Science Fiction Matters

SFOO Update

2009-11-07T23:23:37Z

I've been absent from LJ for awhile. It's not that there's been nothing to say. I just don't have time to say it in both places. Please check out my Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys blog for all the current haps, including my World Fantasy report. I went to 3 cons last month! I have lined up so many interviewees for my blog that I'm now into July, and that's doing three per month instead of the more usual 2.

Here's the author interviews I have at SFOO so far:
* Ackley-McPhail, Danielle
* Alexander, Alma
* Anderson, Kevin J.
* Bova, Ben
* Brin, David
* Brozek, Jennifer
* Fabian, Karina
* Fforde, Jasper
* Frost, Gregory
* Hamilton, Peter
* Henderson, Alice
* Kollin, Dani & Eytan
* Powell, Gareth L.
* Sawyer, Robert J.
* Steele, Allen M.
* Stiles, Paula
* Wade, Juliette
* Wiehe, Fred

I have some great ones, coming, too. Including some editors. Here's a sample of interviews to come:

Jeff VanderMeer (2009 WFC award nominee)
Ann VanderMeer (2009 WFC award nominee)
Kage Baker (2009 WFC award nominee)
Tim Powers
Jay Lake
Ellen Datlow (2009 WFC award nominee)
Kij Johnson (2009 WFC award winner)
Louise Marley
Nisi Shawl (2009 WFC award nominee)
M.H. Bonham
Madeleine Robins
G. David Nordley & C. Sanford Lowe

My review of Tessa Dick's The Owl in Daylight went up last month at Mostly Fiction. She's Philip K. Dick's widow.

I delivered a presentation at a writing convention on Developing Your Online Presence. Now I'm taking it on the road with a new business partner. Busy, busy, busy!

Want a new word? How about kerfuffle? It's like chaos or confusion. Much kerfuffle about nothing. ;)

Another Flash piece at EDF!

2009-09-25T01:54:20Z

Ever wonder what the next evolution in media storage will be? Read my vision of the future in media storage, "Grey Drive" at Every Day Fiction. Please also rate it and leave a comment if you are so moved.

I had a great interview with the brothers Kollin, authors of The Unincorporated Man at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys.

I'll be on the local radio again next month promoting the writers conference that the Redwood Writers are hosting in Santa Rosa. It airs October 13, 2009 at 9AM on KRCB, Rohnert Park (91 FM). It also streams live. The conference is the 24th of October at the Flamingo Hotel. I'll be presenting on building an online presence as an author.

If you're not watching FlashForward tonight, shame on you. It's the new show based on the book of the same name by Robert Sawyer. It airs tonight on ABC. Woo Hoo! Chalk one up for SF novelists!

Jasper Fforde!

2009-09-12T01:37:20Z

Check out my interview with Jasper Fforde, author of the Thursday Next novels over at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. In the previous post, you'll also find some amusing SF story links.

I'm gearing up for the huge two day festival I used to be in charge of. Now I just handle the entertainment. What a load off that was! I just hope my foot is healed enough to teach Greek dancing. Did I fail to mention that it's the GLENDI ETHNIC FOOD FAIR? And that it's SEPTEMBER 19 and 20 in SANTA ROSA, CA?

Looking forward to Flashforward, based on the book by Robert Sawyer. Go, Rob!

What is with all the nines? District 9 and 9. Still haven't left my cave to view either of them.

Next month is conference/convention month for me. Silicon in San Jose, World Fantasy Convention, also in San Jose, and Redwood Writers Conference in Santa Rosa.

Resources and Interviews

2009-09-05T00:13:16Z

This week at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys, you'll find helpful resources for authors, an interview with Juliette Wade, author of stories in Analog, and more. Next week, stay tuned for an interview with Jasper Fforde.

http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot.com/2009/09/science-fiction-haps-and-lists.html
http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot.com/2009/09/meet-sf-author-juliette-wade.html

Spocon Report and Kevin J. Anderson Interview

2009-08-08T00:02:17Z

I posted my con report on SpoCon in Spokane, WA. You can find it here.

The local newspaper, The Inlander, will give you some details I missed.

And then there's M H Bonham's report: on her shadowhelm blog.

I interviewed Kevin J. Anderson over on Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys today as well. His latest book, Winds of dune with Brian Herbert was released this week.

Two more author interviews

2009-07-31T04:17:07Z

Zip on over to Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. I interviewed Gregory Frost last Friday and my interview with Karina Fabian will post tomorrow.

