The Science of Fiction

Recording

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:56:00 +0000

Today should see Inside Every Successful Man recorded for ClonePod. It’s to be read by Rufus Nagel, who you can hear reading Now That I’m a Robot. He has just the right ironic inflection for reading my story. The PodCast is scheduled to be ready in a month.

I’m quite excited.

Roadruler Reviewed

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:49:00 +0000

I've not yet received my copy of Jupiter XXI, but the first review is already up at SFRevu. Here's what it says about Roadruler:

Next up, we have the latest in Gareth D Jones' "Road" stories. This one is "Roadruler" and we are told is the penultimate one. Here, the Road has linked many towns and the Mayor of Pallas has proclaimed himself Comptroller of the Road and imposed onerous taxes. Jones gives us a look at many people on one end of the road or the other and how their lives are changing. This is all told in a breezy, fun style and makes us hungry for more. Only one more chapter? I'd like to read more!

For anyone else who feels the same, and hopefully there are a few, I'm hoping to have the Roadmaker novel finished by the end of the year.

Latest 'Zines

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Two new zines out this week, both with great cover art:

-Issue #1 of Concept Sci Fi, which I shall be reviewing in due course.

-Jupiter XXI, which contains Roadruler, the penultimate Roadmaker story.

The Editors: Pete Crowther

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:38:00 +0000

PostScripts magazine is now a well-established cross-genre magazine publishing a high calibre of authors. I tracked down editor Pete Crowther on the centre court at Wimbledon and we batted some questions back and forth. Well, we actually sent emails back and forth. Not at Wimbledon.

GDJ: More than any of the UK's other genre magazines, you publish a wide variety of stories, not necessarily of an overtly speculative nature. What is it you look for in a story?

PC: Oh, that's almost too easy: quality and style. Both Nick Gevers and I know exactly what we're after: storytellers working at the top of their game. Doesn't matter whether it's SF or Fantasy or Horror . . . good work will out. The way I always figured it, we read across genres: I do and all the people I know do. That's why magazines such as the much-loved old Saturday Evening Post scored so well -- they mixed genres. Mags such as Playboy did the same. In either of those you'd have the likes of Ed McBain and Hemingway and Bradbury rubbing shoulders . . . westerns alongside police procedurals alongside colonisation-of-Mars stories, together with maybe a Dobie Gillis college tale from Max Shulman and possibly even a war story . . . and articles from Art Buchwald and Woody Allen. How wonderful. We're not quite so eclectic yet with Postscripts but we're keen to broaden our readers' outlooks. So far it seems to be working.

But actually within the story itself, we watch for good description, believable characterisation and dialogue, and tight plotting . . . a sense of wonder and awe, of mystery and imagination, and the all-important frisson of unease. Is that too much to ask for? Well is it?

GDJ: What was the inspiration for producing the hardcover collectors' editions of Postscripts?

PC: Don't forget, we're a collectibles house, a specialist publisher. Our customers like that little extra something. I love getting my books and mags signed by contributors but it's a drag carting bags of them around to various conventions looking for those elusive signatures. It's good to get them all done for you. Believe me, it can be a nightmare . . . and there are times I wish we had never started it. But they are so popular that we simply could not consider dropping it now.

GDJ: You also run PS Publishing, which now publishes quite a number of books per year. Does that give Postscripts a stability that other independent magazines might not have?

PC: Postscripts 'stable'?! My word! But yes, I guess it probably is . . . though, of course, everything is relative. Being a part of a much bigger picture -- ie being part of PS rather than being just a magazine and nothing more -- probably does imbue Postscripts with a greater sense (or appearance) of stability and security . . . makes it slightly less exposed and less isolated in a way. And, naturally, we take every opportunity to promote the mag in our books and, similarly, to promote our books in the mag. In that regard, Postscripts is an essential -- indeed, the primary -- element in our advertising strategy.

