Phil Giunta's Blog, page 104

July 4, 2012

Author Interview: Ash Krafton

Ash Krafton was stalking me.   Well, that's an exaggeration but at BaltiCon this past May, I received notice that Ash had suddenly become a fan of mine on Goodreads. I recognized the name and checked the BaltiCon guest list.  Sure enough, I was scheduled to share an autograph session with her and Dr. Yoji Kondo (who writes fiction under the pen name, Eric Kotani) later that day.

When I arrived, what I encountered was a beautiful, bubbly blonde bursting with more energy than your average supernova...and a basket full of heart shaped cookies to help promote her new book, Bleeding Hearts: Book One of the Demimonde.  Ash Krafton was the hurricane at the table. No, more like a maelstrom. There may still be a vortex at the Hunt Valley Marriott's foyer in her wake.  I'll check when I go back for Shore Leave next month.

That hour was in fact, the most entertaining of the entire convention and I was disappointed to see it end so quickly.  It was almost as if Ash and I had known one another forever, so comfortable were we with ribbing each other.   I'm glad that Ash was able to join us on this 4th of July to talk about her writing.


First, tell us where we can find you online.

I'm splattered all over the Internet Highway. *grin*

Facebook: http://facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ashkrafton

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/ash_krafton

You’re quite the prolific poet!  What themes are most prevalent in your poetry and why?

I like the word prolific--thank you for that. I began writing poetry to help sort out my writer's thought: what's good for my novels, what's not so good. Poetry fulfilled a lot of needs for me. It's my solution for writer's block, it's my happy place when I need to get something untangled from my brain, it's my version of verbal photography, a way to capture a brief image and what that image imprinted on me.

I have a speculative fiction heart and a desperate soul. These kinds of qualities often lead to darker themes in my poetry. I also have a macabre sense of humor so I like the twisted stuff. Darkness is a thing of beauty to me: like a wide-screen TV, it's the black that colors the rest of the world in high definition.

 

And you’re no slacker on the short fiction side either.   Do you write flash fiction or primarily short story length pieces?    What are some of your most memorable stories?  

I honestly try to make everything flash length but I talk too much. (Don't know if you've noticed that about me.)

As a result, my work falls more in short story length. Memorable stories? I'm fond of "So Long, Warren" (Red Penny Papers ) because I'm very influenced by music…I like "Anamnesis" (Silver Blade) because I REALLY want to develop a novel around it but I'm trying to restrain myself. I also really enjoyed working with the editorial teams of both these publications—Katie and Sue are marvelously talented and they made my work better.

  

Your debut novel, Bleeding Hearts: Book One of the Demimonde , was just released from Pink Narcissus Press (March 11, 2012).   What inspired this urban fantasy?

As cliché as it sounds, I dreamed the premise. I awoke with the tagline "Saving the world…one damned person at a time" and an idea of who the hero, Marek, was. However, what I originally intended to write was superceded by the story, which had a mind of its own. It turned out well despite my intentions.

I love the paranormal so I view today's abundance of vampire stories as both a blessing and a curse. The curse part, I suppose, is the fact that, although I am first and foremost a reader, I am also a writer—which means I subscribe to the Writer's Mantra: I believe I can do it better than anyone else.

I don't mean I can write Anita Blake better than Laurell K. Hamilton. I don't mean I can write Sookie Stackhouse better than Charlaine Harris. What I do mean is I can best write the story I want to read most of all—and that's what I set out to do every time I open a Word Document.

It's tough to write in a crowded genre but I'm happy exploring the world in my head and talking with the voices that hang out in there. I hope readers find something fresh in my stories and I'm glad to know there are so many people out there who are anxiously waiting for more.



What advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

PERSEVERE.

You started writing because you have a drive to get things down on paper. You must remember to write because you want to write and don't stop because someone tells you to stop—or crits you in the slightest way.

