Joshua Palmatier's Blog, page 35
August 8, 2013
Top Eight Typos Made During the CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE Kickstarter
So, during the course of the Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens kickstarter, I've (and Patricia Bray) have typed up numerous blogs, interviews, Facebook posts, updates, thank you notes, press releases, etc, etc, etc. This has, of course, led to some somewhat humorous and common typos. Here are the TOP EIGHT typos that we've made between us so far, with still a week left to go. Some of them are NOT child safe, or for those easily offended by vulgarity, so DO NOT click behind the cut unless you are prepared to read what's there. About half of them are benign, the rest . . . not so much. And if you haven't check out the Kickstarter yet, click through here.
TOP EIGHT Typos Made During the CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE Anthology Kickstarter (so far)
8. Scott Lunch
7. Stretch Goal Unclocked
6. Clockwork Unicron (can you tell I grew up during the 80s?)
5. Steampunk vs. Zombies (the sequel perhaps?)
4. Zombies Need Brians
3. Dickstarter
2. Kockstarter
1. Cockwork Universe
TOP EIGHT Typos Made During the CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE Anthology Kickstarter (so far)
8. Scott Lunch
7. Stretch Goal Unclocked
6. Clockwork Unicron (can you tell I grew up during the 80s?)
5. Steampunk vs. Zombies (the sequel perhaps?)
4. Zombies Need Brians
3. Dickstarter
2. Kockstarter
1. Cockwork Universe
August 7, 2013
Signal Boost: "Rotten Row" by Chaz Benchley
Today I'd like everyone to take a look at Rotten Row, a novella by Chaz Benchley, which everyone can order from Book View Café.
Rotten Row is the worst place we’ve made.
Humankind can travel to the stars — but only those content to be flung as a datastream through space, flitting from male to female, dark to fair, one random discard body to the next. Those who go are the Upshot, rare individuals subject to their own rigid laws.
And then there’s Rotten Row.
Outcasts in breach of all codes, in Rotten Row people design their own bodies and sell them on for re-use after. Outlandish bodies: furred and feathered, winged and hooved and worse.
duLaine is an artist, but all art is about identity. Where one blurs into the other beyond physical limits and legal restraint, what is art worth and how can anyone be certain who they are?
Rotten Row is the worst place we’ve made.
Humankind can travel to the stars — but only those content to be flung as a datastream through space, flitting from male to female, dark to fair, one random discard body to the next. Those who go are the Upshot, rare individuals subject to their own rigid laws.
And then there’s Rotten Row.
Outcasts in breach of all codes, in Rotten Row people design their own bodies and sell them on for re-use after. Outlandish bodies: furred and feathered, winged and hooved and worse.
duLaine is an artist, but all art is about identity. Where one blurs into the other beyond physical limits and legal restraint, what is art worth and how can anyone be certain who they are?
Cover Art Reveal! CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS
And we have a mock-up of the cover art for Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens! This is still under construction. We need to tweak the back cover copy, since we don't know who all of the authors are yet, and we're not completely happy with the wording. We're also still playing with some different fonts on the front cover. If you have any thoughts/suggestions about the cover, please leave them in the comments section. We'll take everything into consideration. And if you haven't checked out the kickstarter for the anthology yet, what are you waiting for? There's only 8 days left to get in on the action! Time's a-wastin'!
August 6, 2013
Signal Boost: "Possession" by Kat Richardson
Hey, everyone! Kat Richardson's newest Greywalker novel, Possession, hits bookstores today! Here's the cover art and the back cover copy. You can read some blurbs and the first chapter and other things here. Here's the poster page for the series as well. Check it out!
Cover Copy: When a comatose woman suddenly wakes up and starts painting scenes she’s never witnessed with a skill she’s never had, medical science has no explanation. As more bizarre phenomena manifest, including mysterious writing appearing on the patient’s skin and strange voices issuing from her mouth, even her doctors start to wonder if the woman may be possessed.
Frustrated, frightened, and at the end of her rope, the patient’s sister reluctantly turns to Harper Blaine to discover who—or what—is occupying her sister’s body. As Harper digs into the case of apparent possession, she discovers other patients struck with the same mystifying afflictions and a disturbing connection to one of the most gruesome episodes in Washington’s history…
Cover Copy: When a comatose woman suddenly wakes up and starts painting scenes she’s never witnessed with a skill she’s never had, medical science has no explanation. As more bizarre phenomena manifest, including mysterious writing appearing on the patient’s skin and strange voices issuing from her mouth, even her doctors start to wonder if the woman may be possessed.
