David Lee Summers's Blog, page 125

Cancer Fundraiser, Bad-Ass Ebook, and more

To say that May and June have been busy months would be something of an understatement. The most challenging part of the last two months has, without a doubt, been the fact that my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has gone through surgery and as of today, all the post-surgical limitations were lifted. Now, we're just awaiting word on when she'll start chemotherapy. The chemo won't be pleasant, but it's necessary to assure the cancer won't come back. In the meantime, I wanted to pass along a few updates…

Kewl Sizzle Book Signing and Cancer Fundraiser

Sunday, July 10, I will join two other authors from Writers Unite to Fight Cancer at the Ina Bookmans in Tucson, Arizona for a Book Signing and Cancer Research fundraiser. The other authors are Gayle Martin, author of the Luke and Jenny series of historical novels and Donna Copen McKinnis, author of Thoughts From Japan.

I will talk about how my astronomy background influenced my young adult novel The Solar Sea. Ms. McKinnis will teach us about Japanese customs, education and even how to speak some Japanese words. Ms. Martin will speak about her novels.

We'll all be happy to sign copies of our books. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit cancer research. The Ina Bookmans is located at 3733 W. Ina Road in Tucson. The event takes place from 11am to 2pm. Hope you'll join us and add some kewl to your hot summer sizzle!

Bad-Ass Faeries Ebook

The Bad-Ass Faeries series is now available from several retailers in an assortment of ebook formats. My story "Amazons and Predators" is in the third volume of the series, Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory. This volume won the Epic Award for best ebook anthology of 2011. The ebook is available as follows (links take you directly to the book's page at each of these sites):

Available in Kindle (mobipocket) format at Amazon.com.
Available in Mobipocket, Epub, HTML, PDF, and Microsoft Reader formats at All Romance Ebooks.
Available in Mobipocket format directly from Mobipocket Ebooks.

Owl Dance Update

Two days ago, I received the last five chapters of Owl Dance marked up by my editor. He continues to make great suggestions. He has spotted great places to add detail and has been chiding me for being too wordy in other places. I'll be working through those notes over the next couple of weeks. Once done, that will complete the first editorial pass of the book. The plan as discussed was that he would make at least one more pass before it moves on to typesetting. Even so, I believe we're still on target for an autumn release.

Tales of the Talisman Update

As soon as I receive the illustrations for the summer issue of Tales of the Talisman, I plan to kick into high gear and finish the layout and get it off to the printer. In the meantime, I have finished editing the stories for the autumn issue and I'm gearing up for the summer reading period.

We will open to submissions on July 1. This reading period, I'm especially interested in seeing your science fiction and steampunk submissions.

Moby Dick…With Dragons

A few weeks ago, I learned about a movie scheduled to air on the SyFy Channel in July called Age of the Dragons. The movie stars Danny Glover and it tells the story of a band of hunters who travel through the mountains in a ship-like vessel to hunt dragons for a fluid called vitriol. The dragons use the vitriol to create flames. Humans use it as fuel. Essentially the story is a retelling of Herman Melville's Moby Dick with dragons in place of whales. You can learn more about the movie at its official site: http://ageofthedragonsmovie.com/.

Back in 2001, Realms of Fantasy magazine published my short story called "The Slayers." That story told about a band of hunters who fly in an airship and hunt dragons for a substance called carbide. Like Age of the Dragons my story is a retelling of Moby Dick with dragons. Moreover, based on the trailer and some preliminary reviews I'd seen on the Internet Movie Database — http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1594917/ — and other places, I felt I had reason to suspect the movie makers got their idea from reading my story.

A few reviews I read indicated that Age of the Dragons had a very Steampunk look. Of course, "The Slayers" with its airship had something of a Steampunk vision years before Steampunk had become popular. There was an interesting discussion at the Internet Movie Database that suggested the Pequod of the film might have originally been designed as an airship gondola. From the trailer and the order of the cast in the film's credits, it appeared that the film gave larger parts to the characters of Ishmael and Stubb than Melville did. In my story, the characters of Rado and Hujo were based on Ishmael and Stubb respectively, and both play a larger roll in the narrative than their analogs in Moby Dick.

