Junior Webmaster Positions at Strange Horizons

We’re looking for Junior Webmasters to join the team at Strange Horizons, to help us with week-to-week maintenance and our exciting redesign and modernization of the site. If you’re interested, please get in contact, or if you know someone who might be interested, please pass the information on. Lastly, of course, if you have any questions about the position, don’t be afraid to ask! Here’s the details:

Strange Horizons is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join the team who keep the website running smoothly.

Applicants should be proficient in HTML, CSS and PHP, and should be comfortable working within Unix-like operating systems. Familiarity with other scripting languages or modern web-based content management systems would be a bonus, but is not required.

In the short-to-medium term the position will require 4-5 hours of work per week wherein successful applicants will participate in both the day-to-day maintenance of the Strange Horizons website, and the ongoing effort to redesign and relaunch it. After this period the position is unlikely to require more than one or two hours of work per week.

If you are interested in applying, please email webmaster@strangehorizons.com with a brief overview of your experience and the following subject line:

WEBMASTER CANDIDATE: your name here.

There’s also a call out for Proofreaders, Poetry Editors and an Articles Editor.

 

Daily Science Fiction Sale…But it Ain’t Fiction

I seem to remember promising, at some point, to keep this blog updated…so, yeah, that hasn’t happened. I really, really promise this time. Really. Anyway:

Delighted to announce that I’ll have a piece of artwork appearing in Daily Science Fiction in either June or July. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I love Daily SF and consider them to be one of the best SF venues out there at the moment. I’m honored and excited to have some work appearing in their (web) pages.

While I do tend to doodle here an there, this piece was the first I’ve ever submitted to…anywhere, so I’m pretty chuffed with that, too. I’ll post a link, of course, once it’s up.

 

Kzine Sale

I’m delighted to announce that my short story, “Brain-Buddy” (science fiction) has been picked up by Kzine. It will be appearing in either issue four (later this year), or issue five (early next year). I’ll post a reminder, of course.

 

Authority Up For Reading

Just a quick note to say that “Authority” (from issue two of Comets and Criminals) is now available to read online…for free! (you should still consider buying the issue, there’s loads of great fiction in there). Anyway, the link:

http://www.cometsandcriminals.com/?page_id=759

I hope you enjoy!

 

Words on Paper Enter Brain

I always feel…relaxed…when I get loads of reading time in, beyond the weekly consumption of short fiction from here, there and everywhere, so December and January, despite being busy, were extremely “relaxing”.

I kicked off December with China Miéville’s Embassytown which I would recommend to anyone anywhere and everyone everywhere; a beautifully weird piece of science fiction from a science fiction author who, arguably, hasn’t actually written all that much science fiction. Like most Miéville novels (for me, at least) I had no idea what was happening for the first few chapters, but it all made perfect sense in the end, and hit every SF funny bone I have. Not quite The City and The City, but then it’s a completely different offering, so I’m hesitant to take a hard stance on which I liked the most. Let me leave it at: Top-tier China Miéville, a million miles removed from the chaotic story-lines of his (still A-grade) earlier novels. Loved it!

Next up was Writers of the Future Vol. 27. As with all WotF anthologies, there were some stories I liked, some I didn’t, and some which completely blew me away. R.P.L. Johnson’s “In Apprehension, How Like a God” was the highlight for me. I think it was lines like, “It was described as a bachelor suite, but looked as clean as my mother’s conscience” which won me over.

Then, one that had been sitting in my “to read” pile for far too long: Alastair Reynolds’ “Terminal World.” I’m generally averse to steam-punk, and the air-ships on the cover worried me, but Reynolds is easily my favourite author of the now, and he didn’t disappoint with Terminal World. A truly unique setting, off-kilter characters, an action-packed story and piles of intrigue and mystery–everything you could want in a novel. And there’s everything from steam-powered people to imitation angel post-humans, space elevators and brain-eating dog machines. There’s really not much more to say. Quite a “different” novel for Reynolds, but every bit as fulfilling as his space operas. On the back of this, I’m really looking forward to Blue Remembered Earth.

Next, I went all classic and dusted off Cordwainer Smith’s “The Rediscovery of Man”. Its stories NEVER get old, and are (in my humble opinion) still some of the most imaginative and unique fiction out there. Okay, “Under Old Earth,” is close to unreadable, but apart from that, duds are nowhere to be found. “Scanners Live in Vain” is still the highlight, with “The Dead Lady of Clown Town” close on its heals.

