Electric Velocipede Blog

Darin Bradley's Noise and Sybil's Garage offers free parking!

2010-09-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

(Design by Dave Stephenson)

My good friedn Darin Bradley had his first novel, Noise, come out this week. Darin's a talented writer and this book is at the top of "want to read it now" list. Right now, he's running a promotion until Friday September 3 to give away a signed copy. Darin's been published in Electric Velocipede in the past, and will have a new story in issue #21 called “∞°” (pronounced infinite mo; it's a typographical term, well, it's a take on a typographical term...you'll just have to read it). In the meantime, here's a great promotional site to get you into Darin's book.

Back in July, I talked about the new issue of Matt Kressel's Sybil's Garage. Sybil's Garage was a zine fashioned out of the same aesthetic as Electric Velocipede and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. Great writing, excellent design, and something that definitely has a sense of itself. What I mean by that is that when you read Sybil's Garage, you'll never mistake for any other publication.

Due to a variety of reasons, Matt is officially transforming the former zine into an annual anthology. I think that's a cool idea. It's format sort of reminds me of Conjunctions. You can get the new issue at Amazon, among other places.

But wait, why should I take your word on it? Well, because I'm kind of a big deal, right? Not good enough for you? OK, Matt's thought of that. He's offering Sybil's Garage #4 as a free PDF download. Issue #4 has work from Richard Bowes, Ekaterina Sedia, Cat Rambo, Rachel Swirsky, Steve Rasnic Tem, Barbara Krasnoff and more. It's an excellent issue. You should go download it now.

Really.

You'll like it.

Closed to Submissions

2010-09-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user Caro Wallis)

After a flurry of activity (thanks everyone!) we are now closed to submissions. I do not have a sense for when we will re-open (I just closed at 2:00a for goodness sake!) so watch this space for updates. We got to 250 and 275 in the past two days; that's awesome!

I'll be contacting the winners and discussing their prizes (the people who are submission #250 and #275) and I'll announce them later this week.

This was a pretty hectic three months for submissions. We have 278 outstanding subs right now, and we received a total of 790 submissions in the three months we've been open. That's pretty impressive for a very small magazine.

Thanks again to everyone who submitted a story and to everyone who helped spread the word.

You Guys Are Awesome

2010-08-31T11:46:00.000-05:00

(image (C) Thom Davidsohn; enlarged slightly so it's out of focus)

Wow, did you ever answer the call. Anne put out the word asking for submissions so that we could get to at least 250 and you did it! As to who it was, well, I'll get that announced later. There's still more chances. Let's do it every 25, ok? So if we can get to 275 then 300 then 325 and so on, we'll give away some prizes, ok?

In the meantime, that image above is a teaser from the cover for issue #21. What could that be?

Working on a magazine is an odd thing. When you're reading an issue, I'm at least one issue ahead of you, if not more. I've got material selected for issues #21 and #22, and issue #20 has just been shipped out from Night Shade.

I need to be out promoting issue #20 and I'm editing #21 at the same time. I'm excited about the "new" stories, and everyone else will be talking about "new" stories that are an issue old to me. It's even worse when you come out more often than I do. For a quarterly schedule, if I have an issue coming out in August, we're already editing and laying out the next issue. We're getting ads and artwork at least two issues down the line, and we're soliciting/reading stories for stuff that won't come out for four issues or more!

This isn't much different for book publishing. It's a bigger scale and a little longer term, but very similar. By the time a book comes out, you've spent so much time on it you're almost not excited anymore. And the new books, the ones you're just starting to work on, those are the ones you're excited about, but you can't talk about them!

(image (C) Thom Davidsohn; enlarged slightly so it's out of focus)

Another snippet from the cover of Electric Velocipede #21. How do those two images tie together? Hmmm. I have another snippet I may show you later if you behave.

A Few Quick Updates Before September Eats Us All

2010-08-30T11:07:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user vieux bandit)

John tells me that our submission count is at 233, so he doesn't think we'll reach 300 (much less 350 and so on) before the end of tomorrow.

He says that we'll shoot for 250 and beyond. That's only 17 submissions to some prizes! Come on people! I know you can do it!

Some other changes here at EV:

I got a promotion -- whoo-hoo! -- to managing editor.

We have an official webmaster now. Adam Israel is our Creative Director and will handle the website among other things. Young Patrick Ward is also helping us out with some promotional stuff, so you might hear from him, too.

Basically anyone with an @electricvelocipede.com email is one of us.

Expect other changes to come.

I'm trying to avoid looking at the photo John picked for my post since it's kind of what my house looks like.

Hey You Guys!

2010-08-27T09:00:00.002-05:00

(thanks to Ted Fenger for this cool graphic)

To our kindly contributors, if you have changed your email -- please, write myself and John to give us your new contact information. If you happen to know one of the poets or authors listed in EV before Issue 15/16 (see Electric Velocipede wiki here for complete table of contents), send 'em our way. Please.

We're updating our records, and there's... holes. Electronic holes that involve bouncey messages.

Many thanks!

Anne*---

John can be contacted at editor@electricvelocipede.com, I can be contacted at anne@electricvelocipede.com.

Please note: This is for past contributors only. Thank you!

Five Days to Get in Your Submission!

2010-08-26T10:46:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user pheezy)

Holy cow. Can I say you're amazing? I can? OK, you people are amazing. We've been getting all sorts of great submissions. The problem is, we've now built a backlog and I can't in good faith keep accepting stories that I know won't be out until 2012.

So here's the deal, you have until the end of August to get your submission in. Then we're closing up the system for a bit so we can read everything. At the same time, we're got two issues we're trying to get out this year, and then four next year, so all of us on the Electric Velocipede farm are going to be busy!

Let's make this fun. Right now we have 190 submissions sitting in our queue (hey, we never said we were Clarkesworld Magazine where response time is concerned*). Starting with submission #250, I'll give a prize to each submitter at the 50 mark (i.e., 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, etc.). Prizes will include back issues of Electric Velocipede, Spilt Milk Press chapbooks, ARCs that I've received from publishers, copies of Logorrhea, and so on.

I'll get stuff into a spreadsheet tonight so that I can track who's what number submission. What do you think? Like it? Tell all your friends! Let's have a submission party! How many submissions can you guys and gals rack up?**

* While we use the same submission system that Clarkesworld Magazine uses, we are not as fast in our response time. I wish we were. But, and this is the part you should pay attention to, when I was reading submissions on my own without a system, it regularly took almost a year for me to respond. We're at about a month right now. Much better, don't you think?

** Bring it!

World Fantasy Award Nominations

2010-08-24T10:54:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user gumboeditor, hey, that's me!)

By now many of you have already heard, but in case you haven't, the 2009 World Fantasy Awards Nominees were officially announced this morning. These are the awards that will be given this year at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, OH.

There are a lot of worthwhile people on the list. I'm particularly excited to see Jeff VanderMeer's novel Finch get some recognition. I think it's his strongest work to date. I also think it's awesome to see work from X6 (from Australian publisher Coeur de Lion) and Nemonymous Nine: Cern Zoo make the list. They are not traditional markets for fiction, nor are they necessarily well-known to American audiences so I hope they get some good exposure from being a part of the awards.

