JoSelle Vanderhooft's Blog, page 4

Dammit, with all the Life Drama I missed Yuletide signups

And I really wanted to do it this year. Crap.

Gay Ghost Stories Anthology now open to submissions

So, between traveling and all of this job bullshit, I forgot to remind you all that the gay ghost stories anthology I'm editing for Zumaya Books is now open for submissions.

Please send me stuff, and spread this far and wide!

Submission period: Nov. 15-Jan. 15.

LinkedIn recommendations

I'm the kind of person who hates to ask things of anyone. I hate it so much, in fact, that I wouldn't be asking this if it wasn't very important.

I have a LinkedIn profile here, and I'm looking for folks with whom I have worked to recommend me as a writer or editor. I've worked with a lot of you at this point, so I figured posting this on LJ would be a good idea, rather than tracking down what is, at this point, probably over 60 emails.

Now. Please only recommend me if you genuinely liked working with me as your editor! If you didn't, no hard feelings on my end, and no problem if you'd rather not write one. I completely understand. I've honestly loved working with every writer who has crossed my path, so I'd be more than happy to return the favor--or to even write one for you if you'd rather not write one for me. Just email me or comment here.

Thanks, folks.

Thank you

I just wanted to thank everyone who has emailed me, left LJ comments, and tweeted about my work situation so far. Your support has meant the world to me, and has been beyond amazing and comforting. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A few of you have been wondering if there's anything else you can do to help, since you don't need freelance work at the moment. While it will take some time for me to see this money, as payday comes quarterly or bi-annually, depending on the publisher, you can buy my anthologies on Amazon or Barnes and Noble for you Nook-users out there. They're filled with quality fiction, and great examples of what I can do as an editor. While the money won't get to me immediately, it will get to me and be of great help when it does, as I'll probably need it more in the coming months.

Plus, they make excellent holiday gifts, and pretty inexpensive e-treats for yourself.

Lost my job just in time for Thanksgiving

I'm home early from my day job today and updating LJ because...well, I'm not going to have a day job come Nov. 30. Or health benefits. Or the ability to put my also out of work partner on my insurance. This was upsetting enough to learn at work that we all agreed it would be best if I went home for the rest of the day.

My position is being eliminated and transformed into something else that I'll have to reapply for, and may not get. There's a lot of stuff with this that I'd rather not get into, so let's just leave it at that and go on to the next.

I don't really know what this is going to mean for me, for my relationship, for anything. I don't know if I'll remain in Florida or move back to Utah. I don't know what I'll be doing four months from now, or even one month from now. So in the mean time, I'm going to do one of the things I do best, which is write and edit.

As of right now, I'm finally doing what I've been wanting to do for years, and that's opening an editing service. Before I get into prices, let me explain who I am for anyone who just happens to stumble onto this post who isn't one of my regular readers: I'm JoSelle Vanderhooft, and I have six years experience as a newspaper editor and editor of short fiction and novels. This includes four years serving as assistant editor of Salt Lake City's LGBT newspaper QSaltLake and editing a number of SF/F anthologies including: Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, Steam-Powered II: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories, Sleeping Beauty, Indeed (lesbian fairy tales), Hellebore & Rue (tales of queer women and magic--edited with Catherine Lundoff), and the forthcoming Femmes Fatales (lesbian romantic/mystery stories). I've also worked as an editor for Drollerie Press and am currently on staff at Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders, where I am assistant editor and editor of their LGBTQ steampunk imprint, Fantastique Gearworks.

So, that's what I do. Now, here's why you should hire me. I am an easy, personable editor, I turn things around very quickly, and I give honest but encouraging and gentle feedback.I like building writers up rather than tearing them down, and I want to make your manuscript the best that it can be, whether you're writing a chapbook intended for a few friends or a submission for a publisher. Whatever your goals, I want to see you succeed!

Now for what you've all been waiting for: What's this going to cost?

Basic copy/line edit:

$1 per page

(checking for grammar and punctuation errors, syntax issues, etc.)

In-Depth edit:

$1.75 per page

(dealing with things like plot structure and plot holes), character development, story arc, pacing, continuity errors, world building errors, etc. This includes a copy edit!).

