Dandyfunk

No News . . .

. . . is no news. For me anyway. But some of my friends have been doing good stuff.

J Kathleen Cheney, a friend from WotF 24, made the Nebula Awards ballot with her story Iron Shoes! It came out in the fabulous Alembical 2, the anthology of novellas from Paper Golem Press. Edited by Laurence Schoen, who will be the Guest of Honor at Lunacon in a couple of weeks.

Ian McHugh, another mate from WotF, has his latest story, Boumee and the Apes, in the May 2011 issue of Analog. On newsstands NOW -- so get yourself a copy before they're all sold out.

And if you prefer audio books over antholgies or magazines, give the Erin Cashier (yes, another pal from WotF) story Crucigar a listen over at Escape Pod.

Oh, wait. I do have a bit of news. My story First Light is out now at Redstone Science Fiction.

 

 

NaNoWriMo - - - DONE!

Just finished. 50,009 words.

My fifth attempt, and third win.

Prize Package

The prize package for the JBMWC came (quite awhile back).

Here's the very cool trophy:

   

The rest of the package was a great assortment of cool stuff from Baen:

 

I got a Baen book bag, stainless steel mug and 2 books:

A Robert Heinlein double anthology: The Green Hills of Earth / The Menace from Earth and The World Turned Upside Down, edited by David Drake, Eric Flint and Jim Baen. This antho collects stories that made the editors SF fans -- stuff that turned their worlds upside down and made them lifelong fans! For more on these books, go to Baen's website.

If you're interested in the contest, start writing! The submission window for this year's contest opens October 1st. Good luck!

What I'm Reading Now

Actually, I finished this one:

The Things that are not There by CJ Henderson. This novel takes the Lovecraftian Horror story and welds it together with some hard-boiled detective fiction. I mean, really, if some nameless unspeakable horror from the depths of time and space comes after you, would you rather just go insane or pick up some heavy duty firearms and rocket launchers and go right after them?

I also finished four books in the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. I'm up to Ashes of Victory, and will probably  take a break before I continue on with the series.

Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back just came in the mail. This graphic novel series has a great premise: What if Luke didn't destroy the Death Star and Yavin and the Rebellion were destroyed? It's the same characters but pivotal events are changed.

Prize Package!

I recently received my prize package from the Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest. In a very thoughtful gesture, they include a bag to carry all the goodies in:

And here's what's inside:

I got a Jim Baen's Universe mug, a CD-ROM of The Best of Jim Baen's Universe 2006,  Eric Flint's novel Time Spike, and the collection The Best of Jim Baen's Universe #2, featuring fantastic stories from KD Wentworth, Mike Resnick, Elizabeth Bear, Kevin J Anderson, J. Kathleen Cheney (her story Touching the Dead is great -- read it first)  and many more!

Luckily, winning second place doesn't eliminate you from entering the contest again. I'll start working on a new story as soon as I finish all these books.

Some good Reading and Listening from my WotF mates

On newsstands now, look in the May Issue of Analog for Dr Phil's story "The Brother on the Shelf."

If you don't have the time to run out to the nearest bookstore, try a Podcast of Ian McHugh's story "The Greatest Adventure of All," available at Pseudopod. This story shows what happens when scientists step over the edge -- the edge between life and death.

If you can't make up your mind between reading and listening, Beneath Ceaseless Skies gives you both. You can read Sarah L Edwards' "The Last Devil" online or listen to the mp3 audio version. Make your choice here.

And while you're at BCS, be sure to check out "Hangman" by Erin Cashier here, and "The Dragon's Child" by J Kathleen Cheney here.

And be sure to visit Beneath Ceaseless Skies in a couple of weeks.  The next issue will feature a new story from KD Wentworth, "The Orangery."

What I'm reading now

Last Call, by Tim Powers, first book of the Last Call Trilogy.

Confessions of a How-to book Junkie

A Natural History of the Senses, by Diane Ackerman  ISBN-10: 0679735666
Not a how-to book for writers per se, but one every writer should take a look at. The book touches on each of the five senses, with an additional chapter for synesthesia.
Each chapter covers many topics, from Ackerman's personal memories to scientific studies to historical researches to philosophical asides. Did you ever think that tears are salty because we evolved from ocean creatures, and that our blood is salt water? Ackerman has.
But the book is more than just a collection of information; there's great writing here, and an aspiring writer could learn from some of these images and every page is filled with ideas.

More confessions here.

Writers of the Future, Vol XXIV, part 3

OK, time to finish this roundup of all the great stories you'll find in Vol 24.

With great power -- like the power to create and destroy a world -- comes great responsibility. Erin Cashier 's story of Duxa, the AI planet builder on the way to the planet "Cruciger" has tough decisions to make. Luckily, she has mindmaps of humans and all of Earth's history, science and entertainment. But that doesn't make her choice any easier.

When "The Bird Reader's Granddaughter" leaves home after tragedy, she enters a new world of fortune telling, love and war. Kim Gillett's tale of Catia brings to light the problems of knowing the future, and when to tell a person's fortune.

When you're about to die, you've got limited options. "Snakes and Ladders" from Paula Stiles spins a story of a life-changing internal struggle.

The Anthology closes out with Al Bogdan's story of Ektela, "The Girl Who Whispered Beauty." In a world where a whisper girl has the power to bestow life and beauty, can she keep some for herself or must her mistress take it all?

I won't say anything about my story except to say that is has a fantastic illustration from Robert Castillo. Robert's a multi-talented artist, and just had a short film accepted for the Nickelodeon Animation Festival, and it should be on the air in October. In fact, all of the illustrations for this year's book are top notch, but don't take my word for it. You can download them from the Audible website here.

Writers of the Future, Vol XXIV, part 2

The book isn't out yet, but the trailer is. See it on YouTube:

WotF 24 Trailer

Now for more about the stories.

Read about the ultimate e-book in JD Everyhope's story "Circuit." It has all the critically acclaimed  literature ever written, offers commentary, translation and analysis. But wait -- there's more! It's intelligent and talks to you.
Hope it's available on Amazon soon.

Sonia Helbig takes us to a post-apocalypse Australian outback to meet a teacher with a very tough job: She tests her children with a "Crown of Thorns" to see who can save them all.

Is an avatar just copy? Does it have any legal rights? If you give it an inch, will it savor freedom and start "Taking a Mile?" J. Kathleen Cheney tackles this question with her story of a clone with a limited lifespan.

Steampunk's not all difference engines, gas light and zeppelins. Sarah Edwards tells of an inventor, haunted by his own past, who tries to perfect his creations in "Simulacrum's Children."

Stay tuned for more about the anthology tomorrow.