As someone new to publishing as an author (I’ve been an acquisitions editor for three-and-a-half years now) I’d never considered the disposition of my literary estate after my death. That’s not because of some obsessive, Woody Allen-like preoccupation or fear of death, it’s just that I’m newly 28 years old and, well, it had just never occurred to me.

There’s a really interesting post on Neil Gaiman’s blog (which, based on the number of people I know who read it, must be one of the absolutely best-read writer blogs out there) about the need for authors to have wills that spell out the post mortem administration of whatever size creative empire they’ve managed to amass. The post includes a sample British will that would be a good model for anyone looking to set something up in their home and native land.

Thanks to Rob Sawyer, who included a link to this on his blog.

Thinking about it now, there seem to me plenty of good reasons to make your wishes known.

– S.

It occurs to me that in all my effort to hype UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS (which includes my story ‘Borrowed Time’) I haven’t yet posted the table of content to show you what incredible talent is contained therein (and which will make you wonder, as I did, how the heck I snuck in a story amongst such luminaries…)

UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS

Introduction by Julie E. Czerneda and Jana Paniccia

“The Scoria” by Doranna Durgin

“The Gatherers’ Guild” by Larry Niven

“Kyri’s Gauntlet” by Darwin A. Garrison

“Falling Like the Gentle Rain” by Nick Pollotta

“The Things Everyone Knows” by Tanya Huff

“The Invisible Order” by Paul Crilley

“Borrowed Time” by Stephen Kotowych

“Shadow of the Scimitar” by Janet Deaver-Pack

“The Good Samaritan” by Amanda Bloss Maloney

“Seeking the Master” by Esther M. Friesner

“When I Look to the Sky” by Russell Davis

“The Sundering Star” by Janny Wurts

“The Exile’s Path” by Jihane Noskateb

“The Dancer at the Red Door” by Douglas Smith

…

I’m in a collection with LARRY friggin’ NIVEN!?!?! Cool!

– S.

Two posts today–I know. I haven’t been posting as frequently as I might. However, I wanted to let you know that it was because I was away in San Jose, CA for a week on a business trip to the American Anthropological Association annual conference (anthropology is one of the disciplines I acquire in my day-job role of editor).

I loved California (I was swimming in an outdoor pool on the 18th of November!) but we flew via Denver and I can’t say I’m too fussy about Denver. We got stuck there for eight hours because, well, because I’m an idiot. I don’t recommend prolonged stays. Like Kerouac said, “Down in Denver, Down in Denver/ All I did was die.”

But if the WotF workshop is in California next year, well, that will be pretty okay by me 🙂

– S.

While perusing the Ad Astra website today, I discovered that I’m on their list of “Programming Participants”, which is to say that I’m a confirmed panelist for Ad Astra 2007. You can see my name here, right next to Guy Gavriel Kay’s.

Next to GUY GAVRIEL KAY’s.

This came as something of a surprise to me, even though I been in discussions to participate in a panel on the Writers of the Future contest. Tony Pi and Mike Rimar (fellow Canadian WotF winners) invited me to join the panel, but as far as I knew they had just suggested the panel to the con committee and nothing was firmed up yet.

Guess that’s changed 🙂

There are rumors that Robert J. Sawyer might participate on the panel (he’s one of the judges for the WotF contest, and a super nice guy), as might James Alan Gardner (who is a past Grand Prize winner, and who is also a super nice guy).

Based on the proposed panel list that Ad Astra sent me, this year’s selection of panels is going to be fantastic. (There’s possibly a second panel I’ll be on if they need me: it’s a panel about editors who write and writers who work in publishing–and that’s me! We’ll see if that one’s a ‘go’ or not later in December). If you’re anywhere near Toronto and can make it to the con next March, I HIGHLY recommend it. Last year was my first Ad Astra and I had a blast. This year promises to be even better.

So let’s review:

I’m officially listed next to GUY GAVRIEL KAY as a panelist (my FIRST panel ever) at a con taking place a mere ONE MONTH after my first short story will be published, and I might be on a panel with ROB SAWYER and JIM GARDNER.

Nobody pinch me. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up…

– S.

Hi all –

Some advance news today about the two Toronto launches for the anthology UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS (that’s the cover in the sidebar), which includes my story ‘Borrowed Time’.

Jana Paniccia, one of the wonderful co-editors of the volume, let me know today that the launches will be at:

* The Merril Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy (239 College Street, 3rd Floor) on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at noon. Books will be available for sale by the fine staff of Bakka Phoenix Books.

and

* Ad Astra (running from March 2-4, 2007). At the convention, there will be an Under Cover themed game/contest running throughout the weekend, which will culminate in a second launch, with prizes, on Sunday March 4th.

I’m very excited about this collection (it’s my first published fiction!) and I plan to be in attendance for both launches. More details and reminders closer to the dates.

Hope to see you all there!

– S.

Glad to see I’m doing my part.

Alas, not in Farsi, though…

– S.

Cool!

I’ve just received a shout-out about my Writers of the Future win in the November edition of Ralan’s Market Report (available by signing up at Ralan.com–the BEST market resource page I’ve found for SF, fantasy, and horror fiction).

