Ruby, take your love to town!

Just a little reminder that...

(1) The Ruby Files Volume 2 is coming soon, and

(2) The Award-Winning Volume 1 is still available for those of you who missed it.

 

THE ROOK VOLUME 2 SPECIAL EDITION NOW AVAILABLE!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DISTRIBUTION

Reese Unlimited, an author centered imprint of Pro Se Productions, proudly announces the release of the special edition second volume collection of one of New Pulp’s best known and loved heroes! THE ROOK VOLUME 2 SPECIAL EDITION by multiple award winning author Barry Reese is now available in print and ebook format!

THE ROOK VOLUME 2-SPECIAL EDITION is a newly edited, newly formatted Pro Se edition of the second volume of Reese’s Rook Series. The adventures of Max Davies, tortured masked hero and defender against evil of all kinds, continue in typical Reese two fisted, double barreled action in this collection of stories. Continuing his battle against the supernatural, The Rook discovers more about his own tragic destiny while battling darknesses vile and ancient! He also discovers he is not alone in his fight, teaming up with Classic Pulp heroine, The Domino Lady, and the Russian near superman Leonid Kaslov, another one of Reese’s wonderful New Pulp Heroes.

Even with companions, though, The Rook continues a solitary war, striking out at villains because he has been given no other choice!

“The Rook,” Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief and Partner in Pro Se stated, “is one of the first names people bring up when a discussion of New Pulp heroes starts. Barry struck such a necessary chord with the creation of Max and company, combining classic Pulp sensibilities with his love for the expansiveness comic books allowed with cast and such, and adding his own very unique twist to the mix. Pro Se is proud to be able to put its own unique touch on the early adventures of The Rook in these Special Edition collections from Reese Unlimited."

THE ROOK VOLUME 2-SPECIAL EDITION features the six original stories of the collection, all newly edited by David White, as well as an updated timeline of Reese’s shared universe in which he writes! The edition also includes a stunning new cover and accompanying brand new illustrations by award winning Pulp Artist George Sellas! With logo and cover design and print formatting by Sean Ali and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson, THE ROOK VOLUME 2-SPECIAL EDITION is the second from Pro Se in the SPECIAL EDITION series collecting the classic tales of Reese’s seminal creation!

THE ROOK VOLUME 2 – SPECIAL EDITION is now available at Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/d3ctcus, at Barnes and Noble at http://tinyurl.com/bq4ns9q and through Pro Se's own store at http://tinyurl.com/bpmtega for $18.00. Available via Kindle WITH INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS INCLUDED at http://tinyurl.com/cxxoblr and available at www.smashwords.com and via the Nook at http://tinyurl.com/bq4ns9q for $4.99!

AIRSHIP 27 presensts ALL STAR PULP COMICS # 2

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

AIRSHIP 27 presensts ALL STAR PULP COMICS # 2
(Portion of Profits Goes to Boston Red Cross)

Airship 27 Productions has once again teamed with Redbud Studio comics to release the second in their on-going pulp comics anthology. The first giant issue in this series won the coveted Pulp Ark Award for Best Pulp Comic of 2010.

Volume two of the series, co-edited by creators Ron Fortier and Rob Davis, is even bigger than that stellar premier issue. Contained here are eight stories featuring both modern and classic pulp heroes; Ki-Gor the Jungle Lord, the Black Bat, Cain, Robin Hood, Lance Star, Brothers Bones, Dillon and Domino Lady.

The cover is by Will Meugniot and features Ki-Gor's lovely mate, Helene, battling back to back with Derrick Ferguson's modern day adventurer, Dillon. Other creators represented are Russ Anderson, Fortier, Davis, Ian Watson, Thomas Deja, Michelle Sciuto, Sean Taylor, Aaron Meade, Todd Jones, Lee Oaks, James Gaubatz, Van Plexico, Andrew Salmon and Kelly Everaert.

The book is available from Indy Planet.com and part of the proceeds are being donated to the Boston Red Cross. "We were the last stages of assembling the book," explains Editor Foriter, "when the Patriots' Day bombings occurred in Boston. All of us, like the rest of the country, were in shock and felt helpless to do anything." It was writer Van Plexico who contacted Fortier about possibly offering some of the sales proceeds to help those injured in the terror attack. "The second Van brought up, I knew it was something we had to do," Fortier continues. He contacted Davis and all the creators and the decision was made to take all the profits earned by the book during its first six months in print and donate them to the Boston Red Cross.

