Hey, folks.
My publication activity this past year is pretty simple.
I self-published a collection of short stories in February - The Weather's Always Fine in Paradise. Of the stories in that collection, two were previously unpublished. (The others were all reprints from my semi-pro/pro sales in previous years.)
These two are all shorts and eligible for awards where the criteria is "published between Jan 2016 - December 2016".
Made
The Weather's Always Fine in Paradise
If you are interested in reading any of these for consideration, I am offering a free eBook copy on request. You can reach me via email annagrace(dot)carpenter(at)gmail(dot)com
Also published in 2016 was my Southern Gothic/Horror/Dark Fantasy novella - Of Lips and Tongue. If you are interested in a copy for consideration please contact my publisher, John Hartness, at Falstaff Books - john(at)falstaffbooks(dot)com or contact me at the email address above.
There are also several short stories that were published in the Grantville Gazette which I co-wrote with Eric S. Brown.
- An Army of Scarecrows
- The Monster Society: Snowbound
- The Lost Monster
The Monster Society stories can be read for free via the above links.
Showing posts with label short fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label short fiction. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Galaktika Magazine: Getting Paid
Just a quick note today.
Polenth Blake is reporting they have been paid by Galaktika Magazine for the publication of their (translated) story, Never the Same.
They say they were offered copies in lieu of payment, then told $20 was the new standard monetary payment, but they requested $50 and were paid accordingly.
Doug Smith had originally listed Galaktika's payment terms as $50-$100 per short story plus contributor copies.
This is good news, as it means the staff at Galaktika are making some effort to make good on the payment their guidelines initially promised. I encourage authors to whose work was stolen to pursue that payment and not opt for copies only. (Remember that Katalin Mund said just last week those magazines are no longer available for purchase, but it has been pointed out that they will continue to sell the physical copies from their office - via the website or in person - for an indefinite period of time. This means they will continue to seek profit from the work that was originally stolen.)
I strongly encourage authors published in the bigger SF/F magazines in the US or England since the early 2000s to check the Galaktika Bibliography and make certain their work is not among those that were stolen. Primary targets were big name magazines that offered some or all of their content for free online at some point following the initial publication (Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Asmiov's, Analog, etc). Other typical targets are folks who were published in slightly older anthologies, that then posted their short stories on their blog at a later date.
If you have been effected, the contact person is Katalin Mund and she can be reached at mund dot katalin at gmail dot com
[Unsure what all the fuss is about? You can start here - Galaktika Magazine: Theft on a Massive Scale and then read more about it here: Mandiner Article in English, Galaktika Magazine: More Bad Behavior, Galaktika Magazine: By Way of Explanation, Galaktika Magazine: Legacy]
Polenth Blake is reporting they have been paid by Galaktika Magazine for the publication of their (translated) story, Never the Same.
They say they were offered copies in lieu of payment, then told $20 was the new standard monetary payment, but they requested $50 and were paid accordingly.
Doug Smith had originally listed Galaktika's payment terms as $50-$100 per short story plus contributor copies.
This is good news, as it means the staff at Galaktika are making some effort to make good on the payment their guidelines initially promised. I encourage authors to whose work was stolen to pursue that payment and not opt for copies only. (Remember that Katalin Mund said just last week those magazines are no longer available for purchase, but it has been pointed out that they will continue to sell the physical copies from their office - via the website or in person - for an indefinite period of time. This means they will continue to seek profit from the work that was originally stolen.)
I strongly encourage authors published in the bigger SF/F magazines in the US or England since the early 2000s to check the Galaktika Bibliography and make certain their work is not among those that were stolen. Primary targets were big name magazines that offered some or all of their content for free online at some point following the initial publication (Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Asmiov's, Analog, etc). Other typical targets are folks who were published in slightly older anthologies, that then posted their short stories on their blog at a later date.
If you have been effected, the contact person is Katalin Mund and she can be reached at mund dot katalin at gmail dot com
[Unsure what all the fuss is about? You can start here - Galaktika Magazine: Theft on a Massive Scale and then read more about it here: Mandiner Article in English, Galaktika Magazine: More Bad Behavior, Galaktika Magazine: By Way of Explanation, Galaktika Magazine: Legacy]
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Galaktika Magazine: Theft on a Massive Scale
On March 23, 2016, Bence Pintér published an article at Mandiner Magazine regarding numerous stories published by Galaktika Magazine in 2015 - most of them translated and reprinted without the knowledge or consent of the original authors.
The summary of the article in English stated: "We started our investigation about Galaktika magazine upon coming across a warning about them on Doug Smith's website. Having reviewed each volume of last year's Galaktika, we found that the majority of the foreign stories were pirated from online portals such as Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, Tor.com, or Popular Science; and from certain anthologies (Years Best SF 14, eds. David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, Eos, 2014. and There Won't Be War, eds. Harry Harrison and Bruce McAllister, Tor, 1991.). We contacted the authors, the editors, and the websites, and have learned that Galaktika did not purchase the rights for most of these stories. The only exception we know of is Jason Sanford's short story. Also, there are reports from 2006 and 2012 about Galaktika publishing short stories without permission." [The full article is now available in English here.]
