Steve Berman's Blog, page 12
January 13, 2011
My Arisia schedule
FRIDAY
Taboos in Fiction 5:00 PM
Please have Dinner with Steve ?:15 PM
Beyond Binaries 101: Exploring Gender Roles 9:30 PM
Reading new gay YA fairy tale to empty room 11:00 PM
SATURDAY
Breakfast with two Russian Blue kitties AM
Coming Out 5:00 PM
Another Dinner with Steve please ?:15 PM
Queer SF&F 9:30 PM
SUNDAY
Jews in Space: Jewish SF/F 11:00 AM
Sexuality in SF/F 12:30 PM
Lethe Press party/ho down 4:30 PM
MONDAY
Upbeat and Downbeat in YA Fiction 11:00 AM
At the Lethe Press party I will be giving away swag! Come indulge!
Taboos in Fiction 5:00 PM
Please have Dinner with Steve ?:15 PM
Beyond Binaries 101: Exploring Gender Roles 9:30 PM
Reading new gay YA fairy tale to empty room 11:00 PM
SATURDAY
Breakfast with two Russian Blue kitties AM
Coming Out 5:00 PM
Another Dinner with Steve please ?:15 PM
Queer SF&F 9:30 PM
SUNDAY
Jews in Space: Jewish SF/F 11:00 AM
Sexuality in SF/F 12:30 PM
Lethe Press party/ho down 4:30 PM
MONDAY
Upbeat and Downbeat in YA Fiction 11:00 AM
At the Lethe Press party I will be giving away swag! Come indulge!
Closets!
was so excited at midnight last night to realize that high school lockers are closets. This may make no sense, but it allowed me to finish a short gay fairy tale I had been working on. Daulton did not appreciate me turning on the netbook in bed - he's jealous of it - so I had to play with him for a half-hour afterwards to soothe his bruised ego.
Now I need beta readers.
Now I need beta readers.
January 11, 2011
Illustrated Boy
So, young artist Fedini has finished the b/w illustrations that will accompany a story from my forthcoming YA collection:
These are scenes from an old Fallen Area story I wrote that I'm including in the book. Pretty cool, huh?
These are scenes from an old Fallen Area story I wrote that I'm including in the book. Pretty cool, huh?
January 6, 2011
2 collections
Lately, I've been giving myself anxiety attackes (followed by the swift release of 1-2 Xanax, a bill that goes down bitter but turns sweet in your blood) over two forthcoming collections:
Bittersweet and Other New Fairytales for Gay Teens and The Guide to Lost Gay Cinematic Characters, V.3. Both were hoped for 2011 releases. And both are seriously lacking in new stories. As in, I need to write them.
I've started over a dozen new stories in the past 15 months but only finished 2 or so. So I have all these... fragments... disappointments... shards?
I've been commissioning artwork for each story in Bittersweet. And I just hired a fellow to do the cover of GLGCC in the style of 1940s/1950s film poster. So there has been money spent.
And then there are friends who whisper in my ear, "Just do a novel" again and again.
If I could just finish something... but I need to finish, what almost 20 new stories to fill these two collections.
Thoughts from the peanut brittle gallery?
Bittersweet and Other New Fairytales for Gay Teens and The Guide to Lost Gay Cinematic Characters, V.3. Both were hoped for 2011 releases. And both are seriously lacking in new stories. As in, I need to write them.
I've started over a dozen new stories in the past 15 months but only finished 2 or so. So I have all these... fragments... disappointments... shards?
I've been commissioning artwork for each story in Bittersweet. And I just hired a fellow to do the cover of GLGCC in the style of 1940s/1950s film poster. So there has been money spent.
And then there are friends who whisper in my ear, "Just do a novel" again and again.
If I could just finish something... but I need to finish, what almost 20 new stories to fill these two collections.
Thoughts from the peanut brittle gallery?
January 4, 2011
Adventures of a cat slave
Arrive home at 5pm
Your master welcomes you back to his domestic holdings with a meow at the top of the steps. You come bearing a bag of his favorite victuals. When you reach the second step you bow your head so he can sniff the top. Then he lets you pass.
You fix him his supper of chunks of meat in delicate broth. While he noms, you go take a shower to rid yourself of the odors of the human world.
