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2011-06-09T22:20:00.001-07:00

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SFFWRTCHT for May 25, 2011 with Chris Fletcher of MBraneSF

2011-05-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

sffwrtcht: You can review our old interviews via www.graspingforthewind.com. Just search for #sffwrtcht Intvs already posted with past guests! (Thu May 26 00:58:00 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Also, please don't forget to 'Like' the #SFFWRTCHT group on Facebook where I will soon be posting contests, extra intvs and other extras! (Thu May 26 00:58:49 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @BryanThomasS can we have link to the FB page? #SFFWRTCHT (Thu May 26 00:59:18 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writerâ€™s Chat. #sffwrtcht Since we all know the drill, I'll keep the intros short & get to our guest. (Thu May 26 00:59:27 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another & use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments. (Thu May 26 00:59:53 +0000 2011)

shadowflame1974: @kaolinfire lol I know! #Sffwrtcht #zinechat (Thu May 26 01:00:07 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Upcoming guests are: 6/01 @AndrewMayer 6/8 @catvalente 6/15 @PortIris zine 6/22 @jenniferbrozek and 6/29 @peterorullion #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:00:10 +0000 2011)

No politics, no pitching, just questions about craft, writing, etc. #sffwrtcht

Tonight’s guest is the founder/editor of MBrane SF magazine. He also edited an anthology of queer SFF “Things We Are Not” Chris Fletcher is a professional chef for his dayjob and edits/writes at night. Welcome to #sffwrtcht @MBraneSF!

Hi there #sffwrtcht

RT @pattyjansen: @BryanThomasS can we have link to the FB page? #SFFWRTCHT http://on.fb.me/ew2cCH

First things first, is St. louis still alive and kicking? #sffwrtcht

We are doing OK. Had a lot of hail and storminess a couple hours ago, but not too much trouble where I am #sffwrtcht

Let’s start with the basics: where did your interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy come from? #sffwrtcht

As long as I can remember reading (which is my whole life) I was drawn to the speculative and weird. First book I could read by myself when I was like 4 was Seuss's "Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now." Later I got into classic stuff like wells and Verne by way of those kid versions. And the it went from there into a whole range of writers as I got older. #sffwrtcht

Who were some of the authors whose work most thrilled and inspired you? #sffwrtcht

When I was in high school I discovered Ellison and other New Wave writers and they are huge influence. Ted Sturgeon, Delany, James Tiptree, many others. Also read tons of Asimov, Heinlein. Then I had spell of loving cyber for while, especially Sterling. #sffwrtcht

@mbranesf Last year saw a great story in Crossed Genres, the debut of Aether Age, the first issue of Fantastique Unfettered..HOW? #sffwrtcht

mbranesf: @montsamu I don't even know! Lots and lots of crazy work! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:08:07 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Both Aether Age and Fantastique Unfettered are things I am really proud of. Not easy, but way worth it #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:09:21 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf For those of us who missed them, are they things you've written? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:09:41 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Aether Age is a shared world anthology that I co-edited, an alternate-historical concept ....#sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:10:26 +0000 2011)

montsamu: @mbranesf not to mention more mbranes, while hatching the Doubles... You're making the rest of us look like slackers, dude. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:10:46 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Oh awesome. I've always been fascinated by shared worlds #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:10:50 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: ....and Fantastique Unfettered is a new magazine edited by @nithska, which my press publishes #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:10:58 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @montsamu Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:11:00 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Oh, so you publish more than one. That's really awesome. And a lot of work, I imagine. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:11:20 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Aether Age is based on the idea that ancient civs gained the printing press way back then #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:11:36 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Yeah, FU is a the new one, two issues out so far. It is a GORGEOUS print periodical #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:12:20 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf LOL Great initials, too FU #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:12:36 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Congratulations on that as well! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:12:49 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: If anyone is interested in FU bit.ly/9mxJ0G #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:13:02 +0000 2011)