You'll notice Age of the Dragons uses the same names as Melville used in Moby Dick. However, in "The Slayers" I used different names. In a making-of video, Executive Producer Gil Aglaure discusses the use of the original character names. However, it sounded to me like other names might have been considered. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrTuQEN7OsU.

None of this was conclusive, but taken together with the fact that "The Slayers" appeared in a widely circulated national magazine made me highly suspicious that Age of the Dragons was not an independently conceived project.

So, what's a writer to do? Similar as things looked on the surface, I wanted to get to the bottom of this issue. So, I sent a letter to Gil Aglaure, the film's executive producer, expressing my concerns.

Mr. Aglaure responded by sending me a letter and a DVD of the movie. I thought the letter was respectful and professional. He claims that the film's writers had not heard of my story before I brought it to his attention. After watching the movie, I agree. The only places where my story and the movie are similar are the places where both stories are similar to Melville.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but here are some examples of differences between the stories. In "The Slayers," Rado is a flyer, essentially the equivalent of the guy who rows the boat in a whale hunt. That was Ishmael's role in Moby Dick. However, in Age of the Dragons, Ishmael is a harpooner. The Pequod of Age of the Dragons has a crew of seven. The crew of the Slayer is much larger, more like a Nantucket whaler of the nineteenth century. I felt Age of the Dragons had more of an epic fantasy sensibility than a Steampunk sensibility.

However, the point that really convinced me that the two are independent creations had to do with the central theme — Ahab's obsession with the white dragon (or Obrey's obsession with the gold dragon if you look at "The Slayers.") In Age of the Dragons, Ahab's obsession is very personal and has to do with what the dragon did to him and his family. That's a valid interpretation of Melville. However, Melville's Ahab is a very nuanced character. Although the whale hurt him, there is an element of his revenge that's based on hurt pride. The whale eludes the great fisherman. That's the direction I took with Captain Obrey. He is obsessed because he must have the prize of the gold dragon.

Of course, I would have been happier if the producers of Age of the Dragons had come to me and discussed a film option. I think it would have been cool to have seen the airborne battles I envisioned as part of the film. Although Danny Glover doesn't look like Captain Obrey as I described him, I would have been thrilled if Mr. Glover had played Obrey. In the end, though, I'm convinced that the writers and producers conceived of their version of Moby Dick with dragons independent of my version.

If you're curious and would like to read my version of Moby Dick with dragons, I have made it available as an inexpensive ebook through Smashwords. You can download it in almost any ebook format you could imagine at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/58303. It's also available for the Nook at barnesandnoble.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-slayers-david-lee-summers/1031238459. I would love to read your comments about the story. Comments about Age of the Dragons would also be welcome.

Magical Creatures Beware!

Be Wary and Beware…. There are tales that every parent knows and must pass on to their child… Tales of warning and terror…of those who break their vows and kill for no reason other than malice. Tales of saving the lovely princess from a prince that is much less than charming…and what it takes to bring her home, of rescuing babes from parents not fit to raise them, and the reason no supernatural can truly win a bargain with such vile creatures. These are Human Tales. Tales by: Ivan Ewert, Matthew McFarland, Seanan McGuire, Ari Marmell, Chuck Wendig, Sara M. Harvey, Spencer Ellsworth, Ryan Macklin, Jess Hartley, Shannon Page, Dylan Birtolo, Deborah Brannon, Alma Alexander, Renee Stern, David Lee Summers, James Sutter, Nathan Crowder.

My story in this collection was inspired by a little known fairy tale collected by the Grimm Brothers called "The Griffin." In the original, a young farmer boy seeks the hand of the princess. He's sent on a quest to pluck the tail feather of a griffin. The griffin's wife helps the boy and he goes on to live happily ever after with the princess. But what about the griffin? What was the deal with the iron man that confronted the boy early in the story? Why does a griffin have a human wife? To answer these questions, I turned the story around and told it from the point of view of the griffin and his "wife". Griffins should definitely beware of scheming humans and farmers on quests!

Human Tales is available at Amazon.com.

