So, A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way Home From Work Last Night

I came across this bunch of roving misfits:

From left to right: Tom Crosshill, Rajan Khanna, Kris Dikeman,
Matthew Kressel, K. Tempest Bradford, David Mercurio Rivera,
Alaya Dawn Johnson, Nora Jemisin, Paul Berger, Devin Poore.

Actually, this is the Altered Fluid Writer's Group -- the folks who agreed to critique a recent short story of mine in return for favors of a demeaning nature out of the kindness of their hearts. What's cool is that they meet up in an office building just one city block north of my own office, so the walk over took me all of 1.5 minutes! You may recall I won a guest spot with them via the KGB Fantastic Fiction raffle back in October, which I gushed about in this blog entry.

Well, as you can see I lived to blog another day. It was truly an honor to get my ass handed to me, critique-wise, by this group of supremely talented writers -- some of whom I've been a big fan of for years! Gosh, I don't think words alone can explain how much fun I had spending over an hour putting one of my latest stories--"Beethoven's 10th"--through the proverbial ringer. It might not sound like fun to some, but you have to understand how much I crave constructive criticism on my work. Every story of mine to see publication has only done so after first going through a lengthy and harrowing crit process. What this tells me as a writer, and what I knew going into the meeting last night, was that my stories always need a lot of work in the initial stages. And that, when I am receptive to the suggestions being thrown my way by other writers, my stories cannot help but change for the better as a result.

I have a lot to think about in terms of where to take this story in the rewrite stage to follow. Of course, I am in the middle of writing my first novel, as well as mulling over not just one but TWO "big ideas" for short stories that are begging me to hurry up and write them already.

For now the novel takes priority until I reach a natural break point (which should be at the end of the month) during which I can focus on other writing. I think I'll write out one of the two new ideas first (a sub 5000-word short, tentatively titled "How I Spent My Summer As A New York City Taxi Cab") straight off the bat, since that is the story idea I currently can't stop thinking about. Afterwards, I'll try the rewrite of "Beethoven's 10th," including a most probable title change. If I have time before resuming the novel, I'll write out the 2nd of my nifty new story ideas. That one will most likely be a dystopian short story, also under 5k, with a horror/alien body snatchers twist at the end.

Yes, I know what you're thinking: aren't you biting off too much at once? And I can see why you'd think that. But, really, this is the way my mind works best. I compartmentalize the projects I work on, so that one doesn't bleed over into the other. I'm going to need a break of about 4 - 6 weeks from the novel anyway, so that I can research Eastern Christian Orthodoxy, which I think should be more than enough time to work on some short stories in the interim.

So, all-in-all I have to say meeting everyone at Altered Fluid paid off in a HUGE way. It got me thinking about how to make my story a whole lot better, and yet didn't send me running home to curl up in a ball, crying. That's a win-win right there by my standards.

Lisa was so cute about it, though. After I came home and crawled into bed, she said to me:

"I kept worrying all day long, hoping that they would be nice to you."

I told her "nice" doesn't enter into the factoring, but that, yes, they actually were very good to me. Too good, in fact. It's sweet that she worried, though. I guess she picked up on the fact that this experience meant a lot to me.

To all you guys over at AF . . . thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much! For the record, you guys rock hard!!! Hopefully I'll see most, if not all, of you around at KGB.

A Winner Is ME!!!

Last month I wrote in this blog entry about the KGB Fantastic Fiction raffle, and how various authors and professionals in the SF industry were donating items and services to help keep the reading series funded through the next two years and beyond. Go ahead and click on the link if you don't remember my particular dilemma this time around.

The short of it was, I knew at the time that several writers and editors would be donating their critiquing services for winners of the raffle, and I was bound and determined to be one such lucky recipient this year. Problem was, I first had to win. And then, secondly, I needed to make sure I had a somewhat decent work-in-progress to submit for critiquing. I wanted to submit a story which I knew needed work, but which I also felt had a decent chance of being published somewhere (anywhere) once it went through a rewrite or two. I had 5 good candidates out of the 10 short stories I've written this year, but was able to narrow it down to 2 by the end of last week.

Then I stuffed the ballots at the raffle and crossed my fingers. What? You didn't know that this is the secret to winning raffle drawings? For shame! Each raffle were only $1, but with no limit on how many single-dollar tickets you could buy for any one prize. Needless to say, I found items on the KGB raffle site that I absolutely, without a doubt, had to have . . . and then stocked up on as many tickets as I could for each to balance the odds in my favor! :)

Well . . . surprise, surprise! The results were just announced today, and out of the 4 separate prizes I purchased raffles for, I won 3 of them! Yay for me!

