James Dorr's Blog, page 38

Mystery Acceptance: Contract Signed, Scanned, and Sent Back

The email came earlier this afternoon, but with one deviation from how these things usually go. It was an acceptance, but what it was an acceptance for was to remain a secret.

Thus: We would like to use your submitted story, “________”, in the ________ anthology. The contract is attached to this message. Please read through it carefully and let us know if you have any questions or concerns. If you do not have any questions, please sign it, scan the full document, and send it back ASAP.

Please do not publicly announce any specifics regarding this yet. . . .

So I will say it’s for a science fiction story and is a reprint, but otherwise details will come when they’re ready. These things happen, usually a case of not all stories decided on yet and the publisher wanting to wait for the entire contents to be set before releasing a general announcement. All a part of the life. And in any event, the task at hand was to download and otherwise handle the contract.

So possibly you’re ahead of me here: This would be another job for the local public library scanner (see September 23, et al.). And so it was done: printed, signed, scanned, and sent back — as slick as that!

Witchy Double-Header: Two Anthology Proof Sheets Corrected

It’s all about witches, the writing life, that is. At least for today — two anthology proof sheets to read and send back with any changes.

Both actually came to me late yesterday with the first, for “Flying” (see September 29, 28, 5), actually gone over last night, but with some extra questions, most of these regarding foreign spellings, to still be resolved. So another go-over came this morning with final corrections sent back, and acknowledged, later today.

Then the second one was for “The Good Work” (see September 27), a Victorian London-set “dreadpunky” story of underage witch hunters. After a quick preliminary glance over, I took this one to the public library computer — most questions here being minor ones concerning punctuation, but with a couple of word choice items that needed comments — and out it went a little after 6:30 this evening.

So just another day, not too exciting, just part of the process. But what is exciting is both books are racing for hopeful pre-Halloween release dates. And hopefully, by getting right onto my part of the effort, I’ll have helped them make it!

Love, Undeath, & Rock ‘n’ Roll at Resumed Writers Guild First Sunday Prose

Skipping a month due to Bloomington’s annual 4th Street Arts Festival, the Bloomington Writers Guild resumed its “First Sunday Prose Reading and Open Mic” (see August 1, et al.) at a new venue, the recently re-opened Morgenstern’s Books. And unlike August’s, this month’s event pulled in a respectable audience, up to about twenty people for the featured readers, Kalynn (“K.H”) Brower, held over from August, and poet, essayist, and long and short fiction writer, etc., Amy Cornell.

Amy led off with a quartet of works: an opening poem, “Elegy for a Bookstore,” commemorating Morgenstern’s earlier time in Bloomington, and three short stories, “Quality Control,” “The Poetry Stalker,” and the recently published “The Tulip Trestle.” Then Kalynn presented the opening chapter of a solarpunk novel, the second in a series aimed at younger readers, MISSION TO BLUE GRANNUS. Offering a positive look at an interstellar future, BLUE GRANNUS is currently scheduled for release next April.

After a break, six readers came up for “open mic” with me taking the number two spot. Explaining that even though being a (mostly) horror writer I wanted to start off the fall season at Morgenstern’s on an upbeat note, I read a hopefully humorous piece, “Zombie With a Toothache,” about a zombie, a werewolf, and a guitar-playing vampiress (and friends) who start a rock group.

October Begins With Royalty(s) Received

October 1, and I noticed it only because I had to check Paypal for late deposits to close my ledger for September. But there it was, an entry right away for October as well and, even though I do stick to my custom of naming neither amount or payer, this one wasn’t bad. Worth a pretty good dinner anyway at a local restaurant, and for only about a 25th of an anthology (i.e., my one story in it) that’s been good for royalties before too. A not bad start to both a new month and the run-up to the Halloween season.

And, for September — my reason for checking Paypal in the first place — another royalty was recorded during the final few days, on the 28th. This was of the more minuscule variety of which we’ve been well acquainted before, but every bit still counts.