I spoke with Mr. Pintér via email on March 30, 2016, and he said that Jason Sanford's short story ("The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rain, Interzone 2008) had been submitted for translation and he was aware of its publication. Mr. Sanford confirmed that with me as well, but said his records did not indicate whether he had received payment for his story, and was not certain if he had received any sort of contributor copy either.
Mr. Pintér also said that following the publication of his article, he had confirmed that Kim Stanley Robinson's story (The Lucky Strike, Universe 14, ed. Terry Carr, Doubleday, 1984) had also be printed with permission. According to the article there were a few authors still unaccounted for (Tom Hanks, for example), but, Mr. Stanford and Mr. Robinson aside, the vast majority of the short stories were published without any permission from or compensation to the authors. [Edited to correct "Ms. Robinson" to Mr. Robinson.]
I asked Mr. Pintér if the pieces by Hungarian authors were also being published without their knowledge and he said "I just know about translations stolen. As I mention in the article, a translation of a Robert Bloch story was stolen from the Hungarian translator. But it is known that Galaktika pays the domestic authors long after the publication, if it pays at all." (We could speculate on whether Galaktika is targeting overseas authors due to lack of immediate legal remedy, but that would be speculation. I think it's fair to say that they are operating in such a way they prefer not to make a monetary investment in the content of their magazine, despite selling it for 1190 HUF (or approximately 4 Euros/US Dollars) per issue.)
Note that Doug Smith's website originally stated that Galaktika's terms for payment where "Pays $50-100US generally for short stories (plus contrib copy)." [It now contains a warning " DO NOT SUBMIT HERE RIGHT NOW! – Mar 2016: Once again, I've received multiple reports of stories being translated and printed without the author's permission. This has been going on since 2012. At that time, the editor said that he was working with publisher to identify and arrange for missing payments. If you've submitted here and never heard back, check their website. If you find your story was published, contact editor."]
It was that warning that Bence Pintér stumbled across while researching Galaktika for an unrelated article he intended to write about the magazine, and prompted the investigation into the contents of every issue released in 2015.
I first became aware of the unfolding story when an author acquaintance on Twitter began urging other authors to check and see if their work had also been stolen and pointed them to the thread at the Absolute Write Water Cooler which in turn linked to a FaceBook post by Sean Wallace (shared by Ellen Datlow) which contained the link to Bence Pintér's article at Mandiner. There was also a link to the Galaktika website, which I followed and began looking through the bibliography. (Possibly the only word I am able to recognize in Hungarian.)
As I looked through the TOC for monthly magazines, I immediately began to recognize names and I reached out to a couple that I followed on Twitter.
Aliette DeBodard was the first to respond. I asked her about the translation and publication of her short story "Shipbirth" (Asimov's Feb 2011) that had appeared in the June 2012 issue of Galaktika. She confirmed that it had been published without her consent and she had contacted them when she became aware. That inquiry was apparently ignored - the editor made no attempt to offer compensation for having printed her story, and, from what she can see reviewing the email at the time, did not bother to respond at all.
Elizabeth Bear (@matociquala on Twitter) also responded and said she first became aware of the publication of "Boojum" (with Sarah Monette - Fast Ships, Black Sails, ed. Ann VanderMeer & Jeff VanderMeer, Night Shade Books, 2008) in the Aug 2015 issue of Galaktika was when Bence Pintér contacted her while researching his article. Nor was she aware, until I asked her about it in a follow-up email, of the publication of "Tideline" (Asimov's Jun 2007) in the October 2008 issue of Galaktika.
After posting a link to my first (very brief post) yesterday, I was contacted by Malcolm Cross via Twitter (@foozzzball) who had also found out his story (Pavlov's House, Strange Horizons Apr 21 2014) had been translated and published without his knowledge in the April 2015 issue of Galaktika when he was notified by the staff at Strange Horizons. He says: "At first I was contacted by one of the Strange Horizons staff (who are all amazing and supportive), and... I thought it must have been some kind of one off or mistake. I'd been contacted by Fantastyka - a fantastic sounding magazine from Poland - for reprint and translation rights quite a long time ago, which I was paid for. It wasn't a huge sum of money or anything, but they respected my rights. At first I thought Galaktika must have been related to Fantastyka somehow, maybe sold translation rights on, but, no. Nothing like that had happened. [...] A couple of days after the initial contact from Strange Horizons I discovered that, no, this was not some kind of one-off mistake, it's...apparently industrial level plagiarism, which is far from flattering."
He also said he was concerned about making waves because "science fiction matters." Given the historical role Galaktika has had in Hungary in the past he is concerned about the harm that might come to the magazine by talking about the plagiarism. He says this is complicated by the wider history of science fiction in Eastern Europe. "There's been difficulty in interacting with the wider world, both in the communist era and after it, a sense of being 'othered' from the English speaking fandom, a tricky situation where far more material is translated from English into Hungarian/Magyar, Czech, Polish, than gets translated back. Which is sad -- we got 'Rossum's Universal Robots' from Karel Capek, we got 'Solaris' from Stanislaw Lem... but all that's decades ago. These days eastern Europe's virtually cut off from us, we don't hear their voices, but they hear ours through translation."
