News
December 12, 2003
This year's Philcon begins later today, and it looks like I'll be busy. For anyone going, here's where you'll be able to track me down:
Friday, December 12 at 7:00 p.m.: "Truth, Beauty and the Wolf at the Door"November 26, 2003
Saturday, December 13 at 11:00 a.m.: "But What Do you Really Do?"
Saturday, December 13 at 12:00 p.m. "Who's Going to Be the Next Grandmaster?"
Saturday, December 13 at 2:00 p.m. "What if Science Fiction Never Existed?"
Sunday, December 14 at 12:00 p.m.: "When Did Science Fiction Begin For You?"
Sunday, December 14 at 2:00 p.m. "I See Dead People (and I Also Write About Them)"
Sunday, December 14 at 3:00 p.m. "Starting Your Own Science Fiction Magazine"
The publication dates for two of my stories have just been firmed up. The Crossroads anthology is now a solid August 2004, while Quietly Now will be out in April 2004.
Quietly Now will also be out in a signed limited edition of 500 copies and a lettered set of 52. In addition to my story, the book will also contain original stories by F. Paul Wilson, Kim Newman, Bentley Little, Steven Spruill, Chet Williamson, P. D. Cacek, Paul Finch, Craig Shaw Gardner, Bill Pronzini, Kathryn Ptacek, William Relling Jr., Al Sarrantonio, David B. Silva, Steve Rasnic Tem, David Niall Wilson and Darren O. Godfrey, reprints from Gary A. Braunbeck, Charles L. Grant and Stephen King, and appreciations by Joe R. Lansdale, Al Sarrantonio, David Niall Wilson, Bentley Little, Steven Spruill, Gary A. Braunbeck, Thomas F. Monteleone, Thomas Smith, Peter Straub, Wendy Webb, Douglas E. Winter. Add to that a cover by Alan Clark and a frontispiece by Gahan Wilson, and I have a feeling that this will be a true collectors' item.
In other good news, I was just made aware of the fact that R.P. McCosker recently published a long essay in the magazine All Hallows that tackled all three Final Flesh anthologies edited by James Lowder. Since I have a short story in each of those books, I'm glad to see that the reviewer enjoyed mine, as in these comments on "Goobers," which was in The Book of More Flesh:
"Better still is the very talented Scott Edelman's black comedy 'Goobers,' where the projectionist at a pseudo-zombie movie marathon discovers that the cinema has been overrun by actual pseudo-zombies. (No oxymoron intended.) It is no small accomplishment to craft something so riotously funny that so expertly evokes the real."Even better than that is the fact that the writer closed his essay by stating that out of the 72 stories spread across three anthologies, he liked my story "The Last Supper," which closed out the final volume, the best:
"My favorite of all was the Edelman piece cited at the beginning of this review. There we listen to the beatless heart of the pseudo-zombie, and glimpse the teleological tragedy of a species determined to eat its very self into oblivion."November 17, 2003
I just received my schedule for this coming weekend's Capclave convention in Silver Spring. See you all there! This is where you'll be able to find me:
Friday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.: "The Appeal of the Supernatural"November 5, 2003
Saturday, November 22 at 10:00 a.m.: "Reviewing Science Fiction and Fantasy"
Saturday, November 22 at 1:00 p.m. "SF, Fantasy and Horror Short Stories"
Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. "Autograph Reception"
I just added 15 photographs taken at last weekend's World Fantasy Con 2003.
November 4, 2003
Sadly, because the deadline for getting the latest issue of SCI FI magazine put to bed encroached on the start of this year's World Fantasy convention, I couldn't show up until after 6:00 p.m. on Friday, and so was unable to moderate the panel I mentioned in my previous entry. My apologies to anyone who showed up expecting to find me.
