CALLIHOO Newsletter Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 10, No. 20 15 October 2002 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE News Publication Notes Endeavour Award Deadlines Anthologies Path of the Just anthology (gls) Polyphony 3 anthology (gls) Market Guidelines Paradox, The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction (gls) TriSpec: The Mini Mag of Micro SF, F, and H (gls) Market Information 3SF Artemis Magazine DNA Publications F&SF FutureShocks Phobos Entertainment Strange Horizons ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS PUBLICATION NOTES Sue Kroupa's story "That Kem May In Safe Pastures Dwell" should be available any day now in the sff.net anthology, =Beyond the Last Star=. "Soul Taster" by Ken Rand will appear in the upcoming issue of =On Spec=. ENDEAVOUR AWARD Jim Fiscus says, "We are trying to identify all the books that are eligible for the 2003 Endeavour Award, and need help. We go through the =Locus= index, but inevitably miss far too much. Thus, if you wrote or edited a book that might be eligible or know of any books that might be eligible, please drop me an email at: fiscus@sff.net "To be eligible for the award, a work must be an original novel or single author collection of stories printed--either as a hardcover, mass-market paperback, or paperback--for the first time in the English language during 2002. The author(s) must have been living in the Pacific Northwest--Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, The Yukon, or British Columbia--when they wrote the majority of the book and when the publisher accepted the book. "Remember that the Award carries a $1,000 grant. Full rules and the entry form for the Award are on our Web site: www.osfci.org/endeavour." ----------------------------------------------------------------- DEADLINES Check out the CALLIHOO website, listed above, for more information on these contests, magazine issues, and anthologies. (Where it says "GLs in Vol. X No. Y," these are volume and issue of the CALLIHOO newsletter.) SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS OF EARTH Deadline 30 October 2002 (postmarked) [Contest for new writers, SF/F 2,000 - 7,500 wds. $5 fee 1st entry (gives year's membership to SFWoE)/$2 fee further entries. 1st prize $200, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. No E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 9)]] WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, 4TH QUARTER 2002 Deadline 31 October 2002 [$1000 first, $750 2nd, $500 3rd place. No entry fee. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, P.O. Box 1630-JBW, Los Angeles, CA 90078. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 1)] MOTA: AN ANNUAL ANTHOLOGY OF FINE FICTION Deadline 1 November 2002 [Annual antho, fiction to 10,000 wds (to 8,000 wds preferred). Pays $100 on pub. Mult subs and reprints okay. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 9)] OCEANS OF THE MIND WINTER 2002 ISSUE: CANADIAN WRITERS Deadline 1 November 2002 [Quarterly e-mailzine in .pdf format. SF to 8,000 words. Pays 5 cents/word & up. Themed. Prefers E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 7 and Vol. 10 No. 3)] BYLINE NEW-TALENT SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 4 November 2002 [Writer who's never won a cash prize in a ByLine fiction contest. Max 5,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $50, $35, $25, $15. GLs in Vol. 9 No. 25)] NESFA 2003 SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 15 November 2002 [Contest, SF/F to 7500 wds, unpublished (professionally) writers only, no entry fee. Prize: $50 merchandise. No rights taken. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 14)] FIRST ANNUAL FIREBRAND FICTION/SFREADER.COM STORY CONTEST Deadline 30 November 2002 [Contest, SF/F/H 1,000-6,000 wds. No sim subs. Mult subs okay, separately. E-mail subs okay. 1st place $50 and pub, 2nd place $25 and pub, HM $20 and pub. No entry fee. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 15)] THE NATIONAL FANTASY FAN FEDERATION SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 1 December 2002 [Contest, SF/F/H. 1st place $50, 2nd $30, 3rd $20. Reading fee $2.00. No E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 1)] TOUCH OF NOIR Deadline 1 December 2002 [Antho, pulp detective/crime stories 4000-7000 wds (F/H elements okay). Pmt. percentage of royalties. E-mail subs only. RT 1-2 wks. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 14)] BYLINE SHORT-SHORT STORY CONTEST Deadline 5 December 2002 [Short story, any type or subject, to 2,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $60, $30, $20. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 25)] THE MOONLIGHT & MAGNOLIA FICTION WRITING CONTEST: SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HORROR Deadline 15 December 2002 [Annual competition for new writers, SF/F/H to 10,000 wds. No reprints. Prizes: 1st $250, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. Entry fee $7.50 per story ($2.50 2nd and thereafter to 3 entries). (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 17)] CRUX: A JOURNAL OF SPECULATIVE FICTION 1ST ISSUE CONTEST Deadline 15 January 2003 [Contest SF/F/H to 3,000 wds. Elements for contest are: "that grape soda feeling"; "the eye of Jupitor"; and unicorns. For summer 2003 issue. E-mail subs only. Sim subs and reprints ok. 1st place $20+pub. No accept. on contest entries until after deadline. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 14)] OCEANS OF THE MIND SPRING 2003 ISSUE: WOMEN WRITERS Deadline 1 February 2003 [Quarterly e-mailzine in .pdf format. SF to 8,000 words. Pays 5 cents/word & up. Themed. Prefers E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 9 No. 7 and Vol. 10 No. 3)] POLYPHONY 3 ANTHOLOGY Open 1 January 2003 to 15 February 2003 [Anthology, slipstream/magical realism. Pays 6 cents/wd. on accept. No E-mail, sim or mult subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 20)] PATH OF THE JUST SUPERHERO FICTION ANTHOLOGY Deadline 1 March 2003 [Anthology, F in Silver Age Sentinels RPG milieu, 3,000 to 7,000 wds. Pays 3-5 cents/wd. on pub. No E-mail subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 20)] ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANTHOLOGIES PATH OF THE JUST SUPERHERO FICTION ANTHOLOGY [Anthology, F in Silver Age Sentinels RPG milieu, 3,000 to 7,000 wds. Pays 3-5 cents/wd. on pub. No E-mail subs. Deadline 1 Mar 2003.] James Lowder, Editor 15120 West Mayflower Court New Berlin, WI 53151 E-mail (no subs; queries only): gawain@execpc.com Editor James Lowder is seeking submissions for =Path of the Just=. The book will be published by Guardians of Order, with a projected release date of July 2003. This collection will feature stories set in the universe of the SILVER AGE SENTINELS role-playing game, tales of heroes and villains that explore the game's central concepts of heroism, humility, and hope. Please note: The SAS (Silver Age Sentinels) game world assumes that heroic individual action is possible. Stories that seek to undercut or mock this premise, outside of an individual character's clearly defined point of view, will not be considered. Stories that demonstrate the complexities of the hero's path are welcome, and doubts about the efficacy of the "path of the just" can be raised within any character's mind. But stories should not seek to prove that this path is universally false, or those who follow it deluding themselves somehow. Authors submitting stories to this collection must be familiar with the setting for the Silver Age Sentinels game. The core rulebook, called the "D20 edition" (ISBN 1894525639), is available through many on-line stores, as well as the fulfillment house, Wizard's Attic (see http://www.wizards-attic.com/ GuardiansOtherGames.html for details). (The Deluxe Limited Edition of the core rulebook, ISBN 189452418, also contains the info, but is slightly more expensive.) Within the core book, writers should familiarize themselves thoroughly with both the short section on "Role-Playing the Mantle of Heroism," which details the setting's thematic focus, and the chapters "Campaign Introduction," "Geopolitical Overview," "Empire City," and "Major Personae," which detail the setting's history and major characters. Stories should be set within the world described in the SAS book, and explore the theme of heroic action as the subject is described in "Mantle of Heroism." Writers should focus on creating good fiction, not transcribing game adventures. You should never make game mechanics obvious in your work; in fact, stories are not expected to support game mechanics; rather, they should simply avoid breaking them in any major way. Focus on telling a good story first. In addition to using major or minor characters from the SAS world as either protagonists or supporting players, authors can create their