Join a writers community: I highly recommend the forum at Query Tracker.  if you are an aspiring novelist who is aiming at publication. Query Tracker is dedicated to writers seeking an agent but the forum has all levels of writers, some agented, some indie published.

And did I say persevere? Because you won't get anywhere if you don't keep going.

 

What does Ash Krafton do when she isn’t writing?

Laundry. My family changes clothes more often than Cher on tour. It's ridiculous.

I cook, too. I'm a tremendous sucker for ethnic food. Polish, Indian, Spanish, German…not so much French because a) I can't speak French and b) I imagine if I did there would be a lot of spit in the pot. French seems like a highly-salivating language. Even using an over-done French accent at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire one year left me spitted to the point of dehydration.

Oh yeah, I'm a Ren Faire fan, too. *waves to Ima and Marquis* 

  

What can readers expect next from you?

Some short work coming out over the summer—Bete Noire #7  contains my poem "The House Darlingtonia" while editors of the Mad Scientist Journal are preparing "Application of the Scientific Method to Family Management". My story "Tempered" is in Nine #2 and there's a bunch of poetry coming out in various journals soon. I also made short-list at Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine—fingers crossed!

Also, Book Two of the Demimonde is under way…BLOOD RUSH will be published in early 2013 (so hopefully we can share another table at Balticon 47. Muhahaha…you've been warned, Phil).

Phil wonders: Can I handle that again?

I'm proud to say my editors will show Bleeding Hearts at Frankfurt this October. I can swoon just writing it because it's a dream come true.

While I plan to spend the summer working on Book Three of the Demimonde, I am confident I will be distracted, as always, by writing the short stuff. With luck, I can convince someone to print some of it.

Readers can find out more by stopping by my blog  for updates and events. I've recently been introduced to the joys on conning (conferencing and coventioning) so hopefully I'll be getting more face-time with new readers soon. At any rate, it keeps me out of the laundry room so it's bound to be a fun time.

Phil knows only too well how much fun I have at conventions so he can vouch for me. J

Phil says:  OOOOH, YES I DO!  

Thanks for the chat, Phil.  I appreciate the chance to talk about my work and I hope to see you sometime soon!

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Published on July 04, 2012 15:53

July 3, 2012

ReDeus: The Divine Tales

I am ecstatic to announce that my short story about the Celtic gods, "There Be In Dreams No War", will be published as part of a fiction anthology called ReDeus: Divine Tales.

ReDeus was created by award winning writers Robert Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Paul Kupperberg, and Steve Saville. The premise: What if all of the ancient gods of every Earth culture returned in 2012...? Fast forward to 2032. What would life be like in those two decades?

ReDeus will be published by Crazy Eight Press and available in print and eBook in early August 2012.

Other contributing writers include Steven H. Wilson, Lawrence Schoen, Allyn Gibson, and Dave Galanter.

Both Bob Greenberger and Paul Kupperberg are former editors at DC Comics. Bob hired on super-talented artist Carmen Carnero to provide cover and interior art and I can tell you from the rough sketches, she does GORGEOUS work.

We will have a book launch at Shore Leave 34, an annual SF convention in Hunt Valley, MD:  
More info to come!
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Published on July 03, 2012 16:10

June 30, 2012

Book Review: Ben Bova's SATURN

The space habitat Goddard, filled with political exiles, social misfits, scientists, and engineers, is on its way to orbit around Saturn.  There, the habitat will become mankind's first offworld colony.

If it can survive the turmoil and drama inherent in the human condition.

Malcolm Eberly had a choice, either spend the rest of his life in a Viennese prison or become the New Morality's watchdog aboard Goddard.  Hired on as the manager of human resources, Eberly entertains his own agenda, ignoring the edict of the insidious religious zealots who also happen to be funding the expedition.

Eberly wants control of the habitat and everyone in it.  Joining forces with other unsavory types, he suddenly finds himself embroiled in conspiracy, murder, and lies.  Eberly has all living quarters and offices bugged, he uses the habitat's chief of security to threaten and coerce, and manipulates everyone and anyone on his way to the top.

