http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/ johnottinger - LiveJournal.com Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:58:00 GMT LiveJournal / LiveJournal.com johnottinger 17233910 personal http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/108048183/17233910 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/ 100 86 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/674563.html Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:58:00 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/674563.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/29/warning-to-all-thieves-blood-will-flow-from-you/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/29/warning-to-all-thieves-blood-will-flow-from-you/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>So recently some acquaintances of mine were on vacation and stopped at a local used bookstore&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/283481_10150269355418536_699368535_7550244_1767365_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/283481_10150269355418536_699368535_7550244_1767365_n-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="Book Store" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>It was one of those stores where the books are just piled everywhere, but the proprietor knows where EVERYTHING is&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/284852_10150269353503536_699368535_7550214_4603159_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/284852_10150269353503536_699368535_7550214_4603159_n-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="Corridor of Books" width="225" height="300" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/205985_10150269355293536_699368535_7550241_5184875_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/205985_10150269355293536_699368535_7550241_5184875_n-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="Book Pile" width="225" height="300" /></a></p> <p>But it was not the chaotic nature of the store that made this place so unique, it was these&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/223793_10150269355358536_699368535_7550242_7481052_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/223793_10150269355358536_699368535_7550242_7481052_n-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="Watch Out Shoplifter!" width="225" height="300" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/285484_10150269353088536_699368535_7550207_742786_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/285484_10150269353088536_699368535_7550207_742786_n-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="I have 8 security cameras..." width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>And then it gets a little odd&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/217574_10150269355093536_699368535_7550235_919348_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/217574_10150269355093536_699368535_7550235_919348_n-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="Someone stole an old book" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Only to then jump the shark completely&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/251680_10150269352743536_699368535_7550199_1060449_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/251680_10150269352743536_699368535_7550199_1060449_n-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="When You Steal I Hope You Die in a Car Crash" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/283042_10150269354703536_699368535_7550227_2236088_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/283042_10150269354703536_699368535_7550227_2236088_n-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="You Will be Cursed till Death" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/270115_10150269354843536_699368535_7550230_1547287_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/270115_10150269354843536_699368535_7550230_1547287_n-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="Warning to all thieves, blood will flow from you." width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>All to end with this heartfelt offer at the cash register&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/185150_10150269353398536_699368535_7550212_7775626_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/185150_10150269353398536_699368535_7550212_7775626_n-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="Dear Customer Friend" width="225" height="300" /></a></p> <p>Ironically, THERE WERE NO CAMERAS TO BE SEEN ANYWHERE IN THE STORE!</p> <p>And for extra credit, I give you this product recommendation from O. J. Simpson&#8230;.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/250056_10150269355393536_699368535_7550243_2130253_n.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/250056_10150269355393536_699368535_7550243_2130253_n-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="Hyde Spotbilt &quot;The Shoes O.J. Simpson wears.&quot;" width="225" height="300" /></a></p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> comedy art humor public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/674174.html Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:58:17 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/674174.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/22/free-enovella-the-gates-of-madness-by-james-wyatt/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/22/free-enovella-the-gates-of-madness-by-james-wyatt/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Feature.aspx?x=dnd/feature/abyssalplague" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Gates-of-Madness-The-James-Wyatt-183x300.jpg" alt="" title="Gates of Madness, The - James Wyatt" width="183" height="300" /></a>Wizards of the Coast is now offering in multiple formats (PDF, EPUB, MOBI) <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Feature.aspx?x=dnd/feature/abyssalplague" rel="nofollow">a free download</a> of <i>The Gates of Madness</i> an e-novella that explains the origin story for their multiple world-spaning event <i>The Abyssal Plague</i>. </p> <p>In addition, there is a free short story by Erik Scott de Bie (if you scroll to the bottom of the download page) called &#8220;Gedrin Shadowbane&#8221; that you can get in PDF format.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> wizards of the coast free fiction erik scott de bie forgotten realms public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/673461.html Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:01:34 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/673461.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/21/geek-media-round-up-july-21-2011/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/21/geek-media-round-up-july-21-2011/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><h2>Art</h2> <p><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_longi5eYEq1qh8keto1_500.jpg" alt="8-Bit Sand Tribute" style="float: right;margin-left: 1em;width: 200px" /> <ul> <li><a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/07/sculpture-8-bit-game-tribute.html" rel="nofollow">8-Bit Sand Sculpture Game Tribute</a></li> <li>The artwork for the new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345525426/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thegregeeman-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=0345525426" rel="nofollow">A Song of Ice and Fire 2012 Calendar</a> is fantastic.</li> <li>The Cosgeek has posted some of the most painfully cute cosplay you&#8217;ve ever seen in the form of <a href="http://cosgeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/kids-captain-kirk.html" rel="nofollow">Captain Kirk</a> and <a href="http://cosgeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/kids-doctor-who.html" rel="nofollow">Doctor Who</a></li> <li>The Geek Art Gallery has posted a gallery of <a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/07/gallery-art-of-banksy.html" rel="nofollow">Banksy&#8217;s best known street art</a>.</li> <li>How to make your very own <a href="http://cosgeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/tutorial-how-to-make-duct-tape-shield.html" rel="nofollow">Captain America Duct Tape Shield</a></li> <li>Steampunk? How about <a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/07/link-round-up-july-19-2011.html" rel="nofollow">Steampug</a>.