David Lee Summers's Blog, page 126

Special Offer from Science Fiction Trails

David B. Riley of Science Fiction Trails Publications is making a very special offer. For the very low price of $15.00 and free shipping you can get both Six-Guns Straight From Hell and Science Fiction Trails #6. The offer expires February 28, 2011.

The former is a first rate anthology including my story "A Specter in the Light". The latter includes my story "The Pirates of Baja". Moreover, you'll get great stories from the likes of Lee Clark Zumpe, Laura Givens, Nicole Givens Kurtz, David Boop and James R. Strickland.

To take advantage of the offer, go to: http://www.sciencefictiontrails.com/custom3.html

Call for Faerie Lore Submissions

I received this from Danielle Ackley-McPhail, one of the editors of the Bad-Ass Faeries series. Although it's a "for the love" project, it sounds like it could be more if it generates sufficient interest. Either way, it could be fun to see what people present about different types of fae from around the world.

DLS

Call for Submissions

Venue: The Bad-Ass Faeries Blog and Website

Pay: by-line only* (this is a joint promotional effort and not for profit in any regard)

Deadline: None

Word Count: 1000 to 3000 words (word limit strictly enforced)

The BAFB&W is looking for short articles about various Bad-Ass Faeries in world mythology. We are not looking for quiet, unprepossessing faeries, but those with attitude. Mischievous, Malevolent, Warlike. They don't have to be bad, but they have to be Bad-Ass. Articles should focus on specific types of faeries from existing myth and legend. It can be a profile of a specific type of faerie from one ethnic tradition, or a comparison of similar types of faeries across cultures, such as contrasting Loki with Coyote and other tricksters. Please provide confirmable sources of a reputable nature. Usage in games and fiction can be mentioned–are, in fact, desired–but should not be the primary source unless that is the specific focus of the article. Articles should be entertaining, enjoyable and well-written, but not dry and scholarly. Think of this as faeries for the everyman.

Articles will appear first on the blog, with the author being notified when it has posted, and then will be compiled into a faerie glossary resident on the Bad-Ass Faeries website.

Submissions can be sent to greenfirephoenix[at]aol[dot]com (replace the at and dot with the appropriate characters). Queries encouraged to minimize overlap of specific faeries.

*If sufficient interest and material is received we will consider pursuing publication, in which case, terms will be negotiated with all of those participating.

Call for Artists

Venue: The Bad-Ass Faeries Blog and Website

Pay: art credit only* (this is a joint promotional effort and not for profit in any regard)

Deadline: None

Artists needed to provide simple illustrations of bad-ass faeries to accompany faerie profiles on the BAFB&W. Artwork will be protected to avoid viewer download, it can be color or black and white and should be of a specific type of bad-ass faerie from world mythology. Art needs to be provided in both web- and print-resolution. Query for specific faerie articles needing artwork.

Submissions can be sent to greenfirephoenix[at]aol[dot]com (You know the drill – replace the at and the dot with the appropriate characters). Queries encouraged to minimize overlap of specific faeries.

*If sufficient interest and material is received we will consider pursuing publication, in which case, terms will be negotiated with all of those participating.

2010 Blog Stats

WordPress sent a compilation of my blog statistics for 2010. There were some interesting numbers here and mostly I just wanted to say "thanks" to everyone who dropped by in 2010 and hope people will enjoy what I have to say in 2011 as well. Happy New Year!

DLS

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here's a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,300 times in 2010. That's about 6 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 38 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 59 posts. There were 11 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 4mb. That's about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was April 13th with 64 views. The most popular post that day was Cover – In All Their Glory.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, talesofthetalisman.com, networkedblogs.com, twitter.com, and zianet.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for david lee summers, coppercon 30, coppercon, six guns straight from hell, and enterprise bridge.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Cover – In All Their Glory April 2010

2

Completing the Enterprise Bridge May 2010
18 comments

3

Space Horrors Sneak Peak May 2010
1 comment

4

CopperCon 30 Schedule July 2010

5

Book Giveaway April 2010
10 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

Free Fae for the Holidays!

Just in time for the holidays, two free stories and a poem have been posted on the freebies page of the Bad-Ass Faeries website. (Just click the link and you'll be taken there!) You'll find bad-ass faerie stories by Bernie Mojzes and C.S. Haviland and a poem about the Amazon Fae by yours truly. They're in PDF format and may be downloaded for your reading leisure. A little further down the page, you can also download some cool desktop backgrounds for your computer.

I hope this holiday season finds you well and the new year brings you good health and much happiness.

Science Fiction Trails #6

My contributor copies of Science Fiction Trails #6 arrived at the house today. Unfortunately, I'm at Kitt Peak this week and won't get to hold them in my hot little hands for a few days. Still, I've been looking forward to seeing this issue. It features my Western/Steampunk story "The Pirates of Baja".

