Bascomb James's Blog, page 8

Guest Blog - Fantasy Cafe

On May 15th, I did a guest blog over at Fantasy Cafe.  They were interested in hearing more about Grand Tradition Science Fiction.  

"The hallmark of the Grand Tradition story was that they were fun to read. Grand Tradition stories were pure entertainment; they were adventure stories found nowhere else. Grand Tradition stories were written in every SF motif (horror, noir, pulp fiction, first contact, spaceship, alien invaders/visitors, political intrigue, hard science fiction, etc.) and they embraced all of the familiar SF tropes. Grand Tradition stories often included social/political commentaries and they opened windows on worlds we could not otherwise see, but these elements were part of the subtext. The foreground story was the adventure, the wonder, the delightful romp through a strange and wondrous universe".

You can read more about Grand Tradition Science Fiction by visiting the Fantasy Cafe blogsite.  
http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2014/05/guest-post-grand-tradition-science-fiction-by-bascomb-james/

Interviews with Far Orbit Authors Tracy Canfield, Jacob Drud, and Kat Otis

Over at Good Choice Reading, Maria Perez-Martinez  talks with Far Orbit authors Tracy Canfield, Jacob Drud, and Kat Otis.  One of the questions she asked was, “What was your inspiration for creating your Far Orbit story?” 

Tracy Canfield tells us that her story was inspired by the differences between communication and language and how we might interact with an alien race with communication skills but limited language capabilities.  In her award-wining story “Starship Down” Tracy introduces us to Okalani Yee, a xenobiologist running a mobile medstation on a planet inhabited by alien bunnies.  Tracy is a computational linguist from Indiana and CNN has called her a “Klingon scholar.”  Tracy’s voice is also featured on the Klingon audio tour at Australia’s Jenolan Caves. You can read more about Ms. Canfield by visiting her website http://www.tracycanfield.com .

Jakob Drud lives in Aarhus, Denmark, where he writes advertising copy for a living.  In his delightful Far Orbit tale “The Vringla/Racket Incident,” Jakob introduces us to Johanna Wilborough, a government employee looking for a human babysitter for her daughter.  The childcare company wants her to accept a slimy alien babysitter instead. Jakob credits parenthood, the importance of a competent and dedicated childcare provider, and companies that oversell their services for the story’s central theme.  You can visit Jakob’s blog at http://www.jakobdrud.livejournal.com or read his tweets at @jakobdrud.

Kat Otis credits her Far Orbit story, “Obsidianite” to a trip to Seattle, where people were hawking Mount St. Helen's jewelry – obsidianite – everywhere she went.  In “Obsidianite,” Kat introduces us to Janessa a hard-as-nails ship-owner and freelance trader who struggles against the forces of Nature and her own nature on the slopes of an erupting volcano.  You can find Kat Otis online at http://www.katotis.com or on Twitter as @kat_otis.

The Good Choice Reading post includes a lot more information about story inspirations, writing SF, and favorite authors.  Be sure to check it out.

Launch Day!!!

The tension builds as launch day approaches. A hundred and one individual items are checked and rechecked.

 
 • Cover art reviewed and approved? Check!
 • Cover blurbs? Check!
 • Final copyediting? Check!
 • Print copy coded and accepted? Check!
 • Authors and contracts? Check!
 • Marketing plan? Active!
 • E-books coded and submitted? 
 o MOBI file? Check!
 o ePUB file? Check!
 o Kindle? Check!
 o Barnes and Noble? Check!
 o Kobo? Check!

The clock ticks loudly as everyone worries, “Will this baby fly?” “Did I forget something?”

Your stomach knots; your mouth is dry. The countdown clock marches inexorably toward that moment.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Ignition. Liftoff! “Far Orbit Speculative Space Adventures was successfully launched into the literary cosmos at 00:00:01 on April 29, 2014!” CAPCOM announces loudly. There is a grand “Hurrah!” from the control room; beaming authors, anthologist, and friends in the gallery.

You log in to Amazon and there it is! Your baby has attained orbital velocity. It’s exhilarating and scary at the same time.

As excitement fades into reflection, I freely admit that the Far Orbit anthology is special project for me. It represents a renewal of vows; public acknowledgement of a decades-long love affair. The anthology presents us with a collage of digitally enhanced snapshots – modern stories in a vintage frame. These are the wonderful stories that captured the imagination of an entire generation of readers, writers, and editors. I hope they capture yours too.

Launch Day!!!

The tension builds as launch day approaches. A hundred and one individual items are checked and rechecked.  Cover art reviewed and approved?  Check!
Cover blurbs?  Check!
Final copyediting? Check!
Print copy coded and accepted?  Check!
E-books coded and submitted?            o   MOBI file?  Check!
           o   ePUB file?  Check!
           o   Kindle?  Check!
           o   Barnes and Noble?  Check!
           o   Kobo?  Check!
 Authors and contracts?  Check! Marketing plan?  Active!
The clock ticks loudly as everyone worries, “Will this baby fly?”  “Did I forget something?”

Your stomach knots; your mouth is dry.  The countdown clock marches inexorably toward that moment.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Ignition… Liftoff!  “Far Orbit Speculative Space Adventures was successfully launched into the literary cosmos at 00:00:01 on April 29, 2014!”  CAPCOM announces loudly.  There is a grand “Hurrah!” from the control room; beaming authors, anthologist, and friends in the gallery. 