The Short Fiction category has a great mix of large market and small market, print and online. I'll be interested in seeing who the judges selected. There are a few new names (to me at least) on the artist list, and I think that's great. From what I can see Sam Weber and Jason Zerrilo are well deserving of their nominations. Also very excited to see Jonathan Strahan on the list for the Professional award.

As for me? Well, you can see that I'm part of a strong Non-Professional group:

Special Award – Non-Professional
John Berlyne for Powers: Secret Histories
Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan, & Sean Wallace for Clarkesworld
Susan Marie Groppi for Strange Horizons
John Klima for Electric Velocipede
Bob Colby, B. Diane Martin, David Shaw and Eric M. Van for Readercon
Ray Russell & Rosalie Parker for Tartarus Press

That makes four years in a row for me being nominated. I'm particularly intrigued by the Readercon nomination. It's a great convention, and I know that people who organize conventions do a pretty thankless task. My feeling is they are the winners on the ballot. Regardless, all my fellow nominees do excellent work and I'll be thrilled for whomever I lose to in the end.

Best American Fantasy Series Discontinued

2010-08-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

Jeff VanderMeer announced on his blog yesterday that the annual Best American Fantasy series that he founded (along with Ann VanderMeer and Matthew Cheney) is coming to an end. Three volumes have been published in the series and a fourth was in the works, but it will not be published. While I'm sad to see it go, as Jeff points out, a year's best that was finding stuff that slipped between definitions was going to be a hard sell from the outset.

Over at the OF Blog of the Fallen, series editor Larry Nolen lists the recommendations he had made to Minister Faust who was going to be the guest editor of vol. 4. Of note to readers of this blog is the story "A Mouse Ran Up the Clock" by A. C. Wise from Electric Velocipede 19, which made Nolen's recommended list.

When I started in the field there was Gardner Dozois' Year's Best Science Fiction and Ellen Datlow & Terry Windling's Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. As a fan and reader (and later an editor) these were great places to find what had come out that I might have missed. I also loved poring through the recommended reading lists in the back to see what else was out there. Fans with longer memories than me know that other year's bests have existed throughout the years. There's also been a number of publications like the Nebula Awards showcases (and Hugo Awards ones, too) that aren't quite year's best, but offer a similar reading experience.

A few years ago I felt there was a glut of year's best books, and many of them have fallen to the wayside. Still surviving are the perennial Year's Best Science Fiction from Gardner Dozois, David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer's Year's Best SF and Year's Best Fantasy, Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror, Jonathan Strahan's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, and Rich Horton's The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Which, in my opinion, is still a lot of books. As a reader and an editor, it's hard to keep up. I'll miss Best American Fantasy as it stretched beyond the genre and got into areas that I don't read very thoroughly.

Some Updates on Electric Velocipede (now in its 20s!)

2010-08-09T16:58:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user ario_)

That's right, Electric Velocipede has hit 20 issues and is showing no signs of stopping! Issue #20 is at the Night Shade Books warehouse, and it should be shipping out soon to subscribers, contributors, et al. Issue #20 is our first official issue of 2010, although many people did not get issue #19 until early this year as opposed to its 2009 cover date.

We're still planning on getting out two more issues this year, but there's only a few months left so we might fail. But hey, I'd rather go for it and fail than always be wondering if we could have gotten it done. If we get out two more issues this year, that sets us up nicely to do four issues next year. It also sets us up to have issue #25 come out right on top of our 10th anniversary. Pretty cool, eh?

So what's the status? Electric Velocipede #21 has been sent to authors for edits, and I've already gotten a bunch of thos back. We have a sweet cover from Thom Davidsohn, and everything is falling in place. My intention is to have copies at MadCon 2010 at the end of September.

Today, I started editing Electric Velocipede #22. I know, I know. You haven't even seen #20! That's the way it works. I also have a reprint anthology to put together for next month. It's a bit of a mad rush, but if I can remain focused and motivated (and it's Thom's covers that have done it for me; it gives the issues a reality that doesn't exist when they're just digital files) there'll be no issue.

Of course, when I post this there's only 80 days left until World Fantasy; less than three months! If you haven't noticed, there's a countdown to World Fantasy in the upper right-hand corner on the blog. Mr. Teppo and I have some "stuff" in the works for WFC, so hold on to your hats. Next month we'll do some teasers with the new cover and give the table of contents again.

So, that's what I'm doing...what are you all up to as the Summer winds down?

Upcoming Conventions: ConText and MadCon

2010-08-01T16:00:00.002-05:00

(image from Flickr user pockybum522)

UPDATED SLIGHTLY

Anne says, "ConText (Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Massie, Paul Stevens, et al) is at the end of the month. I've never been. In fact, the last Ohio con I went to was Marcon, when I was a teenager.

"But mostly I never make ConText because it often conflicts somewhat with Michigan's ConClave.

"Anyway, WFC was the next Ohio con on my schedule; I'd expected it to be my second ever in Columbus. And then I suddenly realized -- was it only last week? -- that I had a golden opportunity for attending ConText 2010!

"For one thing, I live considerably closer to Columbus than I used to. :D

"I probably don't sound anywhere as delighted as I really am. Because trust me, I am delighted.

"If you've been to ConText before, care to pipe up?

"I just hope Toby Buckell doesn't think I'm stalking him. ;] (I'm not, really I'm not! Not deliberately.) I have a strong feeling he'll be in half the panels I attend for some odd reason -- just like Penguicon."

John says, "I'll have a table in the dealer's room at MadCon 2010 (Harlan Ellison, Gene Wolfe, Peter David, Patrick Rothfuss, Lisa Snellings-Clark, Allen Steele, et al) next month in September. This is supposedly Harlan's last ever convention appearance, so if you've never met him before, this may be your last chance!

"Honestly, though, this convention has a great line-up. I'm really looking forward to it. This will be the third Madison convention I've been to this year. It's been nice to hit a bunch of conventions in the same year and get the chance to meet a bunch of new people.

"This is my last stop before WFC (that's World Fantasy) in Columbus in October. And yes, Anne will be at WFC, too. We'll actually get to meet for the first time! (what?! you've never met!?) Both ConText and MadCon are great conventions that people should consider going to the next month or two.

"Hope we can see you at one or the other!"

To be completely clear, Anne will be at ConText and John will be at MadCon, but not vice versa.

Night Shade Books

2010-07-23T14:00:00.001-05:00

(image from Flickr user Talebones)

There has been a lot of commotion recently surrounding Night Shade Books. Much of this are things I was aware (for numerous reasons) for months, but it was brought to the fore when Genreville (the genre-oriented blog for Publishers Weekly) posted a write-up of two embarrassing online incidents. The first was Liz Williams' calling out Night Shade Books in April of this year regarding her Inspector Chen books and the fact that they will no longer be published by Night Shade, including a book that was already in production. The second was writer Brendan Halpin who published The Mall of Cthulhu as Seamus Cooper with Night Shade Books and was shocked when Night Shade began selling electronic editions of his book when they never purchased electronic rights.