But, to be fair, the mag's success is purely down to Postscripts itself . . . and, more specifically, to Editor Nick Gevers. Nevertheless, when that wonderful first issue appeared in 2004, Postscripts had some five or six years' worth of publishing triumphs on which to draw its strength. Then we started to worry about issue # 2 . . . and then double figures with # 10, then # 13 (unlucky for some) and now the 180,000-word monster that is # 15. After that I suppose it'll be # 20 to worry about . . . but heck, as any parent will readily confirm, you always worry about your kids!

GDJ: Postscripts seems to be well regarded and attracts an impressive array of authors. What's the secret to developing a magazine to this status?

PC: There isn't a secret . . . but, hey, if there were one then I wouldn't tell you now would I? It all comes down to this: we -- that's Nick and me -- publish what we like. When we come across a writer whose work we enjoy -- whether that writer is a household name or a brand new discovery -- then we'll get in touch and ask them to try us with something. If we like what they send us then we'll buy it. We reach a decision quickly -- usually within a matter of days -- and we pay immediately, even if the story isn't scheduled for a couple of years. So maybe that's the secret: treat people professionally and pay promptly.

GDJ: Do you think you could eventually compete with the big-selling professional mags, or would you even want to?

PC: I didn't and still don't set out to compete with anyone, either as a publisher or as a magazine. I set out to publish exactly what I wanted to publish. Let's not forget that we're small fry next to the likes of F&SF, Asimov's and Analog but yes, we'd like to build our reputation so that some of the readers of those fine titles decided to try our wares. But I don't want any success for us to result in a reduction in take-up for them -- we need more mags not fewer, and there's room for all of us. We need to get back to the halcyon days of many, many venues for the short-form.

GDJ: Are you likely to increase the frequency of publication, or do you think quarterly is the optimum for this type of magazine?

PC: I think that, at least for the forseeable future, four issues each year is about as much as we can manage. We'll see. I certainly wouldn't rule out going bi-monthly -- my preferred frequency -- but there are no current plans to do so.

GDJ: Which magazines or authors do you enjoy reading?

PC: I love F&SF -- that's the only mag I still never miss (I have them all, from # 1). There are occasional stories in other magazines that press a lot of the buttons but I'm afraid I can't get through as many as I used to manage, so my opinion as to what constitutes the best story in a given year should not carry the weight it perhaps once did.

As for authors, well . . . the same as it's always been: Bradbury, Campbell, King, Robert B. Parker (Spenser) and Richard Ford are five who spring to mind most readily but there are lots more. I also enjoy reading DC's re-issued comicbooks from the 1950s and '60s.

GDJ: What plans do you have for this year for Postscripts or PS Publishing?

PC: More of the same, on both counts. And that goes for next year and all the years thereafter. We all of us get a big charge from putting out the books and issues of the magazine. If that were ever not to be the case then I'd stop in an instant. But the general consensus seems to be that people like what we're doing . . . and heck, we certainly do love doing it!

Pantechnicon #7 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:14:00 +0000

It’s always good to see our small press and webzines making progress, and the editorial to Pantechnicon #7 announces that the magazine now has an ISSN, and also that they will become a token paying market from issue #8. Meanwhile, what does this issue have to offer?

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest, the new home for my short fiction and novel reviews.

Friday Flash Fiction: Redcurrants

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:58:00 +0000

Issue 21 of Jupiter is due out in July. It's their fifth anniversary issue and will contain my fourth Roadmaker story: Roadruler. This week's FFF is a little interlude about one of the series' minor characters that takes place some time between Roadrider and Roadruler.

Redcurrants
By Gareth D Jones

Gooseberries were a favourite in DeFrey. That and raspberries. Loveday Smith, Deacon of DeFrey, was fond of both; but redcurrants were his particular favourite. Especially when his wife made them into one of her fabulous pies. He plucked a small handful and popped them into his mouth one at a time as he wandered his fruit orchard.

His plantation occupied a sheltered location on the outskirts of the village, only a short walk from the Deacon’s home. Here he liked to escape from the cares of his office and spend some time with his plants. Sadly those times were few and far between nowadays. Not that his job was overly stressful, but there was an endless stream of villagers at his door who all wanted some of his time. Sometimes there were arguments to be mediated, sometimes just some advice was needed. Sometimes Loveday wondered why he had taken on the job instead of staying with his quiet occupation.