"We truly hope our fans, when they learn of this idea, will want to rally around a truly good cause and help us put sales over the top," adds co-editor Rob Davis. "We really want this to be the best selling title Redbud Studio has ever produced."

The issue is now on sale at –http://www.indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=8450

Meet Cam Crowder, the Runty Little Ginger

Cam Crowder is an avid gamer, reader and guitar nut who's had fancies of writing since he was runty little ginger sitting on his grandfather's knee. Finally, he decided to do something about it and chase after his dream, like his grandfather always taught him to.

(He's also plotting to take over the world, but don't tell anybody!)

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

My upcoming project is called Revelations. It's the third and final book in the Broken Bloodline series, which follows a group of bad-a vampires (who don't sparkle) from a "minor" plot to wipe out their race, all the way to large-scale apocalypse-prevention. My plan is for the last book to be as explosive and exciting as possible, bringing every character arc to a nice, satisfying close before the series is done.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

The issues I tend to come back to are trust, betrayal, love, loyalty and brutality. There are others I touch on as well, but those are probably the biggest I deal with. Some, like trust, I don't openly dissect in my work, but instead I engrave the idea deep into the characters and let it show (if you're looking) in the way they act and interact with each other and the world around them. Personally, I think trust is one of the most important values human beings can hold onto, and who we trust kind of defines who we are.

What would be your dream project?

I've thought about that a few times over the past few years, and in all honesty, the only thing I can think of would be a list of authors I'd like to collaborate with, rather than a set project I'd like to work on. Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Neil Gaiman and Peter J. Tomasi are a few I'd really like to work with in some capacity. Gaiman especially, I think, just because I get the feeling he'd challenge me to break out of my comfort zone and experiment more.

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

I don't have an insanely large body of work to pull from, but what I have written, even given the chance to go back and fix some mistakes I've made, I'd probably leave it all alone. Not because I think it's perfect, but the opposite. No work is perfect, and sometimes what you think might be a flaw is something the reader is really drawn to.

What inspires you to write?

Living, breathing, walking, running, driving, hearing my fiance' say "I love you.", etc. Everything I do or see in life inspires me to some degree, I think. Music is a big factor as well; I can't tell you how many times the tone of a song I'm listening to has given me an idea for a story or character arc. All of that inevitably finds its way into my writing, no mater what, and I'm more than fine with that. If we try to hard to filter the things we go through and keep it from affecting our stories, our writing becomes stale and lifeless. I don't want that to happen to my work. I want it to be as alive as I am.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

The biggest literary writer to influence me would have to be Robert Jordan. When I was fifteen and picked up The Eye of the World, it blew me away and completely changed the way I look at writing and Fantasy. It was after finishing that book, and I realized the way it had impacted me, it hit me that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to make stories that take people on a crazy-fun ride, while at the same time maybe address things that challenge the way they think. That's the type of writing that's always appealed to me the most. Even if it's a point I don't agree with, I like it when a writer at least makes me stop and think about it. Beyond Robert Jordan, Jon Foreman (the most amazing songwriter alive today, in my opinion) has had a huge impact on the way I think and write. There are a lot of other writers that have influenced me to some degree; Joss Whedon had a hand in the way I write dialogue, Peter Tomasi influenced the way I go about character interaction, Brandon Sanderson gave me great ideas on world-building, and so on.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

I'd say it's a pretty equal marriage. The ideas, the characters, the setting, all of the initial creation that goes into a work, I consider it straight art. Pinning all of those things down on a page, however, comes down to a bit of a science, like it or not. So I'd say the first half of your work is art and the second half is science.

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

Once Broken Bloodline is done, I have three other major projects I want to do, the first will probably be a two-part series about a young man given superpowers against his will, and rather than using those powers for good, uses them to retaliate against the government who experimented on him, and eventually, believing he can run the world better himself, establishes a sort of totalitarian regime. It's kind sort of my version of a Superman gone horribly wrong and having to be brought down by the people closest to him that he had complete trust in. (See? There's that trust issue again, haha!)