montsamu: @mbranesf on favorites, I've been curious: favorite ACE double, and do you remember which was your first and where you bought it, #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:13:04 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: What made you decide to take the leap of becoming an editor and founding a zine? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:13:14 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @montsamu A fave double is the one with Delany's Captives of the Flame, because it was the first one I had #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:14:15 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @montsamu I got it a used bookstore when I was really youn #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:14:30 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht I edited a Trek zine when I was a kid and alwasys loved that kind of thing. Decided I needed to do it again.... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:15:07 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: ...I had the plan for M-BRANE in the works for years, but finally time and technology was right for it #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:15:32 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @mbranesf Ah, kid fanzine editor. LOL Awesome! Wish I'd had such ambition! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:15:36 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: When did the zine debut, how many issues have you had and how often? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:15:46 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: @mbranesf wow, that is a lot on your plate. How do you do it all? Replicants? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:15:50 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht I did 22 monthly issues when I was 14 to 16 years old #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:15:56 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @eruditeogre I WISH i had replicants LOL #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:16:13 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @mbranesf Good God. You were quite the young entrepreneur! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:16:29 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @sffwrtcht do you see yourself primarily as writer or editor? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:16:48 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht I debuted M-BRANE SF in Feb 2009, and am about to do the 28th issue #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:16:52 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Awesome. That's great. So it's monthly. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:17:17 +0000 2011)

montsamu: @BryanThomasS bit.ly/jOFBVk "I Will Come Home" was @mbranesf's CG #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:17:35 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: What type of story defines the core story for MBrane SF? i.e. what are you looking for? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:17:45 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @mbranesf Has it been that long already? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:17:54 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @pattyjansen It's hard to say. I am at heart more of writer, but I am for some reason drawn to editor role a lot #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:18:04 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @RickNovy @pattyjansen Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:18:18 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @RickNovy I know right? It doesn't seem that long (Rick, by the way, was in my debut issue) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:18:30 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @mbranesf In the running for most appearances I'd guess. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:19:02 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Awesome, Rick, and I know one of our regulars @pattyjansenâ€™s appeared in the zine. Who are some other authors youâ€™ve published? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:19:08 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS The "core" story type is hard to identify. It's science fiction, but I like weirdness and strong characters a lot #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:20:25 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Weirdness and strong characters.Ok. Anything you haven't seen a lot of but would like to? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:20:58 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS I don't see as much interesting far-future stuff, stories by/about women, or realistic gay material as I'd like #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:22:03 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Do you have any favorite stories so far? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:22:03 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Particularly stories by women have been sparse in the in-box lately #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:22:34 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Ok ladies, there you have it. @mbranesf is calling you! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:22:35 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: This is a recurring problem. I know there are more women with stories that I want than what I am seeing #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:23:18 +0000 2011)

shadowflame1974: RT @mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Particularly stories by women have been sparse in the in-box lately #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:23:30 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @sffwrtcht *rummages in story cupboard...* #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:23:33 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Do you have any special training or qualifications as far as editing goes? Or just a love of the genre & great stories? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:23:38 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @pattyjansen And well you should! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:23:50 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @mbranesf how do you know that. At any one time, the ASIM slush pool is 60-75% male... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:24:09 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @mbranesf #sffwrtcht What has the male-female author ration in FU been? (Thu May 26 01:24:09 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht I was a high school journalism kid and did writing and production, which kind of hooked me into it #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:24:18 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf I loved your editorial on manuscript formatting. Really great entry into that whole 'controversy' #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:24:50 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @RickNovy It's interesting that the male/female ratio for FU has been about 50/50, maybe a but more female #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:24:57 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: What are your goals for the future with the zine? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:25:14 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Thanks. It seems like people get too stuck on stuff that's probably out of date now #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:25:22 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @pattyjansen Mine seems to trend about 80 percent male lately #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:25:49 +0000 2011)