On the non-fiction front, I lapped up Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs”. I still think Apple products are over-priced fashion accessories, but as companies go: it’s a thoroughly thrilling one to read about. I was very surprised with the amount of detail present–far, far, far beyond what I was expecting–and the extent to which it dug under the public image of Steve Jobs and the company. Possibly the most enjoyable thing I’ve read in the past year. If you’re in any way interested in technology, the content industry, business, or unique people, I’d highly recommend it.

Most recently, Christopher Paolini’s “Inheritance” was up (yes, I’ve read the Inheritance was-a-trilogy-then-a-cycle, get over it). As with the previous offerings, I’d file it under “mildly enjoyable.” At 850 pages, it feels about 500 pages too long; the last 100 pages are basically epilogue where “the end” probably would have sufficed. That said, I have read all four of them…there must be something there.

Somewhere in there, too, I read Neal Asher’s “Prador Moon”…The aliens want to eat the humans…I’m not sure if it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or serious, but there were many laugh out loud moments. I like Neal Asher, I really do, but I didn’t like this, not even a little bit.

Next up: Peter F. Hamilton’s “The Naked God”. I’m generally a pretty fast reader, but the first two Night’s Dawn instalments took me two or three weeks apiece to get through, so I’m not expecting this one to go any quicker. Looking forward to it, though; another case of something which feels too long for its arc, but Hamilton’s universe is so rich and textured, it’s actually quite enjoyable to aimlessly wander around in it between the moments of actual story.

Now, to do some writing…

 

Authority in Comets and Criminals

No, I’m not extremely knowledgeable about comets, nor criminals. What the post title actually seeks to inform you is that my science fiction short, “Authority” is now available for your reading consumption in the latest issue of Comets and Criminals. Along with all the other stories from the issue, save one, it will be available to read online some time in the quarter, but why would you wait? You can read it now! The issue is a mere $2.99 (US) and is stuffed to the hilt with quality fiction. Well worth the money!

As for my own tale, Authority, it has detectives; criminals; a mysterious post-human agency called Authority…and it starts like this:

I had my optics on full magnification, and Earth was way up in the sky, less than half a crescent that was no more than a century of pixels in diameter. The beeping started: my air running out. The display on my wrist read “Low,” and that was as helpful as it was going to get.

“Don’t mean to be a pain,” I said into my suit-comm, “but, you know…about to die out here.”

Read it now in Comets and Criminals issue two…

Edit: Authority is now available to read free (you should still buy the issue!) @ http://www.cometsandcriminals.com/?page_id=759

 

2011 Tally

Yup, it’s that yearly round-up time again… At the end of last year, I set some goals for 2011. They were:

1. To keep all finished works out to market
2. To write 12 new stories (one a month)
3. One sale

On reflection, the last of those “goals” was a silly one to set, sales being something not in my control. Nonetheless, I did claim it a goal, so let’s run with it. Here’s how things have gone:

1. To keep all finished works out to market

On this front, I’m pretty happy. I’ve “retired” one story (actually, it never saw its way to any market, not even one), but have otherwise kept everything out. In fact, I’ve made a total of 101 submissions this year (hopefully +1 more before the year ends in earnest)–I know, I know: quality, not quantity, but they have all been submissions to markets I believe in, and the number is only so high because I have kept all stories out to market at all times. The minute a rejection comes in is the minute before a submission goes out (I might be exaggerating, slightly, there, but you get the idea).

2. To write 12 new stories (one a month)

Okay, okay, you caught me: 12 new stories was my “acceptable minimum,” but it was “acceptable.” I hope to hit 13 before this week (and this year) ends, but as of right now, I’m at the goal and no more. I’m somewhat happy with that, but only somewhat, because I know I could have done better! That said, the goal has been met, so let’s call it a win in the spirit of positivism.

3. One sale

Yes, yes, yes, once again I admit, publicly, that this was a silly goal to set. Nonetheless, I did set it and, thankfully, it has been met; surpassed, even. I’ve had four sales–if you’ll allow me to use the word ‘acceptance’ rather than ‘sale’, then five. Each one has humbled me, and each one had me smiling ear to ear. Ah hell, I’m still smiling because of them. It’s a fantastic feeling, that “yes” after so many “No”s–I’m crossing fingers, toes, anything else that will cross, for it to continue. Just to be clear, that’s not a goal for the coming year…it’s just hope

So, Onward to 2012…

On the submission front, I’ll just lift last year’s goal and paste: To keep all finished works out to market.

