THE AFTERLIFE PROJECT shortlisted for Uncharted Magazine’s Novel Excerpt Contest
April 1, 2024 § Leave a comment
Happy to report that the new novel, a finalist for the Prism Prize in Climate Literature, has garnered another pre-publication recognition. Uncharted is a magazine dedicated to high quality genre fiction, and I couldn’t be more pleased to have made this shortlist.
THE AFTERLIFE PROJECT will be released by Podium Publishing in all three formats—print, audio, and ebook—in early 2025.
If you’re interested in staying extra up-to-date on the book, and/or if you’d like to take advantage of various opportunities to get your hands on advance review copies, send me a quick note and I’ll add you to my email newsletter.* Otherwise, feel free to check in at your own pace here on my website or on my socials; I occasionally post as “vtweeder” on Instagram and Threads, and you can also find my pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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New longlists/shortlists
September 9, 2021 § Leave a comment
A cynic might say something like “always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” but I’ve never been a cynic and I’m pleased to report these recent honors:
Semi-Finalist, 2021 Leapfrog Press Global Fiction Prize, for a novel, THE HAVANA STANDARD
Finalist, 2021 Southern Humanities Review Editors Chapbook Prize, for a novelette, AMONG THE MONOLITHS
Honorable Mention, 2021 Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition (Mainstream/Literary), for a short story, VIRGIN OF THE APOCALYPSE
Honorable Mention, 2021 Cisco Writing Club, Annual Summer Writing Contest (Short Stories), for a short story, SKIN MONKEYS
None of these works has been published yet. Stay tuned!
New fiction shortlisted for the Fish International Short Story Prize
March 17, 2021 § Leave a comment
While winning is always preferred, I’m pleased and honored to have received this recognition from Ireland-based Fish Publishing, which holds an international competition for their prestigious yearly short fiction anthology. You can see the list and read about this year’s excellent winners here.

I’ve been finding short stories to be a refreshing form to work in during the breaks between novel drafts. This one is based on some research I did on Charles Darwin’s experiences in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. It was titled “The Origin” when I submitted it; it’s now, tentatively, “The Tawny-Green Steppe.”
Here’s a photo of yours truly in Torres del Paine, one of the landscapes that served as inspiration for the story:
New novel is a finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Award
September 9, 2019 § 3 Comments
Just learned that my new novel, THE HAVANA STANDARD, has been selected as a finalist for the 2019 William Faulkner-WilliamWisdom Award for a Novel-in-Progress. The manuscript is currently being shopped around to acquiring editors, so fingers crossed . . .
Will Poole’s Island named to Bank Street’s Best Books of the Year
March 23, 2015 § 3 Comments
Very pleased to note that Will Poole’s Island has made the prestigious Bank Street College of Education’s annual list of “The Best Children’s Books of the Year.” Will Poole’s Island was chosen in the “Mystery and Adventure” category, and although the novel was not written exclusively for children, it’s a great honor to make the list—and it increases the likelihood of getting it into the hands of more readers of all ages. The 2015 edition recognizes books published in 2014.



Honored and very pleased to report that 