own characters for use in the story. In fact, you should feel encouraged to do so. This will be a creator-owned collection--copyright for the story as a whole and any new characters created will remain with the writer. A specific contract rider granting limited use of the SAS material for this specific story will be written up for each tale selected for publication. Remember: The story needs to use the setting and the existing characters as part of a recognizable background world. Including serial characters of your own creation is fine, so long as the story stands alone and the character is accessible to readers from this story alone. The editor and publisher are especially eager to hear from the creators of previously or currently published superhero characters, writers and artists who might want to "guest star" their creations in the SAS world. More information about the Silver Age Sentinels RPG and the publisher can be found at http://www.guardiansorder.com/ THE NITTY GRITTY: Story deadline: postmarked by March 1st, 2003 Length: 3,000 to 7,000 words. Pay: 3 to 5 cents/word, paid within 30 days of publication. Rights: first world rights in English, republication rights for anthology as whole (with additional payments made for such use). EDITOR CONTACT INFORMATION: James Lowder, 15120 West Mayflower Court, New Berlin, WI 53151 gawain@execpc.com (Queries by e-mail; all submissions by mail. Please do not call with questions, or send submissions that must be signed for.) SILVER AGE SENTINELS is a trademark of Guardians of Order, Inc.; All Rights Reserved. POLYPHONY 3 [Anthology, slipstream/magical realism. Pays 6 cents/wd. on accept. No E-mail, sim or mult subs. Open 1 Jan 2003-15 Feb 2003.] Deborah Layne, Publisher and Fiction Editor Jay Lake, Fiction Co-Editor Wheatland Press P. O. Box 1818 Wilsonville, OR 97070 E-mail (no subs): inquiries@wheatlandpress.com Wheatland Press announces an open reading period for =Polyphony 3=, the third volume in the critically-acclaimed =Polyphony= anthology series. The publisher and editors are committed to finding outstanding cutting edge fiction from new writers as well as from established writers. We will be looking for stories that stretch (or break) the boundaries of traditional genres. Send us your magic realism, surrealism, literary stories with a genre sensibility, and other hard-to-classify stories with strong literary values, compelling characters, engaging tone and unique voice. If you really want to know what we are looking for, check out the first volume of =Polphony=, available directly from Wheatland Press, genre booksellers or online booksellers. We will accept submissions by lettermail only at our P.O. Box, postmarked from January 1st, 2003 through February 15th, 2003. Manuscripts received with a postmark date outside the designated reading period will be discarded unopened. Any manuscripts received by email will be deleted unread. If you live overseas or otherwise need to request an exception to this policy, query us at inquiries@wheatlandpress.com. Please follow standard manuscript formatting and submission conventions, especially including no simultaneous or multiple submissions. It is our intention to respond to all submissions by April 15th. We pay $0.06 per word for First Print and Electronic North American Anthology Rights, on acceptance, along with two author's copies on publication. These guidelines may be redistributed freely in their entirety. We look forward to seeing your best work. Deborah Layne, Publisher and Fiction Editor Jay Lake, Fiction Co-Editor ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET GUIDELINES PARADOX, THE MAGAZINE OF HISTORICAL AND SPECULATIVE FICTION [New triannual print mag, hist/F/SF/H and mix, 2,000 to 9,000 wds.. Pays 3-5 cents/wd. to $450 on pub. No E-mail fiction subs, sim subs, or reprints. RT 1-3 mo.] Christopher M. Cevasco, Editor Paradox P.O. Box 22897 Brooklyn, NY 11202-2897 E-mail (no subs): paradox@nyc.rr.com http://home.nyc.rr.com/paradoxmag/index.html The debut issue of =Paradox= is scheduled for release on April 15, 2003, and will be published three times a year thereafter. In each issue, you will find the very best of short historical fiction, as well as fantasy, science fiction, and horror, most of which will also have some historical twist--e.g., alternate history, time travel, Arthuriana. If you've written a story you would like us to consider, please send it our way. =Paradox= welcomes