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Van Nuys, California
Order SWORD AND SORCERESS #16 here!
5-29-99
NEWSFLASH!
I open my copy of Speculations, and what do I see? Tippi N. Blevins' short story "The Dog-Faced Boy & the Amazing Winged Man" won the Speculations Reader Poll in the Short Fiction category!!! Wow! Check out the competition she beat out! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS, Babe!!!
Congratulations to Lisa Silverthorne on selling "Spirit House" to Quantum SF, to Paula E. Fleming on her sale to XX, and to Jon Hansen on his sale to Dark Regions! :-)
Congratulations to Caroline Austin Hazen for earning her Masters Degree!
Happy belated birthday to Chiara Shah, and yeah, I admit it, mine was on the 25th. I've hit the big 33. *grin* Chiara, you're just a little weenie at 30! Nyah! ;-) Actually, what am I saying? I still feel like a weenie myself.
For a nice "pre-birthday present" on the 24th, I got a nice big S&S Royalty check from MZB, almost a grand. Thanks, Marion!!! :-)
Thanks to Al Sirois and a couple of other folks, I went ahead and installed SETI@home. Now I am also contributing to the search for higher intelligence in the universe as my PC is crunching away radio signal data, in an attempt to find order in chaos! Awesome! I even got the guys at work to install it on their systems there, so practically the whole tech support department is running it! *grin*
My Starlight story has been sent to Tor on Monday. Now I sit and wait for a nice rejection. :-)
Kudos to Linda J. Dunn for NOT joining another writers group. Ok, I have a thing or two to say about this.
Writers groups, I think, have their time and place, and are not for everyone. However, I firmly believe that EVERYONE eventually outgrows a writers group situation. It is not even a matter of finding one consisting strictly of your peers, of writers working on your level or higher. The very act of workshopping a story is something that loses its effectiveness after a certain level of proficiency.
And that doesn't mean we are now perfect and can all go out there and write like Gene Wolfe or Tanith Lee. Not at all. Everyone needs to have a friend or two to look at their work to give a clean perspective, to help one out of a rut, or just to do a casual friendly brainstorming session -- upon occasion. The key words here are "casual" and "upon occasion."
After some point, the pressure of organized workshopping can kill your writing.
So, just screw' em. Go you out there and write all by yourself! Pull worlds out of your solar plexus and universes out of your heart! Let your self be your own guide. :-)
I've managed to sell stories for almost a decade before I showed anyone a work in progress. Now, due to the ease of e-mail and convenience of IRC, I do show work to my friends, but only on a casual basis, and only when I am seriously unsure of something, some minor detail. And yes, my friends do help a lot! However, I know that I would still write successfully without their input. It simply involves more work, more focus, more pure effort.
Trust yourself.
Finally, today's NAWticism comes once again from Zette: They're talking about kids and growing up and I keep thinking things like, "Yeah, but if I cut the first half of the last chapter, that's probably another 1000 words gone!"
5-23-99
NEWSFLASH!
Huge Congratulations to Lisa Silverthorne on her TREACHERY AND TREASON sale to Roc! Wow, what an awesome sale!!! :-)
Want to see a gorgeous dreamy piece of art? This one, called "Storm, Late Saturday Afternoon", is by Zette, a photo, and I think it belongs in a gallery!
As for me, I got my own story bounced from TREACHERY AND TREASON at 101 days. *sigh* Oh well. :-)
But the good news is, I finally finished my Starlight-bound story. It will probably be going off to to Tor this week.
Today's NAWticism comes from Linda J. Dunn: "Typing 80,000 words doesn't make you a novelist any more than going into the garage makes you a car."
5-19-99
NEWSFLASH!
First and foremost, a huge pulsing flaming neon-lit and somewhat noir smoky congratulations to Kurtis Roth on his second short story sale to 100 CRAFTY LITTLE CAT CRIMES, due out from Barnes & Noble in late 2000. This story, "Eight" is the first to feature Rick Winslow, a series detective character who will figure prominently in Kurt's mystery works. Rick Winslow is definitely a character to watch!
