Eric James Stone's Blog, page 12

Lucky 7 Challenge

My friends and fellow writers Mary Robinette Kowal and John Arkwright have both tagged me with this challenge, so I’ve decided to do it.  The rules are: Go to page 7 or 77 of your latest work. Read down to the seventh line and then post online the next seven lines or sentences. Then head off and tag seven more writers.

So, the following are the seven sentences following the seventh line on the seventh page of “The Game of His Life,” the short story I finished less than seven times seven hours ago:

“Mr. Devil,” said Jimmy, “you may be the source of all evil, but that don’t mean you know how college football works.  Just to be clear, we’ll play by NCAA rules, with overtime to break ties, so there’s no advantage.”

The Devil laughed again, and I swear the room temperature dropped about ten degrees.  “Fair enough.  We have a deal.  To make sure the game is played fairly, the refs will be from Heaven.  And I appreciate your spirit enough that I’ll even give you one advantage: home field.

As for the seven writers I shall serendipitously tag with this challenge, I choose: Nancy Fulda, Michael A. Burstein, Terra Le May, Ted Kosmatka, Caroline M. Yoachim, Floris Kleijne, and Amy Sundberg.

Tweets for the week of 06-16-2012

@pattyjansen If you're having trouble drawing water, there may be a problem with your well. in reply to pattyjansen 07:34:51, 2012-06-16
Blog post: http://t.co/185NWorm – Tweets for the week of 06-09-2012 23:59:09, 2012-06-16
@IMAO_ It's 3AM & the phone rings in the White House but Pres. Fleming doesn't answer. He's playing videogames…that control Predator drones. in reply to IMAO_ 17:11:11, 2012-06-18
Blog post: http://t.co/bt1zBfnA – "Dark Roads for the Eternal Ruler" coming via email 08:42:37, 2012-06-19
RT @IMAO_: I hope to one day be so rich that with rounding I'll be part of the 0%. 14:01:23, 2012-06-19
@AShvartsman @jakedfw @kyliu99 @loldoc Wouldn't that be a twist! in reply to AShvartsman 20:34:08, 2012-06-19
My latest post at the blog of the Association for Mormon Letters: 35 Years of Ender's Game http://t.co/UqTnfPpZ 07:32:31, 2012-06-20
@jakedfw @AShvartsman @kyliu99 @loldoc Break a pen! in reply to jakedfw 08:25:41, 2012-06-20
RT @IMAO_: Earth is a pretty scary planet when you consider how few have ever escaped it alive. 13:17:38, 2012-06-21
Photo taken near my condo. Guess it's time to rename our city from Eagle Mountain to Eagle Volcano. http://t.co/iuk5hZy0 18:36:42, 2012-06-21
@pattyjansen Just a bushfire. in reply to pattyjansen 18:53:39, 2012-06-21
Fire evacuation area does not include my condo, but I'm going home to pack up a few things in case the wind shifts. 13:09:39, 2012-06-22
This is my condo building with smoke from the wildfire behind it. Fire is more than 1.5 miles away, evac zone .5 miles. http://t.co/9sFmA2L6 13:36:04, 2012-06-22
Thanks for the well-wishes, all. I'm safely back at work w/suitcase of essentials. Condo is probably safe; I'm just taking precautions. 14:27:18, 2012-06-22
@RickNovy Yeah, I keep all my writing in a Dropbox folder. No worries there. in reply to RickNovy 15:05:40, 2012-06-22
@CNHolmberg I'm not sure that keeping a fire burning is the appropriate metaphor today in Utah. ;-) in reply to CNHolmberg 15:45:57, 2012-06-22
A guy interviewing for a sales job at my company asked the receptionist for lotion, then used it to shine his shoes. #Initiative #Insanity 16:46:32, 2012-06-22
@IMAO_ @joshgreenman "€" may become available in the near future. in reply to IMAO_ 16:51:03, 2012-06-22

“Dark Roads for the Eternal Ruler” coming via email

Tonight, my short story “Dark Roads for the Eternal Ruler” will be emailed to subscribers to Daily Science Fiction. This is my eighth appearance in DSF.  Besides my stories, DSF publishes a lot of stories I like, most of them short enough to be read in just a few minutes.  So if you’re not already a subscriber (it’s free!) go to their website and sign up now.