For those who have been following my progress on the novel Owl Dance and are curious about it, this story offers you a sneak peak. Not only is this a standalone short story, it's also chapter 8 of the novel. In the story, Ramon Morales and Fatemeh Karimi find themselves looking for work in Los Angeles in 1877. Ramon finds a job as a gunslinger aboard a ship hunting pirates. Of course, Fatemeh isn't likely to allow Ramon to have all the fun.

The story was inspired after I read Walter James Miller's and Frederick Paul Walter's wonderful translation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea published by the Naval Institute Press. After rediscovering Verne's classic, I looked up real submarines of the period and learned about a Spanish submarine called the Ictineo II invented by Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol. In many ways, the real submarine Ictineo II was superior to Verne's Nautilus. Among other things, the Ictineo II used a chemical reaction engine that produced oxygen. No other submarine like it was built until World War II. In the story, the pirates have built a submarine much like the Ictineo II and use it in their raids.

In addition to my story, you'll also find stories by Lee Clark Zumpe, Laura Givens, James R. Strickland and many more. I'm looking forward to reading my copy and hope you'll take a look at the issue as well. I've enjoyed every issue I've read of Science Fiction Trails. Copies are available at Amazon.com and direct from the publisher at ScienceFictionTrails.com.

Mocha Memoirs Press

I wanted to take a moment and let you know about a new ebook publisher that's starting up. Mocha Memoirs Press is a venture of Nicole Givens Kurtz. I've known Nicole for a number of years and I've published her stories in Tales of the Talisman magazine. If you haven't already, you should definitely check out her Cybil Lewis science fiction detective series. The first book is Silenced and the second book is Cozened.

So here's the scoop. Mocha Memoirs Press is seeking submissions for their official launch in January 2011 and for early spring 2011.

Mocha Memoirs Press, LLC is a new electronic publishing company that seeks to add new flavors to the realms of speculative fiction and romance. Their primary website will go live January 2011, but they're actively seeking submissions to add to their catalog before the launch. They're inviting authors to submit works of 8k words and higher for possible publication in the catalog.

Mocha Memoirs Press, LLC wants to see titles that include excellent writing, superior storytelling, and fantastic creativity. They want their readers to lose themselves in the worlds the authors have created, and to care about the characters populating those worlds. Moreover, they'd like to see ethnic diversity in stories as well.

They are currently looking for titles in the following genres: horror, science fiction, fantasy, and romance. They're most excited about seeing stories in the subgenres of cyberpunk, steampunk, near-future sf, and space opera.

Mocha Memoirs Press will publish paranormal romance, science fiction romance, fantasy romance, and dark fantasy romance. They'd like to see submissions in those areas as well. Their interracial romance titles have been very successful, so feel free submit those also.

Please keep in mind that although a new company, Mocha Memoirs Press is by no means accepting every submission or submissions that are poorly edited, offensive, crude, or sloppy. Please only submit your absolute best work. As a publisher, they'll make sure you get the best from them in return. They have over 12 years of electronic publishing experience; so please don't submit low quality or unprofessional work.

To submit your work to Mocha Memoirs Press, submit a cover letter, completed novel and synopsis/marketing history to mochamemoirspress (at) gmail.com. Remove the spaces and use the @ symbol in place of (at).

Keep up to date with the press at: http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.com/

David's 2010 Books

A Retrospective and Buyer's Guide

2010 has been a good year for me.  Five anthologies containing my stories have come out.  Also, for those people who have been waiting for more of the Scarlet Order vampires, the wait is finally over.  The first part of the Dragon's Fall novella series, which tells the story of the Scarlet Order's origin, has just been released.

Principally, I mean this post to be a recap of those places I have been published this year.  If you follow this blog regularly, you'll probably know about some of these books already.  Others may be new to you because either they're just out or they came out when I was busy moving this summer.

I present this retrospective as a "buyer's guide" because  it's the holiday season, and I hope you'll consider giving one or more of these books as gifts, or perhaps you'll treat yourself to one. Remember, if you click on "David's Library" to the right you can find all of my books that are in print.

If you're on Goodreads or Shelfari, please consider adding at least one of these books to your "To read" shelf, even if you don't buy right now.  It'll remind you about it later and your support is much appreciated.

One of the things that's kind of interesting about this list is how it relates to a question I'm frequently asked: "What genre do you write?" After looking over this list, I think you'll see why that's not always a simple question to answer!

Without further ado, let's begin with the newest book first…

For Paranormal Romance/Vampire fans:

Dragon's Fall is a five-novella series based on my novel, Vampires of the Scarlet Order. Together these paranormal romances will create a complete story that begins in ancient Greece and culminates in 15th century Transylvania.

