A Superhero for Christmas #StoryAdventCalendar

art by Rebecca Fyfe

A Superhero Christmas

by Rebecca Fyfe

Santa Claus shook his head at Dancer. 

"I know you are anxious to get going, but the accident means we won't be able to deliver presents. Prancer and Blitzen both have broken legs, my back is out and the sleigh's landing gear got smashed. I'm afraid Christmas isn't going to happen this year." Santa sighed heavily.

Blitzen looked at Santa intently. 

"Well, I suppose you're right," Santa said. "I could call the Superhero Official Force Task. SOFT might have a way to save Christmas."

Santa picked up the phone and made the call.

"Superhero Official Task Force here. How may we help?" The receptionist at SOFT rarely took any holiday time off.

art by Robert Fyfe

"This is Santa Claus," Santa said into the phone. "I have an emergency. There's been an accident, and I'm afraid my sleigh and reindeer are out of commission. With my back out too, I'm afraid Christmas will have to be cancelled unless you have a superhero there who can save the day."

The members of the Superhero Official Task Force who were on duty all gathered in the SOFT conference room to discuss how they were going to save Christmas. 

Sea Siren offered up her water creatures to traverse the sea, bringing gifts to far-off locations. She even had some waterproof storage for the gifts and toys.

art by Rebecca Fyfe

Ink allowed her tattoo beasts to mist up off of her skin and form into living creatures. "My tiger, wolf and dragons will help," she said. Her tattoo wings burst forth into real ones on her back. "And I can take some gifts too."

art by Rebecca Fyfe

Fire Angel let her huge feathered wings expand across the room. "I can deliver toys too."

Shadow smiled, pulling the shadows in the room around her. "I can form a shadow sleigh and reindeer and deliver gifts. I've been practising, so it shouldn't be too hard to hold the form through the night."

Demon Huntress pouted. "None of my special abilities will help deliver presents." She really wanted to help.

art by Rebecca Fyfe

"Neither will mine," said Warrior Mom. "But I would hate any children to go without presents from Santa this Christmas."

"Well," Demon Huntress had an idea. "I know of a dragon nearby. It's been terrorizing a local neighbourhood and killing people. I was going to head out to fight and kill it, but if you fight with me, maybe we can tame it long enough to deliver some of the gifts."

art by Rebecca Fyfe

"Let's go," Warrior Mom said, and the two of them suited up, grabbed their weapons and headed out.

All of the children with toys from Santa got their toys that Christmas. But for the few children who were naughty enough to try and sneak a peek to see if Santa was real, they got to see something else entirely. They either saw two women riding a dragon, dolphins and whales speeding across the ocean with giant red sacks on their backs, inky black tigers, wolves and dragons delivering their gifts along with a dark-looking fairy of some sort or a sleigh and reindeer made of shadows.

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The superheroes in this story were pulled from my creations for "SuperHERo Tales: A Collection of Female Superhero Stories" - Volume One and Volume Two. Volume One is out now and Volume Two will be out in January.

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Merry Christmas! I hope you have enjoyed all of the stories in this Story Advent Calendar!

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This story is part of the Story Advent Calendar Blog Hop. Every day from December 1st through December 25th, a variety of authors are providing you with one story to read to your child on the lead-up to Christmas. Check out the posts below to see which one to read to your child tomorrow!
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Melusine Muse Press taking submissions for SupeHERo Tales - Volume 2

This is the cover for volume one, designed by Julia Lela Stilchen.

SuperHERo Tales (Volume 2)

This series of anthologies was created with the idea in mind that girls do not have enough female superhero stories to read and female superhero characters to look up to, at least not as avidly represented in the media as the male superheroes, so we, as writers, want to create and provide our own.

You need to create a character. She is female and a superhero, but what she looks like, what her powers are, what she wears and what kind of personality she has is all up to you. Start by outlining these specific things:

Name of female superhero:

Name of human alter ego, if different:

Superhero Appearance (hair, eyes, body type, etc.):

Human alter ego appearance (if she has an alter ego):

Costume:

Personality:

Brief description of how the superheroine gets her powers (i.e. born with them, radioactive accident, mad scientist experiments on her, etc.):

Powers:

Anything else important:

Once you have filled these details in, write a flash fiction or short story, no less than 300 words long and no longer than 1,000 words, that is a complete scene. This scene can be one that shows how your character develops her powers, how she becomes a superhero. It can be a fight scene, showing how she uses her powers. It can be a romance scene (PG, please) showing how she interacts with her love interest (if she has one). It can be anything you want it to be that shows some aspect of your character, something important to her life. It doesn't have to be a complete story, but it must be a complete scene. Think of it as if you have your own TV series dedicated to your superhero, and this short story is one episode of the series. (That suggests it should at least have an end to the scene, even though everyone watching/reading knows that the story continues.)