</li> <li>This is how big a geek I am. Cleaning out my desktop this morning, I realized that I had over thirty cosplay lip sync videos laying around. I don&#8217;t think most people have even <i>seen</i> a cosplay-themed lip sync video, much less gone through the work of downloading a mess of them locally. Anyhoo&#8230; here&#8217;s one of the latest to surface: <a href="http://cosgeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/video-cosplay-fever-raise-your-glass.html" rel="nofollow">Cosplay Fever: Raise Your Glass</a>.</li> </ul> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/21/geek-media-round-up-july-21-2011/#more-10183" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> the great geek manual public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/666550.html Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:35:57 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/666550.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/07/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-james-enge/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/07/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-james-enge/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/James-Enge.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/James-Enge.jpg" alt="" width="281" height="300" /></a>Known as mild-mannered James M. Pfundstein by day, a Latin, Greek and classics professor, at night, he becomes James Enge, author of legendary tales of the swordsman Morlock. Morlock has featured so far in three novels, with a trilogy on the way from PYR in 2012, and numerous short stories which have appeared in <em>Black Gate</em>, <em>Swords &amp; Dark Magic</em>, <em>Every Day Fiction</em>, Rogue Blades’ <em>Return Of The Sword</em>, and <em>Flashing Swords</em>, amongst others. A frequent panelist at cons on topics such as pulps and swords &amp; sorcery, James Enge can be found at <a href="http://www.jamesenge.com/" rel="nofollow">www.jamesenge.com</a>, on Facebook and as @jamesenge on Twitter.</p> <hr /> <strong>SFFWRTCHT: </strong><strong>Let’s start with the day job. You teach classic languages or literature or both?</strong>&lt;/p&gt; <p><strong>James Enge: </strong>Both languages and literature. Latin language mostly, with a little Greek. And myth and Roman history, too. I do whatever I can to capture the students’ attention. You have to sell clasics pretty hard these days. It’s a good challenge, though. Every college teacher should show that what he’s doing is worth the students’ time.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT:</strong><strong> Awesome! Who are some of your favorite classical writers?</strong></p> <p><strong>JE:</strong> I like Virgil–<em>The Aeneid</em> is like a fantasy novel in verse, with gods and magic and murder and treachery and all the good stuff. Also Seneca–the same stuff as Virgil, but with extra doses of cannibalism and murder.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT:</strong><strong> Was it academic boredom, morbid curiosity, or too much spare time which led you to become a writer?</strong></p> <p><strong>JE:</strong> I started as a kid, long before I got into classics. Though I was always into myth.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: What kinds of stories/things did you write as a kid? </strong></p> <p><strong>JE:</strong> Oh, God. Horrible multibook imitations of Tolkien, drenched with Mary Sues, that never ended until I abandoned them.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT:</strong><strong> How did the Morlock character come into being?</strong></p> <p><strong>JE:</strong> Morlock was a combination of lots of things–Tolkien, Arthurian mythos, Wells. Irritation with favorite writers gets me to write. I thought Wells was unfair to the Morlocks. Maybe they&#8217;re not so pretty, but they have a fair claim to being the real human beings of Wells&#8217; far future: they seem to be _hnau_, (to borrow a word from C.S. Lewis) and it&#8217;s not clear to me that the empty pretty Eloi are _hnau_. In something like the same way, Tolkien was unfair to Dwarves&#8211;always talking them down, in contrast to his favorites, the Elves. Add a catalyst of Arthurian legend to this volatile mix of literary irritation and you get a wonderworking dry drunk named Morlock Ambrosius who las a long-term connection with Dwarves. Anyway, he walked into one of those multibook things I wrote as a teenager and started causing trouble immediately. Although it took a long time for the world to grow around him. And for my storytelling to grow up to him.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/07/07/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-james-enge/#more-10052" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> pyr interviews black gate writing fantasy james enge twitter public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/661149.html Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:23:09 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/661149.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/27/halsningar-andra-science-fiction-alskare/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/27/halsningar-andra-science-fiction-alskare/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>My parents just took a cruise around the Baltic Sea, and knowing my penchant for all things SF, took this excellent pic of a specialty SF bookstore in Old Town Stockholm.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_1636.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_1636.jpg" alt="" title="SF bookstore in Old Town Stockholm" width="427" height="639" /></a></p> <p>I am particularly a fan of the dragon/spaceship combo on top of the sign.</p> <p>Hälsningar andra science fiction-älskare! (Translation: &#8220;Greetings fellow science fiction lovers!&#8221; I hope.) We are glad to know you are out there fighting the good fight, reading the good read!</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> sf travel public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/659787.html Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:03:03 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/659787.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/23/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-the-functional-nerds-patrick-hester-and-john-anealio/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/23/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-the-functional-nerds-patrick-hester-and-john-anealio/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Functional-Nerds-logo.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Functional-Nerds-logo-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Every Tuesday night, a new episode of the Functional Nerds podcast is posted at <a href="http://www.functionalnerds.com/" rel="nofollow">www.functionalnerds.com</a> with hosts Patrick Hester and John Anealio chatting with authors like Blake Charlton, James Enge, L.E. Modesitt, and more.</p> <p>In addition to running the podcast, Patrick edits and records podcasts for <a href="http://www.sfsignal.com/" rel="nofollow">www.sfsignal.com</a> and author Mur Lafferty and can be found at <a href="http://www.atfmb.com" rel="nofollow">www.atfmb.com</a>.</p> <p>John is a school music teacher by day and spends his nights recording and writing funny or serious songs with speculative themes. Much of his work can be found on various podcasts and websites, including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnAnealio" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnAnealio</a> and <a href="http://johnanealio.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">http://johnanealio.bandcamp.com/</a>.</p> <p>They joined us to discuss their own work and the business of podcasting.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: </strong><strong>Please tell us a little about how Functional nerds came about. You were bloggers first?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Patrick Hester:</strong> I was doing a blog and podcast called ‘All Things From My Brain’ and thought I needed a second voice. John was listening and doing his own podcast and thought the same thing. He contacted me and we started chatting. Thus was born The Functional Nerds.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Why the name Functional Nerds?</strong></p> <p><strong>PH:</strong> When John contacted me about partnering up, he said it needed to be called ‘Functional Nerds’ based on something I’d mentioned once or twice. I had a boss tell me that I was a nerd, but ‘functional’-as in, I function in society.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Hey, I like that. Podcasting is still new to a lot of us. Can you tell us how you go about putting a show together?