David J. Corwell on Book Signings

Today, I'd like to welcome David J. Corwell to the Web Journal. David contributed the fine story "Conqueror of Shadows" to Tales of the Talisman volume 6, issue 3 (click on the link for more information). He has also contributed an article to the writing guide Many Genres, One Craft edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller. You can learn more about the writing guide at: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/

Many Genres, One Craft gathers the voices of today's top genre writers and writing instructors affiliated with Seton Hill University's acclaimed MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. They write about such topics as style and process, character and dialogue, and setting. They address several genre-specific topics and give advice about how to market your work once it's complete. David writes about book signings.

Welcome to the Web Journal, David. Tell us a little about yourself and your writing.

I was born and raised in Albuquerque, and my Gremma (maternal grandmother) took care of my brother and me while our parents worked. As she only spoke Spanish, I learned to speak the language fairly fluently, and she introduced me to the world of the supernatural through her stories.

My Mom also read me fantastical and spooky stories from the time I can remember, which further fanned my fascination with the otherworldly and unexplained. If a book/story had either of these elements, I was hooked. I particularly enjoyed (and still do) short story anthologies, with their breadth and variety of stories, even when there is an underlying theme. Comic books, monster movies (I like most of them, no matter how hokey), and Dungeons and Dragons were in the mix as well, and later, I glommed onto Southwestern folklore, legends, and treasure tales. Of course, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I host a pumpkin carving party every year for the entire family, but I digress!

I wrote my first book at the age of 12. Entitled the Temple of Doom, the story was modeled after the Choose Your Own Adventure books, where you got to pick the direction in which the story went by making choices at key points in the narrative. I even drew the cover and provided interior illustrations. Looking at it so many years later, I'm sad to report that my artistic skills have greatly diminished, but I'd like to think that my writing ability has improved.

More recently, I've had the luck of publishing five stories—four in anthologies and one in a magazine. Most of them are a synthesis of my love of fantasy/horror and the mystery/intrigue of the Southwest, particularly New Mexico. The two pieces that don't follow this pattern exactly are a spooky jack-'o-lantern story and a New Mexican story about family and tradition, so one of the two elements is always present. Talk about underlying themes!

Tell us a little about the book Many Genres, One Craft.

Many Genres, One Craft (MGOC) is the most comprehensive writer's guide I've ever seen (and I have read several over the years) about writing and marketing popular fiction. Whereas other books focus on specific genres, like children's, romance, or science fiction, MGOC touches upon what it means to work in every genre, the specific writing challenges involved with each, and tips and techniques to create and promote your particular style of story and move your writing career forward.

Comprised of approximately 84 articles/sidebars, this book will help writers jump start their rough drafts and forge ahead to completed, polished, and marketable manuscripts, while providing plenty of advice along the way about craft and the writing life.

MGOC's contributors are bestselling authors, up-and-coming writers, top-notch writing instructors, and agents/editors who, in some way, have been affiliated with Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction (WPF) program. Originally offering an M.A. (now an M.F.A.), this program was the first of its kind in the country to offer a graduate degree in writing genre fiction.

Since most university creative writing programs encourage literary works, I waited eight years to find a school that supported my fantasy/horror interests, and the WPF program was all it promised to be and then some. Reading MGOC is almost as good as going through the program itself. Almost.

How did you come to be involved with Many Genres, One Craft?

In August 2008, I attended GenCon to help man the Fantasist Enterprises (FE) booth. A few years before, FE had published my Southwestern elf story, "Legacy of the Quedana," in Cloaked in Shadow: Dark Tales of Elves, and I wanted to promote my story and the anthology. Lawrence Connolly, one of my mentors from Seton Hill, was also at the con that year, celebrating the release of his first novel (Veins, a supernatural thriller). Larry liked my selling technique and suggested that I write an article about marketing/promoting one's work for a writer's guide that was being developed by the WPF program under the expert guidance of Mike A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller. Larry and I got in touch with Heidi and expressed my interest in contributing.

Two years later, when the project was greenlighted by Headline Books, the initial idea morphed into an article specifically about book signings, along with a humorous sidebar entitled "The Top Ten Reasons People Give Me When They Have No Intention of Buying My Books." By this time, I had been promoting my stories for about five years, and I did my best to incorporate the knowledge I had gained from consistently being in the trenches. (I usually arrange one to three signings every weekend.)

You have a section in the book called "Successful Book Signings: The Personal Touch." Can you give us a few pointers about how we can bring the personal touch to a book signing and make it more successful?

