I am represented by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

My Campbell clock started January 30, 2006 when Strange Horizons published my story, Portrait of Ari. That story is still on the web, but much of my other short fiction is hard to find. I’ve pulled five stories out of my sales that reflect a range of the kinds of fiction I write.

If you are a voting member of WorldCon and would like to read more, look through the bibliography. See a story that isn’t available? Drop me a line and I’ll send it to you.

You can download the .zip directory of stories. This collection includes
For Solo Cello, op. 12 — Originally published in Cosmos
Bound Man — Originally published in Twenty Epics
Death Comes But Twice — Originally published in Talebones
This Little Pig — originally published in Cicada
Cerbo en Vitra ujo — originally published in Apex Digest

Short Fiction

Death Comes But Twice — Talebones (#35)

My dearest Lily,
Forgive me. I would be with you now, rather than closeted in my study, but I do not wish you or our children to witness my demise. I love you. I tell you now, so that you will know that my last thought was of you.

“Death Comes But Twice” by Mary Robinette Kowal is a style of horror (with a spike of science fiction) not seen often today. Obviously rooted in classics like Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Bram Stoker's Dracula, this tale of a medical experiment to ward off death addresses the reader directly and has a dark finale and the fine writing that readers have come to expect from Kowal."
Michele Lee --Tangent Online

Some Other Day — All Possible Worlds (1)

Josie Langdon leaned back from her microscope and rolled her neck to ease the kinks. After days spent staring at slides, her eyes strained to refocus on the university lab around her.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow — Gratia Placenti

The moment Tuyet walked into the Dagenais's compartment, she knew something was different. The usual pack of dogs swarmed around her, distracting her, before she figured out that the compartment smelled different.

"The final story in the book, Mary Robinette Kowal’s Tomorrow And Tomorrow is yet another strong tale, concerning both a mother’s love and a husband’s hate. It is also a timely look at the idea of class systems and those who come from elsewhere; where, though being well educated and even well respected in their places or countries of origin, are forced to take menial jobs and face constant ridicule to survive in their new environment." -- Horror World

Evil Robot Monkey — The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction (Vol. 2)

Sliding his hands over the clay, Sly relished the moisture oozing around his fingers. The clay matted down the hair on the back of his hands making them look almost human. He turned the potter's wheel with his prehensile feet as he shaped the vase. Pinching the clay between his fingers he lifted the wall of the vase, spinning it higher.

"Mary Robinette Kowal's Evil Robot Monkey is very short and bitterly moving, about an uplifted chimp." -- Rich Horton, Locus

"Early in 2007 the science-fiction imprint Solaris marked its launch with The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction. A year later, editor George Mann returns with a follow-up, this time featuring strong stories from Kay Kenyon, Michael Moorcock, Mary Robinette Kowal, Eric Brown and others." --The Guardian, Book Review

Suspension and Disbelief — Dr. Who: Destination Prague

The Doctor adjusted the celery in his lapel and stepped out of the TARDIS onto Kampa Island, nestled under the Charles Bridge. He inhaled with appreciation. “Ah, Prague.”

Rampion — Prime Codex

As the warrior guided his horse back home, Sybille pondered what the future might hold. She brushed a strand of her golden hair, still sweat-damp, back from her face. Tracing a path to her belly, her hand came to rest above her womb.
If his seed failed to quicken, her cuckoldry would be for nothing.

Locked In — Apex Digest (#9)

As the ventilator pushed air into his lungs, Samuel savored the brine from the sea. He pretended that he controlled his breath, but that was as much a fantasy as adjusting his wheelchair. He’d lost his last voluntary ability to Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis a year ago.

