CALLIHOO Newsletter Market News for Writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Julia West, Editor Vol. 10, No. 24 19 November 2002 Website: http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/CALLIHOO/index.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE News Publication Notes Deadlines Contest 3F Publications Horror Contest (gls) Market Guidelines Say...What Time is It? (gls) Market Information 3SF Abyss & Apex Analog Andromeda Spaceways Black Gate Crux Deep Outside (changed name) Descant Elysian Fiction Fantastic Stories Far Sector Flesh and Blood Obscure Visions Realms of Fantasy Scavenger's Newsletter Space & Time Speculon Strange Horizons Tales of the Unanticipated To Die For anthology TriSpec ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS PUBLICATION NOTES Sue Kroupa and Bill Shunn (as well as many others) have stories in the new SFF.NET anthology =Beyond the Last Star=, available now from http://www.sff.net/books/btls.asp. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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.) 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)] DELACORTE PRESS CONTEST FOR A FIRST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL Open 1 October to 31 December 2002 [Print publisher, YA novel (ages 12-18), contemp, 100-224 typed pages, pays $1500 and $6000 advance. No sim subs. Up to 2 mss. considered. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 23)] WRITERS OF THE FUTURE, 1ST QUARTER 2003 Deadline 31 December 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)] 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. 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 4,000 to 10,000 wds. Pays 6 cents/wd. on accept. No E-mail, sim or mult subs. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 20)] 3F PUBLICATIONS HORROR CONTEST Deadline 1 March 2003 [Contest/antho, Halloween H 3000-5000 wds. Unpub. writers only. $5 entry fee. Pays 3 cents/wd. E-mail entries only. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 24)] 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)] SAY. . . WHAT TIME IS IT? Open 1 December 2002 to 1 March 2003 [Semi-annual printzine, themed (what time is it?). Fiction to 8,000 wds. Pays $10/story. No sim or mult subs, reprints, or E- mail subs. No erotica. (GLs in Vol. 10 No. 24)] ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTEST 3F PUBLICATIONS HORROR CONTEST [Contest/antho, Halloween H 3000-5000 wds. Unpub. writers only. $5 entry fee. Pays 3 cents/wd. E-mail entries only. Deadline 1 Mar 2003.] Submissions: contest@3fpublications.com This contest . . . is for authors who have never had the privilege of seeing their stories in print. If you are a published author, go away. Better yet, write something and then submit it to us. Attention all horror writers AKA wannabe published authors: Here is your chance to see your horror stories in a print anthology. 3FPublications is holding it's [sic] first Halloween-themed contest. The anthology is tentatively entitled, "Something Good To Eat." Obviously, all submissions must be based on Halloween. How you do it, is up to you. The word limit is 3000-5000 words, with a rate of pay of 3 cents a word and one issue, if accepted. There is a contest entry fee of $5.00. Why? Because quite frankly, an anthology of "unknowns" won't sell as well as one with established, published authors. The entry fee is to cover the printing and shipping costs, along with promotional costs. If you're accepted, you will be paid AND you will have a printed story to add to your bibliography. Be professional in all submissions. Edit your submission to the best of your ability. If it is filled with misspelled words, improper grammar and POV discrepancies, it will be rejected. We prefer third person POV and 99% of the time, we will reject 2nd person POV. We will reject any story where sex is slipped in as a filler and contributes nothing to the storyline. We will look at all types of horror but if it is a rehash of a storyline done to death, rewrite it with a new twist and then submit. When you are ready to submit, click on the link [on the web page] and pay your $5.00 entry fee. Then, email your entry as a Word attachment to: contest@3fpublications.com Include your name, address, city and state along with your email address when submitting. Put CONTEST ENTRY in the subject line. All entries will be sent an email advising of the status of your entry, whether accepted for publication or not. PLEASE NOTE: If you submit an entry WITHOUT your entry fee, it will be rejected, unread. We purchase FNASR (First North American Serial Rights) There are no refunds of entry fees. If you have further questions before submitting your entry, you may contact us at:contest@3fpublications.com CONTEST ENDS MARCH 1ST, 2003 [http://www.3fpublications.com/contests.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET GUIDELINES SAY. . . WHAT TIME IS IT? [Semi-annual printzine, themed (what time is it?). Fiction to 8,000 wds. Pays $10/story. Open 1 Dec 2002 to 1 Mar 2003. No sim or mult subs, reprints, or E-mail subs. No erotica. Include cover letter.] Christopher Rowe, Fiction Editor The Fortress of Words PO Box 1304 Lexington KY, 40588-1304 USA =Say...