jolantru: RT @sffwrtcht: Ok ladies, there you have it. @mbranesf is calling you! #sffwrtcht(Thu May 26 01:26:08 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf And in the end, with publishing software, is not all that important. Drives me nuts! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:26:15 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @mbranesf I'd say that's pretty much typical for SF #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:26:32 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Does that really ruin the reading experience for the editor? If that's what their worried about, wrong business! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:26:41 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS I actually have the slackest guidelines as far as that kind of thing of anyone I think #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:27:22 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Also, I take simultaneous and multiple subs, which most don't. I don;t care. It's all the same to me #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:27:55 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf I think bare minimums are essential but nitpicking underline v. italics and such gets silly #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:27:58 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @BryanThomasS I think it's a way of showing that you've READ the guidelines #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:28:27 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Thanks, Sam :) RT @montsamu: @BryanThomasS bit.ly/jOFBVk "I Will Come Home" was @mbranesf's CG #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:28:31 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Good to know. I have a story I've been meaning to send to you. It's been compared to old school Heinlein, etc. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:28:33 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @pattyjansen Yes but ultimately the story is what matters #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:29:03 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: What do subscriptions cost and where can we find the zine? #sffwrtcht(Thu May 26 01:29:32 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @pattyjansen @BryanThomasS Indeed. Tho mine are bascially "send stories, wait for reply." #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:29:51 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @BryanThomasS sh*t formatting and 'trivial' stuff can def derail a busy editor in first few paras #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:29:58 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @pattyjansen #sffwrtcht But there have been zines I have refused to submit to because guidelines were too much work. buy it and I reformat. (Thu May 26 01:30:07 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @pattyjansen I know but sometimes the trivial stuff as I mentioned gets silly if that's their only reason #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:30:22 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @RickNovy Exactly my point. I've done the same! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:30:45 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @RickNovy totally, but that's the mag's problem ;-) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:30:54 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @RickNovy @pattyjansen ANd I have occasionally asked for a reformat upon sale if the original was too messed up #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:31:00 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Ok. enough on formatting. LOL Are you open for subs now and Whatâ€™s the typical turn around time on submissions? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:31:12 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: What do subscriptions cost and where can we find the zine? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:31:39 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS We are always open for submissions. RT is seldom more than about 3 weeks (I clear the stack every month) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:32:05 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Besides @RickNovy and @pattyjansen who are some other writers who've appeared in the zine? Any favorite stories? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:32:32 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht Info is at my site (kind of trying to draw you to news about the Double): bit.ly/kiwEwk #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:33:34 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @mbranesf #sffwrtcht Which after I edited 12 I totally get (poor formatting).(Thu May 26 01:33:52 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Subscrip info and a free issue is at the other site: bit.ly/9rL34F #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:34:15 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Yes, tell us more about the Double #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:34:30 +0000 2011)

montsamu: @mbranesf actually on the Double - Not for me but there are some good novellas out there that need a good home. :) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:34:55 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS The Double is a duo of short novels by Brandon Bell and Alex Jeffers, presented in the old Ace style... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:35:20 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: ...and it (the Double) is due out in just a few days #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:35:49 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: It's a really great idea and great opportunity for writers! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:35:55 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf I love the cover art on The Double! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:36:11 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: What are your goals for the future with the zine? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:36:27 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @montsamu For sure! Novella is a great length for spec fic #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:36:29 +0000 2011)

jolantru: RT @mbranesf: Subscrip info and a free issue is at the other site: bit.ly/9rL34F#sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:36:47 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Future goals right now are to continue M-BRANE and FU and do a few more one-off book projects #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:37:17 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Sounds really great! Best of luck! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:37:38 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: You also edited an anthology of queer specific titled â€œThings We Are Not.â€ Tell us about that please. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:37:40 +0000 2011)

kaolinfire: @mbranesf have you ever read a submission that you absolutely loved but couldn't publish? if so, what was the deal? :) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:38:10 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @kaolinfire Great question! Thanks! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:38:24 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Hope you don't mind if I plug Things We Are Not with the Amazon link #sffwrtcht amzn.to/kxRLdV ... (Thu May 26 01:38:32 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: In case anyone doesn't know, the zine can be found at www.mbranesf.com#sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:39:09 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS TWAN came about because I wanted more LGBT content in M-Brane and wasn't getting it #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:39:23 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf No, glad you did. I would have if you hadn't! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:39:41 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf So those were extra stories, not ones pulled from your submissions for the zine? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:39:59 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @kaolinfire I don't think I have quite that situation, but recently I had qualms about an item that I went ahead with anyway #sffwrtcht ... (Thu May 26 01:40:23 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @kaolinfire ...I loved the story, and it's writing but it so dark that I wasn't sure if I could be happy with it #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:40:57 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @mbranesf #sffwrtcht You published Cex in the Sity. That was pretty close to the line if I recall. (Thu May 26 01:41:19 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Yes, I did it as entirely separate project #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:41:25 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Youâ€™ve told me youâ€™re not an expert but what are your thoughts on the state of gay speculative fiction these days? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:42:00 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @RickNovy Indeed, and if that one had not been funny also, it might not have made it. Imagine it as dark. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:42:05 +0000 2011)

kaolinfire: @mbranesf How would you say publishing/editing have effected your own writing? #sffwrtcht // yeah, remember you wrangling with the darkness (Thu May 26 01:42:14 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: RT @RickNovy: @mbranesf #sffwrtcht You published Cex in the Sity. That was pretty close to the line if I recall. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:42:27 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: @mbranesf #sffwrtcht I doubt I could write that one dark. (Thu May 26 01:42:33 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: LOL Tough question for 140 characters no doubt #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:43:04 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @kaolinfire Publishing has made me more thoughtful but also a bit more daring with my own material I think #sffwrtcht .... (Thu May 26 01:43:32 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @kaolinfire I am actually pretty shy, and it has made more willing to "show off" #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:44:00 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Who are some of your favorite writers of LGBT spec fic working today? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:44:07 +0000 2011)