If you’re a genre writer and haven’t heard of Ralan.com you really owe it to yourself to check it out. One of the women in my writer’s group pointed me in its direction a couple of years ago, and I visit at least bi-weekly to find out what new anthologies and paying markets are accepting submission.

The shout-out is associated with a new “year’s best” anthology I found–Best American Fantasy–and let Ralan know to post about.

Thanks a lot, Ralan. Keep up the good work!

– S.

Well, that didn’t take long.

I’ve heard back today from ABYSS & APEX, and they’re passing on “I Think That I Shall Never See.” That’s a four day rejection–the shortest I’ve had yet, by two days. But that’s the speed of the internet, I guess.

The editor who responded said the story was “well recieved” by the staff, and they hope that I will consider submitting more work to them in future.

Like I said before, I’ve been getting a lot of these “almost, not quite” rejections lately, along with invitations to submit other things in future. That’s a good thing as I see it–better than the “thanks, but no thanks” rejections I had been getting–but it’s still not good enough. I want to sell more stories! 🙂

Part of it is, of course, this or that particular story not being right for a given magazine for any one of a host of reasons. But I’m wondering more and more if there’s some element I’m not including consistantly–dramatic tension, character development, effective pacing, etc.–which is hurting my chances.

Having sold a couple of stories now, I can clearly hit those heights sometimes. But having random peaks to my ability isn’t what I’m after. Fundamentally, I want to get to a place where I’m writing at a consistently high level (hopefully on an upward trajectory). Part of that, I think, is figuring out what I’m doing wrong…

Hopefully, if there’s some flaw in what I’m doing the judges at the Writer’s of the Future will be able to help me figure out what it is, and what to do about it.

– S.

I intend to use this form to update on the status of my writing; where I’ve submitted, who I’ve heard back from, and hopefully on lots of future sales. As this blog thing is still in its infancy, I’ll do a complete run-down of what’s out, where, and since when to bring you up to speed:

* “I Think That I Shall Never See” (sf) – currently with ABYSS & APEX (sent Nov. 3/06)

* “The Great Hymn of the Aten” (alt. hist./sf) – currently with ASIMOV’S (sent Nov. 3/06)

* “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (sf) – currently with ANALOG (sent Nov. 3/06)

* “Endorphins Anonymous” (lit./sf) – currently with ON SPEC (sent Aug. 8/06)

* “The Hushed Voice” (dark sf…well, I think it’s kind of dark, in a psychological/spiritual way) – currently with INTERGALACTIC MEDICINE SHOW (sent Feb. 6/06)

I’ve had two very nice, personalized rejections for “The Great Hymn of the Aten” from STRANGE HORIZONS and PARADOX, both encouraging me to submit more work, and I’ve been getting a lot of these “almost, but not quite” rejections from magazines for a variety of stories. I’m hoping to pick the brains of the WotF judges on what exactly I’m doing/not doing/ought to be doing that gets these stories close, only to stumble with the finish line in sight.

I also got my first (sort of) personal rejection from Sheila Williams at ASIMOV’S in the last week or two. It was still probably a form letter, but it wasn’t the usual “thanks, but no thanks” form letter. This one encouraged me to submit more work “when you have it.” My first such invitation from any of the Big Three. And well, it just so happens I do have something…

And “The Hushed Voice” is in a weird, but hopeful situation. Submitted way back in February, before the new editor–Edmund R. Schubert–started, it got caught in IGMS’s massive backlog. However, I’ve since received two messages from the editor; the first in August to say that my story is in his ‘read again’ pile while he clears out the rest of the backlog, and the second in October letting me know that it’s still in consideration, but the backlog is taking longer to clear than he thought. Okay, fair enough. I can only imagine with horror what any new magazine has to deal with when it starts up–everybody pulling things out of the bottom drawer and submitting hoary old tales passed on by dozens of editors already (not that that’s my story, of course…) Having Orson Scott Card’s name associated with the magazine and actually paying pro-rates, too…might as well paint a bull’s eye on their backs.

Working as an editor (albeit in scholarly non-fiction) I know how varieties of responsibilities compete for time reading manuscripts. And authors who pester early and/or incessantly instantly have strikes against them. Always work to remain in your (potential) editor’s good graces.

So I’m fine with IGMS holding the story as long as they need to. The longer its under consideration the better the odds in its favour become, I figure, as other stories get whittled away around it.

To be fair, Mr. Schubert did say in his first e-mail that “the ‘read again’ pile is still three times as many stories as I can use in the next year,” so the odds (like manuscripts) are stacked against it, but I remain forever hopeful. You have to in this line of work! 🙂

– S.

Just wanted to say a big “Thank-you” to everyone who’s sent congratulations after hearing the announcement. Writing can be a lonely business and the well-wishes are most appreciated.

Special mention goes out to those who’ve actually posted comments on the blog (including fellow Torontonian Tony Pi, whom I don’t know but who I have a feeling I’ll be meeting soon enough…he won a second place prize in Writers of the Future earlier this year. A big congratulations to him. We should be at the same writer’s workshop together. Two writers from the Big Smoke. Small universe 🙂

– S.