I'll list the three down below, with descriptions provided from the official KGB FF site itself:

1) Subscription to THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION

Description: Gordon Van Gelder, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, is donating a one-year subscription to the magazine.


2) Signed ARC: FOR THE WIN by Cory Doctorow

Description: Cory Doctorow is donating a signed ARC of his most recent novel, FOR THE WIN.

(Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger -- the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of the bestselling Tor Teens/HarperCollins UK novel LITTLE BROTHER.)

 
3) Story critique by the Altered Fluid Writing Group

Description: The writers group Altered Fluid (http://www.alteredfluid.com/) will critique a story up to 7000 words, in person or via Skype.

(Altered Fluid is a speculative fiction writers’ group based in Manhattan. They have been meeting since 2001 to workshop their members’ short works of science fiction, horror, fantasy and slipstream. The critique will be delivered by all ten regular members. They use the Clarion Writers Workshop style of critiquing, which means each reader takes a turn making comments and suggestions, and the writer doesn't speak until the open discussion at the end. The group will spend 30-60 minutes analyzing the story.)

 
I mean, seriously, can you believe my luck? This is so AWESOME, I don't even have the words to describe --- [passes out]
 
Okay, now that I've recovered . . . I love all my prizes, but it's the last one for which I stuffed the ballot the most (now that doesn't sound dirty, does it?)
 
This crit group is no joke! I see various members of Altered Fluid all the time at KGB readings, but never had the courage to say "hi" before. Well, except for Nora Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, whom you may remember I met (and took Tarrell's picture with) back in August when Mary Robinette Kowal was a guest reader. I wish I could have taken the pic and at the same time jumped in there with Tarrell, but at least I got to meet two lovely newbie writers who's works I admire greatly.
 
Still, I'm totally geeked out by this win. Although, to be honest, I'm also a-scared shitless at the thought of being alone in a room with all these supremely talented people and having them take turns ripping my WiP to shreds -- YIKES!!! But I tell myself: what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Yes, I must keep telling myself that. Writers need to be made of stern stuff, and learn to take constructive criticism, yep.
 
Ultimately, I think I'll be too excited to be scared. It's going to be an amazing learning experience for me, and I'm sure I'll learn a ton about the craft -- especially about making this specific short story better --  when all is said and done.
 
I'll update you all once me and my story have been put through the ringer. Assuming I survive. *meep*
 
P.S. -- The title of this entry is an inside reference for gamers. Bonus points if you can guess which video game I riffed it from. *Hint: it's from the 1980s 8-bit console era. Any true gamers from my generation will know the answer.

I Have To Dig Myself Out Of This Self Doubt

So, I know I'm supposed to be gearing up to begin writing my practice novel, right? And I know I just mentioned back in this entry that I was going to take a quick break in order to switch gears and write another short story, right?

Well, here's the reason why:

Mary Robinette Kowal Has Big Brass Ones

Bigger than mine, I tell ya! (LOL! Don't mind me, I told her I would use this as my blog title)

Tonight I attended the "Fantastic Fiction" reading series at KGB bar here in NYC, during which the erudite and lovely Mary Robinette Kowal read from her newly published first novel, Shades of Milk and Honey -- a Jane Austen semi-pastiche set in the Victorian age where magic abounds. Her reading of the novel was superb and a true highlight of the night, but made even more impressive by the fact that she affected a British accent in the dramatization of a select passage from the book. When she made the announcement before the reading, I must admit I mentally winced and prepared my ears for an assault most foul. But I have to say, she was quite good. Quite good, indeed! I was thoroughly impressed. I could only stand there in awe as she pulled off this singular feat, knowing full well that--should the day come when I myself may have to stand in front of a crowd and read from my latest work--I could never be quite so bold.

Before the night's readings kicked off, Ms. Kowal went around the room to personally greet each attendee and to hand out these neat Asian-inspired handheld fans as a free token of her appreciation. Wow, talk about Class with a capital "C"! In addition to taking a quick photo with myself and Tarrell, she also autographed a copy of her novel to my wife and I when I announced that her book would be the gateway drug I could use to convince Lisa to finally read something in the Fantasy genre. Oh yeah!