= is the new semi-annual zine from indie press The Fortress of Words. Inspired by the critical and popular success of our debut publication, the one shot ...is this a cat?, each issue will be themed around a very broad question. The theme for the second issue is: what time is it? Artists and illustrators, writers and poets, and maybe even comics creators will offer work that answers, addresses, illuminates, challenges or rebukes the question at hand. =Say...what time is it?= will debut at WisCon 27, held over Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26, 2003 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Below, you'll find ordering and subscription information, a description of the magazine's format, guidelines for fiction, comics and poetry submissions, art guidelines, and the address for the Fortress of Words. ORDERING INFORMATION: =Say...= is a semi-annual zine with issues appearing in the Autumn and the Spring of each year, available by subscription (see address below) for US$10 to readers in the United States. Individual issues are US$5. Readers abroad should send an inquiry to the subscription address or via the internet to isthisacat@hotmail.com. FORMAT: =Say...= will measure 7"x8.5" and will usually be around 48 pages long (though #1 came in at 68 pages), staple bound in cover stock. Note: the reading period for issue #2 is as follows: December 1st, 2002-March 1st, 2003. Submissions received either before or after the reading period will not be considered for publication. GENERAL Please do not send simultaneous or multiple submissions (excepting only multiples in poetry, see below). We are not accepting unsolicited reprints at this time. FICTION GUIDELINES: Each issue of =Say...= will be themed around a question, and your story should in some way answer, address, illuminate, challenge or rebuke that question. You usually won't have to work very hard to convince us that your story fits the theme. We're very open minded. The question for the second issue is: what time is it? Speculative fiction of any sort will be read with sympathy, but we're open to any type of fiction in English, so long as the story fits the rest of the guidelines and is less than 8,000 words long. REVISION: The Fortress of Words is not an erotica market, sorry. Stories should be typed or printed in black ink. They should be in a monospaced font on one side of white paper measuring 8.5"x11" or close to it. Use a one inch margin all around. Please put your name and address in the upper left hand corner of the first page and an approximate word count in the upper right hand corner. On the second and subsequent pages, please place a header in the upper right hand corner that includes the page number, your last name, and an identifying word or two of the title. Please include a cover letter telling us a little about yourself and listing your last few publishing credits (if applicable) but not a description of the story and definitely not your reason as to why it's on theme. All submissions must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for our reply (in the US--contributors from other places may include an e-mail address and we'll use that). The envelope should carry sufficient postage to return your manuscript if that's what you want, though we prefer disposable (and recyclable) mss.. If you send a disposable ms., a business sized envelope with a single first class stamp will suffice. The fiction editor is Christopher Rowe. COMICS =Say...= will print one or two short comics in each issue, if we get one or two we like. Remember, though, that the magazine will be in black and white and the issues will be reproduced on pieces of equipment that sometimes have coin slots on the side. (If you want to see an example of how the comics we've published look, check out "...is this a cat?"). The genre and theme requirements are the same as for fiction, but the length should be no more than eight pages. Please submit photocopies of your submission, as we can't be responsible for originals of unsolicited work. If we choose to publish your comic, we may ask for originals or for electronic files. PLEASE KEEP THE PAGE SIZE AND RATIO IN MIND (8.5" tall by 7" wide). Please include a cover letter telling us a little about yourself and listing your last few publishing credits (if applicable) but not a description of the comic and definitely not your reason as to why it's on theme. All submissions must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for our reply (in the US--contributors from other places may include an e-mail address and we'll use that). The envelope should carry sufficient postage to return your submission if that's what you want, though we prefer disposable (and recyclable) submissions. If you send a disposable submission, a business sized envelope with a single first class stamp will suffice. Christopher Rowe is