Seated at 5:30pm
You leave space for your master in the comfy chair so he can lay next to his slave while the television news lulls him to sleep with stories of human suffering and feline indifference. A dog food commercial makes me wake for an instant. You turn the channel immediately.
Rushed meal at 6:15pm
It's a little canister of chicken and dumplings soup. He eyes your every bite. You often offer him the tip of the spoon dipped in gravy/sauce but he ignores it. Still, his glare leaves you feeling guilty.
Sneaking off at 8:30pm
The slave pursues art to impress his master--writing stories of Ulthar and such in the bedroom. Master is sleeping, no doubt dreaming of the real Ulthar.
Checking on master at 9pm
Still asleep. Why does he not howl for late-night treats as is often his want?
Sleep time at 9:15pm
You revisit the den and lift your master from his chair. He insists you carry him while you turn out the lights and set him on the bed.
Brief hand kowtow at 9:20pm
The master demands his slave extend one hand so he can rest his forepaws upon it and purr with delight at this show of submission. He turns his back to his slave while remaining on-hand as it were.
Show of Edible Affection at 9:30pm
The master murmurs, a subtle demand that the slave prove his affection with delectable hard treats offered in the darkened living room. Not at floor-level. Treats must always be served on a little plate on the table.
Longer hand kowtow at 9:50pm
The master returns! Again, the hand kowtow is performed. The master permits some massaging before he consents to close his eyes and rest.
EBS emergency at 1am
The master's sudden onset of EBS - Empty Belly Syndrome - means that the slave must get up out of bed, navigate dark passageways, and open up a fresh pouch of slaughtered calf and chicken. In broth. Master noms. Eerie purring fills the kitchen.
Bring me entertainment at 3:45am
The master's cries awaken his dutiful slave. But no, the master does not want victuals but rather entertainment. So the slave stumbles into the living room to where the master hides in his favorite box fashioned from the finest Corinthian cardboard. Fresh tissue paper, in a variety of pastel colors, decorate the carpet. The master adores the sound they make when his fierce paws descend upon the paper - ahh, the crinkle brings back ancestral memories of smilodons pouncing on mastodons, who flee on prehistoric tissue paper (not pastel, which was not yet invented until a Siamese blended the proper colors in 1432). The slave kneels down and wields the mouse-upon-stick device back and forth. The master's jaw opens, revealing sharp fangs, so sharp even for a feline his age. The master's eyes are wide pools of ever-increasing nightfall.
Slave revolt begins at 4am
Oh, the slave thinks the master is too tired to notice he has returned to the sleeping quarters with a silent plea for the gods to permit him to fall back to unconsciousness.
Slave revolt discovered at 4:04am
The master has found him! The slave pretends to sleep. But the master howls in the room. Terrible howls. Then, he slips beneath the night table and begins the gnaw at books. The master knows the slave treasures these objects.
Slave revolt punished at 4:08am
The slave tries to cajole his master to return to bed. He strokes the master's forehead. But the master is only tired of impertinence. He sinks his teeth into the soft flesh between the slave's thumb and forefinger (a spot known as The Tastee Zone by Persians). The slave screams.
Slave revolt redoubles efforts at 4:10am
The slave turns on the lights. Furious, he grabs the master by the scruff of his imperial neck and lifts him to the bed. The master refuses to meet the slave's gaze. The master suffers a slight tap to the nose and the litany of his recent crimes in silence.
Exile at 4:14am
The master is sent from the bedroom. The slave stretches out in bed,
A threat at 4:16am?
The master returns, leaping on to the foot of the bed, staring a moment at the recumbent slave before leaving the bed. What dark thoughts fill his feline noggin?
Proof that slavery does not depend upon physical shackles at 4:20am
The slave cannot resist despite having the bed all to himself. He feels a terrible sense of guilt for usurping his place in the universe. He calls out to the master. Not once. Not twice. Three times, as if it were a magical incantation.
Triumphant return at 4:22pm
The master returns to the bedchamber. His purrs are great as he resumes his spot at the head of the bed. The slaves hand is cautiously put forth in submission. The master crawls atop it. And so the natural order is returned.
Your master welcomes you back to his domestic holdings with a meow at the top of the steps. You come bearing a bag of his favorite victuals. When you reach the second step you bow your head so he can sniff the top. Then he lets you pass.
