Sunday, June 12, 2016

"Another Girl, Another Planet" moves towards publication

You may recall I inked a contract with WordFire Press in February for my first novel, "Another Girl, Another Planet", thanks to Acquisitions Editor Dave Butler and Publisher Kevin J. Anderson.

My manuscript went to Developmental Editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt, and then back to me for edits and rewrites. I finished those this weekend, and it is back in Bryan's hands.

I believe that, from what I've heard over the years, that editors tend to ask authors to trim verbiage from their works, but Bryan's over-arching observation was that in fact I needed to add description at numerous levels. He pointed out that it was obvious my day job is as a journalist, and that I tended to write too tightly and tersely.

(Even the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction has described my writing style as "spare").

The manuscript I turned in to Bryan this morning was over 13,000 words longer than the first version, and clocks in at 101,555 words. Which for me is enormous. The longest thing I've ever had published previously was a novelette just over 11,000 words.

But I still think it's pretty tight and in keeping with my "swift, convincing narrative style" - again, from the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Like most authors, I can be my own worst critic, but I think I've done good work this time, and you all are going to enjoy it.

Finally, I'd like to note that at noon on Saturday at LibertyCon (July 9) I will be moderating a panel tailor-made for me, and "Another Girl, Another Planet", on "Retro-Futurist Alternate History".

It should be good.

Friday, June 10, 2016

My SoonerCon schedule

I will be guest at SoonerCon 25 in two weeks. Here is my schedule for the weekend:

Reading - 2:00 p.m. - Friday, June 24

Autographs (1 hour) - 11:00 a.m. - Saturday June 25, 2016 - 10 Forward

Fissionable Fiction (M) - The Bomb's impact on all aspects of pop culture: A celebration and a warning!

12:00 p.m. - Saturday June 25 Mann

Tim Frayser, A. Lee Martinez, Tommy B. Smith, Tex Thompson, Joy Ward

Our Wars Are Different: Alternate History Battles - An alternate history look at American warfare beginning with the Revolutionary War through the Cold War.

2:00 p.m. - Saturday June 25 Ballroom D

Jeff Provine, Gorg Huff, Melinda LaFevers, David Weber

Conspiracy Theories (or What's Really Happening) - Are the multiple theories of alien visitations, government cover-ups, and assassinations really there to hide the one true conspiracy theory?
4:00 p.m.Saturday June 25 Mann

Daniel Erickson, Mark Alfred, James K. Burk, Tom Meserole, Joey Rodman

Internet Culture and the Future of Mankind - How will the internet culture of today shape the real-world society of the future? From Reddit, to Anonymous, to hashtags, to potential political revolution, where do we go from here?

11:00 a.m. Sunday June 26 Mann

Travis Nance, Courtney Oliphant, Jeff Provine, Peter Pixie, David Oak Rice

Friday, June 03, 2016

I wish I didn't look so serious when I take a selfie!


OK, I picked up my author's copy of the Decision Points anthology last weekend at ConQuest from Bryan Thomas Schmidt, and it's been deposited on my "Brag Shelf".

It seems I miscounted previously, "The Milky Way Dance Hall" is my 98th short story publication - not 97th - since I started almost 13 years ago in 2003.

It's my third of this year.

Whatever happened to that old Sunbelt?

By LOU ANTONELLI Managing Editor It’s rained almost daily for the past four months. The ground is saturated; walking across grass is lik...