Category Archives: Alternate Reality

Androids and Dragons: A Journal of and about Speculative Fiction – SUBSTACK ZINE

Happy September to you all. Autumn is just around the corner, and this is where I start getting a lot of short fiction acceptances and stuff published. Always September through December. And for this website post, I am currently appearing with a reprint in the Substack publication: “Androids and Dragons: A Journal of and about Speculative Fiction.” It has hundreds of followers, hundred of readers. It’s a token-paying market. There’s a lot of these Substack newsletter publications (in the form of modern webzines), popping up these days. In the old days, when I first started getting published, a lot of webzines were hosted by Lycos or Geocities. Or they depended on programs like Dreamweaver and Flash, to look stylish for the time period. It seems Substack is becoming a major platform to build your fiction-reading audience. Stories can be emailed to subscribers, direct to their inbox. You can read a short story anywhere, not just home computer but on your phone on the go. And it pops up really quick on search engines, because the one thing Substack has going for it is many a search engine algorithm. The editor is Jenna Hanan Moore. I’ll leave any links down below, direct or otherwise. And the name of my reprint is: “Past and Present Company Excepted.”

Androids and Dragons: A Journal of and about Speculative Fiction

Substack Publication – Edited by Jenna Hanan Moore

Featuring Dagstine reprint: “Past and Present Company Excepted.”

Photo credit: Androids and Dragons/Jenna Hanan Moore
Photo credit: Caras Jr. on Unsplash, 2025.

The September Edition Opening Page – (click link, be redirected):

https://androidsanddragons.substack.com/p/issue-12-september-2025

My short story – (click link, be redirected):

https://androidsanddragons.substack.com/p/past-and-present-company-excepted

Other New Entries:

And speaking of Substack publications or newsletters, I’ve updated my own personal one recently. But only with a quickie. You can find a link to that right below…

https://lawrencedagstinewrites.substack.com/p/lawrence-dagstine-even-prolific-writers

NEW YEARS ANTHOLOGIES: “The Alien Buddha’s Chaos Countdowns” – Alien Buddha Press

I have a reprint (appeared in DASH Literary Journal about two years ago), that matches the theme of the following anthology. Chaotic or haphazard stories about New Years, and similar celebratory fiction fare to go along with the once-a-year holiday. And what better way to ring in 2025 than with Alien Buddha Press (the publisher), and sharing a table of contents with the likes of NJ Gallegos, Dawn DeBraal, April Ridge, and Bram Stoker-nominee James Dorr. My New Years-themed story has elements of speculative fiction, steampunk, and magic realism in it. Oh, and angel doctors! It’s called Before Measured Time. It takes place right before midnight on December 31st 1899, and the 20th century and universe is at stake! Check out Alien Buddha’s Chaos Countdowns Anthology now on Amazon. Pictures and info down below. Most of all, Happy New Years!

Alien Buddha’s New Years Chaos Countdowns Anthology

Published by Alien Buddha Press

Featuring Lawrence Dagstine reprint: “Before Measured Time”

Available in paperback on Amazon (click preview box below):

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

TIME TRAVEL ANTHOLOGIES: “The Trouble with Time” – Three Cousins Publishing

It is with pleasure to announce that here starts a busy couple of weeks, as I have a lot of new material coming out in the “speculative fiction” genre. Books and anthologies in hardcover, paperback, and either Epub or Kindle formats. In the case of the book below, an upcoming audiobook. All these short stories are brand new, never published. From West Mesa Press, via Three Cousins Publishing, comes an anthology on time travel and the troubles or dilemmas that go with it. The Trouble with Time. Edited by Robert Allen Lupton, and it lands at a whopping 316 pages. The cover art is by Mark McConnell. For this book, think of stories related to The Butterfly Effect or Looper. That theme. And read my new story, “Past and Present Company Excepted!”