You fix him his supper of chunks of meat in delicate broth. While he noms, you go take a shower to rid yourself of the odors of the human world.
Seated at 5:30pm
You leave space for your master in the comfy chair so he can lay next to his slave while the television news lulls him to sleep with stories of human suffering and feline indifference. A dog food commercial makes me wake for an instant. You turn the channel immediately.
Rushed meal at 6:15pm
It's a little canister of chicken and dumplings soup. He eyes your every bite. You often offer him the tip of the spoon dipped in gravy/sauce but he ignores it. Still, his glare leaves you feeling guilty.
Sneaking off at 8:30pm
The slave pursues art to impress his master--writing stories of Ulthar and such in the bedroom. Master is sleeping, no doubt dreaming of the real Ulthar.
Checking on master at 9pm
Still asleep. Why does he not howl for late-night treats as is often his want?
Sleep time at 9:15pm
You revisit the den and lift your master from his chair. He insists you carry him while you turn out the lights and set him on the bed.
Brief hand kowtow at 9:20pm
The master demands his slave extend one hand so he can rest his forepaws upon it and purr with delight at this show of submission. He turns his back to his slave while remaining on-hand as it were.
Show of Edible Affection at 9:30pm
The master murmurs, a subtle demand that the slave prove his affection with delectable hard treats offered in the darkened living room. Not at floor-level. Treats must always be served on a little plate on the table.
Longer hand kowtow at 9:50pm
The master returns! Again, the hand kowtow is performed. The master permits some massaging before he consents to close his eyes and rest.
EBS emergency at 1am
The master's sudden onset of EBS - Empty Belly Syndrome - means that the slave must get up out of bed, navigate dark passageways, and open up a fresh pouch of slaughtered calf and chicken. In broth. Master noms. Eerie purring fills the kitchen.
Bring me entertainment at 3:45am
The master's cries awaken his dutiful slave. But no, the master does not want victuals but rather entertainment. So the slave stumbles into the living room to where the master hides in his favorite box fashioned from the finest Corinthian cardboard. Fresh tissue paper, in a variety of pastel colors, decorate the carpet. The master adores the sound they make when his fierce paws descend upon the paper - ahh, the crinkle brings back ancestral memories of smilodons pouncing on mastodons, who flee on prehistoric tissue paper (not pastel, which was not yet invented until a Siamese blended the proper colors in 1432). The slave kneels down and wields the mouse-upon-stick device back and forth. The master's jaw opens, revealing sharp fangs, so sharp even for a feline his age. The master's eyes are wide pools of ever-increasing nightfall.
Slave revolt begins at 4am
Oh, the slave thinks the master is too tired to notice he has returned to the sleeping quarters with a silent plea for the gods to permit him to fall back to unconsciousness.
Slave revolt discovered at 4:04am
The master has found him! The slave pretends to sleep. But the master howls in the room. Terrible howls. Then, he slips beneath the night table and begins the gnaw at books. The master knows the slave treasures these objects.
Slave revolt punished at 4:08am
The slave tries to cajole his master to return to bed. He strokes the master's forehead. But the master is only tired of impertinence. He sinks his teeth into the soft flesh between the slave's thumb and forefinger (a spot known as The Tastee Zone by Persians). The slave screams.
Slave revolt redoubles efforts at 4:10am
The slave turns on the lights. Furious, he grabs the master by the scruff of his imperial neck and lifts him to the bed. The master refuses to meet the slave's gaze. The master suffers a slight tap to the nose and the litany of his recent crimes in silence.
Exile at 4:14am
The master is sent from the bedroom. The slave stretches out in bed,
A threat at 4:16am?
The master returns, leaping on to the foot of the bed, staring a moment at the recumbent slave before leaving the bed. What dark thoughts fill his feline noggin?
Proof that slavery does not depend upon physical shackles at 4:20am
The slave cannot resist despite having the bed all to himself. He feels a terrible sense of guilt for usurping his place in the universe. He calls out to the master. Not once. Not twice. Three times, as if it were a magical incantation.
Triumphant return at 4:22pm
The master returns to the bedchamber. His purrs are great as he resumes his spot at the head of the bed. The slaves hand is cautiously put forth in submission. The master crawls atop it. And so the natural order is returned.
