Astounding Tales Second Issue

I have been getting AstoundingTales.com issue #2 ready for a September 1, release. I will actually let it go tonight before I leave work. It has some great stories and I wrote a couple of non-fiction items. I wish that I had more time to work on the art. I am not an artist and I have to resort to clip art libraries to get what I need. The cover art is a stock lunar setting from a clip art collection.

Arthur has done all of the editorial work. He has picked some very good stories and worked with some new writers to get some decent stuff that you will not see anywhere else.

It remains to be seen if the lawyers will object to this incarnation.

Story is up at ATSOISE

It feels good to have something in a Zine again. The Field of the Beasts can be seen at ATSOISE. This is not the best story I’ve ever written. I am afraid that it does not stand out. I researched it quite a bit and the local is authentic – nuns and all. The man who threw the party is a real person and the house is the actual house where he lived. The characters, however, don’t seem to capture much of the flavor of old New Orleans.

Structurally, though, I think it hits the spot. I will have to return to it someday.

This is the first version of Les Choix des Armes. I like the second one better – it is currently in Amazing Heroes II. The two stories are totally different, but the concept of duel springs from a single idea.

Reject on S&S story

Lon at Neverary passed on a reprint of Le Choix des Armes, but he made nice coments. “It’s very good”, which is all I can ask for.

He wants the story to be at least a year old before he will reprint it.

I am afraid that no one will ever read it in “Amazing Heroes II”. I don’t think it has sold much.

Buy it here:

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook24760.htm

Another rewrite request

This is the week for rewrites. I just got a request to fix up “Beast”. I need coffee!!!

Some reponses over the weekend

Alien Skin returned “The Thoat” with a rewrite request. I’ll do it as soon as the coffee kicks in this morning. They said it made then nostalgic for Lexx. Who is Lexx?

Irregular Quarterly returned my political short. I suspect that it may no tbe as good as I think it is, in spite of praise from several editors. I still think that it is a hot potato to editors who are afraid to alienate hlf of their audience. Also it is of regional interest (the region being US – which is large, but still…)

I wonder how internet usage breaks down on national demographics lines. Most of the users in my web logs come in through AOL. From what I can find (which is suspect is wrong.) The USA accounts for about 25% of world internet traffic and less than 50% of English speaking taffic. Asia is about 1/3 of all traffic and Europe is about 20%.

I would guess that a partisan political story from the US may be considered regional or even provincial.

I may start up StrangeTales.net as an Anonymous site and post my stuff there along with John’s. I’ll ask Bob (from poker) to donate to the cause.

Wanderings