The Trouble with Time Anthology – Edited by Robert Lupton

Featuring Dagstine Story: “Past and Present Company Excepted”

Details from Amazon (copy-pasted):

Everyone at one time or another has wished that they could go back in time and change something. Perhaps to prevent a world tragedy, kill a despot, or tell an ancestor not to drive to town on a certain day. Perhaps the journey backward would be to obtain foreknowledge about the lottery, the presidential election, the stock market, or even the World Series. The reasons to wish for time travel are legion, but if the truth be told, if we could go back in time, the first thing most of us would do would be to punch our younger selves square in the face.

Changing time can have unexpected and dire results. Think “The Butterfly Effect,” or “A Sound of Thunder.” The scales have to balance. Good intentions often have unintended consequences and even the most benign attempts to intervene are likely to make things worse, far worse.

Twenty-two stories about time travel by talented writers from around the world, each of whom fearlessly explores the dangers and joys of time travel uniquely. Come along for the ride. There’s plenty of time – or is there?

West Mesa Press Official Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/p/West-Mesa-Press-100054216802897/

I’ll file this under Books and Anthologies.

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

TIME TRAVEL BOOKS: “A Stitch in Space Time: Time Travel Stories” – Culture Cult Press

The next book I’m in, and I believe this is my 6th anthology acceptance of 2024, is time travel themed. I have a lot of stuff floating out at time travel markets at the moment. It seems like every few years the subject of time, the mechanics and physics surrounding it, being able to travel backwards and forwards to a specific era and meet somebody historically important, becomes popular again. However, for Culture Cult Press’s latest book, A Stitch in Space Time, I decided to submit a fairy tale-style “mashup,” where Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), uses H.G. Wells time machine and tech to travel through a surreal but alternative version of Wonderland. And from a scientific point of view, it involves the Queen of Hearts. What I like most about Culture Cult Press — besides their stellar covers, immaculate interior design, and major distribution throughout India — is that a portion of the proceeds goes to help street animals without owners in Kolkata. Be sure to check out my time travel-themed story in A Stitch in Space Time Anthology, entitled: “Lewis Carroll and the Time Machine.” Links and pics below, and in the side column just to the right.

A STITCH IN SPACE TIME Anthology – published by Culture Cult Press

Edited by Jay Chakravarti – 22 Stories revolving around time travel

Featuring Dagstine Story: “Lewis Carroll and the Time Machine”

AVAILABLE IN PRINT PAPERBACK or as a DIGITAL EPUB (direct links):

Order the Paperback Book from Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/a-stitch-in-spacetime/paperback/product-e786k52.html

Order the Digital Version from Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/a-stitch-in-spacetime/ebook/product-2m5898q.html

Culture Cult Press Socials:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CultureCultPress
Instagram: https://instagram.com/CultureCultpress
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CultureCultPub

Homepage: https://CultureCult.co.in

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

DASH Literary Journal #16 – California State University (Fullerton – Futurist Fiction)

I’ve currently got a work of futurist fiction (spec-fic with a steampunk aesthetic tossed in for good measure), appearing in the current edition of DASH Literary Journal. No. #16, 2023. This is the official literary magazine of California State University. Out of Fullerton’s Comparative English Studies Department for Language and Linguistics. I actually studied linguistics back in the 1990s but ended up graduating in journalism and the science of publishing. I used to submit to a handful of literary magazines when I was first starting out in the fiction field. DASH No. #16 features poetry AND fiction, and the short stories in Volume #16 come from the likes of: J.M. Williams, Daniel Webre, Robert S. Gordon, Myself, Mark Silcox, Jared Livingston, James Fowler, and there is a TON of non-fiction. It’s very well put together. I will say that. Links, pics below with website info.

DASH Literary Journal Volume #16

THEME: Futurisms – (Futurist Fiction)

Featuring Dagstine Story: “Before Measured Time”

DASH WEBSITE/UNIVERSITY INFO:

https://english.fullerton.edu/publications/dash.aspx

DASH Literary Journal on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/dashliteraryjournal/

To my knowledge, it is available in PRINT only.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Coming Soon: “A Child Weeps in Moscow” by Lawrence Dagstine

COMING SPRING-SUMMER 2013

to Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Sony eReader, Kobo…

Coming to e-Dagstine.com Download Center, coming to eBooks & Kindle (and as a chapbook).