Mr. Cross expressed concern that criticism of the plagiarism would remove an outlet for the Hungarian SF fandom which should be "fostering and encouraging each other to produce the best they can, to have a dialogue, to discuss the issues that matters to them through their stories, and make it something so enticing that we have people over here so eager to hear their words that we stop waiting for translations and start learning how to speak Hungarian. "
I appreciate Mr. Cross' concern, but given Bence Pintér's assertion that Hungarian contributors are not being reasonably compensated for their work either, I'm afraid Galaktika may be unable to provide any legitimate outlet for the Hungarian SF authors if it continues as it has.
Elizabeth Bear also said "I think this is a pretty ethically unsupportable action on their part, and I'm deeply disappointed in the people involved."
And this is a part of the problem. No one wants to see a magazine disappear, especially in a country with only a couple Hungarian language SF/F markets, but if that publisher is depending on either stealing or otherwise acquiring work for free, I think they are doing more damage than good. Especially now that it's become apparent that this is not an occasional problem, but habitual theft of intellectual property.
I asked Mr. Pintér if the publisher had responded to the allegations of theft and he said they had declined to comment on the matter during a separate interview. "After that they sent an email, which is in the article. The boss said that "the area of copyrights is a complicated stuff". Since then no word from them."
The summary of the article in English stated: "We started our investigation about Galaktika magazine upon coming across a warning about them on Doug Smith's website. Having reviewed each volume of last year's Galaktika, we found that the majority of the foreign stories were pirated from online portals such as Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, Tor.com, or Popular Science; and from certain anthologies (Years Best SF 14, eds. David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, Eos, 2014. and There Won't Be War, eds. Harry Harrison and Bruce McAllister, Tor, 1991.). We contacted the authors, the editors, and the websites, and have learned that Galaktika did not purchase the rights for most of these stories. The only exception we know of is Jason Sanford's short story. Also, there are reports from 2006 and 2012 about Galaktika publishing short stories without permission." [The full article is now available in English here.]
I spoke with Mr. Pintér via email on March 30, 2016, and he said that Jason Sanford's short story ("The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rain, Interzone 2008) had been submitted for translation and he was aware of its publication. Mr. Sanford confirmed that with me as well, but said his records did not indicate whether he had received payment for his story, and was not certain if he had received any sort of contributor copy either.
Mr. Pintér also said that following the publication of his article, he had confirmed that Kim Stanley Robinson's story (The Lucky Strike, Universe 14, ed. Terry Carr, Doubleday, 1984) had also be printed with permission. According to the article there were a few authors still unaccounted for (Tom Hanks, for example), but, Mr. Stanford and Mr. Robinson aside, the vast majority of the short stories were published without any permission from or compensation to the authors. [Edited to correct "Ms. Robinson" to Mr. Robinson.]
I asked Mr. Pintér if the pieces by Hungarian authors were also being published without their knowledge and he said "I just know about translations stolen. As I mention in the article, a translation of a Robert Bloch story was stolen from the Hungarian translator. But it is known that Galaktika pays the domestic authors long after the publication, if it pays at all." (We could speculate on whether Galaktika is targeting overseas authors due to lack of immediate legal remedy, but that would be speculation. I think it's fair to say that they are operating in such a way they prefer not to make a monetary investment in the content of their magazine, despite selling it for 1190 HUF (or approximately 4 Euros/US Dollars) per issue.)
Note that Doug Smith's website originally stated that Galaktika's terms for payment where "Pays $50-100US generally for short stories (plus contrib copy)." [It now contains a warning " DO NOT SUBMIT HERE RIGHT NOW! – Mar 2016: Once again, I've received multiple reports of stories being translated and printed without the author's permission. This has been going on since 2012. At that time, the editor said that he was working with publisher to identify and arrange for missing payments. If you've submitted here and never heard back, check their website. If you find your story was published, contact editor."]
It was that warning that Bence Pintér stumbled across while researching Galaktika for an unrelated article he intended to write about the magazine, and prompted the investigation into the contents of every issue released in 2015.
I first became aware of the unfolding story when an author acquaintance on Twitter began urging other authors to check and see if their work had also been stolen and pointed them to the thread at the Absolute Write Water Cooler which in turn linked to a FaceBook post by Sean Wallace (shared by Ellen Datlow) which contained the link to Bence Pintér's article at Mandiner. There was also a link to the Galaktika website, which I followed and began looking through the bibliography. (Possibly the only word I am able to recognize in Hungarian.)
As I looked through the TOC for monthly magazines, I immediately began to recognize names and I reached out to a couple that I followed on Twitter.
Aliette DeBodard was the first to respond. I asked her about the translation and publication of her short story "Shipbirth" (Asimov's Feb 2011) that had appeared in the June 2012 issue of Galaktika. She confirmed that it had been published without her consent and she had contacted them when she became aware. That inquiry was apparently ignored - the editor made no attempt to offer compensation for having printed her story, and, from what she can see reviewing the email at the time, did not bother to respond at all.
Elizabeth Bear (@matociquala on Twitter) also responded and said she first became aware of the publication of "Boojum" (with Sarah Monette - Fast Ships, Black Sails, ed. Ann VanderMeer & Jeff VanderMeer, Night Shade Books, 2008) in the Aug 2015 issue of Galaktika was when Bence Pintér contacted her while researching his article. Nor was she aware, until I asked her about it in a follow-up email, of the publication of "Tideline" (Asimov's Jun 2007) in the October 2008 issue of Galaktika.