I'm heading north for SpoCon in Spokane, WA tomorrow. I'm on most excellent panels. It will be lots of fun. I can also spend time with a writer buddy of mine who is putting me up while I'm there, saving me from the uncomfortable, inconvenient dorm rooms.

I'm in the July issue of Beyond Centauri with "For Chance to Dream" but still haven't seen it! I was hoping to show off my contributor copy at the con. :(

I also have a story up at Rose City Sisters. It was a fun revamp of a reprint. Guidelines stated that it has to somehow involve Pasadena and have 3 hyperlinks. It's a ghost story... or is it? Read "Your Smiling Face" here.

Attack of the REAL blob flash fiction contest

2009-07-18T17:41:41Z

So, apparently, the blob really does exist. Off the the Alaskan shore. Here's the story in the Anchorage Daily News. So far scientists know:

1) It's not an oil slick
2) It's organic
3) It's gunky
3) It has hair-like strands
4) It's 12-15 miles long
5) No one has ever seen anything like it

So, what do you know about it? Write a speculative flash (under 1000 words) story about this Alaskan blob. The winning story will be posted at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys and the winning author will receive a copy of Awesome Lavratt. More details here.

Deadline for entries is August 1, 2009.

Social networking --- I've got a list...

2009-07-10T03:43:52Z

Let the (author) social networking list begin. I'm gearing up for a RW workshop on August 4th in Petaluma. Here's a taste. http://redwoodwriters.blogspot.com/2009/07/social-networking-let-list-begin.html

Watch my blog, Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys for reviews 2 or 3 Fridays a month. Next up, are Karina Fabian and Gregory Frost.

ann_wilkes @ 2009-06-24T20:56:00

2009-06-25T04:01:05Z

This week at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys: Engrossing scenes, memorable characters and link to free story by Robert Sawyer.

http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot.com/2009/06/engrossing-scenes-memorable-characters.html

This week's word: non sequitur. OK, so it's technically two. How's this for really random?

Awesome Lavratt receives glowing review

2009-06-21T23:35:21Z

A Journey of Books reviewed Awesome Lavratt and ... wow! You so have to read it! http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/awesome-lavratt-review-ann-wilkes.html

Hamilton interview, review and mailing parties

2009-06-20T07:00:01Z

I just posted an interview with Peter F. Hamilton over at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys this morning. And my review of The Temporal Void is live over at Mostly Fiction.

I sent out 8 stories this week thanks to the Broad Universe mailing party! And a couple of them were new. :)

Allen M. Steele interview

2009-06-06T01:31:04Z

I just posted an interview with SF author, Allen M. Steele. Check it out over at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys

My made up words

2009-06-01T00:02:17Z

Okay, so I can't resist. You have to help me get these words going.

Let's use this one all next month: contastic
definition (as though I have to splain it): Having to do with a fantastic sf/f convention.

This week on SFOO

2009-05-30T04:49:16Z

My BayCon report in two parts (Part One and Part Two) with lots of pictures is over at Science Fiction and other ODDysseys.

Check out my review of Robert J. Sawyer's Wake at Mostly Fiction.

So, here's the deal, I'm going to strive to do at least two author interviews a month over at SFOO, but that means not having to blog here every week. I'm gonna move to summaries with links so I can still stay in touch with my LJ buddies and readers.

Still have to make time to read (for reviews) and write (fiction).

BayCon Blues

2009-05-21T04:22:04Z

The guests of honor, Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon are sick and unable to attend BayCon. Major bummer. And I'm still scheduled to lead a panel on Vampire Lit. I'm sooo not going to stay up all night reading some. I know all the BayCon elves are scrambling and it will all work out in the end. I'm wondering if there's an IMAX theater near the hotel. I still haven't seen the new Star Trek movie. Either too owie or too busy! :(

I'm sending off my latest story to my beta readers. Then to a pro market next week. One of these days, I'll have to scour around for markets that take reprints and bop some of those out again. I feel like I have one and a half jobs. Actually, I do. But the other one doesn't really pay yet.

Too Busy!

2009-05-17T20:04:06Z

I've been very neglectful of this blog of late. Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys has been getting a lot of attention lately, to the detriment of this LJ blog. I'm sorely tempted to post a brief synopsis of my posts over there with a link rather than have to come up with three posts per week. I do two over there religiously. I've also just posted the inaugural entry for the group blog for Redwood Writers. That's the local branch of the California Writers Club.