A similar congratulations to John Sullivan, for his sale to the same anthology above! A real achievement, John!
Congratulations to James Hartley for the sale of his story "The Dead of Winter" to On Spec, and to Mary Soon Lee for the reprint sale of her marvelous story "Ebb Tide" to the Spanish magazine Gigamesh!
Allrightee now. Jealousy is the topic of the day around the NAW, thanks to a good question from Douglas Shoemaker.
Yes, I know jealousy very well, thank you. I can be awful. I love my friends, and DO feel happy for them when good things happen, but it doesn't stop me from this crazy freaky feeling. Let me borrow from someone the term "Locus disease." Forgive me, whoever coined it, but it is perfect, and I must bandy it about. Locus disease, you might ask? This happens when you open Locus to the "People & Publishing" section. And you start reading.... "JOE BLOWRITER sold BIG DEAL IN SPACE to Huge Publisher via Megaglitz Agency for a 6 figure deal."
Used to be, I would turn green just in 3 paragraphs. And when I'd finish the section I would start seeing green flecks steaming out of my ears, my breath will get short, and I would see my life rushing before my eyes. I became the Green Beast! (And we ain't talking the Incredible Hulk either). I would throw down Locus, and get up and feel the immediate need to run about and DO SOMETHING.
Yes. That's right. My jealosy would make me temporarily crazy, and it was this very funny little gagging feeling.
In some ways I am pretty mellow. In others, I am competitive as hell.
Usually I am competitive in creative arenas -- art, writing, music. And nothing gets me going more than knowing someone else has achieved!
Well, the good thing here, about this instant madness, is that it would make me act. I would go off and write something! Do something, anything constructive to relieve the green creature.
And you know what, it worked! Jealousy would recede, and instead, new projects were germinated, new words put down on paper.
That was about 3 years ago.
Now when I read Locus, I don't get that jealousy twinge anymore. Well, ok, maybe just a little. :-)
Now I simply take a big breath, smile, put the Locus aside, and open my wordprocessor to the latest work in progress. And then it just flows....
Jealousy really can be great stuff. :-) A wonderful kick in the butt. It's not for everyone, but it sure works for me.
Some of the NAWers mentioned how they try to turn the competition into a contest against the self, not a contest against others. You know what, that's a GOOD thing, honest, and I am glad you all can do this. But sorry -- not this bitch! You succeed, and off I go! But really, in a good way! I mean it.
So please, don't be shy, everyone! Make those sales and crack those deals! I'll cheer you on in a sincere dichotomy of joy and envy for your achievement, and at the same time you'll be doing me a working favor. :-)
5-15-99
NEWSFLASH!
Even more good SWORD AND SORCERESS #17 news today!
Huge congratulations to Lisa Silverthorne on the sale of her story "Soul Dance" to S&S #17!!!
Huge congratulations to Patricia Duffy Novak on the sale of her story "Luz" to S&S #17!!!
Huge congratulations to Dave Smeds on the sale of his novelette to S&S #17!!!
Huge congratulations to Jenn Reese and Dave Coleman-Reese on the sales of her story "Valkyrie" and his story "Memories Of The Sea" to S&S #17!!!
We have got to have a mass signing, folks! How about Chicon 2000 Worldcon? :-)
Ok, the bad news. Starting next year, S&S #18 is no longer an open market, but is invitation-only.... :((
5-14-99
NEWSFLASH!
Happy Birthday to Lisa Silverthorne!!! :-) Hope you're having a blast!
Congratulations to Zette Gifford hitting 200,000 words of writing this year! Wowza! Huge congrats to Erin Cashier Denton for winning first place in the Pulp Eternity Poetry Contest, and to Paula Fleming for taking second place!
Okay, I am having a good day too. :-) Mom just called. She told me that MZB has bought my Compass Rose story "Caelqua's Spring" for SWORD AND SORCERESS #17 to appear some time in 2000!!! I am actually very surprised, didn't think this one would make it.... But hey, what do I know? *grin*
In other mail news, I also got a reject from F&SF, oh well. Definitely not a surprise there.