While the Williams post was scathing and, as a reader, having no idea when or if I can read/buy the next Inspector Chen book sucks, it's nothing compared to illegally someone's novel as an ebook. I was surprised when I saw the Genreville post since I had known about these events for months and I'm generally not the person who stays on top of the news these days. However, it's never a good thing when a major New York based publishing-business publication takes notice of you, particularly when you've messed up.

One thing's for sure, when a big player comes out and notices your mistakes, things happen. Where the Williams and Halpin posts led to private responses and capitulations, the Publishers Weekly post made an official press release appear. And, as a result, Night Shade Books is on probation from SFWA for a year.

Even though I'm another person who has Night Shade Books as a publisher, I've been reluctant to jump into the fray here for all sorts of reasons. I'm really not interested in getting on the band wagon of "Bad Night Shade! Bad!" There are plenty of people already doing that. On top of that, I have the added difficulty of the people behind Night Shade Books being some of my best friends in the business. However, being friends of mine does not excuse bad business practices or poor decisions, but it is difficult to berate good friends publicly.

I'm also not going to jump in and defend Night Shade Books. For one, they're big guys and they can handle themselves. For another, I'm in the same boat as many people published by Night Shade Books: payment and communication were lacking.

I didn't feel right going public with issues/concerns/problems I was having when I hadn't done everything I could to communicate with Night Shade Books. This is not to say that Liz Williams or Brendan Halpin hadn't done everything they could. Or that they weren't justified in the route they took. All I can say is that for me, if I sat at home and complained about the lack of communication from Night Shade Books but I wasn't following up with them, getting in touch with all the people involved, etc. then I had no right to take my concerns public.

I'm also not quite in the same boat as other people. Night Shade Books saved Electric Velocipede. Since they've taken over, issues have continued to come out and people get paid. Yes, the schedule fluxes more than I'd like, but that's at least as much me juggling everything I'm doing as anything on their side. No, I haven't seen any promised remuneration for work done in putting the issues together, but given that I didn't make any money when I did the magazine on my own I don't notice the fact that I'm not getting paid. For almost two years now it's been more about getting the issues out than getting compensated.

I must point out that I have received my initial payment for an anthology I'm putting together for Night Shade Books. And that is a very good thing.

Where Electric Velocipede is concerned, the story of how Night Shade Books got involved starts like this: In the Summer of 2008, I was visiting family in Denver and took the opportunity to crash Worldcon to see some friends. At that time I had made the decision that I was going to cease publication on Electric Velocipede. I no longer enjoyed putting the magazine together and of more immediate importance, I was struggling to get the money to put out another issue.

(I've been very careful to not mix my family's money and my magazine money. It was important to me to keep them separate. And at that point we had moved halfway across the country, bought a home, had a second child on the way, and were struggling. It's not like the family had an abundance of cash to "lend" to the business anyway. Given the fact that we were heading into the economic disaster that was the end of 2008, it wasn't going to get any better.)

I sat down with Jeremy Lassen in the dealer's room and talked to him about what was happening. I had discussed my situation with a handful of trusted friends, and ceasing the publication seemed like the best option. I could get out another issue on my own, but after that it was going to be near impossible. Trying to keep the thing running was ruining my health, my mentality, accruing debt, everything. It made more sense to stop then to push a dead horse up a hill. I had drawn up a plan of how to handle outstanding subscriptions, accepted fiction, etc. In some ways the Worldcon in Denver would have been a goodbye to the field and the friends I've made there.

Jeremy looked at me and said, "We're not going to let that happen." He asked for a business proposal and then he and Jason would talk about what to do next. I sent a business proposal with several options laid out in it. Many of them were ludicrous, but it gave them a sense of where things were and I got a counter proposal. If I could get the next issue put together, they'd take care of the fulfillment and then take over the production side of the business completely with subsequent issues.

As I said, it's been more about getting the issue out in people's hands than me getting any money. In 2009 I held a sale to get rid of my backstock and I also received donations from people. That gave me enough money to stop the worst bleeding and get the debt moved into a place with low interest. But this Spring I hit a point where I had to make a tough decision again. My debt is an unchanging beast. It's not growing, but it's also barely shrinking.

The current issue, Electric Velocipede #20, was at the printer for months waiting for payment. I had the next issue well along and I slowed things down so that I wasn't grossly compounding the concern of the printer waiting for payment. The printer asked if I could pay for the issue and then I could get reimbursed by Night Shade. And while I currently have room for that, the whole idea of reducing debt isn't taking an avoidable risk.

Since I don't mix personal money in with publishing money, I've had limited options to bring in cash to reduce that debt. The Night Shade money wouldn't take care of that debt, but it would give me breathing room. I no longer make money off issue sales and subscriptions, so there are only a handful things I do right now that bring publishing money into the house. Yes, I know there is work out there, but I only have a little time to devote to searching for it. There's a few irons in the fire, but it's a slow burn.

(I've often thought I'd be just as well off getting a second job and having all that money go towards the debt. It would suck working two full-time jobs, but it would get me ahead of the curve so to speak.)

To bring this back to the matter at hand, Night Shade has been getting Electric Velocipede out into the world. And that's what I want to happen. I can never express the level of gratitude I feel towards Night Shade for making it possible for the magazine to continue publication. While I have no sense of what Electric Velocipede means to other people, it is hugely important to me. It still feels more like a chore than I'd like it to, but that has to do with my how it dovetails (or doesn't) with the rest of my life.

I'm very nearly at the point where remuneration needs to be made to me in order to continue, but that's a discussion I'll have privately with Night Shade. And as I said, there are irons in the fire and if I can get one of them going, I might be able to hold off a little longer. No, I can't work gratis forever, but it will always be getting the issue out into people's hands first and me second.

I hope that Night Shade can turn things around. I personally would like to see them put out a few less books and invest in some proper marketing/promotion. The fact that I've been more concerned about getting issues out than getting paid doesn't excuse the fact that I'm not getting paid. And I must reiterate, I am getting paid for other work I'm doing with Night Shade Books. I'm confident the Electric Velocipede money is coming.

And listen, I'm not some naive newbie here. I'm entering my 17th year working in publishing in some aspect or other. My current relationship with Night Shade Books is working well for all involved, but I have plans and ideas for what to do should things change. I don't assume anything will last forever so I keep a few things in my pocket for a rainy day. Electric Velocipede has already seen a lot of change in its nine years, and I don't expect it to stay the same going into the future.

Not to get all schmaltzy here, but your life and career are in constant flux. They need to be continually assessed to assure that you're getting what you need out of them. Running a business is no different. You can't keep running the same model year after year. The trick is, giving yourself the time to do the assessment so you can adjust things and fix what's broke.

I hope Night Shade gives itself that time. It surely deserves it.

Sybil's Garage #7

2010-07-23T02:04:00.000-05:00

Matthew Kressel, in addition to being a fine writer, edits one of my favorite magazines: Sybil's Garage. I'm very excited to see that issue #7 of Sybil's Garage is out. It's been far too long since the last issue, but as always, it's worth the wait.