the comics editor, too. POETRY GUIDELINES (by poetry editor Alan DeNiro): Send 1-5 poems at a time that interprets the theme in any fashion whatsoever, in any style. Crafty wordplay, a unique voice, and a lack of bad abstractions and cliches will go a long way. Poems do not have to be narrative, or even speculative. While there are no length requirements per se, poems under two pages long will have the best chance for acceptance, purely for spatial reasons. POETRY SUBMISSIONS ARE ACCEPTED BY EMAIL ONLY to adeniro@rocketmail.com. Poetry submissions sent by postal mail to the Fortress of Words world headquarters will be returned unread. No attachments to the email; paste poem(s) in body of the email in plain text. Any formatting vexations do not help chances of publication. No reprints or simultaneous submissions. NONFICTION GUIDELINES Articles, reviews and other nonfiction pieces will be solicited by the editors. We are not accepting unsolicited nonfiction at this time. ART GUIDELINES We're looking for artists to provide black and white illustrations for both the cover and interior. Story illustrations will be solicited based on artists' samples, but we'll also be happy to look at spot and incidental illustrations that fit the theme of a particular issue. Please send samples and/or incidental illo submissions to the PO Box listed below. SEND PHOTOCOPIES ONLY, as we can't be responsible for original artwork. If we decide to use your work, we may ask for originals or electronic files later. The cover illustration will also be in black and white, and the same rules apply. Christopher Rowe, ever busy, is also the art editor. PAYMENT We're offering ten bucks. Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but that's really what it boils down to. Payment for fiction is a flat US$10 per story. Payment for comics is a flat US$10 per comic. Payment for poetry is US$1 a line with a maximum of US$10 no matter the number of poems you let us use. That is to say, if we publish one of your poems in a single issue and it's eleven lines long, you get ten bucks. If we publish three of your poems in a single issue and they together total 119 lines, you get ten bucks. If we publish one of your poems and it's nine lines long, we greatly admire your integrity. Each individual artist whose work we use will receive a flat US$10 no matter how many pieces they have in an issue. If you live outside the hegemony, we'll arrange non-US$ payment somehow (gift certificates? merchandise? easily negotiable securities?). ADDRESS To subscribe, to order single copies, or to order copies of =...is this a cat?= (US$5 for domestic customers, write for info otherwise) send a check or money order made payable to CHRISTOPHER ROWE to the PO Box below. You can do most of that stuff via PayPal as well at http://www.lcrw.net/nonlcrwpages/fow/ index.htm and soon you'll be able to use your credit card and buy our zines at the Project Pulp website. All submissions (except poetry, see above) should also go to this address. We don't accept electronic submissions of anything else. The Fortress of Words, PO Box 1304, Lexington KY, 40588-1304, USA. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=178&show_all_t opics=0, 16 Nov 02] ----------------------------------------------------------------- MARKET INFORMATION 3SF Liz Holliday, editor of =3SF= magazine, said, "Issue 2 is in the final stages of layout, so I expect it's time to release the Table of Contents: Fiction Notes from the Field James Van Pelt Guardian (extract) Joe Haldeman The Last Robot David Langford Slices of life Vaughan Stanger Looking for God Paul E. Martens The Dog of the Drops Gene Wolfe Voices in the Dark Greg Beatty Soul Birds Gus Smith Nowhere Man! Sabine Furlong (Postcard Story Winner) Eating the Graffiti John Aegard Dolls Colin P. Davies Features Interview Forever Writing: Joe Haldeman Liz Holliday In Media Res 'Don't Watch That--Watch This' Alex Stewart Re:Takes Short film reviews Steve Mohn Readers' Guide Feminist SF Cynthia Ward Fanbase Interaction Announces Guest List Sparks Fanbase 2 Do You Know the Way to ConJose? Berry Kercheval Interview Robin Hobb Jayme Lynn Blaschke Eclectica The Republic of Heaven Philip Pullman Re:Views UK titles Gwyneth Jones Re: Instate US titles Rich Horton Re:Media Let's do the Timewarp Again Alex Stewart Re:Play The Game goes Ever On and On Alex Stewart Who Goes There? Sydney Bristow [sff.publishing.3sfmagazine, 8 Nov 2002] ABYSS & APEX Elizabeth Bear, editor for =Abyss and Apex=, said, "The light is green, the slushpile is clean. "If you sent a story to =Abyss & Apex= before November First and you DO NOT HEAR BACK FROM US BY MONDAY, please query. Something got lost in the mail." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&m=3670&sho w_all_topics=0, 2 Nov 02] ANALOG A writer on sff.net said, "When I submitted a Christmas story to =Analog=, I was asked to resubmit it in February." [sff.people.sherwood, 7 Nov 02] ANDROMEDA SPACEWAYS INFLIGHT MAGAZINE Robbie Matthews, one of the editors of The =Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine=, said, "Curious about =Andromeda Spaceways=, but too cheap ... er ... cautious to buy? Or you've read =ASIM= and want to let everyone else see how good it is? "Well, wait no longer! "The =Andromeda Spaceways= Sampler #1 is now available. Fourteen pages of ASIM Fun! Download at: http://www.spacejock.iinet.net.au/asim/sample1.pdf" [sff.publishing.asim, 6 Nov 02] BLACK GATE A writer on the =Speculations= Rumor Mill got a rejection from =Black Gate= which hints at what editor John O'Neill wants right now. "I enjoyed [title of story] which I found to be fast-paced and exciting. However, it's not right for =Black Gate=. While it was tightly plotted, we're currently looking for more character- driven fiction." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&show_all_t opics=0, 6 Nov 02] John O'Neill said, "I hope to do another slush update as soon as we reach a good stopping point. We're very late (4 weeks) with issue #5 though, and that will take priority at the moment, but I hope to get to it soon. "In the meantime, if there's a particular piece you'd like an update on, don't hesitate to drop me a note at john@blackgate.com. My response time on queries is usually about 2 weeks." [sff.publishing.black-gate-magazine, 15 Nov 02] CRUX Sarah Guidry, editor of =Crux= magazine, said, "Just a note to let everyone know that =Crux= is re-open to submissions as of today. "I've gotten everything all caught up after the interruptions of weather. I sent out the last batch of contributor payments this week, so if I've accepted something from you and you haven't received payment, you should get it in the mail early next week. "Also, I've filled issue one for everything except one or two more stories, and the contest submissions (and I still need more science fiction)." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 15 Nov 02] DEEP OUTSIDE A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "As you may or may not know, =Deep Outside= is on its last issue. Brian Callahan is out of the picture, editorial-wise, although he'll keep doing the web design/mastering and function as a consultant. John Cullen is in sole charge of the new webzine, =Far Sector=, which follows in the warp trail of =Deep Outside=. One of the main changes is that stories will now be published in partnership with Fictionwise.com and instead of 3 cents per word; he's offering a $10.00 advance on 25% royalties earned by the story over five years (the first year exclusive). "And what does this do to =Far Sector='s "pro" status, assuming it is a name-changed continuation of =Deep Outside=? "This change may also be the reason for the slowdown in response times. John has not mentioned anything about what he's going to do with the =Deep Outside= slush pile. I suggest that anyone with a story that's been there for longer than 12 weeks e-query him at editor@farsector.com and ask. Let us know what he says. Some of you may also want to withdraw your stories, rather than accept the new payment method." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 17 Nov 02] DESCANT A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "I queried earlier in the week, and was advised that the editors of the speclit issue are making their final selections now, and all submitters should have replies within the next two months. "Guess the now/two months part is to accommodate snail mail replies?" [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&m=13797&sh ow_all_topics=0, 31 Oct 02] Descant Speculative Literature Issue updated 6 October 2002 publication: Autumn 2003 The deadline for submissions to the =Descant= Speculative Literature issue has now passed, and we are no longer accepting submissions. We are currently evaluating submissions and will reply as soon as possible. Because of the volume of work received, this may take some time. If you wish in inquire about the status of your work, you may do so five months after the date you sent it by emailing =Descant='s managing editor at descant@web.net. This means for submissions sent on July 15th, you may query after December 15th. When querying, please include your name, the title of your piece, and the date you sent it. Thanks to all those who submitted work. Look for the =Descant= Speculative Literature issue in early September 2003. Details will be posted at this website, so please return often. Peter Darbyshire, Brian Panhuyzen, editors [http://www.descant.on.ca/speclit/] ELYSIAN FICTION Jim Bailey, editor of webzine =Elysian Fiction=, said, "OK, I'm back from World Fantasy Convention, and re-energized by the interactions, so now it's time to get my ass in gear and get things done. Much of the time, I was thinking of how I'm going to go about catching up, and so here's the outline of the plan, and estimates on how long it might take for each step. I'll be posting this on the GLs page as well, then posting updates on which steps I've completed and when both here and there. 1. Reply to queries about stories and to withdrawals (understandably, these have started to come in, and I don't blame people). 