After posting a link to my first (very brief post) yesterday, I was contacted by Malcolm Cross via Twitter (@foozzzball) who had also found out his story (Pavlov's House, Strange Horizons Apr 21 2014) had been translated and published without his knowledge in the April 2015 issue of Galaktika when he was notified by the staff at Strange Horizons. He says: "At first I was contacted by one of the Strange Horizons staff (who are all amazing and supportive), and... I thought it must have been some kind of one off or mistake. I'd been contacted by Fantastyka - a fantastic sounding magazine from Poland - for reprint and translation rights quite a long time ago, which I was paid for. It wasn't a huge sum of money or anything, but they respected my rights. At first I thought Galaktika must have been related to Fantastyka somehow, maybe sold translation rights on, but, no. Nothing like that had happened. [...] A couple of days after the initial contact from Strange Horizons I discovered that, no, this was not some kind of one-off mistake, it's...apparently industrial level plagiarism, which is far from flattering."
He also said he was concerned about making waves because "science fiction matters." Given the historical role Galaktika has had in Hungary in the past he is concerned about the harm that might come to the magazine by talking about the plagiarism. He says this is complicated by the wider history of science fiction in Eastern Europe. "There's been difficulty in interacting with the wider world, both in the communist era and after it, a sense of being 'othered' from the English speaking fandom, a tricky situation where far more material is translated from English into Hungarian/Magyar, Czech, Polish, than gets translated back. Which is sad -- we got 'Rossum's Universal Robots' from Karel Capek, we got 'Solaris' from Stanislaw Lem... but all that's decades ago. These days eastern Europe's virtually cut off from us, we don't hear their voices, but they hear ours through translation."
Mr. Cross expressed concern that criticism of the plagiarism would remove an outlet for the Hungarian SF fandom which should be "fostering and encouraging each other to produce the best they can, to have a dialogue, to discuss the issues that matters to them through their stories, and make it something so enticing that we have people over here so eager to hear their words that we stop waiting for translations and start learning how to speak Hungarian. "
I appreciate Mr. Cross' concern, but given Bence Pintér's assertion that Hungarian contributors are not being reasonably compensated for their work either, I'm afraid Galaktika may be unable to provide any legitimate outlet for the Hungarian SF authors if it continues as it has.
Elizabeth Bear also said "I think this is a pretty ethically unsupportable action on their part, and I'm deeply disappointed in the people involved."
And this is a part of the problem. No one wants to see a magazine disappear, especially in a country with only a couple Hungarian language SF/F markets, but if that publisher is depending on either stealing or otherwise acquiring work for free, I think they are doing more damage than good. Especially now that it's become apparent that this is not an occasional problem, but habitual theft of intellectual property.
I asked Mr. Pintér if the publisher had responded to the allegations of theft and he said they had declined to comment on the matter during a separate interview. "After that they sent an email, which is in the article. The boss said that "the area of copyrights is a complicated stuff". Since then no word from them."
Thursday, February 11, 2016
FORTHCOMING! - The Weather's Always Fine in Paradise
Coming on February 16th!
"Eleven stories about love, survival, and the depths of the human heart.
Eleven worlds – some remarkably similar to our own, some dramatically different.
From
the clammy dungeons and mysterious rooftops in The Spider Thief and the
Sorcerer to the muddy, voodoo protected shores of Lake Ponchartrain in
Legacy to the highrise slums of Venus in The Weather's Always Fine in
Paradise, this collection of short stories will take you out of the
everyday world and into the realm of 'what if'?
What if magic and knowledge were things that could be leased and reclaimed?
What if voodoo could open a woman's heart to the possibility of love?
What if the things that mattered most were not things at all?
Explore the possibilities in this short story collection from A.G. Carpenter."
That's right, folks. I have a short story collection coming out this coming Tuesday. It features some of my favorite, previously published stories, plus one brand new short story, and one brand new novelette.
You can preorder a copy in paperback or .epub. (The ebook will also be available from the usual vendors like Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Scribd, etc.)
Monday, July 13, 2015
Legacy - New Release!
Available Now! Only $0.99!
When a skin-changer looking for passage to Lake Ponchartrain collapses
at her feet, Willa Arch finds herself drawn into a conflict between the
iron-willed Queen Elsbett of Brittania and Queen of the Dead, Marie
Laveau. But survival means coming face to face with Willa's own deadly
legacy of fur and teeth.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Teaser: Legacy
With only 13 days left until Legacy is released as an eBook, I thought I would post a teaser to whet your appetite.
Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------
Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------
Summer heat grips Savannah in an
iron fist. Even with the wooden doors at the back of the zeppelin
hanger opened wide, it's sweltering under the metal roof. Willa wipes
a dribble of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. The
fans turning overhead barely move the humid air and her shirt's
already soaked.
She glares at the guts of the
tension-triggered, chain transmission lying on the crate that doubles
as a workbench. “More like tension fucked.” The derailing arm is
sticking at all the wrong points, dropping the chain every time she
attempts to change gears. She gives it another prod, prompting it to
fold at the appropriate joints, but it moves as a whole and the chain
snarls.
“Fire and
damn.” Resisting the urge to whack it with the spanner, she reaches
for the screwdriver instead.
