Scumm Alumns: Where Are They Now?

Scumm Alumn - (noun) | ˈskəm ˈæləm |

People constantly email us asking for clarification on one of our go-to terms, the scumm alumn. Let’s set the record straight once and for all (or at least until we miss a web hosting payment). 

No, a scumm alumn is not a graduate of our sham online university, the Scumm Technicality Institute. Those lovely folks we call “educustomers.” A scumm alumn, dear reader, is a distinguished author published between the matte-finish covers of Planet Scumm. 

Recently, we’ve learned that these beautiful people have a life outside of our magazine! We asked them where they’ve been published since their Planet Scumm appearance. We got some pretty impressive answers like “Netflix!” “Clarkesworld!” and “I’m a lawyer now.”

But first! If YOU are a writer reading this, you may be interested to know we are currently seeking winter horror stories for Issue #13 and paying 3 cents a word. We’re trying to keep raising our rates by a cent an issue until we hit the pro rate. Oh, and, hey, if you want to help us real our goal we’d love to see you on Patreon.

Okay, enough about us. Really. Let’s get to the good stuff.

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You won’t believe what we found out:

Publishing news!

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I forayed into full-time novel writing since publishing “The Priest’s Concubine” with Planet Scumm. I’d had some luck with traditional press, and for the rest, I went the indie way. So, now I have five full-length books and one novella out on Amazon, ranging from gritty atmospheric mysteries with a female sleuth to psychological suspense. I recently did a trek in the Himalayas and, inspired by it, my work in progress is a techno-thriller novella. I’m super excited about it. I've realized atmospheric thrillers are my thing because I really “live” it as I write it. Is it silly to say sometimes my own writing gives me goosebumps

- Smita Bhattachya (Issue #1)

Maureen Bowden (“Shapeshifters,” Issue #8) has had 139 stories and poems accepted by paying markets. Alban Lake recently published an anthology of her stories, Whispers of Magic, available from Hiraeth Books.

Anna Catalano (“Lazarus,” Issue #8) has a new short story, “Old Ink,” in the eighth issue of Peculiar: A Queer Literary Journal. 

James Dorr (“Holly Jolly,” Issue #6) has published and reprinted:

 Cannot imagine this is what you're looking for [It is! -Ed.], but I, regrettably, bailed out of freelancing, and I'm about to be a lawyer doing public defense. I have a piece called "Look to Windward: The Michigan Environmental Protection Act and the Case for Atmospheric Trust Litigation in the Mitten State" coming out in a journal at the University of Michigan, and it's as unwieldy as the title.

- Jon Coumes (“Lucky That Way,” Issue #3)

Steve DuBois ("Prodigal", Issue #8) has new work in Allegory, Aurealis, and On Spec, among others. His latest story, "Warlord," appears in the January issue of Flash Fiction Online. 

Maya Dworsky-Rocha (“Bookends,” Issue #8) has a new short story, “Family Constitutional,” in Daily Science Fiction.  

Aaron Emmel (Issues #3, #7) has published the following since his first Scumm appearance: 

Luke Foster (“Good Boy,” Issue #8) has put out the following stories:

Read his Covid-19 micromemoir, “The Duality of Connection," in Planet Scumm’s Living Through Science Fiction series. Luke curated, edited, and published Eight Gunshots: Stories of the Wild West, a Western short story anthology. The book includes his story, "The Sins of Peste Negra Rodriguez."

R.A. Goli (“Whiteflower Duet,” Issue #1) has published around 100 short stories in various markets since her appearance in Planet Scumm. Her fantasy novella, The Eighth Dwarf, and a mixed genre collection of short stories called Unfettered are both available on Amazon. 

Joachim Heijndermans (“A Little Galaxy, Issue #10) has forthcoming work in Curiouser Magazine, the StarShipSofa podcast, and the Mythical Creatures of Asia anthology by Insignia Stories. His new short story, “On the Air” can be heard on The Night's End Podcast. Another new story, “When the Sky Bleeds” is available to read on Silver Blade. He also penned a drabble that will appear in the Avenge anthology from Black Hare Press. An audio version of his story, 'The Udon at Tashihara's', is out now via the StarShipSofa.

Joachim’s story “All Through the House” was adapted for the second season of Netflix’s “Love, Death and Robots.” 

Noah Lemelson (“At The Border Post,” Issue #7) completed his MFA in Creative Writing at CalArts, and his debut novel, The Sightless City, is coming out this year via Tiny Fox Press.

Bill McCormick (“Korzac: Nördicon of Dern,” Issue #1) won the Critters' Readers' Poll Award for best Sci-Fi novel of 2020. That novel, SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY, was picked up by Walmart. 

Chris Moylan (Issues #4, #10) has had work appear recently in Fragmented Voices and Fleas on the Dog.

Ashley Naftule (“A Thousand Cranes of Blood and Steel,” Issue #10) has a new short story in Riddled With Arrows. Their full-length play, The Hidden Sea, will premiere virtually this May (more details forthcoming at Space55.org).

Hailey Piper (Issues #6, #7, #9) published her third novella, The Worm and His Kings, with Off Limits Press in November 2020. She has also had short stories appear in publications like Mycelia and Boneyard Soup Magazine, and in the anthologies We Are Wolves, Campfire Macabre, The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase, Twisted Anatomy, and Stitched Lips. Her first short story collection, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, releases May 7, 2021 from The Seventh Terrace. Hailey is also the guest editor for Planet Scumm #11: “Snake Eyes”.

Oh, and what an issue it is, dear reader. Click the pic to preorder.

Oh, and what an issue it is, dear reader. Click the pic to preorder.

Sam Rebelein (“Hector Brim,” Issue #10) has a work of flash fiction in the 43rd issue of Dark Moon Digest. Hear Sam read his new story, "Everything You Ever Feared Was True Is True" on Story Hour. Or read the story yourself at Coffin Bell Journal.

Paul C.K. Spears (Issues #1, #2, and #5) published Creecherland: A Collectible-Monsters Horror Story.

Frank Smith (Issues #1, #2, #7) published "Drawing Lines Between the Stars" in Clarkesworld #167. "Cactus Season" appeared in Analog May/June 2019. He is now a full member of SFWA.  

Donald Jacob Uitvlugt (Issues #2, #7) self publishes an ongoing sci fi adventure set on an interstellar colony ship five hundred years off course and crewed by anthropomorphic animals called Jiao Tu’s Endeavour.

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We’re so happy to see this radical output from the authors we’ve gotten to know a little bit over the past three years. Scummy would like to issue a deep, gutteral shout-out to all the writers out there weathering the storm of our current sci fi reality. If you’re not sitting on a heap of good news that don’t mean your ship ain’t coming.

Authors can opt in for writerly updates (like open submission periods and new publishing news) here: https://www.planetscumm.space/author-newsletter

Planet Scummalumni, news, Anna Catalano