Holly Lane is blind too all of this--at first.  Joining the habitat project mostly due to her naieve crush on Eberly, Holly soon finds herself the target of Eberly's treachery after she discovers a murder committed by someone in his clique.

Suspicious of Eberly, Holly's older sister Pancho requests the aid of interplanetary stuntman Manuel Gaeta to watch over her.  After becoming a media sensation for his stunts on Mars and elsewhere, Gaeta's next objective is to be the first human on Titan.  However, the habitat's science director will not have the surface of Saturn's largest moon contaminated.

Enter nanotech expert, Dr. Kris Cardenas.  Her very presence on the station rankles the religious types, especially since nanotech is banned on Earth.  Dr. Cardenas proposes the use of nanobugs to decontaminate Gaeta's customized space suit before it leaves the airlock.  Of course, it isn't long before she's sleeping with the hunky stuntman.

Meanwhile, habitat administrator James Wilmot observes all of this with clinical detachment and reports back to the New Morality HQ in Atlanta.  No one but he and his superiors know the true purpose of the habitat.

Unlike the other novels in Ben Bova's Grand Tour series, Saturn is less about science fiction than human relations and political intrigue.  About the only SF aspect of the story comes near the end when Gaeta has a change of plans and ends up traversing the rings of Saturn, thereby discovering something completely unexpected about the particles that comprise the rings.  We are never treated to an exploration of Titan.

I was not as satisfied with this story as I'd ben with Jupiter, Mercury, and the multiple Mars books which dealt more with exploration of the planets than with the dark side of humanity.  I found the characters' ambitions to be too obvious, too cliche'.  Eberly and his cohorts may as well have been mustache twirling villains.

Dr. Bova's books always contain a measure of background political intrigue as the New Morality has infiltrated even the top ranks of the Federal Government.  Though when an entire SF novel is dedicated to this, it feels like a cheat. It's almost as if Dr. Bova could not devise a better storyline that actually deals with science and exploration.  Nevertheless, I will continue on with the Grand Tour series, hoping for better efforts.

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Published on June 30, 2012 21:16

June 24, 2012

About This Writing Stuff...

OK, I said that this blog would be inactive as I worked on a special writing project but I managed to compile a mini-edition of my weekly round-up.  So this week, find out why the French still love their bookstores and how indie shops are embracing digital publishing.   Jami Gold asks what we owe to new writers while Jessica Park expresses her gratitude to Amazon.  We have a hat trick from Dean Wesley Smith's New World of Publishing series.  Ray Rhamey gives advice on maximixing eBook royalties while Jan O'Hara talks drama and Seth Godin reinvents publishing.


The French Still Flock to Bookstores by Elaine Sciolino

How Amazon Saved My Life by Jessica Park

What Do We "Owe" New Writers? by Jami Gold

Independent Bookstores Embrace Digital Publishing by The Associated Press

How to Maximize eBook Royalties and Minimize Hassles by Ray Rhamey

CORBS: 5 Letters That Can Keep the Drama on the Page and Out of Your Critique Group by Jan O'Hara

Seth Godin Reinvents Publishing (Again) by Amy Edelman

Why We Reviewers Won't Read Your Self-Published Book by Gav Reads


Dean Wesley Smith's New World of Publishing

Book Pricing from Another Perspective

Making a Living with Your Short Fiction

Insulting Your Writer Friends  

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Published on June 24, 2012 05:31

June 23, 2012

Scant Blogging

Folks,

Earlier this week, my publisher and fellow writer, Steve Wilson, and I were included on an invitation from two veteran SF/media tie-in writers to contribute a short story to a new, original fiction series they've created.  I cannot give anything away right now, but believe me when I say that this is an honor and an exciting opportunity. 

The catch is that all submissions are due on July 10.  YIKES!  With a FT job and home projects in the works, that's a challenge.  I am happy to report that I have outlined the story, crafted my characters, and have already completed 1,060 words of narrative and dialogue.