In the vein of George Orwell’s 1984

“A CHILD WEEPS IN MOSCOW”

A Novella by Lawrence Dagstine

ChildWeepsMoscow

Alien possession meets alternate history, in this communist tale set in 1923 Russia, about a boy named Abraham (Abe), whose parents suddenly disappear one day.  Like many of the adults throughout Russia, they are being taken away in the night by a special police force put together by Lenin’s “new” government, a government put together after the arrival of spacecrafts with biomechanoid origins and higher intelligence and influence.  Aliens the citizens simply call, The Invaders!

Klara Izolyev, Abe’s teacher, tells the boy that the only way he can learn the truth about the Invaders is to go to Moscow.  There he will learn what they really want on Earth, what role they play in the current socialist movement, and possibly find his missing parents and sister.  There he will fight starvation, arrest, combat homelessness, and meet an even more influential figure.  Arkady, the leader of a Moscow street gang, whose parents have also been taken away.  Together they will all journey to find the people they once loved, discovering just why the aliens are so interested in helping Lenin.

Official soundtrack for… Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean (teasers):

Also coming in 2013, and a MUST READ!

For fans of Weird Tales & Pirate Fiction

“THE MYSTERIOUS LADY OF THE CARIBBEAN”

A Novelette by Lawrence Dagstine

MysteriousLadyoftheCaribbean

Coming Soon to: New Releases, eBooks & Kindle

OG’s Speculative Fiction #25, Summer 2010… (appearances)

You can now find my 400th publishing credit in the webzine/free PDF Download/Lulu Magazine… OG’s Speculative Fiction, edited on a monthly to bimonthly basis by Seth Crossman.  Issue #25.  It wasn’t that long ago that I graced the pages of Issue #23.  This issue has wonderful artwork, a supernova or planet burning up, I believe.  You can download the issue in PDF format direct to your computers.  Other fiction and poetry in this issue includes a story by Desmond Warzel.  This is my third time at the long-running “Opinion Guy.”

OG’s SPECULATIVE FICTION #25 – The Opinion Guy

Lawrence Dagstine – PDF Download – 3rd Appearance

Also check out my last issue…

 

Main Homepage:

www.theopinionguy.com

http://theopinionguy.com/2010/07/ogs-speculative-fiction-issue-25/

Previous Issues w. Lawrence Dagstine:

https://lawrencedagstine.com/2010/03/25/ogs-speculative-fiction-march-2010-2nd-acceptances/

 

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

OG’s Speculative Fiction, Mid-Late 2010… (3rd Acceptance!)

A couple of weeks ago I grabbed my third acceptance to the long running speculative fiction/science fiction magazine on the Web — available as a free PDF Download to read and eventually purchase on LULU as a magazine for cons — The Opinion Guy (aka OG’s Speculative Fiction).  This would be my second acceptance in one year to them, and they’ve featured some very talented and familiar names in the science fiction arena.  Both short stories and poetry.  Matter of fact, this third credit comes right after my 2nd, and bolstered me up to the 400 credit mark.  Editor is Seth Crossman, and he also provides an Internet site full of informative articles.

 

Lawrence Dagstine RETURNS to OG’s Speculative Fiction

Third Acceptance – Click on the link(s) for some free reading in PDF format

MAIN HOMEPAGE:

www.theopinionguy.com

Previous Dagstine Stories:

https://lawrencedagstine.com/2010/03/25/ogs-speculative-fiction-march-2010-2nd-acceptances/

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

M-Brane SF #17, June-July 2010… (Now Available!)

It’s finally summer, folks, and I’m back for what is my third appearance with a weird SF/alternate history tale of sorts to M-BRANE SF.  Edited by Christopher Fletcher, M-Brane Scifi is not just an electronic monthly, a speculative magazine dedicated to the pulps. It’s available in PDF format for  only $1.00 per issue ($12.00 annually); you can download it to your Amazon Kindles and other e-readers.  Christopher Fletcher also provides a daily blog site, complete with news, reviews, and insight on subjects of science fiction and science fact.  Hard SF, Sociological SF, Space Opera, Cyberpunk, Alternate History, authors new and old can all be found at M-BRANE SF. 