submissions from established writers as well as unpublished newcomers, and pays competitive, professional rates for those stories it accepts. Please read our Submission Guidelines for additional details. If you would like to subscribe to Paradox, a one-year subscription (three issues) can be purchased for $15 in U.S.A. ($18 in Canada, $27 elsewhere), and a two-year subscription (six issues) for only $27 in U.S.A. ($33 in Canada, $50.00 elsewhere). Or, you can pre-order a single copy of our debut issue for the $6 U.S. cover-price ($7 in Canada, $10 elsewhere). Please use a U.S. postal money order or check drawn on any U.S. bank account payable to Christopher M. Cevasco (Editor/Publisher of Paradox) at the following address: Christopher M. Cevasco, Paradox, P.O. Box 22897, Brooklyn, NY 11202-2897 Submission Guidelines =Paradox= publishes historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and horror, with a mixing of the genres preferred, as well as articles, news and reviews. While any well-written story stands a chance of being accepted, the following sorts of stories will be given preference: Historical Fiction Any time period is fair game, but we are particularly interested in pre-Industrial tales, especially those set in the Middle Ages and the ancient world and told from a broad spectrum of geographic and cultural perspectives. We would also like to see material set during human pre-history as long as it is believable (i.e., no sexy cavegirl stories). Historical accuracy is, of course, a wholly inflexible prerequisite to acceptance of any piece of pure historical fiction, but we want stories that are also artfully crafted, have engaging, fully-developed characters, interesting plots, and satisfying (though not necessarily happy) endings. If your story also explores or illuminates some aspect of human nature, all the better. Fantasy and Science Fiction: We are primarily looking for Alternate History, Time Travel, Arthuriana, stories in which archaeology, history, literature, art, or music plays a prominent role, historical re-tellings with a fantasy or sci-fi twist, classical mythology settings, re-tellings of classic fantasy/ sci-fi/mythology from an alternate character's perspective, "religious" fantasy/sci-fi, sci-fi exploring evolution (human or otherwise), and anything else you think might fit this overall theme. We will also consider other sorts of dark fantasy, cyberpunk, "soft" (or sociological) science fiction, and horror (frightening rather than gory), but such stories must be highly literate material, rich in atmosphere, with engaging characters and unique settings, and should steer clear from overworked genre conventions. High fantasy and S&S is also acceptable, but the world in which your story is set must feel as richly developed as those in Tolkien, Jordan, Feist, etc., which is no small feat in a short story. Do not send us any ultra-technical sci-fi, space opera, vampires, gratuitous erotica, or children's stories. Again, these guidelines are only meant as a guidepost but are not meant to stifle anyone's creativity. If we receive a truly great story, we will give it serious consideration even if it doesn't seem to fit any of these listed preferences. =Paradox= welcomes stories from both established and unpublished writers. Non-fiction Articles Non-fiction articles for =Paradox= should be approximately 4,000 words in length and should deal with innovative historiography or cutting-edge historical research of wide interest. Illustrations should be provided by the author in camera-ready form. It is important to bear in mind that =Paradox= readers possess a keen interest in the subject of history but represent a very wide diversity of backgrounds. Thus, specialized jargon and statistical detail should be kept to a necessary minimum. As our readers are reading this magazine primarily for entertainment purposes, a suitable style for our articles is far more informal than that in many professional journals. We will also consider "what if" essays considering alternate paths history might have taken, analyzing where we would be had history unfolded in a fashion other than that in which it did, and answering those alluring questions of why, how and when our collective destiny became reality. Proposals for non-fiction articles and CV (or letter detailing your personal or professional qualifications for writing on the given subject) may be sent as an e-mail attachment