And Speaking of Flying (A Quickie). . . .

A real quickie this time, later yesterday evening Zombie Works Publications sent the contract for “Flying” (see just below) — to go, that is, with the bio, etc. they’d just received. Except there were a few errors in it (including a wrong anthology title, presumably one for a different book). So, not to worry, I emailed back noting that and a few more details that needed a look. And, a few hours later, a new corrected contract appeared.

By then it was late, though, near even my bedtime so after giving it a quick glance, I let it go until today when, using a library computer this time, I copied, re-pasted, added an “I agree to the above text. . . .” type statement with name plus date, and back it went. Another link added to the chain of publication, for NATURAL INSTINCTS: TALES OF WITCHES AND WARLOCKS with my story, “Flying.”

Speaking of Witches: Bio etc. Requested for Flying

The email came today, short and direct: We are going into production of the anthology NATURAL INSTINCTS, and contracts are being drawn up. What we require from you at this point is the following:

1) Up to date bio and author photo. Please keep bio’s short.
2) Physical mailing address and legal name.

To give it its full title, the book in question is NATURAL INSTINCTS TALES OF WITCHES AND WARLOCKS from Zombie Works Publications (cf. September 5), with my story in it “Flying.” And it was a quick acceptance too, coming back just two days after I’d sent the story. It has to do with a woman in eighteenth century Spain, in the court of Philip V, who under the pressures of palace intrigue is driven to witchcraft. And in NATURAL INSTINCTS, as I understand from the guidelines, it was one of only thirteen acceptances, though (the guidelines also specifying stories between 2000 and 3000 words, which would make for a rather short collection) there may be others solicited or accepted before, perhaps from an earlier call.

Be that as it may, this is one I’m really looking forward to seeing when it comes out, witches being interesting in themselves but also because this particular story is an earlier favorite of mine, and one I’ll be glad to have in print again. To be sure, I’ve already sent the requested items back, as it looks like they’re trying to get it out fast and I don’t want to delay them.

Good Work Makes Cut for DeadSteam II, Contract Signed and Returned

Sunday late afternoon’s email from Bryce Raffle didn’t come as a complete surprise: ­The DEADSTEAM II anthology is fast approaching its publication date. I am happy to accept your story, “The Good Work,” into the anthology.

After all, I had had a story in the original DEADSTEAM, “The Re-Possessed” (see November 9, September 15 2018, et al.), and the call this June for a second volume seemed promising too. DEADSTEAM II is a collection of more gaslamp and dreadpunk stories, which embrace the Victorian gothic. In this edition we’re really focusing on driving home the dread. We want your scariest, darkest stories that embrace the classic traditions of horror (monsters, gothic castles & haunted houses, dark and stormy nights, foggy walks through gas-lit cobblestone streets) but pair them with with modern sensibilities and pacing. So I sent in a story called “The Good Work,” reprints being allowed, originally published in BLURRING THE LINE (Cohesion Press, 2015) and including a note: The monsters are witches, real or suspected, and/or 1850s (i.e. after the 1843 publication of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and the new popularization of celebrating Christmas) London street urchins. And I received a reply a few days later: Thank you for your submission to DEADSTEAM II. As always, I appreciate your strong writing style and your skill at the craft makes this story a strong candidate for inclusion in the latest anthology.

So now the acceptance. The email Sunday continues, I have attached a copy of the contract, to be signed as soon as possible. I am anticipating publishing in October of this year, so things will be moving quite quickly. I would ask for you to also send, at your earliest convenience, your most up-to-date author bio. I will also be updating the DeadSteam website, and would ask that you send a recent author photo, if possible. You can see on the website how I have used those author photos in the past. Since you contributed a story for the first anthology, this is not required unless you would like me to update to a more recent photo.

Thus Sunday night the signed contract went back, with a note to the effect that the previous bio and photo are still good. With, within a month or a few days after if things go well, the new anthology to be published for Halloween.