M-BRANE SF – Third Appearance – Early Summer 2010

Issue #17 – Edited by Christopher Fletcher

featuring Lawrence R. Dagstine

 

ORDER THE PDF MAGAZINE w. LAWRENCE DAGSTINE – Only $1.00

www.mbranesf.blogspot.com

Issue Line-up: Edd Howarth, Aaron Polson, Lawrence Dagstine, Jason Sizemore, Joe Jablonski, Charles A. Muir, Margaret Karmazin.

Previous Issues available as compilation print mags on LULU (www.lulu.com)

 

 M-Brane SF Issue #9 — October 2009

M-Brane SF – Issue #2 — March 2009

 

Other New Entries: “Magazines” – PDF Downloads

M-Brane Science Fiction, Summer 2010… (3rd Acceptance!)

In about a month or so I’ll be returning for a third time with a weird SF/alternate history tale of sorts to M-BRANE SF.  Edited by Christopher Fletcher, M-Brane Science Fiction is not just a monthly, speculative magazine dedicated to the pulps in PDF format.  It’s also only $1.00 per electronic issue ($12.00 per year), and you can download it to your Amazon Kindles and other digital readers.  Christopher Fletcher provides a daily blog site, complete with hardcore news, reviews, and insight on subjects of science fiction and science fact.  Hard SF, Sociological SF, Cyberpunk, Alternate History, authors new and old can all be found at M-BRANE SF.  A LULU version is also offered, I believe.

M-BRANE SF – Third Acceptance (summer 2010)

COMING SOON – SO STAY TUNED!

www.mbranesf.blogspot.com

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Shelter of Daylight #3, April 2010… (Now Available!)

You can now find me in the thick and fairly new Anthology-Magazine, SHELTER OF DAYLIGHT.  Issue #3.  Published on a bi-annual basis by Sam’s Dot Publishing, and I must confess, with this new year, their cover art and printer/print quality has improved greatly! For this issue I have a science fiction story, and there is a slew of other great authors.  Edited by Tyree Campbell and available in a super-glossy, perfect-bound format.  Just click on the links or the cover art below.  Cheers, Lawrence.

SHELTER OF DAYLIGHT Science Fiction & Fantasy – April 2010

Published semi-annually by Sam’s Dot Publishing:

Sam’s Dot Publishing – Main Homepage:

www.samsdotpublishing.com

ORDER THIS ISSUE (or subscribe):

http://www.genremall.com/zinesr.htm#shelter

Other Great Magazines – The Genre Mall

www.genremall.com

Author Line-up: Tom Humphrey, Greer Woodward, Tyree Campbell, Lawrence Barker, Ursula Warnecke, Kisa Rupp, Keith Graham, Maria Alberto, David Tallerman, Molly Schwanz, Jared Millet, Robin Mayhall, Lawrence R. Dagstine, Michael D. Sonnier, Shane Nelson, John Marfink, Jaime Lee Moyer, Anne Brennan, Marge Simon, K.S. Hardy, WC Roberts, J.L. Opskar, and Amelia B. Winkler.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Lawrence Dagstine: “Historical Works in Progress…”

On Alternate History, Historical Weird Tales, and SF Serials…

In the next couple of weeks I will be continuing my bimonthly series of Free Fiction.  This time I will be serializing a science fiction-themed novella about two orphans that get stranded during an interplanetary adoption. It takes place on the largest planet in the universe — The planet Ragnarok (aptly named after the warring Gods of Norse Mythology, which later supposedly caused a lot of catastrophes concerning Mother Nature and the like for Mankind).  You’ll understand why as you get into it over the course of the year.  There are even a few flashback sequences similar to the series LOST.  On Ragnarok, Quadrant 4, located on the outer rim of the Cat’s Eye Nebula, like most of my worlds, there are eighteen seasons.  Unlike Earth, which has only four.  The good guys are a bunch of giant lizards with chest communicators.  Think the Silurians from Doctor Who, only bigger, stronger.  Bad guys are a bunch of elemental wind creatures who harvest meat by “shadowy” & “vampiric” means.  These guys are the horror element to the story.  Main orphan characters are Chelsea and Blake, and you are sure to fall in love with these two kids.  Mind you, this serial is FIRST DRAFT, so if you see the occasional typo or a bit of redundancy, I don’t plan on publishing this anywhere but my homepage.  Entertainment purposes only.  I could best describe the early portions as a cross between Lord of the Flies, the movie Pitch-Black, and Living Amongst the Lizards (short story).  Serials shall run between 2,500 and 5,000 words in length.  Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.  Once again, all first draft.

