The discussion forum at SFFWorld.com hosts an international community of speculative fiction fans. Every day we gather to discuss (and sometimes argue) just about every aspect of the stories we love. We pick our favorite characters, commend artist’s renditions of worlds-imagined, and share our reading lists – ad nauseam.

Actually, this latter is probably the forum’s greatest asset. There’s always a new member looking for the next great book and our seasoned members never fail to inundate them with excellent book suggestions.

We also have a dedicated section for specific authors like Jon Sprunk (check out his newest book Blood and Iron announced here on SFFWorld.com), Michael J. Sullivan (win a copy of his latest book – Hollow World here), and Alison Croggon.

Another part of our forum is dedicated to the craft of writing. Members from all over the world come to this section to share their own stories, swap writing and publishing advice, and generally bolster our collective confidence as we attempt to imitate our favorite authors (though to be clear – we do not write fan fiction).

In the spirit of sharing, last year, we managed to organize ourselves long enough to put together a short-story anthology. Titled The End – Visions of the Apocalypse, it was written in response to the impending December 21st, 2012 end-of-the-world prediction and dedicated to Ray Bradbury, who passed from this world in June, 2012. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology go to Africare, a worthy cause, so get yourself a copy here.

We enjoyed that process so much, we did it again.

This time we partnered up with Mark Lawrence, dark-fantasy author extraordinaire, to compile a collection of short stories exploring the number 13 and luck. After much teeth-gnashing, failed drafts, and general mayhem, I’m proud to present: Lucky or Unlucky? 13 Stories of Fate.

The apocalypse rides into town and only one man can stop it. An engineer stationed on an aluminium world attempts to thwart a superhero gone mad. A lucky device proves the opposite. Magic and mayhem ensue at the 13th gate of hell. Can two unlucky people change their fate? These are 13 tales of luck. All richly told stories of characters down on their luck, relying on their luck, or simply have bad luck. Featuring all new stories by Michael Aaron, Charlotte Ashley, Eric Best, Nils Durban, Wilson Geiger, Andrew Leon Hudson, A. Lynn, J. R. Murdock, J. M. Odell, Michell Plested, Tristis Ward, and N. E. White. The collection is rounded off by dark-fantasy writer Mark Lawrence, author of the Broken Empire series.

Much of the proceeds of this second anthology will be donated to Children’s Hospice in the United Kingdom (charity chosen by Mark Lawrence), so do them all a favor and get your copy here.

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