David Lee Summers's Blog, page 113

TusCon 40

My last convention of the year will be TusCon in Tucson, Arizona, which runs from November 8-10 at the Hotel CityCenter. You can get all the details about the convention at tusconscificon.com. Not only will I be a participant at the convention, I’ll be there as a dealer working the Hadrosaur Productions table. Look for us by our nifty new banner!

Here’s my schedule for the convention:

Friday, November 8:

9pm – Panel Room 1 – What is this TusCon you speak of? Not sure how you fit in to a little convention you never heard of before? This is the place to learn about your 400 new best friends. On the panel with me are Fred Kurtzweg and Carol De Priest.
11pm – Panel Room 2 – Vampires and Lightning Wolves. Join me for a reading from my recent and upcoming novels.

Saturday, November 9:

11am – Panel Room 2 – Speed Date an Editor. This is your opportunity to pitch me a story for Tales of the Talisman Magazine. I’ll work with you and give you suggestions so you can send me something I won’t be able to resist when we open to submissions in January.
1pm – Panel Room 1 – Fahrenheit 451. If the world were on that path what book would you memorize to save for the ages? On the panel with me are Gloria McMillan, Liz Danforth, and Weston Ochse.
4pm – Ballroom – Mass Autographing. Bring something that has mass and I’ll autograph it! (Of course, we will have plenty such things at the Hadrosaur Productions Table that I’ll be happy to sign.)
9pm – Panel Room 1 – A tale of two ghettos: Is Romance more or less stigmatizing than Science Fiction? Why do the Sharks and the Jets hate each other and who is Maria? On the panel with me are Jordan Summers, Juliet Blackwell, Jennifer Roberson, and Michelle Gates.

Sunday, November 10:

9am – Ballroom – Asimov, Bradbury, & Heinlein. What will be their historical legacy, how is historical legacy determined and why does it matter? On the panel with me are Gloria McMillan, Juliet Blackwell, Eric Schumacher, and Wolf Forrest
Noon – Ballroom – How to rewrite right. Not just editing, but knowing which rough edges to polish off and which are integral. And the most important step – when to stop. On the panel with me are Sharon Skinner, Dr. Jennifer Grier, Thomas Watson, and Rick Cook

If you’re in Tucson the weekend of November 8-10, I hope to see you at TusCon!

Building an Ornithopter

I had a great time at MileHiCon last week. During the convention, I had numerous productive business meetings. Some of these has to do with moving forward on projects in process, some had to do with improving the workflow on the ezine edition of Tales of the Talisman, some had to do with short story submissions and possible anthologies. I’m sure at least some of this will bear fruit in the coming weeks and I’ll keep you posted as things develop.

Once I returned home and caught up with other work this week, I took time to build a model of an ornithopter. In essence, it’s a craft that flies by flapping its wings. Although this was recreational for me, it was also a form of research. Ornithopters feature prominently in my Clockwork Legion Steampunk series, which begins with Owl Dance. I’m currently waiting for edits on the second novel, Lightning Wolves, and I’ve been making notes on The Brazen Shark, which is the third novel in the series.

I find that building a model of something that appears in one of my novels is a great way to visualize it. This model isn’t identical to the ornithopters of the Clockwork Legion series. The model is inspired by Leonardo DaVinci’s drawings, and it’s meant to be powered by the rider. The ornithopters in the clockwork legion series rely on a small chemical reaction steam engine to power the craft. However, this still serves as a reality check. I see that the small engine with cables and pulleys should be able to flap the wings as I imagine. I also get ideas for additional details that may be described.