</strong></p> <p><strong>PH:</strong> I do the recording, editing and put the posts up. John books all the guests and handles the scheduling. I used to do all this show prep, I’d write out scripts for us (you can tell in the early shows), but we don’t do that now. John prepares cogent questions and then I mess him all up by going all over the place.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Do you use any other programs besides Skype do you use for the podcasts? I know Patrick’s written <a href="http://www.atfmb.com/2010/11/08/how-i-podcast/" rel="nofollow">a great article</a> on how he does the technical stuff.</strong></p> <p><strong>PH:</strong> Quick app list for podcasting: Skype, Wiretap, Garageband, Amadeus Pro, Levelator.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: What types of books do you like to showcase on your podcast?</strong></p> <p><strong>John Anealio: </strong>Science fiction, fantasy, epic fantasy, urban fantasy etc. and so on.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Has it been a challenge to book guests?<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>And relatedly, how do you get in touch with people?</strong></p> <p><strong>PH: </strong>For the SFSignal podcast, I have a list of contacts from SFSignal, plus I troll websites for contact info (I book that show). I recently have had publicists contact me to get their people on SFSignal, which is different and welcomed (sometimes).</p> <p><strong>JA: </strong>It&#8217;s been surprisingly easy to book guests for The Functional Nerds Podcast.  I&#8217;ve booked a lot of authors and musicians through Twitter.  For some authors, I&#8217;ve gone through their publicists.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/23/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-the-functional-nerds-patrick-hester-and-john-anealio/#more-9935" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> functional nerds interviews patrick hester fantasy music blogging john anealio science fiction public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/659423.html Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:58:15 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/659423.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/22/giveaway-1-copy-of-dead-iron-by-devon-monk/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/22/giveaway-1-copy-of-dead-iron-by-devon-monk/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>Courtesy of the always awesome Roc books, I have a copy of <i>Dead Iron</i> by Devon Monk to give away to one lucky commenter. I&#8217;ve perused an advance review copy and this looks like on the better steampunk novels to be published recently. Just live in the USA and tell us what you like about steampunk and you will be automagically entered to win! Contest is open till midnight July 4th. (After all, what better way is there to celebrate America&#8217;s birth than by winning a steampunk novel?)</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/045146396X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=045146396X" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Dead_Iron-1-jpeg-e1292518925972.jpg" alt="Click for Amazon listing" title="Dead Iron by Devon Monk" width="400" height="600" /></a></p> <p><strong>ABOUT THE BOOK</strong><br /> Although devisers have civilized the east with their steam and gear contraptions known as matics, civilization has yet to take hold in the new states. When three brothers bring Cedar a sign that his own brother may still be alive, all they ask in return is a favor. Cedar agrees to hunt for the Holder, a device created by mad devisers. In a land shaped by magic, steam, and iron, where the only thing a man can count on is his guns, gears, and grit, Cedar’s quest for the Holder will lead him down many paths. In order to succeed, he must save a child’s life, free a vengeful zombie’s soul, and break the curse that steals his humanity before he kills the very people he’s trying to save.</p> <p>In a land shaped by magic, steam, and iron, where the only things a man can count on are his guns, gears, and grit, Cedar will have to depend on all three if he&#8217;s going to save his brother and reclaim his soul once and for all&#8230;</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> giveaway free giveaways public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/654644.html Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:02:52 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/654644.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/16/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-authoreditor-lou-anders/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/16/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-authoreditor-lou-anders/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Lou-Anders.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Lou-Anders.jpg" alt="" width="241" height="269" /></a>To many, <strong>Lou Anders</strong> is the face of @PYR_Books, where he serves as Editorial Director and Art Director He’s also the editor of acclaimed anthologies, including <em>Swords &amp; Dark Magic</em> co-edited with Jonathan Strahan. A 2011/2010/2009/2008/2007 Hugo Award nominee, 2010 Shirley Jackson Award nominee, 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee. 2010/2009/2007 Chesley Award nominee/winner/nominee, and 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee. He’s edited anthologies for Solaris, Gallery, HarperEOS, Roc, Monkeybrain books and Wildside Press. You can find him on Twitter as @louanders or at <a href="http://www.louanders.com" rel="nofollow">www.louanders.com</a> and <a href="http://www.pyrsf.com" rel="nofollow">www.pyrsf.com</a>.</p> <hr /> <strong>SFFWRTCHT:</strong><strong> So Lou, when and how did you discover your passion for speculative fiction? </strong>&lt;/p&gt; <p><strong>Lou Anders:</strong> Several times/places. If I had to boil it to a few key events, I’d say the first was an exposure to the TV show <em>Land of the Lost</em>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_543887851" rel="nofollow"> </a>I had no idea until years later how many actual Science Fiction authors wrote for that show – Niven, Sturgeon, etc. But it was a show with dinosaurs, wormholes, lost civilizations, micro/bubble universes, curved space. Blew my young mind. I was a kid in the deep south, whose teachers wouldn’t even say the word “evolution” even in context of mathematical theory. A few years later, I found some battered paperback copies of <em>The Science Fiction Hall of Fame</em> volumes.  And then when I was 12 or 13, my dad shoved <em>A Princess of Mars</em> into my hands and ordered me to read it. I resisted of course. “It has a naked woman on the cover.” “I know it has a naked woman, but it’s still a good book.” I ended up reading every Edgar Rice Burroughs I could find over the next year, then moved on to Moorcock and Lieber.</p> <p>Then I saw <em>Excalibur </em>in the 5th grade. One of my teachers was there too. She held me after class the next day. Turns out she was afraid I’d rat her out. We agreed that the sex wasn’t gratuitous but was necessary to the plot. And not to tell anyone else we’d seen each other there. In the 1990s, when the <em>Land of the Lost</em> script was floating around Hollywood in development hell, my then-script writing partner and I tried to get on it. So upset with the Will Ferrell remake.  It could have been like a <em>Jurassic Park</em> style film, only with a few sensawunder concepts.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT:</strong><strong> Did you and your partner sell any scripts?</strong></p> <p><strong>LA:</strong> Our first one got passed around. On it, we got hired by a production studio to do a work for hire for one of their directors. That never got made, but then a production company hired us to write another which also never got made. But for a while there was “heat’ on us and we had CAA agents and lots of meetings. Michael Bay’s right hand man wanted him to do 1 of our films. Turned it down as being too close to <em>Armageddon</em>. We shared scenes.</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1852867795/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=1852867795" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Making-of-ST-First-Contact-Anders.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="299" /></a><strong></strong><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Ok, so you were an avid reader and even tried writing scripts. What about short stories or novels?