As for writing, hmm…. I think I’ll frame it in terms of the Write1Sub1 challenge: I’ve been a terrible participant of Write1Sub1 this year. If you’re not familiar with the challenge, the idea is to write and submit a new story every week (or month, if you so choose, I went for the weekly version). In the twenty-five weeks since I’ve taken the challenge up, I’ve written twelve stories…so, like I said, not the world’s best participant. That said, if you’ve been paying attention to this post, you’ll have noticed that those twelve stories account for all of my output this year, so the challenge has been of great benefit to me, and I fully intend to keep it up in 2012; even put a little more effort into having less blank weeks…

I do, however, recognise there are things in life which will probably get in the way now and then. Also, I’m often lazy and / or unfocused. So, here’s the plan: I’m going to alternate between the weekly and monthly challenge each month–monthly challenge in January, weekly in February, monthly in March, and so forth. If we do the math (with a calendar, like) that means my writing goals should be 32 new stories by the end of 2012. However, I repeat: often lazy and / or unfocused, so I’m going to trim that down to a nice uneven 25 and call that the goal. Of course, I hope I meet the challenge on all 32 occasions calculated, but I’m trying to be realistic here.

There is another reason for alternating to the monthly challenge, though. In the few spurts where I have stuck to the challenge, I’ve found myself being more interested in meeting the end-of-week deadline than letting a story go where it wants to. This is good, to a point, it focuses me. But, as a result, the longest story I’ve written this year was about three-and-a-half thousand words; most were in-and-around two thousand words–I’d like some longer stories in the arsenal come next year. I’m hoping the “monthly” months will allow for that (yeah, I’ll probably just end up writing flash for most of them, but you gotta plan and what not).

So, the goals for 2012:

1. To keep all finished works out to market
2. To write 25 new stories

Hum…looks simple when I put it like that!

In case I’m not back for another post beforehand: Happy new year, all! I’m off to see if I can get story number thirteen for 2011 finished. Okay, started.

 

Climbing ’til Doomsday #webfic

Howdy! My science fiction flash piece, “Climbing ’til Doomsday,” is now available online in the December issue of Apollo’s Lyre. As previously mentioned, this issue has a focus on Write1Sub1, so there’s a range of great fiction from participants Jeff Chapman, Milo James Fowler, Simon Kewin, Stephanie M. Lorée, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Stephen V. Ramey and Deborah Walker.

Go forth and read!

(Sorry about the link overload–had to be done.)

 

One-Zero-Zero

In about an hour, I will submit a piece of fiction to a market. I know what the piece of fiction is, but not which market, hence the hour. It will be my 100th fiction submission of the year. That’s 5 acceptances, a little under 80 rejections, and the rest fall under “pending”. Just a fun fact I thought I’d share

 

New Fiction – Times 2

It’s a freezing cold December morning, and it seems I have forgotten to put oil in the tank. I mention this to make a point: Lately, I have been forgetting to do a lot of things, important things, one of which is keep this blog updated. Hand on heart, I’ll try harder in the coming year.

Emphasis on ‘try’

In line with that, I am delighted to report two new fiction acceptances (something I probably should have done a week ago):

Firstly, my science fiction flash piece, “Climbing ’til Doomsday” will be appearing in the December issue of Apollo’s Lyre, which should be online toward the end of the month. The December issue is a focus on Write1Sub1 special, and looks like it’s going to contain some fantastic flash fiction. You should really check it out. I’ll post a link when the issue is up.

Secondly, my science fiction short story, “Authority” will be making an appearance in issue two of Comets and Criminals. C&C is a relatively new market, but one that seems to have gotten off to a flying start. It’s one of those hybrid set-ups where issues are released as (very sensibly priced) ebooks, then the content is made available free on the web site, little by little, after the issue’s release. The stories from issue one (which, admittedly, I have only read about half of so far) have been fantastic, and eclectic in their themes, I’d highly recommend a reading. I’m not actually sure when issue two is out, but I’ll be sure to post a link when it is. (Edit: it’s out!)