This is amazing

In the course of researching "Video Killed the Radio Star", I found this BLUEGRASS version, done by a GERMAN group of country music fans, Handsome Hank and the Lonesome Boys. I am very, very, impressed.

All together now...

Well, to mark the upcoming publication of the story "Video Killed the Radio Star" by Apehelion...

False alarm, good news

In case you didn't know, all those pessimistic reports about Forrest Ackerman proved to be premature. Although he is very weak, he has not passed away. The reports were so widespread that Locus On-line actually posted an item about his death, and then had to apologize. So far, he is still with us.

Publication date set

The serials editor at Apehelion, McCamy Taylor, sends news that "Video Killed the Radio Star" will be published in December.

Still don't know when a publication date will be set for "The Silver Dollar Saucer" at Ray Gun Revival.

I got back "When Hell's Bill Comes Due" from Andromeda Spaceways. The slush reader said, "Sorry, I liked the idea and it wasn't badly written, it even felt like one of those old-fashioned stories of the SF golden age."

But then the criticisms come in - some of which actually may be helpful. One thing that is baffling about this story is that - and slush reader saw this too - I've had trouble catching typos in this story. I may have to run a copy off and read it out loud to nab them. I used to do a reading of each story to my wife when I was done, but I've skipped that for probably the last three or four years. I may start that again.

Got back "Dispatches from The Troubles" from GVG. I dropped it in the mail to Sheila. She's got a nice fat Tuckerization in the story, anyway. Strangely enough, as the story went along - and you writers know how sometimes the plot and characters take on a life of their own and you the author need to get out of the way - the character plays a small but poignant role towards the end of the story that literally came out of nowhere.

On the subject of "Dispatches from The Troubles", I caught an episode of "The Simpsons" tonight that started with a St. Patrick's Day parade of Catholic Irishmen clashing with a bunch of Protestant marchers in downtown Springfield. It started to get goofy when the green leprechaun began duking it out with the orange leprechaun, but I did a spit take when the Hulk began fighting with the Thing.

Video Killed the Radio Star

"Video Killed the Radio Star" will be my 40th publication - not counting a few short stories I self-published in Sentinel science fiction in 2007.

As I said before, it's a monologue, and very much a Texas secret history. The title comes from the fact the story is a flashback to events in 1979. It has what I consider one of my best lines, and a piece of business very much in keeping with the spirit of secret history:

"I bet you didn't know Three Mile Island wasn't the worst nuclear accident in history. Actually, it wasn't even the worst accident in 1979..."

Because of its length, between 8,000 and 9,000 words, it will have to be published as a serial. I think it's the first novelette I've ever had published.

Another sale

Just got word via email that Aphelion ezine will take my story "Video Killed the Radio Star". It's a novellette, secret history, set in Texas, and a monologue.

Sound familiar?

Sad news

The news is all over the discussion boards and groups that Forest J. Ackerman, the No. 1 s-f fan in history, is suffering from pneumonia and also had a heart attack. Mr. Ackerman is 92, I believe, so this kind of news is hardly unexpected, but still, he remains one of the last links to the golden era. This is the guy who wore a costume modeled from "The Shape of Things to Come" at the first world con in New York in 1939. Wow.