[Link] 5 Lies Unpublished Writers Tell Themselves (and the Truths That Can Get Them Published)

by Matt Mikalatos

Writers tend to be creative in many areas of life, so it’s no surprise that we can get creative with the truth. Or, as my mother said, “You lie a lot.” This is especially tempting when we are debating why we aren’t published. Before I was a published author, I embraced a few cherished lies because they blunted the pain of rejection. But the road to publication required discarding these lies and facing reality. Here are five lies I believed before I was published:

1. THE RULES DON’T APPLY TO ME.

I write amazing first drafts. If there were a contest for first drafts, mine would win every time. So I told myself, “Writing is not rewriting.” Other people might have to do multiple drafts, but my first drafts are so solid I could publish them as-is. For years I believed this.

One day I did three drafts of an article, and it became my first published article. A solid first draft is not good enough to be published. All those “rules of writing” that you read in Writer’s Digest, on blogs, and in creative writings classes are rules because they are true most of the time. So if there are some rules that you think don’t apply to you, think again. It might be the rule preventing you from getting published.

2. AGENTS AND EDITORS HAVE IT IN FOR ME.

Ah, those blood-sucking agents and editors. I’m pretty sure they have meetings in a secret underground lair where they talk about how jealous they are of my writing skills and how they should team up to keep me from being published.

This is a lie that is so prevalent among unpublished writers that editors and agents have to go to psychologists so they can feel good about themselves again. I know one editor who calls herself “Dream Crusher” to assuage her pain. Here’s the truth: Editors and agents desperately want you to be good enough. They make a living by writers being publishable. If you’re getting rejected it’s because you still have work to do. either as a writer or as a marketer.

Continue reading: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/5-lies-unpublished-writers-tell-themselves-and-the-truths-that-can-get-them-published?et_mid=617739&rid=232422756

[Link] What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents

by Chuck Sambuchino

In a previous Writer Unboxed column, I discussed the value of starting your story strong and how an “inside-out” approach to narrative action can help your case. But just as important as knowing what to do when beginning your novel is knowing what not to do.

No one reads more prospective novel beginnings than literary agents. They’re the ones on the front lines — sifting through inboxes and slush piles. And they’re the ones who can tell us which Chapter 1 approaches are overused and cliche, as well as which techniques just plain don’t work. Below find a smattering of feedback from experienced literary agents on what they hate to see the first pages of a writer’s submission. Avoid these problems and tighten your submission!

FALSE BEGINNINGS

“I don’t like it when the main character dies at the end of Chapter 1. Why did I just spend all this time with this character? I feel cheated.”
- Cricket Freeman, The August Agency

“I dislike opening scenes that you think are real, then the protagonist wakes up. It makes me feel cheated.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

IN SCIENCE FICTION

“A sci-fi novel that spends the first two pages describing the strange landscape.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

PROLOGUES

“I’m not a fan of prologues, preferring to find myself in the midst of a moving plot on page 1 rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it.”
- Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary

“Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written.”
- Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

“Prologues are usually a lazy way to give back-story chunks to the reader and can be handled with more finesse throughout the story. Damn the prologue, full speed ahead!”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

EXPOSITION/DESCRIPTION

“Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with an opening chapter is when an author features too much exposition – when they go beyond what is necessary for simply ‘setting the scene.’ I want to feel as if I’m in the hands of a master storyteller, and starting a story with long, flowery, overly-descriptive sentences (kind of like this one) makes the writer seem amateurish and the story contrived. Of course, an equally jarring beginning can be nearly as off-putting, and I hesitate to read on if I’m feeling disoriented by the fifth page. I enjoy when writers can find a good balance between exposition and mystery. Too much accounting always ruins the mystery of a novel, and the unknown is what propels us to read further.”
- Peter Miller, PMA Literary and Film Management

“The [adjective] [adjective] sun rose in the [adjective] [adjective] sky, shedding its [adjective] light across the [adjective] [adjective] [adjective] land.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

“I dislike endless ‘laundry list’ character descriptions. For example: ‘She had eyes the color of a summer sky and long blonde hair that fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her petite nose was the perfect size for her heart-shaped face. Her azure dress—with the empire waist and long, tight sleeves—sported tiny pearl buttons down the bodice. Ivory lace peeked out of the hem in front, blah, blah.’ Who cares! Work it into the story.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

Continue reading: http://writerunboxed.com/2013/04/22/april/

PRO SE DEBUTS IMPRINT FEATURING NEW STORIES OF CLASSIC PULP

TO BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY-

It isn’t often in the modern market that a Publisher gets the opportunity to work with the characters of a Pulp Writer from the Classic era of Pulp Fiction with the involvement of the author.  Pro Se Productions, a leading Publisher of cutting edge Genre Fiction both looking to the future and firmly rooted to the past, proudly announces the debut of a new imprint bringing new life to characters created by prolific Pulp Author Charles Boeckman!

“CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS…” states Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “came from the source itself, honestly.  Charles Boeckman, now 92 years old, was a writer of many stories back in the heyday of Pulp and beyond, mostly suspense/mystery and western tales.   Due to his publishing of a collection of his mystery stories, I became aware of his work and absolutely fell in love with the characters he created.  Not only were the stories taut and exciting, but the characters, all of them just appearing the one time, so many of them had series potential.  So, an email or three later to Charles and his wonderful wife, Patti, and I asked about his permission to have modern writers take on some of the characters he’d written into life.  He was enthusiastic and encouraging and now we have the debut of CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS JOHNNY NICKLE!”

Originally appearing in Boeckman’s story, ‘Run, Cat, Run,’ Johnny Nickle was a trumpet player on the run from his own past.  And now, in CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS JOHNNY NICKLE, this unlikely hero makes a return engagement to perform TWO exciting new hits.  NOTES IN THE FOG written by Richard White and THE DEVIL YOU KNOW authored by Brad Mengel push Johnny into mystery and out of it hopefully on a high note.

“This character,” Hancock explained, “is neat on several levels.  A sort of sub genre that is very popular among Pulp and Crime fans is that of the Musician Detective/Hero, usually a Jazz type, like Jack Webb’s Pete Kelly.  Mr. Boeckman’s work is replete with these sorts of characters and each one stands apart, no cardboard cutouts.  Johnny has an edge to him in the original story that both of our authors have maintained, utilizing the rich background Johnny has a trumpet player as well as his own personal background.  It’s even more wonderful that Mr. Boeckman is a professional Jazz Musician and band leader as well, so the original stories come with an authenticity that definitely influenced Richard and Brad.”

CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS JOHNNY NICKLE features a fantastic cover by Adam Shaw as well as cover design and print formatting by Sean Ali and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson! Edited by David White, these two tales are your backstage pass to see Charles Boeckman’s Johnny Nickle tackle mystery and murder with a soundtrack that cooks with red hot women, ice cold killers, triple time thrills and smokin’ jazz!  From Pro Se Productions!

CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS JOHNNY NICKLE is available from Pro Se’s own store at  http://tinyurl.com/c52g4cc and at Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/cz6s2q3 for $8.00!  Available for $2.99 for the Kindle at www.Amazon.com , the Nook at www.barnesandnoble.com, and in other formats at www.smashwords.com!

For more information concerning Pro Se Productions, go to www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com and www.prose-press.com.

TCM Remembers Ray Harryhausen

Thanks, Ray, for making childhood last into old age. You've created more creators than any living person I can think of.

Love Free or Die seeks submissions

ATTN: PULP AUTHORS: A new, themed pulp (spicy romance) anthology market - details from http://cindimyersmarketnews.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/more-short-story-markets-ethnic-magazines/ (pays $50/story; 8,000 words max; deadline, July 31, 2013; story MUST be set in New Hampshire [USA]):

In the mood for New Hampshire Romance? The LOVE FREE OR DIE: Spicy Granite State Romances anthology is now open for submissions! Rick Brousssard’s NEW HAMPSHIRE PULP FICTION series continues with volume IV, devoted to romance. Guest Editor Elaine Isaak seeks a variety of love stories that will showcase the richness of relationships and explore the boundaries of New Hampshire. Stories may be up to 8000 words long, double-spaced, 12-point type, with the author’s contact information on the first page. Stories may be any sub-genre of romance–historical, paranormal, suspense, inspirational—as long as they feature a New Hampshire setting. Sexy stories are fine, but please no erotica. Submissions will be accepted until July 31, 2013, but submit early for your best chance. The book is planned for publication in February, 2014. Send your story as a .doc or .rtf format to: Hpulpromance@gmail.com For more details, go here:

http://lovefreeordie.wordpress.com/
http://lovefreeordie.wordpress.com/how-you-could-write-the-title-story/
http://lovefreeordie.wordpress.com/publication-specs/

Pays $50/story.

