B. Morris Allen's Blog, page 16
November 25, 2017
Awards eligibility 2017
“Letters to Larry About Guns”, Disarm anthology – a near future epistolary story about gun control
“When Dooryards First in the Lilac Bloomed”, Lackington’s Spring 2017 – what aliens might have said to Walt Whitman
“Blush”, Capricious May 2017, Issue #7 – who are we without the masks we wear every day?
“Outburst”, Cast of Wonders podcast – family, youth, and perseverance on a broken orbital station
“Goatway Drug”, Hyperion and Theia, Vol. 1: Saturnalia – goats, ghosts...
August 21, 2017
Memory eclipses truth
I saw my first total solar eclipse in Madrid, when I was 6 or 7. It was at school, and we all gathered outside with our bits of exposed film to protect our eyes. It was impressive, and my memories are extremely clear.
Except that I looked it up, and there wasn’t a total eclipse in Madrid in the ’70s. There were a couple of partial eclipses, though perhaps not on quite the right schedule. I can’t explain it, but I remember.
My family is, at the least, well prepared. My wife and I now own a hou...
July 9, 2017
SFF markets that pay on acceptance
Some magazines pay the author when they accept a story; some pay only on publication; some are in between. From the writer’s perspective, payment on acceptance is obviously preferable. However, most markets don’t disclose their payment schedule up front. Therefore, below is a list of markets I know to pay on or near acceptance. Feel free to suggest others in the comments.
Pay on or near acceptance Metaphorosis Cast of Wonders Cirsova The Overcast GigaNotoSaurus Manawaker Studio Pay after a...July 1, 2017
Stories for patrons
Now it’s serious. Travel and work got in the way of the Patreon launch, I’m now geared up and ready to go. Every week, starting right now, there will be a full story and author’s note, or a novel chapter. Not too much, not too little. Just right, in fact. Take a look!
Become a Patron!April 30, 2017
Now on Patreon
So, I decided to try out Patreon as an author (in addition to the Patreon we run for Metaphorosis). I’ll be posting stories and chapters on a regular basis. Take a look!
November 25, 2016
Choose any two
In July, I started in on the Ray Bradbury story-a-week effort. More recently, I found that real life is throwing up substantial obstacles.
Initially the effort went well; it was a good motivational tool for writing. I wrote a story a week fairly easily, and got up to a few weeks a head at times.
Unfortunately, real life, in the form of work and personal travel, brought that to a crashing halt. I found that of work, writing, and editing the magazine, I can cover two out of three with some succ...
November 20, 2016
Unconventional
Just over a year ago, I’d never been to a science fiction convention. Mostly, it was a question of access; I didn’t live in places where SFF conventions happened. I also didn’t really know what went on at them.
Last year, back in the US, I decided to change that. Starting with Sasquan/Worldcon in Spokane, I’ve now been to four conventions – global, regional, and state. What I’ve learned from them is that I’m not really the convention type.
I enjoy the idea of conventions – the fact that SFF f...
November 8, 2016
Don’t vote? Don’t gripe.
Some decades ago, on a back road in coastal Oregon, there was a sign on a fence saying “Don’t vote? Don’t gripe.” I think that’s a fair position. If you can’t be troubled to take part in governing your own country, you don’t get to complain about the results.
On the other hand, if you did vote (and I hope you did), here’s your fully official license to gripe. Make the most of it.
August 28, 2016
Songspiration – Lonesome, Restless Feeling
You know about Gordon Lightfoot. I’ve been listening to his music almost since I was born. The other day, I was listening in the car, and heard a line I’ve heard a hundred times, about “a ghost in every room”. I don’t much like ghost stories, but this time the line inspired me. My version of a ghost story has science fiction elements, of course.
August 21, 2016
Songspiration – Seven Shells
Fred Eaglesmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter who writes great music (and who is one of the several artists my wife lumps together as “the depressing guy”). This song has the great line “I got seven shells in my six gun”. Eaglesmith’s version is about a man inspired by love. Mine is about a bullied child.
