Melissa Yuan-Innes thought she was normal until her friend informed her, "Melissa, you are many things, but you are not normal." Melissa's an emergency physician who invented Hope Sze, the resident doctor who saves lives, solves murder, and will encounter dragons in her most recent thriller, Sugar and Vice.

Melissa's protagonists range from honeybees to a 90-year-old grandmother astronaut actor who gets a body transplant.

Dog Vs. Aliens, Grandma Othello & Shaolin Monks in Space by Melissa Yuan-Innes

An alien sells hot dogs in Toronto. Shaolin monks join a space mission. Bees and bacteria rebel against humankind. And a bonobo-human hybrid falls in love for the first time.

Award-winning author Melissa Yuan-Innes collects her unique stories and poems set on earth, on the moon, and beyond, injecting science fiction with heart and humor. Exclusive for the Weird Bundle, she includes her daring, bizarre, and probably offensive poem, "Quest."

Derringer Award for Short Fiction for "My Two-Legs"

Prix Aurora Award for Best Poem/Song for "Rapunzel in the Desert"

Writers & Illustrators of the Future for "Skin Song"

CURATOR'S NOTE

•There is no one else on the planet quite like Melissa Yuan-Innes. Would you believe the same person writes incredibly weird fiction like this, then turns around and writes the Hope Sze medical mystery series, all while raising a family and working as an emergency physician? When you jump into the unique collection of stories and poems that is Dog vs. Aliens, you'll see what I mean…and you'll be glad this bundle introduced you to someone with such a wild imagination and appealing voice. It helps a lot that she is such an effervescent person away from the printed page, as well, and brings that energy to everything she does in spades. Get to know her here, and you'll be a fan of her work—and Melissa herself—for life. – Robert Jeschonek

 

REVIEWS

  • "Powerful ... extremely interesting and intellectually stimulating. Something of a learning experience, in fact. Definitely stirs my sense of wonder. Highly recommended."

    – Amazing Stories

  • "Wonderful ... Each story is uniquely intelligent, and each work is thought-provoking in unexpected ways. Well worth every penny!"

    – Author Bobi Leutschaft Poitras

  • "A doomed mission to meet a group of aliens who may or may not exist is made more problematic when the crew begin to exhibit signs of radiation sickness. It's an effective piece of traditional SF re-energized by flashes of Chinese culture. Recommended…."

    – Colin Harvey, Suite 101.com
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Hunting and Gathering on Earth

A pretty pair of meat
Dog-walk down the street,
Too deep in their bliss
To hear our hungry hiss.

My bellies rumble gas
At her delicious mass.
Her red-haired, bearded mate
Will add color to our plate.

Let’s flip and the winner
Wins both plus dog for dinner.
The loser licks the leavings
And seeks tomorrow’s teethings.

Zap them in their tracks!
Instant frozen snacks.
Now get the dog—oh, damn!
The TurboZap is jammed!

The dog stands and growls
Despite our fright’ning howls.
At last we fly away
In search of simpler prey.

* * *

Honorable Mention in The Binnacle's Eighth Annual International Ultra-Short Competition Edition. Reprinted in Polar Borealis.