Category Archives: LJ

Pagan Fiction Award finalist – “A Nose for Magic”

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So I got a phone call a couple weeks ago from the publisher of BBI Media letting me know that my story, “A Nose for Magic,” is a finalist in the Pagan Fiction Award contest and is slated for publication in their anthology. Unfortunately, I missed the call and it went to my voice mail, but she left a return number. So the next day, I called back . . . and got her voice mail. In addition to leaving a message, I sent her an email.

Several days passed as I gnawed my fingertips (as my nails have, long, long ago, been worn to nubbins). Realizing I needed my fingertips to type with, I emailed the editor.

Crickets chirping.

Agh! Had I been smited by the gods of communication? Had it been a mistake? Did my story actually suck, and they dialed my number in error? Aghhh! *twitch*

But then last night, I got the official press release:

PanGaia Magazine and Llewellyn Publications are pleased to announce the finalists from the Pagan Fiction Award contest. These thirteen stories, listed alphabetically by title, earned the top scores:

• “The Bitter Herbs of Camelot” by A.C. Fisher Aldag
• “Black Doe” by Vylar Kaftan (Yay! Another score for fellow Launchpadee and all around rawking grrl, Vy!)
• “Dead and (Mostly) Gone” by Deborah Blake
• “Draw Down” by Alex Bledsoe
• “From Our Minds to Yours” by C.S. MacCath
• “A Nose for Magic” by Eugie Foster
• “The Rune Hag’s Daughter” by Linda Steele (endelarin)
• “Seabird” by Paula R. Stiles
• “Selk River” by Melodie Bolt
• “Silkie’s Diary” by A.C. Fisher Aldag
• “Under a Double Rainbow” by Sophie Mouette (safirasilv‘s alter ego)
• “A Valkyrie Among Jews” by April
• “We Have Come Home” by A.L. Waldron

First, second, and third prize winners chosen from this list of finalists will be announced at Pantheacon, taking place in San Jose, California February 15-18, 2008.

The stories will appear in a book titled Pagan Fiction Anthology: 13 Best New Pagan Voices to be published by Llewellyn in October 2008.

I’m verily pleased that this story found a good home. It was inspired by and features Hobkin. So, herein, a couple pictures of my non-crack-whore, fuzzy muse:



A close-up of Hobkin’s inspirational nose.

   


(More) Writing Stuff

Received:
• Note from the Cricket folks letting me know that my story, “When Shakko Did Not Lie,” is slated for publication in their January 2008 issue. Woot!

New Words/Editing:
• An editing pass to get my focus back and 250 words on “White Rabbit” (4750/5500). Although the word count was pretty unimpressive, I made good headway on the story progression. I guess I should listen to my crack-whore muse when she drags her feet. I needed a scene in there to establish foreshadowing, and I didn’t realize it. Now that it’s there, I think the rest will progress at a good clip. I hope. I’d really like to get this baby to zero draft by week’s end.


Sexism and Racism in a Workshop Environment

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Rachel Swirsky (velourmane) dropped me an email asking for input on the topic of “How to Deal with Sexism and Racism in a Workshop Environment” for an article she’s putting together. I think it’s a very relevant and interesting topic, one that I don’t recall seeing addressed before. I sent her my $.02 over the weekend, and I’m looking forward to reading her article.

   


Writing Stuff

New Words:
– 850 words on “White Rabbit” (working title). (4491/5500)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. My muse, she is a sleazy crack whore. This story has a strict word count limit, and musie-poo is all “ooo, let’s add in another scene here, or flesh out this bit of character here.” And when I rein her in, she pouts. Then getting anything out of her is like trying to herd hamsters on speed. @#%^%!

Not a happy writer, me.

Day After Halloween, and all is (mostly) well.

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Happy Day After Halloween! It was a pretty low key All Hallows for us. Didn’t even costume up, not counting my Happy Bunny jammies.

dude_the is here, escaping the Midwest, and we watched The Sixth Sense. And I did not need to cover my eyes, nor did I insist on having fosteronfilm accompany me throughout the house so I wouldn’t be alone in any room . . . unlike the first time I saw it.

In other news, Comcrap annoys me. A lot. They’re in the process of overhauling their online storage setup, and it’s kyboshing every site that I link images to: my LJ, MySpace, etc. It’s been messed up for weeks now, so I finally contacted their unhelpful help people to nag them about it. Outcome: “They’re working on it.” *grumble* They don’t even have a status board or anything that I can check in on. If they weren’t the only outfit in the area that provides cable broadband, I’d switch faster than it takes to fling a hamster in the general direction of the support folks in India.

