Posts
My New Year's resolution was at least one post a month on my blogs. So far, I need a little work to catch up :p
Anyway, I don't think I posted this before, but my story "Trail of the Brujo" was accepted for Library of the Living Dead Press's upcoming anthology, "Tales from the Cauldron" edited by Rhiannon Frater.
I'm particularly excited about this one because it will also include stories from two very talented fellow members of the PIT writing workshop: Anna Haney and Victorya.
My story is one of gunfighter Mysterious Dave Mather and dark magic in 1880's Dallas.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Daikaijuzine 4.5
The latest issue of Daikaijuzine is out today. It's a web-zine so no hard copies :(. The magazine's unusual name is derived from the Japanese "dai" ("large" or "giant") and "kaiju" ("strange creature" or "monster"). A daikaiju is a giant monster. More specifically, it is one of the gigantic monsters Like Godzilla, King Ghidorah, or Mothra that appear in Japanese movies. With a name like that it seemed like the perfect market for a tale of a 400' foot pangolin terrorizing the city of Chicago.
The story is Panzersloth, and, if you notice an extra amount of wonderfulness in the telling that's due to my co-author, the extremely talented Leah Clarke.
I hope you'll find the story as much fun to read as it was to write.
The story is Panzersloth, and, if you notice an extra amount of wonderfulness in the telling that's due to my co-author, the extremely talented Leah Clarke.
I hope you'll find the story as much fun to read as it was to write.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Robots Beyond
I just found out that Robots Beyond from Permuted Press is now available at Amazon. This was a fun one ot work with, largely because editor Lane Adamson and a lot of the contributors are friends of mine. I had the chance to see some of the stories in the workshop stage and there is some seriously great stuff in here.
The table of contents is:
- Electric Crown by Thom Brannan
- The Last Protector by Billy Wong
- Franchise Hell by Ren Holton
- Burning Down the House by Paula Stiles
- Tinman by Jesse A. Lynn
- Crocus by William Carl
- Narrative Device by Alistair Bishop
- Other Dreams by Dave Dunwoody
- The Strange Affair of the Artisan's Heart by Joshua Reynolds
- Surveillance by R. Thomas Riley
- Primero by Richard Mosses
- The Cure by Christopher Donahue
- Hothead by Mark Patrick Lynch
- How Coyote Made Robot by John W. Oliver
- Again, Iabrochium by Joel Sutherland
- Be Swift, My Soul by Lane Adamson
- A Robot Named J35U5 by Matt R. Jones
- Nano-Domini by Matthew Baugh
- Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Doug Wojtowicz
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Rules to write by
The original (wonderful) list is from William Safire, ca. 1970. This expanded version is from a nifty blog I discovered today.
- Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.
- Don't use no double negatives.
- Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.
- Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.
- Do not put statements in the negative form.
- Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
- No sentence fragments.
- Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
- If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
- Steer clear of incorrect verb forms that have snuck into the language.
- Take the bull by the hand in leading away from mixed metaphors.
- Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
- Like, be aware that "like" is, like, easily misused.
- Try to never split infinitives.
- Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
- Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
- I must have told you a million times to resist hyperbole.
- Also, avoid awkward and affected alliteration.
- "Avoid overuse of 'quotation "marks" ' ".
- Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
- A writer must not shift your point of view.
- And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
- Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!!!
- Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more words, to their antecedents.
- Write all adverbial forms correct.
- Avoid un-necessary hyphenation.
- When dangling, watch your participles.
- It is incumbent on us to avoid archaic phrases.
- Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
- It's hard to imagine a phrase when you will have needed the future perfect.
- Unqualified superlatives are the worst.
- Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
- A preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
- Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.
- Don't use no double negatives.
- Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.
- Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.
- Do not put statements in the negative form.
- Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
- No sentence fragments.
- Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
- If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
- Steer clear of incorrect verb forms that have snuck into the language.
- Take the bull by the hand in leading away from mixed metaphors.
- Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
- Like, be aware that "like" is, like, easily misused.
- Try to never split infinitives.
- Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
- Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
- I must have told you a million times to resist hyperbole.
- Also, avoid awkward and affected alliteration.