You log in to Amazon and there it is!  Your baby has attained orbital velocity.  It’s exhilarating and scary at the same time. 

As excitement fades into reflection, I freely admit that the Far Orbit anthology is special project for me. It represents a renewal of vows; public acknowledgement of a decades-long love affair.  The anthology presents us with a collage of digitally enhanced snapshots – modern stories in a vintage frame.  These are the wonderful stories that captured the imagination of an entire generation of readers, writers, and editors.  I hope they capture yours too.

Bascomb James
Anthologist, Far Orbit

Far Orbit Pre-Launch Sale Ends Saturday

I just wanted to remind you that World Weaver Press is having a special unannounced sale on the Kindle version of the Far Orbit anthology - 99 cents from Tuesday April 21 through Saturday, April 26th. The normal price is $7.99. This is a special "thank you" sale for my Goodreads friends and fans. Use this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Far-Orbit-Specu...

This offer is only available from Amazon. The paperback version will be available early but at the normal price. Kobo and Nook versions will be available on the official launch date - April 29th.

Earth Day - April 22, 2014

Photograph courtesy of NASA. For my Earth Day post, I wanted to feature the Earthrise photo taken in 1968 by Apollo Astronaut William Anders.  This iconic photo has appeared in numerous magazines and books and on a postage stamp.  Earthrise was the cover photo for LIFE Magazine's  100 Photographs that Changed the World  and wilderness photographer Galen Rowell called Earthrise "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.”  According to futurist Stewart Brand, it is no coincidence that the first Earth Day took place just 16 months after we first saw our world framed against the vastness of space.

I am featuring the Earthrise photograph today because it, more than any other image, evokes the “Spaceship Earth” worldview.  It reminds us that crew survival depends upon working together for the common good, prudent use of our limited resources, and taking care of the fragile blue bubble that feeds us and shelters us from the ravages of space. 

Poet Archibald MacLeish expressed his reaction to the photograph in a poem entitled “Riders on Earth Together, Brothers in Eternal Cold," published on page 1 of The New York Times on Christmas day, 1968.  

“To see the earth as it truly is, small blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold—brothers who know now they are truly brothers” 

Context makes this photograph especially important.  Taken at the end of one of the most socially and politically tumultuous years in recent memory, Earthrise is powerful for what it does not show – political boundaries, ideological conflicts, the struggle for power, position, and resources.  It does not show gender, race, religion, right, or wrong.  Instead, it shows one world, one path through the universe, and one sun to light the way.  It shows all of us and our shared journey through the cosmos.

Pre-Launch Sale for My Goodreads Friends

World Weaver Press is having a special unannounced sale on the Kindle version of the Far Orbit anthology - 99 cents from Tuesday April 21 through Saturday, April 26th. This is a special sale for my Goodreads friends and fans. Use this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Far-Orbit-Specu...

This offer is only available from Amazon. The paperback version will be available early but at the normal price. Kobo and Nook versions will be available on the official launch date - April 29th.

Far Orbit, Speculative Space Adventures
Modern space adventures crafted by a new generation of Grand Tradition science fiction writers. Smart, readable, and engaging stories that take us back to a time when science fiction was fun and informative, pithy and piquant—when speculative fiction transported us from the everyday grind and left us wondrously satisfied. Showcasing the breadth of Grand Tradition stories, from 1940s-style pulp to realistic hard SF, from noir and horror SF to spaceships, alien uplift, and action-adventure motifs, Far Orbit’s diversity of Grand Tradition stories makes it easy for every SF fan to find a favorite.

Featuring an open letter to SF by Elizabeth Bear and stories from Gregory Benford, Tracy Canfield, Eric Choi, Barbara Davies, Jakob Drud, Julie Frost, David Wesley Hill, K. G. Jewell, Sam Kepfield, Kat Otis, Jonathan Shipley, Wendy Sparrow, and Peter Wood.

Inspiration… perspiration… exhilaration…

It’s great to see everything come together – all the pieces and parts, edits and responses, contracts, art, and design. You can imagine the waves of satisfaction and exhilaration that come from holding a book, your book, for the first time. Trust me; this feeling is not diminished by repetition. 

The Far Orbit anthology is special book for me. With my previous books, I participated only as an author and editor. I sent the manuscript off to the publisher and after a little backing and forthing, a finished textbook was available for purchase. 

With the Far Orbit anthology, I was also involved in the “behind the scenes” activities. When I look at this book, I see a wonderful amalgamation of a thousand and one individual details that make up this deceptively simple whole. 

I have always appreciated the technical skills and artistry of authors and storytellers. I am starting to appreciate the skill and artistry of the publishers who give our carefully arranged electrons shape and form. Thank you for your service. 

Far Orbit Giveaway

The Far Orbit Givaway ends at Midnight on April 1st. You could be one of the lucky people to get an ARC copy before the book is published.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Good News - Far Orbit Giveaway

We have increased the number of advance reading copies in the Far Orbit Giveaway!

You could be one of the lucky readers who receive an ARC before the book goes on sale. Sign up soon! Ends April 1, 2014!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...