The money had been good. If it
hadn't, she'd never have taken the job running rifles down to the
Gulf in the face of a storm. Trouble with good money is it never
makes up for the trouble that comes with it. Now all four props on
her air-ship are wracked and need new parts before they'll run smooth
again.
The bell at the front door
jangles. Then heavy footsteps.
Willa doesn't
even bother to look up. “No trips today.” Likely
no trips this week.
“I'm looking
for Captain Arch.” The voice is deep, with a rough edge.
“You've
found her.” She waits for the muttered apology, the hasty retreat.
A quarter turn on the middle tension joint and another prod at the
derailer. Better.
“You're
Captain Arch.” The stranger's tone is a mix of disbelief and
amusement.
She stands up, wipes the grease
from her hands. “That's right.” He's dressed like an Amerigish
trader, but his hands are not those of a merchant and his accent is a
blurry Imperial. She fixes him with a hard stare. “You're not from
these parts.”
He shakes his head. “No. I'm
far from home.” Something about that makes him grin, dry as dust,
and it catches Willa off guard. There's a rawness to him she
recognizes. The sense of never belonging.
She clears her throat. “Can I
help you with something?”
His grin softens. “Maybe. I
understand the sly-like smiles now. The lack of a first name.”
“It would
have spoiled the joke.” She hooks her thumbs into her belt. “As
it is, it don't matter much if what you're looking for is transport.
Squirrel
is down for repairs.”
He rubs his fingers through his
hair. “A shame. I've plenty of coin to spend on the right pilot.
Every man in town says that's you.”
Willa frowns. He's clever,
holding out the promise of good money, but she's just about had her
fill of that. Besides, if every captain in Savannah is pointing him
to her it can only mean one thing. “You're headed for Lake
Ponchartrain.”
Coming 7.14.15
Monday, June 22, 2015
Forthcoming! (Update 6.22.15)
This weekend I will be at LibertyCon. If you will be too, you can check my schedule here.
I also have two new novelettes coming out in July. In an effort to make my stories easier to find and obtain I am publishing reprints of my backlist and releasing a few brand spanking new things this year.
First up is Legacy. A steampunk tale set in Savannah and Lake Ponchartrain, this was originally published in Beast Within 4: Gears & Growls (Graveside Tales, Oct. 2014). It's a lovely, dark action adventure story with a dark underbelly. And shapeshifters.
I also have two new novelettes coming out in July. In an effort to make my stories easier to find and obtain I am publishing reprints of my backlist and releasing a few brand spanking new things this year.
First up is Legacy. A steampunk tale set in Savannah and Lake Ponchartrain, this was originally published in Beast Within 4: Gears & Growls (Graveside Tales, Oct. 2014). It's a lovely, dark action adventure story with a dark underbelly. And shapeshifters.
Coming July 14, 2015!
Next up is Dust. This is a completely original (i.e. never before published) urban fantasy with a heavy noir twist.
Coming July 28, 2015!
In writing news, I finished an OGN (Original Graphic Novel) script a few weeks ago. The Southern Gothic is still chugging darkly along. The end of the summer tends to be a little slow in publishing land so I'm focusing on finishing up a few in-progress projects in prep for the fall.
More to come soon!
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Short Fiction in 2014
I've not had a lot published this year, but as the SF/F awards season starts to gear up, I thought I would share what I've had published this year.
Vessels for Destruction - Nature Magazine: Futures (Feb 6, 2014)
The Collections Agent - Stupefying Stories (Feb 14, 2014) [Now as an ebook reprint]
The Spider Thief and the Sorcerer - Crowded Magazine (May 15, 2014)
Legacy - Beast Within 4: Gears & Growls (October 31, 2014)
Vessels for Destruction - Nature Magazine: Futures (Feb 6, 2014)
The Collections Agent - Stupefying Stories (Feb 14, 2014) [Now as an ebook reprint]
The Spider Thief and the Sorcerer - Crowded Magazine (May 15, 2014)
Legacy - Beast Within 4: Gears & Growls (October 31, 2014)
Friday, October 31, 2014
Publication and Wordage (Update 10.31.14)
First, a little publication news. I have a story available on QuarterReads. It's neat little site that has a collection of short fiction, each story is available to read for the low price of twenty-five cents. Mine can be found here: Call-Center
You can expect some of my other short stuff to be available there before too long. Once I get a chance to submit it and everything.
Also, as I announced last week, Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls is available today! It contains my short story "Legacy" as part of an anthology of stories examining shapeshifters in a steampunk world, edited by Jennifer Brozek. You can purchase a copy here: Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls
This is one of my first stories actually published in print so I'm even more excited than usual about it's release. (And it's a really cool story. And I got to share the ToC with Ken Liu and Folly Blaine.)
In writing news, I am still working to finish up the SuperSecretProject before NaNoWriMo begins. (Not that it's going to happen, but you know, words is words.) I am very close to the end and it's killer. And disturbing. I love this little book so much it's hard not to talk about it in more detail, but I can't because reasons.
Once the SuperSecretProject is done (by which I mean the first draft is safely in the hands of The Agent for further review), I will be starting on a new project for the duration of the year. The goal is to knock out a bunch of it during the National Novel Writing Month. Not so much because I have to participate in NaNo, but it is a good excuse to stay on target with the daily wordcount.