- "Avoid overuse of 'quotation "marks" ' ".
- Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
- A writer must not shift your point of view.
- And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
- Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!!!
- Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more words, to their antecedents.
- Write all adverbial forms correct.
- Avoid un-necessary hyphenation.
- When dangling, watch your participles.
- It is incumbent on us to avoid archaic phrases.
- Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
- It's hard to imagine a phrase when you will have needed the future perfect.
- Unqualified superlatives are the worst.
- Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
- A preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
Monday, March 23, 2009
No Escape for me
I got a rejection letter (a very nice one actually) from Jeremiah Tolbert at Escape Pod. They didn't want "Closing Time at Galaxy Video" so I'll have hunt for another market. On the plus side he said he likes my writing.
:)
:)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Another Chapter Down
Nearly 4,000 words in this one, and it gives us a better look at the vampires' lair as well as the past of out homeless hero, Gus. This was a very difficult chapter to get started, but once it took off it was fun to write and just flowed.
I checked my trusty copy of THE VAMPIRE ENCYCLOPEDIA by Matthew Bunson and came up with some really neat lore about roses that looks like it will become very significant. I think there are some genuinely creepy moments in the abandoned buildings that Gus and the deputy investigate, and a scene with one of the vampiers and a gun that I've wanted to write for years.
It's off to Bobbie for review and edits. I can't wait to see where she takes things from here.
I checked my trusty copy of THE VAMPIRE ENCYCLOPEDIA by Matthew Bunson and came up with some really neat lore about roses that looks like it will become very significant. I think there are some genuinely creepy moments in the abandoned buildings that Gus and the deputy investigate, and a scene with one of the vampiers and a gun that I've wanted to write for years.
It's off to Bobbie for review and edits. I can't wait to see where she takes things from here.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Let's Roll Kato
It seems that I can talk about this after all. I'm helping work on the story 'bible' for Moonstone's upcoming anthology of Green Hornet stories.
The Green Hornet was a huge favorite of mine when I was 5, and the memory has stuck with me through all the ensuing years. I was a sucker for superheroes but he was more than just another masked hero. He had (IMO) better gadgets than Batman, and his car, the Black Beauty was at least as cool as the Batmobile. I also really liked his assistant, Kato, who had amazing fighting skills. It wasn't until years later that I learned Kato had been played by the then-unknown Bruce Lee!
This is going to be fun!
Friday, February 13, 2009
My Writing Buddy
I have two cats, Mayan and Squeak. I sometimes refer to them as black but, if you see them lying in a patch of sunlight, you notice that there is actually a complex mix of brown and black in their fur. They are able to diaappear into the shadows, but this also lets them seem almost invisible lying in a patch of brown leaves.
Anyway, Squeak tends it ignore me when I am on the computer. Such things as writing are beneath her notice when there are better ways to spend her time, such as sleeping on the end of the sofa, washing herself, sleeping under the coffee table, chasing Mayan, sleeping on the china cabinet, letting Mayan chase her, sleeping under the kitchen table...you probably get the idea.
Mayan, on the other hand likes writing. More precisely, he likes spending time with me when I'm writing. He usually announces his presence by meowing. If that fails to get more then a 'hello' and a quick head scratch he will, very gently, sink his claws into the back of my calf. He's gotten good at startling me without ever breaking the skin.
He's learning that I have a low tolerance for this and he will be shut out of the room if he persists too long, so the next step is to hop up on the desk and talk to me. His favorite place to stand is directly in front of the screen. When I move him to the side he has several options. He may perch sphinx-like on the desk, and watch me with unconcealed disapproval. Alternatively, he may amuse himself by sliding various objects to the edge and watch them fall (the game is so interesting that he can play for hours).
He has discovered that the most comfortable place to lie is directly on top of my mouse (the irony of a cat on my mouse hasn't escaped me). He curls up on the hard lump of plastic with boneless grace and purrs contentedly. His face looks so innocent as if he's saying, "Hey, I'm just a cat looking for a place to nap. I couldn't possibly understand how this is interfering with you, could I?"