in RTF (Rich Text Format) to paradox@nyc.rr.com (note: fiction submissions will not be accepted at this e-mail address). If you have a completed article you would like to submit for consideration, please do so by mailing a hard copy along with a CV or cover letter. All columns and reviews are assigned, and we do not accept freelance submissions in those areas. If you would like to be considered for an assignment, you may e-mail a CV (or letter detailing your qualifications) as an attachment in RTF (Rich Text Format) to paradox@nyc.rr.com. Nuts and Bolts =Paradox= pays 3 to 5 cents per word (maximum $450) on publication for stories of any length (within reason), 2000 to 9000 words preferred. We will consider serializing novels. Payment for non-fiction articles is at the rate of 3 cents per word. We buy first North American and foreign serial rights and an option on anthology rights; all other rights are retained by the author. You can expect a response one week to three months after submission, and we will do our best to provide a personal critique of every story submitted. Send a hard copy of your story to Christopher M. Cevasco, Editor, Paradox, P.O. Box 22897, Brooklyn, NY 11202-2897. Use standard manuscript format (e.g., double-line spaced, 12-point Courier or other non-proportional font, underline rather than italicize when needed). Include name, address, e-mail, and approximate word-count on title page and name, shortened form of title, and page number on top of every subsequent page. Do not staple or fold. Include a SASE for response. Manuscripts will not be returned unless sufficient postage and envelope is provided along with submission. No electronic fiction submissions will be accepted (only non-fiction proposals and CV's will be accepted by e-mail as outlined above). We are only looking to publish previously unpublished work. No simultaneous submissions please. Poetry? Cartoons? While it is our intention to focus on fiction rather than poetry, if you've written a poem you think will fit the theme of our magazine, please send it our way, and we will consider it for publication (payment is a flat rate of $10 per poem). The same holds true for cartoons--dealing with historical figures or themes only please (payment for cartoons is two contributor copies of the magazine). Artwork? Almost all interior artwork in =Paradox= is assigned. To be considered for an assignment, send samples of your work to Editor Christopher M. Cevasco at our story submission address (preferably non-returnable photocopies). Payment is $20 (on acceptance) for black and white interior illustrations. We are not looking for any cover artwork at this time, but that may change, so check back in the future. Guidelines last updated: October 15, 2002 [http://home.nyc.rr.com/paradoxmag/index.html] TRISPEC: THE MINI MAG OF MICRO SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND HORROR [New Canadian monthly print mag, SF/F/H to 1000 wds (prefer 250-500). Pays 3 UScents/wd (5 Can cents) on pub. E-mail subs okay. Mult and sim subs okay; 1 per E-mail (3 per snailmail). No reprints. Include bio.] John Garrett, Editor TriSpec Magazine 297 Duke Street Saint John, NB E2L 1P4 CANADA Submissions: jlewisgarrett@hotmail.com Launch Date: January 1, 2003 INTRODUCTION I'm a huge fan of speculative fiction. I can remember rummaging through discount bins for old copies of =Asimov's=, =The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction=, =MZB's Magazine=, =Weird Tales=, etc. Unfortunately, the market has been plagued with inadequate opportunities to showcase new talent. Most professional magazines are so backlogged with high quality material that they are all but impossible to crack. And many talented authors/illustrators are loathe to submit to the small press. I can appreciate why: would you rather get $250 or a complimentary copy? I mulled it over and decided to launch my own magazine. The result is =TriSpec=: a monthly small press micro-sized magazine that pays professional rates. Ideally, I would like to have one well-known author from each genre to draw reader interest, then wow them with up-and-comers. I also intend to recommend choice works for various awards. To be fair to all contributors, I'll post the number of works under consideration, as well as the number of pieces accepted. I'll accept e-mail and snail mail submissions. Please be sure to enclose a SASE (if applicable) and the issue number you would