   


Writing Stuff

Got a note from a student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. She’d heard the Escape Pod production of “The Snow Woman’s Daughter” and wanted my permission (and a copy of the text) to illustrate it for a school project. Shiny!

Not only do I believe in supporting students, but I also love seeing how artists interpret my stories. So I sent her a PDF along with my a-ok.

Published:
– My November Writing for Young Readers column is up: “Worldbuilding Considerations for the Children’s Writer.”

New Words/Editing:
– Did an editing pass on the new story I’m writing for the Datlow/Windling anthology to get me back into the swing of it. Cut about 200 words from where I left off, putting it at 3570 words (out of 5.5K or so, I’m hoping).

It’s always sort of scary coming back to a WiP after a hiatus. Will it suck? Will I know where I was going with it? Will I be able to pick up the threads of my inspiration?

After the editing pass, I don’t think it sucks (whew), I know where I’m going with it (whew), and my inspiration is still perky (WHEW). Charge!

My plate o’hamsters is less overfloweth

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Things aren’t yet to an even keel, but they’re getting there. I’ve had several nights in a row now where I’ve been able to get more than five hours of sleep (sometimes up to a full eight!), running The Fix is almost to the point of day-to-day routine (still a few outstanding items that need taking care of), this is the last week of the Worldbuilding for Writers workshop I’ve been conducting all month, and my November Writing for Young Readers column is mostly written.

Huzzah!

I should have all my “t”s crossed and my “i”s dotted just in time for . . . the holidays . . . and then the legislative session begins. Glargh!

Stupid hamsters.

   


Writing Stuff

I saw on slushmaster‘s LJ from the 13th (yah, I’m way behind on my flist) that Shawna liked and will be buying my story, “Daughter of Bótù” for Realms of Fantasy. Woohoo!

This was the story (previously titled, “Fire Rabbit of the Clan of Bótù”) that I wrote for the Ellen Datlow/Terri Windling anthology but which ended up being too long (I’m in the middle of a new story to send to the Datlow/Windling dynamic duo), so I’m absolutely tickled that I was able to find it such a good home.

Congrats also to jimvanpelt, Euan Harvey, and vylar-kaftan (one of my fellow LaunchPadees!) who also made RoF sales from that slush batch!

New Words:
– 1500 on my Writing for Young Readers column, tentatively titled, “Worldbuilding in 2000 words or less.”

Received:
– Word from the editor that Writing-world.com will be cutting back its publication schedule and going to a quarterly timetable at the open of 2008, which means that my Writing for Young Readers column gig will be coming to a close then. At Moira’s recommendation and urging, I queried another publication, asking whether they’d be interested in picking it up, but haven’t heard back. I’ll be sad if I have to lay this hamster aside, as I’ve liked wearing my columnist’s hat, but it’s probably for the best (I tell myself). It’s just not in my nature to put a hamster down, even if I am elbow-deep in the little nippers, so having one hie itself back to the wild is probably a good thing.
– Note from the Cricket folks that my story, “The Raven’s Brocade,” is slated for their December issue. Woot!
– My Magic in the Mirrorstone contrib. copies. Shiny hardcover goodness!

The Fix now live!!

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Sorry for the prolonged radio silence. It’s been a hella busy and very intense couple of weeks. Much hard work and not much sleep. But I’m thrilled to announce that The Fix is now live!

Featuring over twenty new reviews of print ‘zines, e-zines, anthologies, and collections; the inaugural samplings of new columns: Jennifer Mercer’s Distillations: Speculative Poetry Review, John Dodd’s Podcasts in Review, and Matthew M. Foster’s Flickers on the Wall: Reflections on Short Film, as well as the continuation of James Van Pelt’s column on the writing life, The Day Job; and an exclusive interview, our virtual pages are chock full of wonderful content. Please spread the news!

I’m so proud of the dedication and hard work The Fix‘s team of contributors put in to make this launch a success. And I’m honored to be working with them on this exciting, new venture.

I’ve also been teaching an online workshop this month, “Worldbuilding for Writers,” in addition to gearing up for The Fix‘s relaunch. Then there’s that short story I’d like to finish, and I haven’t even started on my November Writing for Young Readers column (although I may end up cannibalizing some of my class write-ups for my it), and there’s still outstanding “to do” things for The Fix.

I think my hamsters have morphed into fluffy wolverines.

   


Writing Stuff

Had a reading on the 4th at Outwrite Books with mroctober and catherineldf. And, urg. It . . . did not go well. Steve and Catherine were great. Me, not so much. In addition to having a head cold to beat all head colds (courtesy my folks who picked up something in their travels) making me nasal and hoarse, the setup totally flummoxed me.

