Short Stories

Latest publications as Xan van Rooyen:

The Heretic Harmonic coming soon from Andromeda Spaceways Magazine

Skin to Skin published by Trembling with Fear, Feb 14 2024

The Silence of Broken Things coming soon in Spectrum horror anthology, 2024

Shadows in the Blood forthcoming in the Folkloric anthology from Sentinel Creatives, 2024

“Lost in the Echoes” in Mothersound: The Sauutiverse Anthology, published November 2023 by Android Press. Also available as an Audiobook January 16, 2024

Story-Eater, Spin a Yarn of Chaos published in the Into the Dark Wood anthology, October 2023

The Ghost Beneath my Skin published by Reader Beware Magazine, September 2023

The Broken Bones of Summer published by Mythaxis Magazine, September 30, 2023

Within the Heart of a Sleeping Giant published by Sword&Sorcery, December 31, 2022

All that Glitters is not G(u)ilt published by Hyphenpunk, December 21, 2022

Make a Memory with Me published by Galaxy’s Edge Magazine, September 2022.
Also published in Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022, edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Eugen Bacon and Milton Davis

Anthem for the Chemical Youth in the hopepunk anthology, Hope Riot, October 2022. Republished by Android Press, December 2023.

The Heart is a Strange Star published by The Crow’s Quill, July 22
Also published in Shadowed Realms: The 2022 Indie Dark Fiction Anthology from Horror Tree

Scordatura published by Pyre Magazine, Spring Issue, 2022

In the Library of Longing audio version published by Cast of Wonders, 2022

Calamari Soul published by Seize the Press, 2022

Shatterling published by Bards and Sages Quarterly, January 2022

The Blood that Darkens the Moon published by Silver Pen: Youth Imagination, September 20 2021 (Ethereal-verse)

Once Upon a Solstice published in GROWTH by TL;DR, September 2021 (By the Blood of Rowans tie-in)

Scabbed City published by Hyphenpunk, August 18 2021 (Ethereal-verse)

How to Disappear Completely published in Skinkbeat Review’s PRIDE issue, June 25 2021

Scrimshaw Song published in Issue #1 from Black Cat Lit Magazine, June 2021 (A story of the Fray)

Frayed published by Jay Henge Publishing in the ‘Joining Forces’ anthology, June 2021 (A story of the Fray)

Of Feathers and Flowers published by All Worlds Wayfarer, March 2021 (A story of the Fray)

Reprinted in their Prismatic Dreams, LGBTQ+ anthology, 2022

Wings of Memory from Grace&Victory Publishing in ‘A Quiet Afternoon 2’ anthology, 2021

Aesthesis published by The Colored Lens in Winter 2021, #Issue 38

Psychopomps Anonymous published in the ‘G is for Ghosts‘ anthology, edited by Rhonda Parrish, October 2021

By Blade and Bloom published in the Fox Spirit Book of Love from Fox Spirit Publishing, April 2021 (A story of the Fray)

The Seamstress and the Scavenger published by Curiouser Magazine, April 2021. (A story of the Fray)

Requiem for a Nightclub forthcoming from Bone&Ink Press in their ‘This Is Not a Punk Rock Anthology, It’s a New Wave Anthology’ (NEVER PUBLISHED)

In the Library of Longing published by Daily Science Fiction, 19 Feb 2021

Sonata Apocalyptica published in text and audio formats (read by Alec Sibbald) by Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Issue 32, Nov 24 2020

The Order of Stolen Hearts published by Apparition Lit in the April 2020 ‘Transfiguration‘ collection.

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How To Destroy A.N.G.E.Ls published in Charon’s Song, an anthology from Skolion, 2019 (Ethereal-verse)

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Older Publications – please note, some are now defunct:

Sunflowers and Barbed Wire Fences published by Static Movement in Road Trip anthology, September 2011, subsequently published by Abandoned Towers.

Vox Clamantis in Deserto published online by 365Tomorrows (spelling error in published title by publisher)

*Darkness is Itself a Canvas published by Oysters and Chocolate November 2011

Tartarus published by Sounds of the Night February 2012

Escaping Scoria published by Roar and Thunder, February 2012

The World Beyond the Glass first published by Golden Visions Magazine in their Winter edition, 7 January 2012.

Meddling with Dragons published by Kindling, February 2012.

Killing Jar Captives published by Earthbound Fiction in the Dark Stars Anthology, 2012.

The Ghosts of Ganymede published by Mad Scientist Journal. April 16, 2012.

In The Cemetery of Frozen Ships published by Cast of Wonders, 2012. Audio and text versions.

*Helotry published by Storm Moon Press in the anthology ‘Written in Flesh.’ 14 September 2012.

Where Dreams are Grown published by Niteblade. September 2012. (Nominated for Pushcart Prize 2012)

Fox’s Fire published by Bumples children’s magazine, October 2012

J is for Johannesburg: Pyrrhic Victory published by Static Movement in their A-Z Cities of Death anthology, June 2013.

Ghosts in Me published in Reality Bites anthology by Green Wizard Publishing, April 13, 2013

*Devil’s Threesome published in I Do!? an LGBTQI anthology by ImageOutWrite, October 2013

F is for Finale published in ‘A is for Apocalypse‘ anthology, edited by Rhonda Parrish, April 2014 (Nominated for Pushcart Prize 2014)

Where Dreams are Grown (translated to Finnish) published in Tähtivaeltaja, 2014

Sciomancer published in Space and Time Magazine, Spring 2015

The Machinery of Xmas published in Space Squid, 2015

U is for Unrequited published in ‘B is for Broken’ anthology, edited by Rhonda Parrish, 2015.

W is for Words published in ‘C is for Chimera’ anthology, edited by Rhonda Parrish, 2016.

*Explicit adult content