Support Electric Velocipede

By:  TempestThe Publishing Biz
Support Electric Velocipede

Electric Velocipede is an awesome, awesome zine that publishes a lot of great stories.  The next issue will have one of mine, so you know it’s fabulous. The editor, John Klima, recently put out a request for help. The money he was going to put toward his publishing debt now has to go to his family (which now includes a cute new baby!) and he’s selling some EV-related items in order to raise money to eliminate that debt.. One can donate directly, or you can buy some back issues of EV, or you can buy some chapbooks, or you can buy some t-shirts! The t-shirts are super cool, and an excellent way to contribute to fundraising and let people know about EV at the same time.

Beyond the fact that John is my friend and I am in EV, I think that this zine is worth supporting on its own merits.  John is a great editor and he is committed to publishing diverse and fabulous authors. I could go on and on, but really all I can say is:

Support Electric Velocipede

You know you want to be one of the cool kids:

Tempest says read Electric Velocipede or she will come to your house and smack you around.

Need more proof?  Check out what’s under the cut:

Continue reading “Support Electric Velocipede” →

Tiptree Award Winners

By:  TempestNews
Tiptree Award Winners

It can now be told, this year’s winners are:

*confetti!*

Full press release and shortlist are here. Judging the Tiptree was a very intense experience. But in the end I find myself super happy that I and the other jurors were able to honor some amazing books. I will probably not read this much fiction in one year again in my life, though!

By:  TempestGeekitude

For several years now I have said that I don’t watch television. This is sort of true and sort of not.  For a long time I did not have cable television in the apartment and over-the-air reception in NYC isn’t even worth the tin foil.  I did watch some television shows. I just downloaded or streamed them.  Far fewer than my average when I had cable, probably fewer than the average American.  I’m pretty proud of that, as I tend to be a crazy person when there is a TV around.  I just watch and watch, even if there is nothing on.

When the boys moved in, they wanted to get cable (mainly because the DSL was not cutting it) so when the guy came he ran a coax for television into their room only.  I would pop in there sometimes to watch something, mostly with the two of them.  I only have two live TV weaknesses: Murder, She Wrote and The Golden Girls.  They have tended to come on around the same time in the past few years.  Now Hallmark channel shows 1 hour of MSW and then 2 hours of GG starting at 11.  How do I know this?  Did I mention my roommates moved out?

When I’m a little down I indulge in my TV weaknesses.  For the past several weeks I have been watching a LOT of Golden Girls.  (Unemployment is… exciting?) I love that show. And it made me sad to think that Estelle Getty was no longer around. No full reunions!  And today we learned that Bea Arthur is gone now, too.

I think I will give myself one more week of staying up until 2am watching Golden Girls.

Thanks for making me laugh every night, Bea! You were always my favorite.

An Idea to Save the Semiprozine(s)

By:  TempestThe Publishing Biz
An Idea to Save the Semiprozine(s)

I was poking around Save the Semiprozine a few days ago looking at the very informative listings (and seeing some zines I’ve never read before, thus I must catch up!).  I once again found myself thinking that I would probably read more online magazines if they came in convenient eBook or PDF format.  I know doing this is no easy task — at Fantasy we’re trying to set procedures in place to do it each month, but we’re currently behind.  We deem it worth doing, though, because it will bring in some extra money and it’s convenient for readers.

Online magazines are convenient, yes, but I do most of my reading for pleasure away from the computer; usually on my commute.  I can make PDFs of any web page myself, but that extra step usually stops me — I have too much to do as it is!

Though not everyone has an ebook reader, many people do.  Plus, netbooks are huge right now and make pretty good eReaders.  (If you own one, try turning the brightness down to about 40%.  It makes a big difference!)

So my idea basically boils down to this:  Semiprozines, particularly online ones, you should try making eBook/electronic editions of your issues or monthly archives.  Give them away for free, sell them for a small fee to cover the time it takes to put them together or to raise money for your zine.  In three months/issues, see how many downloads you have and how much your readership increases. Call it an experiment.

It’s a challenge! I’m throwing down the gauntlet. Who will be brave and take it up?

I almost missed International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day!

By:  TempestWriting
I almost missed International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day!

Ye Gods! How could I have forgotten? This always comes ’round after my birthday.

So!  In case you don’t remember, here’s some background on today. The basics of it are: old guy in SFWA is all “waa waa how dare these people post fiction on the web so people can read it for free? It means I can’t sell my fiction for pay!  waawaawaa…” and so forth. This was two years ago. Internet exploded in all the usual ways, but Jo Walton had the sense to commemorate and celebrate all the positive things that come from having free fiction online by inciting International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day.  Every year the webscabs get their say.

