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25 July 2008 @ 01:41 pm
A General Statement: Michael Cisco and Prime Books  

I am very sorry that we have, in Michael Cisco’s eyes, failed him. And he makes one point that I will concede: we want to improve our ongoing communications with our authors. I hope Michael will allow us to do so in his case.
 
What I must dispute is that Michael has been cheated. He has not. Our royalty statements are accurate and truthful and easily verified. He has now seen his statement and knows that his royalty payment is accurate.  It would be unprofessional for us to share these figures in public and I am sure Michael would agree.
 
Yes, we have occasionally fallen behind schedule — and then we have always caught up again. (This is hardly a unique condition in small press publishing. Our goal, of course, is to remain on schedule.)
 
We believed in his book enough to publish it and distributed promotional copies to various places. As Michael points out, it received some very positive reviews, including from Publishers Weekly and Realms of Fantasy. And we continue to believe in his book and look forward to selling many more copies in the future.

We are always striving to be a better company, and I’d like to invite all of our authors to contact us directly with feedback and suggestions about what, in their view, we might be doing better for them. We are listening.

—Sean Wallace, Executive Editor

prime@prime-books.com

 
 
25 July 2008 @ 01:36 pm
What clouds our memories  
My friend [info]mindyklasky likes to blog about what she's been reading throughout the year. Her latest From the bookshelf post mentions rereading books she loved when she was young, and sometimes being disappointed.

I know the feeling. I got into spec fic because I read Andre Norton when I was a child, and while some of her books hold up pretty well over time, re-reading them doesn't transport me the way it used to do.

But sometimes it isn't so much that the reader is older, it's that the times themselves have changed, leaving the story, behind, in whole or in part. Case in point—The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.

Bester was a pioneer of spec fic and yet somehow I never read his stuff, even though I was reading spec fic as early as (gulp) 1962. So, when I began to write seriously and I heard this work lauded as groundbreaking, I thought I should read it. So several years ago, I did. I hated it.

I don't think the problem was that I was older, I think the problem was it wasn't 1956 anymore. William Gibson says all books are about their own time, and I think that's true in this case. When the protagonist of this book gets angry at the universe because he has been brutalized, he decides to take revenge, and this revenge includes raping a woman who never hurt him. The reader gets to hear his thought process as he consciously decides to do this. It totally and completely turned me against the protagonist and even against the story.

This was not just Bester being a pig. If you read mystery and spy novels from the 50's and 60's, rape was treated very differently than it is today—almost casually, in fact. There were plenty of romance novels where the woman protagonist fell in love with a man who raped her!

But I can't go back, so for me, reading the story for the first time at the cusp between the 21st and 22nd centuries, the stars were definitely not my destination.
 
 
26 July 2008 @ 01:21 am
what did we do today, brain?  
Your humble narrator...
  • 10:53 is thankful that today is a half-day at school. #
  • 20:31 is relieved that the first batch of Surreal Botany copies is now in the mail to the US, and should be available by the middle of next week. #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 01:10 pm
Adaptations  

In case you don’t read Fantasy every day (and why not?!) I want to draw your attention to an announcement we just put up.  We’re going to start podcasting radio plays (or, more properly: audio dramas :as the plays won’t necessarily be on the radio) next year and so we’re accepting script submissions starting September 1.  I know at least one person who’ll be excited about this.  We’re looking for original scripts OR stuff adapted from existing stories.

I suspect a lot of writers will want to do adaptations but might wonder and worry if an author would mind having their story turned into a play.  They have to get permission, of course.  So I thought it would be a good idea to gather in one place a list of authors who would like to see their stories adapted.  If you are such an author, please comment.  Put the URL to your website in the URL field (which will be the click through on your name), a link to your bibliography, and a link to where folks can contact you.

Keep in mind that comments below are NOT the same as permission to adapt a story.  It’s merely an indication that the author is interested.  Any script writers who want to adapt a story should contact the author directly.

