Kid Wolf & Kraken Boy

The French translation of “Kid Wolf & Kraken Boy” is a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire

The finalists for the prestigious Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire have been announced, and my novella “Kid Wolf & Kraken Boy” is on the ballot in the “NOUVELLE ÉTRANGÈRE / FOREIGN SHORT FICTION” category!

It’s the oldest and biggest French prize dedicated to the “literatures of the imaginary” – I am so moved and grateful to the awards jury and to my incredible publisher, Le Bélial’! I don’t read French so I can’t appreciate the quality of the translation, but I have gotten so much love from French readers of this book that I know it is amazing.

merci merci merci!

graphic that says FINALISTES GPI 2025 with a dragon made of tree roots

KID WOLF & KRAKEN BOY wins the Subjective Chaos Kind of Award.

Incredible news – Kid Wolf & Kraken Boy is a winner of the Subjective Chaos Kind Of Award!

According to the organizers:

“Sam J Miller’s brilliant novella is a period fantasy of New York’s 1920s boxing scene, ruthlessly controlled by Jewish gangsters and infused with tattoo magic. Betrayal, forbidden love and labour rights are key themes in a story that swept me off my feet and left me giddy with its ambitions to fight for a better world.”

More on the award itself:

The Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards are an annual celebration of science fiction, fantasy, and stories that combine speculative elements from multiple genres. A rotating panel of book lovers nominates, reads, debates and votes to award the very best – in our opinion – across a number of subgenres and formats. SKCA beats the drum for great fiction that might otherwise have passed readers by. It has been acknowledged as a significant award for stories outside the mainstream and as a lair for dangerously chaotic opinions.

Dangerously chaotic – the state to which I aspire.

And the award trophy is a painted pebble!! 😍😍😍 Profoundly grateful to the organizers and judges.

Announcing KID WOLF & KRAKEN BOY.

My first novella drops July 13 from Rebellion/Solaris’s Satellites line!! KID WOLF & KRAKEN BOY is the story of forbidden love between a Jewish boxer & his tattoo artist in 1920s NYC. Also there’s a bad-ass crime empress. And tattoos give magic powers.

The full flap copy:

“Kid” Wolffe is an up-and-coming boxer in 1920s New York. An honest fighter’s got little chance at success on the mob-controlled circuit—until ambitious lieutenant “Hinky” Friedman starts making moves to take over her boss’s business, and sees a use for the kid.

Teitelstam is a struggling tattoo artist, whose natural talent for ink magic won’t amount to much without formal training. So he’s got no idea why Hinky would offer him ten times what he’s worth to come work for her.

But Hinky has a vision for a better world, and her high-stakes plan to make it reality requires both Wolffe’s fists and Teitelstam’s magic. What neither Wolffe nor Teitelstam expects is to fall in love; and in this world, love might be more dangerous than deadly magic or an underworld turf war…