March 2012
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'Welcome to the Hellmouth'... Buffy the Vampire...
Hey guys… in honor of Joss Whedon’s upcoming new movie, over the next year, I’ll be doing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer rewatch for Boxfire Press and the Lowercase. We’ll start tomorrow (Monday 3/5/12) with Welcome to the Hellmouth and at the moment, I’m planning two to three episodes a week… though I could do like two or three a day!
Anyway, I hope you’ll...
February 2012
17 posts
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Washington DC for sci fi and fantasy fans
There’s a lot you can say about Washington DC — and we know, not all of it’s good. For most outside the beltway* our little city is synonymous with just one thing: crazy politics. But we don’t want you to get the wrong impression, because we’ve got culture, too! Really. No, seriously. And for science fiction and fantasy fans, we’re almost a mecca. Okay, maybe not, but...
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The writers of Red are taking questions live, now! →
Join us on Facebook to ask your questions and see what the authors have to say.
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Narrative Style in Classic vs. Modern SF/Fantasy
lbgale:
I think if someone asked me what a “typical” SF/fantasy novel would look like, I’d answer that it would be a narrative of linear events told by an unobtrusive third person. Something with the narrative simplicity of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I don’t think I’d be alone in providing such an answer. We tend to associate the most basic storytelling with third person...
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Don't know what dystopian means?
Don’t worry, we had to look it up, too. If you’re just getting into sci-fi, dabbling your toes in the proverbial waters, you might not even know what you don’t know. And there’s a lot to know, because we once didn’t know either. Does that make any sense?
Anyway, here’s our (ever-)growing list of books for the sci-fi newbie… or just old-hats who want look...
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Writer's Relief Blog: "Cover Letters And Query... →
writersrelief:
At Writer’s Relief, we have spent many years learning what literary agents and editors are really looking for in the submission process, and we’re happy to share our expertise with you. The following cover and query letter checklist will help you master the basics and get your writing published!
If you haven’t already read our cover and query letter basics post to learn the...
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Writing tips
Want to know the first things we look for in our writers? Check it out.
January 2012
21 posts
Jonathan Franzen warns ebooks are corroding... →
blessedarethegeek:
I read this yesterday, and it irked me. Franzen comes across so pretentious here (just like his books, bazinga!). I can understand wanting something tangible. It’s the reason why, even though I love my Kindle, I still buy physical books at times and fill my home with them. He sounds as whiny and douchey as his character Walter Berglund (I couldn’t stand that character). If you...
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“Nothing is left to chance, its all preordained.”
– Joe Potter, at theShortestFiction.com
Amazon's Hit Man →
tradereads:
Larry Kirshbaum was the ultimate book industry insider—until Amazon called
Original Article
“Picking five favorite books is like picking the five body parts you’d most like...”
– Neil Gaiman (via emotional-algebra)
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Thursday Giveaway Roundup
Here’s some new books authors and publishers are giving away on Goodreads. Some of these end soon, so be sure and move quick:
Parallelogram: Book 1: Into the Parallel (Volume 1) by Robin Brande A giveaway for science fiction fans who want some adventure and romance to go with their quantum physics. Win signed copies of the first two installm…more
Dragon Academy by Diane Nelson With high...
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Seven good reads, from Scott Sparks
Looking for something to read? Here’s five books I’ve read recently and really liked — would love to know what you think —Scott
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern - really liked it. Story about a long standing battle/exhibition between two magicians.
The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To, D.C. Pierson - pretty good. About two high school nerdy types who...
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Five good reads from Rebecca Gale
Rebecca Gale, author of Trying to Hard in Red (Boxfire Press), has some favorite books she thinks you should check out:
Roots by Alex Haley: Seeing the mini-series doesn’t cut it. This anthology of history, based on the author’s own biographical research, illuminates the pain of American slavery in such personal, harrowing detail. Even more fascinating is that Haley conducted all of this...
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“‘Life is a physical force,’ he said, gesturing to his stomach, and a...”
– In Trying Too Hard, one of the short stories in Red: Several marvelous, sensational, absurd, visionary, peculiar, unthinkable, wicked and totally untrue stories
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Rebecca Gale talks Red
In Trying Too Hard, one of the short stories in Red: Several marvelous, sensational, absurd, visionary, peculiar, unthinkable, wicked and totally untrue stories, Rebecca Gale writes:
I’d seen Cal in the philosophy library before, bent over a book, scribbling into notepads. But I didn’t actually meet Cal until my first semester of sophomore year, a time I was contemplating studying abroad. I had...
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“Jessica stood back, letting the two of them talk for a moment, but that look on...”
– from the upcoming novel, Star
Things That I Like in Books
falenburg:
Earnest narrators.
A lot of suffering and pain, but at least a glimmer (if not more) of hope.
Thoughtful & beautiful imagery.
A strong “inside” to characters, vs. a stronger “outside.”
Multi-dimensioned characters and situations.
Using words to explain the unexplainable.
Using words to explain the ordinary in an original and thought-provoking way.
“#709- “When you’re sick of your own life, that’s a good time to pick up a book.”
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from Justin McLachlan's short story in Red
“So tell me, Ransom. How come I was never invited into the cult?”
He turned and looked at me. “Not worthy.”
I nodded. “Also not crazy.”
“Remains to be seen.”
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December 2010
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Call for submissions for fiction anthology
There’s a red scarf lying in the road. How did it get there?
We’re looking for sci-fi and fantasy (loosely defined) short fiction stories that answer this question for an upcoming paperback and ebook anthology.
The Details: Stories must be a minimum 2,000 words. They don’t have to focus exclusively around the red scarf, but it should be a story element. We’re offering...
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San Diego CityBeat Writer Releases e-Book of Short... →
If you’ve not read them, Kuro Crow is available here.
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We're now open for flash fiction submissions
We’re looking for the best flash fiction out there for a new quarterly journal. That’s super-short fiction, under 500 words in our typical sci-fi, fantasy and related genres. More details about payment and rights on our submissions page.
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And we have a Fiction 101 winner
Voting was really close. Just about twenty votes separated the top three. Here’s our grand prize winner:
I was in the bathroom of a bar when my future self appeared with a bright flash in one of the stalls. He looked only a few years older than me. “Listen,” he said, grabbing my shoulder, “I’m about to save you from making a huge mistake.” “With that girl?” I was chatting up this girl...
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Just a day to go in #Fiction101
This is your last chance to vote for the finalists in our first ever Fiction 101 contest. It’s been really close all week — just a few votes, 20 or so, separate the top four entries, so anyone can take this.
Head here to vote: http://bit.ly/Fiction101Vote
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Kuro Crow
When Dave Maass decided he was through with Phoenix — the flat, suburban sprawl where he was born and raised — he resolved to leave it for a place more, for lack of a better word, vertical.
The result are these three stories, inspired by his observations of Tokyo at the turn of the 21st Century as he learned to look up for the first time.
Here’s what on reviewer, Douglas...
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Fiction 101 voting is on! →
This weekend, our intrepid jury picked their favorite entries in our Fiction 101 contest. Now — it’s your turn. Vote for your favorites out of the finalists. The one to snag the most votes will win their very own Amazon Kindle.
November 2010
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He shouted, excitingly! 5 Tips on Dialogue
In a lot of stories sent to us, characters bellow or whisper or grouse or scream or shout their dialogue. Usually, “said” is the only attribution you need. Jack said. Tracy said. Liz said. It’s plain, it’s simple and it makes for easy reading.
In Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us, Jessica Page Morrell says:
“Good dialogue doesn’t rely on speech tags (she...