If you haven’t already discovered the Clockwork Legion series, you can read all about my ornithopters in Owl Dance. You can learn more about the novel, read a sample chapter, see what some reviewers think, and find places to buy at: davidleesummers.com/owl_dance.html

Halloween Short Stories and Poems

Subscriber and contributor copies of Tales of the Talisman volume 9, issue 1 have now been shipped out. It occurs to me this is a great issue for Halloween. Christian Martin’s story “Sabotaged” is a scary psychological thriller set aboard a space station. Davyne DeSye’s “…I Win” is a stylish and Gothic look at Death. C.J. Henderson delivers a chillingly twisted Cthulhu mythos tale. These along with many of the stories in the issue make it a good issue to curl up with this autumn. Of course each issue is lavishly illustrated by such artists as Tom Kelly, Laura Givens, Kathy Ferrell and Jag Lall. Between the stories you’ll find blood curdling poems by such folks as Marge Simon, Charles Templeton, and Noel Sloboda. Issues are now available at TalesOfTheTalisman.com and at Amazon.com.

While on the subject of spooky poetry, you should drop by the Science Fiction Poetry Association’s On-Line Halloween Poetry Reading at http://www.sfpoetry.com/halloween.html. There you’ll find recordings of some great speculative poets reading scary Halloween poems absolutely free.

If you prefer that your horrors come from beyond the Earth, be sure to check out the anthology Space Horrors published by Flying Pen Press. In this collection, you’ll find tales of vampires, zombies and alien menaces among the stars by such Lee Clark Zumpe, Sarah A. Hoyt, Selena Rosen, Dayton Ward, and more. My understanding is that the first edition will be going out of print at the end of the year, so this is a great time to grab the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I’ll be starting discussions with the authors soon about a second edition. If all goes well, that should be available by next Halloween.

Hope you’ll check some of these out. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you’re reading this Halloween season.

MileHiCon 45

The last two weeks have been busy ones. At Kitt Peak National Observatory, I supported observations of the supernova remnant Cas A and I got to see the inner workings of the new KOSMOS spectrograph that will soon be in regular use at the 4-meter telescope. Once I returned to Las Cruces, I shipped out the summer issue of Tales of the Talisman magazine and then promptly dove into editing the autumn and winter issues. The copyediting for those two issues is now complete and I just sent the stories to the art director for illustration. I also gave my website a new, updated look. If haven’t already, go check it out at davidleesummers.com.

One fun thing that happened this past week was that I spotted the Cloud Lab airship outside my back door. It’s part of a venture sponsored by BBC Two. The blimp is ferrying a team of British scientists across the United States from Orlando, Florida to Big Sur, California, studying insect life, bats, and the relationship between these ecosystems and the weather.

This upcoming week, I have four days at Kitt Peak followed by a trip to Denver, Colorado for MileHiCon 45. Unfortunately, my work schedule keeps me from getting there before Saturday, but I’m looking forward to seeing my friends in Denver. I had to miss last year’s MileHiCon altogether. You can get all the details about the convention at the MileHiCon Website. Without further ado, here’s my schedule for the convention:

Saturday, October 19

1-2pm – Poetry Fantastique – Wind River A. This is MileHiCon’s annual poetry reading/slam/discussion. At the reading with me are Catherynne M. Valente, Stace Johnson, Gail Barton, Laura K. Deal, Robin M. Ambrozic, and perhaps even more!
3-4pm – Discovering New Worlds – Wind River A. This is my presentation about how exoplanets are discovered and what we’re learning about them. Things are changing so quickly in this field, I learn new things every time I prepare and update this talk for a new audience.
4-5pm – Eating Outside the Mainstream – Wind River A. This is a panel discussing the challenges of living with imposed dietary restrictions. My daughters have a number of food allergies and I’ll be happy to share the ways we’ve learned to cope and prosper. I look forward to getting some good tips from my fellow panelists, who include Dana Bell, Vivian Caethe, and Tim Simpson.

Sunday, October 20

10-11am – Author Reading – Mesa Verde C. I’ll read an excerpt from my novella Revolution of Air and Rust which was just reviewed at SF Site last week. Also reading during that hour will be James Van Pelt.
1-2pm – Was Frankenstein a Zombie? – Mesa Verda A. I’m moderating this panel that discusses what makes a zombie and what makes a zombie scary. On the panel with me are Paolo Bacigalupi, Selena Chambers, Stant Litore, and Stan Yan.