</strong></p> <p><strong>LA:</strong> Well, we also had a standing invitation to pitch <em>Voyager</em>. Which we did several times. I wrote <em>The Making of Star Trek First Contact</em> book and over 500 articles for <em>Star Trek Monthly</em> and <em>Babylon 5 Magazine</em>.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: </strong><strong>So how did you end up Editorial Director of a SF publisher?</strong></p> <p><strong>LA: </strong>I’ve had a very few short stories published. And I’m on draft 5 of my first ever novel right now. 5 years in LA as journalist on SF TV sets, writing screenplays. So ex-girlfriend, Harvard MBA, hires me to move to SF and be the content person for an online reading startup. Bookface was “browser based reading” that tracked ad revenues and paid publishers for the time people read online. In one year, we had 42,000 users, and thousands of titles in all genres, nonfiction, religion, computing, childrens, you name it.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/16/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-authoreditor-lou-anders/#more-9866" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> pyr interviews writing fantasy james enge publishing uncategorized science fiction ebooks star trek public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/649111.html Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:53:27 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/649111.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/08/geek-media-round-up-june-9-2011/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/08/geek-media-round-up-june-9-2011/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><h2>Art</h2> <p><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmhiucb3c51qae9seo1_500.jpg" alt="Dino D-Day Propaganda" style="float: right;margin-left: 1em;width: 200px" /> <ul> <li><a href="http://io9.com/5809845/early-x+men-character-concept-art-shows-off-a-much-darker-azazel" rel="nofollow">Early X-Men character concept art shows off a much darker, much cooler Azazel</a></li> <li>Grégoire Guillemin recreates your favorite <a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/06/papercraft-paper-heroes.html" rel="nofollow">super heroes in paper</a>.</li> <li>A tribute to the geek movie classic <a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/06/event-camp-firewood.html" rel="nofollow">Wet Hot American Summer</a>.</li> <li>To promote the launch of Dino D-Day, an FPS where you fight Nazis and their resurrected dinosaurs, Steam created a line of <a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/06/posters-dino-d-day-propaganda.html" rel="nofollow">WWII-style propaganda posters</a></li> </ul> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/08/geek-media-round-up-june-9-2011/#more-9784" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> the great geek manual public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/646781.html Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:01:33 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/646781.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/02/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-paul-s-kemp/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/02/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-paul-s-kemp/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/paulaloneautoshow.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/paulaloneautoshow-212x300.jpg" alt="" width="212" height="300" /></a>A mild-mannered corporate lawyer by day, <strong>Paul S. Kemp</strong> goes out at night fighting for justice and the American way. At night, he dreams of swords, sorcery, seafaring adventurers and slaying dragons. He’s<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span></strong>the author of three<em> Star Wars</em> tie-in books: <em>Crosscurrent</em>, <em>Deceived</em> and the forthcoming <em>Riptide</em> from Del Rey/Lucas Books. He’s written 9 books in the Erevis Cale series for <em>Forgotten Realms</em>. His stories have been published in anthologies like <em>Sails &amp; Sorcery</em> and several <em>Forgotten Realms</em> anthologies as well as magazines like <em>Dragon Magazine.</em> Active on Twitter as @Paulskemp, he can be found online at his website <a href="http://www.paulskemp.com/" rel="nofollow">www.paulskemp.com</a> as well. Married with twin boys, he keeps his own realm safe in the urban jungles of Michigan.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT:  So, Paul, how did a lawyer end up writing fantasy and science fiction? Did you always want to be a writer even while studying law? Which dream came first?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Paul S. Kemp:</strong> Well, I hated law school, and being a geek, naturally turned to writing speculative fiction.</p> <p><strong> </strong> <strong>SFFWRTCHT: </strong><strong>How did you get connected with Wizards of The Coast?</strong></p> <p><strong>PSK:</strong> Wizards Of The Coast had an open submissions policy around 2000. I subbed via that and they’ve never forgiven me.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Did you start by submitting a preexisting novel or short stories or was it book proposals?</strong></p> <p><strong>PSK:</strong> A chapter from an original fantasy novel. A later chapter. Early ones were…uh..not good.</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786954981/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217153&amp;creative=399349&amp;creativeASIN=0786954981" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Erevis-Cale-omnibus-Kemp.jpg" alt="" width="198" height="300" /></a><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Were you a long time D&amp;D player with experience in the Forgotten Realms?</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong> <strong>P</strong><strong>SK: </strong>I was a big Dungeons &amp; Dragons/Forgotten Realms player. Still am, actually. Same bunch of guys. We’re old and sad now, but still roll a mean d20. I’m a long time gamer and reader of Realms fiction.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT:</strong><strong> Where did the character Erevis Cale come from?</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong> <strong> </strong> <strong>PSK: </strong>Cale represents my fascination with the anti-hero, a character who constantly flirts with redemption.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: </strong><strong>He’s an interesting mix: ”priest and assassin. Does that dichotomy parallel the lawyer-writer dichotomy?</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong> <strong>PSK:</strong> Ha! Are you likening the lawyer or the writer to an assassin? Don’t answer that. I lose either way.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/06/02/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-author-paul-s-kemp/#more-9716" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> interviews writing fantasy uncategorized wizards of the coast science fiction del rey space opera star wars forgotten realms public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/642423.html Tue, 31 May 2011 16:02:30 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/642423.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/31/book-review-sword-of-the-gods-by-bruce-cordell/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/31/book-review-sword-of-the-gods-by-bruce-cordell/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786957395/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399349&amp;creativeASIN=0786957395" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/sword-of-the-gods1-182x300.jpg" alt="" title="sword of the gods" width="182" height="300" /></a>Genre: Heroic Fantasy, Shared World<br /> Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages<br /> Publisher: Wizards of the Coast<br /> Publication Date: April 5, 2011<br /> ISBN-10: 0786957395<br /> ISBN-13: 978-0786957392<br /> Author Website: <a href="http://www.brucecordell.com/" rel="nofollow">Bruce Cordell</a></p> <p>Would you want to wake up on a strange altar in the middle of nowhere, not knowing who you were or why a minor demon is gnawing on you? I certainly wouldn’t, but unfortunately for our hero Demascus, this is just how his story begins in <em>Sword of the Gods</em>.</p> <p>The tale is part of the Abyssal Plague series, which spans all of Wizards of the Coast’s novel properties. The series focuses on demons from a dead universe that invade the various universes of <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em> (Dark Sun, Eberron, D&#038;D, Forgotten Realms). Each is written as a stand-alone novel but are linked by the demonic nature of the foe each hero faces.