montsamu: @mbranesf I ordered, and if you wanted to stick an extra FU #1 with @NataniaBarron's story in the mailing, too... :) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:44:15 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @mbranesf agree w 'more daring'. You have to write something special to stand out #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:44:42 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS As to gay spec fic, this is a great time. There's a lot of great work being done #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:44:44 +0000 2011)

jolantru: #sffwrtcht Lurking and marking scripts. I am reading the awesome tweets. (Thu May 26 01:44:45 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Do you think Science Fiction and Fantasy have a responsibility to turn a lens on the issues of today and reflect on them? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:46:00 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht My fave historically is Samuel Delany, but there are sooo many new and lesser known ones... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:46:33 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @sffwrtcht Let me do another plug, for Outer Alliance ( need to pull up link...) .... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:47:06 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Do you think Science Fiction and Fantasy have a responsibility to turn a lens on the issues of today and reflect on them? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:48:20 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Outer Alliance is an association that includes a huge number of currently-writing LGBT writers. pubs: bit.ly/1cBuUB #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:48:28 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Awesome. Thanks for finding that link! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:48:41 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Are you working on any anthology projects now or have any planned for the future? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:49:32 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: (sorry, tag) #sffwrtcht @BryanThomasS I don't know if it's a "responsibility," but I think it is inherent in the form. (Thu May 26 01:49:50 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf I agree and it provides a lens which is really good at making people see things from new perspectives too #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:50:00 +0000 2011)

RickNovy: Sigh. How did we get #sffwrtcht and #zinechat scheduled at the same time?(Thu May 26 01:50:21 +0000 2011)

jolantru: RT @mbranesf: Outer Alliance is an association that includes a huge number of currently-writing LGBT writers. pubs: bit.ly/1cBuUB ... (Thu May 26 01:50:27 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Get your final questions in for Chris @mbranesf 1o min to go in #sffwrtcht(Thu May 26 01:50:31 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS In the earlier decades of the genre, these things were always very allegorical and cloaked, but there anyway #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:50:37 +0000 2011)

cericn: RT @mbranesf: Outer Alliance is an association that includes a huge number of currently-writing LGBT writers. pubs: bit.ly/1cBuUB ... (Thu May 26 01:50:48 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Well, they tend to be even now all too often cloaked, don't they? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:51:09 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Very true #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:51:39 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf So what do you have upcoming besides The Doubles for us to look forward to? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:52:19 +0000 2011)

kaolinfire: Submissions out to @mbranesf and @nithska while I'm thinking about it :) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:52:22 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @kaolinfire Speaking of which... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:52:53 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Oh, I need to squeeze in one more book plug, @ricknovy's 2020 VISIONS, available in Nook as well as print bit.ly/iO63NE #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:53:10 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Is there any difference in the types of stories MBrane and FU are looking for OR what's the difference? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:53:14 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Awesome! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:53:34 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: RT @RickNovy: @mbranesf And Kindle. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:53:46 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS FU is more of a contemp fantasy/magical realist concept than M-Brane, but there is some overlap... #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:54:00 +0000 2011)

kaolinfire: @mbranesf @BryanThomasS Also FU now takes non-fic and poetry =) #sffwrtcht(Thu May 26 01:54:29 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @mbranesf I do run stuff in M-Brane that could probably fit into FU as well, but M-Brane is more sf-nal #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:54:36 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Tomorrow at www.graspingforthewind.com, revisit our chat with @ResnickMike ! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:55:05 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Upcoming guests are: 6/01 @AndrewMayer 6/8 @catvalente 6/15 @PortIris zine 6/22 @jenniferbrozek and 6/29 @peterorullion #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:55:19 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: Also FU has an almost unique Creative Commons concept #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:55:38 +0000 2011)

caseysays: Having #sffwrtcht & #zinechat on the same night couldn't have been at a worse time for me. Good stuff at both. (Thu May 26 01:55:39 +0000 2011)