If you’re in Denver the weekend of October 19 and 20, I hope to see you at MileHiCon!

Growing Pains

I spent this last week finishing a new draft of my wild west steampunk adventure, Lightning Wolves. This new draft was based on notes from my editor and one of my beta readers. Lightning Wolves continues the story of Owl Dance. It’s a story about trying new things and learning from the experience. It’s also a novel about bicycles.

Some things in life are like riding bicycles. The activities become so ingrained that you can pick them up years later, even if you haven’t practiced them. I’d argue that writing is more like competitive bicycling. You need to keep practicing and pushing yourself to make yourself better. You need the input of a good coach to help you see the mistakes you make so you become more effective. Editors and beta readers are like coaches to the writer.

As with previous novels, the process of making a revision based on the notes of others is both exasperating and wonderful. It’s exasperating, because I see those places where characters did things that didn’t make sense. I see all the places where I didn’t describe things clearly or where I was inconsistent with other places in the manuscript.

It’s wonderful because every time I go through this process, I learn something more that helps me grow as a writer. Of course, while it’s embarrassing to have these problems pointed out at this point, it would be that much worse to have those issues pointed out in a review after publication. I am definitely thankful for the work of editors!

Now that I’ve turned in the manuscript, I’m reminded of my days in high school and college when I turned in an assignment and I’m waiting for the teacher to let me know how I did. I’m admittedly a bit nervous, but I also know that whatever happens, I will endeavor to learn from the experience.

Making Tweaks

The Kitt Peak 4-Meter Telescope is a reflecting telescope, which means it collects and focuses light by means of a mirror 4-meters in diameter. This mirror was made back in the early 1970s, which means it’s a chunk of quartz that’s about 1-foot thick. It weighs 15 tons with a light coating of shiny aluminum on top to make it reflective. A few years ago, a system of air bags was installed underneath the mirror. These air bags can be inflated to different amounts. A lower amount allows the mirror to sag a little. A higher amount pushes on the mirror a little. The amount of push and sag allows the mirror’s shape to be optimized depending on where you’re pointed in the sky. Every now and then, this system has to be optimized. The telescope operator points to stars all around the sky and tweaks the pressures so that we get the very best image quality the telescope can deliver. That was my job during the last three nights of my most recent shift at Kitt Peak.

Now I’m back in Las Cruces and, as summer wanes, settling in to finish the summer issue of Tales of the Talisman. The issue is basically all assembled. I have all the components. Now it’s just a matter of correcting the last few spelling mistakes I’ve caught, adjusting the placement of the illustrations and making sure everything is just so. Like with the 4-meter, it’s a process of making tweaks. I’m hoping I’ll have the issue off to the printer early next week. After that, it’s back to work on my wild west steampunk novel Lightning Wolves for even more tweaks.

In the Trenches

As this morning dawns, I’m finishing my first night back at Kitt Peak National Observatory after taking some time off for Bubonicon in Albuquerque and WorldCon in San Antonio. Both conventions were great. Between the two, I got to catch up with many friends and colleagues, and made many new acquaintances. In the photo, you see me with Bob Vardeman, creator of the Empires of Steam and Rust series. He’s encouraging me to write a follow-up to my Revolution of Air and Rust, which I’d very much enjoy.

Just as this convention season kicked off, I received the first round of edits for my latest wild west steampunk novel, Lightning Wolves. My editor is Phyllis Irene Radford, who edited the Gears and Levers anthologies for Sky Warrior Publishing. I’ve been working my way through a new draft based on her notes.