I decided to publish this under the name "D.L. Summers" for two reasons. First, I didn't want new readers to come to the series and "hear" the writer. I wanted them to hear the characters. (Those of you who know me are probably stuck hearing my voice no matter what!) Second, while most of my works are fine for all ages, this one definitely is not. This is a book for adults only! Still, I didn't want a pseudonym that was so different from my own name that it would confuse people who were already fans of the Scarlet Order vampires.

Bondage, the first book in the series, is set in Hellenistic Athens and tells the story of the slave Alexandra. Sold to Theron, a mysterious banker, she wonders about her new master who is never seen during the day. As time goes on, she notices that slaves called upon to serve Theron in his chamber in the night do not return the next morning.

When Alexandra's turn comes, she learns Theron is a vampire who binds his slaves, takes his pleasure with them, then drinks their blood. She refuses to be a victim, but as she fights his embrace, Alexandra ingests some of Theron's blood. Now a vampire herself, she becomes Theron's concubine. Yet even as she learns the ways of the vampire, Alexandra yearns for freedom…

Learn more and buy a copy at the publisher's website.
To get updates on all of the Dragon's Fall novellas, follow the blog http://dlsummers.wordpress.com.

For Science Fiction Fans:

Some storytellers use the distant future as the setting to make fantastic extrapolations and to explore compelling ideas. In this volume, however, the writers look forward a mere decade and present stunning scenarios, reveal exciting possibilities and warn against the harrowing pitfalls that may lie just a few steps ahead of us. What will life be like ten years from now? Sixteen extraordinary writers offer their own mind-bending answers to that question, their spectacular 2020 Visions…

Learn more at the publisher's website.
The book is available at Amazon.com.

For Horror Fans:

Space Horrors is the fourth anthology of the Full-Throttle Space Tales series. It contains seventeen blood-chilling tales of vampires and ghouls in space, by established and rising-star authors.

I've spoken at some length about the book here at the Web Journal and hosted guest blogs by most of the authors. One way to learn more about all the great stuff in this book is simply to browse the posts in this journal back to September or so.

Learn more or buy the book at the publisher's website.
Buy the book at Amazon.com.

For Stampunk & Weird Western Fans:

Vampires robbing banks; a Werewolf Sheriff; Newfangled electric Zombies; Alchemists enslaving vampires; Ghosts posing for portraits. The west was never this wild. Saddle up for an adventure through a collection of horror and dark fantasy tales that will keep you turning the pages, though you might keep one eye peeled for any severed heads that might be rolling your way.

Learn more at the publisher's website.
Buy the book at Amazon.com.

For Speculative Poetry Fans:

I was very honored this year to be nominated for the 2010 Rhysling Award. The Rhysling Award is presented to the best speculative poem in a given year. There are two categories. One for poems under 50 lines and one for poems 50 lines and over. This year's Rhysling nominees included such people as Neil Gaiman, Bruce Boston, G.O. Clark and many more. If you know someone who likes both poetry and science fiction, it would be hard to go wrong with this book that presents the best speculative poetry of 2010.

Learn more about the Rhysling Award.
See the anthology's Table of Contents.
Buy the anthology at Amazon.com.

For Urban Fantasy Fans:

Think all faeries spend their days picking flowers and dancing in circles? Think again! We bring you tales of urban conflict, of lurking assassins, of defenders of the home front. Eternal battles…between good and evil, right and wrong, Seelie and Unseelie…fought by timeless warriors whose battle cries echo throughout both history and legend. Discover fae fighting the good fight with every turned page. A WAC pilot and her leprechaun guardian get a bit of their own back in L. Jagi Lamplighter's A Not-So-Silent Night. Refugee recruits from Daemor defend the base camp from gators and mongers in Patrick Thomas's The Size of the Fight in the Solider. Elaine Corvidae treats us to a new glimpse of the realm of the Shadow Fae as an assassin stalks Pook, the Unseelie king on the Seelie throne, in Field of Honor. And in David Sherman's The Price of Friendship a simple Nix gives Viking warriors a lesson in unconventional warfare. Each story in this collection follows a fine warrior-and fae-tradition. Protect your own, avenge your fallen, and put the bullies in their place. So get ready to declare your allegiance, because… By Land, Air, or Sea, the battle lines are drawn… Which side are you on?

Learn more about this book at the publisher's website.
Buy the book at Amazon.com.

Catalysts and Dogmas

Taking a look at "Amazons and Predators"

As both an editor and a writer, I'm often concerned with the question of what constitutes a story and what makes a story good. As a reader, the answer is fairly simple, if it entertains me without driving me crazy in some way, and gives me something to ponder, I'm pretty happy.