jolantru: RT @mbranesf: Oh, I need to squeeze in one more book plug, @ricknovy's 2020 VISIONS, available in Nook as well as print bit.ly/iO ... (Thu May 26 01:55:39 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Interesting (creative commons) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:56:33 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf So real quick, what other projects are you working on which we can look forward to? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:56:52 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS AFter the Double, I have a couple "secret" projects, a couple single-author collections, maybe a 2nd AETHER AGE #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:57:49 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Also possibly of follow-up to THINGS WE ARE NOT #sffwrtcht(Thu May 26 01:58:16 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf And of course more great @mbranesf issues which he would love to fill with stories by female writers #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:58:19 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Indeed! Every month! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:58:36 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Things We Are Also Not, awesome LOL#sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:58:45 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS LOL #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:58:54 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Things We Are Also Not, awesome LOL #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:58:57 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Chris, thanks for being here tonight. It's really been great and informative! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:59:32 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Thanks for having me! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:59:47 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Everyone, be sure and check out @mbranesf and Fantastique and more! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 01:59:58 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf You're welcome back any time! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:00:13 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: All, thanks for joining us tonight! The transcript will be posted later tonight or tomorrow on the blog and I'll put out a link. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:00:40 +0000 2011)

pattyjansen: @mbranesf thanks (and has your page open in other widow ;-) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:00:50 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: I'll probably be around on Twitter for a little while if anyway has anything else to talk about, and if not,thanks and 'night! :) #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:01:26 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Next week, @AndrewMayer discusses "The Falling Machine," his steampunk novel debut which came out yesterday and is great reading! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:01:29 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Next week, @AndrewMayer discusses "The Falling Machine," his steampunk novel debut which came out yesterday and is great reading! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:01:30 +0000 2011)

BiscuitCIB: Great #sffwrtcht with @mbranesf . Thank you, interesting chat. (Thu May 26 02:01:31 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf LOL Good I can ask my culinary questions. #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:01:46 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Quickly about your dayjob, what kind of restaurant do you work for? Do you own it? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:01:52 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf My brother's a professional chef also #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:02:03 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @BiscuitCIB Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:02:15 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf And my other is where did you get culinary training? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:03:31 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS I learned to cook the job, and advanced that way. Started when I was in grad school #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:04:10 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS On the job I mean #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:04:26 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf #sffwrtcht LOL I got that. (Thu May 26 02:04:41 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS Currently I work for a catering company that also manages restuarants #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:05:22 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @mbranesf Ah very cool. And you live in a really fun city! #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:06:12 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @BryanThomasS And I also used to own a restaurant here for a while #sffwrtcht(Thu May 26 02:06:25 +0000 2011)

kaolinfire: @mbranesf @BryanThomasS what are some of your favorite magazines to read? #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:10:01 +0000 2011)

mbranesf: @kaolinfire Lots I like, some web-based ones I look at every time are Clarkesworld, Brain Harvest and Crossed Genres #sffwrtcht (Thu May 26 02:13:38 +0000 2011)

Participants

Links of The Week Vol. 2 Issue 9

2011-05-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.com/2011/05/gender-in-job-ads-and-subconscious-bias.html -- Juliette Wade on subtle bias in language and how it effects people's reactions to the text in job listings, etc. Food for thought.

A very helpful post on marketing books for authors from @yukongraham via Twitter: http://j.mp/mogMpJ

Helpful post from my friend Sam Sykes (Tome Of the Undergates, Black Halo) on the pitfalls of the road to publication: http://samsykes.com/2011/05/sad-sacks-of-fears

A 22-year old performance poet, Sarah Kay, delivers an amazing oration dedicated to her daughter & more:
http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html

Resource for Writers: Dictionary of Military terminology: http://www.militaryterms.net/

My buddy @eruditeogre reviews Sam Sykes' Black Halo for Functional Nerds, a book I'll be reviewing this week: http://functionalnerds.com/2011/05/the-outsiders-a-review-of-black-halo-by-sam-sykes/

My buddy Jamie Todd Rubin writes for SFSignal.com on time travel: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/05/traveling-through-time-and-other-vacations-of-the-mind-part-1/

And lastly two posts from me have drawn some attention this week so I'll list them here in case anyone missed them:

My post on tips for being good beta readers has really taken off like hot cakes. Find it here: http://bryanthomasschmidt.blogspot.com/2011/05/6-tips-for-being-good-beta-reader.html

Excerpts from my debut novel "The Worker Prince" are out and generating buzz from the hits they receive. Here they are if you're interested: http://bryanthomasschmidt.blogspot.com/search/label/excerpt

NOVEL EXCERPT: The Worker Prince Chapter 2

2011-05-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

This excerpt is from Chapter 2 and the protagonist, Davi, has been discovering that life on the neighboring planet, Vertullis, for enslaved peoples (aka workers) is worse than he'd ever thought under his uncle Xalivar's rule. He's now finding himself torn and coming into conflict with friends and family as he begins to question it. Here he's just received a letter from his mother about his questions.