like to be considered for (if desired). SPECIFICATIONS Physical Characteristics: 4.5 inches x 5.5 inches 44 pages (including cover) Black and White Card Stock Cover LAYOUT (in total number of pages) SF F H Fiction 9 9 9 Poetry 3 3 3 Illustrations 1 1 1 The remaining 5 pages will be: biographies (2 pages), the cover (1 page), a table of contents (1 page) and Editor's Notes (1 page). There will be 3 double issues each year (every 4 months). These issues will be 84 pages in length. The extra 40 pages will be devoted to: Science Fiction (February), Fantasy (June), and Horror (October). [www.geocities.com/z4ho.rm/TriSpec-Main.html] SUBMISSIONS Like all new products, market support is needed to survive. If successful, the pay and printing size/quality will improve [NOTE: Payment will be on publication, usually 2 months after acceptance]. All I ask for is FNASR for original pieces (no reprints). Here's what I need: FICTION STYLES: SF/F/H LENGTH: Up to 1000 words (250-500 words is ideal). PAY: 3 cents/word US (5 cents/word Canadian) plus a complimentary copy and 50% off a subscription. TIPS: Try to AVOID combining genres (eg. no SF-H stories). No erotica, gore, or "silly" stories. Make sure that the story is complete [i.e. it needs plot/setting/character(s)]. POETRY STYLES: Any (rhyming, free verse, haiku, etc), as long as it is obviously SF, F or H. LENGTH: Up to 40 lines. PAY: 3 cents/word US (5 cents/word Canadian) plus a complimentary copy and 50% off a subscription. ARTWORK COVER: SIZE: Any, but it will be sized to fit a 4.5" x 5.5" page. PAY: $35 US ($50 Canadian), 3 complimentary copies, and 50% off a subscription. INTERIOR: SIZE: Any, but it will sized to either 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 of a 4.5" x 5.5" page. PAY: $5 US ($7.50 Canadian), a complimentary copy, and 50% off a subscription. All queries/submissions can be sent via e-mail (jlewisgarrett@hotmail.com) or snail mail. Multiple and simultaneous submissions are fine, but only send one piece at a time for each e-mail. Please, no reprints at this time. If your work is a simultaneous submission, please tell me if it is purchased by another magazine. Finally, please follow these guidelines: E-MAIL: FICTION 1. In the subject line, title your story: "TriSpec - Submission - (genre) - Story - (story title) - (word count)". For example: TriSpec - Submission - Horror - Story - Good Dog - 234 2. Embed your story into the body of the e-mail. Attachments WILL NOT be accepted. 3. If your e-mail program does not allow bold or italics, use asterisks to bold (eg. *bold this*) and <> to italicize (eg. ). 4. Be sure to include a short (under 100 word) bio. You can add a recent prize/sale and home page URL. POETRY 1. In the subject line, title your poem: "TriSpec - Submission - Poem - (poem title) - (line count) - (word count)". For example: TriSpec - Submission - Fantasy - Poem - Unicorn Love - 36 - 102 2. Embed your poem into the body of the e-mail. Attachments WILL NOT be accepted. 3. If your e-mail program does not allow bold or italics, use astericks to bold (eg. *bold this*) and <> to italicize (eg. ). 4. Be sure to include a short (under 100 word) bio. You can add a recent prize/sale and home page URL. SNAIL MAIL: I don't mind getting hard copy submissions, but people shouldn't need to pay postage to have their work considered. However, if you insist on this route, send up to three pieces to: =TriSpec= Magazine, 297 Duke Street, Saint John, NB, E2L 1P4 CANADA I promise to personally reply as often as possible, usually within a few weeks. John Garrett, Editor [http://www.geocities.com/z4ho.rm/TriSpec-submissions.html] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET INFORMATION 3SF Liz Holliday, editor of British magazine =3SF=, says, ". . . my boyfriend was admitted to Emergency over the weekend, has been extremely ill and is still in hospital. As a direct consequence, my freelance work has backed up to the point where I may get thrown off the project if I don't get it together. "I know some of you have been waiting a while for responses. Please could I beg your indulgence for a while longer? I'd really appreciate it if people held off querying till at least Sunday, and preferably for ten days or so." [sff.publishing.3sfmagazine, 3 Oct 2002] ARTEMIS MAGAZINE Ian Randal Strock, editor of =Artemis Magazine=, said, "There've been some delays on this end, but the magazine is still alive, and we've recently started