Name of planned Bimonthly Serial: “Orphan’s Prey” – Stay Tuned!

On The Great Depression and post-Civil War era…

I already have a batch of finished short stories and novelettes set in these two eras.  Some accepted, too.

Story One: “A Town of Crows” – Killer Scarecrows after the Civil War now appearing in Steampunk Tales #6.  See eBooks & Kindle.

Story Two: “A Time and Place for Monsters” – a very long novelette with vampires and werewolves during the Great Depression coming to Cover of Darkness.  Also, a bit of back history concerning President Hoover and The Monsters.  Never before done.

Story Three: “The Two-Sided Market” – Dedicated to H.G. Wells/Parallel Piece.

Story Four: “The Great Martian Depression” – Scifi currently appearing in The Martian Wave Issue#1.

Story Five: “FDR and the Locusts” – Franklin D. Roosevelt and BIG Insects, with a plot twist.

Cleopatra VII - Brooklyn Museum of New York 2008 - 2009

On Cleopatra and Alternate History…

There are two finished stories, finally edited, featuring Cleo as a fourteen-year-old.  They take place between Ancient Egypt and Rome. Alternate History meets Historical Fantasy, and there will also be mages, sorcerers, the undead, gods, and demigods! Also, the stories begin with Mark Antony as narrator for the first page and ends with him conceptually.  Here, I decided to experiment.

Story One: “Young Cleopatra and The Whispering Ancients”

Story Two: “Young Cleopatra and The Eye of Horus.”

Story Three: UNTITLED (coming 2011, and concerning the suicide of Mark and Cleo).

On Pompeii and Rome…

Next, later in the year off to Pompeii and some more fiction in Rome.  Introducing the Children of Ash short stories/novelettes.  All stand-alone tales, which I often prefer.

Story One: “The Children of Ash” – After Volcano Day.

Story Two: “The Nightmare Lair” – Inside the Volcano.

Story Three: “The Vampires of Pompeii” – The Romans have some neighbors. 😉

I’m also thinking up a totally “messed-up” Caligula-style crossover piece as well.  Of course, this is still not a guarantee that a market will accept all of them.  Never is.

I also noticed that a lot of Fresh Blood PDFs were sold.  Like 40 or 50 in the first two, three weeks.  At $3.50, yeah, it’s a great price. If you own a reader, click on eBooks & Kindle and treat yourself to a copy.  You can also now read PDFs on the Amazon Kindle, or download the free iPhone/iPad application off of Amazon.com as well.  I’d like to thank all of you.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  The same with my scarecrow story in Steampunk Tales #6 (www.steampunktales.com).

Other than that, there are ten brand new short stories and novelettes completed, my first novella is in the editorial screening stages, and ten brand new acceptances for 2010-2011.  I wish I had the time to blog ten times per day, but life does not permit me such luxury.  I’ll try and fit what I can.  Historical stories take two, three weeks alone.  However, some acceptances are to print anthologies.  So stay tuned! SF serial starts Late April/May 2010.  It’s gonna be fun!

Cheers,

Lawrence Dagstine

Print Magazines * Amazon Kindle * The iPhone/iPad * Sony & PDF Download

Other New Entries: “General News”

P.S.: Speaking of crazy historical tales, enjoy the new season of Doctor Who.   Series Five with Matt Smith!

OG’s Speculative Fiction, March 2010… (2nd Acceptances!)