I should also note that the rights and permissions for audio plays are not the same as audio rights.  Thus, if you allow someone to adapt your story into a radio drama, it should not affect your ability to sell the audio/podcast rights.

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25 July 2008 @ 11:42 am
The thirst is upon us all  
While Hurricane Dolly managed to give the southern portion of the state a good soaking, the Dallas area is still hurting for rainfall. We've had a couple of small thunderstorms, such as the one that hit my place of employ last evening that wet things just enough to jack up the humidity before evaporating away, but the house has been ridiculously dry since May. I'm now at the point where I'm having to water garden beds and the house foundation every day, and this probably won't let up until the end of September.

The most telling sign as to how bad the lack of moisture has been came last night, when I was watering the plants on the front porch. Roses, luffah squash, passion flowers, pineapples, and lots of the Czarina's herbs. I had just started spraying the roses with water when this big skittering blob rushed from behind a panel on the house and ran straight toward the overspray. At first, I thought it was a bug of some sort, and then I realized that it was a Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus), and one of the largest I've ever seen. What was strange enough was that it ran across the porch with its tail held over its back, as if it were impersonating a scorpion, and I'd never seen nor heard of that sort of behavior before. Stranger was that it ran to the water, cocked its head to see if I was going to do anything, and then frantically started lapping up water. This little lizard was willing to risk sudden violent death for a drink of water.

Suffice to say, I soaked down the immediate area quite well, and then sprayed the back porch area as well. I've worked hard to build up colonies of both house geckos and Carolina anoles around the house, and they're not dying of thirst on my watch.
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 12:37 pm
 
I've avoided it for as long as I can. I have the revision notes, both mine and John's, for "The Red in the Sky is Our Blood," and today is devoted to making it not suck. Well, what's left of today, anyway. I successfully frittered the morning away on exercise and making a pot of supa improvisata (no, that's not supposed to be real Italian).

Now I have to fix this story.

And the first thing I have to do is find a first line that would not get it rejected by every self-respecting magazine editor in North America.
 
 
Current Mood: groggy
Current Music: Fresh Air
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:04 am
Thinking about staying away from the grocery stores, son?  
At last night's Dallas Organic Garden Club meeting, the club's president noted that she's moving to fulltime farming with the intent of collecting annual subscriptions in exchange for a weekly basket of fresh vegetables. Considering the big agribusinesses and supported industries that spent more time lobbying the White House to weaken food safety regulations and procedures than in keeping thine own house in order, I'm buying in as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 06:21 pm
Openin Aug 6 in Manhattan...  
...tho it's already been on French and German TV....

 
 
25 July 2008 @ 08:21 am
Who's going to Worldcon?  

My only Worldcon experience was last year - the crazy one day trip to Japan (those reports are here, here and here).  The whole thing was so rushed and it was only when I got back that I realized how many people were there that I knew but didn't see.  Of course, you can't exactly call that experience typical. 

I would actually like to connect with people this time, so please let me know if you'll be there!  I'm arriving on the 6th and leaving on the 10th.  Drop a line here or write me at lasirenadolce at earthlink dot net. 

 
 
Current Location: home
Current Mood: accomplished
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:45 am
Volunteer opportunity: SFWA Bulletin Website Editor  
Volunteer opportunity: SFWA Bulletin Website Editor

Estimated time required: 10 hours per month (Initially more, but workload would vary seasonally.)

Job Description:

The person in this position would perform the following tasks:
1) Update the website 6 times a year to reflect the contents of the current print issue of the Bulletin. This involves editing the files for the home page, back issues page, current issue page, every issue and other pages, depending on staffing changes, contributor changes, etc. The pages are currently coded in css, so very little web programming knowledge is needed, but the work demands care and consistency.

2) Upload the Market Report as soon as it is received.

3) Upload miscellaneous files of content (e.g., featured articles).

4) Modify image files to match the needs of Bulletin web pages (e.g., resizing jpegs).

5) Upload SFWA and genre related news on a regular basis,schedule to be determined by the SFWA Website Content Editor.