I will edit any story or poem from 1 page to 100,000 word manuscripts (query for longer; I'm open to them but it's good to let me know). I define a page as 250 words, double spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman, Courier, Arial--nothing cramped or difficult to read) with standard margins (1-1.25 inches). Please submit manuscripts in .doc, .docx, or .rtf form (if you're a mac or open office user, talk to me; we'll figure something out!) to upstart.crow@gmail.com. Please put "Manuscript" in the title so I know where and how to file it!

Edited 11/29 to add: I will also edit non-fiction, provided that I am familiar with the topic, or think that I can research it well enough to be of use to you. But unless you want me to edit something about hardcore mathematics, physics, or chemistry, I think I should be able to help you. Please send inquiries to jo.vanderhooft@gmail.com.

Let me stress that these are honestly some of the best rates that you're going to find for the experience and attention that you're getting. And this isn't a special, one time deal. These are my prices for the foreseeable future.

In case you're looking for a writer, my rates are $15 an hour, for any kind of project. If you'd like to see my resume, contact me at upstart.crow@gmail.com jo.vanderhooft@gmail.com. (Changed because I set up a new email for freelance clients to keep all of the writing/editing projects I do organized.)

If you don't want or don't need my services at this time, I'd really appreciate you spreading the word around.

Lost my job just in time for thanksgiving

I'm home early from my day job today and updating LJ because...well, I'm not going to have a day job come Nov. 30. Or health benefits. Or the ability to put my also out of work partner on my insurance. This was upsetting enough to learn at work that we all agreed it would be best if I went home for the rest of the day.

My position is being eliminated and transformed into something else that I'll have to reapply for, and may not get. There's a lot of stuff with this that I'd rather not get into, so let's just leave it at that and go on to the next.

I don't really know what this is going to mean for me, for my relationship, for anything. I don't know if I'll remain in Florida or move back to Utah. I don't know what I'll be doing four months from now, or even one month from now. So in the mean time, I'm going to do one of the things I do best, which is write and edit.

As of right now, I'm finally doing what I've been wanting to do for years, and that's opening an editing service. Before I get into prices, let me explain who I am for anyone who just happens to stumble onto this post who isn't one of my regular readers: I'm JoSelle Vanderhooft, and I have six years experience as a newspaper editor and editor of short fiction and novels. This includes four years serving as assistant editor of Salt Lake City's LGBT newspaper QSaltLake and editing a number of SF/F anthologies including: Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, Steam-Powered II: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories, Sleeping Beauty, Indeed (lesbian fairy tales), Hellebore & Rue (tales of queer women and magic--edited with Catherine Lundoff), and the forthcoming Femmes Fatales (lesbian romantic/mystery stories). I've also worked as an editor for Drollerie Press and am currently on staff at Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders, where I am assistant editor and editor of their LGBTQ steampunk imprint, Fantastique Gearworks.

So, that's what I do. Now, here's why you should hire me. I am an easy, personable editor, I turn things around very quickly, and I give honest but encouraging and gentle feedback.I like building writers up rather than tearing them down, and I want to make your manuscript the best that it can be, whether you're writing a chapbook intended for a few friends or a submission for a publisher. Whatever your goals, I want to see you succeed!

Now for what you've all been waiting for: What's this going to cost?

Basic copy/line edit:

$1 per page

(checking for grammar and punctuation errors, syntax issues, etc.)

In-Depth edit:

$1.75 per page

(dealing with things like plot structure and plot holes), character development, story arc, pacing, continuity errors, world building errors, etc. This includes a copy edit!).

I will edit any story or poem from 1 page to 100,000 word manuscripts (query for longer; I'm open to them but it's good to let me know). I define a page as double spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman, Courier, Arial--nothing cramped or difficult to read) with standard margins (1-1.25 inches). Please submit manuscripts in .doc, .docx, or .rtf form (if you're a mac or open office user, talk to me; we'll figure something out!) to upstart.crow@gmail.com. Please put "Manuscript" in the title so I know where and how to file it!