Frustrated, frightened, and at the end of her rope, the patient’s sister reluctantly turns to Harper Blaine to discover who—or what—is occupying her sister’s body. As Harper digs into the case of apparent possession, she discovers other patients struck with the same mystifying afflictions and a disturbing connection to one of the most gruesome episodes in Washington’s history…
August 5, 2013
Signal Boost: Tim Akers Anthology BONES OF VERIDON
Here's a little signal boost for Tim Akers. He's put together a collection of his short stories related to his Veridon universe and released it in ebook format at Amazon Direct. Swing on by and check it out.
The collected stories of the world of Veridon, by Tim Akers, these stories originally appeared in a variety of markets around the globe. These are the proving grounds for the critically acclaimed Burn Cycle, which was published by Solaris Books. Each story has been gracefully restored to established Veridon canon, and is preceded by the author's musings on their writing and place in the world's development. Also included are two science fiction stories, including the author's first publication. These near future thrillers are true to the form of Veridon, if not the geography.
And here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9ZWNES/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
The collected stories of the world of Veridon, by Tim Akers, these stories originally appeared in a variety of markets around the globe. These are the proving grounds for the critically acclaimed Burn Cycle, which was published by Solaris Books. Each story has been gracefully restored to established Veridon canon, and is preceded by the author's musings on their writing and place in the world's development. Also included are two science fiction stories, including the author's first publication. These near future thrillers are true to the form of Veridon, if not the geography.
And here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9ZWNES/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
Signal Boost: Writing Workshops at Context 26
If you're an aspiring writer and are looking for some workshops you can do that will help you improve your writing, consider these workshops at Context 26 this year:
Context 26 is a not-for-profit, book-oriented convention that will be the weekend of Sept. 27-29 in Worthington, OH (a Columbus suburb).
The Guests of Honor include Elizabeth Bear, Jack McDevitt, John Joseph Adams and Scott Lynch.
The writing workshops track: 18 workshops that offer good range and depth.
A Writer's Guide To Comics
(Friday, September 27th, 8pm-10pm)
So you want to make a comic! Comics present unique challenges for
writers, but you don't have to be a professional illustrator to make
one. Leslie Anderson will teach you how to script and storyboard for
collaboration, or how to make your own comics, even if you don't
consider yourself an artist. (If you don't specifically aspire to create
comics but always wanted to learn storyboarding techniques to help you
work out your plotting and scene flow, this workshop is also for
you!) $20, 2 hours.
Getting the Science Right
(Saturday, September 28th, 7pm-9pm)
Not sure if you're getting the science right in your science fiction,
fantasy or horror? Dr. Robichaud, a research biochemist and fiction
content editor, is here to help you out! She'll go over common science
errors in fiction, how to do informational research (how to evaluate
what's a good source and what isn't), and how writers can best approach
scientists to gain information and details that are not easily found on
the Web. $20, 2 hours.
Writing the Other
(Sunday, September 29th, 2pm-4pm)
Are you worried about reinforcing stereotypes or offending others with
your depictions of racial, gender and other minority characters? Do you
want to find that balance between exploring different places and people,
without exploiting them for cheap scares and entertainment? In this
intensive two hour workshop for beginning and advanced writers, you will
focus on creating characters who are different from your own perspective
in a comfortable, safe space so that you can learn to avoid common
pitfalls and mistakes. Chesya is currently getting her MA in African
American Studies at Georgia State University and her 2011 fiction
collection, /Let's Play White/, is being studied in several universities
around the country and received high praise from Samuel Delany and Nikki
Giovanni. She's also a juror for the upcoming 2013 Shirley Jackson
Awards. $20, 2 hours.
The link for all the workshops is:
http://www.contextsf.org/workshop.htm
Context 26 is a not-for-profit, book-oriented convention that will be the weekend of Sept. 27-29 in Worthington, OH (a Columbus suburb).
The Guests of Honor include Elizabeth Bear, Jack McDevitt, John Joseph Adams and Scott Lynch.
