Claw Machine
an anthology / Janes #4.5
When you hear of claw machines, what do you picture?
In this anthology, claw machines aren’t just beacons for lost dollars and frustration, packed with cheap toys that rarely make it home with us. The claw machine is a game, a curse, a tool, even a drug-induced metaphor. It has omens of death, portals to other dimensions, plushies that aren't what they seem, eggs filled with wishful thinking, society's view on perfection, and so much more.
Claw Machine is a collection of stories, with a special introduction, written by 18 established and emerging authors. Their unique speculative stories and dark fiction will grab and pull you in. Unlike the arcade game, you'll definitely walk away with something after reading these stories.
Stories by Angela Yuriko Smith, Angelique O'Rourke, Beth Cook, Curtis C. Chen, Elle Mitchell, Erik Grove, J.B. Kish, Katherine Quevedo, Laura Burge, Marianne Xenos, Mark Teppo, Pia Baur, Sarah Walker, Simone Cooper, Summer Olsson, Valerie Geary, Wes Mitchell, with an introduction by Will Errickson. | Edited by Elle Mitchell.
While you're at it, I bet you want some stickers? Or maybe one of the few remaining Limited Edition acrylic pins?
Thanks to all of the backers on Kickstarter who brought this book to life!
We had an online reading, you should watch it:
There was a launch party at Up Up Books in Portland.
Some shots from a wonderful event / From left to right, top row to bottom: 1. Elisa's son playing the table top claw machine / 2. Me and the authors who read—one missing (Katherine Quevedo, Laura K. Burge, Beth Cook, Angelique O'Rourke, Will Errickson, Simone Cooper, Elizabeth (Elle) Mitchell, Summer Olsson, Valerie Geary) / 3. Elizabeth (Elle) Mitchell introducing the event / 4. Katherine Quevedo reading / 5. Mark Teppo reading to a packed house / 6. The Space Mermaids (a.k.a. Beth Cook, Angelique O'Rourke, and Elizabeth (Elle) Mitchell / 7. Angelique O'Rourke reading / 8. Will Errickson reading / 9. Beth Cook reading
About that miniature claw machine...
For the Kickstarter, I took a photo of every item in it—each is related to one of the stories. I won't tell you which is which, you'll just have to read them all to figure it out!
