This gallery contains 1 photo.
The notion of human star travel raises difficult issues under 20th Century science. Some of my own stories have addressed those difficulties different ways, including slow-moving generation ships that cross the void to close stars over thousands of years, time-dilated … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
For those awaiting the next Static Movement Anthology releases, the following anthologies are now lined up for publication in the following order (subject to change): Ghost Stories Western Style book 2 Mirror, Mirror Urban Nightmares Deathly Encounters The End Night … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Congratulations to all of the Hugo Award Winners and the Campbell Award Winner, announced tonight: Best Novel Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas by John Scalzi (Tor) Best Novella The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Publications) Best Novelette “The Girl-Thing Who … Continue reading
Are you in San Antonio? If so, chances are you’re aware of the invasion. Pointy-eared elves casually enjoying a tall draught, an adventurer with a goggle-wrapped black-top hat straight out of a Jules Verne repository, Klingon-style dancers and more … It’s all part of the grandeur of the 71st World Science Fiction Convention.
#LoneStarCon: “What’s the best thing about Worldcon?”
#GrrM: “The parties. Definitely the parties.”
Famous authors, movie and TV stars, directors, fans, merchants and vendors–the all-volunteer convention opened today and has everything. Moreover, it is expected to see some 4,000 attendees through its last day Monday at the Convention Center.
The full schedule for the convention is available in two ways:
For a higher level summary, the LoneStarCon 3’s schedule page provides a day by day breakdown of some of the highlights, as well as opening hours for all major convention areas and services.
“It’s a privilege to San Antonio to have this come to town because it rotates around the whole globe,” said LoneStarCon 3 chairman Randall Shepherd.
The World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) is the organization that licenses Worldcon. WSFS requires that every Worldcon perform the following functions:
The best seat in the house–a replica of the sword throne from the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones”
Visit the WSFS site for more information on each of these topics. WSFS also provides a separate page with answers to some Frequently Asked Questions.
Tickets are still available, but only at the Convention Center. Admission ranges from $10 for kids 7-16 to $30 for adults. To see the full schedule, go to www.lonestarcon3.org.
Following is the beginning of my short science fiction story, “The Bender Beamer,” published by Larks Fiction Magazine last year:
The world ends twice a day; three times on Sunday.
Junior Bender wanted to believe it. It was the closest thing to advice his father had ever provided. But all it meant was nothing is carved in stone—fresh starts happen every day.
He could use a new start now.
Junior sat on his hands to avoid fidgeting behind his broad mahogany desk. His CEO nameplate evidenced his powerful position in the world’s fastest rising business. But he did not call the shots. Junior didn’t even earn his position, he inherited it.
He cleared his throat. “The government has offered to buy.”
Junior’s CFO, and his father’s former right-hand man, Henry Orwill, belted a cynical chuckle. “Too bad for them.”
Junior’s gut tightened. Junior longed to deal man-to-man with Orwill, but he still felt like a child to “Uncle Hank.”
“They’re offering a lot,” said Junior, seeking a deeper discussion.
“If we sell now, it wouldn’t be to our advantage.”
Junior pressed. “They won’t give up. We’re a monopoly. We’re crushing the world’s transportation industry. If we don’t sell, I’m afraid they’ll just take it.”
“Listen,” said Orwill, standing, “if we sell now, we’ll be out of the picture for good. We don’t want that.”
“But—”
“Are you going to sign those papers?” he asked as he left, pointing to today’s stack.
Junior nodded, sighing.
Quiet fell. What was wrong with the government offer? What better result did Orwill have in mind?…
Junior has some growing up to do. One of the story questions is whether he will manage it, and if so, will it be in time? The full story can be read HERE.
Larks Fiction Magazine, edited by Daniel Pool, is a free online literary magazine for up-and-coming writers. It publishes fiction, poetry and non-fiction of all shapes and sizes, with a leaning toward magical realism, science fiction, fantasy and quirky and experimental work.
One of my recent stories, “Worlds Less Traveled,” asks a question about psychosis and the struggles of a professional dealing with psychotic symptoms. The story is lighthearted enough. But, of course, that particular question is not.
Most are now familiar with the story of John Nash, dramatized in the book and movie, A Beautiful Mind. Nash is a Nobel-Prize-
winning mathematician whose works in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations provided insight into the forces that govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life. But, as highlighted in the movie, Nash was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. According to Nash, he experienced mental disturbances from 1959, which he described as a process of change “from scientific rationality of thinking into the delusional thinking characteristic of persons who are psychiatrically diagnosed as ‘schizophrenic’ or ‘paranoid schizophrenic,'” including seeing himself as a messenger with a special function pitted against persecution and hidden schemers.
Many similar struggles exist, including both successes and failures. One spokesperson worthy of attention is Elyn Saks, Associate Dean and Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the USC Gould Law School, an expert in mental health law and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship winner. Saks lives with schizophrenia. She wrote the best-selling autobiography, The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, published by Hyperion Books in 2007.
