Friday, October 12, 2007
Children of the Old Stars

The first nine chapters of the audio edition of Children of the Old Stars are now live at: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/children-old-stars

Though it stands alone, Children of the Old Stars is the sequel to my first novel, The Pirates of Sufiro (which is also available at Podiobooks.com). Print editions of both books are also available at Amazon.com and GenreMall.com

In Children of the Old Stars, the Cluster is a vast alien machine that destroys starships indiscriminately in its quest for something or someone. Commander John Mark Ellis, disgraced and booted out of the service when he fails to save a merchant ship, believes the key to stopping the Cluster is communication. His mother, Suki Firebrandt Ellis, is a historian who believes the very leaders of the galaxy are withholding information about the Cluster. Clyde McClintlock believes the Cluster is God incarnate, seeking retribution. G'Liat is an alien warrior whose own starship was destroyed by the Cluster. All together, they set out to solve the mystery of the Cluster before it can find the object of its quest.

The audio edition is read by Ti Alva and myself and features music by Steve Starcher. The book is free -- though donations are always appreciated...they help keep Podiobooks.com running and help pay for my kids' education! -- so hope you drop by and give the book a listen. The remaining chapters will be posted approximately weekly until the book is complete.

Dave

Posted by David Summers 2007-10-12 12:10:12

Monday, October 8, 2007
Halloween Poetry Reading

Once again, it's time for the Science Fiction Poetry Association to host their annual on-line Halloween Poetry reading. This is a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit by listening to some Halloween-themed poems by folks like David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Karen A. Romanko, Elizabeth Bennefeld and Sue Burke. You can download and listen to the poems at: http://www.sfpoetry.com/halloween.html

My short poem, "Vampire Prostitute" that was inspired by a visit to the doctor's for some lab work is also available there. (It was a pretty scary trip, I tell you.)

More poems will be added through the month. Hope you'll drop by and give them a listen!

Dave

Posted by David Summers 2007-10-08 18:07:51

Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Question about word rates

Periodically, I review the pay rates for Tales of the Talisman magazine, both to assure that we're paying what we can afford as well as doing my best to assure that our pay rates represent a fair percentage of our profits.

Historically, Tales of the Talisman and its predecessor, Hadrosaur Tales, have paid a flat fee for stories. This is because I have long had very mixed feelings about the notion of paying for stories based on the number of words. The reason is simply that in all of my reading and in all of my writing, I don't have the sense that a 2000-word story, for instance, isintrisically worth less than a 6000-word story (presuming, of course, that the stories are of otherwise equal quality).

That said, I can see a flip side to this. A 6000-word story takes up a larger percentage of the magazine than a 2000-word story and thus, perhaps, a contributor should be paid for the percentage of the magazine they have helped to fill.

So here's the question and I would like to see some good feedback from writers out there: Would you prefer to be paid a flat fee for stories or would you prefer to be paid by the word?

I'll note up front that I'm already well aware of issues surrounding membership in various professional organizations and I do factor that into my decision making. As such, I'd like any answers to this question to be based on reasons other than qualification for SFWA, HWA or other membership.

In an ideal world, should all stories receive equal pay, or should longer stories receive more pay? What do you think?

Posted by David Summers 2007-10-02 11:37:19

Sunday, September 23, 2007
CrossTIME Science Fiction Contest Winners

We carried a notice about the 2007 CrossTIME Short Science Fiction Contest in Tales of the Talisman last year. Crossquarter Publishing Group in Santa Fe just announced the winners: "Medi-Evil" by Edward McKeown, "Mind Over Measure" by John A. Holt, Jr., "Alone & The Second Coming" by Henry Hack and "November's End & Jack" by Evan Inboden. These and six runners-up are featured in the CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Volume VI. Congratulations to the winners!

The anthologies are available from the publisher at www.crosstime.com or at www.amazon.com

Authors of all ages may submit their original works to the annual contest. Guidelines are at www.crossquarter.com or send a self-addressed stamped #10 envelope to Crossquarter, PO Box 23749, Santa Fe, NM 87502

Just to note, neither Tales of the Talisman nor I am affiliated with Crossquarter Publishing, but they seem a good group of people. Tee Morris was a previous runner up in the CrossTIME contest and Uncle River's book, Prometheus, the Autobiography is available from them.

Dave

Posted by David Summers 2007-09-23 17:35:17

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Anthology: Voices for the Cure

I wanted to take a moment and share information about an anthology I recently learned about: Voices for the Cure: A Speculative Fiction Anthology to Benefit the American Diabetes Association edited by James Palmer.

This anthology includes stories by Robert J. Sawyer, Mike Resnick, Cory Doctorow, Ernest Hogan and more. Learn more about the anthology and order a copy at: http://www.lulu.com/content/987815

Too many of my friends and family suffer from diabetes. Buying the anthology is a great way to benefit the American Diabetes Association -- and you'll get some great speculative fiction, too!

Dave

Posted by David Summers 2007-09-18 10:46:52