Phil Giunta's Blog, page 23
April 23, 2020
Book Review: Starshine by Theodore Sturgeon
This aptly named collection of six stories shines brightly and showcases the distinct and diverse talents of one of speculative fiction’s most celebrated voices.
“Derm Fool” – While courting a beautiful woman, a man with a disturbing skin disease discovers that she suffers from the same affliction—they both molt like reptiles. After isolating the cause as well as a cure, they decide to put both to a profitable use.
“The Haunt” – Two young men rig an abandoned house with special effects in order to scare an unflappable woman, but the results are far more harrowing than expected.
“Artnan Process” – An alien race known as the Artnans possess the technology to transmute Uranium 238 into Uranium 235, but refuse to reveal the process. Earth and Mars each send a crew to the Artnan homeworld in an effort to uncover the secret. Perhaps they’ll succeed, if they don’t kill each other first.
“The World Well Lost” – A captain and first mate are charged with the task of transporting a pair of alien refugees back to their homeworld. During the journey, the first mate learns that the alien lovers are not only telepaths but of the same gender and for this, they will be executed upon arrival.
“The Pod and the Barrier” – A motley crew of scientists and engineers embark on an expedition to find a way to break through an energy barrier surrounding a planet of benevolent aliens. Each believes that his plan will succeed, but perhaps the power of doubt will be what wins the day.
“How to Kill Aunty” – A willful but crippled elderly woman believes her maladroit nephew is bent on murdering her. Amused by his doltish efforts, she mocks his intelligence by actively aiding his efforts, but the final results are not what she anticipated.
April 16, 2020
Got a Story for Ya! – My YouTube Channel is LIVE!
While we’re mired in the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed to be a good time to offer a series of short story readings online called…
Got a Story for Ya!
To that end, I launched my YouTube channel with two episodes:
“Take a Cue from the Canine” – A boy and his dog remain loyal to one another until the bitter end… and beyond. (15 minutes)
“So Hungry…” – A young couple scales New Mexico’s Starvation Peak only to encounter the ravenous spirits behind the mesa’s terrifying legend. (11 minutes)
I hope you enjoy these videos. More to come soon. Stay tuned!
April 4, 2020
Cat & Mouse Press Wins Seven State Awards!
Congratulations to indie publisher, Cat & Mouse Press, for winning seven state awards in the Delaware Press Association’s 2020 Communications Contest!
One of the winning books was Beach Pulp, published in March 2019. I’m honored to have two stories in this anthology, “Tapestry” and “The Celestials.”
Read more details about the awards in the Coastal Point.
April 3, 2020
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Robert Lee Brewer presents several examples of successful query letters categorized by genre. Anne R. Allen offers methods for rescuing a stagnant manuscript as well as an analysis of Amazon’s increasingly stringent review system.
Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi discusses ways to avoid recycling the same types of conflict within your story while on Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass discusses the dread and anxiety that propel our protagonists forward. No one likes to receive one-star reviews, but Sandra Beckwith explains how writers can learn from them.
All that and little more. Enjoy!
How to Write Successful Queries for Any Genre of Writing by Robert Lee Brewer
How to Rescue an Endangered Book and Restore Your Author Mojo by Anne R. Allen
Amazon’s Review Rules Have Become Even Stricter in 2020 by Anne R. Allen
Space Kadet: The Twisted Tale of a Sad, Sad Internet Troll by Victoria Strauss
Six Tips for Avoiding Repetitive Conflict by Oren Ashkenazi
5 Important Tips for Achieving Indie Author Success by Dave Chesson
3 Reasons to Embrace One-Star Reader Reviews by Sandra Beckwith
Writing Craft: How Point-of-View Affects Dialogue by Jami Gold
‘Emergency’ Online Library Draws Ire of Some Authors by Alexander Alter
Will Online-Only Events Bring Book Sales? No One Knows Yet by Kate Dwyer
The Upside of Anxiety by Donald Maass
March 31, 2020
Find “The Treasure Within” on the Infinite Bard!
Let Chris A. Jackson help you find “The Treasure Within.” Check out the latest FREE short story on the Infinite Bard!