While most writers cringe at the thought of selling their work (and I was one of them), I'm here to tell you that you must relax and put your best persona forward. The ease—and humor—with which you approach a potential reader has a tremendous impact on the impression you make. A friendly, welcoming stance (with handshake) is much more inviting than furtive glances, nervous tics, and stilted conversation. So, have fun! (Believe me, this actually does get easier the more you do it.)

In addition to presence, you must create a personal rapport with potential readers, and it's important to realize that this initial connection doesn't necessarily revolve around your book/story. For example, I pay attention to other items that customers buy, and if I'm familiar with a particular book/magazine/movie, I initiate a conversation about that item. I also comment on T-shirts. A fellow friend/writer loves babies and asks parents to see their little ones, then segues into her books. When you create an affinity between yourself and readers, they no longer see you as strictly a salesperson and actually become interested in what you're offering.

Intriguing displays can also attract a reader's eye and stop him/her long enough for you to showcase what you've written. Props, reader reviews, awards (if any), unusual layouts, etc. work well in this regard.

Whether or not you sell a book, remember that every person you meet has the potential to generate word of mouth about your book, good or bad. And just because the reader didn't buy a book from you during one event doesn't mean that he/she won't come back and buy a copy at a later date.

A lot of your stories appear in anthologies. Have you had luck getting bookstores to carry books and host signings for books where your name isn't on the cover? If so, can you give us some tips about what works? If not, where do you host signings for such books?

It can be difficult to arrange signings in chain bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders, but not because of the fact that you're only one author in a compilation of stories. The ability to sign in such places really depends on the anthology's publisher and distribution. If the book is available through Ingram (or Baker & Taylor) AND returnable, then there should be no problem in setting up an event; if one or both of these conditions are not met, then the store won't be interested in ordering books. I have done signings through both chains, but the anthologies I can sign vary, based on the above parameters.

I've had better results arranging book signings with smaller, regional chains and independent bookstores, where I can sell all my titles. Many of these stores are also willing to carry your books between signing events, increasing your potential for exposure. Keep in mind, however, that in most of these situations, the author usually provides the books on a consignment basis, where the bookstore keeps a percentage (usually 40%) of each sale. Whether or not this is financially feasible to you depends on the author discount that you receive from your publisher.

Never limit your signings to bookstores. Alternative venues such as arts markets, gift shops, and writing conferences (just to name a few) offer endless possibilities in which to expand your sales opportunities. And you keep most of the proceeds from these sales.

A few more pointers about promoting anthologies:

Despite the fact that you are only one contributor, treat the book as if it were your own.
When you approach event coordinators/book managers, don't expound upon what could be seen as a negative ("I'm one of 22 contributors to Cloaked in Shadow."). Rather, focus (positively) on what you've contributed (I wrote "Legacy of the Quedana," a Southwestern-style fantasy story for Cloaked in Shadow.") and then pitch the book as a whole (The anthology is a great compilation of elf stories, and it was a double finalist in the New Mexico Book Awards.").
Always carry yourself as the author you envision yourself to be and act professionally, whether things go your way or not. Nurture each and every contact you make along the way, keeping future signing opportunities in mind.

Once you have a venue for a signing, how do you entice people to buy a book where someone else's name is on the cover and your contribution is a fraction of the whole?

Focus again on the story that you've written, tailoring your pitch for each reader based on the information you've gathered about him/her through initial conversation.

It's also helpful to have read other (if not all) stories in the book, so you can embellish on the content or theme of the anthology further, if necessary. In the event that your story doesn't pique the reader's interest, perhaps another contributor's piece will.

As you pitch your story, place the book in the reader's hands. Hand-selling allows a reader to discover something about the book that he/she really likes, and oftentimes, this will lead to a sale without any further enticement on your part. More hesitant readers can be nudged by inviting them to purchase the book ("I would love to sign a copy for you.").

How can readers obtain a copy of Many Genres, One Craft?

MGOC is available for preorder through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Headline Books (Clicking the links will take you to the relevant pages). After May 16 publication date, the book should be available in most bookstores, either as a stock item or special order title. If your local store doesn't carry MGOC, the contributors and editors would certainly appreciate requests for these stores to carry the book. And if you live in New Mexico, you can rest assured that you'll find me somewhere, promoting and selling MGOC!