It had been a particularly stressful time recently, following the destruction wrought by the Roadmaker. It was an uplifting time too. The whole village had pulled together for the rebuilding work and the village’s spirit had been inspiring. Loveday was proud to be part of it, proud to represent the village. He breathed deeply of the fruit-scented air and turned to look over the sprawl of buildings. He was proud, but tired. He was beginning to think maybe it was time to retire from the job, to pass the responsibility on to somebody else.

The fruit seemed to be coming along nicely but sill Loveday eked his tour out as long as possible, enjoying the fresh air and the diversion. Eventually he sighed, pulled out his fob watch and sighed again as it confirmed his fears. Popping one last redcurrant into his mouth, he headed back home.

The End

My First ARC

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:09:00 +0000

I took a detour via the Post Office on the way to work this morning to pick up a parcel of two books. It’s my first consignment from SF Crowsnest, where my reviews will be appearing in future and includes an ARC of Greg Egan’s Incandescence, along with Mat Coward’s short story collection So Far, So Near. My review of Pantechnicon #7 will also be appearing there soon.

SF Crowsnest is the most popular SF site in Europe and the 2nd most popular in the world, with 800,000 visitors each month. That’s a big audience.

As you may know, Whispers of Wickedness is closing down. My final review for them, of Interzone 216, should be up in the next few days.

New UK-Based Sf Webzine

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Concept SciFi is a new UK based webzine due to launch in July. The slick-looking site is already in place and has a few articles and discussions ready to read. Editor Gary Reynolds has hinted that he may bring the launch of issue #1 forward from its proposed date of July 31st.

After the disappearance of Darker Matter last year, it’s encouraging to see some new blood entering the market.

Travel by Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:36:00 +0000

My copy of Nature magazine has arrived, with my story Travel by Numbers featured in the Futures section. If you don’t subscribe to Nature, you can access the electronic version here. It's under 1,000 words so it can also count as this week's Friday Flash Fiction.

Nature magazine boasts some impressive stats. It was founded in 1869 and is now the most highly cited multidisciplinary science journal in the world. I can’t find the circulation figures, but the on-line version has 8 million subscribers. That’s by far the biggest potential audience any of my stories have had.

It's a Long, Long Road

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:19:00 +0000

Roaring through another 1,200 words of the Roadmaker novel last night, I arrived at 45,000 words. This surpasses my previous half-written novel and makes this officialy the longest story I've ever written.

The scene I finished last night was ~2,500 words, half the length of any of the Roadmaker short stories, yet it didn't seem that long when writing it. The end is seeming more and more attainable.

Reviews Pending

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:56:00 +0000

I’ve completed my review of Pantechnicon #7, so that should be appearing on a website near you soon. Meanwhile I’ve started reading Interzone #216, the mundane SF special. My review of that will turn up on Whispers of Wickedness in the next week or two.

I’ve been surprised at the amount of comment and controversy on the subject of mundane SF, though to be honest I haven’t really followed it too closely. As far as I can see it’s another sub-genre. I like a bit of space opera, some old-fashioned Victorian SF, hard SF, far-future mind-blowing SF, almost anything in fact. Mundane SF does seem to be more well-defined than other categories in terms of what can or can’t be included, but that’s no more restrictive than when I invent a setting and then have to stick to my own internal restrictions that I’ve created.

I’ve probably read lots of stories that you could call Mundane SF without really thinking about it. I’ll let you know what I think after I’ve finished reading the issue.

Day at the Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:21:00 +0000

On Saturday we went in to London and visited the Science Museum and Natural History Museum. The trip reminded me of an early lesson writing fiction, from when I was 10:

We had been on a school trip to the same two museums and the next day were asked to write a story about the museum. Thinking I was being cunningly original, I wrote a story about how the dinosaur skeletons came to life and chased us around the museum. Of course, it turned out almost everyone else in the class had written the same story. The teacher chose to read out one girl’s story about getting trapped in the lift. That made a real impression on me, and from then on I always gave a lot more thought to any subject we were to write about and tried always to avoid being obvious.