</p> <p>Set in the Forgotten Realms, this novel by award winning game designer Bruce Cordell glistens with action adventure. Taking place in The Year of the Ageless One (1479 DR) the tale follows pale-skinned Demascus as he encounters and befriends a pawnshop owner named Chant and gains the assistance of a superb thief named Riltana. Chant and Demascus bond early when Demascus arrives at Chant’s shop by coincidence &#8211; only to find that the self he has lost placed a magic scarf into Chant’s safekeeping. Riltana, on the other hand, is initially in opposition to Demascus when she steals that very scarf until a near-death encounter changes her mind about which side she is on. </p> <p>Wanting to discover his true identity, Demascus first takes a commission to broach a mad wizard’s tower for the genasi (half-human, half elemental force) led Firestorm Cabal &#8211; only to find that the answers he seeks are hidden within the Cabal itself and the demon who stalks its halls in genasi guise.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/31/book-review-sword-of-the-gods-by-bruce-cordell/#more-9427" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> adventure book reviews sword and sorcery forgotten realms bruce cordell public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/641971.html Tue, 31 May 2011 15:03:21 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/641971.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/31/con-report-oasis-24/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/31/con-report-oasis-24/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/OASIS-24-Circle-BW-Logo.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/OASIS-24-Circle-BW-Logo-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="OASIS 24 Circle BW Logo" width="300" height="300" /></a></p> <p>So I spent Saturday at <a href="http://oasfis.org/oasis/" rel="nofollow">OASIS 24</a>, the tiny little convention for sci-fi fans in Orlando. Flying under the radar (no hype, little promotion, etc.) this convention has maybe three panels running at any one time, a gaming room and a small dealers room. This is the type of convention you go to meet people, to chat about the vagaries of SF, and just enjoy geek culture. </p> <p>This year’s guest of honor was <a href="http://david-drake.com/" rel="nofollow">David Drake</a>, so there was a leaning in content towards discussing military SF and space opera. I attended one session where Drake and a panel of authors (<a href="http://biglizards.net/blog/" rel="nofollow">Brad Linaweaver</a>, <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/chrisbfla/" rel="nofollow">Chris Berman</a>, Rick Wilber) chatted about the future of weaponry. Berman asserted with the force of a soon to be completed master’s in military history that nanotech was the wave of the future. Drake and Linaweaver disagreed – Drake wouldn’t let himself be pinned down, and Linaweaver asserted that it would be something innocuous, something we already use everyday. It was good, but eventually the discussion degenerated into a simple talk about history in general, with Drake speaking about his experiences in Vietnam in the abstract. Good stuff, but poorly directed and off topic.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/31/con-report-oasis-24/#more-9665" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> fantasy/scifi news personal journal richard lee byers david drake essays public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/641098.html Fri, 27 May 2011 16:31:03 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/641098.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/27/free-ebook-the-winds-of-khalakovo-by-bradley-p-beaulieu/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/27/free-ebook-the-winds-of-khalakovo-by-bradley-p-beaulieu/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>For a limited time (until June 9th) you can get <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Winds-of-Khalakovo/Bradley-P-Beaulieu/e/9781597803069" rel="nofollow"><i>The Winds of Khalakovo</i></a> by Bradley P. Beaulieu for free at Barnes and Noble. You will need the Nook eBook reader or the Nook reader application to read it.</p> <p><center><a href="http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1597802182/graspinforthe-20" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1597802182.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SL200_.jpg" /></a></center></p> <p><strong>ABOUT THE BOOK:</strong><br /> Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo&#8217;s eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo&#8217;s future.</p> <p>When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo&#8230;</p> <p>[via <a href="http://www.sfsignal.com" rel="nofollow">SF Signal</a> via <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/PrinceJvstin/statuses/74141118253629440" rel="nofollow">Paul Weimer</a>]</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> free fiction barnes and noble nightshade books public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/640823.html Thu, 26 May 2011 17:19:11 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/640823.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/26/james-knapp-wins-the-compton-crook-award/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/26/james-knapp-wins-the-compton-crook-award/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="hhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451463102/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399349&amp;creativeASIN=0451463102" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/state-of-decay.jpg" alt="" title="state of decay" width="99" height="160" /></a>The Baltimore Science Fiction Society has announced that Grasping for the Wind contributor James Knapp is the winner of the 2011 Compton Crook Award for his novel <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451463102/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399349&amp;creativeASIN=0451463102" rel="nofollow">State of Decay</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0451463102&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399349" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></em> (ROC).</p> <p>The award will be presented at 8:00pm on Friday, May 27, 2011 during the Opening Ceremonies of Balticon. It includes a check for $1,000.00 and a plaque.</p> <p>The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best first novel of the year in the field of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. The award has been presented since 1983 and is also known as the Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award.</p> <ul> <li>You can read all of Knapp&#8217;s GFTW columns by <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/?cat=1398" rel="nofollow">clicking here</a>.</li> <li><a href="http://james-knapp.com/wordpress1/" rel="nofollow">Knapp&#8217;s Official Website</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bsfs.org/bsfsccnu.htm" rel="nofollow">Compton Crook Award Website</a></li> </ul> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> james knapp fantasy/scifi news public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/640659.html Thu, 26 May 2011 16:03:38 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/640659.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/26/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-authoreditor-mike-resnick/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/26/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-authoreditor-mike-resnick/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Mike-Resnick.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Mike-Resnick.