Saks is outspoken about her ongoing journey. According to Saks:
“There’s a tremendous need to implode the myths of mental illness, to put a face on it, to show people that a diagnosis does not have to lead to a painful and oblique life.”
“We who struggle with these disorders can lead full, happy, productive lives, if we have the right resources.”
Saks has been researching high-functioning people with schizophrenia in Los Angeles, who suffer from “mild delusions or hallucinatory behavior.” They are successful technicians, and medical, legal and business professionals. Many are studying toward college or graduate degrees.
She has provided interviews about her experience, and in addition to The Center Cannot Hold, Saks has published the following books, as well as many important articles:
We all struggle with our demons. For some, those struggles rise to the level of drawing a diagnosis involving psychotic symptoms. We have come a long way in our understanding of the mind and treatments are better now than ever in the past. But we still have a long way to go. As a society, we often stigmatize psychiatric diagnoses. Fighting the unwarranted stigma of mental illness is one of the ways to help move the ball forward. For more information about mental illness and how to help families dealing with the myriad issues surrounding mental illness, see the National Alliance on Mental Illness (“NAMI”) website, or visit any one of its many local associations.
“Silence of the Imbeciles” was published last year in the October/November issue of Residential Aliens, edited by Lyn Perry. The story has been described as “very well written, understated and poignant.” It follows the point of view of 14-year-old Frankie Turnbull, who is fascinated with making magic wands and is attempting to deal with the consequences of every person he knows being an imbecile.
His father’s voice boomed from the shed door. “What are you doing out here?”
Carving knife in hand, Frankie Turnbull flinched. The blade sliced into the flesh of his finger.Ouch!
He dropped the knife and flapped his hand once. “Nothing! Okay?”
Like the blade, his response was too sharp. He knew better. But he spoke without thinking. He needed time to fix a very serious problem, and nobody was giving it to him.
Anthony Turnbull cleared his throat, telegraphing to Frankie the shallow depth of the ice upon which he’d just placed himself.
“Sorry,” he said, turning.
His father’s bulky frame filled the doorway, silhouetted by the late-afternoon sun. He crossed his arms.
Frankie’s hair tingled. “I’m almost done,” he pleaded. But it was pointless to argue with the man. He was stubborn, he could throw Frankie a country mile, and he was an imbecile.
Imbecility was the biggest problem. That was Frankie’s fault. It was the problem he wanted to fix…
Residential Aliens is an online magazine of spiritually infused speculative fiction presenting engaging stories that are truthful to the human experience while offering something of the eternal. The October/November issue includes two speculative stories (including Silence of the Imbeciles), followed by two science fiction pieces, and wraps up with a post-zombie-apocalypse novelette.
A small asteroid, designated MPEC 2013 PS13 and first detected on August 4, is scheduled to pass within 0.52 Lunar Distance of the surface of Earth on Friday, August 9, 2013. Not many get that close. The Minor Planet Center reports 24 observations establishing the body’s path and size.
This one will be hard to see. It is estimated to be between 5 and 19 meters in length. (It’s hard to tell. Asteroids are dark, they are irregularly shaped and they move pretty fast.) But it nevertheless serves as a reminder that we have projects watching the skies and those projects are important and should be supported.
For more information and links, visit the Minor Planet Center’s NEO Page (Near Earth Objects Page).
25% Off Mystic Signals WolfSinger Press announces that it is offering a limited time 25% discount on issues of Mystic Signals, including Issues 16 and 18, with my stories “Bingham’s Deep Woods Fairies” and “Love, Death and Overlapping Bosonic Singularities,” … Continue reading
Voting is now closed for the 2013 Hugo Awards. Members of LoneStarCon 3, the World Science Fiction Society 2013 Annual Convention, have cast their ballots and the winners will be announced in one month at the Hugo Awards Ceremony, Sunday, September 1, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas.
Day passes are now available to purchase online for those that can’t spend the whole week. CLICK HERE for day admission rates and conditions.
LoneStarCon 3 invites members who are also writers to spend some of their convention time as part of the Writers Workshops–new writers, budding writers, journeyman writers, and seasoned professional writers are all welcome to fill the limited workshop sessions. CLICK HERE for details.
If you are considering, but have never attended a WorldCon, please CLICK HERE for a first timer’s overview.
Also don’t miss the opportunity for a guided tour commemorating the life and work of author Robert E. Howard–the special day-long event will take place on Wednesday, August 28. A chartered bus will take participants on a tour of Robert E. Howard’s home town haunts, including a visit to the Robert E. Howard House and Museum in Cross Plains. The tour will be led by Robert E. Howard experts Mark Finn and Rusty Burke, and will offer a rare chance to see Texas through the eyes of this legendary author. Places on the tour are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $50. CLICK HERE for booking.
ANOTHER WRONG WORLD And Other Off Beat Tales at AMAZON $2.99
J. C. Conway 