Fantastical science fiction and fantasy stories — time travel, space exploration, afterlife fantasy, and cyberpunk by author Nicholas Licalsi.https://nicholaslicalsi.com/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/forgive-yourself-sooner/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/forgive-yourself-sooner/I am eager to improve. There are targets that I want to hit. Goals and images of success in my head. I don't plan to stop once I achieve them. After all I…Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/outcome-of-embracing-discomfort/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/outcome-of-embracing-discomfort/Last week I posted about how I'd decided to write for 25 minutes every day starting September 3rd. September is over, I'm writing this on October 1st. Here's…Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/being-uncomfortable/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/being-uncomfortable/I am uncomfortable right now. Not unhappy or frustrated or any other real negative emotion. Merely uncomfortable. I am uncomfortable because I need to write.…Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/phases-along-the-storytelling-path/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/phases-along-the-storytelling-path/Often people tell me that they want to write fiction like I do. Usually they tell me that they tried to write a novel and they just didn't have it in them.…Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/like-a-horse-not-a-car/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/like-a-horse-not-a-car/I am an engineer at heart and likely always will be. Even after nearly 10 years of writing and pursuing a more creative career I still think of things in terms…Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/tapping-work-forward/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/tapping-work-forward/As I write this I am grieving my dog who died a few weeks ago. It's been a tough few weeks for a lot of reasons. Part of me wants to get back to work. Part of…Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/slugs-of-dale-cannon-available-today/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/slugs-of-dale-cannon-available-today/For the past three months I've been sending chapters from my latest serial novella The Slugs of Dale Cannon. I hope that you've been enjoying it so far. I…Fri, 05 Apr 2024 11:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-12-jailbreak-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-12-jailbreak-slugs/The comatose colonists have woken up, including Rystole's mother. Unfortunately Rystole has landed himself, and his friend Bert, in jail. This is the final…Fri, 22 Mar 2024 11:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-11-a-view-from-above-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-11-a-view-from-above-slugs/Rystole's had a hard conversation with his father and it's clear what he's got to do. If you missed last weeks installment, want to share with friends, or just…Fri, 15 Mar 2024 17:14:07 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-10-sunset-porch-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-10-sunset-porch-slugs/Things just aren't going Rystole's way. Speaker Grisham won't hear reason, the town doesn't want to negotiate with the slugs. What's a rancher supposed to do?…Fri, 08 Mar 2024 19:56:40 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-9-a-conversation-with-a-crowd-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-9-a-conversation-with-a-crowd-slugs/Rystole, Bert, and Dr. Yu have established communication with the slug colony. Now it's time to discuss options with the colony. If you missed last weeks…Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-8-a-conversation-with-a-chorus-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-8-a-conversation-with-a-chorus-slugs/After escaping the slug invasion at the town hall the colony of Dale Cannon is in chaos. If you missed last weeks installment, want to share with friends, or…Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-7-hunker-down-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-7-hunker-down-slugs/The slugs have attacked the town hall and the colonists of Dale Cannon. Rystole and Bert have fled to the office in hopes of using the gun against the slugs…Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-6-unexpected-announcements-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-6-unexpected-announcements-slugs/With a slug captured and dissected and Bert's weapon a proven success things are looking up for Rystole and the rest of the colony. Surely nothing will go…Fri, 09 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-5-digging-in/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-5-digging-in/Rystole and his friend Bert have brought back a slug. But what will the Doctor Yu and other townsfolk react? If you missed last weeks installment, want to…Fri, 02 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-4-a-curious-contraption-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-4-a-curious-contraption-slugs/After a frustrating conversation with his father Rystole is hopeful that his friend Bert will have good news for him. If you missed last weeks installment,…Fri, 26 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-3-an-evening-at-the-whitlocks-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-3-an-evening-at-the-whitlocks-slugs/Rystole's friend Bert Morris had some ideas about the broken radio, but needs some time to put something together. Rystole needs some time for dinner... Find…Fri, 19 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-2-broken-in-an-interesting-way-slugs/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-2-broken-in-an-interesting-way-slugs/After the slugs invaded the Whitman cabin Rystole begins to investigate why the broken radio bothered the toxic slugs. Find previous chapters on The Slugs of…Fri, 12 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-1-intruders-slugs-of-dale-cannon/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/chapter-1-intruders-slugs-of-dale-cannon/The wooden planks of the living room creaked under the weight of Rystole Whitlock’s work boots. Normally he’d have to take them off at the door, a…Fri, 05 Jan 2024 13:37:13 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/aldrens-abandoned-station/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/aldrens-abandoned-station/Feldman's Station was quiet despite it being Elder's Day. The once-crowded station had, like most of the Central System, cleared out. They hadn't gone anywhere…Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/a-scream-through-time-sneak-peak/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/a-scream-through-time-sneak-peak/This is a sneak peak of my latest book A Scream Through Time now available everywhere books are sold! Todd Rungson can travel through time and the multiverse…Fri, 03 Nov 2023 10:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/bleeding-rock-sneak-peak/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/bleeding-rock-sneak-peak/This is a sneak peak of my latest book Bleeding Rock now available everywhere books are sold! Mauve, a talented mechanic, always dreamed of leaving her…Fri, 01 Sep 2023 11:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/souvenir-of-the-valley/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/souvenir-of-the-valley/Thin metal blinds, bent and broken in multiple spots, did little to stop the neon colors of the billboard across the street from illuminating the bedroom. The…Fri, 04 Aug 2023 11:00:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/the-beasts-ledger-part-2-a-cyber-punk-short-story/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/the-beasts-ledger-part-2-a-cyber-punk-short-story/This is the second and final part of Beast's Ledger a Cyber Punk Short Story. You can catch up by reading Part 1 Here. J-Red fell backwards out of the bar…Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:30:00 GMThttps://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/the-beasts-ledger-part-1-a-cyber-punk-short-story/https://nicholaslicalsi.com/blog/the-beasts-ledger-part-1-a-cyber-punk-short-story/J-Red stood in front of the seven headed beast. Every black scale on the seven long necks stood out with perfect precision, which was an improvement over last…Fri, 02 Jun 2023 11:15:00 GMT