Roadmaker Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:11:00 +0000

I thought I'd gather all of the reviews of the Roadmaker stories in one place:

Roadmaker

Whispers of Wickedness

There are five stories in this issue, each of at least 5000 words in length, and the first is Gareth D. Jones’s Roadmaker. Something’s happened. Civilisation has collapsed but in one village it’s not too bad. People reminisce about the old days but are reluctant to get things going again. Then, one day, some probes start appearing that initially seem like space probes. It turns out that they’re scouts for an automated road-making system that is heading straight for the village. It’s a gorgeous story, reminiscent of Ian McDonald’s Desolation Road or of Ray Bradbury, and it’s the highlight of this issue.

Roadwalker

Whispers of Wickedness

Roadwalker by Gareth D Jones takes us to another future-primitive society through which an intimidating, enigmatic road has been carved by a mysterious machine. No one knows where it leads, who built it or why. So, cheek still damp from his truelove’s kiss, a young farmhand sets off to find out. This is one of an occasional series but stands alone as a yet another warmly compelling piece.

SF Revu

The last story is "Roadwalker" by Gareth D. Jones. This is a sequel to a story called "Roadmaker" that appeared in issue #16 but it's not necessary to have read that (I haven't) to enjoy the story. It takes place in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world which has few machines. In the previous story, a road-making machine had come through the village of DeFrey and had paved a road going north. In this story, one of the young villagers named Luke the Hand decides to travel north to see what lies beyond. Thus starts an amusing journey that I want to see more of.

Computer Crowsnest

'Roadwalker' by Gareth D. Jones is the sequel to a previous story and, on reading this, it seems likely that there is something farther down the road in the future. The story could go on and on but, thankfully, it's well-written and there is mileage in it. An entertaining tale set in the future after civilisation has collapsed, it concerns the building of a road through the wilderness and the reaction of the people who encounter it.

SF Site

Gereth D. Jones's "Roadwalker" seems set in a post-holocaust, or at least post-collapse, future -- for some mysterious reason a road has been built through a small village, and a young man decides to walk it, to see where it leads. Modest but pleasant -- and not finished: the story is a sequel, and clearly it will have sequels of its own.

Roadrider

SF Revu

Next comes "Roadrider" by Gareth D. Jones, the third in a series ("Roadmaker" and "Roadwalker" are the first two). Luke, Hubert and Zak continue down the road that has been built linking towns. Things get more interesting and they encounter a cave that will set off more events down the road. I look forward to the next installment.

Computer Crowsnest

Returning to the magazine, 'Roadrider' by Gareth D. Jones concludes a trilogy of stories concerning the aftermath of an unspecified collapse of society where a road-making machine cuts its way through villages and towns of a community. The relatively simple people are astounded at the appearance of the road and it is the young, spurred on by curiosity, who decide to investigate.

In this part of the story, the boys reach the conclusion to discover the identity of the road-maker. However, it's not the end which is important, it is the journey. Jones has created a certain ambience with this work, almost quaint in nature, which is compelling enough for one to want to read more. I would certainly suggest that if you have missed the previous 'Road' stories then it might be worth looking at the purchase of back copies.

Whispers of Wickedness

Gareth D Jones’ Roadmaker series continues with Roadrider, self-contained enough to be enjoyed – and understood – on its own, but a neat episode in a larger tale. Again, an easy-to-read yarn that hammers along at a cracking pace, it contains a satisfying mix of humour, imagination and a cast of affable characters.

Roadruler

SFRevu

Next up, we have the latest in Gareth D Jones' "Road" stories. This one is "Roadruler" and we are told is the penultimate one. Here, the Road has linked many towns and the Mayor of Pallas has proclaimed himself Comptroller of the Road and imposed onerous taxes. Jones gives us a look at many people on one end of the road or the other and how their lives are changing. This is all told in a breezy, fun style and makes us hungry for more. Only one more chapter? I'd like to read more!