Sometimes he will even help me type. I have to say that, as smart as Mayan is, his writing is not very sophisticated, and contains many errors. Still, there is a certain elegance to a sentence like, ;loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo';
Mayan's favorite place to nap is in my chair. He waits until I'm leaning forward to make his move, and manages to slide into the very narrow space between my back and the back of the chair. He snuggles down until he is as tightly wedged in as possible and begins to purr. I welcome these moments and reach pack to pet him before resuming my work. He gets the closeness he wants so much, and I get a lot more done. I also find his warmth of him against the small of my back, and the drone of his purr soothing.
It's not efficient to have a writing buddy like mine, but it can be very nice.
:)
Anyway, Squeak tends it ignore me when I am on the computer. Such things as writing are beneath her notice when there are better ways to spend her time, such as sleeping on the end of the sofa, washing herself, sleeping under the coffee table, chasing Mayan, sleeping on the china cabinet, letting Mayan chase her, sleeping under the kitchen table...you probably get the idea.
Mayan, on the other hand likes writing. More precisely, he likes spending time with me when I'm writing. He usually announces his presence by meowing. If that fails to get more then a 'hello' and a quick head scratch he will, very gently, sink his claws into the back of my calf. He's gotten good at startling me without ever breaking the skin.
He's learning that I have a low tolerance for this and he will be shut out of the room if he persists too long, so the next step is to hop up on the desk and talk to me. His favorite place to stand is directly in front of the screen. When I move him to the side he has several options. He may perch sphinx-like on the desk, and watch me with unconcealed disapproval. Alternatively, he may amuse himself by sliding various objects to the edge and watch them fall (the game is so interesting that he can play for hours).
He has discovered that the most comfortable place to lie is directly on top of my mouse (the irony of a cat on my mouse hasn't escaped me). He curls up on the hard lump of plastic with boneless grace and purrs contentedly. His face looks so innocent as if he's saying, "Hey, I'm just a cat looking for a place to nap. I couldn't possibly understand how this is interfering with you, could I?"
Sometimes he will even help me type. I have to say that, as smart as Mayan is, his writing is not very sophisticated, and contains many errors. Still, there is a certain elegance to a sentence like, ;loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo';
Mayan's favorite place to nap is in my chair. He waits until I'm leaning forward to make his move, and manages to slide into the very narrow space between my back and the back of the chair. He snuggles down until he is as tightly wedged in as possible and begins to purr. I welcome these moments and reach pack to pet him before resuming my work. He gets the closeness he wants so much, and I get a lot more done. I also find his warmth of him against the small of my back, and the drone of his purr soothing.
It's not efficient to have a writing buddy like mine, but it can be very nice.
:)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Avenger Chronicles
I got my contributor copies from Joe Gentile today!
Joe and I share that we read this series when we were young and loved it. The Avenger is Rivchard Henry Benson, a pulp hero who is the combination of super athlete, super inventor, and super detective (think Batman without the spiffy costume). His wife and daughter were presumed murdered by criminals and he vowed to protect others from the same sort of loss. The terrible shock of losing hs loved ones also turned Benson's hair and face white and gave him an odd paralysis that allows him to mold his flesh like clay. This makes him a natural master of disguise.
I haven't read the stories yet but an impressed by the talent they have brought in. I'm excited to have my story "In Forgetfulness Divine" (many thanks to Richard for the title and overall help with this one) alongside the sotries of such talented authors. The list is:
Tom DeFalco
Win Scott Eckert (an old friend!)
Joe Gentile (A newer friend!)
Clay and Susan Griffith
Ron Goulart (Who worked on the Avenger paperbacks in the 70's!)
CJ Henderson
Howard Hopkins
Paul Kupperberg
Max McCoy
Christopher Mills
Will Murray
Mel Odom
Gary Phillips
Martin Powell
Robert Randisi
James Reasoner
Richard Dean Starr (A friend and colaborator with all kinds of Moonstone projects!)
& Dan Wickline.