And I wish I could say that I've been busy writing fiction, but alas, such is not the case. I console myself with the fact that I AM a full time writer and I HAVE also been maintaining the SF blog which now include author interviews and still cranking out sf book reviews. I even have David Brin on the hook for a review this summer.

So, I haven't decided yet, but that's where I'm leaning. Meantime, the word of the week (hopefully it doesn't turn out to be the month...) is pervade. Isn't that a lovely word? Pervade, pervade, pervade. It's almost as good as insidious. Why is it that all my favorite words tend to be on the negative side? Are there more precisely descriptive words that are negative than those that are positive? Like the bad news is what sells newspapers? hmmmm... I wonder. Anyone want to give me a grant to find out?

It hasn't been all work and no play.

This is me dancing the zebekiko at Paps Taverna. Pat calls it the Old-man-iko because it's usually the old men up there doing it.

And here I am enjoying a ride in a zeppelin!

Battle for Terra and good news, "literarily"

2009-04-29T04:30:56Z

I reviewed Battle for Terra over at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys. I have another author interview coming up on Friday over at SFOO.

And here's our word of the week: literarily. As in, last week was great, literarily speaking. :)

My last submission to Asmimov's Science Fiction earned me a personal rejection from the editor in which she said my story was "powerful and well done". Woo hoo! I think it was too fantasy as opposed to SF for the mag. I've already bopped it back out to the next magazine. Fingers and toes crossed once more.

I was also quoted in an article by Allena Tapia over at Women on Writing, The 5 Fatal Finance Mistakes Writers Make.

Last but not least, Awesome Lavratt was reviewed by a local paper, The Bohemian.

Robert J. Sawyer, Awesome Lavratt and book reviews

2009-04-17T03:04:35Z

It was my great pleasure to meet Robert J. Sawyer at a book signing for Wake on Monday in San Francisco. And I was able to interview him. Check out my other blog, Science Fiction and Other ODDyseys, to read the review tomorrow, April, 17th. A review of Wake will follow on my blog and over at Mostly Fiction.

I was the interviewee over at Beyond the Words. Kim Richards interviewed me and reviewed Awesome Lavratt.

I just finished reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Quantum physics makes my head hurt! But I have to say Neal Stephenson's world building is amazing. That review will be available over at Mostly Fiction shortly. Over there right now is my review of Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau.

I'm currently reading The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton. I won't be reviewing that one, but I'm reading it because The Temporal Void, the next in the series, is in the mail, which I will review for Mostly Fiction. More interviews to come as well at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys.

Next Saturday, I'll be heading into the city (San Francisco) for a promotional screening of Battle for Terra. Look for that review as well at SFOO before it hits the theaters on May 1st.

Busy, busy, busy. My goal for my sequel? To get a chapter written this week.

More author interviews!

2009-04-03T04:03:12Z

My interview of the fabulous fantasy writer, Irene Radford, is now available over at The Broadsheet (http://www.broaduniverse.org/broadsheet.html). Broad Universe, mind you is the place to be if you're a woman who writes spec-fic. Awesome international organization. Go hither: http://www.broaduniverse.org.

Tomorrow, there will be an interview with YA fantasy author, Alma Alexander, on my Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys blog (http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot.com). Keep watching that blog for more author interviews. I have several in the hopper.

I'm currently reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson (pg 578) and on the weekends, I'm writing on my Awesome Lavratt sequel that doesn't even have a working title. But it has a 7' sentient lizard with a beak and attitude!

Words are my playthings and for the next fortnight or so, "liquidity" will be my favorite toy. Liquidity, liquidity, liquidity.

Guest blogger - Paula Stiles on writers and collaboration

2009-03-17T19:55:43Z

Another writer friend has agreed to share her insights. I met Paula on Other Worlds Writers Workshop, and online critique group full of resources, specifically for dedicated spec-fic writers. When you're done here, (unless you've just come from there) head on over to my primary blog, Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys for my interview of Paula.

Writers and Collaboration

By Paula R. Stiles

On Sunday, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I opened submissions for a new online Lovecraft/Mythos 'zine and faux newspaper called Innsmouth Free Press . Despite our having prepared ahead of time, there was still some scrambling on the day as the slush came rolling in and we answered questions and got some more last-minute promotion out. Fortunately, we're similar personalities and have long since learned to coordinate. We have similar priorities in that respect and neither of us gets too excited about stuff. Which is good, because we're also both pretty busy.

