Steve Berman's Blog, page 11

Made it!

I'm sure that every writer has several goals, stepping stones for their career. Selling their first short story. Selling their first novel. Sleeping with fans. Sleeping with award judges. Winning an award. Etc.

One of mine has always been to have a story accepted in a Year's Best anthology. Finally, this year, I made it!


The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, 2011 Edition edited by Paula Guran and releasing from Prime Books in August 2011:


How Bria Died, Michael Aronovitz (Weird Tales #356)
Frumpy Little Beat Girl, Peter Atkins (Rolling Darkness Revue 2010)
The Broadsword, Laird Barron (Black Wings)
Thimbleriggery and Fledglings, Steve Berman (The Beastly Bride)
The Dog King, Holly Black (The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
Tragic Life Stories, Steve Duffy (Tragic Life Stories)
The Thing About Cassandra, Neil Gaiman (Songs Of Love And Death, Tales Of Star-Crossed Love)
He Said, Laughing, Simon R. Green (Living Dead 2)
Hurt Me, M.L.N. Hanover (Songs Of Love And Death, Tales Of Star-Crossed Love)
Oaks Park, M.K. Hobson (Haunted Legends)
Crawlspace, Stephen Graham Jones (The Ones That Got Away)
Red as Red, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Haunted Legends)
Mother Urban's Booke of Dayes, Jay Lake (Dark Faith)
A Thousand Flowers, Margo Lanagan (Zombies vs. Unicorns)
Are You Trying To Tell Me This Is Heaven? Sarah Langan (Living Dead 2)
The Stars Are Falling, Joe R. Lansdale (Stories)
Sea Warg, Tanith Lee (Full Moon City)
The Mystery Knight, George R.R. Martin (Warriors)
The Naturalist, Maureen McHugh (Subterranean Magazine, Spring 2010)
Raise Your Hand If You're Dead, John Shirley (Dark Discoveries #17)
Lesser Demons, Norman Partridge (Black Wings/Lesser Demons)
Parallel Lines, Tim Powers (Stories)
The Moon Will Look Strange, Lynda E. Rucker (Black Static #16)
You Dream, Ekaterina Sedia (Dark Faith)
Red Blues, Michael Skeet (Evolve)
Brisneyland at Night, Angela Slatter (Sprawl)
Malleus, Incus, Stapes, Sarah Totton (Fantasy Magazine, 20 December 2010)
The Return, S.D. Tullis (Null Immortalis)
The Dire Wolf, Genevieve Valentine (Running With the Pack)
The Things, Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010)
Bloodsport, Gene Wolfe (Swords & Dark Magic)

So not only am I so fortunate as to share the ToC with some of my idols (Tim Powers! Joe Lansdale! Margo Lanagan!) but my story is sandwiched between two really dear friends, which makes me feel like this is a bit of kismet.

I owe a huge debt to Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling for choosing the story for The Beastly Bride. Also, the story would never have been good without help from Kelly Link and Ann Zeddies.

Gack

42 and I have a hickey. That's what happens with young men.

Speaking Out TOC

And here it is - SPEAKING OUT's Table of Contents*



Introduction by Steve Berman
Lucky P by Rigoberto Gonzalez
Day Student by Sam Cameron
Gutter Ball by Danielle Pignataro
Captain of the World by Alex Jeffers
The Proximity of Seniors by L. A. Fields
Subtle Poison by Lucas J.W. Johnson
Forever is Composed of Nows by Will Ludwigsen
Spark of Change by Dia Pannes
The Trouble with Billy by Jeffrey Ricker
Only Lost Boys Are Found by Steve Berman
Waiting to Show Her by Ann Tonsor Zeddies
Duet: A Story in Haibun by Charles Jensen
All Gender U by Sandra McDonald

* slight chance for some story rearrangement.

An awesome list of authors--some have been finalist for awards (Jensen, myself). Some are first time fiction writers (Pignataro and Jensen - he's normally a poet). Some are experienced with several novels under their belt (McDonald, González and Zeddies). Some are young (Johnson's only 22). There are gay boys and girls, FtM and MtF teens.

I'm thrilled. Thank you, Radclyffe of Bold Stroke Books, for believing in me and the project. And thank you authors for allowing me to share your words!

Looming

Five more days until the deadline for Speaking Out.

I just bought an amazing haibun from poet Charles Jensen. Lovely, lovely.

Countdown

Less than 10 days left in February. And the deadline for Speaking Out (end of month) looms large. I've asked a lot of the authors who submitted to me -- recommending story tweaks and scene/theme expansions. All of the authors have responded wonderfully. I love professionalism!

I think this will be a good book to read. A mix of styles. Some very moving pieces. Some humorous ones so that the book is inspirational without becoming "preachy."





There's still some room. Send me your story.

Steve

The end of some books

All good things must end. And, fortunately, bad things end as well.

Since I started Lethe 10 years ago, we've only cancelled/designated as out of print a few titles. Often, this is because an author felt he/she could do better than a small press in marketing and promoting the book. While I cannot promise anyone enormous sales (Lethe is small, print-on-demand, and most of our sales are in the GLBT niche) our books have been nominated for many awards (and some have won awards). And every year the net sales increase.

Some times the parting of ways with the author is congenial. I wish them well. Then... well, other authors display a host of bad and unprofessional manners.

Ironically, of the 9 books we have cancelled, I don't think a single one has found its way back into print (or even print-on-demand). Oh well. I just think there must be a lot of snipped noses out there.

Anyway, I have to announce 2 more cancellations:

As of today, Lethe is no longer offering A Handful of Pearls & Other Stories or Inheritance.

Don't trip over any noses or forgotten promises is the lesson to be learned.

Nothing finer...

Nothing finer than to get a face smack of drama when you're recovering from surgery. And when you're recovering from surgery that discovered some very bad things. Ahh, well, I'm not truly surprised. Promises to me are rarely kept anyways.

Liquids and news

Today is an all-liquid diet. Unless I can get my hands on some yellow gelatin. But I doubt the supermarket just sells the lemon kind.

And my big news is that added as an Editorial Consultant for Bold Strokes Books. I'll be handling YA submissions. Cool, I know. Of course, that means in addition to a day job and an attempt at a writing career and running my own press I have a fourth job. But how else would I ever save for retirement?

Health issues and such

So, Thursday I'll be going through the scope. Check that. Reverse it. Yep, I'll be put under anaesthesia so scopes can explore me from both ends. I've been suffering a bit of discomfort for the past 6 months or so (including frightening nocturnal regurgitations now and then), so the doctors suggested they look me through and through.

Mother will be taking back and forth to the surgical center. She'll probably try and clean my apartment as well. Hmm, Daulton bit her last time she catsat him. I'll have to buy some catnip to dose him.

Ironically, at this morning's examination, something that has embarassed me and kept me from having any sex for several years was revealed to be "of no consequence" and quickly remedied (or will be this week). So... umm... I can have sex again? I forget how. I might have to buy a book on the subject.

Speaking Out... releasing this Fall

Releasing in September from a new YA imprint of Bold Strokes Books (the leading queer press in the nation), Speaking Out</b> is an anthology of inspirational fiction for LGBTQ teens.

I'm really excited about this book. I hope it does a lot of good.