It's strange and humbling to work on a character I loved as a kid! It's amazing to see it out in print.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Handling Rejection
What do you do when you spend many hours on a story, shaping and polishing it into something special, only to have it rejected? After the wailing and gnashing of teeth, I try to pick out the errors that the editor has (hopefully) pointed out, show it to a couple of beta-readers, and send it back out there.
Only, this one keeps coming back.
"Trail of the Brujo" has come back (again) from a market not to be named here with a very blunt rejection letter. The letter says that I need to become "a much more careful writer". After wailing and gnashing a bit I looked at it and say that there were two (2) big errors on the first page. I'd changed a line I didn't like and had missed deleting the original. The effect was that I had the same idea twice in the first paragraph. I'd also removed my contact information when I workshopped the story and had forgotten to put it back in befure submitting the story.
My bad, and it's easy to see a rejection for those two things alone.
The other comment was more cryptic.
I can see how this could be a valid point. I'm puzzled by the fict that the witch/brujo character in the story, never says he disbelieves in shapeshifting. In fact, there's no discussion of shapeshifting anywhere in the story.
Color me puzzled.
Still, O best beloved, it is not wise to argue with an editor. I have made the corrections I could and sent the story on to a new market.
I may be getting better at this rejection business. There was on;y a days-worth of wailing and gnashing of teeth this time. (That will probably help with the dental bills too.)
Only, this one keeps coming back.
"Trail of the Brujo" has come back (again) from a market not to be named here with a very blunt rejection letter. The letter says that I need to become "a much more careful writer". After wailing and gnashing a bit I looked at it and say that there were two (2) big errors on the first page. I'd changed a line I didn't like and had missed deleting the original. The effect was that I had the same idea twice in the first paragraph. I'd also removed my contact information when I workshopped the story and had forgotten to put it back in befure submitting the story.
My bad, and it's easy to see a rejection for those two things alone.
The other comment was more cryptic.
...having a witch not believe in shapeshifting shows that you do not know the
subject you are writing about.
I can see how this could be a valid point. I'm puzzled by the fict that the witch/brujo character in the story, never says he disbelieves in shapeshifting. In fact, there's no discussion of shapeshifting anywhere in the story.
Color me puzzled.
Still, O best beloved, it is not wise to argue with an editor. I have made the corrections I could and sent the story on to a new market.
I may be getting better at this rejection business. There was on;y a days-worth of wailing and gnashing of teeth this time. (That will probably help with the dental bills too.)
Friday, October 3, 2008
My Stories To Date
A friend recently asked about what I had in print and I realized I wasn't sure. Record keeping isn't exactly my best thing. It made sense to do something about that, and the blog seemed a good place to do it.
Many thanks to Win Scott Eckert for helping me to figure out how to make the cool slideshow feature work on this blog! I’m insufferably pleased with it!
For anyone who is curious, here is the tally for the moment:
STORY APPEARS IN...
"The Legacy of the Fox" (essay) MYTHS FOR THE MODERN AGE
"The Mask of the Monster" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 1
"Ex Calce Liberatus" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 2
"The Heart of the Moon" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 3
"Captain Future and the Lunar Peril" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 4
"Fool’s Gold" HELL’S HANGMEN
"The Cold Comes South" “In Lovecraft’s Shadow” Issue 1
"Mysterious Dan’s Legacy" ARKHAM TALES
"Clown Fish" HIGH SEAS CTHULHU
"Snake Oil" FRONTIER CTHULHU (Origin Award Semi-Finalist)
"Fire Lilies" A FIELD GUIDE TO SURREAL BOTANY
Enemy of My Enemy (With Mike Bullock) TALES OF ZORRO
IN FRENCH
TITLE APPEARS IN...
"Le masque du monstre" LES COMPAGNONS DE L'OMBRE (Tome 1)
"Ex Calce Liberatus" LES COMPAGNONS DE L'OMBRE (Tome 1)
"Le masque du monstre" LES NOMBRUESES VIES DE MAIGRET
"La voie de la grue" LA SAGA DE MME. AROMOS (Tome 4)
ACCEPTED BUT NOT YET IN PRINT
TITLE WILL APPEAR IN...