Tarrell and I also got to meet the amazingly talented Nora Jemisin (pictured on the far right, above), author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and current guest blogger on John Scalzi's juggernaut online blog, Whatever. In fact, both Mary and Nora are guest blogging on the site for the next month or so while Scalzi takes a much needed hiatus. You should check it out sometime.

In addition to Ms. Kowal, Laura Anne Gilman was also on hand to read a passage from the first novel in her ongoing and very popular urban fantasy series, "Cosa Nostradamus":

You have to excuse the extreme grain off the camera on my new iPhone 4. It's a great camera, don't get me wrong, but the lights at KGB were turned down very, very low for dramatic atmosphere. It's a wonder I got any pics at all.

All in all we had a fantastic time tonight -- just look at how crowded it got! There's nothing better than listening to exciting new writers read from their latest works amongst a crowd of both SF professionals and fans alike, all of us crammed into a small converted East Village loft in the dead of Summer. Nothing better at all!

Thanks to my crit group friend, Carole, for buying me that drink. And a very special thanks goes out to the hosts of the reading series, Ellen Datlow and Matt Kressel, as well as to the bartenders at KGB for continuously plying me with non-stop rounds of the tasty Russian imported dark lager, Baltika:

Cheers to you all!

Fantastic Fiction Update

I had a good time last night at KGB bar attending the Fantastic Fiction reading, as I mentioned one blog entry ago. The bar is only open for special events, and is not a straight-up walk-in type of establishment, which I did not previously know. It's really nothing but a converted flat in a modest 4th street walk-up in the Village, with a decently stocked full bar on one side of the room, and chairs and tables on the other side. The podium for speakers is situated between the windows and the bar in one corner, very cozy and intimate.

It was great seeing some industry "insiders" in attendance, but even better seeing my online crit-group buddies. Now that I've been there, I can see it would have been a HUGE mistake to have gone on my own. Without them to keep me company, I would have felt like an outsider hiding in the corner. I'm not saying people were unfriendly (they definitely were very nice), just weary of new faces I suppose.

Which is only natural; I don't fault them. This is still NYC, after all. But their reticence combined with my natural standoffishness would not have meshed well had I gone alone, so I'm eternally grateful to my friends for showing up. We carried on quite a spirited conversation between readings, and I could tell some of the long-time regulars were wondering who the hell we were. (haha)

The first reading was very long, but funny! The second one, much shorter and almost as funny. But he had a more polished writing style, so it made it seem faster.

A rep from Barnes & Noble was there selling copies of books from both authors speaking that evening. This was a first, as usually the task is handled by Mobile Libris at these readings. Event hosts Matt Kressel and Ellen Datlow asked everyone to please purchase something in the hopes that B&N will continue the service. Not many people partook of this advice, but of course I did. I just can't resist buying books, especially when they're stacked right there in front of my face!

I purchased the first reader's--Chris Genoa's--SF novel, titled "Foop!" Click on the link and read the description. It sounds like fun! I could have had Chris sign it since he was right there in the same room, but I'm not big on having authors' signatures. I buy books to read (and re-read); not so much to collect.

Anyway, I had a good time and some beers. Most people go to dinner together afterwards, but the night was getting long for me and I just wanted to go home. Maybe next time.

Oh, and yes, there probably will be a next time. I say "probably" because, while I would love to go again, I'm not going by myself. So I have to see if the same people are up to repeating the outing with me. We'll see, we'll see.

So that's one first-time meeting of online friends down. One more to go this Saturday. Can you tell I'm not a meet-and-greet type of person? Yup, it's true. I have no shame!

You Down With KGB? (Yeah You Know Me!)

I'm heading out to KGB in the village in a little while to sit in on my first ever Fantastic Fiction reading. Fantastic Fiction meets every third Wednesday of the month in the second floor of the famous KGB bar, where professional writers in the SF field come and read from their latest works. It's also a great meeting ground where various professionals in the field get to rub elbows with each other and fans, and maybe even have a pint (or three). The place gets fairly lively and crowded, so I'll be arriving a little early. Luckily it's a quick jaunt one stop over on the 6 train from where I work, so that's nice.

I'll be meeting up with two members of my online crit group, whom I've never met before in RL. Normally meeting people I've only previously known online is a source of nervousness on my part, but I'm looking forward to it this time. Should be fun!

And looks like this will be a week for meeting online friends in the flesh, as I'll also be seeing my longtime blog stalkee, friend, and newbie published writer, Cindy, at a private get-together in the city this weekend. I've followed Cindy for many years now via her blog, then through a limited e-mail friendship, and more recently (of course) through that ubiquitous of online social gathering sites -- Facebook!