March 29, 2020
Weaponizing Social Media
Give the human race a tool and they will find the quickest way to weaponize it.
While social media is an effective platform for disseminating information quickly to the masses, for rekindling old friendships, and keeping abreast of current events, we have all seen how it can be used to spread lies, hatred, threats, and deliberate misinformation.
Facebook especially has degenerated into a cesspool where keyboard cowards find it all too easy to embarrass, humiliate, shame, and bully others. Families and friendships have been temporarily or permanently damaged as a result of unfiltered and caustic disagreements. Some have even committed suicide or have physically injured themselves, or others, as a result of toxic interactions online.
It didn’t take long for people to find a way to weaponize social media.
The political rhetoric and divisions in our country over the past several years have only escalated matters, turning people against one another along not only political, but also gender, racial, and ethnic lines. Now, thanks to COVID-19, matters are worse, if that were possible.
Historically, every crisis brings out the best and worst in humanity.
On Tuesday evening, I posted an article about Dan Patrick, the current lieutenant governor of Texas, who suggested in an interview that senior citizens should be willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the economy during this crisis. I found his proposal abhorrent and reprehensible and I shared my sentiments on Facebook.
A longtime friend and mentor—someone I love like a brother—responded that it was typical of Americans to belittle and ridicule someone instead of solving the problem. He concluded with the comment, “Makes me sick.”
I was stunned. I could only wonder, do I make him sick, too? Was he attacking me? Why would one of my closest friends, someone who knows my struggles with depression and anxiety, leave such an incendiary comment on a PUBLIC forum instead of reaching out to me personally if he felt so strongly?
If he had been a total stranger, I would not have cared or even bothered to reply. If this has been an isolated incident, I probably would have taken a deep breath and sent a private message to discuss the matter, but this was not the first time this friend lashed out at me publicly for sharing an article that he found objectionable and this time, his words cut me deeply.
In February, I posted an informational article from NPR about COVID-19. Unfortunately, NPR accompanied the piece with an image of a woman wearing a surgical mask on the streets of NYC. Admittedly, that was poor optics at the time, but the article was sound and cited credible sources such as the CDC. Nevertheless, my friend accused me of spreading panic and fear mongering so I felt shamed and bullied into deleting the article.
There were a few other instances wherein I was lectured, corrected, or humiliated by this same friend on Facebook. I’m not quite sure he even realized the effects of his conduct, and even though it was starting to rankle me, I rolled over and let it go. These are, after all, stressful times and I feared reaching out to him about it because everyone is on edge right now. Why strain a relationship over something as petty as Facebook? However, even my tolerance has its limits.
Thus, by the time Tuesday rolled around and he once again lashed out at me publicly on Facebook—this time more combative than ever—I’d had enough and fired back. I also unfriended him, an overreaction that I regretted later. A friend request was sent the following day once I cooled off, and I also followed up with an email explaining why I was livid, but that I was—and always am—willing to discuss it via a phone call.
That has yet to happen. I hope it does because I love all of my friends dearly and I strongly believe that we must all learn to be more sensitive toward one another under normal circumstances let alone during a global crisis that is unprecedented in our lifetime.
For now, I’ve decided to stop posting any articles or opinions of substance on Facebook or Twitter and limit myself to sharing lighthearted and innocuous material. I no longer have the time or emotional capacity to deal with kneejerk reactions, caustic and pointless disputes, and people’s general negativity. It’s too much for me to deal with when I’m working 60-80 hour weeks, contending with severe depression and waking every day with anxiety attacks, and trying to maintain my health and wellbeing during an uncertain time.
We can be better than this. We must be better than this. I’m certainly not perfect, but you can count on me not to engage in attacking, shaming, or bullying anyone online. I will not shit on your Facebook or Twitter pages. I will, however, state my opinion about public matters—such as inept or corrupt government leadership—and stand up for myself on my own pages. If I am wrong, and you present the facts to me in a reasonable and civil manner, I will stand corrected. However, I will not permit myself to be shamed or bullied by anyone, regardless of our relationship.
If that makes me a villain in the eyes of some people, so be it.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone.