Oh, and Ron, thanks for bringing up the Bruce Springsteen - John Mellencamp comparison. I have no idea if it really translates to the literary vs plebeian school, but all I know is that John Mellencamp ROCKS and he is my choice any day!
5-10-99
NEWSFLASH!
Happy belated birthday to Ron Collins! Hey, Ron, Lisa, and Brigid, what a lovely bunch of yo-yos you are! *grin*
Congratulations to Tippi N. Blevins for making finalist status for WotF! Congratulations to Devon Monk for selling to Realms of Fantasy! And a huge congratulations to John Sullivan on his sale to Pulp Eternity! Is this your first one, John? Wooohoo!! We get to share an issue, too! And let's think postive! I have a very good feeling about this market. I think it will last. :-)
Thank goodness Tamela is doing fine after the surgery! {{{HUGS!}}} :-)
Linda, I can totally relate to you missing one day and finding unpaid bills. I think I need a robot wife too. ;-)
All right, there is finally one thing that has made me want to see Star Wars the prequel. You all remember that I am one of the few individuals on this planet who was *not* into Star Wars, and missed the whole phenomenon? Well, guess what. I had missed all those theatrical trailers (since I really don't go to the movies unless hell freezes over), and I never bothered to download one. But, I couldn't avoid seeing things about it on the news on TV. And I just saw those incredible costumes. Oh lord! I have this weakness, you see. It is for things intricate and ornate. All those tiny beads!! I am now dying to see that woman who wears that incredible Chinese emperor outfit with the millions of danglies! Often, I don't care about any other special effects, but this stuff gets me turned on!
Ok, here's my kinky secret revealed. All a guy has to do is show me ornate intricacy, and I am swooning! That goes for Indian saris and temple ornaments, Egyptian baroque ornamentation, paisley patterns, Japanese geisha makeup, baroque flower pattern designs, illuminated manuscript letters....
Remember the original movie Stargate? The one thing that mesmerized me utterly was that alien androgynous emperor and his look (the same guy who was the transvestite in The Crying Game). He got my kink factor off the scale! Woah, baby! :-)
So now I gotta see Star Wars, so I can drool over this costume and this weird face makeup! And the irony here is, I am the world's most casual dresser, and fancy clothes mean nothing to me personally. In fact, more often than not, I look like shit. :-) I have a bizarre reaction to this intricate stuff. I want to... paint it! I suppose that is the artist in me screaming out in an orgy of creative lust.... Yes, I am weird. But you knew that. ;-)
Well talking about ornate -- Steven Leigh had a great post about how his written language progressed from baroque overly ornate imagery to the measured well-thought out kind, and he has some wonderful observations about how a single gorgeous detail will drown in a sea of other gorgeous details and images, but it stands out perfectly in an austere setting -- like the Japanese art of decorating. Well, I agree with him absolutely on one level. And yet, on another level, I must add that this baroque ornateness doesn't bother me. Instead, I can just sit there like an absolute mesmerized idiot, and take it all in, with my mouth open and drooling, while my senses are bombarded by the gorgeous terrible clamor of intricate detail -- whether it is writing, art, or music (yes, you guessed it, my favorite music is classical baroque).
I suppose this might be a weakness on my part, but I need this vibrant clamor. It invigorates me and makes me feel alive. It makes my blood race in a sudden manic dance. :-)
5-7-99
NEWSFLASH!
Today is also the deadline for S&S #17. I did manage to complete and send off another Compass Rose story this week, just in time to get there by the deadline. I have no idea whether or not MZB will buy my story this year (probably not), but I wish everyone still in the running some major luck!
Yesterday I also got my contract for the two reprints I had sold to Alexandria Digital Literature. :-)
I also sent off the first story that came back from S&S this year to F&SF.