More Writing Life: Proofing for Upward!; DSF Contract, et al. Acknowledged

Yesterday, from Lori Michelle, re. “Upward!” and NIGHT FRIGHTS (cf. just below): Okay here is a super rough proof of the magazine. Please make sure I have your name and title spelled correctly in the headers and in the Table of Contents. Look at your story and bio, make sure all is good. The blank page before your story will have a picture with your name and title on it. Still getting there! So equally quickly (almost) I looked through the copy, noted some small things — including keeping the “!” in “Upward!” — and back it went this afternoon.

Then second, in the wee hours this morning from DAILY SCIENCE FICTION an e-note acknowledging my return of the contract, with bio and story comments for “The Seven” (see September 6, July 25), including from co-Editor/Publisher Jonathan Laden: I anticipate publication in 3-6 months. So DAILY SF does carry a backlog but, notwithstanding, the wheels grind on.

Night Frights Contract, Tax Form Received and Returned (Also Yesterday Was Triana’s Birthday)

This one is for “Upward!” (see September 14, August 14) for the NIGHT FRIGHTS special YA edition of DARK MOON DIGEST, a PDF contract plus IRS Form W-9. This latter is so the publisher can report back to the Feds when they send me my pittance, technically not really necessary since I’ll be including it on Schedule C (“Profit or Loss from Business”) when I send my taxes in next spring. But bureaucracy is bureaucracy and isn’t that what makes the world go ’round?

Well, maybe, but more to the point, this was a job for the Monroe County Public Library scanner (cf. September 7, contract for THINGS WITH FEATHERS: STORIES OF HOPE) so, while the files came Tuesday afternoon, September 21, I wasn’t going to get to the library until Thursday the 23rd, or so I at least planned, the weather report forecasting rain for the 22nd.

Such is the writing life. Such is technology. Such is climate change, or at least rain in fall. But suffice to say, all occurred as scheduled and so, signed and scanned, the needed paperwork went back this p.m.

Also yesterday, September 22, was the Goth Cat Triana’s fifth birthday. Though officially considered an October cat, in true Goth fashion Triana arrived a few days early, on the equinox, thus bringing autumn in along with her.

Things With Feathers/Hope Up for Pre-Order

Amazon lists the official release date as October 15, but the Kindle edition can be pre-ordered now. The book is THINGS WITH FEATHERS: STORIES OF HOPE (cf. August 31), from Third Flatiron Publishing, and its Amazon blurb:

Is there hope for us all?

Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope,” described it as “a thing with feathers.” Third Flatiron Anthologies’ latest collection of short science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories touches on the theme of hope, whether it’s about taking flight filled with optimism for the future, venturing outside one’s comfort zone, taking outsize risks in order to succeed, or finding it dashed on the rocks. Twenty-four authors give their entertaining takes on the subject, including Nemma Wollenfang, Emily Dauvin, Paula Hammond, Barton Paul Levenson, Sharon Diane King, Cayce Osborne, P.A. Cornell, Arthur Carey, David Cleden, F. T. Berner, Raluca Balasa, Melissa Mead, Nicholas Stillman, Shannon Brady, Bonnie McCune, Brian Rappatta, Bruce Arthurs, Alicia Cay, Danielle Mullen, E. J. Delany, Wulf Moon, Art Lasky, James Dorr, and Gerri Leen. Edited by Juliana Rew.

And I have a story, with even some sea birds before it’s over, called “The Wise Sister,” of alternate planning for coming tsunamis. Of survival and love, but possibly not in the way you might think. Of hope nonetheless — though the tale might be housed in the (dark) humor section — but who says hope, by itself, always succeeds? Judging by the list of authors above, it may come near the end.

But what, in the face of a gigantic wave, is the path of wisdom?

In any event the book will be out in less than a month, with sisters included, both wise and less wise — one may choose for oneself. For more information and/or early ordering, one need but press here.