For me, every new issue of Sybil's Garage is an event, and now that we're getting even more content in each issue, that is even more true. The magazine is actually making a transition to an annual anthology. As a reader this is great news. While I wait longer between issues, there's more content each time I get one. And the quality is consistently good, so for me the whole thing is full of win.

Sybil's Garage #7 has more than 200 pages of great fiction from writers like Hal Duncan, M. K. Hobson, Eric Schaller, Alex Dally MacFarlane, and more. The new issue is $12 in print, or $9.99 for an electronic edition. You'll also get Kressel's signature design, which incorporates song suggestions and art details that make every page pop. You can't so much read Sybil's Garage as experience it.

Life Is as Tedious as a Twice-told Tale, Vexing the Dull Ear of a Drowsy Man

2010-07-12T21:53:00.002-05:00

(image from Flickr user sunshinecity)

Some random thoughts, really -- it's been that sort of year thus far.

To follow John's post... for someone who was phoning things in, it's hard to tell. Not only because John ~~never sleeps~~ is always in a flurry of activity, but because he's always considerably calmer than I am. Despite the whirlwind.

In case anyone thought about it, which I didn't until yesterday: Penelope O'Shea isn't me. She is someone else entirely. The common O'Shea is a coincidence from when I took Starbuck O'Shea as my blogger ID.

Big thanks to John and the EV slushers.

I'd also like to thank the slush readers for every publisher everywhere. I've been thinking how glad I am that you exist: Thank you all for giving me the fruits of your labors for years.

(Now, if I could get [random lyrics] out of my head, life would be even nicer.)

Back to house arrest, aka cat quarantine, depending on who you ask.

(John stole the blog post title from Shakespeare)

A Number Things that Might be Related

2010-07-05T00:55:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user cristina101)

It's July. I figure if I keep repeating that I'll eventually believe that, only to get sideswiped by August, right? May and June were...well, let's come back to that at the end. First, a few fun things.

I know that having recipes and food things in Electric Velocipede has caused more than one person to scratch their heads. But, food is very important to me. I love to cook. I love to find new recipes, new food stuffs. I love summer because we have a garden for super fresh vegetables and even in Iowa you can get good vegetables for a while.

I figured that food should be a part of EV because it's possibly the most important thing in my life after m family. For me, it just makes sense to combine food and EV. All the same, I know it doesn't always work for everyone. Today (yesterday? recentish) I got some fan mail for Penelope O'Shea, the writer of the food column in EV.

O'Shea is not me; she is a real person, and she really appreciated the mail. It tickled me, too. I mean, I've never gotten fan mail about EV.

We re-opened to submissions in June. We got 333 (weird, right?) submissions last month. No acceptances yet, but I'm really spending a lot of time on second round pieces, so it's taking longer to get through things. We rejected 115 stories in June and some 120 total. We're averaging around 14 days to get through submissions. I'd like to make that better. But, considering that when I was doing this all by myself I averaged 6 - 8 months, well, yeah, we're rocking the house for sure.

As I alluded a couple hundred words ago, the last two months have been...rough. I normally don't talk about my job here, but it's really taken over my life recently. I had the horrible situation of having a staff member pass away early in May. It's taken until now to replace him (by moving someone's shift internally) in the meantime I've been working a lot of opening shifts at work.

Hey, it's not that I'm not a morning person, but when I typically stay up til 2:00a working on publishing stuff after my family has gone to bed...it doesn't take too many days of getting up at 5:00a for that to wreck you. So I started going to bed earlier. Which gave me less time to work on EV and other projects. And less time for my family.

May was tough, but I figured it was temporary. When it stretched into June, let's just say I can alter the mood of the room, and it wasn't in a good way.

I feel like I haven't been around much the past few months, sort of phoning it in. I can't promise that things are fixed. But I am going back to my normal schedule, and I hope that means I have more time to create substantive posts here and talk about EV and what's happening.

We've got a few interesting projects in the works right now, and I hope we can get them going before the end of the year. Issue #20 should be arriving at Night Shade from the printer in the next few weeks (sorry for the delays there) and I'm still in the midst of #21. Then onto #22, and that'll be what we get out for 2010.

Next year it looks like we'll hit the 10th anniversary of the magazine and the 25th issue about the same time. Interesting how that worked out, eh?

So what's up with you guys?

Twitter Panel: Do You Believe in Science Fiction?

2010-07-03T13:10:00.000-05:00

This is the transcript of a twitter discussion this morning that included myself, Jonathan Strahan, Elizabeth Bear, Paolo Bacigalupi, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and a few others. I've pulled everything I could find that was relevant from twitter and put it in chronological order (as opposed to how it appears on twitter).

It all started with a question from Jonathan Strahan:

JonathanStrahan Do you believe in science fiction? about 2 hours ago via web

johnklima @JonathanStrahan oh yes! about 2 hours ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan Every time I edit an anthology I go through an extreme crisis of confidence and am sure I have no taste and that the book is rubbish... about 2 hours ago via web

matociquala Apparently I have arrived, as the internet twerps are really working to get a rise out of me lately. I shall choose to be flattered. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic

matociquala @JonathanStrahan No. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan ...It is only copyediting or reviewing that I realise how much the authors have made it shine. I do like LIFE ON MARS. It's quite fine. about 2 hours ago via web

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Thank you. I mean it. Really. I do and I don't. I want to, but I can't. I love everyone saying yes, but I value ... about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @matociquala .....the dissenting voice. Science fiction is harder to believe in now than ever before, but I'd like to. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

johnklima @JonathanStrahan and when I say yes, I mean it as a viable form of entertainment; as for believing that what it puts forth as reality? no about 2 hours ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

jasonsanford @JonathanStrahan @johnklima That strikes me as a problem of stale storytelling, not the genre as a whole. SF merely needs to try new things. about 2 hours ago via web in to JonathanStrahan

jasonsanford @JonathanStrahan @johnklima For example, Windup Girl was as fresh and exciting as anything I've read lately. And it believed in its future. about 2 hours ago via web

JonathanStrahan @johnklima I love science fiction but I think it's losing the ability to believe in its own futures, and that's a problem. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to johnklima

matociquala @JonathanStrahan I love SF--I write it, after all--but I do not believe that it is Inherently Morally Superior to other literature. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan It's a useful and fun and revealing narrative tool. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

johnklima @JonathanStrahan it's felt to me for a long while now that reality/science is outpacing science fiction and writers are struggling with that about 2 hours ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala I don't believe that either. I want, though, to believe in a discussion of the future. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @matociquala it is. What I'm heading towards is whether SF is able to believe in its own futures. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @johnklima SF evolved when science = engineering. Now that science=quantum OMG?!? it's a lot harder. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to johnklima

johnklima @JonathanStrahan yeah, and I think that those people who are doing quantum OMG get to be creative at work so no need to be creative on paper about 2 hours ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @johnklima That could be. And we could all get lost in MFA offshoots, but that's not the SF I read. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to johnklima

jasonsanford @JonathanStrahan @johnklima Valid point. If SF remains stuck on science=engineering, it's in trouble. But science=quantum opens tons of ton. about 2 hours ago via web in to JonathanStrahan