"The Way of the Crane" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 5
"In Forgetfulness Divine" THE AVENGER CHRONICLES
"Nano-Domini" ROBOTS BEYOND
"Decently and Quietly Dead" “In Lovecraft’s Shadow” Issue 2
Many thanks to Win Scott Eckert for helping me to figure out how to make the cool slideshow feature work on this blog! I’m insufferably pleased with it!
For anyone who is curious, here is the tally for the moment:
STORY APPEARS IN...
"The Legacy of the Fox" (essay) MYTHS FOR THE MODERN AGE
"The Mask of the Monster" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 1
"Ex Calce Liberatus" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 2
"The Heart of the Moon" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 3
"Captain Future and the Lunar Peril" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 4
"Fool’s Gold" HELL’S HANGMEN
"The Cold Comes South" “In Lovecraft’s Shadow” Issue 1
"Mysterious Dan’s Legacy" ARKHAM TALES
"Clown Fish" HIGH SEAS CTHULHU
"Snake Oil" FRONTIER CTHULHU (Origin Award Semi-Finalist)
"Fire Lilies" A FIELD GUIDE TO SURREAL BOTANY
Enemy of My Enemy (With Mike Bullock) TALES OF ZORRO
IN FRENCH
TITLE APPEARS IN...
"Le masque du monstre" LES COMPAGNONS DE L'OMBRE (Tome 1)
"Ex Calce Liberatus" LES COMPAGNONS DE L'OMBRE (Tome 1)
"Le masque du monstre" LES NOMBRUESES VIES DE MAIGRET
"La voie de la grue" LA SAGA DE MME. AROMOS (Tome 4)
ACCEPTED BUT NOT YET IN PRINT
TITLE WILL APPEAR IN...
"The Way of the Crane" TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN – VOL 5
"In Forgetfulness Divine" THE AVENGER CHRONICLES
"Nano-Domini" ROBOTS BEYOND
"Decently and Quietly Dead" “In Lovecraft’s Shadow” Issue 2
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Post-Apocalyptic Rats
I finished off a short chapter and sent it to Leah for her review. It's part of THE GIRL WHO WALKS THROUGH WALLS and tells the touching story of a young girl trapped in a storm drain with an intelligent rat from beyond.
Will Rene DeTritus be able to save Amelia? What part will the Vicarmat-1280 play in his efforts? And just what was the Chorch of England thinking when they shifted all of their clerical positions over to robots, anyway.
For those, and many other answers, you'll just have to wait for chapter 3.
Will Rene DeTritus be able to save Amelia? What part will the Vicarmat-1280 play in his efforts? And just what was the Chorch of England thinking when they shifted all of their clerical positions over to robots, anyway.
For those, and many other answers, you'll just have to wait for chapter 3.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Right Now
I'm reading a mystery called, THE WINTER QUEEN by Russian author Boris Akunin. It's set in Moscow in the 1870's and looks clever and funny so far. Akunin is a big deal in Russia and a friend who reads a lot of international stories recommended it. I'll post a review when I'm done.
I'm still chipping away at chapter 2 of my project with Leah. It involves talking rate, a little girl trapped in a storm drain, and the Vicarmat-1270 which is an automated representative of the Church of England. At some point in the story it'd be fun to have Vicarmat malfunction and begin shouting "Cake or death?" (maybe not, but it's fun to think about.)
I am so looking forward to my real vacation at the end of November!
Oh, FRONTIER CTHULHU did not win the Origin Award, but it was an honor just to be nominated. (Seriously! I can now list "Origin Award Noninated" in my resume. Very cool!)
I'm still chipping away at chapter 2 of my project with Leah. It involves talking rate, a little girl trapped in a storm drain, and the Vicarmat-1270 which is an automated representative of the Church of England. At some point in the story it'd be fun to have Vicarmat malfunction and begin shouting "Cake or death?" (maybe not, but it's fun to think about.)
I am so looking forward to my real vacation at the end of November!
Oh, FRONTIER CTHULHU did not win the Origin Award, but it was an honor just to be nominated. (Seriously! I can now list "Origin Award Noninated" in my resume. Very cool!)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Big Update
I am not so great as a blogger :(
Since our last thrilling episode a few things have happened.
