Just to let you all know that my story ‘Skyball’ – which was submitted just a couple of weeks after I last saw you all, and accepted in early June 2008 – has now been published in Bewildering Stories #324.
I’m well chuffed with the whole Bewildering Stories experience – and it just goes to show how much difference an interesting and engaged editor can make. If only this were a paying market, I’d be over the Jovian moons (instead of just over the local one.)
Luke Keioskie writes:
Hey gang
Just a quickie to spruik the new and improved version of my pitch in pixel form, www.deadamerica.info. I tell you, if anyone else is thinking of doing something online, get help from a friend who lives and breathes ones and zeros. My web-friend Dr Soda (aka Jeremy Thompson) has gone to town. Virtual applause please.
What’s everyone else up to? Anyone throw a vote in for the title of Marianne’s newbie? I went with ‘Death Most Social’. Just my style.
Luke Keioskie writes:
Hey Orbiteers,
I’ve just been contacted by an independent publisher named Severed Press, who read some of my stuff through Harper Collins’ site Authonomy. Severed Press is an independent publisher of horror, sci fi and dark humour – from the looks of them, they’re only new. But they’re looking for novel submissions in the speculative genre (including ‘anything out of the ordinary’, which pretty much describes our work, I thought). They’re also putting together a couple of short story anthologies you might be interested in.
Check them out - my zombie book’s already shambling its way to them.
Hi Ganglions,
Thinking of flying up to the Aurealis Awards is Brisvegas on the 24th of Jan, anyone else thinking of going? All the info is here:
http://www.aurealisawards.com/
An important chance to drunkenly suck up to people more successful than us, but more importantly the last chance you’ll get to see me, cause I’m moving to New Zealand next month.
Any takers?
Jez
there’s been a lot of speculation lately about the global economic situation and writers, particularly on the decreasing chances of new writers getting published. at first, i was also disheartened by this, until i remembered something i came across years ago. apparently, during times of upheaval or hardship, artists can produce their most creative and exciting work! so while the publishing opportunities might be discouraging, if we can wait it out and keep writing, we might just churn out our best work yet.
keep up the good work, fellow writers!
j-a
not sure how to do this, as i haven’t tried before. fingers crossed it works…
MERRY CHRISTMAS ORBITEERS, TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. and a happy new year. may it hold decent publishing deals for all of us!
cheers,
j-a
Luke Keioskie writes:
Gang, I’ve decided to try something new. I’ve created a website for my unpublished novel – www.deadamerica.info - as a way of generating some interest from publishers/agents when I submit to them.
It’s my way of trying to slip a little further up the slush pile. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Hey gang,
Let me paint you a picture…..
I step off the transporter and brush past a tall, black clad individual. He is breathing heavily through some form of apparatus and is dressed all in black. Black boots, black clothes, black full face space helmet. I notice the ease with which he holds his lightsabre. Around me swells the theme from Star Wars in full orchestration.
(Insert sound of raspy breathing here…)
Sidling past him I say “Good morning, Darth”. Seems the polite thing to do.
He turns his helmeted gaze upon my insignificant form and rasps “Morning..” and moves off. The music changes to a bright piece from “Gladiator”.
No, I am not on the Death star but at the Logan North Public Library where they have been hosting a Sci-Fi theme for a while. Moving from the elevator I negotiate a path through a few Storm troopers, a LOTR Ranger and two crew from the USS Enterprise; ahead of me is an orchestra, tucked into a sunny spot and belting out a few hits.
And the wonderful Marianne.
We went into a well apportioned room next to the orchestra – taking a well earned break – and had the launch. MDP is real class; she was introduced by a fellow author who referred to her as ’a true professional writer’ and he was on the money. M responded with some good stuff and we toasted the launch of Book 2 in the Sentients of Orion series.
We all chatted for a while and I was again impressed by Marianne’s generosity of spirit as she went out of her way to include me in the conversations. I felt welcomed when it could have been so different.
So, there we have it. A book launch.
But more than that, confirmation of us all having a friend. Someone who lets us know that we are not alone in this writing mud pool.
Thanks, Marianne
terry
I’m an idiot. Janette. I thought you were referring to another project, not the orbit manuscript. I should pay more attention to things.
On the manuscript topic, I agree with Jeremy; consider submitting after a bit of a spell. I hated being told ‘no’ but i appreciated the need to do up my MS to a submission status. I twisted and turned but felt much better when it was in the mail.
After that it was out of my hands – an idea for improvement, little tweaks and such, still popped into my brain but I had already sent it off. And I’m glad I did otherwise i would be tinkering with it forever. Man, the rewriting that the bloody thing went through. At one point I knew if I had to reread the same scene again there would be murder done in my house.
I know a writer is supposed to nourish, cherish, polish and only send off work of the highest calibre. I know that we should always look on the editing process as an opportunity and I felt the guilts (call yourself a writer, you hack! Get out there and edit that draft agin! And you better look damn good while you’re doin’ it)
But the story I sent was a darn good one and, i believe, well told. I had the impetus from its completion to start the next book using the same characters (‘Valentine and the Revenants’ – more zombies ) and when I came up for air there were 20K words of rough first draft staring back at me.
My point is, and I do have one, is that I would have been confronted with the solid wall of the unfinished MS forever unless i forced it out, got out the bum glue and fixed the bloody thing. I had to get past this wall in order to move on; and on the other side I found a new story. If I hadn’t finished the first one I would have been unable to believe in myself enough to start the next in the series. I could have picked another big project, another totally differnt yarn with other characters - no trouble.
But, dammit, I liked Valentine. I liked the NightWatch and it was only me stopping myself.
So there you go, fellow Orbiteers, when we write for the critical eye of a publisher we risk all, we work mongrel hours and we bleed a lot.
But on the other side of the wall there sometimes sits a brand new story, all big-eyed and new. Just asking to be told.
How can you resist that face?
terry
Keioskie writes:
Hey gang, I’m reading Aldous Huxley, Brave New World. Well, I’m actually re-reading it, since I remember plumbing the mad depths of utopia/dystopia when I was younger. I didn’t get it then (like so many things) but I understand now.
That’s the great thing about ‘classic books’. Reading them you can see where a lot of new writing has come from, how genres are formed and why, and you begin to understand why these particular authors and works are so revered.
So tell me, Orbiteers – what’s your ‘classic’ work, and why?