jasonsanford @JonathanStrahan @johnklima That was supposed to be science=quantum opens tons of fun. about 2 hours ago via web

matociquala @JonathanStrahan I believe that one of the best things SFF can do is illuminate/alienate the present. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

greygirlbeast Yes. RT @matociquala: I believe that one of the best things SFF can do is illuminate/alienate the present. about 2 hours ago via TweetDeck

greygirlbeast So long as it understands the value of wonder, and isn't about "prediction," yes. RT @JonathanStrahan: Do you believe in science fiction? about 2 hours ago via TweetDeck

greygirlbeast @JonathanStrahan Also, characterization has to come before science. about 2 hours ago via TweetDeck

greygirlbeast You are a very smart man, indeed. RT @JonathanStrahan: I couldn't agree more. Forget prediction, go for wonder. about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck

matociquala @JonathanStrahan We've never been about predicting the future. If we were, we'd have a very poor success rate. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala I concur. Completely. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

matociquala @JonathanStrahan We're about telling a pretty good story and maybe testing an idea to destruction. Or vice versa. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Definitely. We are lousy prognosticators. But science has gone mushy on us and that seems to cause us problems. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Definitely. But in the hard SF realm, which you've written in, it's harder when science=quantum=magic which makes hard SF=mush. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Inspiring people to work for or against a particular path, though--that, we're pretty good at. about 2 hours ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

johnklima @JonathanStrahan do you think that's potentially less interest among readers for scientific stories? that science itself feels like fiction about 2 hours ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Agreed. When we get that right we're really mining a sweet spot. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

johnklima @matociquala for me that's only been working with recent fiction when it's environmental, space faring SF rarely works for me now :( about 2 hours ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @johnklima It's very hard to say. I know it seems harder to write credible hard SF. about 2 hours ago via web in reply to johnklima

JonathanStrahan @johnklima @matociquala Galactic empires / civilisations are a lot less credible than they once were. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to johnklima

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Oh, yeah, we can't write Engineering In Spaaaaaaaaaaaace! stories so much anymore, because that's now SCIENCE! not SF. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan But look at Peter Watts, Amy Thomson, etc--hard SF is really alive and well. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala I don't lament the death of engineering in space as fiction. Not at all. But sometimes having hard rules around stories .... about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @matociquala .... seemed to help. "The Cold Equations" wouldn't make much sense today, I suspect. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

matociquala @JonathanStrahan I've totally used QM as magic. Done more of that than hard SF, which I don't have great skills for--though (next rock) about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Hmm. I'm sold on Watts and need to read more Thomsen. I just see a lot of people using "quantum" as an escape clause. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

matociquala @JonathanStrahan <--I am on to a pretty cool hard SF concept right now and mean to see f I can get a novel out of it. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Yeah--me, Chris Moriarty, Ian McDonald... but thing is, it always has been. Niven did it. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Do you have a short story in it? :) about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

matociquala @JonathanStrahan ...and I've also used QM w/o cheating. (Carnival) But in Undertow, I on purpose macroscaled something that doesn't. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala True re: Niven did it. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @matociquala which can be fair enough. cheating is always allowed. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Probably not, as if I can get a novella out of it it's promised, but I might have a colonizing-Io story for you eventually. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Yeah. I mean, we also use nanotech like magic. The Grey Goo Abracadabra. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala If you do, I will find a home for it. Do it by Friday, and .... about 1 hour ago via web

JonathanStrahan @matociquala We do. Dr Who's sonic screwdriver breaks story. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

adribbleofink @JonathanStrahan @greybeastgirl @johnklima @matociquala You guys need a hash tag for this! about 1 hour ago via web

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Maybe I should write a blog post... about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Huh. Don't *count* on it, but it's possible. I might have a brainwave. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Would be interesting. I should probably do a podcast too. It's interesting. SF is NOT dying, but things are gnarly. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

paolobacigalupi @matociquala had a similar moment, recently. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @adribbleofink Possibly so. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to adribbleofink

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Mundane SF was an attempt to address this, but I think erred on the side of prescriptivism. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala I can tell somebody just won a #worldcup game, because twitter is hosed. about 1 hour ago via web

matociquala @JonathanStrahan SF is still trying to figure out how to follow Cyberpunk. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

greygirlbeast @matociquala And the answer wasn't Steampunk (tho I do enjoy *good* Steampunk, which is scarce as hen's teeth). about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck in to matociquala

matociquala @paolobacigalupi It's the award noms. They draw twits. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to paolobacigalupi

JonathanStrahan @matociquala It did. If you eliminate wonder from SF you eliminate SF and mundane SF tended to do that. Not ALWAYS, but often. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

johnklima @adribbleofink I agree :) about 1 hour ago via web in reply to adribbleofink

JonathanStrahan @matociquala There have been a lot of somethingpunk movements, but they haven't amounted to much. We don't know where our own future lies. about 1 hour ago via web

greygirlbeast @JonathanStrahan A future without "-punk" suffices would be nice. about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck in to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan diaspora and diversity. It is the inevitable result of success. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

johnklima @JonathanStrahan if you do the podcast, you obviously need to include @matociquala in it about 1 hour ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

paolobacigalupi @matociquala it's interesting. An aspect of writing that I never really anticipated. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @matociquala It is. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

johnklima @paolobacigalupi yeah, and it's the SF you're writing and stuff like it that I found most interesting these days about 1 hour ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

JonathanStrahan @johnklima You might be right. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to johnklima

johnklima @JonathanStrahan I agree, the whole idea of just adding "-punk" to a word doesn't create a viable writing movement, they're almost a parody about 1 hour ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan @matociquala mundane sf seemed to say "everything has to be super duper real" instead of saying... about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan also we have fourth-generation problems now. The genre is established. Our innovation now is about refinement. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan @matociquala ..."everything has to be super-duper relevant" which is where I think SF becomes interesting. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Agreed on steampunk mostly = fantasy about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi True. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

johnklima @paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan @matociquala yes, that relevancy is what's often missing in modern fiction, SF or otherwise about 1 hour ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi Though where does that leave the sense of wonder? about 1 hour ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

johnklima @matociquala right, and it's a wasted effort, people need to write what they can write best and not worry if it will be part of a movement about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

paolobacigalupi @johnklima @JonathanStrahan @matociquala I actually feel like there's *a lot* of pretty relevant science going on right now, that's not... about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to johnklima

JonathanStrahan @johnklima the field *wants* another movement so bad it can taste it, but no sign just yet. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to johnklima

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan relevancy /= wonder? is that the equation? I'm not sure I buy the assumption. Wonder comes from good writing. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

johnklima @JonathanStrahan oh, I agree with that, but most movements, good strong movements, happen, they aren't created about 1 hour ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

paolobacigalupi @johnklima @JonathanStrahan @matociquala ...gray goo, it's just that we haven't done a good job of training up to use it. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to johnklima

jaygarmon Why I love twitter: Watching @paolobacigaluoi @matociqula & @jonathanstrahan debate genre in realtime. Like a tweetcon panel on my phone. about 1 hour ago via mobile web