December 24, 2010
Speaking Out call for submissions
Bold Strokes Books is pleased to announce the acquisition of a new YA anthology, Speaking Out, edited by Steve Berman. Speaking Out is scheduled for release in 2011 from Bold Strokes Soliloquy Books.
Speaking Out features stories for and about LGBT and Q teens by fresh voices and noted authors in the field of young adult literature. These are inspiring stories of overcoming adversity (against intolerance and homophobia) and experiencing life after "coming out." Queer teens need tales of what might happen next in their lives, and editor Steve Berman showcases a diversity of events, challenges, and, especially, triumphs.
Ideally, we'll have 10-15 stories in the book. I told the publisher the book will run around 75,000 words. So if you could tell your story in 7,500 that would be ideal. I know some folks run short or go over that length.
Deadline for fiction is February 28th.
What I'm looking for: Speaking Out will feature stories involving a queer teens and their heterosexual allies confronting and overcoming homo/bi/transphobia. With the news full of reports of kids committing suicide because of bullying, the need for more resources that will bolster the confidence and self-esteem of queer youth. Stories will focus on the effects of prejudice on the individual, and how the effects ripple outward through family, peer group, school and other institutional levels. It is my hope that the book is part of school libraries and offered and youth centers across the nation.
Compensation is a flat $200.00 fee and complimentary copies, of course. Not a grand sum, I know, but I am hoping the theme of the book, so important these days what with the recent rash of teen suicides, will compell folks to overlook the amount. Some folks have expressed interest in donating their author fees to the Trevor Foundation, btw.
Please do not think this is a "coming out" book. These teens should be already out and proud and their pride is part of the impetus to combat intolerance.
Send ms. as rtf files to sberman8 AT yahoo DOT com.
I've already accepted a M-t-F story and a male bisexual tale. That does not mean I'm no longer interested in either, but I wanted to let you know what's "in."
Feel free to share this call around the world.
Steve
Speaking Out features stories for and about LGBT and Q teens by fresh voices and noted authors in the field of young adult literature. These are inspiring stories of overcoming adversity (against intolerance and homophobia) and experiencing life after "coming out." Queer teens need tales of what might happen next in their lives, and editor Steve Berman showcases a diversity of events, challenges, and, especially, triumphs.
Ideally, we'll have 10-15 stories in the book. I told the publisher the book will run around 75,000 words. So if you could tell your story in 7,500 that would be ideal. I know some folks run short or go over that length.
Deadline for fiction is February 28th.
What I'm looking for: Speaking Out will feature stories involving a queer teens and their heterosexual allies confronting and overcoming homo/bi/transphobia. With the news full of reports of kids committing suicide because of bullying, the need for more resources that will bolster the confidence and self-esteem of queer youth. Stories will focus on the effects of prejudice on the individual, and how the effects ripple outward through family, peer group, school and other institutional levels. It is my hope that the book is part of school libraries and offered and youth centers across the nation.
Compensation is a flat $200.00 fee and complimentary copies, of course. Not a grand sum, I know, but I am hoping the theme of the book, so important these days what with the recent rash of teen suicides, will compell folks to overlook the amount. Some folks have expressed interest in donating their author fees to the Trevor Foundation, btw.
Please do not think this is a "coming out" book. These teens should be already out and proud and their pride is part of the impetus to combat intolerance.
Send ms. as rtf files to sberman8 AT yahoo DOT com.
I've already accepted a M-t-F story and a male bisexual tale. That does not mean I'm no longer interested in either, but I wanted to let you know what's "in."
Feel free to share this call around the world.
Steve
December 23, 2010
A celebration of sorts
Being Jewish I don't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday but rather as an excuse to eat Chinese food and visit a movie theater. And I'm not a fan of New Year's Eve (drinking? bleh. staying up late? bleh. kissing someone at the stroke of twelve? I haven't kissed anyone in ages).
But I realize that many of you do enjoy the seasonal festivities. So rock on!
I've been quiet on LJ. Facebook has seduced me away because it's simpler to post tiny bits. So I have to remember to write things here on occasion.
2010 was just okay. Best thing that happened, I suppose, was I deepened friendships with several people. That's nice to know that the number of people I can call when I am lonely has increased. And they are good folk, too.
Lately I've been worried over why I am tired all the time.