A little over a year ago, Danielle Ackley-McPhail invited me to submit a story to an anthology called Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory. The theme of the anthology is Military fae and she suggested I write something about Amazon fae. I'll address my approach to creating "Amazon fae" at another time. However, the theme dovetailed with some of my own questions about the United States' involvement in Afghanistan, what it means to the world at large, and the nature of warfare itself.

Sitting on panels at science fiction conventions, I have heard an idea posed almost as dogma. The idea is that a story must be deeply involved with character and it must involve a major change in one of the characters. Now, I think its great when a story does that, but I don't believe it's a fundamental requirement. An example of a type of story that doesn't do that is a parable. A story-parable is meant to be a catalyst for thought. It's meant to present ideas that you can learn from. "Amazons and Predators" is not a parable, but it is meant to be a catalyst for thought.

One question that I pose in the story is whether the United States' involvement in Afghanistan is really a war of liberation or if it's really an act of revenge for the actions of terrorists on September 11, 2001. I don't pretend to have an answer to such a charged question and I don't try to suggest an answer. I only present the idea that it might be such for at least some people.

Another thing I have heard presented as virtual dogma is that warfare is at some level the result of male sexuality. It's hard to miss the idea that guns are no more than phallic symbols. However, I find myself wondering if it's really limited to male sexuality. I think sexuality tends to drive us all a little crazy at some point in our lives, and that sometimes results in aggression, whether you're male or female. Perhaps that's not surprising. Who we mate with and why defines who our descendants will be. Whether you're male or female, the ability to control that choice is important. Again, though, this is something of a charged issue. The person who deals with this in the story is a faery. She's not bound by human rules. I don't suggest that the choices she makes are human choices. However, if my story serves as a catalyst to make you consider human choices, I've done my job.

What happens when a group of outsiders is caught up in a conflict? This is one area that was weak in the story's first draft, and I have to credit editor Jeff Lyman for helping me bolster this part of the story. The answer I suggest is that the people in the middle don't care about one side or the other. They only care that they were caught up in an unwanted conflict and want the fight to stop. Perhaps there's no surprise that no one wants to be caught in the middle of a fight, but I do find it interesting that people are sometimes caught off guard when those people in the middle suddenly lash out at the attackers.

Now because this story is set during the present day and because it questions some of these fundamental issues, I will not be surprised if "Amazons and Predators" annoys or offends some people. By itself, that's not a measure of the story's success or failure for me. If the story entertained you enough to take the questions seriously and think about them, then I'll have succeeded. If you come away saying "Summers is full of it", then so be it. It's not my objective to win you over to a point of view with this story. It's merely to get you thinking about some things that we take for granted. After all, isn't that one of the things fairy tales are for?

There's a lot more than my story in Bad-Ass Faeries 3. There are great stories by L. Jagi Lamplighter, Patrick Thomas, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeffrey Lyman and a host of others. I hope you'll check out the anthology and feel free to drop me a note letting me know your thoughts on some of the issues raised by my story. To learn more about the anthology, go to: http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Bad-Ass+Faeries+3:+In+All+Their+Glory

TusCon Schedule

TusCon in Tucson, Arizona is fast approaching and, as always, I'm looking forward to it. The convention will be held November 12, 13 and 14 at the Hotel Tucson City Center. The guests of honor are Jim and Sharon Butcher. Fan guests of honor are Bjo and Jim Trimble. For more information about the convention visit TusCon's website at http://www.tusconscificon.com/

I have a busy schedule of panels this year. Here's where you can find me over the course of the convention:

Friday, November 12
5:00pm in the St. Augustine room: All that glitters: Are vampires the new angels?
6:00pm in the St. Augustine room: Urban fantasy vs. paranormal romance: Whose genre is it, anyway?
Saturday, November 13
1:00pm in the St. Augustine room: Guerrilla Publishing: self promotion, serializing online, traditional vs. alternative paths
5:00pm in the Silver room: When Victoria went bad: What is Steampunk?
6:00pm in the Garden: I'll be reading a selection from recently published stories.
Sunday, November 14
10:00am in the St. Augustine room: E-books: Is traditional publishing in decline?
2:00pm in the St. Augustine room: Surviving the next Zombie Apocalypse

When I'm not on a panel, it's likely you'll find me at the Hadrosaur Productions table in the dealer's room. Also, there will be a meeting for Wild Wild West Con at 9am on Saturday. I definitely plan to be there.

TusCon falls on my birthday this year (it often seems to!) As it turns out, I share a birthday with my fellow book dealer, Marty Massoglia. So, Marty and I along with our lovely wives will be hosting a party on Saturday night at TusCon.

If you're in Tucson the weekend of November 12, 13, and 14, I hope you'll drop in and say "hi!"

EPIC Finalist and Givens Interviewed

I just learned this morning that Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory with my story "Amazons and Predators" was named a finalist for the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Anthology. To learn more about the anthology, drop by the Mundania Press page for the anthology or