Pointless Waffle

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:26:00 +0000

I thought I should clarify my statement in an earlier comment that Roadmaker is pointless waffle. Of course, I didn’t mean that the story is pointless waffle. It’s about the way you’re supposed to write short stories, as opposed to writing novels. Now that Roadmaker is destined to appear in both forms it’s given me pause to think about the way you go about writing either.

For me, writing a novel is quite liberating. There’s plenty of space to develop characters, build up background and ancillary points that support the plot and put in lots of descriptive work. I can write for my Roadmaker novel far more quickly than I do with a short story, because I feel freer to just get on with it. Of course there’ll be revising later, but I’m not worrying about that yet.

Short stories take more time though. You might write a few thousand words, but then you need to delete the pointless waffle, get to the point, develop a limited number of characters to a specific point and make sure that point has, well, has a point. Then go back and look at rephrasing to make it more succinct, possibly combining sections to eliminate slow episodes that add nothing. It all takes quite some time.

That leads me on to the Roadmaker short stories. The style of the saga is quite rambling. The plot develops at a steady pace, but detours off into irrelevant anecdotes at frequent intervals. Short stories are ‘supposed to have’ a limited number of characters, and only one or two POV characters. The Roadmaker stories have over 50 characters, and as many as 20 POV characters. I love it. The world of the Roadmaker is my favourite creation, and as is often the case with fiction, seems to work despite having ignored several rules.

Another Great Typo

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:24:00 +0000

The latest short story I’ve been working on is ~1100 words and is called She Drives Me Crazy. At least, it was until my Orbiter writing group came back with the general consensus that they hated the title.

One member also pointed out a brilliant typo. After an inspection by the captain, 2 crewmembers are supposed to turn back to their work. I actually wrote ‘they turned back to their wok’, which gives an entirely different picture of what goes on in the navigation section of a starship!

Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:35:00 +0000

I made significant progress on the novel this weekend, finally breaking the 40,000 word barrier to make it now officialy a novel. Only a short one, but it's a giant step. It's taken a long time, hence the working title Eternity that I've been using up 'til now.

As hinted a couple of times on this blog, and as revealed to a limited number of people at Eastercon this year, I can now reveal further details. I am, in fact, working on a Roadmaker novel, for me the most enjoyable of the settings that I've so far created. The title is undecided, but from now on I'll refer to it as Roadmaker. I'm very excited about the way the plot is developing, and now I'm really getting into some serious progress I suspect my FFF contributions will become even more patchy than they have been of late. I'll still post on the occasional Friday, but Roadmaker is the way forward at the moment.

Friday Flash Fiction: Never Talk to Strangers

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

If all goes to plan, it should now be Friday. This is my first use of Blogger's new post-dated posting, so even though I'm away from my computer today, there's no excuse any more.

Never Talk to Strangers
By Gareth D Jones

“What’s wrong?” asked the tall, strange man.

The little girl looked up from where she sat snivelling beneath an ancient oak. She regarded the man in the way of young children, without fear or prejudice, just accepting him for what he was: a very tall man with a bizarrely twisted face.

“My air-plane,” she pointed.

The man looked up to see a flimsy plastic aircraft tangled in the high branches of the tree. He stretched up to reach it, his body growing taller and taller and becoming unfeasibly thin. His face distorted into an even more grotesque visage. He picked the aeroplane carefully from among the branches and his body recoiled back to its regular size.

“Get away from her!” a panicked voice screamed. He looked round to see the child’s mother running across the park towards them. Sadly he placed the little plane on the ground a couple of feet in front of the girl, stepped back a pace and raised his hands placatingly. He knew it was no use; his kind would never be accepted. As the woman drew closer he bent over, grasped his ankles and launched himself down the gentle slope of the mown field. His body formed into a rigid circle and he rolled swiftly away.

Smiling, the little girl picked up her toy and held it carefully to one side as her mother grabbed her off the ground and held her in a tight embrace.

The End

Proofs of Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:53:00 +0000

I received the PDF proofs of Travel by Numbers from Nature today to check over, including a black & white illustration. I always feel particularly privileged when a piece of artwork has been commissioned based on my story, and it's interesting to see how someone else has envisioned it.

I also signed the contract and sent that back. No confirmed publication date yet, but I'll let you know when I hear.