6) Perform minor edits to Bulletin web pages, as needed or requested, by the SFWA Website Content Editor.

Requirements:Qualified candidates should have good organization and written communication skills, as well as an understanding of current web technology. Membership in SFWA is required.

Benefits: Resume worthy credit, close contact with established SF professionals, help shape the face of SFWA. Interested parties should contact me at secretary AT sfwa.org.
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:44 am
Others' Milestones  
I was reminded by one of my friends that today is the birthday of Louise Brown, the world's first "test-tube" baby. Brown turns 30 years old today, and as has happened before, the news media has gone to interview her. And, as before, Brown always seems bemused by the attention but willing to step into the media spotlight for a few days until they let her go back to her private life.

Brown is a mother now, the child conceived naturally.

Today is also going down in history as the death of Randy Pausch, the author of the best-selling book The Last Lecture. When I first heard of Pausch and his story, I bought a copy of his book and I read it. Often, books of this sort leave me cold; for example, Mitch Albom's books on how we should live our lives meaningfully really don't do anything for me.

But Pausch's book is different. Maybe it's because the guy is leaving behind his three little kids, or maybe it's because the way he delivered his message resonated with me better. But for whatever reason, I found his book inspirational, and I recommend it highly. For those of you who haven't read it, the book is an expansion on his lecture about how to live out your childhood dreams. I think Pausch hit on a lot of things that we tend to forget about when just trying to live our lives day by day.

As a wise man once said, "The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast terrible in-between. But there is still time to seize that one last fragile moment. To choose something better, to make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that."
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:33 am
Apropos the other day  
[info]ambe_indikaze notes that anti-elitist countersnobbery tends to push others toward elitism, and vice-versa.

That would explain why discussions of the same always end up with 100+ comments of canned arguments from people who are absolutely sure they aren't making canned arguments.
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:28 am
at last! -- the cover for Leaving Fortusa  
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:23 am
SF Novelists Post - Book Groups  
Today's my day to post on the SFNovelists blog.  I wrote a piece about book groups and what they've meant to me, both as a reader and as a writer.  Check it out:  http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/07/25/bringing-together-authors-and-readers-book-groups-edition/

Mindy, posting like a posting fiend
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:01 am
Darling and Motivation  
The muse still finds City of Fire amusing enough to provide me with words, though we're both still ambivalent about the title. I'm not as far along as I'd like, but the pages I've got are good pages, and I'll get some good writing done while I'm on vacation. I'm calling this first part Foundations, and I'm assembling some good stuff here early on. Back story on many of the main protagonists, cultural idiosyncrasies, underlying conflicts. The story falls somewhere between epic fantasy and new weird. With analogs for goats and robots.

Today's darling (so far) is a piece of dialogue: "While time reveals all truths, necessity determines their value."

[info]kiviuq recently noted how your current WiP seems darker, and anyone who follows my journal knows I favor that end of the spectrum, so I've got to feel there's some sort of current moving through the creative ether favoring that, as my "heroes" don't wear white hats. Or even white fur or white horns, if I want to be specific. The order of the day is ambiguity, as evidenced by the John Picacio-inspired wallpaper that I cadged from the new Tor website after examining their freebies bonanza. It's based on the cover art for L.E. Modesitt's Viewpoints Critical and I just liked the mix of similarities and differences depicted in the two figures.
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:13 am
RIP: Randy Pausch, 1960-2008  
It was announced this morning that Randy Pausch, author of the best-selling The Last Lecture, had died. I watched the YouTube version of the lecture, as well as his time management lecture, and I read his book. Brilliant guy, tragic loss.