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi I don't know that relevancy = wonder. Relevancy is an ingredient in great fiction. Wonder is a key part of SF, though. about 1 hour ago via web

paolobacigalupi @johnklima @matociquala movements are best identified after that fact. If before, it's always perversely forced. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to johnklima

jaygarmon And now @johnklima is chiming in. Awesome. about 1 hour ago via mobile web

JonathanStrahan @matociquala I could NOT agree more. Seriously. The 4th Gen effect is totally underestimated. Refinement is undervalued though. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @johnklima We should probably stop looking for movements though. We rate, what, two decent ones in the history of the field? about 1 hour ago via web in reply to johnklima

matociquala @JonathanStrahan Well yeah because of this misnomer that SF is the LITERATURE OF IDEAS! & no, it's not, so much, anymore. 50

johnklima @JonathanStrahan that sounds about right to me; and I think the search for one almost prevents one from realizing itself naturally about 1 hour ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @jaygarmon I suspect 141

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan good writing = wonder. Relevancy = sf's survival. about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @matociquala Hmm. I have to chew on that. I want to believe it's the literature of ideas - I was brought up with that - but I see your point about 1 hour ago via web in reply to matociquala

JonathanStrahan @johnklima could be so. we could also be in a natural 4th wave. Golden Age / New Wave / Cyberpunks / now... about 1 hour ago via web in reply to johnklima

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan @matociquala 4th gen? about 1 hour ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

matociquala @JonathanStrahan I keep saying it's the literature of testing things to destruction. One of those things is ideas. about 1 hour ago via Seesmic in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi I'm ALMOST sold. I think there's something else. Another factor at play too. about 1 hour ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

JonathanStrahan @matociquala The literature of testing ideas to destruction? Isn't that an aspect of literature of ideas? Or did I get lost? 45 minutes ago via web in reply to matociquala

paolobacigalupi @matociquala I like that definition quite a lot, actually. The distance you take your ideas matters. 43 minutes ago via Nambu in reply to matociquala

johnklima @paolobacigalupi I think finding relevancy should be SF's new mission 43 minutes ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

johnklima @JonathanStrahan @matociquala I think you might be using different terms to mean the same thing 42 minutes ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

johnklima @JonathanStrahan twitter is the best moderator I've ever seen :) 41 minutes ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @johnklima I think finding relevancy was always SFs mission. It just was simpler in 1940. 41 minutes ago via web in reply to johnklima

JonathanStrahan @johnklima You could be right. 41 minutes ago via web in reply to johnklima

johnklima @JonathanStrahan that looks sensible to me, at some point we should be able to group our current writing then... 41 minutes ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

johnklima @JonathanStrahan probably, things are so diffuse these and so many things to distract people that it's harder to know what's relevant 37 minutes ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan @johnklima You think it's all that difficult to find relevancy now? I suspect that we just don't like what's relevant. 36 minutes ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan Twitter, thanks to John, Caitlin, Bear, Paolo and the gang, you've been awesome tonight, but it's after midnight and bed beckons... 36 minutes ago via web

johnklima @paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan you know, I think you're right, people don't wait to face things that make them uncomfortable... 35 minutes ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi hmm. agreed. 35 minutes ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

johnklima @JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi which is weird since it's hard to sell optimism, too; do people just prefer blah middle-of-the-road? 32 minutes ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @johnklima Asking for optimism tends to wreck fiction. Or it has so far. Kills the drama. Don't think anyone prefers blah. 31 minutes ago via web in reply to johnklima

jasonsanford @JonathanStrahan @johnklima An issue I have with optimistic fiction is it ignores that life is never truly perfect or totally bad. 29 minutes ago via web in to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan And with that Twitter, I bid you a fond and genuine good night. It was wonderful chatting with y'all. 29 minutes ago via web

paolobacigalupi @johnklima @JonathanStrahan theoretically, people prefer thrilling fantasy. which makes me wonder why Windup has done so well. 28 minutes ago via Nambu in reply to johnklima

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi it *engages* with the world. 28 minutes ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan awww dad, I was just waking up! 27 minutes ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

JonathanStrahan @paolobacigalupi don't be mean. you know i want to play, but the kids will still be up at 8am.... 26 minutes ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

johnklima @paolobacigalupi because it's kickass, that's why 25 minutes ago via web in reply to paolobacigalupi

paolobacigalupi @JonathanStrahan I know the problem. Sleep well. 25 minutes ago via Nambu in reply to JonathanStrahan

pablod @paolobacigalupi @jonathanstrahan @johnklima agreed-finding relevancy today is a bit of a depressing journey. 24 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to paolobacigalupi

johnklima @JonathanStrahan ok, with poppa John heading off to bed, I will take the chance to go on break before my shift is over; it was fun! 23 minutes ago via web in reply to JonathanStrahan

pablod @JonathanStrahan that, and let's face it-Windup couldn't have been pubbed at a better time. @paolobacigalupi 22 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to JonathanStrahan

pablod Hate to say it, but BP's disaster has probably been good to you, @paolobacigalupi 22 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone

pablod “ @johnklima: @paolobacigalupi because it's kickass, that's why” <—this, as well. 21 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone

johnjosephadams @jonathanstrahan Next time you start a "twitter panel" might want to use a hashtag so you can easily point people to the convo later. 20 minutes ago via Nambu

paolobacigalupi @pablod @johnklima Riding environmental apocalypse to the bank. Sweet. Me and BP. 14 minutes ago via Nambu in reply to pablod

World Fantasy Nominations

2010-06-29T14:58:00.002-05:00

Holy crud! World Fantasy Nominations are due tomorrow (June 30, 2010) and I'm not ready! If you're like me and you need to make your nominations, please consider the following items from Electric Velocipede that came out last year:

Issue Seventeen/Eighteen, Spring 2009 (double issue)

Cover
Thom Davidsohn

Fiction
Novelettes:
Darin C. Bradley - “All the Blue in the Mirror”
Toiya Kristen Finley - “The Death of Sugar Daddy”

Short Stories:
Richard Bowes - “The Bear Dresser's Secret”
K. Tempest Bradford - “Enmity”
Cris Cox - “The Paper People”
Merrie Haskell - “Sun's East, Moon's West”
Loreen Heneghan - “Jointed”
Damon Kaswell - "The Leaf Gatherer”
Barbara Krasnoff - “In the Gingerbread House”
Matthew Kressel - “The Spaces Between Things”
Jay Lake - “An Elderly Pirate Recalls the Death of Love"
Richard Larson - “The Sandbox”
Yoon Ha Lee - “The Fourth Horseman”
Katherine Mankiller - “Grandfather Paradox”
M. E. Parker - “The Truth in Violet”
Mercurio D. Riveria - “Dear Annabehls”
Chris Roberson - “The Improbably Legend of Quick Johnny”
Trent Walters - “Life's Rich Demand”
Matthew Wanniski - “The Column That Held Up the Sky”
Caroline Yoachim - “Setting My Spider Free”

Poetry
Nina Alvarez - “October”
Elizabeth Barrette - “Bathing the White Stone”
KJ Bishop - “An Affair in Babylon”
Linda Ann Strang - “Fabula"
Linda Ann Strang - “Kimono Monochrome at Midnight”
Pat Tompkins - “The Chiromancer”
Marly Youmans - “Isle of Dream”

Issue 19, Fall 2009

Cover
Thom Davidsohn

Fiction
Novelette
Mark Teppo - "The Lost Technique of Blackmail"
A. C. Wise - "A Mouse Ran Up the Clock"

Short Story
Jonathan Brandt - "Frayed"
Erin Hoffman - "Darkest Amber"
Celia Marsh - "Nightlight"
Ken Scholes - "The Boy Who Could Bend and Fall"
Kjell Williams - "Life at the Edge of Nowhere"

Poetry
KJ Bishop - "When the lamps are lit"
Beth Langford - "My Past Lives"
Beth Langford - "Retired Shapeshifters"
Linda Ann Strang - "Kimono Monochrome at Midnight"

All the fiction and poetry is less than 10,000 words so eligible for the Short Fiction category. I am eligible in the Special Award - Non-professional category, and Thom is eligible in the Artist category.