1) TALES OF ZORRO is out! Yay!
2) FIELD GUIDE OF SURREAL BOTANY is out! I'm eager looking forward to getting my copy.
3) My story was accepted for THE AVENGER CHRONICLES.
4) I wrote something experimental for HAUNTED LEGENDS. It was rejected but I have hopes it can make it in another market.
5) My story for MORE TALES OF ZORRO wasn't approved, but the hints seem to indicate it could work with the right sort of re-writing.
6) I wrote something I feel pretty good about for THE WORLD IS DEAD. That's an anthology of zombie fiction edited by Kim Paffenroth who is a professor of religion and horror author. (I feel less alone in the world).
I'm also at work on a project with my friend Leah Clarke, it's kind of Charles Dickens meets H.P. Lovecraft in the post-apocalyptic future. I just read Leah's first draft of chapter 1 and it's fantastic! (It's good to colaborate with talented people like her, they make me look good by association. On that note I'm looking forward to colaborations with Micah, John, and Bobbie in the near future.)
Since our last thrilling episode a few things have happened.
1) TALES OF ZORRO is out! Yay!
2) FIELD GUIDE OF SURREAL BOTANY is out! I'm eager looking forward to getting my copy.
3) My story was accepted for THE AVENGER CHRONICLES.
4) I wrote something experimental for HAUNTED LEGENDS. It was rejected but I have hopes it can make it in another market.
5) My story for MORE TALES OF ZORRO wasn't approved, but the hints seem to indicate it could work with the right sort of re-writing.
6) I wrote something I feel pretty good about for THE WORLD IS DEAD. That's an anthology of zombie fiction edited by Kim Paffenroth who is a professor of religion and horror author. (I feel less alone in the world).
I'm also at work on a project with my friend Leah Clarke, it's kind of Charles Dickens meets H.P. Lovecraft in the post-apocalyptic future. I just read Leah's first draft of chapter 1 and it's fantastic! (It's good to colaborate with talented people like her, they make me look good by association. On that note I'm looking forward to colaborations with Micah, John, and Bobbie in the near future.)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Have You Ever...
Ever written something and thought... "Well, at least I'm done" and then gotten back an amazing response?
I finished my most spiritually ambitious piece of writing this week. "Nano-Domini" is the story of a medical nanobot and his developing relationship with the scientist whose body he shares. It's meant to parallel the relationship of God and humanity from an unusual perspective.
I was worried about it being too preachy (it might stll be just a bit) and it felt clunky as I was writing it. I ran it past my writer's group thinking I would probably get some kind words about how not every story can be your best.
The responses I've gotten back have been better than to anything else I've ever submitted there(!) I'm floored and surprised (very pleasantly so) to get the comments I'm getting, and from people whose opinions I really respect and value!
Something went right and I'm really tickled about it! Now I get to be nervous about my story making the ROBOTS BEYOND cut.
Leah says that things look hopeful for her story (a wonderfully creepy/funny Lovecraftean tale with robots) and I got an advance look at the rewrite of Bobbie's Civil War robots story (which was very good before and is amazing now). It would be so cool if we all made it!
I finished my most spiritually ambitious piece of writing this week. "Nano-Domini" is the story of a medical nanobot and his developing relationship with the scientist whose body he shares. It's meant to parallel the relationship of God and humanity from an unusual perspective.
I was worried about it being too preachy (it might stll be just a bit) and it felt clunky as I was writing it. I ran it past my writer's group thinking I would probably get some kind words about how not every story can be your best.
The responses I've gotten back have been better than to anything else I've ever submitted there(!) I'm floored and surprised (very pleasantly so) to get the comments I'm getting, and from people whose opinions I really respect and value!
Something went right and I'm really tickled about it! Now I get to be nervous about my story making the ROBOTS BEYOND cut.
Leah says that things look hopeful for her story (a wonderfully creepy/funny Lovecraftean tale with robots) and I got an advance look at the rewrite of Bobbie's Civil War robots story (which was very good before and is amazing now). It would be so cool if we all made it!
