Cirrus@Austlit

'The 26 weird tales in Pick Your Potion are female-centric, mostly queer, and always intriguing.

'Within these pages, you'll find:

'A deadly and addictive magical board game.

'A time-loop demon apocalypse.

'A dimension-jumping cruise ship.

'A competition to win a magical orchard.

'A collection of murder victims' last texts.

'Heartwarming, heart-stopping, and heartbreaking in turn, Pick Your Potion offers a full apothecary of speculative stories to serve the curious reader.' (Publication summary)

'An otherworldly banquet of contemporary fantasy, dark fairy tales and soft science fiction, Next Curious Thing collects some of Gale's best short fiction from 2013 to 2018, including 'In the Beginning, All Our Hands Are Cold' (Syntax & Salt Editor's Award winner) and 'Wrecked' (Tangent Online Recommended Reading List). Known for her ability to mix the extraordinary with the relatable, darkness with splendour, and heartache with hope, Gale showcases a wide cast of fascinating female and queer characters in the most curious of situations. In addition to its previously published stories, Next Curious Thing features six brand new tales original to this collection.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'1. Jack and Jill build an indeterminate time machine.
2. Madalyn Walker returns from fairy land, 3 times.
3. Nine people search for a reason to hold them down to Earth.
4. Illia struggles to direct from within a human body.
5. Two burn to death; one burns others.
6. King Santino unleashes his powers of cut-to.
7. A magic-free world questions its devotion to fairy tale rules.'

'Full of speculative tales, queer ladies, and dark, lush storytelling, The Playbook showcases some of Gale's best stage scripts, including: St Martin's National Playwriting Competition finalist Time Scraps; How to Direct from Inside, which enjoyed a sold-out original season at La Mama; and Shining Armour, Gale's most popular musical, which premiered at the famous The 1812 Theatre.'

Source : publisher's blurb