However, for the next two weeks, this blog will likely go inactive.  I need every minute of spare time (ha!) to write.  What's more, I need to get it right on the first draft as there is no time for revisions.  I have a few days off during the first week of July and I plan to shut out the world and write like mad.

I will keep everyone posted as to whether my story is accepted or not.  

Thanks!
Phil
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Published on June 23, 2012 14:47

June 19, 2012

Author Interview: Donna Galanti

It's nice to interview a local writer once in awhile.   I came to know about Donna Galanti from her posts on the Yahoo forums for the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and Jonathan Maberry's Writers Coffeehouse Online.  What I learned about Donna since then has totally blown me away.   Learn more about this lovely, talented lady below as she celebrates the release of her debut novel, A Human Element.


According to your bio, you “dreamed of being a writer at seven years old”.  In fact, many writers begin at an early age.   Tell us about the first story you ever wrote.

The first one I recall and still have, is from when I was 10. It was an 18-page story called One by One They Disappear. A murder tale of a man who killed everyone around his home in an isolated, rural community. He bulldozed down their houses to create his dream of always having a buffalo range. He spared one girl as he had always wanted a daughter, and so she could help him raise the buffalo. She is brainwashed by him but eventually gets loose and braves the wilderness to turn him in. Yes, I’ve been writing dark stuff since I was a kid!


I served…uh, I mean, spent six years in Catholic school myself so I have to ask.  What kind of “evil tricks” did you play on the nuns?

Sorry to hear that! LOL. Well, the funny thing is–I am not Catholic. I got in trouble in public school so my parents sent me to a private Catholic girls academy to get me in line. Didn’t work! We used to give the nuns titles like Wheelchair Nun, Library Nun, Typewriter Nun. I was known to steal the library key and lock the Library Nun in. She could be seen banging on the library glass doors to be let out. Once a friend and I skipped Mass to unscrew the wheelchair ramp and we hid it in the bathroom. The Wheelchair Nun couldn’t get to her next science class to teach until the ramp was located. Genius, right?


Were there any truly memorable images you took as a photographer for the Navy?  Do you plan to use your experiences with the military in any future writing projects?

I worked for Fleet Intelligence Pacific in Pearl Harbor (in the building with no windows) and mostly processed aerial film of military bases and allied/enemy camps around the world. I also took photos of command ceremonies on the base. However, most of my amazing photos come from the Hawaiian Islands when I lived there. The rugged and lush beauty is breathtaking. It looks like such a violent landscape frozen in time amongst a tropical backdrop. I don’t plan to use my military experience in upcoming projects. However, Ben Fieldstone, in A Human Element is a photographer in the Navy on Oahu like I was. Except he gets into a wee bit of trouble with the Marines and locals there. See an excerpt about that here: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/a-human-element-excerpt-can-ben-be-saved/


OK, so you’ve published your first novel.  Awesome!   What inspired the story in A Human Element (Echelon Press, March 2012)? 

This is where I like to think of some fantastic reason, but I have none. Something spoke through me to tell this story. It came to me in a vision fifteen years ago. I wrote the entire synopsis on a notepad driving to work one day. I shelved it for thirteen years and was inspired to pursue it after my mother died. She was the first to hear the story and my biggest champion. She would have wanted me to pursue my dream of being a writer and this was the story that led to that.


What attracts you to the paranormal?

I am fascinated by the power of the brain and how little we use. We are not even close to tapping our potential of brainpower. Writing in the paranormal allows me to tap into the “what if”. What if we possessed the power to do the unbelievable? Like telepathy, telekinesis. And what if we could use those powers to heal – or to kill? Some people like to imagine that aliens would have such powers, as eluded to in A Human Element, but what if it was inside us all along and we just had to tap into it?


What can readers expect next from you?