Collaboration between writers doesn't seem to get much press, save as some astonishing exception to the assumed rule that two or more writers working on the same project always tear into each other like Siamese Fighting Fish. Maybe it's not sexy. Maybe it doesn't fit that Hemingwayesque image of the writer sitting all alone in front of her/his typewriter in shirtsleeves, sweating under a ceiling fan and banging out stories while glum green lizards crawl along the walls. Just you and your muse. And never mind that Hemingway is noted as much for the writing community he was a part of as for his writing, that he sent stuff to friends for commentary and critique. When we think about him writing, he always writes alone.

Writers act and are presented as solitary workers, even when we're clearly working with others (as in a 'zine). This is a fairly mysterious attitude to me. It's not as though we have no examples of collaboration out there. Editors/publishers and writers are seen as separate species even though editors are often writers and vice versa. Even though the various genre communities are really quite small when it comes to active members, and you see the same names over and over again being published, on blogs and on the social networking sites, most of us act as if we're living in some kind of vacuum when we're actually writing.

But the Internet is only a form of communication, a bit like the "hundred million bottles washed up on the shore" in The Police song "Message in a Bottle". Many of us have also met in real life, putting faces to the names. I've certainly met Silvia (we have a mutual taste for cheesy horror flicks). I visited Judith Doloughan, my friend and cowriter of a novel Fraterfamilias, every day of the last ten months of her life save one (a snowstorm stopped all the busses on my birthday). We writers are joiners--we hook up on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. We trade comments on critique groups. We blog together. We write books together. We set up 'zines together. We're not alone.

One of the best pieces of writing advice I've ever gleaned from a really famous writer came from Stephen King's On Writing. In fact, I'd recommend that and his general study of horror, Danse Macabre, if you are even remotely serious about becoming a professional writer.

On Writing is partly a brutally honest autobiography and partly a book on writing. Not grammar and sentence structure, but the more neglected parts of the craft--writing habits, goals, good and bad characters, how theme crops up in your writing when you're not looking, and building your writing peer group. King doesn't mean a critique group or an organization like SFWA (though they can be at least part of your writing group). Instead, he talks about how he hooked up with various other writers who were at about the same level as he was, how they supported each other through the hard times and celebrated the good times. Most of the writers he lists have gone on to become bestsellers themselves, though ones who write very differently and in different genres than King.

What's the advantage of collaboration? Part of it is pooling one's resources, of course. But I think the biggest one, for me, is having someone to bounce ideas off for your project who cares every bit as much as you do about it. Two heads really are better than one and you do come up with things that you wouldn't have, otherwise. Your fictional universe feels larger as a result. H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos universe was the larger for his inviting other writers to play in it.

But also, it's about friendship. When you collaborate, you're going to end up getting to know your collaborator pretty well. So, you'd better pick someone you like and get along with, that you want as a friend. If you don't, it's going to show in whatever project you do. If you can compromise, you can produce great things.

Remember, we're not alone. Not really.

Paula R. Stiles
http://www.geocities.com/rpcv.geo/other.html

The con that wasn't

2009-02-18T04:25:42Z

Well, I missed Radcon. My dear hubby ended up having emergency surgery the day we were to leave. He's recovering well. It was his heart - very scary. If you ever go to the doc with chest pains make sure they do the stress test (treadmill). Everything showed normal till that. We had a nice low-cholesterol dinner on Valentines Day of Buffalo burgers, salad and purple potatoes. And pear sparkling cider. I'm learning how to cook all over again.

So, in lieu of my Radcon report, I will point you to that of their illustrious writer guest of honor, whom I will now have to interview via email instead. I am speaking of Alma Alexander, a sweet lady who I was hoping to get to know better while there. Here's her Radcon Redux.

I'm sending off that crazy smoke alarm story to a literary journal. They don't prohibit SF and they need flash. Purple-eyed, small, hairy people all harassing one poor schmuck. What's not to love?

The story which begins with a true historic WA tragedy is still lacking half a scene and thorough rewrite. I had intended to read a portion of it at the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading. I might have had listeners that knew of the tragic Chelan, WA bus accident of 1945.

I'm going to aim high with this one. Pro markets baby.

If I'm repeating myself, please forgive me. If anyone is "LinkedIn", check out this SF group there: Science Fiction readers, writers and collectors. They're 1100 strong.

If you're not LinkedIn, why not? It's great.

Radcon this weekend! Woopee!

2009-02-10T05:38:30Z

I just found this picture of the "Toxic Waste" from the RadCon party at OryCon in Portland, OR.

