Short Story Accepted for The Lorelei Signal and Mystic Signals

Posted on January 1, 2013 by J. C. Conway

My short story, “Love, Death and Overlapping Bosonic Singularities,” has been accepted for the April 2013 issue of The Lorelei Signal as well as the May 2013 issue of Mystic Signals, both edited by Carol Hightshoe. The Lorelei Signal is an online fiction magazine and Mystic Signals is a print publication, both produced by Wolfsinger Publications.

“Love, Death and Overlapping Bosonic Singularities” is a 3,191-word science-fiction tale with a little romance featuring a middle-management woman in a world-shattering predicament. The Lorelei Signal is dedicated to featuring strong female characters in Fantasy and Science Fiction short stories. In addition to The Lorelei Signal and Mystic Signals, Wolfsinger Publications also produces Sorcerous Signals as well as many books and anthologies.

This will be my second story published in The Lorelei Signal and Mystic Signals. The first was “Bingham’s Deep Woods Fairies,” still available online and in the 16th issue of Mystic Signals, available at Amazon.com for $12.00.

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End-of-Year Reminders and Deadlines

Posted on December 31, 2012 by J. C. Conway

December 31, 2012, is the deadline for two Wolfsinger Publications anthologies — Different Dragons and Tails from the Front Line. See the Wolfsinger site for details.

December 31, 2012, is the last day to join the World Science Fiction Society by joining LoneStarCon 3, before the rates go up. In addition, nominations for Hugo Awards begin in January.

December 31, 2012, is the last day to use Duotrope.com for free. Duotrope becomes a pay site on January 1, 2013. Duotrope says don’t panic if you do not activate your account “on time.” The account will still be there.

January 1, 2013, 5:00 p.m. PST, is the deadline for the Yosemite Romance Writers Smooch Contest — a first-kiss-scene contest for RWA members who are unpublished in book-length fiction.

January 2, 2013, 5:00 p.m. CST, is the deadline for the RWA Golden Heart Contest for unpublished RWA members — this contest has tremendous synergy with the YRW Smooch.

Have a Happy New Year and a Wonderful 2013.

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December 31 Deadline for Two Wolfsinger Press Anthology Submissions

Posted on December 18, 2012 by J. C. Conway

WolfSinger Publications is preparing two anthologies with December 31, 2012 deadlines: Tails from the Front Line and Different Dragons:

Different Dragons, edited by Dana Bell, seeks stories about dragons with a twist in almost any genre. Research your dragons and take a new approach. “Main characters can be the dragon his/herself, a human going through some misadventure, or even a companion animal. They can be set in modern day, or other planets, alternate dimensions, in the past, in the future, and even in a painting.” All writers of all skill levels, from teenagers to seniors, published or not, are encouraged to submit. Stories should be between 1,000 and 6,000 words. Contributors receive a $5.00 initial payment plus an equal share of 50% royalties. For more information and submission details see the submission page.

Tails from the Front Line, edited by Carol Hightshoe, is a charitable anthology looking for stories of the bond developed between members of the military and their four-footed friends, be them dogs, horses, cats or whatever. The word limit is 7,500 words. Stories can be in any genre as long as it features military life (combat zone preferred), how the animal and military person came into each others’ lives. 75% of the proceeds from the anthology will be donated to The Puppy Rescue Mission—a non-profit organization that helps military members get their animal friends home and out of harm’s way. Contributors receive a flat payment of $5.00. For submission details and other specific information, see the submission guidelines.

WolfSinger Publications is a micro-press company that is currently the parent of two on-line magazines and a print magazine—Mystic Signals. It also produces novels and anthologies. Its publications are available on Amazon.com (print and Kindle), Barnes & Noble.com (print) and Smashwords.com (ebooks). WolfSinger’s motto can be seen on the pages of its website: “Don’t Write What You Know; Write What You Care About – Passionately!”

The mission of The Puppy Rescue Mission, the charity beneficiary of Tails from the Front Line, is to assist in the rescue of pets of soldiers, especially those deployed in war zones. It assists with requests, logistics, administration and fundraising for adopted stray dogs of war rescued by and bonded with soldiers. This may include vet care, supplies, transport and related issues. The Puppy Rescue Mission also works with or through other organizations that help soldiers bring their companion animals home from war.

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SF Fans & Writers: Rates Increase in January for 71st Worldcon

Posted on December 13, 2012 by J. C. Conway

Hugo AwardWorldcon (the World Science Fiction Convention) is where the Hugo Awards for outstanding science fiction and fantasy work are awarded. The 71st Annual Worldcon will be LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, Texas. Membership in LoneStarCon 3 constitutes membership in the World Science Fiction Society, and includes the right to nominate and vote for the winners of the 2013 Hugo Awards.