"'Locked In' by Mary Robinette Kowal is a nasty bit of text wedged into this issue. The other stories were safe, but this one is downright dangerous. The hazard comes, not from technology spinning out of control, but people’s faith in technology being far misplaced. The true evil is in the people, not the tool. The darkness in this piece snuck up on me. This one is a powerful, short piece, not to be missed."
--Michelle Lee

For Solo Cello, op. 12 — Cosmos (February/March 2007)

His keys dropped, rattling on the parquet floor. Julius stared at them, unwilling to look at the bandaged stump where his left hand had been two weeks ago. He should be used to it by now. He should not still be trying to pass things from his right hand to his left.

This made the long list for the Nebula award for best short story.

This Little Pig — Cicada (January/February 2007)

Aage Llievang tried explaining to his mother, but she shook her head. “Now, Aage. Really. Your own car? A car? What would the other co-op members think?”
”Mom, this is a classic! 1952 MG-TD. It’s even–”
”British Racing green… yes, Aage. I know. Your father knows. Your grandmother knows. We all know about the car.”

Cerbo in Vitra ujo — Apex Digest (Issue 6, June 2006)

Grete snipped a diseased branch off her Sunset-Glory rosebush like she was a body harvester looking for the perfect part. Behind the drone of the garden’s humidifiers, she caught a woosh-snick as the airlock door opened. Her boyfriend barreled around Mom’s prize Emperor artichoke. Something was wrong. His soil-dark skin had faded to the color of ash.

"Another strong piece is Cerbo en Vitra ujo, the story of Grete and her attempt to find her lost boyfriend, Kaj, whom she fears is lost to the body harvesters. Mary Robinette Kowal’s story is based on skilful world creation, with a complex social hierarchy that is seamlessly woven together to underpin this tale. ... Terrific."
--Alison Littlewood, Whispers of Wickedness

Bound Man — Twenty Epics (May, 2006)

Light dappled through the trees in the family courtyard, painting shadows on the paving stones. Li Reiko knelt by her son to look at his scraped knee.
”I just scratched it.” Nawi squirmed under her hands.
Her daughter, Aya, leaned over her shoulder studying the healing. “Maybe Mama will show you her armor after she heals you.”

"Most successful is 'Bound Man,' Mary Robinette Kowal’s stark re-humanization of the hero archetype. When the soldier-priest Halldór, hard-pressed by foes, chants the spell to summon the legendary warrior Li Reiko, he has no idea that he is in fact bringing her out of the past, separating her from her children and the life she knows and setting in motion the chain of events that leads to the development of his own culture. As she struggles to adapt to her new reality, Reiko’s grief and anger stand in sharp contrast to the usual devil-may-care attitude of mythical heroes."
–Rose Fox, Strange Horizons

Portrait of Ari — Strange Horizons (January 30, 2006)

Tom bounced with the music that blared on the art studio’s CD player, trying to use its rhythm to stay awake. Pulling all-nighters gave him a certain masochistic joy, but he had passed the point of diminishing returns two hours ago.

“For all its brevity and apparent simplicity, this story packs a strong emotional punch. Beautifully, quietly done.”
–Janice Tilton, Internet Review of Science Fiction

Rampion — The First Line (Spring 2005)

As the warrior guided his horse back home, she pondered what the future might hold. Sybille brushed a strand of her golden hair, still sweat-damp, back from her face. Tracing a path to her belly, her hand came to rest above her womb.
If his seed failed to quicken, her cuckoldry would be for nothing.

forthcoming

For Solo Cello, op. 12 — Science Fiction: The Best of the Year (2008 Edition)

Clockwork Chickadee — Clarkesworld Magazine (June)

The clockwork chickadee was not as pretty as the nightingale. But she did not mind. She pecked the floor when she was wound, looking for invisible bugs. And when she was not wound, she cocked her head and glared at the sparrow, whom she loathed with every tooth on every gear in her pressed-tin body.

The sparrow could fly.

Audio Fiction

	Rampion - Recorded for The First Line on Tape, September 2005. Wonderful story. And a good, low-key, but chilling reading. –Orson Scott Card Listen to it
	Murder of Crows - Written and recorded for Willamette Radio Workshop, October 2003 This won a Ogle Award for Fantasy and Horror in 2003