Of course, it took my phone dying and trying to figure out how to transfer photos to bring it to you. :)

So here are the panels I have the pleasure of sitting on in just 5 days at RadCon in Pasco, WA. If you've never been to a convention, you're missing out. It's not all Star Trek and furries (no offense Trekkies and furries).

These are not in chronological order...
Drop and Give Me 10
Who's Line Is It, Anyway?
Legends of the Small Screen
End of the World

And of course, a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading and signing Awesome Lavratt. :)

Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys in top 100 SF blog list

2009-01-29T02:39:09Z

I love lists. I love making them and ticking things off of them. But best of all is making it onto a "best of" list!

A brand new blog, Distance Learning Net, loves making lists, too. My other blog, Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys is listed among 15 other general SF blogs on the blog's top 100 science fiction blogs list. There are also categories for movies, TV, books, reviews, etc.

The Awesome Lavratt book launch was a success. There were 15 people in attendance.

The RadCon countdown is begun! 16 days left.

And now a moment of silence for Lynard Skynard pianist, Billy Powell, who died last night.

Sue Lange and The Textile Planet: Stop #6 on the virtual book tour

2009-01-19T07:07:05Z

So here I am at Science Fiction Matters, with another opportunity to yak about The Textile Planet, Bookviewcafe.com, and Broad Universe.

Let's start with Broad Universe. This is an organization that both Ann and I belong to. BU's big aim is to promote the work of women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Since Ann and I both write that kind of stuff, we joined. Makes sense, right?

If you ever find yourself at a con (science fiction et al. convention) you may see some of our members giving rapid readings. You may even see a Broad Universe table with organization paraphernalia for free and member books for sale. Next time you see a BU rapid reading on the program, stop by for a taste of anywhere between 5 and 10 authors readings. Check out the literature on the table. Buy a couple of books. Good stuff.

BookViewCafe.com is a new enterprise for me. This website represents a foray into Internet publishing for authors such as Ursual K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McInture, Anne Harris and a bunch more, such as me. We wanted a place to offer some of our titles that are not currently available elsewhere. Most of the fiction is free, but some of the work will be offered for sale as ebooks pretty soon. We have links to our published print books at the site as well. So far BVC has been well received with active support from the speculative fiction readers on the 'Net.

My own offering at BVC is a serialized novel, The Textile Planet. This story follows the travails of Marla Gershe as she maniacally goes about her day as a fashion show coordinator. My work is usually satirical in nature. The Textile Planet is a bit dark. Taking advantage of the Internet's flexible nature, I've added content to the story in the way of links to back story, sound files, and even a Youtube video.

Please do take a look and send feedback if you're up for it: http://tinyurl.com/5lbtqv. Love that feedback.

Toodles! to all of you and thanks to Ann for having me.

Sue Lange (http://scusteister.livejournal.com)

Book launch next weekend!

2009-01-17T20:33:14Z

Well, I'm gearing up for the book launch. And fighting with my computer programs, demanding they do what I want them to. I apparently haven't a clue how to put a podcast on my website from a pre-recorded CD. The radio interview on Word by Word on the 7th was an hour long. I want to include an excerpt on my site. Guess I better figure all this out. It will be part of my presentation at a writing conference in October.

I'm almost done with a story I started in October. And I got a few ideas of how to fix another novel that's finished - sort of. It's been languishing in rewrites, then fermenting while I get over being sick of it. I really should finish the Lavratt sequel before I drag it back out though.

Here's my book launch flier, minus all the cool formatting.

Join local author, ANN WILKES, for an awesome launching of

AWESOME LAVRATT

January 25, 2009
3PM

Borders

2825 Santa Rosa Ave
Santa Rosa
(707) 569-0991

photo by Patrick Wilkes

If Ann Wilkes’ alien worlds don’t hook you, her sense of humor will. She has a unique voice that draws the reader into alien realms of danger, intrigue and rollicking adventure. Learn more about Wilkes at www.annwilkes.com

Beautiful Aranna Navna plans to conquer the galaxy one planet at a time. She steals the Awesome Lavratt, a mind control device, from a freighter in Horace Whistlestop’s junkyard. She takes Horace, too. With the Lavratt, Aranna manipulates the thoughts and desires of everyone around her — until she gets to the Emperor of Calistania. And the Lavratt, however, has only just begun!

We found the twisty-turny nature of the plot and the unconventional, tongue-in-cheek style of writing brilliant. – The Book Smugglers

Download PDF flier.