, Anchor PointFor more information about CSFG and their publications click here.