Let me stress that these are honestly some of the best rates that you're going to find for the experience and attention that you're getting. And this isn't a special, one time deal. These are my prices for the foreseeable future.

In case you're looking for a writer, my rates are $15 an hour, for any kind of project. If you'd like to see my resume, contact me at upstart.crow@gmail.com.

If you don't want or don't need my services at this time, I'd really appreciate you spreading the word around.

Submissions open and Name Our Anthology!!

So, ill health has put me behind on this project, but it's now time to open it up. I'll be reading for the second installment in Zumaya's Boundless imprint series of LGBT anthologies. The theme is ghost stories featuring gay men and romantic elements. What's the title? Well, my friends, Id on't know! That's up to you.

Zumaya is holding a contest to name this book, and the winner is going to get a very spiffy prize. I'll have more details added to this post in a bit about that, but for now, read on for guidelines!

Stories should be 8,000-15,000 words with longer preferred. The number that will ultimately be accepted will depend on story lengths. Payment will be based on length up to a maximum of $400. Reprints are acceptable, provided you have rights to them.


What We Do Want:

* Stories with compelling protagonists who identify as gay men. Note that this term includes a variety of subcultures and other identities.

* Stories about gay men who are underrepresented in fiction, including gay men of color, gay men who live with disabilities, gay men of size, gay trans* men, and older gay men.

* Romantic stories that aren't necessarily romances. In other words, a story that has romantic elements but does not--again, necessarily--follow the trajectory of most fiction that is marketed as romance, gay, straight, or otherwise. However, happy endings, happily for now endings, and bittersweet endings are preferred. This is also not an anthology of erotica; if sex is featured, it must be a natural part of the story, not something that is shoehorned in for titillation.


What We Don't Want


* Stories that denigrate homosexuality or any identities under the LGBT umbrella (eg. no stories bashing bears), or employ anti-gay stereotypes (i.e. gay men are pedophiles, gay men are all sex-hungry and unable to control themselves, a gay couple has to involve someone being the "man" and the other being "woman").

* Likewise, stories that suggest homosexuality can be "cured" or "changed" by God/drugs/alien technology/the love of the right woman.

* Stories that portray sexual assault or rape as sexy or desirable.

* Stories that are racist, sexist, ableist, or hateful towards any group of people.

* Stories in which the antagonist does bad things because he or she is "crazy." (This is a big NO).

* Poetry

* Fan fiction (that is, stories that make use of copyrighted characters to which the author holds no claim)

Queries and Submissions:

Before submitting, please query at upstart.crow @ gmail.com with the title of your story and a brief synopsis and/or description. If your query is approved, send your story as an .rtf, .doc, or .docx file to the same address.

When querying, please put the following in the email subject:Query: Gay Ghost Anthology [your last name]

When submitting a story, please put the following in the email subject line: Submission: Gay Ghost Anthology [your last name]

Submission Period:: Nov. 15-Jan. 15.

Any questions? Feel free to ask!

And please spread this around. I'm working on getting it up on Duotrope, but that'll take a few days.

New Editing project and a plea Doctor Fantastique's

So, while I was away a few interesting things happened.
Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, Drollerie Press closed this fall, thus ending my editorship of its LGBTQ imprint before it really got off the ground. But happily, this isn't the end of me editing longer works of all things LGBTQ speculative fiction. Publisher Matt Delman has graciously invited me to continue the work I was trying to do over at Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders. The imprint is called Fantastique Gearworks, and we specialize in LGBTQ steampunk novels and novellas--or, well, more broadly, if it dabbles in any -punk genre, we're interested, and our first reading period is going on now: .

But I'm not making this post to promote my work over there, not really--even though I would love to get some submissions to my slush readers (hint, hint).

I'm posting instead about the Kickstarter campaign that Doctor Fantastique's will be running until November 23.

Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders is, first and foremost, a magazine about everything steampunk. And when I say everything, I'm not joking. Past issues have included con reports, articles about steampunk travel destinations in the USA, interviews with costumers, and, of course, stories—stand alones and serials (because let's be honest; what's a steampunk magazine without serial fiction?)