I’ve only ever had a table and/or podium to read from, so it didn’t occur to me that things might be different. My reading copy is loose leaf. That allows me to just move a page over when I’m nearing the bottom so I can continue onto the next page without having to pause to shuffle pages. But the reading setup at Outwrite is bar stools in front of a microphone–and I’m not so good with microphones in any case. No table. No podium. Tall bar stool so my feet couldn’t touch the ground. Also, I’ve never had to worry about time before, and we each only had 15 minutes to read. I didn’t have a watch, and all the clocks on the wall displayed different (wrong) times.

So yeah, much franticness as I nearly drop my pages repeatedly. I ran overtime. Massive stress and public speaking terror. End result, my reading verily sucked. I wanted to crawl into a hole afterward.

Sigh. Well, I’d been on a good roll, starting to get my confidence up and all. The cosmos decided I was overdue for a humbling fiasco. Duly noted. Public speaking bad. I get it.

Received:
– Got a note out of the blue by new, German podcast outfit, Podgeschichten. The editor heard the Escape Pod production of “The Life and Times of Penguin” and wants to translate it into German and produce it for his publication. And they’re a paying market! Of course I said “yes.” Received the contract . . . which was in German, albeit with an English translation, and after having terracinque confirm the translation, we’re all good.

I haven’t been translated into German before. That’ll make it my fifth foreign language. I LOVE having editors solicit work from me.
– Also received word from mroctober that Magic in the Mirrorstone contrib. copies are going out. A pleasant surprise, that. The anthology is slated for a February ’08 release, so I assumed I wouldn’t be seeing it until next year. Sweet.

Published:
– In all the hubbub, I didn’t realize that Hub had published “The Music Company” in issue #26 until I got their PayPal payment. Hee!

They email each issue to me, but I’d been too busy to do anything but forward them on to reviewers. So I totally missed it! Hmm, wonder what else I’ve missed in the chaotic frenzy of the last few weeks . . . probably best not to dwell on that.

The Fix, Apex Raffle, Shiny

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Thanks to everyone for the outpouring of support, commiseration, and congratulations on my recent masthead change. Y’all are great, and you make all the hard work worthwhile.

I’m delighted to be able to announce the forthcoming relaunch of the short fiction review publication, The Fix.

From TTA Press, the publisher of Interzone, Black Static, and Crimewave, The Fix online, like its print incarnation, will provide in-depth reviews of short fiction from the full spectrum of magazines, webzines, anthologies, and single-author collections in the industry. We’ll also bring you interviews, a range of features and columns–including the continuation of James Van Pelt’s column on writing, The Day Job–and insightful articles and observations.

URL: www.thefix-online.com
Publisher: Andy Cox
Managing Editor: Eugie Foster
Launch Date: Oct. 15, 2007

If folks could spread the word, it’d be greatly appreciated.

Doing my own part to spread the word:
Apex Digest is conducting a Halloween Grab-Bag Raffle this month. Raffle tickets are only $1, and a percentage of proceeds will go to benefit the National Center for Family Literacy. Check out the amazing collection of goodies and open up your wallets, yo!

   


Writing Stuff

Received:
– Payment from Helix for “The Center of the Universe.”

Published:
– “Close to Death” in the premiere issue of Shiny. Shiny is a new YA electronic short story magazine put out by the fabu folks of Twelfth Planet Press. In addition to my humble offering, Shiny #1 also has stories in it by Sue Isle and Trent Jamieson.
– My October Writing for Young Readers column, “An Interview with Author Dallas Woodburn.”

New Words:
– 3700 words on new short story, “White Rabbit” (working title). Believe it or not, I actually started a new short story. I had to put in on hold so I could work on The Fix, but I hope to get back to it after we launch.

Where do we go from here?/Why is the path unclear?

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So I’m at a bothersome “what next?” juncture in my ceaseless cycle of hamster juggling.

I’ve just finished (*crossed fingers*) one story and gotten caught up with many of the outstanding tasks and correspondences which built up due to Dragon*Con. But I’m so not at leisure to twiddle my thumbs; there remain several fairly major tasks glaring at me in my “to-do” list, including the wistful hem of my languishing novel-in-progress, another couple short stories for anthologies I’ve been invited to submit to, and various and sundry writing-related projects. But I’m undecided as to which one to pick up next. And worse, I’ve got an insidious urge to procrastinate.