Tell us where people can learn about your upcoming books and events.

Most of my upcoming events are listed at http://booktour.com/author/david_j_corwell. I don't have a Web site all my own yet, but I hope to get something set up within the next year or so.

Thanks, David, for taking the time to answer the interview questions. For the rest of you, here's a little more information about David and his books.

David J. Corwell was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of New Mexico. He owes his love of fantasy and horror to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, comics, and late night monster movies. His stories appear in Voices of New Mexico (LPD Press/Rio Grande Books), Dia de los Muertos (Elektrik Milk Bath Press), Daily Flash: 365 Days of Flash Fiction (Pill Hill Press), Tales of the Talisman magazine (Hadrosaur Productions), and Cloaked in Shadow: Dark Tales of Elves (Fantasist Enterprises). He is a 2001 graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop, a 2005 graduate of the Borderlands Press Writer's Boot Camp, and a 2006 graduate of Seton Hill University with a M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction. When not tussling with characters (real or imagined), David's family keeps him pretty busy. He still lives in Albuquerque with his wife and three daughters.

The Slayers and Other Updates

Where did April go? It seems like things have been moving so fast that it's been a challenge to keep up with life much less write about what's been going on!

The Slayers

About a week ago, I saw a tweet by Bryan Thomas Schmidt mentioning a movie forthcoming on the SyFy Channel called Age of the Dragons. Basically, it's a retelling of Herman Melville's Moby Dick but with dragons instead of whales. You can learn more about the movie at the official site.

Seeing this reminded me that 2011 is the tenth anniversary of the publication of my story "The Slayers", which is also a retelling of Herman Melville's Moby Dick with dragons. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the story's publication, I've made a copy available as an ebook at Smashwords.com:

The wonderful cover art is provided by Laura Givens. The story first appeared in the August 2001 issue of Realms of Fantasy. This ebook edition is 99 cents per download, the same as a song from iTunes. Drop by Smashwords.com and check it out today. The link will take you right to the ebook's page, where you can read a description and even preview the story!

Breast Cancer

Just as May got started, I learned that Kumie — my wife of nearly 21 years and best friend — has contracted breast cancer. Treatment will consist of surgery and chemotherapy. Although the news is scary, the prognosis is good. Kumie is a strong woman and I have every confidence she'll beat this thing into submission. As I said on Facebook, cancer picked the wrong person to tangle with!

The outpouring of support has been wonderful and many friends from afar have asked how they can help. Probably the most important thing is to continue to pray and send good, positive thoughts our way. From a practical standpoint, it's worth taking a moment to note that Kumie is a self-employed bookkeeper. She doesn't get sick leave or paid vacation. Every hour she spends away from her job is a loss of income for our family. If you really want to help, go to the section above and pick up a copy of "The Slayers" or click "David's Library" in the right-hand bar and find a book there that looks good. Honestly, buying a book would be the most helpful, practical thing anyone at a distance could do to help right now.

Of course, donating to and supporting cancer research is vitally important. I also urge you to visit the American Cancer Society at cancer.org to learn about more ways you can help everyone with cancer.

Owl Dance Update

Life continues even when confronted with challenges like breast cancer. In April, my editor, Matthew Delman, and I made good start on Owl Dance edits. We're now four chapters in and Matthew has made some excellent suggestions. Even if you've read the original stories in places like Science Fiction Trails you'll want to check out the book. There will certainly be more depth of character and details than there were in the original stories.

Recent Sales

April saw the sale of two short stories and one poem. One of the stories is called "Locator Beacons" and it will appear in Full-Throttle Space Tales #5: Space Tramps edited by Jennifer Brozek. This is a brand new story featuring space pirate Ellison Firebrandt and his crew and tells about their encounter with a stowaway on a ship they raid.

I sold a new Scarlet Order vampire story called "Luftgeist" to Hungur Magazine published by Sam's Dot Publishing. This tells the story of the vampire Desmond Drake and his voyage to America on the Hindenburg. The story is slated for publication in November.

Finally, a poem I wrote in collaboration with Kurt MacPhearson called "Pulsar Prospectors" was picked for the January 2012 issue of Dreams and Nightmares Magazine.