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Avenger
I'm doing a couple of other colaborations for Moonstone's THE AVENGER CHRONICLES with Richard Starr. These weren't meant as colaborations originally. Richard was pressed for time so I helped him with his story "Tides of Justice" and he returned the favor with my story "Images of Yesterday".
I'm looking forward to this collection with great anticipation! I'm also enjoying all the opportunities that Moonstone is talking about coming up. They're publishing new adventures of many of my all time favorite characters and that's very exciting to be involved in, plus Richard and Joe have been great to work for. :)
I'm looking forward to this collection with great anticipation! I'm also enjoying all the opportunities that Moonstone is talking about coming up. They're publishing new adventures of many of my all time favorite characters and that's very exciting to be involved in, plus Richard and Joe have been great to work for. :)
Panzersloth
I'm doing my first intentional colaboration on a short story. "Panzersloth" will be a submission for the Giant Creatures anthology that Permuted Press is putting together. I'm working with Leah Clarke who is a delight to work with. (Note to self: Choosing a writing partner who is very talented, has a compatable sense of humor, and is fun to work with is a good strategy!)
The story involves a giant pangolin (that's a rare mammel that looks like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo) that attacks Chicago. It's (mostly thanks to Leah) the funniest story I've ever worked on.
The story involves a giant pangolin (that's a rare mammel that looks like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo) that attacks Chicago. It's (mostly thanks to Leah) the funniest story I've ever worked on.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Frontier Cthulhu Review
The estimable Matthew Carpenter who posts lots of reviews on Amazon has weighed in on Frontier Cthulhu. His review cam be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/2wkgv6 and scroll down the page a bit.
Here's what he had to say about my story:
(It's nice to be the Yiggiest)
One small correction. My story is set near Las Vegas, New Mexico. I think Mr. Carpenter (understandably) thought of Nevada when he saw the name.
Here's what he had to say about my story:
"Snake Oil" - Matthew Baugh has been busy with stories in Arkham Tales,
High Seas Cthulhu (the excellent "Clownfish"), Hell's Hangmen and In
Lovecraft's Shadow issue #1. I wonder if Dave Mather, descendent of Cotton
Mather, will become a fixture in Mr. Baugh's stories? Dave Mather is a
deputy marshal in Nevada who gets mixed up in some mysterious goings on. As
you might surmise from the title, this is the Yiggiest story in the book.
(It's nice to be the Yiggiest)
One small correction. My story is set near Las Vegas, New Mexico. I think Mr. Carpenter (understandably) thought of Nevada when he saw the name.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Here are a couple of gorgeous images from the upsoming "Handbook of Surreal Botany" coming out sometime this spring.The flower to the left actually won't be in the book but artist Janet Chui posted it as an example.
I don't know the name of the fruit down beliw but it is amazing to look at (note to self: working with talented artists is good!)
My own contribution is the fire lily, whose bloom is actually a flame. I haven't seen it yet but am very excited!
Friday, September 7, 2007
mixed reviews
I got a nice mention in the review of HIGH SEAS CTHULHU http://tinyurl.com/23w8bm and there's a new review of TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN 4 that says some nice things about my story http://tinyurl.com/2ynfw5. (I'm also excited that I've finally figured out how to make links in my blog!!!)
That's the good news. The bad is that "Fox Hunt" was declined by Cat Scratch Books for their anthology. When they asked for a supernatural/gothic story up to 17,000 words long I didn't think it was for me. However, the challenge stuck in my head and I came up a story I really liked. The editor at CatScratch said she liked it too and it made it through at least one round of readings. In the end though it didn't make it.
Anybody know a good market for supernatural/gothic very long short stories?
That's the good news. The bad is that "Fox Hunt" was declined by Cat Scratch Books for their anthology. When they asked for a supernatural/gothic story up to 17,000 words long I didn't think it was for me. However, the challenge stuck in my head and I came up a story I really liked. The editor at CatScratch said she liked it too and it made it through at least one round of readings. In the end though it didn't make it.
Anybody know a good market for supernatural/gothic very long short stories?
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