New Free Fiction from Issue #20

2010-06-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user Matt Hampel)

While you wait for copies to be shipped from the printer, for your reading pleasure two stories from Electric Velocipede #20:

The Mikarr Way by Lyn Battersby

Daughters of Fortune by Cyril Simsa

Enjoy!

Meme: Women in Science Fiction

2010-06-05T15:20:00.001-05:00

(image from Flickr user larry wfu)

Sandra MacDonald built the amazing Periodic Table of Women in SF recently. Then, someone made a meme of it to see how well read we are. So, let's see how I do (there are 117 authors/editors in the list):

The Meme

Bold the women by whom you own books (I'm including people who have short stories in anthos I own)
Italicize those by whom you’ve read something of (short stories count or things they've edited)
Star those you don’t recognize

Andre Norton
C. L. Moore
Evangeline Walton
Leigh Brackett
Judith Merril
Joanna Russ
Margaret St. Clair *
Katherine MacLean *
Carol Emshwiller
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Zenna Henderson *
Madeline L’Engle
Angela Carter
Ursula LeGuin
Anne McCaffrey
Diana Wynne Jones
Kit Reed
James Tiptree, Jr.
Rachel Pollack
Jane Yolen
Marta Randall *
Eleanor Arnason
Ellen Asher
Patricia A. McKillip
Suzy McKee Charnas
Lisa Tuttle
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Tanith Lee
Pamela Sargent
Jayge Carr *
Vonda McIntyre
Octavia E. Butler
Kate Wilhelm
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Sheila Finch
Mary Gentle
Jessica Amanda Salmonson
C. J. Cherryh
Joan D. Vinge
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Ellen Kushner
Ellen Datlow
Nancy Kress
Pat Murphy
Lisa Goldstein
Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Mary Turzillo
Connie Willis
Barbara Hambly
Nancy Holder
Sheri S. Tepper
Melissa Scott
Margaret Atwood
Lois McMaster Bujold
Jeanne Cavelos
Karen Joy Fowler
Leigh Kennedy
Judith Moffett
Rebecca Ore
Emma Bull
Pat Cadigan
Kathyrn Cramer
Laura Mixon
Eileen Gunn
Elizabeth Hand
Kij Johnson
Delia Sherman
Elizabeth Moon
Michaela Roessner
Terri Windling
Sharon Lee
Sherwood Smith
Katherine Kurtz
Margo Lanagan
Laura Resnick
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Sheila Williams
Farah Mendlesohn
Gwyneth Jones
Ardath Mayhar
Esther Friesner
Debra Doyle
Nicola Griffith
Amy Thomson
Martha Wells
Catherine Asaro
Kate Elliott
Kathleen Ann Goonan
Shawna McCarthy
Caitlin Kiernan
Maureen McHugh
Cheryl Morgan
Nisi Shawl
Mary Doria Russell
Kage Baker
Kelly Link
Nancy Springer
J. K. Rowling
Nalo Hopkinson
Ellen Klages
Tananarive Due
M. Rickert
Theodora Goss
Mary Anne Mohanraj
S. L. Viehl
Jo Walton
Kristine Smith
Deborah Layne
Cherie Priest
Wen Spencer
K. J. Bishop
Catherynne M. Valente
Elizabeth Bear
Ekaterina Sedia
Naomi Novik
Mary Robinette Kowal
Ann VanderMeer

Not too bad. I'm sure that many of these people who I've read are in anthologies I own, but off the top of my head I can't recall them all. Could be better, and there's some huge names I've never read (Wynne Jones, Cherryh, Arnason, and more). But hey, all that means is that I've got a bunch of new-to-me writers to explore.

Spelling Bees and Good Books

2010-06-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

Look at that, once again it's time for the Scripps National Spelling Bee (television coverage starts tonight on ESPN!). I always love watching the spelling bee. I mean, how else do I learn things like:

Last year's winning word, Laodicean, means lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics.

I know, I know, I can hear you saying, "Hey John, cool! I always like watching kids trying to deal with unbelievable amounts of pressure. And the voice of that guy who reads the words is like, SO soothing. But, the bee only lasts a few days. What can I do to extend my enjoyment of spelling and cool words?"

Yeah, I get that way, too. The bee is over so quick. It's almost like it starts and I'm sitting down with some popcorn and then it's time to go back to work and wait another year for the bee.

Hey, I have an idea. If you like cool words and interesting stories (hey, you're not here because of my music reviews, right?) you could pick up a copy of the anthology I edited, Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories*. There are stories from writers like New York Times bestselling author Michelle Richmond, Nebula Award winner Paolo Bacigalupi, Theodora Goss (whose story "The Singing of Mount Abora" won the World Fantasy Award), Elric creator Michael Moorcock, Hal Duncan (who's in Chicago to watch the opening of his musical Nowhere Town**), Daniel Abraham (whose story "The Cambist and Lord Iron" received many award nominations), and so many more. And there's lots more information on the official Logorrhea website.

What do people think of the book? Well, it and its stories got a bunch of award nominations (and the win for Theodora Goss' story mentioned above) and a solid collection of reviews, but my favorite quote? This one:

“Your book pays a beautiful tribute to the beauty, potential, versatility and history that lie within so many words and the English language as a whole. In other words, it encapsulates what it was that drove my competition in spelling bees and what drives my passion for language today.”

--Nupur Lala, 1999 National Spelling Bee Champion; Winning word: “logorrhea”

Sounds like the perfect complement to watching the bee, doesn't it?

Electric Velocipede Open to Submissions!

2010-06-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

As of midnight May 31, 2010, Electric Velocipede is re-opened to submissions. You can go to our submission engine to send in your stories and poems now! We had toyed with the idea of having a midnight reopening party, but thought of it too late to get organized. We will definitely do something next time.

For now, we're looking forward to your stories. At this point we don't have an end date to the submission period, but keep watching here and you'll see the announcement.

Opening for Submissions on June 1, Let's Have a Party!