It turns out that the editor of Dreams and Nightmares, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Sadly, the city was devastated by a tornado soon after he accepted the poem. I have heard that David and his family are fine and that, although their house suffered damage, it still stands. I hope that is true. My prayers go out to David, his family and all the people in Tuscaloosa as they rebuild.

Coming Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'll post an interview with Tales of the Talisman contributor David J. Corwell about an exciting new book for writers called Many Genres: One Craft. David wrote a section about setting up book signings. The interview gives special attention to the issue of setting up book signings when you're one contributor in an anthology with several other authors. Hope you'll give the interview a read!

Wild Wild March

March has been a wild, but generally good month. Part of what made it wild were some events on the day job front at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Back in February, the 4-meter telescope's enclosure suffered damage as a result of cold weather. Over the years, water had worked its way into the building's exoskeleton. During one particularly cold night, the water froze and caused a fifteen-meter long crack to appear in one of the structural support beams. The building was evacuated until the problem could be evaluated. Engineers were called in, the problem was investigated, and repairs are now underway. The 4-meter has been back in operation for about three weeks. That said, the problem did cause some fairly major shuffling of my schedule.

In spite of the shuffling, I was still able to attend…

Wild Wild West Con

Wild Wild West Con was held during the first weekend of March at Old Tucson Studios and the Hotel Tucson in Arizona. On Friday of the convention, I was scheduled for a Q&A session and autographing. I met some nice people during that session and did an impromptu reading. Later in the day, I was scheduled to give a presentation on Victorian-era astronomy. Unfortunately, the multimedia projector died sometime earlier in the day and I fear the audience wasn't able to see my photos as well as they could have, since the only thing I had to display them on was my laptop. Still, it seemed the presentation was well received in spite of the problems. I've decided the time has come to invest in my own multimedia projector for just such emergencies!

On Saturday afternoon, all of the author guests read at the Baroness' Tea Party at the Grand Palace Saloon. The event was very well attended and I had an opportunity to read alongside such talented authors as Cherie Priest, O.M. Grey, Nick Valentino, Elizabeth Darvill, and Gayle Martin.

When not out at events, many of the authors hung out at the Hotel del Toro. It was one of the buildings at Old Tucson and was set aside as a vendor area for the authors. Sharing the space with us were some of the folks behind the forthcoming web series Mantecoza. Click here to see the trailer for the series.

Here's a photo of the authors along with the Baroness who hosted the tea party:

Gayle Martin, David Lee Summers, Nick Valentino, Elizabeth Darvill, Cherie M. Priest, O.M. Grey and the Baroness in front of the Hotel del Toro

On Saturday night, we were treated to a concert by Veronique Chevalier, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, and Abney Park. I've been a fan of Unextraordinary Gentlemen and Abney Park for a little over a year now and delighted to hear both bands together in person.

Sunday was a fairly quiet day as the convention wound down. I took some time to explore the main vendor's area and take in some of the fine shows that Old Tucson Studios put on. One of the treasures I found at the vendor area was a brass telescope like those they used on ships — and have mentioned in stories like "The Pirates of Baja" in the current issue of Science Fiction Trails Magazine.

All in all, I had a great time at the convention. It was delightful getting to meet my fellow Steampunk authors who were in attendance. I look forward to reading the new books I picked up there and hope to see all of them at another convention down the road. One of the things that really made Wild Wild West Con shine was the venue. Unlike so many conventions tucked away in a hotel somewhere, this one was held at the movie studio where many great Western films were shot. It was wonderful to see all the Steampunk costumes among those familiar buildings. I want to thank Ryan McMann and Robert Levin, the president and vice-president of the convention, for inviting me and putting on a fine event. Even with some first-year glitches, it was a well run show and I hope to be back next year.

Almost immediately after the convention, I had to return to work at Kitt Peak. Sadly, on the way home from my shift at the observatory, I hit a "road gator" — the tread shed by a semi-truck. It tore a hole in my radiator and it looks like I suffered some engine damage. I'm still waiting to see whether the insurance will pay for everything or if I'll be looking for a new car.

Despite the car troubles, I wind up this turbulent March with some good news…

Owl Dance Under Contract

It's now official, my story collection Owl Dance is under contract with Flying Pen Press in Denver. It is tentatively scheduled for release this October. Of course, I'll continue to provide updates as the book approaches release. In the meantime, I'll be working with the editor to polish it to a shine.