1 day. 2. E-mail contributors to issues #3 and #4 to let them know what's going on and an ETA on their issues. 1 day 3. Basic HTML formatting for stories in #3 and #4 so that I can then have them ready to use as proof copies for copyediting and showing the authors any changes. 1 day 3a. (concurrent with steps 4 and beyond below as a change of task) Each day, proof ~25% of Issue #3 material then show authors for approval. 4 days. 3b. (concurrent with below after above is done) Once authors have approved proofs, do final html formatting for stories for posting, create ToC and index pages, then post to web site. 4 days. 3c. (concurrent with some of below after issue #3 is posted) Each day, proof ~25% of Issue #4 material then show author for approval. 4 days. 3d. (concurrent with some of below after above is done) Do final formatting and created ToC and index pages so that Issue #4 will be ready to go in December with little further work. 4 days. 4. Read and reply to stories sent in February. (Yes, No, or Hold) 15 stories totaling 62k words. 1 day (I'm going to use ~50k per day as my estimate base) 5. Read and reply to stories sent in March. 37 stories totaling 167k words. 3 days 6. Read and reply to stories sent in April. 22 stories totaling 155k words. 3 days 7. Read and reply to stories sent in May. 34 stories totaling 128k words. 3 days 8. Read and reply to stories sent in June. 19 stories totaling 105k words. 2 days 9. Read and reply to stories sent in July. 40 stories totaling 155k words. 3 days 10. Read and reply to stories sent in August. 21 stories totaling 105k words. 2 days 11. Read and reply to stories sent in September. 23 stories totaling 140k words. 3 days 12. Read and reply to stories sent in October. 10 stories totaling 63k words. 1 day 13. Read and reply to stories sent in November. 4 stories totaling 15k words (so far). 1 day 14. Reread and refresh my memory as needed on any hold stories then make final decisions on what I will be buying. This has typically been about 30% of total submissions, so my guess is that I'll have about 60 stories on hand to fill ~20 slots for Issues #5 and #6. Then notify everybody in this group. 7 days. "This seems like a reasonable and likely schedule that I'd be able to follow. I might be faster at times, might be slower on others or have days I can't work it, but overall, looks realistic. Counting the days, this puts Issue #3 online around the 16th, and gets the slush pile cleared by about Dec 10th at which point I'll very soon put up issue #4. "More importantly, I hope this gives everybody a good idea of when I'll finally be able to answer them on their stories, and as I post updates, whether the ETA for a reply on their story is going to be sooner or later." [sff.publishing.elysian-fiction, 7 Nov 02] FANTASTIC STORIES A person on the Rumor Mill said, "Word from Ed McFadden, editor of =Fantastic Stories=: He says he has a HUGE pile of manuscripts on his desk, but plans on getting through it all by Christmas." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 15 Nov 02] FAR SECTOR [See also =Deep Outside=, above] A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "Acceptance from the new incarnation of =Deep Outside=, now morphed into =Far Sector= (http://www.farsector.com/). Submitted in January, re-submitted in June to =Deep Outside=. =Far Sector= will not be paying the $.03/word that =Deep Outside= paid but will, instead, pay a small amount up front + royalties on sales of the fiction thru fictionwise." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&show_all_t opics=0] Another writer said, "=Deep Outside SFFH= has a new name and URL: "=Far Sector SFFH=" at http://www.farsector.com. "Brian Callahan is moving on and will no longer edit. John Cullen will remain as the sole proprietor of the magazine under its new name. The magazine's editorial policies will remain largely the same." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&m=2570&sho w_all_topics=0, 5 Nov 02] FLESH & BLOOD Jack Fisher, Editor-in-chief of Flesh & Blood Press (www.fleshandbloodpress.com) said, "Just a note to let everyone know that =F&B= will now be paying 4-5 cents/word for fiction to 4,500 words. Also, =F&B= has been recommended for a Stoker Award! For those of you who are members of the HWA, head over to their website (www.horror.org) and cast your rec as well! Get the ball rolling." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 17 Nov 02] OBSCURE VISIONS M. W. Anderson, editor of =Obscure Visions=, said, "If you're a Horror/DF writer who likes to plan your projects well in advance, then please check out the address below: www.3fpublications.com/ obscurevisions.html "Open slots will be few (maybe as few as 2 or 3). A reading period for open submissions will be held, but the open/close dates haven't been determined. "=Obscure Visions= will feature Peter Straub's =Mrs. God=, and new stories by Brian A. Hopkins, Scott Nicholson, Gary A. Braunbeck, and Michael Oliveri." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=178&show_all_t opics=0, 17 Nov 02] =Obscure Visions=, Edited by M. W. Anderson Introduction: Often we find ourselves in the terrifying grip of simple, everyday life; when the dust has settled and we've collected our thoughts, still, no reasonable answers present themselves to the question of "why?" The natural and the supernatural, the real and the surreal, all fall on us when we are the least prepared. The subtly bizarre, the leisurely cruel, and the vast, understated horrors of the world hoist us, unwarned and unasked, into a fractured space, where we see reality through a glass, darkly.... =Obscure Visions= is an anthology of darkly ambiguous and enigmatic fiction, featuring the work of the current day's most thoughtful and thought-provoking Horror and Dark Fantasy authors. Unlike many conventional horror tales, these stories will feature subtle strangeness, eerie atmospheres, complex, multi-leveled storylines and deftly rendered prose, combined in a way that leaves the reader feeling as though he has stumbled into a frightening puzzle, a puzzle that is even more disturbing and haunting once it is solved, if indeed, it can be. The majority of stories in this anthology will appear by invitation, but a brief open submissions period will be held in the second half of 2003. In the meantime (to help potential contributors get a feel for what =Obscure Visions= is all about), the following suggested reading list is provided: Robert Aickman's =Ravissante= & =The Inner Room= Peter Straub's =Mrs. God= & =The Buffalo Hunter= Dennis Etchison's =On Call= & =The Dog Park= Ramsey Campbell's =The Pattern= (and many others), Steve Rasnic Tem's =At the Bureau=, and Norman Partridge's =The Hollow Man=. While basic subject matter is at the discretion of the author, delivery of the chosen subject is the key; elements of subtle strangeness, effective misdirection, and enigmatic overtones are essential. And as you've probably guessed, no copyrighted worlds, characters, material, etc. will be accepted. =Obscure Visions= will contain stories ranging from 1,500 to 8,000 words (but the editor will consider slightly longer/shorter works). Email submissions only, as an .rtf attachment. Queries (no submissions) can be made at: mwanderson@earthlink.net Watch [the web page] in the future for submission period & details. [http://www.3fpublications.com/obscurevisions.html] REALMS OF FANTASY Carina Gonzalez, editorial assistant for =Realms of Fantasy=, said, "I just wanted to tell everyone that I've just finished the latest batch from =Realms of Fantasy=. The last postmark date I have from this pile is 9/25/02, so mostly everything from September has been read and processed. Feel free to ask if you want to know anything about your particular story... "I'll hopefully be picking up the next batch from Ms. McCarthy this weekend." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&m=3630&sho w_all_topics=0, 30 Oct 02] When Ms. Gonzalez was asked what type of fantasy =Realms of Fantasy= wanted, she answered, "Hmmm, it really is a great question. Let's see if I can put it into words. There are several elements that are common "grabbers" regarding stories, any stories. Slice of life, coming of age, romance, abandonment, starting over... "The difficult part is placing these elements into the SUPERnatural category. Not using the term as in ghosts, etc., but as in MORE than the natural. I tend to use an example of a story that I love that was published in =Realms= called "Lindenman's Life," by Eric M. Witchey. In his story, Lindenman, to be succinct, grows up. He starts young, goes through many hardships, and then comes round and understands everything in the end. Why is this interesting? Because Lindenman is a building. Eric took that which is familiar to all of us and wed it to something extraordinary by personifying a building and trying to experience life through a building's eyes, or...windows I suppose. "To be less abstract, we've all read about the dragon slain by the champion and rescuing the princess of the Land of Generica! We all know about the elven rangers in the woods, but what about the elven rangers in New York City? "Those 'stories of old' that captivate us, weren't all that old in relation to the time periods they were first written in. They were written about everyday life with just a little twist. THOSE are the stories that do best. They speak to our daily lives AND the parts of us that just need a little bit more than reality. That's why we're Sci-Fi/Fantasy/etc., readers and writers. We need a little bit more than reality can provide...so we MAKE it happen! "We need new legends. New explanations for things we don't understand. And more importantly, new explanations for things we already do understand. Most of us know lightning strikes up, the physics involved, etc., but do we? Is there more to it than that? I don't know...that's your job. To tell me. "OK. So, I lied. I guess I am a bit of a writer at heart. It's quite difficult for me to "just answer" or to "just say a little." But the bottom line is the greats are the greats