At the beginning of the page, before starting the list, type your name and the word count. Then type the word "anthology:" and add "yes."

E-mail your story to Melusine Muse Press at the e-mail listed below.

You may submit up to three stories.

Because this is for charity, there will be no payment, but your name will be listed as a contributing author and you will have an author bio (which you will have to send in) near the end of the book. The book will be published in e-book and print formats.

Note: If you contributed a story/superhero to the first SuperHERo Tales, you may write about the same superhero, but must have a different piece of flash fiction about her - readers must learn something new about your superheroine that they did not learn in the first anthology.

Deadline: September 30th, 2014

Art submissions: This anthology is for a charity that benefits girls, and as we are creating female superheroes in the comic tradition, we are looking for some superhero drawings to represent the superheroes. E-mail me for a list of the descriptions of the superheroes that have been added to the anthology so far if you plan on submitting a drawing or more than one drawing. Because this is for charity, there will be no payment, but your name will be listed as the artist and you will have an artist bio (which you will have to send in) near the end of the book. We reserve the right not to use any illustrations in the anthology. We are looking for superheroines drawn in the comic book style only.

You may submit multiple illustrations.

Deadline: September 30th, 2014

E-mail story and art submissions to Rebecca (at) Fyfe (dot) net.

Authors retain all rights to submitted stories. If your story is accepted, you will be e-mailed a contract.

Proceeds from the anthology will go to Because I Am a Girl. From the website:

"Because I am a Girl is a global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls’ rights and lift millions of girls – and everyone around them – out of poverty.

Girls in the poorest regions of the world are among the most disadvantaged people on the planet. They are more likely to live in poverty, more likely to be denied access to education, more likely to be denied medical care, and more likely to be malnourished, simply because they’re girls. And yet, studies show that if you give a girl enough to eat, an education and a safe environment, she’ll work to raise the standard of living for herself, her family and her community.

 We operate a wide range of programs worldwide to improve the status of girls and give them equal access to health care, education, protection, independence, and an opportunity to participate in society.

Our State of the Worlds Girls report series is an ongoing investigation to shine the light on  specific barriers to young girls’ development and their access to basic human rights."

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Jingle Bells available in print and SuperHERo Tales available on kindle!

“Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from Around the World” is now available in both print and kindle, and now “SuperHERo Tales: A Collection of Female Superhero Stories” is available in kindle!

Both are full of amazing stories from talented authors. Jingle Bells has some wonderful artwork and stories that are great for kids and adults alike. SuperHERo Tales has some stories great for older children  and adults throughout, along with stories for younger children towards the back.

Both of these books will make wonderful gifts for the loved ones on your Christmas list, and SuperHERo Tales will be available in print later this week!

About “Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from Around the World”:

Let these wonderful stories of holiday magic fill your heart with peace and love for the holiday season. From dragons at Christmas to dancing for Hanukkah, from fairy friends to a mermaid’s gift, you’ll find many stories within these pages to bring a smile to your face. With 33 wonderful short stories and 5 poems, written for children and adults alike, there is a variety of tales, written by authors from around the world, to help you find a bit of that holiday spirit to warm your heart.

Proceeds from the sale of Jingle Bells go towards the Chapter Book Challenge. 

About “SuperHERo Tales: A Collection of Female Superhero Stories”:

Girls are under-represented when it comes to superhero movies, toys and other merchandise. This wonderful group of authors decided to do something about it. Within these pages, you will find stories of female superheroes to enchant and delight. You will read all about their powers and their masked identities and then get to read a short story that gives you insight into who they are or who they will become. You’ll find action, adventure, magic and betrayal. You’ll find everyday female heroes, as well as super-powered heroines and devious villains. From friendly encounters to government conspiracies, 27 new superheroes, all FEMALE superheroes, can be found represented in these stories, written by 24 talented authors. 

From the foreword by Emmie Mears: 

"When I was growing up I was told superheroes weren't for me... that superheroes and comic books weren't for girls. They were for boys... This anthology is a tribute to superheroes who happen to have XX chromosomes. I want the next generation of girls to grow up in a world where they won't get told superheroes aren't for them."

Proceeds from sales of SuperHERo Tales go towards the charity Because I am a Girl. 

About the charity (from their pages on their website):

"Because she is a girl, she’s more likely to suffer from malnutrition, be forced into an early marriage, be subjected to violence, be sold into the sex trade, or become infected with HIV. Because she is a girl, she faces discrimination in her own home. Because she is a girl, she’ll have limited access to a doctor or even a primary education (if she’s able to go to school at all). But we’re here to change all that. Because being a girl should always be a positive, empowering experience." 

Get your print copies of “Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from around the World” here.

Get your kindle copies of “Jingle Bells: Tales of Holiday Spirit from Around the World” here.  

Get your kindle copy of “SuperHERo Tales: A Collection of Female Superhero Stories” here. 


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