Sigh. When I’ve got too many items flying at me to possibly stay on top of, I don’t have to pep-talk myself into getting stuff done. I’m perpetually in full-speed-ahead triage mode. I need every minute to be productive just to avoid being overrun by a stampede of hamsters. But that’s a recipe for nervous breakdown and burnout . . . and nippy hamsters.

There’s gotta be a happy medium, dammit.

   


Writing Stuff

Publishers Weekly reviewed So Fey in their 9/17 issue:

“Despite its provocative title and aggressive opening vignette, sex and sexuality fade into the background of Berman’s quiet compilation of fantasy tales . . . Most tales also feature classic Shakespearean or Celtic-inspired faerie folk, though Eugie Foster’s ‘Year of the Fox’ and Craig Laurance Gidney’s ‘A Bird of Ice’ draw effectively on Asian motifs . . . this anthology is wholly readable and likely to engage general readers as well as its target audience.”

Not too shabby, all in all. And I’m tickled that my story got a mention, even if it’s only to say that it “draws effectively on Asian motifs.”

Received:
– Payment from Hasbro (!) for “Princess Bufo marinus, I Call Her Amy” in Magic in the Mirrorstone. Me likie payment on acceptance.
– My contrib. copy of Heroes In Training. This anthology marks another writerly milestone, my first appearance in a mass market paperback, as well as the achievement of one of my first writing goals, to be published in a DAW anthology. Much wooting and book petting.

Parental visit on the horizon

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My folks are coming to visit this week from China. They’re doing a coast-to-coast swing-by of the U.S., visiting my stepdad’s sons in California, spending several days in Pittsburg at the 2007 IEEE Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts–wherein my stepdad is being presented the “Ragnar Holm Scientific Achievement Award”–and then spending a few days in Atlanta before heading to the Midwest and the East Coast.

The “Ragnar Holm Scientific Achievement Award” is awarded to the “living scientist or engineer who has made significant contributions to the theory or practice of electrical contacts.” In addition to receiving the award, my stepdad’s presenting a paper on the effect of particle contamination on electrical contact failure. It’s a great honor and an impressive accomplishment, and I’m extremely proud of him.

I also find myself wondering, though, why is it I always get along better with or find it easier to establish a rapport with my male relatives? I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen my stepdad, and I feel like I’ve got more in common with him than I ever had with my mom, the woman I grew up with.

Meh. My familial relationships and my associated emotions thereof have always been, are, and will always be a messy, confounding mystery. I accept that.

   


Writing Stuff

Received:
– 124-day SALE to Interzone of my story “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast.” Woohoo!! Much happy dancing, ye verily. Not only have I been jonsing for a juicy sale, but I’ve also been longing to break into IZ for, like, ever.

This is a science-fantasy tale, my first foray into writing a dystopia piece, which I’d been wanting to do for a while.
– Contract from Shiny for “Close to Death.”
– Contract from Hub for “The Music Company.”

And catching up on R’s received during the chaotic period of Dragon*Con prep and recovery:
– 57-day form nope from Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (a long shot, but it was for a cross-genre piece that I’m having a hard time figuring out where it fits: horror, dark fantasy, or crime).
– 39-day cordial pass from Ann VanderMeer of Weird Tales with invite to submit again.
– 133-day YFoP from Realms of Fantasy.

New Words/Editing:
– A slew of editing passes–lost count of how many–and a smattering of wordage on “Requiem Duet” over the weekend. Jabbed it tentatively with my fork and fired it off to mroctober.

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it. I hit the point of going over that story so much that I couldn’t evaluate it anymore–y’know how if you stare at a word for too long, it just doesn’t look right, even if it is. Like that, but with the whole manuscript. Normally, if I hit that point in a story’s development, I step away from it for a week or so to get some perspective back, but I’ve been rather pokey on this one, and I didn’t want to hold things up any longer.

Even Keel Sighted

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With most of my Dragon*Con post-convention to-do items squared away, things are finally settling back into what serves as manageable routine for me. I’ve still got too many hamsters in the air, but not so many that I’m perpetually in a state of stressed out frenzy. I’d much rather be busy than bored, but another month like August would send me, twitching and whimpering, to the comforts of my very own padded cell. This year has been hella manic. And I’m still behind on a couple very outstanding projects . . .

Hobkin has started putting on his winter coat, and he’s been gaining a bit of weight. Ergo, it’s official; he’s metamorphosing from a cranky Summer Skunk into a laid back Autumn Skunk, although there’s still plenty of episodes of huffing and stomping at Chez Foster. The fuzzwit only becomes truly mellow when he’s a Winter Skunk. But his thicker, softer coat is a delight to snuggle with, and even though I get anxious about too much weight gain, the plump look suits him:

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