Worst thing that happened was learning about my father's health. He has IPF, which will one day be the death of him. And we're worried it will happen in 2011. Some days are better than others. But it's very upsetting to see a dynamic man succumb to illness.
I sold an anthology idea to Bold Strokes Books - Speaking Out, a young adult book featuring stories about GLBT teens (and their straight allies) standing up to/overcoming homo/bi/transphobia. If you have any interest in submitting, drop me a line.
I think I only sold 2 stories this year to small press anthologies. I didn't write much more than that. One more tale that no one seems to want despite people telling me they like it. And so I worry that my 2 planned collections for 2011 may not happen any time soon. That really upsets me.
Work on any novel was pathetic for me this year.
No dates. I think I had sex once. Does it count if 2 strippers were involved?
Anyway, 2011 will be the 10th anniversary of Lethe Press. Any suggestions how we should celebrate? Can strippers be involved?
But I realize that many of you do enjoy the seasonal festivities. So rock on!
I've been quiet on LJ. Facebook has seduced me away because it's simpler to post tiny bits. So I have to remember to write things here on occasion.
2010 was just okay. Best thing that happened, I suppose, was I deepened friendships with several people. That's nice to know that the number of people I can call when I am lonely has increased. And they are good folk, too.
Lately I've been worried over why I am tired all the time.
Worst thing that happened was learning about my father's health. He has IPF, which will one day be the death of him. And we're worried it will happen in 2011. Some days are better than others. But it's very upsetting to see a dynamic man succumb to illness.
I sold an anthology idea to Bold Strokes Books - Speaking Out, a young adult book featuring stories about GLBT teens (and their straight allies) standing up to/overcoming homo/bi/transphobia. If you have any interest in submitting, drop me a line.
I think I only sold 2 stories this year to small press anthologies. I didn't write much more than that. One more tale that no one seems to want despite people telling me they like it. And so I worry that my 2 planned collections for 2011 may not happen any time soon. That really upsets me.
Work on any novel was pathetic for me this year.
No dates. I think I had sex once. Does it count if 2 strippers were involved?
Anyway, 2011 will be the 10th anniversary of Lethe Press. Any suggestions how we should celebrate? Can strippers be involved?
December 15, 2010
Icarus 7
Icarus Issue 7:
Winter 2010 By Lethe Press in Gay & Lesbian Winter, like all seasons, is a time of transformation. Glittering frost appears on windows overnight. Can you feel the chill in the air?This issue has several stories that will contribute to your shivers, of delight and dread. Hauntology is a genre of music that combines voices from obsolete recording technology with modern electronics. "Lonesome Road," by Matt Cheney, is almost a literary version of hauntology, a different kind of ghost story—…
November 19, 2010
Writer's Block: A charming defense
If you could conjure an animal spirit protector, which animal would you choose, and why?
Star-nosed mole! Imagine that wiggly snout casting fear and doubt in your enemies.
November 10, 2010
Returns
So, one of the nastier aspects of publishing is RETURNS. And since the vast majority of Lethe titles are returnable, every so often we get a slew of 'em back.
But won't you have pity on some books that have been abandoned? In other words, if you'd be interested in any of the titles below, let me know and you can have them for half-price plus shipping costs. Buy yourself a wonderful read. Buy a friend a treasured addition to their library.
Sex as God Intended: A Reflection on Human Sexuality as Play only $10!
Review here.
Time Well Bent: Queer Alternative Histories only $7.5!
Review here.
The Haunted Heart and Other Tales only $9!
Review here.
A Report from Winter only $9!
Review here.
Shipping costs are $2 for each book.
Paypal is preferable and should be sent to lethepress AT aol DOT com.
But won't you have pity on some books that have been abandoned? In other words, if you'd be interested in any of the titles below, let me know and you can have them for half-price plus shipping costs. Buy yourself a wonderful read. Buy a friend a treasured addition to their library.
Sex as God Intended: A Reflection on Human Sexuality as Play only $10!
Review here.
Time Well Bent: Queer Alternative Histories only $7.5!
Review here.
The Haunted Heart and Other Tales only $9!
Review here.
A Report from Winter only $9!
Review here.
Shipping costs are $2 for each book.
Paypal is preferable and should be sent to lethepress AT aol DOT com.
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