YES! YES!!!!!! this anthology features my very own “GET IN THE FUCKING ROBOT” story featuring sapphic chinese-american underground mecha pilots beating shit up in the nation’s largest dump (which really exists) while also falling madly and furiously in love https://twitter.com/sblackmoore/status/1248753848790835201

it is written in the second-person POV, 80% because the protagonist is constantly dissociating due some hardcore PTSD, 20% because second-person is fucking great. this is also the first story where I’ve explored abandonment & satellite babies, as a satellite baby myself

I was born in the US, sent to china to be raised by other family when I was 1, then sent back to the US around 2 or 3 to be permanently (communally) raised by family in CA. it’s not uncommon, but I’m only now exploring how it’s its own form of family separation, albeit voluntary

this is also set in the world I’m building where the US and china have a complete trade embargo. so the reason there are mechas in the first place is because china no longer processes US trash and recycling, so the US is forced to create “chompers” that digest and reuse trash

naturally, in los angeles, home of drag racing, import drifting, and low-rider culture, people start modding chompers into mechas. underground battles at the dump complete with food trucks, chainsmoking ahjussis, betting, and tailgating ensue

because I am a parody of myself, it is titled “where there are cities, these dissolve too” after calvino’s INVISIBLE CITIES. here’s a sneak peek to show y’all the los angeles I see:

again, that preorder link is here!! http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/speculative-los-angeles/

a lot of my work is in a similar vein. you can find more at http://s.qiouyi.lu , plus erotica set in new angeles, another worldbuilding project, at http://december-seas.com . thanks for reading!