and really should be left alone. Respected, even revered, but while imitation is flattery, it isn't always great storytelling. Take the everyday, make something about it "not normal," and then act like it is." [sff.publishing.realms-of-fantasy, 24 Oct 02] She went on, "It's MUCH harder to be original when you're using some else's setting, characters and general plot line! And that's exactly what is going on with the princess and the dragon theme. "I mean, if you decide to make your dragon comical rather than the terror o' the land, than yes, your have an original comic dragon. Congratulations. But that's not going to hold up against somebody who presents me with an entire world in their pages. OR a part of OUR world that we've never seen before. Imagination is our gift. USE IT! "Now, some random free advice. The hardest part about presenting a "whole new world" (no Aladdin pun intended), is trying to deliver it without a) letting your reader be completely lost because he doesn't know all of the details of your world or b) letting your reader become COMPLETELY BORED because you have 5 pages of exposition as your intro! My advice is this. Pay VERY close attention to the dialogue of your characters. Are they REALLY speaking to each other as you or I would or are they elaborating so that the READER can understand more? "Example: If you are I were talking about the US Flag, we'd say "salute the good 'ol red, white, and blue." But if say, you were talking about the flag of some alien country, or fantasy kingdom, as an author you might feel obliged to say something like "I gazed upon the yellow, black and pink of our forefathers who died in the war of the great crash circa 1324. The memories of that day still imprint upon me the patriotism and respect I hold for our land forever more, yadda, yadda, yadda." I'M ALREADY BORED! "Not knowing ANYTHING about "the red, white, and blue," I already know that a) they are obviously colors of a country or land, b) garner some form of respect or else people wouldn't be saluting it, c) is the side we're fighting for because the words "good ol" are used, which are obviously positive. Yes, you might have written a history book's worth of information detailing every sword clash that led to those colors, but that's almost impossible to impart, without a modicum of boredom, in a short story. Recognize that you only have so many words to do this. You will be MUCH more successful if your characters act and speak as if they really were IN THEIR WORLD their entire lives, and not acting on a stage for me." [sff.publishing.realms-of-fantasy, 25 Oct 02] When asked how far ahead =Realms of Fantasy= is on "stockpiling" stories, Ms. Gonzalez answered, "=Realms= is a bi-monthly magazine, but believe it or not, filling them isn't as easy as you think. We don't put the exact same number of stories in every magazine. And if we simply don't get something that's get enough, we don't "fill-in" with whatever is second best. We just wait. "As far as how far ahead? It really isn't as bad as you would think. If you get contacted you're probably going to get published either in the next issue, or the one after that." [sff.publishing.realms-of-fantasy, 28 Oct 02] When Ms. Gonzalez was asked what were the most common reasons for rejecting manuscripts, she answered, "I thought about this for a little while, and here's what I came up with off the fly in no particular order: CLICHE WORD PAIRINGS Many authors don't seem to realize how often they pair the same words together over and over again. Examples include sibling rivalry, dark and stormy night, I remember it all like it was yesterday, awoke with a start, just around the bend, into the dark night, and shut with a bang. If I come to the end of the page and the word is sibling...I can bet $500 that the first word on the next page will be rivalry! It's too cliche and makes the tone of the piece cliche and juvenile in turn--as if the author is only imitating as opposed to writing originally. OBVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT BUILDING SUSPENSE A little dramatic trick is to stop a paragraph with a word and start the next paragraph with the same word in order to promote suspense. For example: She waded through the thick red carpet and opened the door. The door that led to the rest of her life and beyond, blah blah blah. It doesn't sound like much, but people do it ALL THE TIME, paragraph after paragraph trying to drill the suspense at the reader instead of letting the plot do it for them. Another OBVIOUS ATTEMPT AT BUILDING SUSPENSE is starting your story with a "grabber." Example: "Sheila never would have done it if she knew..." and then proceed with the story, blah blah blah or: "The day he woke was the worst day of his life..." and then story, blah blah blah. The author obviously understands that the first line is IMMENSELY important when writing a story, but their obvious weight on that sentence makes the reader want to groan, NOT become legitimately interested. You shouldn't HAVE to work that hard to grab the reader's