Davi sat at his desk stunned. His mother had always been candid, but the content of her missive left him at a loss. He’d expected her to remind him of his uncle’s love and urge him to not be hasty in rushing to judgment, but he’d also expected her to tell him he did not yet have the full picture to understand the reasons behind the decisions his uncle had made in regard to Vertullis. Instead, she confirmed everything he had discovered and been wrestling with. What now?

He would have to be careful. Xalivar would indeed have spies and most people in the Alliance were loyal to him. Davi needed to control his feelings and consider each move. Would he take on the whole Borali Alliance as Farien had said? Not even his status as a member of the Royal Family ensured success. He would be fighting an entire system and way of life for his people, and he knew few would support him.

Slow down, Davi, and remember your place.

Needing to get out of this office and distract himself, he decided to explore areas of the capital he had yet to see. After all, for the time being, this would be home. It might be a good idea to get to know his environment. He deleted his mother’s e-post from the server and shut his terminal, returned the paperwork he’d been reviewing to his inbox and headed out the door.

Outside the noise of the city assaulted his ears. As the twin suns sank toward the horizon, the late afternoon light began to fade, dressing the transportation corridors around him in a mix of light and shadows. Past the end of a long block of administrative offices, he entered the narrower corridors of a residential district. The area surrounding the Borali Alliance’s offices had become prime real estate and contained some of the largest houses in the city, most occupied by off-world government employees.

A few corridors over, a tall security fence sectioned off that neighborhood from the adjacent one. On the far side, the houses changed noticeably, three story apartment buildings mixed with small dwellings, the landscaping sparser, the corridors narrower. He heard even more noise here than in the area around the government center. People bustled around the corridors past shopkeepers on sidewalks drumming up business. It almost seemed like earlier in the day, rather than early evening. In such worker neighborhoods, life began when the people came home.

He wandered, pondering the juxtaposition between houses which seemed run down, set between pristine, newer dwellings on either side. In other places, a thatch-roofed house would have added plants or laser displays on the sides, its small yard kept tidy and fresh, while vines ascended the walls of sleek modern transparent aluminum dwellings with overgrown yards. Finally, he reached a point where the corridor made a sharp turn.

Turning the bend, he found himself in the market with rows of stalls and tents of all shapes and sizes, bustling workers and vendors. A few saw his uniform and looked at him with wary glances but most went about their business as if he weren’t even there. The smell of various perspirations mixed with manure and fresh meats and fruits assaulting his nose.

Vendors offered everything from standard vegetables like green heads of lettuce, orange carrots, and shiny red tomatoes to more exotic ones like Feruca, Gixi, and Jax—fruits from other parts of the solar system. Feruca was black with a thin skin and soft pulp and was often served with various sauces. Gixi, a round, purple fruit grown in orchards on Vertullis and Italis had a delicious, tender pulp and sweet juice. Jax were blue and oblong with crispy pulp and a taste, which went from bitter to sweet during boiling. All had been discovered when colonists first emigrated here centuries ago and now were regular staples of their diets.

Other vendors offered livestock for sale, everything from blue Daken and goats to Quats and Qiwi, a long antlered creature from icy Plutonis. Dark brown with white spots lining either side of their spines, Qiwi stood waste high on Davi and had four long legs ending in black hooves. Their antlers grew up to forty centimeters out of their skulls. He also spotted Gungors, the six-legged brown animals with yellow manes raised for their tasty meat. Davi moved on past as vendors hollered prices and argued with customers, while the various animals brayed and moaned around them.

As he neared a tent, someone grabbed his arm—a smiling vendor who looked half-human and half-Lhamor, gesturing with his bottom two arms when he spoke, his forked tongue giving him a strong lisp.

“’ello, Capt’in, my frien’, wha’ever you nee’, I can ge’ for you,” he said with the accent of Italis and patted Davi’s back like they had been lifelong pals.

There’s a reason others of your race use translators. “No thank you, just passing through,” Davi said, moving on.