Aside from the fun of seeing old friends, I was thrilled to see the cover for Crossroads: Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic, which will be published next summer. F. Brett Cox and Andy Duncan have managed to pull together a wonderful anthology, with stories from Michael Bishop, John Kessel, Kelly Link, Michael Swanwick and a dozen or so others, including, of course, me. The book will contain "My Life is Good," the Randy Newman-inspired story I've been talking about for years.
I think that the Art Director at Tor Books did a terrific job at putting together an evocative cover that won't scare away non-genre readers.
October 22, 2003Next weekend, at the World Fantasy Convention in Washington, D.C., I'll be moderating a panel on "The Achievements of Jack Williamson." Drop by at 12:30 p.m. on Halloween to see if I'm able to keep Steve Haffner, Eleanor Wood, Frederik Pohl and Fred Saberhagen on topic for 90 minutes.
For those of you not bored by the first two pages of Australia photos, pictures from Melbourne are now online.
October 5, 2003
After putting the last issue of SCI FI magazine to bed, Irene and I took an impromptu trip to Australia, where we stayed for three weeks, visiting Sydney, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, and Melbourne. Thanks to the trip, we missed the effects of Hurricane Isabel, though our son, unfortunately, did not.
I just put up photos of Sydney and started putting up some photos from the Outback. There'll be plenty more to come.
Upon my return, a copy of the anthology Men Writing Science Fiction As Women, edited by Mike Resnick, was waiting for me. Though not officially due out until November, I suspect that copies will start popping up in stores shortly.
"Together Forever at the End of the World" is my second short story to be published in 2003. "I Wish I Knew Where I Was Going," to be published in the anthology Quietly Now: A Tribute to Charles L. Grant, is to follow next month.
September 5, 2003All of my Worldcon photos are now online, including some photos not meant for the faint of heart. Enjoy!
September 1, 2003Worldcon is winding down, so I thought I'd take a moment to add just a few photos of the event to the site. More later, once I return home ...
August 15, 2003I just received my schedule for the upcoming World Science Fiction Convention in Toronto, so those of you who care now know where you'll be able to find me. See you there!
Friday, August 29 at 10:00 a.m.: "Never Say You Took a Creative Writing Course!"August 4, 2003
Friday, August 29 at 1:00 p.m.: "Gender Biases Among SF Magazine Editors, Publishers and Reviewers"
Friday, August 29 at 9:00 p.m. "Junkyard Poets"
Saturday, August 30 at 10:00 a.m.: "The Publishers' and Editors' Views on 'What Sells?'"
Saturday, August 30 at 11:00 a.m.: "Reviews: the Good, the Bad, the Vicious"
Sunday, August 31 at noon: "The B5 Story Arc: Success or Failure"
Monday, September 1 at 10:00 a.m.: "Reading"
As it turns out, my procedure went better than the surgeon initially expected. So those of you attending the World Science Fiction Convention in Toronto at the end of the month will not have to see me stumbling about with my arm still in a brace.
Of course, since I'll still be undergoing physical therapy at the time, that doesn't mean you should smack me on the shoulder when you see me, either ...
July 25, 2003I have some good professional news and some not-so-good personal news—and as a writer, I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.
The good news is that I learned from editor Kealan Patrick Burke that my short story "I Wish I Knew Where I Was Going" will be published in the anthology Quietly Now: A Tribute to Charles L. Grant, to be released in October as a signed limited edition hardcover.
The not-so-good news is that I learned from my surgeon that an MRI has revealed that the pain in my left shoulder—identical to the pain that occurred in my right shoulder prior to last year's rotator-cuff surgery—means that I must once more go under the knife. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, and I won't learn until I wake up from the anesthesia just how bad the damage really is.
On a lighter note, I just added a photo of the Clarion class of 2003 to the site.
July 14, 2003I'm back from Massachusetts, having survived my 15th Readercon. While there, I learned from writer/editor Alex Irvine that my short story, "This is Where the Title Goes" (yet another metafictional tale), has been accepted for the next volume of the Journal of Pulse-Pounding Narratives. According to Alex, it will debut at this year's World Fantasy Convention.
