Free Fiction for Download

Lethe Press has made available a free download of my story, “Circus Boy Without A Safety Net” from my collection, Sea, Swallow Me for the month of December (and 1/2 of November).  You may read the story in its entirety here; just click the Free Gay Story sample.  If you like what you read, consider buying the whole collection.

The Fix reviews Sea, Swallow Me

The book was graced with this glowing review that begins with:

Craig Laurance Gidney loves words…sensually, sexually, omnivorously. He streams out floods of them in his stories so that you, too, can taste their deliciousness. He wields them with abandon and precision to create little worlds that rise off the page and engulf you in snow globes of sparkling beauty and perceptiveness. Each story in his latest collection, Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories, has a strong immersive effect.

You can read the rest here.

Open Mic Report

I read my story Magpie Sisters. I was third on the list.  I think I did pretty well–I gestured, looked at the audience.  My story was cut short–there was a 6 minute time limit.  I will read the story in its entirety for the book release party in December.  It was great to see many of my friends and family (my brother came down from Boston) out there to support me.

I liked many of the other readers, but I missed their names, unfortunately.

New Review!

Rainbow Reviews reviewed Sea, Swallow Me.  Here’s an excerpt:

Every story in this excellent collection is truly a delight to read and a joy to behold. Author Craig Laurence Gidney’s lyrical imagination and poetic prose soar and dip, propelling us to mountain peaks and casting us into abysses. Depths of character delineation vie with descriptive narrative (both first and third person) against a backdrop of intriguing secondary players. Although Mr. Gidney writes from the perspective of a 21st century Gay African-American, and vitally explores that viewpoint, his stories reach out to touch every reader in profound and stirring fashion.

Read the rest of the review here.

New Blurb

John R. Gordon, the screenwriter of the Noah’s Arc movie, provided Sea, Swallow Me with a lovely blurb:

Both poetically acute and narratively suspenseful, these sharply-glinting and spookily enjoyable stories are queer Weird Tales for a new millennium.

On Tor.com!

Tor review John Klima had this to see about Sea, Swallow Me:

Gidney’s stories often center around being African American and being gay, which is a fascinating viewpoint and part of why I like to read: because I get a chance to experience other lifestyles and racial backgrounds. The author, who is gay and black himself, creates vibrant and real characters that I identify with and care about. There is a lyrical mysticism in much of the writing that made me want to read the stories out loud.

Check out the rest of the review at Tor.com!

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