The market fascinated him. He saw many species and products he’d never seen before, realizing how big the Alliance really was. He hoped someday he might have time to explore it. When he was younger, he’d dreamed of going on a starship to see the planets in the outer solar system—alien species, plants, animals, alien languages. He’d spent so much time in the office, he hadn’t even bothered to discover what awaited him on Vertullis. He dodged another eager vendor and ducked into an alleyway. Quats moaned and darted out of his path, scattering the trash crowding the walls as they ran.

Might as well see what the neighborhoods are like on the other side.

Entering a corridor so narrow it was restricted to pedestrian traffic, he set about exploring. The corridor and buildings curved, making it impossible to see one end from the other. He walked past doors and windows of one dwelling after another. Separate units shared outside walls like one long building. The area appeared deserted. Everyone must be at the market or already inside.

A woman screamed around the bend ahead.

He quickened his pace, rounding the corner to see an Alliance Captain the size of an air taxi with a worker girl backed into a corner. His gray uniform was dirty and wrinkled, his hair graying around the edges. The girl looked to be upper teens, almost a woman, her face full of fear and apprehension. The Captain struck her across the face with the back of his hand and was preparing to do it again.

“Please,” the girl pleaded, “let me go.”

“You’ll go, when I say you can go,” the Captain responded, his voice like poison.

Neither had noticed Davi creeping toward them along a wall behind them. As he drew near, his nose crinkled at the overpowering smell of the Captain. He reeked of sweat and alcohol. Not even the girl’s sweet, flowery perfume could overcome it.

“What do you want from me?” The girl demanded.

“I want you to show me the proper respect.” The Captain swung his arm, but instead of hitting her face, which she turned away, he grabbed the collar of her blouse and ripped it open.

She slid along the wall, trying to get away. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

“Workers like you are always disrespectful,” the Captain said. “Stop moving and come closer.” She shook her head as he grabbed her and pulled her to him, trying to press his lips against hers. She kept wiggling and pushing, making it difficult.

“I’m gonna teach you what it means to obey now, slut,” he said. Buttons popped as he ripped her blouse again and threw her to the ground, climbing on top of her and trying to force her legs apart.

Davi rushed up behind him, grabbing the Captain by the shoulders and pulling him off. “Enough, Captain,” Davi said.

The Captain swung to his feet and whirled around, pulling free with a power that sent Davi stepping back. The sobbing girl picked herself up and cowered against the wall behind him. “Who do you think you are?” the Captain sneered.

“A fellow officer concerned with a peer’s professional conduct,” Davi said.

“I’m off duty,” the Captain said.

“You’re in uniform,” Davi said.

“I guess this worker slut’s not the only one who needs a lesson in respect,” the Captain said, looking Davi over. He towered over Davi, muscles bulging from his jacket.

Davi stepped back. Maybe he has slow reflexes.

The Captain swung at him and Davi ducked, throwing a fist into the man’s gut. His fist throbbed like it had hit an iron wall.

The Captain laughed. “Is that the best you can do?”

“Run,” Davi said, his eyes meeting the worker girl’s. “Get away now!”

The Captain swung at him again as the girl backed away. “Where you going?” The soldier asked, missing Davi as he whirled and reached for her. Her blouse pulled loose into his hands.

Davi glimpsed a necklace around her neck with a blue-green crest at its center. The Captain knocked him to his knees with a blow he hadn’t seen coming.

Where are my friends when I need them? He struggled back to his feet.

The Captain swung again, and Davi dodged to one side. “You need to learn to mind your own business!” Keeping ahold of the girl with one hand, he swung again at Davi’s midsection.

Davi ducked to one side as the girl tried to pull free. His adversary found himself pulled in two directions but managed to grab Davi’s collar and jerk him roughly off his feet.

As the Captain pulled Davi closer and closer, the girl bit the Captain, who yelled and flinched, letting her go. Davi tried to use the moment to pull himself free, but the Captain pulled the collar tighter and cause Davi to slip and fall away from him and into wooden double doors which cracked loudly as they splintered from the force.

Seeing the girl slipping away, the Captain chased after her, turning his back on Davi.

Davi needed some kind of weapon. He thought for a moment of his blaster, but the Alliance had laws and he could think of none which would justify shooting a soldier, especially not to save a worker. Besides, the Captain had a blaster hanging on his hip.

As he climbed to his feet and stepped away from the door, part of it slipped back inside the house behind him. He looked at the splintered wood and began pulling free a section he could use as a club. Wood creaked and snapped as he pulled.

“Why are you doing this to me?” the girl screamed, as she continued dodging the Captain.

“Because you’re a worker,” the Captain said, grabbing her again as he looked around for something to tie her with.