I’m looking to publish a middle grade adventure novel I just finished, that I hope is the first in a series. And I’m working on the sequel to A Human ElementA Hidden Element. It’s much grittier. In this book a family’s son is taken by the same unearthly evil that brutalized them fifteen years ago. In a race to find their son's kidnapper, they discover his horrifying mission that binds them all together. They must sacrifice all again to defeat a new terrifying enemy–an enemy that wants to rule the world, with their son as his heir. (There will be a third and final book, too, called A Healing Element.)


Your bio also indicated that you love 80s movies. I’m a product of that decade myself so I’m curious, what are some of your favorites?

Ooh, you had to get me started! I am always saying to my husband “Why can’t they make movies like the 80s movies anymore?” I have too many to list, but here we go…Dirty Dancing, License To Drive, A Christmas Story, Three Men and a Baby, E.T., The Empire Strikes Back, Stand By Me, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Porky’s, Working Girl, War Games, When Harry Met Sally, Romancing The Stone, and Fright Night. No remakes please!


What does Donna Galanti do when she isn’t writing?

I love to bicycle. My husband and I belonged to a bike club and did many long distance charity rides at one time. Since having our son, it’s hard for both of us to train to do that so I let him have the club fun. Kayaking, hiking, and taking historical day trips are my next favorite things. And being alone. I love to be alone. I grew up an only child on a mountaintop with only the woods and my dogs for friends, so go figure! And reading.


BIO:

Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense novel A HUMAN ELEMENT (Echelon Press). Donna has a B.A. in English and a background in marketing. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Horror Writers Association, The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, and Pennwriters. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in PA with lots of nooks, fireplaces, and stinkbugs. Visit her at: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/

About A HUMAN ELEMENT:

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next. Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite–her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a mad man, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together. But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his and she has two choices–redeem him or kill him.

Reviewers are saying…

“A HUMAN ELEMENT is an elegant and haunting first novel. Unrelenting, devious but full of heart. Highly recommended.” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of DEAD OF NIGHT

“A thrilling ride full of believable characters, a terrifying villain, an epic battle for survival, and a love worth killing for. A page-turner filled with fascinating twists and turns!” – Marie Lamba, author of WHAT I MEANT and DRAWN.


Connect with Donna here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DonnaGalanti
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor
Blog: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/


Purchase A HUMAN ELEMENT here:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/dg-the-Kindle
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/dg-he-Nook

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Published on June 19, 2012 09:59

June 17, 2012

About This Writing Stuff...

This week, Dean Wesley Smith debunks a few myths of traditional publishing while Kristine Kathryn Rusch compares traditional with indie based on a writer's level of patience.   Konrath warns of the Slippery Slope when debating eBook pricing models.  Laura Harrington offers some fresh ideas on organizing book tours while Jody Hedlund examines the demands placed upon the modern writer.  Jami Gold describes her ideal beta reader while Nichole Bernier shares a story of emotional cleansing.  Joshua Henkin explains why "Show, Don't Tell" is a great lie.

And much more...enjoy!

The Secret Myth of Traditional Publishing by Dean Wesley Smith

The Business Rusch: Hurry Up. Wait. by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The Slippery Slope by JA Konrath

Beyond Microsoft Word...Or Not by Yuri Zalkow

Thinking Outside the Box for Book Tour Events with Indie Bookstores by Laura Harrington

Novel Catharsis  by Nichole Bernier

What Should We Look For in a Beta Reader? by Jami Gold

Are the Demands on the Modern Writer Growing Unbearable? by Jody Hedlund

5 Story Mistakes Even Good Writers Make by Steven James

7 Simple Ways to Make a Good Story Great by Elizabeth Sims

Spice Up Your Fiction--Simple Ways to Create Page Turning Conflict by Kristen Lamb 

Why "Show, Don't Tell" is the Great Lie of Writing Workshops by Joshua Henkin
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Published on June 17, 2012 19:38

June 10, 2012

About This Writing Stuff...