 
 
Current Location: Arlington, Virginia
Current Mood: sad
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:20 am
Stu Jenks show in Tucson  
You know I'm a big fan of Stu Jenks', whose photos range from women's roller derby shots to the mythopoeic work that generously adorns IAF and Mythic Journeys web pages . . . He's got a show up now in Tucson's wonderful funky Hotel Congress, running July 21st - September 13th, 2008 - if you're in town, stop by the Artist's Reception: Wednesday, August 20th, 6 - 8 p.m. and say Hi! - if you're online, check out facts & photos here - and be sure to leave a comment for Stu if you like his stuff!
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 11:17 am
Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? 24 July 2008  
Grade 4 / Geology

True or False? The inner core of the Earth is hotter than the surface of the sun.


Answer behind the cut.... )
 
 
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: "Remembering Alice" by Arlo Guthrie
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 10:10 am
Dark Knight: A Republican Fairy Tale?  
Via Matt Ruff, this essay by Andrew Klavan in today's Wall Street Journal is indeed one of the supremely nuttiest things I've ever read:
There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war.
Really???

You've really got to read the rest to see just how incredibly silly this opinion piece is.
 
 
25 July 2008 @ 10:35 am
A post of writing-related content!  
Well, sort of. More business-of-writing than the actual writing. Occasionally I get the urge to talk about things polite folk don't mention. Like, oh, money. But for anyone who is wanting or planning or being a freelancer, money takes up a considerable amount of thought, enjoyable or not. My advice, from observation and experience, is as follows.

LAG's Basic [and Updated] Rules for Going Freelance, specific to novelists:

1. Be under contract for at least two books in the next 18 months, for more than $10,000 a book. Twice that, if you have no other source of income (other freelancing skills, an income-producing partner, rental properties etc).
2. Have no continuing debt beyond your mortgage, and get that sucker as paid-down as possible (trebly true, these days).
3. Have four-six months of rent/utilities set aside at all times, so you don't have to panic about the day after tomorrow.
4. Maintain a year's worth of living expenses in your security/emergency account. And by that I mean money that is earmarked for NOTHING except all your contracts being canceled and your not being able to find another job for six months or more.
5. Be willing and able to cheerfully pick up another job on the side (my personal rule is, if my predicted monies fall below a specific yearly amount, it's time for a part-time job. End of discussion and start looking.)
6. Live reasonably. Note I don't say cheaply, but reasonably. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses -- pick and choose what is important to you, and let the rest go without bitterness -- nobody forced you into this life. For me, living out somewhere else would mean a larger place, and more disposable income. But emotionally and mentally I would suffer. So what's the money worth, then? Likewise, someone who needs sunshine and warmth should not go live somewhere with 8 months of winter, just to save a few thousand dollars a year. And if you NEED the latest tech gadgets, expensive cars, and Big Nights out? You're probably not going to be happy as a freelancer anywhere, unless you land the dream gig for life.

But most of all, really truly and seriously, you should not be a freelancer if you can't a) make and stick to a financial plan and b) be prepared for the plan to go pear-shaped.

Case in point to illustrate, and show why this is on my mind: I'd estimated $15,000 in contract money (as opposed to freelance money, which is tougher to pinpoint) for 2Q earnings. Only $3,000 of that actually ended up in my hands in a timely fashion, due to a series of events that were...frustrating, and totally beyond my ability to influence (aka "shite happens"). $3000, over a three month period.*

That's why, boys and girls and writers of all sizes, when the wise old voices tell you not to quit your day job, you should stare long and hard at the list above (or your own iteration of same) and think long and hard and then think long and hard again. Because unless you've got a) a fiscal safety cushion, b) a tolerance for uncertainty and c) the ability to put off or forgo indulgences...

And no, going into debt on your credit cards is *bzzzzt* not the answer, unless the question is "how to make the situation even worse."

Fortunately, the payments have come through, and 3Q is a kinder, more affluent quarter, so I can now pay back the monies I took out of the safety account. But it was a tight six weeks there that I did NOT enjoy.

Feel free to discuss, or add your own thoughts/experiences to this, in comments. It's about adding to the general knowledge, not hoarding it....


*thankfully, freelance came in to ease the pain a bit. But you can never count on that...
 
 
Current Mood: busy