Now, some astute readers of this journal will notice that I just referred to Owl Dance as a story collection, but in other entries, I've referred to it as a novel. Well, what is it? In fact, it's a series of fifteen tightly interweaved short stories that tell a complete story. One could say it's a little like a TV-season with a story arc, like Brisco County Jr., Babylon 5 or recent seasons of Doctor Who. Whether you call it a novel or a collection really is a matter of marketing and making sure the book matches reader expectations.

Either way, I hope you enjoy Owl Dance when it comes out!

Finally, taking a look ahead…

Blog Tour 2011

I've been interviewed for a few blogs. I don't have all the dates when interviews will be posted, but I can tell you two of them. Susan Whitfield interviews me on her blog on Thursday, April 7. Look for that interview at susanwhitfield.blogspot.com. Elaine P. Cantrell interviews me on her blog on Tuesday, April 19. You can find her blog at elainepcantrell.blogspot.com.

Heidi Ruby Miller has also interviewed me, but I don't have a date yet for that blog post. Watch for it in my Twitter updates over on the right.

Bad-Ass Faeries Wins EPIC Award and a Call for Submissions

I am proud to announce that Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory, which includes my story "Amazons and Predators", has won the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Anthology.

The volume includes twenty-one stories of military/conflict-themed faerie fiction by D.C. Wilson, Hildy Silverman, Chris Pisano & Brian Koscienski, Trisha Wooldridge & Christy Tohara, Lee C. Hillman, Robert E. Waters, Bernie Mojzes, C.J. Henderson, James Daniel Ross, Darren W. Pearce & Neal Levin, Jeffrey Lyman, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Kelly A. Harmon, Jason Franks, Patrick Thomas, David Lee Summers, David Sherman, Elaine Corvidae, James Chambers, John L. French, and Danielle Ackley-McPhail.

The Bad-Ass Faeries series came out of a desire to take faerie mythology back to its darker roots, when all was not goodness and light, but more mischief and mayhem. These faeries more closely resemble those of the ancient legends still passed down today in many parts of the world that haven't lost touch with magic. A big part of faerie legends were the fae as warriors, an aspect which is represented in this latest volume.

If you're a writer who would like to get in on the action, the editors have just recently begun work on the fourth book in the series: It's Elemental. For submission details visit www.badassfaeries.com/submissions.htm.

Whether you're a writer or a reader, you can learn more about the series at www.badassfaeries.com or badassfaeries.livejournal.com.

A Call for Sonnets

I hope to see a lot of my Arizona friends at Wild Wild West Con this weekend. In the meantime, I received this call for poetry submissions from Tales of the Talisman contributor Jim Dunlap.

This is an official call for submissions of sonnets to: Richard Vallance, Editor, Jim Dunlap, Co-Editor, and Associate Editors, Corey Harvard (USA), Eric Linden (Canada), Marie Marshall (UK), David Seddon (UK)

The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes: Anthology of sonnets of the early third millennium = Le Phénix renaissant de ses cendres : Anthologie de sonnets au début du troisième millénaire. Aux Éditions Describe Adonis Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. © 2012 ISBN 978-0-9868289-0-4 (projected approx. 225-250 pp.) Perfect bound; colour cover; illustrations in black & white & some in colour.

We are looking for 5-10 sonnets from anyone interested, in English, French, and any other language (provided that poets provide a linear prose translation of sonnets in languages other than English & French).

The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2011.

The guidelines for submissions are clearly laid out on our site.

The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes

Le Phénix renaissant de ses cendres

http://vallance22.hpage.com/

We thank you for your consideration of our request.

Richard Vallance

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Aux Éditions Describe Adonis Press

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Wild Wild West Con and Other Updates

This coming weekend — March 4, 5 and 6 — I'll be a guest at Wild Wild West Con being held at Old Tucson Studios outside of Tucson, Arizona. Wild Wild West Con is a Steampunk convention that features many different aspects of Steampunk culture, including music, art, costuming, and writing. You can learn all about the convention at http://www.wildwildwestcon.com

My schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 4 – 1:30pm: I'll be doing a presentation on Victorian Astronomy. Come learn about the mad scientists and extraordinary inventions that brought about the modern age of astronomy. The presentation is at the North Chapel.