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="160" /></a>As of 2011, <strong>Mike Resnick</strong> is first on the <em><a title="Locus (magazine)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_(magazine)" rel="nofollow">Locus</a></em> list of all-time award winners, living or dead, for short fiction, and 4th on the <em><a title="Locus (magazine)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_(magazine)" rel="nofollow">Locus</a></em> list of science fiction&#8217;s all-time top award winners in all fiction categories. The author of sixty-two novels, including <em>Santiago</em>, the <em>Widowmaker</em> series, and the <em>Starship</em> series, twenty-two collections, and editor of forty anthologies, he’s also authored non-fiction books, including <em>The Business of Science Fiction</em> with Barry Malzberg, which is currently nominated for a Hugo. A former editor of <em>Jim Baen’s </em>Universe with Eric Flint, Mike has authored hundreds of short stories which have been published in magazines like <em>Asimov’s</em> and<em> Fantasy &amp; Science Fiction. </em>His latest novel, <em>The Buntline Special</em>, is out from PYR, and the first sequel is forthcoming. Active on Facebook, you can also find Mike as @ResnickMike on Twitter or through his website <a href="http://www.mikeresnick.com/" rel="nofollow">www.mikeresnick.com</a>. He and his wife and collaborator, Carol, own and operate a large collie breeding and exhibition business near Cleveland, Ohio.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: </strong><strong>Mike, tell us a little about <em>Buntline Special,</em> a weird western with Thomas Edison fighting magic?</strong></p> <p><strong>Mike Resnick:</strong> Lou Anders, my editor at Pyr, asked me to do a &#8220;Weird Western&#8221;, which would be both fantasy and steampunk. All my adult life I had wanted to write a novel about Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo, the only two college-educated gunslingers. I set up a situation that required Thomas Edison to be in Tombstone a year before the Gunflight at the OK Corral. I used a lot of historical incidents, plus magic (an Indian medicine man turned Bat Masterson into a real bat) and Edison&#8217;s inventions supply the steampunk.</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616142499/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399349&amp;creativeASIN=1616142499" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Buntline-Special-Resnick-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Does the followup Western for Pyr pick up where <em>Buntline</em> left off or is it stand alone?</strong></p> <p><strong>MR:</strong> The <em>Buntline </em>sequel is <em>The Doctor and The Kid</em>. It begins about two months after the events in the previous book. You can doubtless figure out who the Doctor and the Kid are. If there&#8217;s a third, it&#8217;ll feature Doc and Theodore Roosevelt, and a fourth will feature Doc plus paleontologists Cope and Marsh.</p> <p><strong>SFFWRTCHT: Like,all these space-operas are in the end cowboys with rayguns. What about doing a straighforward space western?</strong></p> <p><strong>MR: </strong>There are those who say the <em>Santiago</em> and <em>Widowmaker </em>books are space Westerns. I disagree, but I&#8217;m just the writer.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/26/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-authoreditor-mike-resnick/#more-9601" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> interviews science fiction battlestar galactica writing mike resnick public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/630016.html Sun, 15 May 2011 16:01:11 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/630016.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/15/chewing-on-pulp/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/15/chewing-on-pulp/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>I hated <em>The Old Man and the Sea</em>.  There, I said it.</p> <p>Back before I was published, I never thought about genre much.  I just read what I liked, and I knew that what I liked fell into the loose categories of &#8216;science fiction&#8217; and &#8216;horror&#8217;, and that I wasn&#8217;t a huge fan of &#8216;fantasy&#8217;.  Those genre preferences guided me in my search for books, but didn&#8217;t bind me (the occasional fantasy-ish story would catch my fancy).</p> <p>I was also aware, especially back during my school days, that there was a rift between what I liked to read and what the powers that be termed &#8216;real literature&#8217;.  Again, I didn&#8217;t dislike all of it&#8230;back then I was exposed to Sophocles, Shakespeare, Dickens, Hemmingway, Austin, and on like that.  Some of it I liked (<em>Oedipus Rex</em> was actually kind of interesting and I liked <em>Othello</em> and <em>Henry V</em> a lot).  Some of it I hated (I never liked anything by Faulkner or Hemmingway)&#8230;but if I&#8217;m to be honest, my favorite was still the one assigned in a little elective class I took one semester: <em>The Man in the Maze</em> by Robert Silverberg.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/15/chewing-on-pulp/#more-9452" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> genre fiction james knapp science fiction public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/628926.html Fri, 13 May 2011 12:45:54 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/628926.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/13/free-ebook-the-black-gods-war-by-moses-siregar-iii/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/13/free-ebook-the-black-gods-war-by-moses-siregar-iii/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Z0D2HK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399349&amp;creativeASIN=B003Z0D2HK" rel="nofollow"><img alt="" src="http://sciencefictionfantasybooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/TBGWKindle.jpg" title="Black God&#39;s War" width="300" height="300" /></a>GFTW contributor <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/?cat=1403" rel="nofollow">Moses Siregar III&#8217;s</a> novella <i>The Black God&#8217;s War</i> is currently available to download for free for Kindle.</p> <p>In celebration of the free download, Moses is also <a href="http://sciencefictionfantasybooks.net/free-epic-fantasy-ebook-charitable-giveaway-win-a-free-kindle3-nook-or-100-gift-card/" rel="nofollow">holding a contest to win a Kindle 3, B&#038;W Nook or $100 gift card</a> plus a separate contest to give $100 to a charity of your choice, just for tweeting, social bookmarking, and posting about his free book. So, you get a free book and a chance to win an ereader for it. Awesome!</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> free fiction kindle public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/626860.html Thu, 12 May 2011 16:02:58 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/626860.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/12/see-you-on-the-other-side/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/12/see-you-on-the-other-side/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><em>or another show Lexie invested her heart in DIED</em></p> <p>Originally this post was going to be about all the books I&#8217;m looking forward to at the end of this month during <a href="http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/" rel="nofollow">Book Expo America</a> (aka: Heaven is a place called BEA), however something occurred this evening (May 9th, 2011) that I can not allow to pass without mentioning.</p> <p><em>Stargate Universe</em> ended its two year run on <del>SciFi</del>SyFy.</p> <p>I cried.  I cried because the ending was&#8230;heartbreaking.  I don&#8217;t want to say what happened, but if it was the end of the season I&#8217;d be desperately searching for spoilers.  As the end of the series it put one of my favorite characters in a <em>horrific</em> position and I have <strong>no idea</strong> if that person gets out of it or not.  And since I&#8217;m an obsessive sort I follow the producers/cast blogs, twitter and facebook accounts and news isn&#8217;t good.  It seems <del>SciFi</del>SyFy decided to shelve the franchise for the time being and if it comes back, they&#8217;ll &#8216;reboot it&#8217;.  There&#8217;s not even any talk of novels.</p> <p>Sadly I&#8217;m used to this.  And since misery loves company I&#8217;m bringing out the scifi/fantasy series that left me <em>hanging</em>, but in no particular order to the amount of heartbreak I received (I promise you, it was all significant though).</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/12/see-you-on-the-other-side/#more-9367" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> tv legend of the seeker movies &amp; film public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/625885.html Wed, 11 May 2011 16:03:49 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/625885.