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Another Catch-all Update
First, I seem to have missed an interesting series of posts Martha Wells had on writing. Fortunately they're all still available, and she's once again asking for writing questions, so the posts will continue. I just found a nice mini-essay on doling out backstory while moving action forward. You can find it here, on Martha's blog.
Second, you may have noticed that it's been quiet around here. That's the sound of issue 11 being worked upon, and me pushing through as much e-slush as I can before I finally finish a game review of a new Traveller package for issue 11 of Black Gate. All I have left are a few longer stories. I don't know how John does it, but as I'm reading through subs and come upon REALLY long ones -- 10 k and longer -- try a few paragraphs and they have any promise... I'm afraid I put those longer stories at the bottom of the pile. That's probably not fair of me, but when I have only a limited amount of time available each day for slush, and we're running behind, I prefer to read as many stories as I can rather than spending all of that time on a single tale. Right now I've only got ONE big one left. After issue 11 I have approximately 60-70 subs to go; the last stories turned in before we closed to submissions.
Third, regular readers know that I'm a huge fan of Leigh Brackett and that I've been reading my children Brackett tales this summer. I mentioned Haffner press as an excellent source of her work, and there will shortly be another, Paizo, which will ALSO be publishing a number of other classic sword and planet tales under their Planet Stories imprint. I'm most looking forward to having a complete collection of Kuttner's Elak stories, which they'll be publishing come fall. I tracked them down the hard way one-by-one, but others deserve easier access, and Kuttner's in need of rediscovery because of these and many other works. He was writing Ray Bradbury style stories before Bradbury was. Henry Kuttner and Catherine Moore are two favorites of mine, and coincidentally were best friends with Brackett and her husband Edmond Hamilton. Anyway, I like the sound of this imprint's plans and will be watching them.
Back to regularly scheduled programming...
Howard
Second, you may have noticed that it's been quiet around here. That's the sound of issue 11 being worked upon, and me pushing through as much e-slush as I can before I finally finish a game review of a new Traveller package for issue 11 of Black Gate. All I have left are a few longer stories. I don't know how John does it, but as I'm reading through subs and come upon REALLY long ones -- 10 k and longer -- try a few paragraphs and they have any promise... I'm afraid I put those longer stories at the bottom of the pile. That's probably not fair of me, but when I have only a limited amount of time available each day for slush, and we're running behind, I prefer to read as many stories as I can rather than spending all of that time on a single tale. Right now I've only got ONE big one left. After issue 11 I have approximately 60-70 subs to go; the last stories turned in before we closed to submissions.
Third, regular readers know that I'm a huge fan of Leigh Brackett and that I've been reading my children Brackett tales this summer. I mentioned Haffner press as an excellent source of her work, and there will shortly be another, Paizo, which will ALSO be publishing a number of other classic sword and planet tales under their Planet Stories imprint. I'm most looking forward to having a complete collection of Kuttner's Elak stories, which they'll be publishing come fall. I tracked them down the hard way one-by-one, but others deserve easier access, and Kuttner's in need of rediscovery because of these and many other works. He was writing Ray Bradbury style stories before Bradbury was. Henry Kuttner and Catherine Moore are two favorites of mine, and coincidentally were best friends with Brackett and her husband Edmond Hamilton. Anyway, I like the sound of this imprint's plans and will be watching them.
Back to regularly scheduled programming...
Howard
I was going to add: I like the evocative Jeff-Jones-like cover paintings they're using for the Paizo "Planet Stories" reprint series.
I am really, really hoping these books find the modest audience I need to keep doing them, so I greatly appreciate the support!
Northwest Smith -- great stuff, and a new collection of his stories is long overdue. Smith is a great character, one to whom it feels like every down-on-his luck morally gray space character should owe a debt of creation. Or something. Smith was Han Solo decades before Solo ever was...
Hey, we're looking forward to seeing what you have in store, and I'll bet you can find lots of support in these parts.
Cheers,
Jeremy Harper
Yes, it will have the two Raynor stories as well, which is the proper way to do it.
In an ideal world this would be followed by the Kutner/Moore science fantasy tales, which are very much like sword-and-planet adventures, so they'd all be in a complete set from the same publisher. So let's keep these guys in business so they can last long enough to do that and other cool stuff...
However, I can't help but echo a post I read on RPG.Net when the initial line-up of writers was announced. In the first six books we have Howard, Moore, Kuttner, Bracket, Moorcock and... Gygax.
[Sing-song voice]One of these things aren't like the others. One of these things doesn't belong[/Sing-song voice]
Cheers,
Jeremy Harper
(Anonymous)
A Goonie for the Rich Stuff`
Let me just take a moment to thank you for doing the blog in addition to your myriad "paying" duties. Your posts are always rich with both content and introductions (via link or otherwise) to phenomenal resources.
Thanks.
Daniel
Re: A Goonie for the Rich Stuff`
Glad you're enjoying it.
best,
Howard