StarShipSofa has posted a podcast of my story from Federations, “The Culture Archivist.” Ray Sizemore did a great job on the narration, I thought.
This is my take on what if the Star Trek Federation were actually capitalist bastards. With a little AI lolcat humor mixed in here and there. Take a listen.
It was a very tough decision to make, but I felt that C. S. Inman’s questions about decision-making in writing which I answered on Wednesday was my favorite question I received. Everyone had fantastic questions, and Each day this week, I’ll be answering a different one of them. So if I haven’t addressed your question yet, stay tuned. I am working my way through them this week.
Thanks again to everyone who participated. I really appreciate your help in giving me writing prompts. If there’s ever anything you want to hear my thoughts on via the blog, don’t hesitate to ask. As I refocus on my freelancing and writing, I intend to provide high-quality content post each day. And maybe some photos again soon too. I know some of you will be happy to see them return.
It’s been hard to get much photography done, actually. I’m trying to use as little unemployment as I can by getting freelance jobs instead. I’ve a surprising number of people asking me about my services, and every single one of them was referred to me by someone who read this blog, or was themselves someone who read my blog or Twitter. So thank you if you have been recommending my services. It means a lot to me, and if there’s ever anything I can do in return, please let me know.
I hope you’ve all had a good weekend. Monday’s regular content post will be up shortly.
The anthology of Federations science fiction, aptly named Federations and edited by anthologist wunderkind John Joseph Adams is now available for preorder. Come on, you know you want it. You can order it on Amazon and probably some other places too.
Would you like to read my story, “The Culture Archivist?” Well, um, how about stories by James Alan Gardner or Genevieve Valentine? Head on over to the Federations website for your pick of the free stories. I believe that my story will be podcast on Starship Sofa around the time of the release as well.
I’m fairly happy with my story. I hope you will be too. And even if you’re not, hey, it’s free! You can’t lose! And if you like it, buy the book and support good short fiction outside of the pages of magazines. I’ll owe you one. Check out the rocking cover!
Federations | John Joseph Adams.
John has posted the table of contents to Federations, the anthology to which I have made my latest sale. Excuse me while I get a little starstruck and nostalgic.
The first author I ever shared with my father was also my first science fiction author. When I was around 8 or 9, I stumbled across a little book in my grade school library called Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery. To this day, it is one of less than half a dozen books I have read more than once, an honor I reserve only for the most important titles in my life or, books I had to read for more than one class through my long education. One of the first books I ever bought with my own money was an omnibus of the Dragonriders trilogy. The first (and as far as I know, only) fan letter I wrote as a child was to Anne McCaffery. I think she even wrote back.
My Dad and I read every single McCaffery book she published, pretty much. She was one of those authors who the library system managed to get new books for, oddly enough. Whereas I was mostly stuck reading Golden Age SF in the bowels of the local library (literally, the SF section was in the basement, in the back corner), the new books shelf seemed to always have a McCaffery.
My Dad and I didn’t talk SF very much, but most of the time we did, it was regarding the latest McCaffery book. We had long discussions when [spoilers] Pern turned out to be a lost human colony of space farers. [/spoilers] Later books, I haven’t been on top of. Since her son started writing them, I haven’t read them, not because of any reason other than lack of time, and well, nobody to talk about them with.
In one of the last conversations I had with my Dad, when he was in the hospital the day we learned that he wasn’t going to get any better and that it was time was hospice care (a medical term meaining ‘give up and die gracefully’), I signed a copy of All Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories for him, telling him that he could beat the cancer like a pulp hero beats up Nazis. He stood up, all 90-some pounds of what was left of him, and gave me the strongest hug I think he ever gave me and he said, “I’m proud of you son.” I must have acted surprised because he said, “I’ve always been proud of you.”
That was probably the most emotional moment of my life, and will remain so for a very long time. At least until I get to tell my own child the same thing,
Today, I feel like I earned that pride a little more, and I know that if he were here, he would be as excited about me being in this book as I am.
My story “Groob’s Stupid Grubs,” a story of a goblin’s hopes for his idiot children, is available in Black Gate 15.
I recently finished the first draft of a YA novel called Takedown Notice set in the net-mage universe of my stories “Captain Blood’s B00ty” and “One Click Banishment.” What happens when the Magical Association of Atlantis finally gets the upper hand against the net mages in the spell program copyfight?