The Editors: Trudi Topham

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:21:00 +0000

Pantechnicon is a UK based ezine that can be downloaded in PDF format, but also has various articles and stories to be read within the website. Editor Trudi Topham gives us a great deal of insight into producing a webzine in the latest of my series of editor interviews:

GDJ: There are lots of options for a new magazine – paper, PDF, webzine etc. How did you decide on the look and feel for Pantechnicon?

TT: When Pantechnicon was initially conceived, there was no consideration for it to be anything other than electronic. We simply didn’t have the resources available to create a paper-based publication, and we both had prior experience with producing web-based content.

We felt the most important thing to get right (once the name had been chosen) was the logo. From there I could design a website, Andy could produce a PDF, and future marketing materials could take their lead from those.

The logo was a team effort. We spoke to two young designers, Luke Spillane and Tom Webster, and explained that we wanted a logo that was readable and distinctive, yet which could be rendered in black and white if necessary. They worked together to produce the logo that we use today – after several which were rejected along the way, of course. Once they came up with one that all four of us were happy with, I went on with the website design.

As the content available on the site has grown, and the number of writers authoring the content has multiplied, the site itself has evolved. While initially the design was centred around a file-based content structure, it became apparent after only one year that we’d be much better off moving to a content management system. The site’s current look and feel is very much down to trying to keep it simple and clean so that visitors can find content quickly and easily.

The PDF, too, is evolving. The original layout was constrained by being produced in a word processor and converted to PDF via PrimoPDF. After a daytime job shift, though, InDesign and Adobe Acrobat 8 became available to me, so Pantechnicon is a far more complex PDF with hyperlinks, layers, and all the fun stuff that makes a magazine more readable.

Of course, I’m not content to leave it there. But I’m evolving the PDF slowly now, trying to avoid jarring changes whilst including better features as I learn more about InDesign.

The whole process has been a steep learning curve, but one that I feel can only benefit our readers.

GDJ: There were originally two editors before you continued on as sole editor. What are the advantages and disadvantages of running the show yourself?

TT: Andy and I had a very diplomatic editorial process. A story didn’t have to please both of us to get published: So long as one of us believed in it and was willing to stand by it, we’d go ahead with it.

The most obvious disadvantage, then, of putting Pantechnicon together by myself is that stories which may have previously been selected would now face rejection.

The other main disadvantage is load-balancing. When I have a holiday, there’s no-one to pick up the slack. If I’m ill, I have to crawl out of bed and work on Pantechnicon. There’s no secondary proof-reading of a final edit, and no time off.

The advantages, though, are quite interesting. Being the sole person responsible for selection and editing of content, it’s been relayed to me that Issues Five and Six are far more cohesive than issues 1-4 were – that they have a far more unified feel to them.

There’s also no breakdown in communication when there’s a single editor. I can keep track of what’s expected when, which pieces I’ve accepted and when the next drafts are due, and how close to deadline things are getting.

The workload is the main problem. To strike a balance between maintaining that cohesive single-editor feel and not being able to take a break, I’ve taken on a sub-editor; freelance writer Alasdair Stuart, who co-edits Hub, has previously worked for SFX, Death Ray, SciFiNow, and Neo, and produces podcasts for Pseudopod and Escape Pod.

GDJ: Producing a magazine is obviously a lot of hard work. What inspired you to give it a go? In fact what possessed you to also join the Hub editorial team?

TT: Andy used to produce a Doctor Who fiction site called Doctor Who: The Legacy. Rather than simply churning out fan fiction, his mission was to create a whole alternative universe and invite both new and professional writers to create “seasons” of novellas. The goal was to produce professional-quality fiction and promote new writers alongside established ones.

One day, over lunch, we hit on the idea of doing roughly the same kind of thing, but for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. After some nailing-down we came to the conclusion that short stories, rather than novellas, was the way to go.

Hub is a very different publication from Pantechnicon. Whereas Pantechnicon is a quarterly, and usually comes to around a hundred pages, Hub is a weekly PDF which is emailed out to subscribers and contains either a story, an article, some flash fiction, and sometimes some reviews. It’s like a mini-Pantechnicon in some ways.