July 10, 2003I'm just back from teaching at the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop, where a new generation of writers is being incubated. Keep an eye out for the names Ryan Butkus, Robert Canipe, Tom Doyle, Stephanie Dray, Matthew Fitz, Tamara Inman, Lancer Kind, Jamie Kress, Benjamin Kuo, Jonathan Laden, William McIntosh, Sean Melican, Catherine Morrison, Kiel Phegley, Joel Schnackenberg and Douglas Texter, because I'm expecting good things from them. Of course, one of them might spontaneously combust from the pressure of the final week (or be defenestrated by an furious classmate before the six weeks ends), but those who survive will begin barraging editors with manuscripts soon.
But there's no rest for wicked, because I'm off tomorrow for Readercon. Expect much pompous blather. My schedule there will be as follows:
Friday, July 11 at 5:00 p.m.: "Horror and Pornography: Separated at Birth (or is it Death)?"June 25, 2003
Friday, July 11 at 6:00 p.m.: Reading
Saturday, July 12 at 1:00 p.m.: "For Aficionados Only: Has SF Become Too Specialized?"
Sunday, July 13 at 1:00 PM. Kaffeeklatsch
Much too busy as usual, this time from putting the Fall Preview issue of SCI FI magazine to bed, the due date of which coincides with the day I head off to teach at this year's Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop. I was a student there myself back in 1979, and already returned once to teach 20 years later in 1999. (Now if only the airline doesn't lose my luggage as it did during my both previous trips to East Lansing, Michigan!) Even in the midst of all this, however, I just had to steal time for two bits of news.
First, I've updated the Short Stories page to reflect the publication of latest tale, "The Last Supper," just out in Jim Lowder's The Books of Final Flesh.
But also, I just saw the cover for Mike Resnick's anthology Men Writing Science Fiction As Women, which is due out in November, so here it is. Anyone who wishes to see me in drag, please read "Together Forever at the End of the World."
May 21, 2003Those of you who will be attending Balticon 37 this weekend will be able to find me pontificating on the following panels:
Friday, March 23 at 8:00 p.m.: "Small Presses, Print On Demand—New Trends in Publishing"
Saturday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m.: "Literary Scams—Writers Beware. Protect Yourself"
Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 p.m.: "Charles Sheffield Tribute"
Sunday May 25 at 5:00 p.m.: "Use of Horror in SF"
March 21, 2003
The final page of images from my trip to New Mexico have now been added, covering the third day of my trip to the Jack Williamson Lectureship.
March 17, 2003
I just added photos from the second day of my trip the Jack Williamson Lectureship. Check back later for images from the trip to the Williamson family ranch.
March 15, 2003
Now that the latest issue of SCI FI magazine has been put to bed, I've managed to find time to put photos from the first day of my trip the Jack Williamson Lectureship up on the site.
March 13, 2003
I just noticed that the newest issue of Locus lists a publication date of November for the DAW anthology Men Writing Science Fiction as Women, edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg. The volume will contain my short story, "Together Forever at the End of the World." Watch for it—but with eight months to go, don't hold your breath!
March 12, 2003
For anyone planning to attend I-CON 22 at the end of month, I've just learned that these are the panels where you'll be able to find me:
Friday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.: "Magazine Markets"
Saturday, March 29 at 11:00 a.m.: "Electronic Publishing Today"
Sunday, March 30 at 10:00 a.m.: "How to Impress (or Dismay!) an Editor"
Sunday, March 30 at noon: "Why Solaris? How Stories Are Chosen for Film Production"
Sunday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m.: "Competition on All Fronts: Drawing Young Readers"
Please drop by to watch as I once more attempt to seem much smarter than I really am!
March 10, 2003
I just received a copy of the Nebula Awards Showcase 2003, edited by Nancy Kress and published by Roc. I was one of the contributors to the Commentary section given the umbrella title of "Joys and Jeremiads," a section in which eight authors each attacked different sub-genres of the field.
