Jennifer Brozek's Blog, page 70

2012 New Year's Eve Wish

May you find your muse and be inspired well.
May you work hard even when your muse deserts you.
May you create what you dream and dream what you create.
May the act of creation be easy and be hard.
May you be inspired by what you make.
And may what you make inspire others to create.

Writing Past and Future

I don't really make New Year's Eve resolutions anymore. I just keep on writing. I set my goals and keep on keeping on. This year, I met or exceeded every single one of my goals. Goals are a good thing to have.

Short Story Submissions
Goal: 12+
Actual: 22
Results: 8 acceptances, 11 rejections, 3 unknown.

New Short Stories Written
Goal: 12+
Actual: 14

New Novels/Novellas Written
Goal: 1+
Actual: 2 (One novella—sold, One novel—in edits)

New RPG Assignments Completed
Goal: 6+
Actual: 8


Let's see what was published this year:
Columns: 2 – Dice & Deadlines, The Making of an Anthology
Short stories: 9 – 2 reprints, 7 originals
Books: 1 – Shanghai Vampocalypse hard copy
Anthologies edited: 5 – Beauty Has Her Way, Human Tales, Beast Within 2, Space Tramps, Human for a Day.

Already on tap for publication in 2012:
Four short stories
One novella
Three PDF RPG settings
One RPG book
Two articles
One new column


Next year my writing goals a little different. I am shifting from short form writing to long form writing. What I want to do next year is to finish up the two RPG contracts I have, edit the novel I've written, stay on top of the non-fiction column I am writing for Apex Publications, and to write two or three novels in a series. Plus, I want to edit at least two anthologies.

If I do all that, I will write between 250,000 and 300,000 words. We will see how far I get. I am a determined woman and you all know now I can get when I'm determined.

New Cover

The Lady of Seeking in the City of Waiting. Click the image for a larger version. The cover art is by Shane Tyree. The cover design is by Danielle McPhail. I am still winning the cover game.

Plus, for Christmas, I got my galleys of the novella. That's what I'm working on now. Soon it will be out.

The End of TEoP

I have just published the last issue of the Edge of Propinquity , issue 72. For six years I have published this magazine of free fiction on time every time (for the most part) through travel, cranky electricity, late authors, and occasional malaise. For a "one year" project, I think I did pretty damn good. I am proud of what I produced.

I have to thank Amber Clark of Stopped Motion Photography—my webmistress and staff photographer—for her tireless work and immediate response to any problem. I also have to thank universe author Ivan Ewert for sticking with me through the six years of publication. Rick Silva was with me for five years. Jim Sullivan for three years. Nick Bergeron for two years. And Ryan Macklin, Seanan McGuire, Kaoline Fire, Peter M. Ball and Alina Pete for one year each.

Producing TEoP was not easy but I loved it. Until I didn't. That was when I realized that it was time to bring this project to a close and work on something new. Knowing when to move on is the best thing a project manager can do for the project. So, the magazine is at an end but the Edge of Propinquity will be around for a while longer.

First, many of the universe story archives will stay around. The guest author stories from 2011 will remain in the archives until the end of 2012. Second, I have intentions of creating a Best of the Edge of Propinquity anthology from the six years of guest author stories.

I have several projects in the works coming up. Some of it involves old TEoP authors. Some of it is just me. I'm looking forward to all of it.

Right now, I don't miss the Edge of Propinquity. I just finished publishing the last issue. It won't be until well into 2012 when I realize that I don't have to work on it any more that I will miss it. Right now, I just feel relief, the promise of future projects, and the potential of the blank page.

The Edge of Propinquity - Issue 72

Issue 72: December 2011
Welcome to issue 72 of the Edge of Propinquity. This is the final issue of the webzine. Originally, TEoP was supposed to be a one year project. It grew beyond that and I am so proud of what I have created here. But it is time to say good-bye. After six years, I have decided to move on to a new long term project. I will post about that when things are ready.

I hope you enjoy this final issue of the Edge of Propinquity. In this final month we have the loss of a loved one, a new hero rising, the end of a fight, an awakening and the realization that life really isn't that bad after all.

Credencium - The Dream Collapses - by Kaolin Fire AKA kaolinfire
Flotsam - Aftermath - by Peter M. Ball AKA petermball
Idolwood - Silent Nights - by Ivan Ewert AKA ivan23
The Ones Who Call - As Long as the River Flows - By Alina Pete
Guest Story - The Final Seal: Dante Collins Versus the End of the World - By Erik Scott de Bie AKA eriksdb

Have you ever looked over the edge and seen something looking back at you?