The membership types with Hugo Award voting rights (and price in US Dollars through December 31, 2012) are Attending ($180), Supporting ($60), Young Adult ($110), and Military ($110) memberships. There is a Family Membership plan. There is also an Installment Plan. Details, terms and more information are available at the LoneStarCon 3 Site Membership Page. According to the LoneStarCon 3 Facebook Page, these prices will increase January 1, 2013, to, for example, $200 for Attending Adults and $140 for Supporting Adults. So if you plan to vote on the Hugo Awards, now is a good time to join.

The official web site of the Hugo Awards is at www.thehugoawards.org. This site includes a full history of the Hugo Awards, nominees and winners, information on the voting process, and much more.

Your Opinion Matters

Regardless of whether you join, please also visit on this site the Hugo Suggestion Box, where you will find a short description of every category and will be asked to share your suggestion(s) of science fiction or fantasy works that warrant consideration. Your suggestions are particularly important as regards short stories and novelettes, since there are so many great stories out there, as well as fanzines, semiprozines, editors, etc.

 

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A Sudden and Unexpected Visitor — 2012 XE54

Posted on December 10, 2012 by J. C. Conway

Discovered just yesterday, Asteroid 2012 XE54 will pass Earth tonight and in the early morning tomorrow. Its discovery is reported in the Minor Planet Center’s Minor Planet Electronic Circular 2012-X37. At its closest, it is now anticipated to be a little over one-half the distance from Earth to Moon (0.6 Lunar Distance). That’s close. In comparison, of the four anticipated passes in December, the closest was 2009 BS5 at 8.4 Lunar Distance.

XD54 is small–estimated to be about 15×50 meters. It would fit easily within the boundaries of a soccer or football field. It is moving at about 13 kilometers per second. Besides its sudden appearance (these things happen) and its close pass (which also happens, but less often), it is particularly unusual because it is expected to pass through Earth’s shadow on its approach.

This asteroid’s appearance is exciting. Some day each new asteroid may bring new resources to humanity. Some writers speculate that small asteroids will eventually be hollowed, filled with air and occupied. XE54 might be the right size to fill the role of Buster’s Tavern in my story, Early Retirement, or the End of the Line Club in my darkly-humorous flash fiction piece, Another Wrong World. But at present, each new asteroid brings crucial information about the objects with which we share the Solar System. Because of its sudden detection, XE54 also serves as a mild, but chilling reminder of the uncertainty presented by near-Earth objects. We do not yet know all of our small neighbors. Planets get hit from time to time, and Earth is no exception. So the more we know the better. This is just one of many reasons for important projects like the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.

The MPC operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, under the auspices of Division III of the IAU. It designates minor bodies in the solar system and natural satellites. The MPC also collects, computes, checks and disseminates astrometric observations and orbits for minor planets, comets, and natural satellites. Its operating budget derives from a NASA grant. Computer equipment used by the MPC is provided with support from the Tamkin Foundation.

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Visitors — December 2012

Posted on December 9, 2012 by J. C. Conway

Two asteroids will pass through the neighborhood of Earth in the next several days. The smallest, 2009 BS5, at 15 meters, will close in at 8.4 Lunar Distance (8.4 x the average distance from Earth to Moon) on December 11. The next day, the larger 4179 Toutatis (a 2.7 kilometer rock), will pass at 18 Lunar Distance. Neither asteroid will be visible to the naked eye, but Toutatis should have a magnitude of 10.7 and be visible through high-end binoculars.

Toutatis is a peanut-shaped asteroid with a cockeyed spin. It’s orbit is well known. The rock passed within 4 Lunar Distance in 2004, and will pass within 7.7 Lunar Distance in 2069.

On December 13, Toutatis will become the 15th asteroid visited by an Earth spacecraft. The Chang’e 2 unmanned Chinese spacecraft, which first visited the Moon, then the La Grange point L2, will get to within a few hundred kilometers of Toutatis and pass it at a relative velocity of about 10.7 kilometers per second.

Interestingly, at about the same time, the Geminid Meteor Shower ought to be approaching its peak.

There will be two other more distant visitors this month. On December 23 SD220 and WT24 will make distant passes at 59.8 Lunar Distance and 69.2 Lunar Distance, respectively. After that we do not expect another visitor until February 2013.

For more detailed information about Toutatis, see the Asteroid 4179 Toutatis page at the JPL site Asteroid Radar Research, the Toutatis page at Calvin J. Hamilton’s Views of the Solar System site, or any of the other solid treatments of the asteroid available online, including Wikipedia.

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Smooch Contest Offered by Yosemite Romance Writers

Posted on December 5, 2012 by J. C. Conway

Open to all Romance Writers of America members who are unpublished in book-length fiction, the deadline for the Yosemite Romance Writers’ annual Smooch Contest is 5:00 p.m. PST, January 1, 2013. Entrants submit a “first kiss” scene of eight pages or less, double spaced, from an unpublished work in progress in any romance genre. The price of entry is $25.00 ($15.00 for YRW chapter members). The Grand Prize Winner will receive the 2013 Smooch trophy and $50.00. Second and third place receive certificates and a prize. To learn more about entry requirements, the judging process and the contest in general, see the YRW Smooch Page.