The new project is a Space Opera with a complex set of character that are simply terrifying me because I am very much afraid I will screw them up. But, my best stories tend to be those I fear I won't do justice to. So, come tomorrow, I will be running full tilt into the writing breach to try and finish my third project this year. Or, at least, get a good start on it before January.
Happy Halloween!
You can expect some of my other short stuff to be available there before too long. Once I get a chance to submit it and everything.
Also, as I announced last week, Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls is available today! It contains my short story "Legacy" as part of an anthology of stories examining shapeshifters in a steampunk world, edited by Jennifer Brozek. You can purchase a copy here: Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls
This is one of my first stories actually published in print so I'm even more excited than usual about it's release. (And it's a really cool story. And I got to share the ToC with Ken Liu and Folly Blaine.)
In writing news, I am still working to finish up the SuperSecretProject before NaNoWriMo begins. (Not that it's going to happen, but you know, words is words.) I am very close to the end and it's killer. And disturbing. I love this little book so much it's hard not to talk about it in more detail, but I can't because reasons.
Once the SuperSecretProject is done (by which I mean the first draft is safely in the hands of The Agent for further review), I will be starting on a new project for the duration of the year. The goal is to knock out a bunch of it during the National Novel Writing Month. Not so much because I have to participate in NaNo, but it is a good excuse to stay on target with the daily wordcount.
The new project is a Space Opera with a complex set of character that are simply terrifying me because I am very much afraid I will screw them up. But, my best stories tend to be those I fear I won't do justice to. So, come tomorrow, I will be running full tilt into the writing breach to try and finish my third project this year. Or, at least, get a good start on it before January.
Happy Halloween!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Newly Available! (9.15.14)
Things have been busy around here. I've been working on two different projects for the other pen name and gearing up to start releasing my previously published work in ebook format.
The Collections Agent is available now from Kobo. (You can also purchase it from Inktera, iBooks or Nook.com. Or read it via Scribd.) If you like it (or if you hate it) you can always rate it or leave a review over at Goodreads.
In the Cool of the Day will be available tomorrow from Kobo. (It will also be available from Inktera, iBooks or Nook.com, and Scribd, once the files are approved.)
You can look for individual editions of Insomnia and Happy After All to be released in a month or so. I am planning a single volume collection (that would also include things too short to make good individual ebooks and possibly a few unpublished things), but I have no specific timeline on that release.
In the meantime, I'm writing writing writing in between being busybusybusy. As usual.
Happy Monday!
The Collections Agent is available now from Kobo. (You can also purchase it from Inktera, iBooks or Nook.com. Or read it via Scribd.) If you like it (or if you hate it) you can always rate it or leave a review over at Goodreads.
You can look for individual editions of Insomnia and Happy After All to be released in a month or so. I am planning a single volume collection (that would also include things too short to make good individual ebooks and possibly a few unpublished things), but I have no specific timeline on that release.
In the meantime, I'm writing writing writing in between being busybusybusy. As usual.
Happy Monday!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
News and Good News - 2.5.14
First off, an apology. Well, more like an excuse. I had almost gotten settled into a regular blogging schedule and then writing stuff got real. (In a good way. More on that in a minute.) And just about the time I was wrapping that up there was this snow event that kind of fucked up the Southeast. Me and mine were able to stay warm and not get stuck anywhere. (Of course, we also salted, shoveled and took a flame-thrower to the road outside our house to enable safe passage up and down.) Long story short, I've been kind of busy and blogging just wasn't at the top of the list of things to do.
Next up, some publishing news.
1. The 2014 Campbellian Anthology is available for FREE download, thanks to Stupefying Stories/Rampant Loon Publishing and several mirror sites. It features the work of 111 up and coming SF/F authors (including myself) who have qualified for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. It will only be available for a limited time so be sure to check it out now!
2. "Vessels for Destruction", a dark SF flash story, is Nature Magazine's "Futures" story for February 6th, 2014 and is live on their site HERE.
3. I have an agent! After a lot of queries and hard work the Steampunk Novel (and it's sequels) is now repped by Bob Mecoy of Creative Book Services.
Finally, market news.
Unidentified Funny Objects 3 is currently in the Kickstarter phase but will be opening to submissions March 1st: DETAILS HERE. They are a pro-paying market and produce quality books. If you like humorous SF/F and would like to help support them, please do. If you're a writer looking for a good humor market, this is one to try. (But wait until the submissions period opens March 1st.)
And, Apocalypse Ink Productions is looking for linked novella trilogies. They like things dark, speculative and more-or-less contemporary. They also offer a small advance and 50% royalties of net profit.
And that's it for this week.
Stay warm! (Or if you're on the other side of the globe, stay cool!)
Next up, some publishing news.
1. The 2014 Campbellian Anthology is available for FREE download, thanks to Stupefying Stories/Rampant Loon Publishing and several mirror sites. It features the work of 111 up and coming SF/F authors (including myself) who have qualified for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. It will only be available for a limited time so be sure to check it out now!
2. "Vessels for Destruction", a dark SF flash story, is Nature Magazine's "Futures" story for February 6th, 2014 and is live on their site HERE.
3. I have an agent! After a lot of queries and hard work the Steampunk Novel (and it's sequels) is now repped by Bob Mecoy of Creative Book Services.
Finally, market news.