March 28, 2020
Book Review: Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov
In what may be one of the best collections from Isaac Asimov that I’ve ever read, the master of SF brings us nine extraordinary tales ranging from the dramatic to comedic to heartbreaking. Nine Tomorrows gets five stars from me.
“Profession” — In the future, your ability to read is installed into your brain by a computer during childhood and your career is determined by a brain scan taken at puberty—but what happens when the results of the scan are inconclusive and the authorities determine that you are not suited for any career at all?
“The Feeling of Power” — In a society where mathematical computations are handled strictly by computers, a lab technician devises a method for longhand arithmetic… with disastrous results.
“The Dying Night” — A science conference on Earth reunites four colleagues, some of whom have been working off-planet for many years. One of them has developed a method for instant teleportation and intends to present his discovery at the conference—until he’s found dead in his hotel room.
“I’m in Marsport without Hilda” — A government agent arrives on Mars after an assignment and learns that his wife is unable to travel from Earth to meet him. He steals the opportunity to arrange a date with a local lady of the night, which he tries to keep even when his supervisor tasks him with another mission right there in the spaceport.
“The Gentle Vultures” — An alien race known as the Hurrians spends 15 years observing Earth, waiting for humanity to destroy itself in a nuclear war so that the they can takeover the planet and enslave the survivors.
“All the Troubles in the World” — What happens when an entire planet is managed by a single super computer that no longer wants the responsibility?
“Spell My Name with an S” — At the insistence of his wife, a downtrodden nuclear physicist named Zebatinsky reluctantly visits a numerologist who suggests that by changing the first letter of his last name to an ‘S,’ the probablility is high that his life will improve—but not before placing him under surveillance by the federal government.
“The Last Question” — A super computer called Multivac spends thousands of years collecting data to answer one question that has been repeatedly put to it over the generations: Will the human race ever have the ability to restore the sun to its current state after it has died?
“The Ugly Little Boy” — Miss Fellowes, a nurse, is hired on to care for a Neanderthal child that is snatched from the past into the present by a new technology developed by Stasis, Inc. By contemporary standards, the boy is considered ugly and is dubbed by the press as the “Ape-Boy.” After three years, the executives of Stasis decide to send the now educated child back to his own time where he will likely perish, but Miss Fellowes has different plans.
March 27, 2020
Surviving COVID-19: FREE Stories and Audiobooks
Additionally, you can also listen to FREE audio versions of my first two paramormal mystery novels on Librivox by clicking on the book covers below.
March 17, 2020
It’s “Training Day” on the Infinite Bard
It’s Training Day on The Infinite Bard. Click here to check out this week’s FREE short story by Ben H. Rome along with 26 other free tales of SF, fantasy, and the paranormal. Plenty to read while in forced isolation from COVID-19.
March 8, 2020
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Christopher Cybusz explains what it means to write SF today. Lynn Steger Strong ponders whether you can afford to be a writer without the help of other people’s money while Anne R. Allen cites idiotic advice offered to new writers.
Joslyn Chase and Gabriel Valjean discuss, respectively, five writing rules and styles to learn… before you attempt to break them. Jami Gold reminds us that just as we were helped by mentors or other resources in our writing journey, we should take the time to pay it forward.
Over at the Write Practice, Joe Bunting defines the inciting incident and the denouement and provides examples of each. Oh, and Simon & Schuster is up for sale if anyone has a few bucks to spare.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
How to Write Science Fiction by Christopher Cybusz
Local Bookstores Have a New Weapon in the Fight with Amazon by Joan Verdon
A Dirty Secret: You Can Only Be A Writer If You Can Afford It by Lynn Steger Strong
Clueless Advice People Give New Writers: 10 Things to Ignore by Anne R. Allen
Five Writing Crimes and How to Get Away With Them by Gabriel Valjean
Five Writing Style Tips to Make Your Writing Stronger by Joslyn Chase
How Can Writers Pay It Forward? by Jami Gold
Simon & Schuster is Up for Sale by Edmund Lee and Alexandra Alter
Denouement: Definition and Examples of the Literary Term by Joe Bunting
Inciting Incident: Definition, Examples, Types, and How to Start a Story Right by Joe Bunting
Power Up Your Prose with Rhetorical Devices by Suzanne Purvis via Janice Hardy