I posted something on my heavily flocked journal thefirstdraft today and I don’t have much in the way of new stuff I can show you. But here are links to all the fiction I do have online:

To all pixel-stained technopeasents everywhere, I salute you!

Calling All Artists!

By:  TempestEvents
Calling All Artists!

You’ve been waiting for weeks, and now the official announcement can be made: The Interstitial Arts Foundation is holding another auction to benefit the Interfictions anthologies.  Yes, that is plural, because Interfictions 2 will be out this winter.  The auction will coincide with the publication of the book, allowing us to create an artistic celebration and event for a book that does not exist in the world yet.  I know, awesome, right?

The IAF is looking for amazing artists, crafters, musicians and people who love to create to donate portable/wearable/singable art and music based on the stories in Interfictions 1 and 2. Yes, 2!

But how, you ask, will we base creations on that which we have not read?  Excellent question!

If you visit the IAFAuction Call to Artists you will see short excerpts from stories in Interfictions 2 floating around the page.  Read them, flip through them (there are about 30 in all), find one that grabs you, inspires you, makes you want to read more.  Then scroll down the page and fill out the participant form.  There you can tell us about you and your art, tell us which story you like, and request that we send it to you.

Yes, that’s right.  Participating artists get to read one story from the anthology long before it comes out.  All you have to do is promise to donate the art or music you create based on that story to the auction. (Artists who participated in last year’s auction get a special surprise — email me!)

You can also base your art/music on fiction from the original anthology (available in fine bookstores and as a Kindle download).

See the website for more details and to ask questions.  If you are not inclined to participate, please help us spread the word!  We’d love to get submissions from artists and musicians of every kind, interstitial or not.

A Proposal, Re: The Hugo Awards

By:  TempestRants
A Proposal, Re: The Hugo Awards

A couple of months ago Cheryl Morgan posted an editorial in Clarkesworld about how “you” can change the Hugos. I complained at the time that she dismissed the issue of money far too easily, and I still feel that way.

$50 to become a non-attending member of WorldCon grants you voting rights, but who pays that much to not attend a convention or to just vote on an award? Only people who have $50 to spend on not much at all.

Obviously the Hugos are something, yes, but they’re not worth $50 to most people. Even when you’re talking people who care.

So I have two ideas on how this aspect of the problem might be solved. One I think is more likely to be implemented because it’s easy, but I think both are viable.

Idea #1: Lower the non-attending membership price to $20 or $25.

$20 is better. More people are willing to drop $20 on things than $50. Obviously there will be plenty of people who will still say no way, but I think a lot more people would consider it at that price.

Idea #2: Allow members of other SF cons to be eligible to vote.

This is a bit more complicated, so bear with me. I totally understand that the Hugos are WorldCon’s award, and with good reason. But WorldCon is not the nexus of the SF world it once was as far as conventions go. And not everyone can get to or afford WorldCon but can get to a big con near them or one with a lower membership/hotel rate. What if the Hugo committee extended eligibility to the members of select conventions. They’d have a size minimum, or a base number of years the con has to be in existence, or has to include certain kinds of programming tracks, or some combination of that. Members could opt to pay an extra $10 over the registration price to vote for the Hugos.

Logistically, this could be difficult. This is why I think my first idea has more chance of being implemented.

I could be completely off base with all of this, but I think these are fairly good ideas. What do you all think? Any better ideas? Because looking at the list of nominees it’s clear that something needs to change before the Hugos themselves will.

Altered Fluid, The Blog!

By:  TempestElsewhere on the Internets
Altered Fluid, The Blog!

Those of you who visit my main site may have noticed a new addition on the sidebar a few weeks ago — the RSS feed from the Altered Fluid blog.  Altered Fluid is one of my writing groups here in NYC, and we’re a damn talented bunch of people.  On our mailing list we often have very… interesting… conversations.  So we thought a group blog would be appropriate.

I think folks who read me would find things my fellow Fluidians have to say entertaining and interesting.  Especially Mr. Trimarco, as he always blows me away with his insights.  So add us to bookmarks or feed readers or LJ f-lists!

One in a Million

By:  TempestNews
One in a Million

Had a lovely birthday gift on Sunday when I found out that Until Forgiveness Comes is on the Million Writers Award list of 2008’s notable fiction.  As previously stated, this award seeks to highlight and celebrate online fiction in all genres, not just SF/F.  I join 3 of my fellow Altered Fluidians on the list — 2 others from Strange Horizons!  SH obviously liked us last year. Also, fellow Black Bean Meghan McCarron.  And a large number of writers I am pleased to call my friends.  I know tons of talented people!

On May 15th a shorter list of 10 stories (picked by the award administrator) will battle it out to see who can claim best story of the year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I will be on that list.

Even if I’m not, I am super, super excited to be on the long list.  Yay!