Saturday, March 5 – 1:00pm: I'll be reading from my forthcoming book, Owl Dance, at the Baroness' Tea Party held at the Grand Palace Saloon. Also reading at the event are O.M. Grey, Cherie Priest, Nick Valentino, Gayle Martin & Elizabeth Darvill.

When I'm not at these events, look for me at the Vendor Area at Old Tucson's Stage 2. Hadrosaur Productions will have a dealer's table with a number of Wild West and Steampunk items along with other great science fiction and fantasy books.

Related to Wild Wild West Con, I spent three hours this past weekend at the Bookmans in Tucson on Speedway and Wilmot signing books. There was generally good traffic through the store and I sold books while Nicole and Mark Cantwell gave out information about the convention. I really appreciate Wild Wild West Con setting up the event. I had a terrific time.

Part 2 of Dragon's Fall Now Available

The Dragon's Quest, the second novella in the Dragon's Fall series, is now available. Dragon's Fall is the prequel of my novel Vampires of the Scarlet Order and tells about the origin of the Scarlet Order of vampire mercenaries. In The Dragon's Quest we meet Lord Draco and learn how he became a vampire. Learn all about the novella at: http://dlsummers.wordpress.com/excerpts/dragons-fall-the-dragons-quest/. Remember, you can keep up to date about the series and be alerted to new releases by subscribing to the RSS Feed at http://dlsummers.wordpress.com.

Other Updates

In my last post, I mentioned that Flying Pen Press had accepted my Steampunk adventure Owl Dance. Contract discussions have continued since then and have been moving in a generally positive direction. I hope to have more news in a week or so.

In the meantime, I'm working to read the last few stories received during the Tales of the Talisman reading period. My goal is to have answers out to people by March 15. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, my work schedule at Kitt Peak National Observatory has become less predictable than normal. Also, my doctor has been sending me out for some testing to uncover the source of some pain that recently developed. The result is, I might be a little later than March 15 getting back to people, but I hope not by more than a week. I apologize for the delay and will try to keep it as minimal as possible.

Assorted Updates – 2/6/11

2011 is off to a busy and generally good start. I wanted to take a moment and present a few updates about projects and upcoming events.

Owl Dance

At MileHiCon in 2009, David Rozansky of Flying Pen Press mentioned that he was looking for Steampunk novels. I told him about an idea I had for a Wild West/Steampunk novel and he asked me to send the first three chapters and an outline. I promptly sent those in and he said he would like to see the novel once it was completed. I spent much of 2010 working on the novel I titled Owl Dance. I submitted it to Flying Pen Press just before Christmas. A few days ago, I received word of the novel's acceptance for the new Steampunk & Co. imprint of Flying Pen Press. We're now in the process of negotiating the contract. Hopefully, I'll have more information soon.

Wild Wild West Con

I am honored to be a guest at the very first Wild Wild West Con in Tucson, Arizona. It will be held March 4-6, 2011 at Old Tucson Studios. This looks like a fun event. Literary guests include Cherie Priest, Nick Valentino, Theresa Meyers and more. Musical guests include Abney Park, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, The Dusky Busters, and Veronique Chevalier. As of this writing, I don't have my schedule for the event, but I gather I will be reading, giving a presentation on Victorian-era astronomy, and likely much more. There's a lot more going on at this event than I can do justice for here. Check out the event's website at: http://wildwildwestcon.com

Bad-Ass Faeries 3 at Preditors and Editors

Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory, which includes my story "Amazons and Predators", was a top-ten finalist for Best Anthology in the Preditors and Editors Reader's poll. Congratulations to the editors and all my fellow authors!

Tales of the Talisman

As all of this has been going on, I've also been working on Tales of the Talisman magazine. The winter issue is running behind, but it has been printed and is on its way to me as of this writing. I hope to ship copies out to subscribers and contributors later this week. Also, we're nearing the end of our winter reading period. We have some great short-listed stories and I still have more to read. At this point, I plan to close to submissions on February 15 and I hope to have final decisions for pending stories by March 15 (plus or minus a few days depending on my work schedule and how beat I am in the aftermath of Wild Wild West Con!)