The End Of The Comics World Is Nigh

New York Post writer Reed Tucker is on a mission to explain what’s wrong with the comics industry.

Did you miss the good news? According to ComiChron, comic book sales in 2012 were at their highest level in two decades. It was a good year, with funnybook publishing raking in some $715 million. Add that to the other mainstream media stories popping up (regrettably with a headline containing the word “Biff!”) about the rebounding market and the superhero’s growing presence in mainstream culture, and geeks should be popping the bubbly.

So why doesn’t it feel like a time to celebrate? Why does it feel like it’s one of the worst eras to be a reader since the days of The Clone Saga — at least when it comes to the big-two titles? Inflated prices, desperate reboots, an even greater flood of tie-ins, crossovers and other publishing gimmicks have become the order of the day.

Overall sales may be getting better (though when you take into account inflation, that’s debatable), but in the end, it hardly matters. Comic books long ago became a niche hobby reaching few outside the circle of hardcore Wednesday crowd. The frustrating thing is, DC and Marvel seem to have thrown in the towel on this point, and most everything they publish has become in service of that ever-narrowing crowd.

In Business 101, you learn that there are really only two ways to make more money as a company: You can sell to new customers, or you can squeeze more money from your existing customers. Increasing ARPU, they call it: average revenue per user.

The publishers (Marvel more-so than DC) seem to have decided that broadening the audience just ain’t gonna happen, so they’ve opted for the latter, raising prices and gambling that their current customers will shell out more money each month for an ever-expanding line of branded books or for big events that promise to break the Internet in half.

Do you like Batman? Well, you’re gonna love him in 13 other monthly books. Or, were you moved when that one character actually died back in the 1980s? Well, we’ve got a boatload of shocking new deaths for characters that will definitely not be resurrected in six months with some plot fudge involving a time gun.

So far the strategy seems to have worked, in that it has helped the publishing market rebound slightly and allowed the big-two publishers to pump up their bottom lines. But these are most likely only short-term gains. This is not the way to build an audience for the long-term, and this is certainly not the way to ensure that comic books exist as anything other than a niche hobby.

Sales are supposedly up, but anecdotally, it sure seems like a lot of long-time readers are fleeing the pastime. “I love me some comics, but I finally had to quit this addiction,” wrote one commenter recently on Ain’t It Cool News, whose opinion was quickly echoed by others.

Now is the time to fix it, lest it goes the way or the dodo or the pet rock. A few decades from now, a kid will find a dusty copy of The Weird #3 in grandpa’s attic and wonder what the hell it is.

If someone were to put me in charge of DC or Marvel for one day – Anyone? Anyone? – here’s what I’d do.

Continue reading: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/05/06/the-end-of-the-comics-world-is-nigh/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Pro Se Press announces new submissions at the Pro Se Open!

The Pro Se Open is a list of Anthologies that Pro Se plans to do in the future. This is an open call on all the books listed in the Open, that is anyone can submit a story for any of the books in the list. For some of the anthologies, there is no deadline essentially, that is until all the slots open in any given book are filled. However, some will have deadlines attached and these will be noted by each individual title.

The Process will be as follows-

1. An upcoming Anthology is listed in the Pro Se Open.

2. Submissions are accepted (a 2-3 paragraph proposal for the story and at least a two page writing sample if you are a new writer submitting to Pro Se)

3. When the slots for the collection are all filled, a deadline for story completion will be set of approximately ninety days from the closing of the anthology. This will give writers time to complete their tales, artists time to do covers, etc.

Even though the deadline will be 2-3 months out once a book is closed, Editors assigned to these projects will follow up, monitor, and make sure work is being done. Steps will be taken to move the anthology along as planned if work is not being done in a timely manner. This means, however, that until all the slots are filled on an anthology in The Pro Se Open, it will remain open, but it is Pro Se's commitment that once all the works are in for a particular collection, that that collection move into high gear toward publication, regardless of current publishing schedule.

The Pro Se Open will be updated periodically as to adding new collections and removing ones that have been filled.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ANTHOLOGIES LISTED BELOW MAY NOT PUBLISH UNTIL 2014 UNLESS THEY FILL QUICKLY.