The writing workshops track: 18 workshops that offer good range and depth.
A Writer's Guide To Comics
(Friday, September 27th, 8pm-10pm)
So you want to make a comic! Comics present unique challenges for
writers, but you don't have to be a professional illustrator to make
one. Leslie Anderson will teach you how to script and storyboard for
collaboration, or how to make your own comics, even if you don't
consider yourself an artist. (If you don't specifically aspire to create
comics but always wanted to learn storyboarding techniques to help you
work out your plotting and scene flow, this workshop is also for
you!) $20, 2 hours.
Getting the Science Right
(Saturday, September 28th, 7pm-9pm)
Not sure if you're getting the science right in your science fiction,
fantasy or horror? Dr. Robichaud, a research biochemist and fiction
content editor, is here to help you out! She'll go over common science
errors in fiction, how to do informational research (how to evaluate
what's a good source and what isn't), and how writers can best approach
scientists to gain information and details that are not easily found on
the Web. $20, 2 hours.
Writing the Other
(Sunday, September 29th, 2pm-4pm)
Are you worried about reinforcing stereotypes or offending others with
your depictions of racial, gender and other minority characters? Do you
want to find that balance between exploring different places and people,
without exploiting them for cheap scares and entertainment? In this
intensive two hour workshop for beginning and advanced writers, you will
focus on creating characters who are different from your own perspective
in a comfortable, safe space so that you can learn to avoid common
pitfalls and mistakes. Chesya is currently getting her MA in African
American Studies at Georgia State University and her 2011 fiction
collection, /Let's Play White/, is being studied in several universities
around the country and received high praise from Samuel Delany and Nikki
Giovanni. She's also a juror for the upcoming 2013 Shirley Jackson
Awards. $20, 2 hours.
The link for all the workshops is:
http://www.contextsf.org/workshop.htm
New DAW Books!
I've just posted the new releases from DAW for the month of August, including new Jim C. Hines, and the paperback releases of Jennifer Roberson's latest Karavans novel, Violette Malan's Shadowlands, and Jim's first book in the Magic Ex Libris series. Swing on by the blog and check them out!
Podcast: Interview with DJ Grandpa's Crib about the CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE Kickstarter
I did an interview last week with DJ Grandpa for his DJ Grandpa's Crib podcast and it went live this morning! You can find my portion of the podcast at time stamp 29:25. It runs for about 6 minutes. You can check it out here.
July 30, 2013
Interview: Kickstarter and the Small Press
Bradley P. Beaulieu, one of the contributing authors to the CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS anthology, has posted an interview of five questions he asked me related to the kickstarter, the anthology, and the small press Zombies Need Brains. Find out my answer by clicking through the link above!
Kickstarter! CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS!
Wow, the kickstarter for CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS is less than $800 from being fully funded! Swing on by and check it out and help it not only get fully funded, but push us toward that limited edition hardcover, all while helping to set up a new small press called Zombies Need Brains. We hope to bring new and exciting anthologies to the SF&F crowd for years to come, with stories from today's hottest authors. Here's the blurb for the kickstarter anthology, followed by the art we'll use for the cover called "Steampunk Octopus" by Alex Broeckel:
Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens: When aliens reach Earth, they encounter the clockwork mechanisms and Victorian sensibilities of a full-blown steampunk civilization. Inspired by the classic science fiction adventure tales of the nineteenth century, leading fantasy and science fiction authors will bring us tales of first contact with a twist, as steam power meets laser cannons . . . and dirigibles face off against flying saucers. Edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier, it will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each. The anthology will include short stories by: Bradley Beaulieu, Caitlin Kittredge, Gini Koch, Scott Lynch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, and Ian Tregillis, plus numerous others.
Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens: When aliens reach Earth, they encounter the clockwork mechanisms and Victorian sensibilities of a full-blown steampunk civilization. Inspired by the classic science fiction adventure tales of the nineteenth century, leading fantasy and science fiction authors will bring us tales of first contact with a twist, as steam power meets laser cannons . . . and dirigibles face off against flying saucers. Edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier, it will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each. The anthology will include short stories by: Bradley Beaulieu, Caitlin Kittredge, Gini Koch, Scott Lynch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, and Ian Tregillis, plus numerous others.