Lee Harris and I were always communicating, right from the start (both Pantechnicon and Hub sprang into life at roughly the same time). After a year of Pantechnicon, I wanted to see what life on the rapid-fire end of publication was like. Lee and I discussed several options (including a potential merger of the two publications), which resulted in him offering me an editorial post on Hub.

What possesses me to do any of it? I must have the crazies. It’s the only reason that I can think of.

GDJ: Have you always enjoyed ‘speculative fiction’? Do you have a favourite genre or author?

TT: For as long as I can remember, science fiction and fantasy have been my genres of choice. Well, and Biggles.

I could have a favourite, but it would change every week. I tend to favour individual stories more than obsessively following an author: Bester’s The Stars My Destination is a classic, as is The Demolished Man, but it’s widely accepted that these are his two finest works. Similarly I’m far more keen on Michael Marshall Smith’s SF and short stories (which span most speculative genres, not just horror) than I am of his crime novels.

I do read a great deal of Manga, too, wherein it’s far easier to follow a particular author, as they tend to stick to one or two series at a time. Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist is a particular favourite of mine, as are Ken Akamatsu’s Negima!, Aki Shimizu’s Qwan, and Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto.

GDJ: You’re an ardent advocate of short stories. What appeals to you about them?

TT: Short stories can be incredibly powerful. Whereas a novel may build up emotional resonance and characterisation over the course of 140,000 words, short stories require an author to be so meticulous and skilful with their writing that they can deliver the same emotional punch in a far more constrained format.

For the reader there’s a tremendous advantage to be gained from reading short stories. One can absorb a whole tale in an evening, dip in and out of a book or magazine of short fiction and come away with a complete story in a single sitting. Stories can delight and entertain, they can be cathartic and desperately tragic, and the short story is the fictional equivalent of a chocolatier’s finest hand-crafted Grenache – who wouldn’t want that in place of a 1Kg bar of Dairy Milk now and then?

GDJ: What is it you’re looking for in a story, and how do Hub and Pantechnicon vary in style?

TT: The key’s in the question. What I look for in a story is, well, a story. It seems obvious, but I’ve seen so many submissions which lack any actual narrative, or which are merely snippets of a far larger story. I look for a beginning, a middle and an end (in whichever order suits the story best), which to me is pretty fundamental if you’re going to call it a “story” instead of “fiction”.

I look for stories with engaging characters and interesting plots. Stories which will evoke an emotional response in the readers. Stories which people will want to read.

Stylistically, Pantechnicon and Hub aren’t too dissimilar. Hub tends to pick shorter stories, whereas Pantechnicon has recently published one that came in at around 15,000 words. Also with Pantechnicon I have to consider not only each story, but how it will fit with the other stories and articles within the same issue to keep a tone that isn’t too relentlessly dark overall (balance Victoria Snelling’s Innocent with Jens Rushing’s Blankenship & Dawes in: The Island of Ignominy, for example).

Hub has a far freer rein when it comes to story selection, as each issue is a small, self-contained item, usually featuring a single story (the recent Flash Fiction special is obviously an exception) and a couple of reviews or an article. It’s more bite-sized, and we can be a little more experimental, as if a reader doesn’t like one week’s instalment, they may love the next.

GDJ: Several small press and webzines have come to a finish in the past year, while several others have started up. Do you think there’s an answer to be found, or should we just look on the bright side – there’s always something new to read?

TT: This is a very difficult one to answer, as there are so many factors at play. I’ll try to cover them as best as I can.

1: Time. Most small press and web-based publications come to an end within their first year, and a great deal of this is down to the founder not realising just how much work would be involved, losing enthusiasm once it’s been underway for a few months, or simply having a change of lifestyle that means something else has to go. Like most things in life, this can be overcome with adequate research, forethought, and determination, but a lot of newcomers don’t do the research, don’t see what else is available out there, and don’t realise that generating, formatting, and presenting so much content on a regular basis requires a lot of effort.