New Anthologies to the Pro Se Open are as Follows-

ONCE UPON A SIX GUN- Jesse James and the Three Bears… The Little Gunfighter….The Sheriff and the Pea… Little Billy the Kid…Get the picture? Blend REAL western characters in with ACTUAL fairy tales, we don’t care what country the tale comes from, but it must be authentic and it must include a real Western cowboy type. These are not retellings in a Western setting….We want Fairy Tales meets Cowboys! 10,000 word stories, 3 slots open. TWO STORIES SUBMITTED/APPROVED, ONE MORE SLOT OPEN

PULPTERNATIVE!- This is your chance to write Pulpy tales based in completely alternate histories! Have Julius Caesar discover America. Have a milk truck run over Hitler when he’s three. Have Montezuma take over most of the known world. Whatever you want to have happen that isn’t what our history says it is, do so…but here’s the rule…These have to be clearly Pulp tales. No grand philosophizing or comment on society today (unless you can slip it into a pulp cover and get it past us), just pure grade Pulp in histories that might have happened. 10,000 word stories, 3 slots open.

THE DAME DID IT- This is an anthology aimed at Writers interested in the Hard Boiled and/or the Noir. Time period and setting do not matter, but these stories must be two fisted, gun shooting hard core action with one other rule. The Hero and/or the Villain must be female. In other words either the Dame solves it or She is the source of the crime/problem. And no gals playing second fiddle to the male hero or villain either. A woman must take center stage as either the protagonist, antagonist, or both. 10,000 word stories, 3 slots open.

For more info, visit prosepulp.com or prose-press.com.

Happy Birthday to me!

The old writer man turns 45 today, and I feel like I've earned every one of those years. Thanks to all my readers for your support, and I look forward to at least 45 more years together with you!

Not nearly enough candles... not by a long shot!

Carnacki Anthology Extends Submission Deadline!

 

An anthology of all-new stories about Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder is NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS!

Later this year, to coincide with the first issue of SARGASSO (The Journal of Hodgson Studies), I will be publishing an all new collection of Carnacki stories and I am currently looking for submissions!

Carnacki remains one of Hodgson’s most popular creations with not only new stories about the character appearing but he has been included in comic books as well as novels from other writers.  I’m looking for a fresh crop of writers to tackle the stories of this intrepid Ghost-Hunter!

So here’s the details: stories should be between 3,000-6,000 words (anything longer, please query first); stories should feature Carnacki in some aspect; no explicit gore, violence or sex, please; payment will be in 2 contributors copies; NEW DEADLINE for submissions is May 20, 2013 so, yes, this will be closing quickly.

CARNACKI: THE NEW ADVENTURES is planned for an August, 2013, release at the Necronomicon convention in Providence, RI.

Send your submissions (or questions) to me at: lordshazam@yahoo.com with the tag CARNACKI SUBMISSION in the subject line.

I look forward to reading all of these great new Carnacki stories and presenting to everyone an exciting new collection of tales about this timeless character.  Get your submissions in early!  William Meikle already did!

[Link] Editing Your Own Work: How to Dismember Your Darlings

by Jasper Bark

Sir Arthur Quiller Couch, the patron saint of modern grammar nazis and bedroom blog critiques, famously said: “writing is murdering your darlings”. While this quote might suggest that it probably is a good idea to keep most writers locked in their studies for days on end without any human contact, or a change of underwear, it’s not actually because they have homicidal tendencies.

I’ll quite happily admit it’s not a good idea to marry a writer, not because you’ll fear for your life every time they dig a big hole in the back garden (it probably is just for that triffid they’ve always wanted to grow). It’s simply because they’re not legendary for the size of their pay packets. I’ll also agree that you shouldn’t leave them in charge of a room full of school children, but only because of their irregular underwear habits, not because you’ll have another Columbine on your hands.