2010-05-28T14:55:00.000-05:00

(image from Flickr user ViaMoi)

On Tuesday June 1, 2010, Electric Velocipede is re-opening to submissions. I think we should throw a party. Online. At midnight CDT (think Chicago time zone for those outside the US) I'll re-open the submission engine, and we'll do a little chat and contests and whatnot on Twitter using the hash tag #evsubs.

One thing I'd like to do is to have a three-round twit-fic contest. That way we'll have something that keeps the party running for an hour or so. I'll determine some prizes (copies of EV, subscriptions, books, etc.) and maybe a few other contest/fun ideas.*

What do you all think? Sound like fun?

* if I'm being awful we could have a first rejection/first acceptance prize given out that night, but that somehow feels cruel. But wickedly cruel, which I like.

Updated 2010 schedule, w/ notes.

2010-05-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

(image from Flickr user quimby)

I know we announced that 2010 was the year Electric Velocipede went quarterly. Well, we've had to hit that stop button and restart with doing three issues this year.

Issue #20/May 2010 is at the printer, and John's got the bound proof that looks great.

Issue #21/August 2010 (editing it right now)

Issue #22/November 2010 (John will begin editing it immediately after finishing #21)

Yes, that's three issues. Life hits... and the people working on the issues still have to live. Keep watching here for more information on what will be in the future issues.

In the Mail 5/8/2010

2010-05-09T00:15:00.001-05:00

OK, not all of this came in the mail today (in fact, none of it came today) but you get the idea. Here's a stack of some stuff that arrived here recently. The picture is a little blurry/flashed out, but here's what's in the stack:

Proof copy of Electric Velocipede #20
I have the printer send me a copy so that I can make sure it's going to look good. I think I need to embiggen the margins for future issues, but this one looks good.

Two Champions of Shaolin and Brothers Five
One of my buddies at the library knows someone who reviews movies for a local paper. These two came in and they made their way to my home. I haven't watched them yet, but I'm always excited to see a Shaw Brothers movie. Now, if they'd only release an official version of Avenging Eagle (Long xie shi san ying) then I'd be really happy.

Clementine by Cherie Priest and Leviathan Wept and Other Stories by Daniel Abraham
I've been getting ARCs from Subterranean Press for a while now and these two books come out this month. I'm hoping to review them on Tor.com, but I need to, you know, read them first. Clementine is set in the same world as Priest's Boneshaker.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
I don't know a lot about this book. I loved The Windup Girl from Bacigalupi. This is a YA novel, and I'm excited to read it.

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
Again, a book I don't know a lot about but I'm looking forward to reading it.

Neil Gaiman Presents the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Prose Anthology and Philippine Speculative Fiction V
I got these in the mail from Charles Tan. There is an amazing SF world/scene going on over in the Philippines and Charles sends me books from it now and again. I can't begin to express how grateful I am that he does this.

Return of the Sword and Rage of the Behemoth both edited by Jason M. Waltz
I had the pleasure of meeting Jason at OddCon X in Madison last month. I've had the books for a while, but after spending time with their energetic and intelligent editor, I can honestly say I'm looking forward to reading them. Jason's love is sword and sorcery, and that's what you get in these two books from his Rogue Blades Entertainment.

Essential Reading in Science Fiction by David Scholes
Another book I've had for a while. This is a short story collection, and I'm not sure what to expect. I can't tell if the pieces are all original or if they were published elsewhere (I'm leaning towards original, but who knows?). I had gotten a bunch of things like this (unknown author from a POD press) and they are generally not very good. Let's just say I'm making a policy of not accepting them for review any more. Like I said, I know nothing of David's work here.

Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
One of my favorite books from last year (checked it out from the library) and decided to buy a copy. From the Publishers Weekly review:

Charles Unwin, a clerk who's toiled for years for the Pinkerton-like Agency, has meticulously catalogued the legendary cases of sleuth Travis Sivart. When Sivart disappears, Unwin, who's inexplicably promoted to the rank of detective, goes in search of him. While exploring the upper reaches of the Agency's labyrinthine headquarters, the paper pusher stumbles on a corpse. Aided by a narcoleptic assistant, he enters a surreal landscape where all the alarm clocks have been stolen.

And that's just the beginning of the book. I once had lunch with Mr. Berry, I wonder if he remembers?

Black Gate 14
The newest issue of Black Gate magazine, the place for sword and sorcery short fiction (one of the few print periodicals that publishes it). I got to meet editor John O'Neill at OddCon X as well. It was a fun con and I got to meet even more cool people, too. I've started on this behemoth of an issue (O'Neill decided to combine almost three issues of material rather than keep putting of his publication schedule) and I'll be reviewing it once I finish it.

Status Report: Opening to Submissions and Future Issues

2010-04-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Changing what's been announced previously, submissions will re-open on June 1, 2010 instead of May 1. We're sorting out our publication schedule and the first issue of the year is at the printer now rather than two months ago. We're looking into the feasibility of getting out four issues this year and I decided that we needed another month before we re-open to submissions.

How are things going this year? Well, issue #20 (20! right?!?) just went to the printer and I should have a proof from them this week. I'll post pictures when it's in my hands. I haven't given a lot of thought to the fact that I've gotten twenty issues of this thing. That's pretty impressive. At the same time, you look at something like Weird Tales (current issue is #355) or F&SF (current issue is #688) or Space & Time (current issue is #110)...there's a long way to go to catch up to those.

Anne and I are currently editing issue #21 (Anne wearing her copyeditor hat [I've seen it, it's quite nice] and me clutching my bloody editorial pen [we get them from Staples]) at the same time, which makes things a little difficult as concerns that Anne brings up may change due to my editorial notes and any changes the authors make, etc. But, we're not talking a dozen 400 page manuscripts, we're talking 45K to 50K words (about half the length of a novel) total, so I'm sure things will work out just fine. The issue features work by William Shunn, Shira Lipkin, Darin Bradley (with the unusual title of "∞°"), a collaboration between Shannon Page and Jay Lake, and more.

This means, however, that the moment I get done editing #21 and get those notes off to the authors, I'll begin working on #22 so that I can get my edits and author's corrections done before I send material to Anne. Issue #22 includes Geoffrey Landis, Michaela Roessner, Josh Rountree, Genevieve Valentine, and so much more. I don't want to talk about this too much as it's FAR in the future (well, later this year, but still).

Beyond that? Issue #23 is full and issue #24 has a little space available. Issue #25 I'm going to try and do something special for since I didn't get anything special done for #20. So at the moment it's empty. Issue #26 has one piece assigned to it and then I have nothing else I've accepted. We're getting into true speculative form here, so there's not a lot I can say. 2011 will see the tenth anniversary for the magazine and I'd like to do something special for whatever number issue comes out in the fall that year, but at this point I don't know what the number will be.

Spectrum 17

2010-04-24T16:35:00.000-05:00

(image copyright Thom Davidsohn)

I've gotten the official mail, and I very proud to tell you that Thom's cover for Electric Velocipede #19 was selected to be included in this year's edition (#17) of Spectrum. This is beyond cool. The Spectrum books are an annual collection of who's who in fantastic art. I couldn't be prouder for Thom. And by proxy, I have to give huge props to Alex Irvine who introduced us.