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/11/8-lawyers-that-became-science-fiction-and-fantasy-authors/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/11/8-lawyers-that-became-science-fiction-and-fantasy-authors/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>The legal profession seems to breed writers. John Grisham turned to legal thrillers, Scott Turow and Meg Gardiner the same. And who could forget the raucous and bawdy story of <em>Tom Jones</em>, penned (literally, it was the eighteenth century) by seated judge Henry Fielding? </p> <p>Science Fiction and Fantasy have their own cast of lawyers who have turned their hand to writing. Some of these individuals are still practicing law, others have become full-time writers, but each can point to their profession as a part of their success as an author. Whether it be discipline, knowledge, or skill, each owes some debt to their argumentative and much maligned first profession.</p> <hr /> <h3>Terry Brooks (private practice)</h3> <p><a href="http://www.terrybrooks.net/" rel="nofollow">www.terrybrooks.net</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FTerry-Brooks%2FB000APZAHI%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr_ntt_srch_lnk_1%26qid%3D1303011333%26sr%3D8-1&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/terry-brooks-300x272.jpg" alt="" title="terry brooks" width="300" height="272" /></a>Brooks received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and went on to earn his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington &#038; Lee University.</p> <p>Brooks was once asked about his legal profession in a roundabout way in <a href="http://www.terrybrooks.net/askterry/writing.html" rel="nofollow">a query from a fan named Johnny D.</a> (I have left in his grammatical mistakes on the question), “i have just finished my first year studying law, should I get out now while i&#8217;m still young?”</p> <p>Brooks responded:</p> <blockquote><p>Flee now, Johnny D, while you still can! No, maybe not. I liked practicing law. I didn&#8217;t like law school much, but I liked being a lawyer. I quit mostly because the writing was eating up all of my time, and you cannot be a master to two demanding mistresses and stay sane. Writing was my first love. It always will be. I stay interested in what I am going to write several years down the road mostly because I don&#8217;t think too much about it.</p></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/11/8-lawyers-that-became-science-fiction-and-fantasy-authors/#more-8918" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> the lists melinda snodgrass marjorie m. liu science fiction writing fantasy john c. wright essays public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624904.html Tue, 10 May 2011 16:01:21 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624904.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/book-review-the-quantum-thief-by-hannu-rajaniemi/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/book-review-the-quantum-thief-by-hannu-rajaniemi/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765329492/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=graspinforthe-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0765329492" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Hannu-Rajaniemi-The-Quantum-Thief-US-199x300.jpg" alt="" title="Hannu-Rajaniemi-The-Quantum-Thief-US" width="199" height="300" /></a>Genre: Cyberpunk, Hard SF<br /> Hardcover: 336 pages<br /> Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition<br /> Publication Date: May 10, 2011<br /> ISBN-10: 0765329492<br /> ISBN-13: 978-0765329493<br /> Author Website: <a href="http://tomorrowelephant.net/" rel="nofollow">Hannu Rajaniemi</a></p> <p>Post-Earth cyberpunk finds a new voice in Hannu Rajaniemi’s debut novel <i>The Quantum Thief</i>. Rajaniemi, a Ph. D. in quantum physics, think tank director and second language English writer, details a complex story that gets off to a rocky start but pays off big in the end. </p> <p>Jean le Flambeur is the greatest thief of all time. Yet even great thieves get caught occasionally, and as the novel opens, le Flambeur is caught in a quantum Dilemma Prison. Forced to kill the other prisoners and war machines with archaic projectile guns or die and be resurrected, le Flambeur is not even sure if he actually is himself, or merely a construct. Then le Flambeur is rescued by the beautiful post-human Mieli, a member of some vague group from the far reaches of the solar system. Mieli has a job for le Flambeur, but before he can work for her, he first has to regain the memory of who he was on the Reconstruction-era Mars. Upon the vast moving city that serves as the planet’s capital, le Flambeur must rediscover his identity on a planet where time is currency, privacy is highly valued and easily obtained and the exomemory stores consciousness so that no one ever really dies. Le Flambeur and Mieli are thrust into a political quagmire which only a celebrated thief could escape.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/book-review-the-quantum-thief-by-hannu-rajaniemi/#more-8879" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> hard sf book reviews public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624859.html Tue, 10 May 2011 15:48:48 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624859.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/david-gemmell-legend-morningstar-and-ravenheart-nominee-shortlist/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/david-gemmell-legend-morningstar-and-ravenheart-nominee-shortlist/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>The <a href="http://gemmellaward.com/" rel="nofollow">David Gemmell Legend, Morningstar, and Ravenheart</a> final ballot has been announced! This award allows open voting, so head over to their site to place yours!</p> <h2>Legend Award</h2> <p> [<a href="http://www.gemmellaward.com/page/2323348:Page:26764" rel="nofollow">Vote</a>]</p> <p><em>The Alchemist in the Shadows</em> &#8211; Pierre Pevel (Gollancz)<br /> <em>The Desert Spear</em> &#8211; Peter V Brett (Voyager) [<a href="http://sacramentobookreview.com/science_fiction_fantasy/the-desert-spear/" rel="nofollow">my review</a>]<br /> <em>The Black Prism</em> &#8211; Brent Weeks (Orbit) [<a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2010/08/17/book-review-the-black-prism-by-brent-weeks/" rel="nofollow">GFTW review</a>]<br /> <em>The Way of Kings</em> &#8211; Brandon Sanderson (Gollancz/Tor US) [<a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2010/08/24/book-review-the-way-of-kings-by-brandon-sanderson/" rel="nofollow">GFTW review</a>]<br /> <em>Towers of Midnight</em> &#8211; Brandon Sanderson &#038; Robert Jordan (Orbit/Tor US) [<a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2010/11/02/book-review-towers-of-midnight-by-robert-jordan-and-brandon-sanderson/" rel="nofollow">GFTW review</a>]<br /> <em>The War of the Dwarves</em> &#8211; Markus Heitz (Orbit)</p> <h2>Morningstar</h2> <p> (Best Fantasy Debut) [<a href="http://gemmellaward.com/page/2323348:Page:27425" rel="nofollow">Vote</a>]</p> <p><em>Shadow Prowler</em> &#8211; Alexey Pehov (Tor US) [<a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2010/01/07/book-review-shadow-prowler-by-alexey-pehov/" rel="nofollow">GFTW review</a>]<br /> <em>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</em> &#8211; N K Jemisin (Orbit)<br /> <em>Warrior Priest</em> &#8211; Darius Hinks (Black Library)<br /> <em>Spellwright</em> &#8211; Blake Charlton (Tor US) [<a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2010/04/01/book-review-spellwright-by-blake-charlton/" rel="nofollow">GFTW review</a>]<br /> <em>Tymon&#8217;s Flight</em> &#8211; Mary Victoria (Harper Collins Australia)</p> <h2>Ravenheart</h2> <p> (Best Fantasy Artwork) [<a href="http://gemmellaward.com/page/2323348:Page:27425" rel="nofollow">Vote</a>]</p> <p><a href="http://www.toddlockwood.com/" rel="nofollow">Todd Lockwood</a> for <em>The Ragged Man</em> (Pyr edition)<br /> <a href="http://frankvictoria-lepicte.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Frank Victoria</a> for <em>Tymon&#8217;s Flight</em> (Harper Collins Australia)<br /> <a href="http://www.jonsullivanart.com/" rel="nofollow">Jon Sullivan</a> for <em>Shadow King</em> (Black Library)<br /> <a href="http://www.shannonassociates.com/artists/index.cfm?artist_name=cliffnielsen&amp;talent_name=Select+a+category...&amp;style_name=Select+a+style...&amp;jump_to=Take+me+to..." rel="nofollow">Cliff Nielsen</a> for <em>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</em> (Orbit)<br /> <a href="http://oloferla.deviantart.com/" rel="nofollow">Olof Erla Einarsdottir</a> for <em>Power &#038; Majesty</em> (Harper Collins Australia)</p> <p>The prestigious ceremony is open to the public for £20 and takes place on 17 June at the Magic Circle in London.