Unidentified Funny Objects 3 is currently in the Kickstarter phase but will be opening to submissions March 1st: DETAILS HERE. They are a pro-paying market and produce quality books. If you like humorous SF/F and would like to help support them, please do. If you're a writer looking for a good humor market, this is one to try. (But wait until the submissions period opens March 1st.)
And, Apocalypse Ink Productions is looking for linked novella trilogies. They like things dark, speculative and more-or-less contemporary. They also offer a small advance and 50% royalties of net profit.
And that's it for this week.
Stay warm! (Or if you're on the other side of the globe, stay cool!)
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sending Words into the Void
I recently found out that "In the Cool of the Day" was the most popular story of 2013 over at Abyss & Apex.
Which is flattering and amazing and I'm completely thrilled by that.
It is frequently a very lonely thing having a story published. Sometimes you get feedback or comments or see your links retweeted, many times you don't. (Well, I suppose Neil Gaiman doesn't have that problem, but for the rest of us...)
I tend to focus on writing the next story more than trying to figure out if anyone is reading the current one, but it's hard not to sit and wonder if anyone is actually reading what I write? Some days it feels like I would have a better chance of having my words read by standing on my front porch and throwing pages out into the wind. (Not today because snow and I'm not standing outside for any length of time, thank you very much. But most days this would be a viable if somewhat ridiculous option.)
So, finding out that people do indeed read some of what I write is just an amazing feeling. It's like having my story accepted all over again.
Scratch that.
It is having my story accepted again. By every one of you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I deeply appreciate knowing that y'all are out there.
Which is flattering and amazing and I'm completely thrilled by that.
It is frequently a very lonely thing having a story published. Sometimes you get feedback or comments or see your links retweeted, many times you don't. (Well, I suppose Neil Gaiman doesn't have that problem, but for the rest of us...)
I tend to focus on writing the next story more than trying to figure out if anyone is reading the current one, but it's hard not to sit and wonder if anyone is actually reading what I write? Some days it feels like I would have a better chance of having my words read by standing on my front porch and throwing pages out into the wind. (Not today because snow and I'm not standing outside for any length of time, thank you very much. But most days this would be a viable if somewhat ridiculous option.)
So, finding out that people do indeed read some of what I write is just an amazing feeling. It's like having my story accepted all over again.
Scratch that.
It is having my story accepted again. By every one of you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I deeply appreciate knowing that y'all are out there.
Monday, January 6, 2014
2013 In Review
2013 was a year that felt like I spun my wheels. A lot.
I was deep in the query trenches for the bulk of the year, trying to find an agent for The Steampunk Novel. That search also led to two different R&Rs (one in June and one in November), taking even bigger bites out of my limited writing time and reducing my short story output drastically.
In fact, this is my slowest year to produce new shorts since I started W1S1 in 2011. In fact, by my count, I only finished two new stories this year. (Although, I did revise several things, including two which sold. More on that in a minute.)
So, lets look at my submissions stats for the year. (These numbers cover micro-fiction through novella length. The numbers on the agent quest are larger. Much larger.)
Submissions: 44
Rejections: 37
Acceptances: 4 (There are still a few out there that haven't come home yet.)
Publications: 4
The acceptances were:
"The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer" (forthcoming, Crowded Magazine, April 2014)
"Vessels for Destruction" (forthcoming, Nature Magazine's Futures)
Brass Stars (Eggplant Literary Productions, November 2013)
"Love Like Dysphoria" (Southern Gothic, New Lit Salon Press, October 2013)
The publications were:
"Caught" (Stupefying Stories Showcase, June 14, 2013)
"In the Cool of The Day" (Abyss & Apex, July 2013)
"Love Like Dysphoria" (Southern Gothic, New Lit Salon Press, October 2013)
Brass Stars (Eggplant Literary Productions, November 2013)
The two new stories written for the year were "Made" (a contemporary fantasy with a cowardly vampire) and "Kraken" (creepy flash about a man becoming a monster). And I revised "The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer", Brass Stars, and The Steampunk Novel. (I've also been working on "All That is Precious" and "Damsel", but those are not done yet.)
Looking back I think it was a productive year, but more time was spent on improving my craft by refining existing work and less on creating new work. And that's okay. But this year... this year I want to start putting more out on submission again. Which will mean not only refining my work, but getting new words on paper in the first place.
(More on how I intend to accomplish that shortly.)
Happy Twelfth Night, folks!
I was deep in the query trenches for the bulk of the year, trying to find an agent for The Steampunk Novel. That search also led to two different R&Rs (one in June and one in November), taking even bigger bites out of my limited writing time and reducing my short story output drastically.
In fact, this is my slowest year to produce new shorts since I started W1S1 in 2011. In fact, by my count, I only finished two new stories this year. (Although, I did revise several things, including two which sold. More on that in a minute.)
So, lets look at my submissions stats for the year. (These numbers cover micro-fiction through novella length. The numbers on the agent quest are larger. Much larger.)
Submissions: 44
Rejections: 37
Acceptances: 4 (There are still a few out there that haven't come home yet.)
