Quantum Kittens

Cats love the extraordinary.

From marbles that are red and blue at the same time to feathers that spontaneously appear and disappear, the cat world is a little funkier than ours.  This illustrated dive into their world aims to explain the concepts of quantum physics, and how these properties open doors to powerful computing.

Also available in Spanish, Japanese and French!

Permanent link: quantumkittens.online

Fiction Bibliography:

• R. P. Sand. “Shadows on the Pavement.” Lightspeed Magazine. May 2025.
• R. P. Sand. “So You Want to Run a Temporal Coffee Shop.” Worlds of Possibility. December 2024.
• R. P. Sand. “Eternity is Moments.” Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. September 2024.
• R. P. Sand. “An Ode to Stardust.” Clarkesworld. February 2023.
• R. P. Sand. “No Truer Shades.” ParSec Magazine #6. January 2023.
• R. P. Sand. “Rat-tail Tea and Buttermilk Biscuits.” Constelación Magazine. October 2021.
• R. P. Sand. “The Last Civilian.” Clarkesworld. January 2021.
• R. P. Sand. “Ask the Fireflies.” Clarkesworld. September 2020.
• R. P. Sand. “Everett’s Cat.” Nature: Futures. August 2020.

Shadows on the Pavement

You are what blooms between my thoughts.

A fantasy flash fiction piece that is a love letter to you. Yes, you.

Published in Lightspeed Magazine in May 2024.

So You Want to Run a Temporal Coffee Shop

Believe you me, the work is harder than it looks.

A whimsical, witchy, fantasy short story about a temporal coffee shop for magical folks.

Published in Worlds of Possibility December 2024.

I narrated this story for the editor’s podcast and they made the text available on their blog. Read or listen for free by clicking the below button, or purchase the issue here.

Eternity is Moments

A dying earth and a question: what truly is abundance?

A sci-fi short story about a granddaughter who yearns for her grandfather’s approval.

Published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in September 2024. 

You can purchase the issue here.

Solicited for The Year’s Best Science Fiction on Earth anthology 2025.

Read my author interview over on the Asimov’s blog, in which I talk about this story, writing craft, and inspiration.

An Ode to Stardust

When midnight stars ignite the skies….

A far future sci-fi piece set on a mining moon in the Archipelago about a chronically ill, neurodivergent woman who becomes the youngest Station Commander in history. This is a sequel to Ask the Fireflies, but also works as a standalone.

Published in Clarkesworld on February 1, 2023.

Made the prestigious 2023 Locus Recommended Reading List.

No Truer Shades

This. This is what happens when a witch who is no good at being a witch tries to run a business.

An introspective novelette about a witch trying to find her place in the world. This story is my love letter to anyone who’s ever felt unworthy of taking up space or pursuing a dream.

First published in ParSec Magazine Issue #6, January 2023.

The Last Civilian

We are at war with the Uilai. The Uilai must be eliminated.

The Last Civilian is a sci-fi-fantasy novelette set in the same universe as Ask the Fireflies.

Published in Clarkesworld on January 1, 2021.

Made the prestigious 2021 Locus Recommended Reading List.

Ask the Fireflies

No, Alshea is not “as good as dead.”

Ask the Fireflies is a far future sci-fi novelette set on a mining moon.

First line: They say the universe was created when a Giant lit a matchstick.

Published in Clarkesworld on September 1, 2020.

Rat-tail Tea and Buttermilk Biscuits

Oh, what’s a witch to do??

This short story is a letter from a witch to her best friend about a predicament she finds herself in.

First published in Constelación Magazine on Oct. 4, 2021. 

Everett’s Cat

What if it was Everett and not Schrödinger who thought of the cat?

Everett’s Cat is a sci-fi flash fiction piece.

First line: For the first time, my sister didn’t die.

Published in Nature Futures on Aug. 5, 2020.

Sujhaav#667

Battling inner demons doesn’t have to be lonely.

An emotional, psychological indie feature film with a splash of the supernatural about mental health & the power of strong friendships. Main characters are badass Indian women in America.

Story concept: Sailaja Bandhopadhyay

The Taste of Water

Water is alive…it feels, remembers, and likes sweet things.

A fantasy feature film about a sweet shop in a secluded Indian-inspired town. Featuring a sullen sweetmaker, a friendly witch, a pair of rambunctious orphans, and sentient water.

Biological Property

Who does DNA belong to?

Biological Property is an anthology of short fiction set in the near future that depicts what will happen if we do not address certain important ethical questions on this eve of a genetic revolution.

It is currently simultaneously being pitched as a limited anthology tv series. The series co-creator is screenwriter and producer Manon de Reeper.

The Lead Role

What is your role in the universal grid?

The Lead Role is a sci-fantasy collection of short stories based on the theater, that addresses the outreach of a supposedly insignificant action. It follows portions of ten seemingly independent characters’ lives. The underlying web that connects the stories is not only depicted in words, but in special design elements across the pages of the book.