attention. If you do, then your plot or your method of telling it is lacking somewhere. EXPOSITION OVERLOAD This is the disease of the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre. Especially because most of the time these stories happen or involve worlds unlike our own. In an attempt to pull the reader into the world, the author presents a history lesson in the first two paragraphs. This is not only boring, and overwhelming, but completely unrealistic. If this exposition is presented using dialogue, the two characters speaking WOULDN'T discuss these things in such detail because they ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT! Whenever we mention World War II, we just say "World War II." We don't always go into who fought what when. Those details aren't always important to the story. Sometimes just knowing that it was a war that involved the entire world and was the second of it's kind is enough to convey the point. TRUST that your reader isn't an idiot. Harsh but true. A TITLE THAT TELLS THE WHOLE STORY The Princess, the Disgruntled Knight, and the Horse that Loved Them How the Duck Got His Wings While Flying Towards Bermuda The Interesting Happenings of Wallahoo and his Right of Ascension The Vampire of Black and his Secret Reign of Terror (there's another cliche word pairing--reign of terror!) Titles should intrigue and imply, NOT summarize. Instead of the above titles, try: Horse Love, Wings Over Bermuda, Wallahoo, or Secret Black. The reader has a vague idea, but isn't beaten over the head with it. "Those are the biggies that leap out at me most of the time. Do they make sense?" [sff.publishing.realms-of-fantasy, 1 Nov 02] SCAVENGER'S NEWSLETTER A writer on sff.net says that =The Scavenger's Newsletter= is still publishing, but Janet Fox plans to end the newsletter with the Jan 2003 issue. [sff.publishing.news, 12 Nov 02] SPACE AND TIME A writer on sff net says that =Space & Time= is still highly overstocked and buying selectively. {sff.writing.response-times, 17 Nov 02] SPECULON A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "Timprov's [Tim Cooper, editor of =Speculon=] health has been quite bad. We're getting him to another doctor this month to try to see if we can get him feeling better. He's been getting bits of work done as he feels able, so...I'm not sure what to tell you-all on a time scale, but I'm more optimistic with the upcoming doctor appointment and the work he's been doing than I have been in several months. "The other thing is, Timprov is not the sort of editor to hold a grudge if you withdraw stories from his slush now and then submit to him later when he's feeling better. While I'm not saying you should do that, I'm saying it won't affect your chances with him later, when things are going more smoothly. "Thanks for your patience. We're hoping he's a bit healthier soon." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=204&show_all_t opics=0, 14 Nov 02] STRANGE HORIZONS Jed Hartman, one of the fiction editors for =Strange Horizons=, said, "I think that the rash of missing email is over, but just in case, figured it couldn't hurt to post this update: "We in the =Strange Horizons= fiction department have now responded to everything submitted to us on or before 20 October 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 21 October, don't query yet, of course." [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=291&show_all_t opics=0, 16 Nov 02] TALES OF THE UNANTICIPATED A writer on the Rumor Mill said, "On =TOTU=: I talked with Eric Heideman [editor of =Tales of the Unanticipated=] this weekend and he told me that he had cut the 200+ slush pile down to 70. He hopes to make the final decisions by the end of the year. If you didn't receive a rejection, then he's probably still holding it. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&show_all_t opics=0, 6 Nov 02] TO DIE FOR ANTHOLOGY The =To Die For= anthology has been filled. Check out http:// www.klio.net/byrenlee/. [http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?t=201&show_all_t opics=0, 6 Nov 02] TRISPEC John Garrett, Editor of =TriSpec Magazine=, said, "November 13, 2002: "Sorry for leaving so many people in limbo. I moved and things are just beginning to settle down. To avoid further complications, this page will keep people up to date on everything except submission statistics, which can be linked to below. "Things are looking good for the first issue. Some great pieces are under consideration. Sadly, few people have subscribed. Hopefully, this will improve over the next month. "I may need to change the magazine's title, due to a conflict of interest with another publication. "Due to the high volume of submissions, I will need to change the average response time to one month minimum. I know that many people have already waited over a month, and for this I apologize. I'll write ASAP. "People can still feel free to email questions, comments, or concerns." [http://www.geocities.com/z4ho.rm/TriSpec-Updates.html] ==End of the CALLIHOO Newsletter for 19 November 2002==