Phil Giunta's Blog, page 24
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
March 5, 2020
Celebrate “Reavers Day” on the Infinite Bard!
The Infinite Bard bring us another FREE short story! This week, joins us for “Reavers Day” by Michael Kingswood.
Click here image below to read.
February 23, 2020
Book Review: The Ends of Time edited by Robert Silverberg
The end is nigh as chronicled in The Ends of Time by seven masters of science fiction including Poul Anderson, John W. Campbell, Arthur C. Clarke, Fritz Leiber, Robert Silverberg (editor), Cordwainer Smith, and Jack Vance.
Most, but not all, of my favorites from this anthology also happen to be the longest tales in the book, including:
“Alpha Ralpha Boulevard” by Cordwainer Smith – Paul and Virginia, members of a reborn human race on a post-apocalyptic Earth, were created only recently, with scant memories of a human society long extinct. To ensure that they are actually in love and not simply programmed to be, Paul and Virginia traverse the treacherous Alpha Ralpha Boulevard in order to put the question to the omniscient machine known as the Abba-dingo.
“Guyal of Sfere” by Jack Vance – To satisfy his voracious hunger, Guyal leaves the safety of his homeland and ventures north, braving several surreal dangers, to find the legendary Museum of Man where all of his questions will be answered by the Curator. Of course, they’ll first need to defeat the hideous demon infesting the museum.
“Epilogue” by Poul Anderson – In the far future, humans return to a long-abandoned Earth only to find that machines have evolved into sentient and fearful robots who have radically transformed the landscape—and are not fond of intruders.
“When the Last Gods Die” by Fritz Leiber – On Earth’s final day, members of the last generation to leave the planet return from space to dissuade the inconsolable Roman gods from terminating their own existence.
Other excellent tales include “The Awakening” by Arthur C. Clarke, “Twilight” by John W. Campbell, “At the End of Days” by Robert Silverberg, and, appropriately, “Last” by Fritz Leiber.
February 17, 2020
Firebringer Books on Sale at Amazon!
His Death was only the Beginning… Shepherd Autrey is a Quaker, a physician, and a man deeply disturbed by the madness around him as the War Between the States bears down on his America in 1863. Dared by a friend to take an active role, Shep volunteers to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of Sherman’s scorched earth campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. There, he runs foul of a Confederate recruiting drive and finds himself hanged by the neck from a tree. Awakening in a strange land which can’t possibly be earth, Shep is plunged into battle and saves the life of an alien warrior prince. Hailed by bloodthirsty killers as the bravest man alive, Shep combats his conscience, his flagging faith, and an ever-growing number of people who want him dead.
The paperback and Kindle versions of writer pal Steven H. Wilson‘s SF/Fantasy novel Peace Lord of the Red Planet are now on sale for $3.18 on Amazon!
While haunted by visions of her brother’s suicide, psychic-medium Miranda Lorensen is called to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to investigate a series of bizarre deaths–some of which are also suicides. Miranda and her team of paranormal investigators quickly find themselves confronted by a vengeful spirit awakened thirty-three years after a bloody family tragedy. Miranda realizes that only she can stop the entity before it claims its final victims, but will her obsession for saving lives redeem her for the brother she failed?
The paperback version of Phil Giunta’s paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side, is now under $8! We honestly have no idea how long these sales will last as prices are adjusted by Amazon’s capricious algorithms without notice.
Thanks again for supporting small press writers!
February 11, 2020
The People Haters Club
This blog post by Jon Pavlovitz came to my attention today on Facebook. I read it immediately because I, too, am tired of hatred.
Before today, I knew little about Pavlovitz, but in his post, he speaks almost precisely to what I—and I’m sure many of you—are experiencing and why I need to occasionally step away from social media, or social disease media, or antisocial media. Call it what you will. It’s a wonderful communication tool, but like any tool, give it to humans and they’ll find the quickest way to weaponize it.
This article speaks to several major contributors to depression, stress, and anxiety. Not merely my own, but in general. Online hatred, bullying, hypocrisy, ignorance, and fear mongering have skyrocketed in the age of Trump and bringing out the worst in people, bolstering their bigotry and chauvinisms, encouraging repulsive behavior. Society seems to have reached a new low in the past few years.
This is partly why I’m becoming increasingly reclusive and protective of what modicum of inner peace I have left.
Yes, I keep moving forward, but I’m tired. Motivated but cautious. Hopeful but presently discouraged. I learned the hard way a long time ago to keep my expectations of people low and I’ll never be disappointed.
We can do better. We must do better.
February 8, 2020
About This Writing Stuff…
This week, Lawrence Block reminds us that while real life often does not make sense, our fiction must. Ruth Harris provides a handy checklist on effective dialogue while Jami Gold and Janice Hardy expound ways to ensure that our characters are not puppets to plot.
Calling all Scrivener users, Gwen Hernandez and Joslyn Chase offer tips on using some of the app’s features to organize our work.
Jennifer L. Harris shows us how to determine whether or not our story ideas will support a full-length novel. Over at the Write Practice, David Stafford reviews methods for applying the principle’s of the Hero’s Journey, and Jane Friedman delivers a comprehensive guide to writing query letters.
All that a little more. Enjoy!
Stop Making Sense: Explaining Some Fiction Rules of Logic by Lawrence Block
He Said. She Said. Fifteen Keys to Writing Great Dialogue by Ruth Harris
How Can We Make Our Protagonist More Proactive? by Jami Gold
Things to Consider When Adding a POV Character by Janice Hardy
What is Causing the Uptick in Independent Bookstores? by Mike Shatzkin
Using Bookmarks in Scrivener 3 for Quick Access to Supporting Materials by Gwen Hernandez
How to Use Scrivener to Write Scenes That Work by Joslyn Chase
5 Essential Hero’s Journey Themes and Symbolic Archetypes That Will Thrill Your Readers by David Stafford
The Complete Guide to Query Letters by Jane Friedman
13 Tips for Writers Who Just Want to Finish Something For Once by Meg Dowell
How to Test Your Story Idea: Is Your Idea Strong Enough to Support a Novel? by Jennifer L. Harris
Why I Don’t Write Every Day by Phoebe Quinn
February 2, 2020
My Schedule for Farpoint 2020
I look forward to returning as a writer guest to Farpoint SF Convention in Hunt Valley, MD in three weeks (Feb. 21-23). If you’ll be there, you can catch me loitering at these events and discussion panels throughout the weekend.
Cocktail Party and Opening Ceremonies – Friday 7PM – Valley Ballroom
Book Fair – Friday 10:00 PM – Hunt Valley Foyer
Firebringer Press Presents – Saturday 11:00 AM – Salon C
Author Autographs (Kozeniewski/Giunta) – Saturday NOON – Author Autograph 1
Crowdfunding Your Work – Saturday 4:00 PM – Salon C
Writer Hobbies – Sunday 11:00 AM – Salon C
Did We Win? The Mainstreaming Of Geek Culture – Sunday 2:00 PM – Chase