work on issue #8, so it'll be along sometime soon. On the good news side, we'll be sending more than 2500 copies of that next issue to our distributors, so they'll be showing up on magazine racks around the country. "As always, thank you, everyone, for your continuing patience. "And yes, I'll be getting responses to everyone who has a story in this pile real soon now. Doubt I'll be able to get them all out before CapClave, but I will make a concerted effort. "A big part of the reason I've been kind of quiet of late (I was waiting to have a good picture to post on the web, but nothing yet): "After lots of low-level thinking about it and talking about it, and then 36 hours of frantic last-minute planning, on 28 September, on the north side of the 86th floor Observation Deck of the Empire State Building... "With no guests (but for hundreds of unknown tourists walking by)... "Kit and I got married. "We decided it would have been our first anniversary (but for the fact that Kit had been stuck in Ohio for six months), so it was time. And rather than running around like headless chickens trying to plan an event of which all of our family and friends would approve, we decided to run off and get married quickly, by ourselves, and then have a big party sometime soon. "It was very romantic. "We're both still grinning." [sff.publishing.artemismagazine, 12 Oct 2002] DNA PUBLICATIONS When asked when the next DNA Publications slush party would be, Publisher/editor Warren Lapine said, "Last weekend." [sff.publishing.dnapublications, 11 Oct 2002] F&SF John Joseph Adams, assistant editor for =The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction=, said, "I should point out that putting a synopsis or any extraneous information in a cover letter is not going to earn you a rejection. It's all about the story. But just keep it short and simple. . . . "The only instance where I can think of a cover letter influencing a rejection or acceptance is if you write a serious piece that is mistaken for comedy. For example, an editor reads your story and thinks it's hilarious, but you meant for it to be totally serious, saying something about it in your cover letter could blow the sale. Gordon [van Gelder, =F&SF= editor] told me a story about this once; a writer sold a story like the one just described, but he didn't include a cover letter--Gordon told him he was lucky he didn't (because he might have talked himself out of a sale). On the other hand, I'm guessing most writers wouldn't want to get an acceptance that way." [sff.publishing.magazine-of-fantasy-and-science-fiction, 2 Oct 2002] FUTURESHOCKS Ralan Conley, who runs an excellent web-based SF market list, said, "NOTICE (for all you eager submitters): "Yesterday I placed Rob Young's =FutureShocks= on the Blacklist of my "SF Paying Market" page. The reason is nonpayment to authors who had work published in the first two (and only so far) issues." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&show_all_t opics=0, 11 Oct 02] PHOBOS ENTERTAINMENT A writer got this response back to an E-mail to Phobos Entertainment: "Right now we are seeking novel length works of science fiction. If you have such works I would be very interested to read a synopsis and some sample chapters. You could email me the files as attachments or mail them to the address below. The format should be the same as outlined for the contest, i.e. double spaced, page numbers and name and title on every page. If you send anything I will be sure to read it and give it due consideration. "If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me. "Sincerely, Christian O'Toole Creative Director, Phobos Entertainment, 325 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 otoole@phobosweb.com [E-mail dated 9 Oct 2002] STRANGE HORIZONS Jed Hartman, one of the fiction editors at =Strange Horizons=, said (of the fiction department), "We at =Strange Horizons= have been sending out lots of responses to submissions lately; I thought it was worth mentioning that we've now responded to everything submitted to us on or before 1 September 2002. If you sent us something on or before that date and haven't yet heard back from us, then either your submission or our response got lost in email; please drop us a query note. "If you submitted on or after 2 September, don't query yet, of course." [sff.publishing.market-report, 12 Oct 02] ==End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 15 October 2002==