What the Edwardian uber-critic Sir Arthur was actually getting at was the ruthlessness with which all writers should approach their work, especially when it comes to editing. I’m quite aware of what a painful chore editing can be. So much thought, so much effort and so many beautiful words went into your story and now you have to throw some of them away forever. It’s like clearing out your bookshelves and deciding which of your six copies of Farenheit 451 you’re going to get rid of. The old battered edition was the copy you read in school, whereas this one has a really cool Kelly Freas cover – oh, and you bought this one cos the gorgeous book seller recommended it and that eventually got you laid. I mean how often does a book purchase get you LAID, you can’t part with this one…

Continue reading: http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/columns/injured-eyeballs/editing-work-dismember-darlings/

Galactic Quest Welcomes CREATORS behind Iron man 3 & TMNT ON FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Buford & Lawrenceville, GA—It’s no secret that the comic book heroes are back in a big way. Iron Man and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are on the screen and in comics, and for this year’s Free Comic Book Day event, Galactic Quest is proud to the welcome the writers and artists who are busy creating their adventures.

“We’re pulling out all the stops this year,” said store owner, Kyle Puttkammer. “We’re thrilled to have creators Drew Geraci and Erik Burnham from two of the hottest properties in comics and we’re planning for our biggest Free Comic Book Day ever.”

Drew Geraci is one of the artists currently working on the Iron Man 3 prequel comic and has also worked for DC Comics on such famous characters as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman and for Dark Horse Comics on comics from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Star Wars.

Erik Burnham currently writes the hit series The New Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret History of the Foot Clan. Burnham is also writing the Free Comic Book Day issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the Animated Series, which he will be signing during the day.

“But that’s not all,” said Sean Taylor, manager of the Buford location. “We’ll also have other comic book creators on hand for the fun too, including Wilfredo Torres from The Shadow Year One and lots of local small press folks you should really get to know.”

Taylor and Puttkammer, in addition to running the store, also are creators in their own right. Puttkammer is the main voice behind the Galaxy Man book and the forthcoming Hero Cats comic, both designed for all ages. Taylor has worked with Gene Simmons of KISS fame to write for the Simmons Comics Group in cooperation with IDW Publishing.

4.6 MILLION FREE COMICS TO BE GIVEn AWAY ON FCBD!

Free Comic Book Day is a single day—the first Saturday in May each year—when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores. One of the goals of Free Comic Book Day is to reach out to those individuals unfamiliar with the comic book specialty market, not to mention a comic book shop. So, every year those behind Free Comic Book Day launch a massive promotional campaign that heralds the event and spreads the good word of comics to potential readers everywhere. 

In addition to the aforementioned comic book celebrities, both the Buford and Lawrenceville locations of Galactic Quest will feature costumed heroes and live music throughout the day.

In Buford, bands will include:

2pm—Southeast Ukers

3pm—The Wonder-Nerds

The music line-up in Lawrence includes:

9am—Brook Shepard

3pm—Bad Bad Lola

4pm—Southeast Ukers

5pm—Ricky & Bambi

7pm—Wonder-Nerds

8pm—Hott With Harry Leggs

For more information about the event, contact Galactic Quest online at www.galacticquest.com or call the Buford store at 770-614-4804 or the Lawrenceville store at 770-339-3001.

Kyle Puttkammer

kyle@galacticquest.com
(678) 707-1290

Sean Taylor

Staylor104@aol.com
(770) 614-4804

The 30 Best Graphic Novels Ever (Final Collected Version)

Here's the full recap of my choices for the top 30 graphic novels.

To hold off any argument, here are my qualifications I used to determine whether or not a book was actually a "graphic novel":

For the most part I'm not counting mere trade paperback collections from a series, unless the stories is conceived as a single, stand-alone tale independent of the rest of the series (hence no volumes of Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, which would top a list of best series ever). Also, in the case of a story being long enough to continued across two volumes, I'm just counting it as one story. Finally, I'm also allowing a single volume version of a maxi-series.

30. The Lump
by Chris Wisnia
Published Salt Peter Press

29. Harpe
by Chad Crawford Kinkle and Adam Shaw
Published by Cave in Rock

28. Children of the Grave
by Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney
Published by IDW Publishing

27. Earth X
by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger
Published by Marvel Comics

26. Legion of Super-Heroes: The Greak Darkness Saga
by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen
Published by DC Comics

25. I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson, adapted by Steven Niles and Elman Brown
Published by IDW Publishing

24. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
by Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith
Published by DC Comics