This week, we look at Kobo's burgeoning self publishing platform.  Speaking of which, some recent data shows that print books have seen a growth in sales thanks to self-pubbers.  Kristine Kathryn Rusch explains why it's the end of the world!  Forbes discusses book value with Smashwords CEO Mark Coker while Bob Mayer ponders eBook pricing.  James Scott Bell warns of seven things that will doom your novel while author Jude Hardin debates whether to quit the rat race to be a FT writer.  

And we're provided with a wealth of writing advice from Jami Gold, Donald Maass, and the writers from Writer Unboxed.  Enjoy!


Kobo Announces Self Publishing Platform - Kobo Writing Life

Self Publishing Fuels Growth of Print Books
by Matthew Flamm

The End of the World as We Know It by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Book Value: Forbes Talks With Smashwords CEO, Mark Coker by J.J. Colao

Seven Things That Will Doom Your Novel (& How to Avoid Them) by James Scott Bell

eBook Pricing: How Low Can You Go and Does it Make a Difference? by Bob Mayer

Pushing the Button by Jude Hardin via J.A. Konrath

How to Make the Most of a Scene by Jami Gold

Flip the Script: Write Some Days by Jael McHenry

Unmasking the Muse by Lisa Cron

The Good Seed III by Donald Maas

A Call to Arms by Robin LaFevers




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Published on June 10, 2012 12:23

June 9, 2012

Super Mega Show Recap

The commute to Super Mega Show today, one way,  was longer than my actual time at the con.   This is one of those hit or miss autograph shows that I do not attend regularly but if there are celebs that I have not yet met, then I'm there!  Today, the "hit" was Linda Thorson from the 60s British TV series, The Avengers (no, youngsters, it is not associated with Marvel's Avengers in any form).

Linda Thorson's Tara King replaced Diana Rigg's Emma Peel and while the latter may be the most popular of all the Avenger female leads, Tara King was no less memorable for her quirky demeanor (Tara-ra boom dee yay!)   She was incredibly outgoing and sharp at the con today. She has not lost an ounce of energy.  Elegantly dressed in white professional attire, the soon-to-be 65 year old actress has clearly remained physically active over the years.

Afterwards, I made my way to the parking lot to take pictures of the impressive Batman vehicle display that included the classic Batmobile, Batcycle, and Batcopter from the 1966 series starring Adam West and Burt Ward (who were also at the con but signing in a room set apart from the other guests). I'd met both of them at previous conventions.  Believe me, Adam West can be an experience. 

Also in the display was the 1989 Batmobile from the Michael Keaton film and a statue of The Dark Knight, the current version of Batman as portrayed by Christian Bale.

All in all, it was a smooth, quick show and welcome contrast to the insanity of last weekend's Wizard World.



Above: Linda Thorson and me at Super Mega Show!
Below: BatMania at Super Mega Show!










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Published on June 09, 2012 13:05

June 6, 2012

Ray Bradbury - At Play in the Fields of the Lord

I sometimes feel the outcast in conversations about the "hot" book of the moment, whether that be The Hunger Games or The Harry Potter series or Game of Thrones.  I haven't read any of them.  I'm still catching up on Asimov, Bova, Clarke, Ellison, Heinlein, Ursula LeGuin, Phil K. Dick, and so many others from that unparalleled generation of speculative fiction and science fiction brilliance, including Ray Bradbury.

Mr. Bradbury left us last night

What's saddens me even more than the death of someone so influential in elevating science fiction and speculative fiction to it's rightful place in literature is the ignorance of today's youth, most of whom have never heard of the aforementioned writers and probably wouldn't care if they did because, let's face it, they didn't write about shimmering vampires or jump on zombie bandwagons.  Instead, they built their own unique wagons with innovation, intelligence, and gusto.

As a burgeoning writer starting out a bit later in life, I can only hope to aspire to one-tenth of Mr. Bradbury's genius and success as a storyteller.  

Ray Bradbury will be missed deeply but his work will live on in posterity forever, thanks in part to the very same technology that he and his visionary peers foretold in their prescient stories. 

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Published on June 06, 2012 10:51