Tweets for the week of 06-09-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/tWqBofy9 – Tweets for the week of 06-02-2012 23:59:49, 2012-06-09
Someone stole an "I support our troops" flag magnet that had been on my front door for more than a decade. 13:13:16, 2012-06-10
A classic of Mormon cinema from the silent film era: Porter Rockwell #37: Attack of the Dark Raider http://t.co/lQJm3Zlq 09:20:16, 2012-06-11
The goose tried laying down, but after several failed attempts it returned to laying eggs. 15:06:53, 2012-06-13
Something that really deserves to be clicked & shared: The Kneejerk Click-and-Share http://t.co/4uVrTO7f 08:27:56, 2012-06-14
RT @AngelineTrevena: Just watched the short story lecture by @EricJamesStone at Brigham Young University. Absolute genius; full of fire … 08:55:17, 2012-06-14
@SaintEhlers Huttese just sounds like a bunch of jibba-jabba to me. in reply to SaintEhlers 10:41:24, 2012-06-14

Four Centuries of Mormon Stories Fiction & Art Contest | Everyday Mormon Writer

Everyday Mormon Writer is having a contest:

This summer, we’re soliciting fiction and artwork depicting Latter-day Saints in the 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd centuries.

So that’s everything from historical fiction through contemporary fiction and into science fiction.

They’re soliciting donations for prize money, and I’ve been asked to be the guest of honor at a fundraising dinner on July 28.

Tweets for the week of 06-02-2012

@jay_lake I smell an e-anthology of unpublished early stories by various authors, with author commentaries explaining why they're bad. in reply to jay_lake 09:56:07, 2012-06-02
@ironnoir @jay_lake @kyliu99 IIRC, Brad Torgersen sold a years-old story to a pro market a few months after his first pro publication. in reply to ironnoir 15:38:03, 2012-06-02
@ironnoir @jay_lake @kyliu99 But if he had submitted that story years earlier, maybe it would have been his first pro sale, so who knows? in reply to ironnoir 15:38:57, 2012-06-02
Blog post: http://t.co/lRwBmhrj – Tweets for the week of 05-26-2012 23:59:31, 2012-06-02
RT @jancipatterson: When my 16 year old self asked "when will I ever use all this geometry?" she did not expect to use it making giant D … 08:45:37, 2012-06-04
@marionjensen National 2^6 Day? We could start celebrating it February 6. in reply to marionjensen 08:47:09, 2012-06-04
Spotted a human skeleton in my dumpster today. I'd call 911, but I'm late for work and it's made out of plastic. 09:32:04, 2012-06-04
@mohio73 Both of them allow it fairly easily. in reply to mohio73 14:14:11, 2012-06-04
Impending transit of Venus causes windstorm in Utah. Video here: https://t.co/xngTXhtF #Venus 13:14:47, 2012-06-05
@metteharrison Sorry, but from what I can tell, we're not in the immediate death zone. You'll need that food storage if supervolcano blows. in reply to metteharrison 15:26:07, 2012-06-05
Blog post: http://t.co/xjbSlRXI – Review of The Nebula Awards Showcase 2012 07:39:28, 2012-06-06
I really wish we'd gotten to Mars before Ray Bradbury passed away. 08:34:25, 2012-06-06
Latest version of @Firefox adds "New Tab" functionality that breaks some of my Javascript bookmarklets. #Annoying 12:58:36, 2012-06-07
@RickNovy No, because that one you execute after a page has loaded. But I have bookmarklets that I want to use on a new tab, and those fail. in reply to RickNovy 13:27:47, 2012-06-07
I wish life played by Monopoly rules. I could have kept the $575 bank error in my favor. 18:07:30, 2012-06-07

Review of The Nebula Awards Showcase 2012

Paul Goat Allen, over at Explorations: The Barnes & Noble SciFi and Fantasy Blog, reviewed several anthologies, including The Nebula Awards Showcase 2012. Here’s a key quote:

Contained within is an impressively diverse collection including the Nebula Award-winning novelette “That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone, a deeply thought-provoking story about a Mormon congregational leader living in a station located at the heart of the sun whose flock includes solcetaceans, beings made of plasma that can grow to gigantic proportions. Faced with a moral conundrum involving one of the aliens, the man seeks out Leviathan, a virtually immortal being who claims to be “the original lifeform in the universe.” The dialogue that follows will enlighten both beings…

(Well, it’s a key quote for me. Others may find different quotes to be more keyful.)