Sincerely,
Jennifer Brozek
Editor, The Edge of Propinquity
http://www.edgeofpropinquity.net/default.asp

New Review

A lovely new review By Aaron T. Huss of Colonial Gothic: Elizabethtown published by Rogue Games. 9 out of 10 over all from Roleplayers Chronicle.

Happy Birthday to Me

It's my birthday! Yay me! I've opened gifts from my family and my husband. Everyone knocked it out of the park. Mom and Dad got me an Amazon gift card which netted me six new books. Shannon and John got me custom made notepads with my picture and "A Word From Jennifer" on them as well as a custom made calendar that includes family photos and all of the birthdays and anniversaries for that side of the family. It was really cool. I love that kind of thing.

Jeff was a sneaky person and wouldn't tell me any hints at all. Plus, I've come to learn that he will obfuscate the gift in different boxes. This year, he put it in a large box, wrapped in a smaller box, and weighted it down with eight books. The gift? A set of black pearl earrings. They are gorgeous! And I would never have guessed.

Another gift to me is the fact that Human for a Day is featured today on John Scalzi's The Big Idea. This is huge and lovely and I really like what I wrote about the anthology. I appreciate that John has big and small press in his Big Idea column. This is my first anthology with a big six publisher and I really want to do more. It also amuses me that it did come out on my birthday. Almost like John is giving me an extra special gift.

I've only found one review of Human for a Day that I can find. It is a review by The Maine Edge staff writer Allen Adams and he likes it. That makes me happy.

This has been a fabulous birthday so far and I have a party scheduled for tonight.

Surprise compliment is sincerely appreciated.

seanan_mcguire complimented me in this morning's post. I was surprised and so pleased.

7. You know what? Seriously, go pick up Human For a Day. It's my good friend Jennifer's first editorial job with a big six publisher, and I really want her to be able to do more of these, because she really does a fantastic job. She brings a degree of integrity and focus to the table that really shows in the finished product, and I want to see her wind up becoming a name on a level with John Joseph Adams or Ellen Datlow, where anthology construction is concerned.

You know, that is what I want for myself. It is stunning and lovely to hear it from an author I admire and am friends with.

What I Really Want

Happy book release day to me! Yay! Human for a Day has been released! Yesterday I posted about what this means to me. I am happy dancing today. Also, a number of people asked me what I wanted for my birthday.

Honestly, what I really want is for people to buy my books and send me photos of them, their pets, their fabric friends and/or their plants with my books. Keep the books or give them as gifts. That really is the best gift you can give me. Email me your pictures at gaaneden at gmail dot com.

Here's some of the books you can buy.






Human for a Day, anthology, DAW, December 2011. Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Finding Home: Community in Apocalyptic Worlds, anthology, Timid Pirate, December 2011. Amazon | GoodReads

Space Tramps, anthology, Flying Pen Press, September 2011. Amazon | Flying Pen Press

Beast Within 2: Predator & Prey, anthology, Graveside Tales, July 2011. Amazon | Graveside Books

Human Tales, anthology, Dark Quest Books, March 2011. Amazon | Dark Quest Books

Beauty Has Her Way, anthology, Dark Quest Books, January 2011. Amazon | Dark Quest Books Store

In a Gilded Light: 105 Tales of the Macabre, Dark speculative fiction collection, Dark Quest Books, July 2010. Amazon | Dark Quest Books Store

The Little Finance Book That Could, Non-fiction finance book on becoming debt free, Lean Marketing Press, June 2010. Amazon

Close Enounters of the Urban Kind, anthology, Apex Publications, April 2010. Apex Book Store

Grants Pass, anthology, Morrigan Books, August 2009. Amazon | Kindle

If you would rather give me something more tangible than a photo, here are my Amazon and ThinkGeek lists:
Amazon Wishlist
ThinkGeek Wishlist

Finally...
Goodreads Book Giveaway for Human for a Day

Final article in the "Making of an Anthology" series

It is over at the Apex Book Company blog - http://www.apexbookcompany.com/blogs/blog/4806522-making-of-an-anthology-part-9-after-the-anthology-manuscript-is-turned-in