23. Batman: The Killing Joke
by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
Published by DC Comics

22. The Infinity Gauntlet
by Jim Starlin, George Perez and Ron Lim
Published by Marvel Comics

21.Astro City: Life in the Big City
by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
Published by Wildstorm

20. Punk Rock Jesus
by Sean Murphy
Published by Vertigo Comics

19. Minor Miracles
by Will Eisner
Published by DC Comics

18. Crisis on Infinite Earths
by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
Published by DC Comics

17. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Published by Vertigo Comics

16. Fables: Legends in Exile
by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina
Published by Vertigo Comics

15. Sin City: That Yellow Bastard
by Frank Miller
Published by Dark Horse Comics

14. The Crusades
by Steve Seagle and Kelley Jones
Published by Vertigo Comics

13. Blankets
by Craig Thompson
Published by Top Shelf Productions

12. The Building
by Will Eisner
Published by W. W. Norton & Company

11. The Complete Bone
by Jeff Smith
Published by Cartoon Books

10. Maus
by Art Spiegelman
Published by Pantheon

9. V for Vendetta
by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Published by Vertigo Comics

8. The Dark Knight Returns
by Frank Miller
Published by DC Comics

7. Sandman: A Doll's House
by Neil Gaiman and various artists
Published by Vertigo Comics

6. Watchmen
by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Published by DC Comics

5. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson
Published by Marvel Comics

4. A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories
by Will Eisner
Published by W. W. Norton & Company

3. From Hell
by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Published by Top Shelf Productions

2. Squadron Supreme
by Mark Gruenwald and various artists
Published by Marvel Comics

1. Camelot 3000
by Mike Barr and Brian Bolland
Published by DC Comics

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #278 -- Which one to read?

If someone came to you and asked you what one work of yours, ONE only, 

they should read, what would you tell them? -- Jim Beard

At this point, I'd say it would be my iHero short story collection, SHOW ME A HERO, from New Babel Books. It's still the nearest and dearest to my heart, followed closely by ol' Rick Ruby.

Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy Available!

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce that Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy is now available in eBook format, with print availability in trade paperback on Wednesday.  Featuring contributions from a sensational list of writers such as Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Harry Turtledove, Joe Haldeman, and many other top names in genre fiction, Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy is a highly valuable contribution to the speculative fiction community developed by Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Knost.

Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy is a collection of essays and interviews by and with many of the movers-and-shakers in the industry. Each contributor covers the specific element of craft he or she excels in. Expect to find varying perspectives and viewpoints, which is why the reader will find many find differing opinions on any particular subject. It is a book with something to offer all levels of writers, from those seeking to get published for the first time to others who have numerous releases to their credit.

Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy features essays and interviews with:
Neil Gaiman
Orson Scott Card
Ursula K. Le Guin
Alan Dean Foster
James Gunn
Tim Powers
Harry Turtledove
Larry Niven
Joe Haldeman
Kevin J. Anderson
Elizabeth Bear
Jay Lake
Nancy Kress
George Zebrowski
Pamela Sargent
Mike Resnick
Ellen Datlow
James Patrick Kelly
Jo Fletcher
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon Van Gelder
Lou Anders
Peter Crowther
Ann VanderMeer
John Joseph Adams
Nick Mamatas
Lucy A. Snyder
Alethea Kontis
Nisi Shawl
Jude-Marie Green
Nayad A. Monroe
G. Cameron Fuller
Jackie Gamber
Amanda DeBord
Max Miller
Jason Sizemore
This edition also features several original illustrations from award-winning artists Matthew Perry and Bonnie Wasson. In addition to their own illustrations, a special collaborative piece created by the two artists is featured in the book.

Available by mid-week in trade paperback format, Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy is now available in eBook format for the Kindle and Nook at the following links for just $4.99

Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle UK
Nook

For further updates and information about Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy, please visit the Seventh Star Press site at: www.seventhstarpress.com




Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky

New Rip Regan: Powerman posted!

Don't miss the latest page in the Rip Regan: Powerman online comic I'm writing for Excelsior Web Comics!

http://ripreganexcelsior.blogspot.com.br/

[Link] 40 Inspiring Workspaces Of The Famously Creative

From tiny writing desks to giant painting studios, the only thing all of these creative studios have in common is that they inspired their successful inhabitants to create greatness

See the gallery: http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/40-inspiring-workspaces-of-the-famously-creative

E.B. White and his workspace