Good luck to Chiara and Tamela and their operations! Take it easy, gals, and may the awesome NAW Force be with you! :-)
Congratulations to Jon Hansen on his sale, and to anyone else I may have forgotten.... Eeek, I am losing my marbles here, can't remember sh*t!
Hugs to Michelle Leigh Larson and Samantha Liu who are having housing problems!
Hey, check out Lorrie Kralka's and Kurt Roth's aquarium talk! (Yes, they "got an aquarium," and no, they are not "going to Clarion," unlike John Sullivan... *grin*)
5-3-99
NEWSFLASH!
Well, got my one and only S&S story rejection today. Was bummed for about 30 seconds. (Yeah, I've come a long way, baby, since I used to go around being devastated for days and agonizing over possible reasons about a rejection, about a decade ago. *hehehe*) I think it is a very good Compass Rose story, but maybe too surreal for S&S, and I know I will sell it elsewhere. So, onward. Meanwhile, uh-oh.... I am suddenly itching to write another quickie story just to try and see if I can do my typical Sprint Mode Express Mail S&S Masterpiece.... There's still a couple of days till Friday... *MUAHAHA!!!*
Good luck to everyone!!! :-)
In somewhat better news, I got my Pulp Eternity contract for "Swans" which will probably appear in Issue #6, Women of Empowerment.
Chiara's eye surgery got me dreaming there for a moment.... What would it be like to really honestly simply... see? To go swimming in the ocean, and not worry that you cannot go too far out because you cannot see the shore? To own a night clock with the LCD display smaller than a billboard? To have nothing over the bridge of your nose or on your eyeballs at once?
But then I said, "Nah. That's just science fiction." :-)
Toby! Don't ever ever EVER do that again with the knife! You scared me! Bad boy! *swat* No snack is worth it! ;-)
And Zette, you have to stop taking those funny cat pictures! I giggle loudly at WORK every time I see another cat-in-styrofoam-box scenario or a crowded feeding scene! ;-)
5-1-99
NEWSFLASH!
Happy May 1st! It's International Labor Day, and back in Russia, boy was it a big hoopla day during the Soviet times.... Military parades on Red Square, little girls having to wear our white special occasion aprons over the brown uniforms at school (as opposed to the everyday black aprons). See below, a school picture of 6-year-old me in 1st grade (I started school a year early -- in Russia, kids used to begin 1st grade at 7 years), wearing my Parade or Holiday apron. :-) (In case you wonder, I took the picture down. Felt a little weird... ;-)
Though now that I think about it, I don't think I got to march in a Mayday parade more than once....
Ok, let's make a 26 year jump forward in time to today. :-) At the end of this month, I turn 33. Eeeek! Big things are supposed to happen to you by that time, tradition goes. (I think that the Christian tradition in part goes back to Jesus being crucified at 33.)
What have I accomplished? Have I written tons of award winning novels? Have I painted paintings that will one day be studied and aspired to? Have I discovered a cure for the world's diseases? Have I changed the world and redeemed humanity?
I don't know, but I think I am doing okay. At my own pace. Little by little. The best I can, given my circumstances.
Year 2000 is around the corner. Makes you kinda wonder, what's around the corner after that....
Today, the Nebula Awards have been given out via vote of the membership of SFWA, and I would like to bow to the hardworking winners!
Huge congratulations, Bruce Holand Rogers, Jane Yolen, Sheila Finch, and Joe Haldeman! :-)
In other news, no S&S rejection in the mailbox today either. Whatever. Blah. :-)
Working on my Starlight 3 bound story....
Oh, and congratulations to James Hartley on his sale to Altair! And congratulations to Al Sirois for the e-sale of his novel BLOOD RELATIONS to Cascade Mountain Publishing! :-)
![[Order SWORD AND SORCERESS #16 here!]](ss16t.jpg)
SWORD AND SORCERESS #16 is finally out!!! You can order it direct from Amazon.com by clicking on the link! Go ahead, make me some royalties, would yah? *grin* This volume contains my Compass Rose story "City Of No-Sleep." Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! :-)
