A death in the family

The science fiction world was stunned today to learn of the death of Charles N. Brown, the founder and publisher of the trade journal Locus. He died in his sleep while returning to California from the Readercon convention in Massachusetts. Apparently some confidants were told overnight, and then at noon today the publication posted this information on its web site:

#

Locus publisher, editor, and co-founder Charles N. Brown, 72, died peacefully in his sleep July 12, 2009 on his way home from Readercon.

Charles Nikki Brown was born June 24, 1937 in Brooklyn NY, where he grew up. He attended the City College of New York, taking time off from 1956-59 to serve in the US Navy, and finished his degree (BS in physics and engineering) at night on the GI Bill while working as a junior engineer in the '60s. He married twice, to Marsha Elkin (1962-69), who helped him start Locus, and to Dena Benatan (1970-77), who co-edited Locus for many years while he worked full time. He moved to San Francisco in 1972, working as a nuclear engineer until becoming a full-time SF editor in 1975. The Locus offices have been in Brown's home in the Oakland hills since 1973.

Brown co-founded Locus with Ed Meskys and Dave Vanderwerf as a one-sheet news fanzine in 1968, originally created to help the Boston Science Fiction Group win its Worldcon bid. Brown enjoyed editing Locus so much that he continued the magazine far beyond its original planned one-year run. Locus was nominated for its first Hugo Award in 1970, and Brown was a best fan writer nominee the same year. Locus won the first of its 29 Hugos in 1971.

During Brown's long and illustrious career he was the first book reviewer for Asimov's; wrote the Best of the Year summary for Terry Carr's annual anthologies (1975-87); wrote numerous magazines and newspapers; edited several SF anthologies; appeared on countless convention panels; was a frequent Guest of Honor, speaker, and judge at writers' seminars; and has been a jury member for various major SF awards.

As per his wishes, Locus will continue to publish, with executive editor Liza Groen Trombi taking over as editor-in-chief with the August 2009 issue.

A complete obituary with tributes and a photo retrospective will appear in the August issue.

Tuckerization

You know, "Dispatches from the Troubles" has the most overt Tuckerization I've ever done. I named the Police Commissioner for the American-Irish Republic "Guillermo Ledbetter" in tribute to my friend Bill Ledbetter.

I'm up to 2,700 words on my latest AH story, "Desarallo Separado" ('Separate Development' in Spanish) which is set in the future after the U.S. loses control of Texas and a racist redneck regime imposes "Texpartheid" on the Mexican majority.

The latest

Mailed off my latest, "Black Hats and Blackberrys" today, also dropped a previous story, "Meet Me at the Grassy Knoll" to a place I've never submitted before,the Saturday Evening Post.

I don't think a whole lot is shaking in the genre this week, with the combination of the summer doldrums and Readercon. I checked the temperatures this afternoon between here and Boston - 63 degrees versus 89. No wonder everyone is going to Readercon!

Finishing up

Finished checking manuscript for "Fantastic Texas" and emailed it back to Ian Strock.

Also finished up "Black Hats and Blackberrys." It's fairly short, came in at 2,200 words.

This is the 84th story I've written since 2002.

Proof-checking time

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July.

My main project for the rest of the weekend is to check the manuscript for my Texas-themed short story reprint collection which is going to be printed by Wilder Publications. Editor Ian Randal Strock got it to me a few days ago. I want to get "Fantastic Texas" back to him by Monday.

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

Got word from Adrian Simmons about the launch of a new ezine. Thought I'd give it a plug here. Here is their own description from their web site:

#

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is an ezine dedicated to publishing short works of heroic fantasy. More than that, through both prose and poetry we hope to hearken an older age of storytelling — an age when a story well told enthralled audiences. Traits of great oral storytelling survive the ages to influence treasures of literature, the pulps, radio plays, late-night game sessions, and now Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.

Our favorite storytellers, a few ancient and a few not, deliver action, reaction, and repercussion — and rarely divulge the thought processes that guide a character. These storytellers know that sometimes an audience just wants to see what happens next, that sometimes it’s more interesting to watch a person open a box than to hear about why he or she decided to open it in the first place.

Here’s a little more, then, about what you’ll find inside the HFQ box . . .

As our name suggests, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly isn’t limited to stories about swordsmen or far-traveling adventurers; it’s also about fantastical lands and magicks and creatures — both friend and foe — which together make heroic fantasy tales memorable and distinct from other sorts of stories.

But the tales at HFQ share another quality no less important than any other: our prose starts fast, with an emphasis on action. Be it an exchange of blows or insults, the spurring-on of steed, or the application of poultices to wounds, things happen and happen quickly in the pages of HFQ.

So if you like some sorcery with your sword and the prospect of blood with your poetry, bookmark us (or subscribe via RSS) and look for new issues at the first of July, October, January, and April.

#

Their address is http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/

Another sale

Got the email today that my rewrite of the ending of "Dispatches from The Troubles" was acceptable and so GUD (Greatest Uncommon Denominator) magazine has accepted my story for Spring 2010. I have confirmed my acceptance.

It will be published is Issue No. 6. Issue No. 4 is going out in the mail right now.

GUD is a semi-annual and seems to establishing an excellent reputation for itself. "Painlessness" (from issue No. 2) won 2009 Ditmar Award for Best Novella and 2008 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story; "Night Bird Soaring" (from issue No. 3) up for 2008 Sidewise Award for Best Short-Form Alternate History

"Dispatches" has got to be one of the wackiest alternate histories I've ever done, and it's set down smack dab in South Texas. At over 11,000 words, it is the longest story I've ever written (except for the book, of course).

With Abandoned Towers accepting "Across the Plains" a few days ago (I dropped the contract for them in today's mail), that's two stories already accepted for 2010.