If you have not entered a writing contest before, let your first kiss be your first time. The page limit, low entry fee, and fun topic make this a delightful and accessible contest. The YRW chapter is a great group and feedback to contestants in past contests has been very good. So polish up that first-kiss scene and give it shot.

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For Submitting Writers: Duotrope’s Status Change

Posted on December 3, 2012 by J. C. Conway
https://i0.wp.com/sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/559171_10151014131652749_557396018_n.jpg

Duotrope.com

Duotrope announced this weekend that it will no longer be a free service as of January 1, 2013. It will instead cost $5 per month. For those familiar with it, Duotrope has for seven years offered a free online database service to writers and publishers helping them find each other.

The folks at Duotrope have run their service accepting donations from users and setting monthly goals for such revenue. Unfortunately, it says it has fallen short of its monthly funding goals every month since 2007. Only “about 10% of those who have used our services have ever contributed.” (See “Duotrope is Going Paid!” — December 1, 2012; see also http://www.facebook.com/Duotrope.)

Although Duotrope is not the only service providing information about publishing markets, the site is very easy to use, it is well organized, and I find its market information quite extensive. Even better, the site is not bogged down with advertisements and its Submission Tracker works like a charm. So it is at least a viable candidate as part of a writer’s arsenal of marketing information and tools.

No doubt the site will have less users once payment is required. The jury is still out on whether that is a good or bad thing. A strength of the site is its user feedback and the site’s compilation of response times, acceptance rates, and similar information. With less users, that data source could be diminished. But Duotrope anticipates an increase in quality as a worthwhile exchange for some quantity. Whether Duotrope is right about that probably depends on how many writers choose to pay its fee.

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Last Call for Certain Anthology Submissions

Posted on November 27, 2012 by J. C. Conway

Two of the previous calls for anthology submissions from editor, Dorothy Davies, at Static Movement, are closing at the end of November: Last Night and Long Pig. Both are themed horror anthologies (descriptions below).

Static Movement is a non-paying ezine and imprint for print books. On staff at this time are 12 editors, including chief editor Chris Bartholomew, and one illustrator. Static Movement has 25 published books, 27 anthologies taking submissions, and 5 years of ezine publication.

Last Night. “Your hero/heroine’s last night? The night before an execution, a breakup, a meeting? The end of the world? What happened during that last night? What if they find out afterwards it was their last night, what regrets would they have?

Explore the thought of that last night, see where it takes you, what dark and devious pathways you walk…”

 

Long Pig. “Cannibalism, one of the last taboos, is the focus of fascination for a lot of people. What stories can you conjure for me featuring the consumption of long pig? How is the ‘meat’ acquired, what does your hero or heroine have to do – or go through – to get it?

“Surely this is one of the ultimate horror themes, so dig out your deepest darkest thoughts and put them into a story for this anthology, which will surely be a winner with all who love their food…”

The anthology Broken is also still accepting stories with 24 accepted to date, including my flash story, “Letters to the Luminiferous Aether.” For a list of all Static Movement anthologies, published and still open for submissions, see Static Movement’s Project Page.

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NaNoWriMo — The Final Stretch

Posted on November 26, 2012 by J. C. Conway

To everyone on the final lap of National Novel Writing Month:

You are doing great. Keep it up. Your goal is to keep writing through November 30. If you are ahead or on pace for 50,000, that’s great. But the goal, either way, is to write what you can. Push yourself on word count for the rest of the week. Worry about revision and editing after November 30. Let your inner muse run amok and get onto paper whatever flows. You might need to toss your outline. You might have to jump ahead in the timeline (or travel back). You might need a new point of view you never considered before. Anything goes for now. Fix it later.

You will find tons of encouraging and practical advice on the NaNoWriMo dashboard. Personally, I have not always reached 50,000 words. And sometimes, even at 50,000 words, I have not hit “the end.” One first draft had to exceed 120,000 words before the story presented itself as a whole that I had only barely glimpsed until I got there. But even if you didn’t hit the halfway mark, what you have is more than when November started. That alone is a win.

This year I hit the end at about 48,000 words. It was nice to reach it, but then what? I was 2,000 words short. I moved on to an epilogue, and then a second, follow-up epilogue. Those epilogues taught me something about the underlying current of the story and will be key drivers in my revision of the story. The point is a message I’ve received from many writers over the years—your mind does not tap out. Upon reaching the end of what you consciously envisioned, pushing a little further puts your unconscious mind to work. The connections and observations you’ve drawn under the surface will reveal themselves—must reveal themselves—as you tackle those final blank pages and struggle to provide content.

So hang in there. Keep writing. You are doing great, and congratulations for your participation and your draft.

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