Or, as Matt puts it:

"Imagine, if you will, a Victorian-style magazine published with 21st Century technology. A similar type of paper, a similar format of type, and the most incredible coverage of Steampunk in the United States, Canada, and abroad that you can find."

And here's the thing: we'd like to grow our project while making it more affordable to the people who want to read it. To do this, Matt has set up a Kickstarter page. The problem, though, is that we need $12,000 to pull this off--and with less than 30 days to go, we have about $1,000.

Now, I know that steampunk is bigger right now than the Beatles among genre people and fandom, so it's understandable to ask: Why do we need another steampunk publication? Well, gentle reader. Because there isn't anything quite like this one out there, in terms of comprehensiveness or diversity. Matt and I, and everyone else on staff at Doctor Fantastique's is not only committed to making this magazine wonderful, we also want to make it reflect the diversity of the steampunk community--meaning that we encourage fiction and non-fiction submissions by and about people of color, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and other marginalized and mis- or under/un-represented identities. We also recognize and celebrate the fact that steampunk isn't a US/UK only movement with Canada and Australia participating every so often. We want to know about, write about, and publish pieces about steampunk from all over the world, because we know and believe that steampunk isn't just Victorian recreationism (and thank God for that).

OK. So why do we need $12,000? I'll let Matt explain again. I know this is kind of long, but please read it through. It really is a better explanation than I can give you, seeing as, well, I don't own the company and don't handle the printing.

From the Kickstarter page, then:

"Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders magazine has as its mission statement "Reporting on the Steampunk world, one cog at a time." So far we've done that through website updates, and recently through a print-on-demand print magazine. We've met with some success doing this, but there are a few major problems with doing a POD magazine:

"The price is $15 per issue, with $17.63 being the real cost when you figure in shipping.

"We can't offer subscriptions, which means people have to spend $17.63 every single time they want a copy.

"We're limited when it comes to various back-end aspects of the magazine, which includes colors, paper quality, paper type, and so much more.

"What we want to do is take the magazine to a traditional offset press. This will allow us to do a LOT of very, very exciting things with the magazine. Imagine if you will a traditional Victorian magazine, one that readers in New York City or London of the 1890s would enjoy off the newsstand. Now take that same magazine and have it covering a subculture which seeks to emulate the optimism of that period.

"Suffice to say, we want to create the new Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders magazine as a Victorian magazine using the same or similar types of paper, similar typeface, and be able to offer things like subscriptions, single issues for sale at US$6.99/CD$8.99 as opposed to $17.63, and be able to sell these to you at conventions as well as other Steampunk events.

"We want to take the magazine to offset in order to make a better product for you, the fans of Steampunk. In order to do that though, we need your financial support. We're running on a shoestring budget as it is, and though we're offering subscriptions on our website right now, we want to offer another way for you to support our mission.

For anyone going "tl;dr" right now: If we raise the money, we can go to offset printing, which lets us do more, and makes the magazine higher in quality, and lets people who want it get it for nearly $10 USD less. And we really want to do that, believe me.

If I've piqued your curiosity, please consider checking out our Kickstarter page. Donations start at just $1, and you get lots of awesome prizes the more you donate. I mean, folks: $10 gets you a free business card-size advertisement in the magazine, and $25 gets you a hand-painted pin. This is some good stuff.
Whether you can or want to donate or not, please consider helping us spread the word on LJ, Dreamwidth, tumblr, Facebook, and especially Twitter. Folks, I really want Doctor Fantastique's to take off and do great things for the community, and with a little help, I know we can.

The Tale of the Allergist's Daughter

Please excuse the silence. I've apparently developed allergies to something in Florida, and I've been battling bone-crushing fatigue since September. The meds help, but apparently they can't do so without kicking my anxiety up to 11, which means I've been basically useless for the last two months and late with everything. Bodies are fun, man.

Anyway, posts later today about a few things.

Bitten by Moonlight Giveaway!

You know what to do :)






Goodreads Book Giveaway













Bitten by Moonlight




by Catherine Lundoff

Giveaway ends September 15, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win