Davi ran up behind him with the board. Seeing him out of the corner of his eye, the Captain turned, raising an arm, as Davi swung the board down hard atop his head.

The Captain’s arm deflected the board, sending it hard against the side of his head. He froze and emitted a loud gurgling sound, releasing the girl and falling to his knees as blood poured from his ears.

Davi pulled the board away and saw that a large spike had entered the man’s head at the temple. The Captain fell over face down and lay still as the salty smell of warm blood rose into the air from a widening pool around the Captain’s head. Oh my gods! I killed him!

“Is he dead?” the girl asked, petrified.

Davi knelt beside him, feeling for breath. The strengthened stench almost made him gag but he swallowed hard. “I think so. I don’t know.” The Captain’s chest wasn’t moving.

The girl gasped. Davi saw her pointing at his chest where his ripped uniform revealed his own necklace—an exact duplicate of the one she wore around her neck.

“Where’d you get it?” the girl asked.

“I’ve had it since I was a baby,” Davi responded.

The girl’s eyes widened as she turned and ran back up the corridor.

“Wait! Come back here a moment!”

But her footsteps faded into the night.

Davi glimpsed faces peering at him from nearby windows and heard footsteps behind him.

A worker stood in the splintered doorway as it finally sunk in—he’d killed an Alliance soldier.

Davi took dark side corridors all the way back to his quarters, ducking into alleyways every time anyone approached. Gasping for breath until his lungs were about to explode, he ran as fast as his feet would take him, his soaked clothes sticking to his skin. I hope no one got a good look at my face. How am I going to explain this?!

6 Tips For Being A Good Beta Reader

2011-05-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things I've learned in the past year from working with editors and beta readers is how important a role these folks play in the creative success of any published product. Now there are good editors and bad editors, good beta readers and bad beta readers. I've been lucky with my editors so far but had a few beta readers who left things to be desired. (Actually my current crop are fantastic but took a while to find them.)

What you need to understand as a beta reader is that the author needs your focus and honesty to make a good book or story. In fact, without you, the story can't be all it can be, so you're actually participating in the creative process and can have huge influence over the final product. If it's good--and even better because of your thoughtful attention--you can proudly brag about that, and I'm sure the author will credit you in the Acknowledgements as well.

So what does it take to be a good beta reader? Here's Six Tips:

1. Pay Attention. You need to read with focused care. Note everything that engenders a response in you. You don't necessarily have to report them all in your notes, but pay attention, nonetheless, and analyze how that works as you assess the story. Because the author needs to know what works, what doesn't, etc. This requires you to read with more effort and thought than you might be used to. So it may challenge you. But it will also enrich your reading life in later efforts by teaching you to look at things more deeply in ways you hadn't imagined.

2. Ask Questions And Seek Answers. If you have unanswered questions or are confused, those are the first notes the author needs. Often we're so wrapped up in our story with all its details, we don't realize we've underexplained things or done so in a convoluted way. We desperately need you to point it out to us. And we're thankful when you do. Sometimes what seems perfectly clear to us won't be to you. This has happened many times editing my novel, and I'm always grateful for those chances to make it better.

3. If You Get Annoyed, Let Me Know. If I over explain or over foreshadow and ruin the surprise, I need to know. I need to know what bores or annoys you. You're smart enough to realize when it was unintentional, so tell me, because I need to know.

4. Offer Me A Little Praise Too. I'm nervous and excited to put my work out into the world. I need to know the bad stuff, yes. But it's also helpful to know what you liked. What made you laugh or smile? What surprised you in a good way? What made you want to shout and read it to someone else? Those things matter, and hey, the process is so long, I need the encouragement to keep going. Please let me know.

5. Don't Be Afraid Of Hurting My Feelings. If I ask you to beta, I am giving you carte blanche to be honest. I need it to make my work all it can be. If I asked, you're probably someone I trust or at least whose opinion I value enough to believe you can help. And although some of your notes may frustrate me, I won't take it personally or hold it against you because I need your help. And in the long run, my writing will be better for it not just with this project, but every project to follow.

6. Take good notes. Either on the manuscript itself or via comments in Microsoft Word or on paper. Whatever the case note page and paragraph numbers and be as detailed as you can. The more you give the author, the more helpful your notes will be and the more impressed and grateful the author will be for your time and effort.

Well those are my six. No list is perfect. But if you take my advice, you'll have good success as a beta reader and probably get lots of chances to read stuff before anyone else. How cool is that?

For what it's worth...