You can find me for a second time in the long-running, speculative fiction magazine and PDF webzine: OG’s Speculative Fiction.  Issue #23, March to April 2010.  Previous issues include an appearance in Issue #9.  Edited by Seth Crossman, this particular issue not only features myself but stories by Wayne Helge, Poetry by Darrell Lindsey, and Cover Art by Jem French.  It’s a classic issue, in both free format and print format (eventual release through LULU)…  Online articles, too.  Enjoy!

“Still one of my favorite stories we have ever published. We hope you enjoy the issue.”

— Seth Crossman, editor of the Opinion Guy

OG’s SPECULATIVE FICTION Issue #23 – Feature Author

Available in print via LULU, or as a free PDF – THE OPINION GUY.

HOMEPAGE (with articles):

www.theopinionguy.com

FREE PDF DOWNLOADS (for most readers):

http://theopinionguy.com/2010/03/ogs-speculative-fiction-issue-23/

http://theopinionguy.com/ogs-speculative-fiction/

PURCHASE A PRINT ISSUE (Convention Copies):

‘Also featuring Lawrence R. Dagstine’

ORDER SAMPLE ISSUE BELOW:

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

Lawrence Dagstine: “A Day at the Brooklyn Museum…”

The following series of pictures were taken a little over a year ago, when I went on a research trip to The Brooklyn Museum of New York.  During that time, between 2008 and early 2009, there was an Ancient Egyptian/Assyrian Exhibit.  They also had an “Old School” Graffiti Art exhibit on the 5th Floor.  It was a lot of fun.  I got to see some real mummies (which you’ll see below), tombs, statues, canvases, masks, and a whole lot of other interesting stuff from the days before Christ.  I finally got around to resizing some of those other photographs.  The results of this visit would be a short article for an archeological magazine and an alternate history tale featuring Cleopatra (novelette-length).  Here they are, finally, in all their glory.  Historical and artistic pics.

Assyria * Ancient Egypt * Mummies * Tombs

The mummies were the freakiest…

(There were more pics for this exhibit, but those were sold along with the article)

Asian Artifacts * Age-Old Trinkets * Masks * Molds

 

Paintings * Canvases * Stained-Glass Works

Graffiti Art Exhibit * Urban Art Canvases * Retro Works

As you can tell, you could even participate…

 

For more information about the Brooklyn Museum of New York:

www.brooklynmuseum.org

200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11238-6099
(718) 638-5000

The Random Eye, Volume #2… (2010 Edition!)

The 2010 edition of The Random Eye is now up — an annual e-Zine dedicated to alternatives, communication that breaks the mold, universes or altiverses that are parallel in nature, and where, for the new decade, tea is the ongoing theme.  Edited by Melissa Jones, The Random Eye is also The Random Radio.  Published annually.  Come, click, and have a cup.

The Random Eye, Volume #2

MAIN HOMEPAGE:

http://therandomeye.atspace.com/index.html

THE RANDOM EYE on TWITTER:

http://twitter.com/therandomeye

FREE FICTION – THEME: TEA…

http://therandomeye.atspace.com/thegirlwhodreamtportals.html

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

The Next Time: Alternate Reality-Time Traveling Anthology…

 

Now Available on Amazon – 298 Pages, Only $11.95; featuring Lawrence Dagstine!

THE NEXT TIME: Anthology of Alternate Reality/Time Travel

Edited by Chris Bartholomew – Now Available!

The Next Time Anthology by Lame Goat Press

Order your copy today — I’m in it:

https://www.createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do?id=3424257

ISBN/EAN13: 1450519180 / 9781450519182

Author Line-Up: John C. Mannone, Mark Wolf, James P. Wagner, Shells Walter, Lawrence R. Dagstine, Kristin Aune, Kyle Hemmings, Ralph Greco, Pete Carter, Deborah Walker, Albert Melear, Sam S. Kepfield, John F. D. Taff, Lawrence Barker, Terence Kuch, Jo Thomas, Andrew Males, Edward A. Rodosek, David C. Pinnt, Michael C. Pennington, R.H. Reese, Christopher Jacobsmeyer, Joseph Carfagno, Sean Monaghan, John X. Grey, Mark Robinson, Jamie K. Schmidt, and Ken Head.

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”