Tweets for the week of 05-26-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/lZNc7V4s – Tweets for the week of 05-19-2012 23:59:06, 2012-05-26
Blog post: http://t.co/GJ6DXUIk – Blood Lite III: Aftertaste 07:31:21, 2012-05-29
RT @motleyvision: Mahonri reviews "That Leviathan" by @EricJamesStone http://t.co/PdpTRo5z #MonstersandMormons 09:13:47, 2012-05-29
RT @IMAO_: If I had billions in Facebook stock, I'd be so sad right now. 14:08:29, 2012-05-29
Mitt won TX by a mere 57% margin (only 820,000 votes), yet the media still act like Ron Paul has no chance to win the nomination. #SoBiased 07:49:42, 2012-05-30
Blog post: http://t.co/Yw4DmDu7 – Some Recent Reviews 07:44:44, 2012-05-31
#IGMS 28 is out. Stories by Brad Torgersen, @mkhutchins, @rarelytame, @ScottCMikula, @rahkan & Jeff Stehman. http://t.co/5G6851ut 12:00:23, 2012-05-31
@ferretthimself The Germans call it Freudeaufdersuchedasbuchsiewarentotalinverloraberaufhalbemwegdurch. in reply to ferretthimself 14:29:28, 2012-05-31
@ChrisBaird Now if we just had something that would flash and make a sound to alert drivers three seconds before they crash… in reply to ChrisBaird 16:12:07, 2012-05-31
Blog post: http://t.co/vkwQ00CN – Light the lights – Зажигают огоньки 08:45:06, 2012-06-01
Video of the cat/buttered toast experiment: http://t.co/7unAeCKJ 10:20:49, 2012-06-01
@TheDanWells I read the article, and I don't see the logical chain to "…it's illegal for you to complain about it." in reply to TheDanWells 11:03:32, 2012-06-01
@TheDanWells The gov't position seems to be that the complainers have no right to sue over it, which is different. in reply to TheDanWells 11:04:29, 2012-06-01
@SaintEhlers @TheDanWells "Illegal to complain" sounds very much more like a restriction on free speech than a limitation on suing. in reply to SaintEhlers 11:11:39, 2012-06-01
@MykeCole You were in high school in the late 15th Century? in reply to MykeCole 16:44:01, 2012-06-01
@MykeCole Too bad. I was hoping it was because you had a time machine. in reply to MykeCole 17:06:46, 2012-06-01
RT @IMAO_: I think I'd do pretty well in the Old West if I had a laser gun and a jetpack. 17:07:06, 2012-06-01

Light the lights – Зажигают огоньки

This week’s Russian pop song: “Light the Lights” by Fabrika. Note that although it sounds like they’re saying “Die! Die! Die!,” it has a very different meaning in Russian.

Here are the translated lyrics (courtesy of Google Translate and megalyrics.ru):

Light the lights

Naughty fireflies

And by the river near the river waves are quick and easy

Yes, and high grass

And by the river at the river

His lips are sweet and lovely eyes like cornflowers

Only a short nighttime

Let me go, sadness random

I fell in love, I’m lost

Let me not disturb the heart

Give happiness a girl, give, give

Let me quilt the far

I fell in love, I’m lost

The sun does not get up early to clear

With a nice little stay give, give, give

Light the lights

Naughty fireflies

Neighbors have tongues and eyes like coppers

Mother locks on the doors

Dad did not hurt Lupi

And in the bright room ceilings are nice to me without low

Tears run down so bitter

Let me go, sadness random

I fell in love, I’m lost

Let me not disturb the heart

Give happiness a girl, give, give

Let me quilt the far

I fell in love, I’m lost

The sun does not get up early to clear

With a nice little stay give, give, give

La la la la la la la la

Give Give Give Give Give Give

Let me quilt the far

I fell in love, I’m lost

The sun does not get up early to clear

With a nice little stay give, give, give

Some Recent Reviews

Poet at Large Reviews reviewed my collection Rejiggering the Thingamajig and Other Stories [Amazon | B&N]. A key quote:

It is a book that is hard to read all at once because unlike a novel you have to stop and think between stories where as with a novel the story runs chapter to chapter. Some of the stories are funny some of the stories are scary, but all of them make you think and I find that to be a good thing.

John Fairhurst favorably mentioned my short story “Lobstersaurus” in his review of the May 2012 issue of Analog:

Again, this was a story with an old fashioned theme though with a modern sensibility that made it a fun and straightforward read.

Tanget Online had a less favorable take on “Lobstersaurus”:

Stone’s piece falls into what I can only call the ‘girl-keeps-absurd-pet’ genre. You know where this story is going from the moment little Esperanza turns gooey-eyed at the adorable lobstersaurus, and I found it more than a little frustrating to watch as her parents failed to do the responsible thing. If you can get past that, this story will fill some time in an afternoon, but its plot twist comes as no surprise to anyone. The short-sightedness of the characters here is mind-boggling, and ultimately that proved too much for me to overcome. I suspect that this will be the case for many other readers, and it is a shame, because the story universe itself is quite well imagined. Snippets of a colonisation report punctuate the story, and I think Stone’s world held more promise than “Lobstersaurus” delivered.

Note: I’m the webmaster for Tangent Online, but I have no editorial control over the content of the reviews.

Over at A Motley Vision, a Mormon arts and culture blog, Mahonri Stewart has very nice things to say about “That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made,” which he read in the Monsters and Mormons anthology [Amazon | B&N]:

Stone’s writing in this story is exemplary. He wastes no time introducing us to the moral quandries that exist within the relatively new interaction between the two societies. Cultural hubris, religious exchange, scientific sterility, and spirituality all play interesting and even legitimately moving aspects of this unique and beautiful story.