While thinking of Sky Warrior publishing, allow me to share a great writing opportunity. They are assembling an anthology called These Vampires Don’t Sparkle, which is edited by the talented Carol Hightshoe. I sent in a submission. For those who would like to submit, the guidelines are at: http://skywarriorbooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/new-vampire-anthology-call-for-writers.html

Another thing that happened just as the convention season kicked off was that one of my publishers approached me with a proposal for a new book series. It’s too early to say much about this, but I did work up a detailed outline for the first book while I was in San Antonio and I’ve discussed it with my publisher, who seems enthusiastic. What I can tell you is that if this series goes forward, and it seems likely, is that it will include terror, ghosts, southwestern lore, and even some astronomy. Stay tuned!

In addition to writing, I’m also finishing up Tales of the Talisman volume 9, issue 1. The last illustration was turned in tonight and I’m in the throes of proofreading. The issue will be going to press by the week of September 22. Once that’s printing, I’ll be moving right into issues 2 and 3.

Of course, while I was in San Antonio, I had to visit the Alamo. I’m distantly related to Davy Crockett, and it was moving to see where he made his last stand. With all that’s going on in my life, it’s hard not to feel a little like a soldier in the trenches. However, I feel like I’m a long way from any last stands. This seems like a good juncture to say thanks to all those readers who have joined me on the ride so far. I hope you’re looking forward to what comes next as much as I am!

Resources for Activist Poets

A week ago at WorldCon, I moderated a panel entitled “The Poet as Activist: On Seeing and Saving the Natural World.” This proved to be an interesting topic and we discussed many of the ways a poet or a writer can work in hospitals, schools, or with nature centers to help as educators or to bring awareness of issues to the public. My fellow panelist, Rie Sheridan Rose, assembled an excellent list of resources for people interested in this topic and I wanted to share them here.

The first items on the list are markets that show a particular interest in nature poetry:

http://www.astropoetica.com/guidelines.html — explores astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, planetary science, and/or archaeoastronomy

http://www.flycatcherjournal.org/submission-guidelines.php — strives to explore what it means—or what it might mean—to be native to this earth and its particular places.

The following is more of a market for activist poetry:

http://catamaranliteraryreader.com/contact/ — especially interested in include diversity, environmentalism, artistic spirit, personal freedom, and innovation.

Here are some market lists where you can find more poetry markets. Even if a market isn’t searching specifically for “activist” poetry, they may still be interested in the topic of your poem:

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/pbonline.html — Poetry Markets willing to take electronic submissions.

http://www.ralan.com/ — genre markets

http://www.newpages.com/npguides/altmags.htm — The NewPages Big List of Alternative Magazines

http://www.sfpoetry.com/markets.html — The Science Fiction Poetry Association maintains a list of speculative poetry markets

Finally, Rie provided a list of discussion guides:

http://ric.libguides.com/content.php?pid=188242&sid=2637406 — Poets as activists/Poetry as activism

http://ric.libguides.com/content.php?pid=188242&sid=1730378 — Nature in poetry

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/lorde/activism.htm — Audre Lorde on Poetry and Activism

Hope you find this guide useful. If there was something we mentioned on the panel and I neglected to mention it here, feel free to bring it to my attention in comments and I’ll try to add it to the list above. As always, I’m happy to answer questions about the topic.

The Dinosaurs of Cabazon

This weekend finds me in San Antonio, Texas at the seventy-first annual World Science Fiction Convention. For better or for worse, it’s hard for me to think of San Antonio without thinking of Tim Burton’s first film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

For those who have never seen it, Pee-wee Herman’s bike is stolen. He visits a phony psychic who tells him the bicycle is in the basement of the Alamo. Pee-wee then makes a cross-county trek only to find that the Alamo has no basement. To be honest, I’ve always been curious to find out whether or not the Alamo has a basement, or an underground cellar of some kind. I’ll be sure to let you know!

Along the way, Pee-wee stops off a diner in Cabazon, California where he finds giant sculptures of dinosaurs. Thing is, Cabazon is not too far from San Bernardino, where I grew up. I used to see these dinosaurs just off the freeway as I passed through. During a recent trip back to California, I had the opportunity to stop off and actually see the dinosaurs up close.