Geoffrey A. Landis wrote on Hard Science Fiction, Terry Bisson tackled SF Humor, Andy Duncan wrote about Contemporary Fantasy, Mindy L. Klasky examined Traditional Fantasy, Ellen Datlow considered Dark Fantasy, Harry Turtledove touched on Alternate History and Michael Cassutt looked at Film and Television ... all very neat sub-sections of SF. I, on the other hand, was chosen to poke a stick at Soft- and Medium-Viscosity Science Fiction. What a mouthful of an assignment!
It was an intriguing thought experiment. For those of you who can find a copy, my essay, titled "All Hail the Black Box," is on pages 166-168. When Nancy accepted my piece, she seemed to think that it represented a "provocative POV." It will be interesting to whether the readers agree. But don't just buy it for my essay—there are also stories by Jack Williamson, Catherine Asaro, James Patrick Kelly and others.
March 8, 2003
I've just returned from Portales, New Mexico, where I had the privilege of celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of Jack Williamson's first story in the company of the great man himself. Since his retirement from Eastern New Mexico University at the age of 75, the school has hosted an annual lectureship in his honor. (He still, at age 94, teaches one course there each year.) Usually, the topic of the lectureship focuses outward on a scientific or science-fictional facet of life, but this year, a month shy of Jack's 95th birthday, the subject was Jack himself, and the changes the field has seen over the past three-quarters of a century.
I brought along a copy of the December 1928 issue of Amazing Stories, which contained Jack's first short story, "The Metal Man," and had him inscribe it to me. We posed with that copy after a long day at the Williamson family ranch, a day during which we were made to feel like family. I took many pictures of the campus event, the original Williamson homestead, and the shack in which Jack wrote those first stories so many years ago.
I'm too busy putting the latest issue of SCI FI magazine to bed at the moment to post them all right now, but I'll share them as soon as I can. Meanwhile, here's the one picture I can't resist posting now—me with Jack, and with the story that started it all.
February 9, 2003
My short story, "The Last Supper," has been chosen by editor James Lowder to appear as the final story in his third anthology of zombie tales, The Book of Final Flesh. As the title implies, this story examines what will happen when Earth's buffet finally closes for the hungry undead. After all, the dodo was hunted to extinction. Why not us? And what then?
Stories of mine have already appeared in the first two installments in this series. "Live People Don't Understand," my "Our Town"-inspired story, closed out the initial volume, The Book of All Flesh, in 2001, while in 2002, "Goobers" was the lead story in The Book of More Flesh. It occurs to me that I've written so many stories on the subject of zombies, including my Stoker-nominated "A Plague on Both Your Houses" (reprinted in my collection These Words Are Haunted ), that I should eventually gather them together in their own collection.
Amazingly, considering the long gestation time of most publishing projects (I once waited over five years for an accepted story to see print), The Book of Final Flesh is for the most part already typeset and will be published at the end of April.
February 6, 2003
My silence here for the past month has been due to the three-plus weeks of 16-hour days I logged in putting the latest issue of SCI FI magazine to bed. When readers pick up that issue on newsstands Feb. 25, they'll see that it has been completely redesigned.
I can't resist offering one small sneak peek here. A long, long time ago in a borough far, far away (Brooklyn, New York, that is), I attended South Shore High School with William Forsythe, who has since become a professional actor with a long list of credits and now a regular role as Digger on the series John Doe. Rather than let one of my writers interview him for the story, I decided to handle it myself. Unfortunately, once my Art Director learned that I still had my high-school yearbook, well, something like the sidebar above was inevitable, I guess.
I have some writing-related travel coming up. First, at the beginning of March, I'll help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the sale of Jack Williamson's first short story, "The Metal Man," at the 27th Annual Williamson Lectureship in Portales New Mexico. Then, at the end of the month, I'll head to the campus of State University of New York at Stony Brook where I will be attending I-CON 22.