Publications: 4
The acceptances were:
"The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer" (forthcoming, Crowded Magazine, April 2014)
"Vessels for Destruction" (forthcoming, Nature Magazine's Futures)
Brass Stars (Eggplant Literary Productions, November 2013)
"Love Like Dysphoria" (Southern Gothic, New Lit Salon Press, October 2013)
The publications were:
"Caught" (Stupefying Stories Showcase, June 14, 2013)
"In the Cool of The Day" (Abyss & Apex, July 2013)
"Love Like Dysphoria" (Southern Gothic, New Lit Salon Press, October 2013)
Brass Stars (Eggplant Literary Productions, November 2013)
The two new stories written for the year were "Made" (a contemporary fantasy with a cowardly vampire) and "Kraken" (creepy flash about a man becoming a monster). And I revised "The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer", Brass Stars, and The Steampunk Novel. (I've also been working on "All That is Precious" and "Damsel", but those are not done yet.)
Looking back I think it was a productive year, but more time was spent on improving my craft by refining existing work and less on creating new work. And that's okay. But this year... this year I want to start putting more out on submission again. Which will mean not only refining my work, but getting new words on paper in the first place.
(More on how I intend to accomplish that shortly.)
Happy Twelfth Night, folks!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Southern Gothic Now Available
(I should have posted this earlier in the week, but I've been scattered.)
Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South, an anthology that includes my own flash piece "Love Like Dysphoria" is now available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Google Play
In addition to over 15 stories and poems the book features original artwork by Nathan Mark Phillips.
Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South, an anthology that includes my own flash piece "Love Like Dysphoria" is now available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Google Play
In addition to over 15 stories and poems the book features original artwork by Nathan Mark Phillips.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Forthcoming - Southern Gothic, "The Collections Agent" and "The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer"
Southern Gothic - an anthology edited by Brian Centrone is scheduled for release on October 15th. It contains my flash story "Love Like Dysphoria" among other works of contemporary southern gothic short stories. I will post links to the various vendors when the book goes live. There are plans to publish via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, GooglePlay, iBooks and possibly Kobo.
After consulting with Bruce Bethke at Stupefying Stories it appears that "The Collections Agent" will be published soon. (Like, in the next month soon.) More details on that as soon as I have them.
Additionally, I received word last week from Crowded Magazine that "The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer" has been accepted for Issue 3. Publication is tentatively scheduled for early Spring 2014.
"The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer" was a story I'd been working on selling for over a year. It had been short-listed at six different markets in a row, before being passed over. I'm so happy that it's found a home with Crowded.
After consulting with Bruce Bethke at Stupefying Stories it appears that "The Collections Agent" will be published soon. (Like, in the next month soon.) More details on that as soon as I have them.
Additionally, I received word last week from Crowded Magazine that "The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer" has been accepted for Issue 3. Publication is tentatively scheduled for early Spring 2014.
"The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer" was a story I'd been working on selling for over a year. It had been short-listed at six different markets in a row, before being passed over. I'm so happy that it's found a home with Crowded.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Abyss & Apex Publication
My longish short story ("In the Cool of the Day") is live at Abyss & Apex.
This piece of Southern Gothic Fantasy has been one of my favorites ever since I first wrote it. I was so pleased when it found a home at Abyss & Apex.
I hope you like it as well.
This piece of Southern Gothic Fantasy has been one of my favorites ever since I first wrote it. I was so pleased when it found a home at Abyss & Apex.
I hope you like it as well.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Stupefying Stories Showcase: Issue #1
I thought this would be out soon and it is!
Stupefying Stories Showcase: Issue #1
Featuring four tasty stories including my flash piece, "Caught".
And just in time for some weekend reading. Enjoy!
Stupefying Stories Showcase: Issue #1
Featuring four tasty stories including my flash piece, "Caught".
And just in time for some weekend reading. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Forthcoming!
A quick note about some upcoming publications.
"In the Cool of the Day" is scheduled for publication in the July issue of Abyss & Apex. This is one of my favorite stories and I was so very pleased when it found a home.
"Caught" will be out in the brand new, super-shiny, Stupefying Stories Showcase - the web-zine edition of Stupefying Stories. I'm still waiting on the exact date, but copy-edits have been made so I think it will be soon.
"Legacy" is coming out in the spectacular The Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls - edited by Jennifer Brozek and published by Graveside Tales. The release will happen sometime this fall (2013) so stay tuned for more info.
"Love Like Dysphoria" will be part of the New Lit Salon Press anthology Southern Gothic. Exact details coming soon.
And "Insomnia" (originally published at Daily Science Fiction) will be part of the Write 1, Sub 1 Anthology coming soon from Parsec Ink. Details to follow.
"In the Cool of the Day" is scheduled for publication in the July issue of Abyss & Apex. This is one of my favorite stories and I was so very pleased when it found a home.
"Caught" will be out in the brand new, super-shiny, Stupefying Stories Showcase - the web-zine edition of Stupefying Stories. I'm still waiting on the exact date, but copy-edits have been made so I think it will be soon.
"Legacy" is coming out in the spectacular The Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls - edited by Jennifer Brozek and published by Graveside Tales. The release will happen sometime this fall (2013) so stay tuned for more info.
"Love Like Dysphoria" will be part of the New Lit Salon Press anthology Southern Gothic. Exact details coming soon.
And "Insomnia" (originally published at Daily Science Fiction) will be part of the Write 1, Sub 1 Anthology coming soon from Parsec Ink. Details to follow.
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