I found it the dinosaurs a fun stop. I particularly enjoyed the fact that you can climb up into them, just like they showed in the movie Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Inside the apatosaurus is a gift shop and you can visit it for free. There is an admission to climb into the tyrannosaurus and walk through the museum and dinosaur garden.

The museum and garden mostly consist of robotic dinosaurs in displays with modern animals. I gather the owners are creationists who would like to convince visitors that dinosaurs and humans lived on Earth at the same time. Depending on your viewpoint, this could be entertaining, inspiring or off-putting. As a person of faith who recognizes the evidence of evolution, I was in the first category.

Here we see my daughters sitting in the mouth of the Cabazon Tyrannosaurus Rex, much as Pee-wee and Simone did in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Of course, the version of the mouth in the movie was a Hollywood Set, but it is fun to see the “Eat” sign atop the Wheel Inn through the mouth of the T-Rex. All in all it was an entertaining little roadside attraction that reminded me of a movie that brought me a smile during my college years. And who knows, these little attractions often have a way of turning up in stories down the road.

WorldCon in San Antonio

Next week, I’ll be attending LoneStarCon 3, the World Science Fiction Convention, in San Antonio, Texas. I’m excited partly because it’s WorldCon and many of my favorite writers will be there, but I’ve also wanted to visit San Antonio for a while. A few years ago, I discovered that I’m a distant nephew of Davy Crockett, so I’ll definitely pay a visit to the Alamo while I’m there. The convention is being held from August 29 through September 2 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. You can get all the details about the convention at lonestarcon3.org.

My schedule for WorldCon is as follows:

Thursday, August 29

1pm-2pm – Autographing alongside Madeline Ashby, Derwin Mak, and Byron Reese

Friday, August 30

10am-11am – The Poet as Activist: On Seeing and Saving the Natural World. In the 19th century, inspired by Emerson’s essay, Nature, Henry David Thoreau initiated a tradition of the nature writer as observer-artist. Today, that tradition continues, but amid a natural world that has been nearly devastated by our own species. Explore the evolving role of the nature writer as artist and activist. Are seeing the world and saving the world part of the same work? On the panel with me is Rie Sheridan Rose.
11am-noon – Presentation of the Science Fiction Poetry Association’s Rhysling & Dwarf Stars Awards. Nominees for each year’s Rhysling Awards are selected by the membership of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Each member is allowed to nominate one work in each of two categories: “Best Long Poem” (50+ lines; for prose poems, 500+ words) and “Best Short Poem” (0-49 lines; for prose poems, 0-499 words). All nominated works must have been published during the preceding calendar year of the awards year. The Dwarf Stars Award is for best speculative poem of 1-10 lines published in the previous year.
1pm-2pm – The History of Science and the Experience of Science Fiction. Science fiction, janus-like, gives us a perspective on the future by examining how science and technology have developed. Speculating on the future in our fiction can also give us insight on how science developed or went into blind alleys. How does the history of science inform the way we read and write science fiction? Or is it vice versa? On the panel with me are: Miguel Angel Fernandez, Donald M. Hassler, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Kathleen Goonan.
4pm-5pm – Kaffeeklatsch. Come join me for a cup of coffee and the chance to ask me what you will!

Sunday, September 1

10am-11am. Speculative Poetry Workshop. Come and learn about speculative poetry and create your own poem. I’ll be hosting the workshop along with Alan Stewart and Jaime Lee Moyer.

Monday, September 2

11am-noon – Doctor Who: Celebrating 50 Years. Doctor Who turns 50, and we’ve had a year of not only new episodes but specials, novels about all the Doctors, audio production, comics, and more. What’s ahead for the next 50? On the panel with me are: Lynne M. Thomas, Alastair Reynolds, Shanna Swendson, and Perrianne Lurie

Looking forward to seeing some old friends and making many new friends in San Antonio next week. If you’ll be there, drop me a note or a comment so I can be on the lookout for you.