</p> <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> fantasy/scifi news art public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624569.html Tue, 10 May 2011 13:00:33 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624569.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/geek-media-round-up-may-10-2011/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/geek-media-round-up-may-10-2011/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><h2>Art</h2> <p><a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/05/mash-up-totoro-portal.html" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljwzi4rLox1qd6q29o1_500.jpg" alt="Totoro / Portal Mash-Up" style="float: right;margin-left: 1em;width: 200px" /></a> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=36903" rel="nofollow">Behind-The-Scenes Of THOR: The Crafting of Heimdall’s Sword!</a></li> <li><a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/05/posters-keep-calm-and-carry-on-testing.html" rel="nofollow">Posters: Keep Calm and Carry On Testing</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6500868/sci-fi-ikea-manuals" rel="nofollow">Sci-Fi Ikea Manuals</a> from CollegeHumor</li> <li><a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/06/steampunk-sonic.html" rel="nofollow">Steampunk Sonic</a></li> <li><a href="http://geekartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/05/mash-up-totoro-portal.html" rel="nofollow">Totoro / Portal Mash-Up</a></li> </ul> <h2>Comics</h2> <ul> <li><strong>Interview:</strong> <a href="http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/12/03/mike-mignola-on-hollywood-jack-kirby-and-one-strange-night-in-prague/" rel="nofollow">Mike Mignola</a> on Hollywood, Jack Kirby and a night in Prague</li> <li><strong>Interview:</strong> <a href="http://video.comicbookresources.com/cbrtv/2011/robert-kirkman-talks-stephen-king-michael-rooker/" rel="nofollow">Robert Kirkman Talks “Walking Dead,” Stephen King &amp; More</a></li> <li><a href="http://blastr.com/2011/05/thors-mjolnir-and-15-othe.php" rel="nofollow">Thor&#8217;s Mjolnir and 15 other superhero weapons of mass destruction</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/10/geek-media-round-up-may-10-2011/#more-9369" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> the great geek manual public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624051.html Mon, 09 May 2011 16:28:27 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/624051.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/09/famous-paintings-with-sf-titles-the-zombie-attack-on-dr-nicolaes-tulp/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/09/famous-paintings-with-sf-titles-the-zombie-attack-on-dr-nicolaes-tulp/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><center><a href="http://markarayner.com/images-sfpaintings/" title="click to see more Famous Paintings with SF Titles" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://markarayner.com/images-sfpaintings/zombie-tulp.jpg" alt="The Zombie Attack on Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" width="500px" height="417" /></a></center></p> <p>Many art historians believe this painting is called <em>The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp</em>, but they are sadly mistaken. What Rembrandt has portrayed, quite brilliantly, I believe, is the moments before the attack of the first ever zombie.</p> <p>Dr. Nicholaes Tulp was regarded as a highly moral doctor and surgeon, and he taught anatomy. However, he was getting frustrated with the limitations of only being allowed to dissect the corpses of criminals, which were only usable until they started to rot. He experimented with several “reanimation” processes so his students could see muscles in action, as well as extending the “life” of the corpses they were examining. Up until the time of this painting, he had been unsuccessful, but during the middle of this particular examination, the corpse, a recently executed Aris Kindt woke up.</p> <p>The first to die was Kris Vandenclod, who was about to graduate from the college, and who is pictured, his head pushed forward over the corpse to get a closer look at the arm muscles. His throat was fully exposed, and quite easy to rip out, even for a newly re-animated zombie.</p> <p>Art historians have noted “the whole scene is bathed in a dramatic light, imbuing the composition with a sense of action and suspense” [<a href="http://www.mauritshuis.nl/index.aspx?FilterId=988&amp;ChapterId=2346&amp;ContentId=17481" rel="nofollow">source</a>]. This drama makes SO much more sense when you consider that Rembrandt painted this to celebrate the Dutch victory over the zombies.</p> <p>Dr. Tulp, surprisingly, avoided becoming a zombie himself by reverse engineering his “animation” matrix, and played a prominent role in the Dutch victory.</p> <p>Later, he invented the tulip, which he named after himself.</p> <p>Feel free to check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anatomy_Lesson_of_Dr._Nicolaes_Tulp" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia’s entry on this painting</a>, but they have most of this wrong. You can find more <a href="http://markarayner.com/images-sfpaintings/" rel="nofollow">Famous Paintings with SF Titles here.</a></p> <hr /> <em>Simian-obsessed, massively-bestselling-time-travelling-pirate wannabe, Mark A. Rayner is a writer of satirical and speculative fiction. He is the author of two novels, dozens of short stories, and several plays. If you purchase his latest novel, <a href="http://marvelloushairy.ca" rel="nofollow">Marvellous Hairy</a>, now, you have a chance to win a Kindle eReader in <a href="http://markarayner.com/marvellouskindle/" rel="nofollow">The Marvellous Kindle Giveaway. </a></em>&lt;/p&gt; <div style="text-align:center;margin:12px;"> </div> art zombies public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/623793.html Mon, 09 May 2011 16:03:05 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/623793.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/09/guest-post-why-arent-there-aliens-at-your-local-christian-bookstore/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/09/guest-post-why-arent-there-aliens-at-your-local-christian-bookstore/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p>It’s been said everyone has at least one book in them. Perhaps this is an overstatement, but I would venture to guess that most people have wondered at one time or another if they had it within them to write the Great American Novel. The unfortunate truth is that for nearly all aspiring writers, they will never have their novel published. In fact, your chances of getting published are 99-1 against you. Despite those terrible odds, people keep plugging away on their computers, hoping their story will be the great exception.</p> <p>You are actually in very good company. John Grisham’s first novel, <i>A Time to Kill</i>, was rejected by 15 publishers and 30 agents. Mary Higgins Clark went through 40 rejections before she landed a publisher. Louis L’Amour received 350 rejections before selling his first story, and Jack London received 600. As I said, the odds are stacked against every one of us. But as bad as the situation is for your average aspiring writer, the odds are actually even worse for authors who are interested in writing Bibically-based speculative fiction.</p> <p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/09/guest-post-why-arent-there-aliens-at-your-local-christian-bookstore/#more-9056" rel="nofollow">Read the rest of this entry &raquo;</a></p> guest posts publishers christianity and fantasy writing speculative fiction publishing essays public 0 http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/623398.html Sun, 08 May 2011 16:02:04 GMT http://johnottinger.livejournal.com/623398.html <p style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 3px;"><strong>Originally published at <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/08/cuteness-factor-10-for-mothers-day/" rel="nofollow">Grasping for the Wind</a>. Please leave any <a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/08/cuteness-factor-10-for-mothers-day/#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a> there.</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/100_3508.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.graspingforthewind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/100_3508-1024x768.jpg" alt="" title="Dachschund in a Black Bag" width="540" height="405" /></a></p> <p>A little does of cute for Mother&#8217;s Day. Have a good one Moms!</p> personal journal dachshund darra dog public 0