Next week I might also be meeting a very old and only recently reunited (again, through FB) classmate of mine from back in the 4th grade! That's 23 years ago -- yikes!

All this is rather a big deal for me, as I'm notorious for being anti-social and tend only to a very small group of friends who I barely see enough of as it is. But I'm excited!

That's all for now. I'll update on the KGB experience when I get back.

My Name Finally In Print!!! (Well, Sort Of)

A little over a year ago I participated in a raffle to drum up funds for the KGB Fantastic Fiction program running locally here in NYC. Among many other items I won was a chance to be "tuckerized" by SF writer Lucius Shepard in a future work of his choosing.

For those not familiar with the term, Tuckerization refers to a writer using the names and/or likenesses of friends to populate his/her fiction. The term is attributed to sci-fi author Wilson Tucker, known for using the names of his close personal friends as minor characters in many of his works.

Lucius sent a funny e-mail shortly after the raffle explaining that he would base a secondary character on me to appear in his soon to be written novella, "Halloween Town." Earlier this year he confirmed that the piece would be appearing in the October issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine.

Well, that time is finally here!

Yup folks, you can find the novella and many other wonderful stories and related content in the current 60th anniversary double-issue (Oct/Nov) of F&SF on newsstands now. Or, barring news stands in your neck of the woods, you can find a copy in any store where magazines are usually sold. I know for a fact that Barnes & Noble carries several SF pulp books in their magazine section. Usually amidst the comics and word puzzles, along with mystery and romance pulps, too. So check there.

"Halloween Town" is a thoroughly engrossing tale. It's around 67 pages long and begins on p. 129. The character based on my likeness and named "David Batista" appears on p. 174. I'm a bit banged up and worse for wear when I show up. But I start kicking ass somewhere around p. 189. :) That's where, in a wonderfully lurid passage, Shepard describes me as battling mutant-like creatures called "lurruloo" armed with nothing but a billiards cue. LOL!

I don't want to give the whole story away, but I'll highlight this one bit:

". . . laying waste to the lurruloo as they landed . . .in his sleeveless t-shirt and shorts, Batista the Barbarian . . . [wielding] his Blue-Tipped Stick of Doom."

How damned AWESOME is that? I couldn't ask for a better scene! I wonder if Mr. Shepard knows of my love for all things Robert E. Howard?

As usual, Shepard's writing is slick and fun, with his characters sounding like real everyday people you might know. And I'm not just saying that because my alter-ego is now immortalized in his story.

Seriously, read the novella for yourself. It's tons of fun and, seeing as how the weather around here has turned decidedly Fall-like all of a sudden, has an appropriate Halloween'ish vibe going on.

Now if you excuse me, I have to wipe this big foolish grin off my face. I haven't given the story to Lisa to read, but I know she'll get a kick out of it.

My year has been made! Thank you, Lucius!!!

Absolutely Sweet Book Haul!

This all started when I won a hardcover edition of Crystal Rain (pictured above) at the recent KGB Fantastic Fiction raffle. Tobias Buckell autographed and shipped it himself, which is no small feat for a poor, struggling writer! Anyway, although I haven't read it yet, I was so overcome by the awesome kick-assery of the cover and inner flap description, that I had to rush online and order the next two books in his created universe: Ragamuffin and Sly Mongoose. Are those not cool titles or what?





For those who don't know, Tobias S. Buckell is a young and exciting new writer who hails by way of the Caribbean (Grenada and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and is currently living it up in Ohio. He finds fun ways to incorporate his unique cultural upbringing into his stories, which I get a huge kick out of. It's not every day you see diverse, multi-ethnic protagonists in sci-fi--although this is slowly changing as the field entices newcomers beyond the purview of geeky, white males.


Anyway, I ordered the hardcover editions of Ragamuffin and Mongoose through my favorite online super bookstore (guess which one, there's only like 2) because for some dumb reason the Borders down the street from my job doesn't like sci-fi. Imagine that. And since I was ordering online, you know I just had to add a few more titles to the pot from my wishlist:








I swear I'm going to explode from all this awesome sci-fi goodness! I don't know where to begin. I'm currently reading Alan Dean Foster's collection Exceptions To Reality, and also Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (I know, right, what took me so long?) And after that I'll be taking on Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union -- all of which will be reviewed here shortly -- and then I shall plunder me booty!