And, sometimes, life just gets in the way. New relationships, changes in living circumstances, bereavement and a thousand other factors can all get in the way. A true love for their chosen task can keep some people going (witness Trevor Denyer’s fantastic work on Midnight Street, for example), but many choose to drop their newly-started time-eater of a project.

2: Cost: Doing this isn’t free. For the small press there’s the horror of printing costs as well as time and effort, and for the webzine there’s hosting costs, man-hours, marketing, and all kinds of minor trickles of cash out of the wallet. And that’s just for the publications who don’t pay their authors.

Paying authors is a highly contentious issue. Most new zines absolutely cannot afford to do so, and fail to accumulate readers as a result (I’ll go into this later). The low readership can be soul-crushing to the person or people who set it up, and so the publication folds, cancelled due to lack of interest.

3: Payment: The thorny issue. As previously mentioned, paying authors is something most startups cannot afford to do. Instead, they offer exposure and experience, but there exists a peculiar snobbery amongst readers that if authors aren’t getting paid, the product isn’t worth reading. This results in the authors not getting the exposure that may help begin their careers, and causes so many zines to fold before they can even think about sourcing funds to pay writers with.

Some argue that not paying authors is exploitative. This can be true if the publication is making a profit by presenting the unpaid author’s work – whether through selling advertising, selling the publication itself, or a combination of the two.

I contest this, though. Pantechnicon costs nothing to the reader, and carries no advertising. I work with each and every author to polish their story before publishing it, and I honestly believe that each story is of a quality that readers would be happy to pay for. Pantechnicon operates at a fiscal loss, but the product you get is, frankly, one of the best available online today. And, yes, ultimately I hope to be in a position to pay our authors – later this year, in fact.

Hub, on the other hand, has always paid, right from the start. And what’s interesting is that whereas Pantechnicon has a regular readership of around 700, and has been snubbed repeatedly by reviewers who refuse to even read it because it doesn’t pay, Hub has around 7,000 subscribers who receive the magazine every week via email, and has no problem at all getting reviews (which, as we all know, is what can get your publication read by more readers). Even more interesting is that Hub receives around twenty submissions per week, whereas Pantechnicon garners around one a week, but Pantechnicon’s submissions are, proportionally, far higher quality than Hub’s. We can reject twenty stories on Hub just to get to a single publishable one, whereas Pantechnicon’s hit ratio is more like 40%.

People who are in it for the money send only to publications which pay. People who are in it for the love will work for both. But this means that non-paying publications will:
- See far fewer submissions, which can be disheartening in the first year.
- Receive next to no publicity or reviews, which makes increasing the readership incredibly difficult.
- Attract considerably fewer readers, which can also lead to the publisher giving up.

Obviously some terrible zines have gone the way of the dodo within their first year. But some blisteringly good ones have, too.

4: Bloomsbury: As in, small presses aren’t. Another level of snobbery is the attitude that if something’s worth publishing, the big publishing houses would have snapped it up. We all know this isn’t true. Big publishers have to buy very carefully, and they can’t afford to take the risks that the independents can. They also are in the business of making money, so if something’s out of fashion right now (as, alas, short stories are) they won’t touch it with a shitty stick, no matter how much the commissioning editor loves it.

There is an answer to be found, but it’s not going to happen. People who are in a position to support the small presses often choose not to because of some of the reasons outlined above, and with thousands upon thousands of zines available, coming and going with distressing regularity, often what a reader looks for is longevity – something they can begin reading, safe in the knowledge that it won’t vanish in three months time.

That or you just get a famous author with a huge fanbase to endorse your publication. Which as we all know is child’s play, right?

Right.

Why, yes. I am still waiting for a response from Stephen King…

GDJ: You seem to be quite involved in the BSFA and Eastercon. What attracts you to these, and do they help with your job as editor?

TT: It’s all smoke and mirrors. I’m not as involved as it seems.

I’d been meaning to join the BSFA for several years, but you know how these things slip. I finally got my arse in gear in January, so I’ve only actually been a member a couple of months. I even successfully failed to attend Eastercon this year, as I’d previously arranged to meet up with some friends on an arbitrarily-chosen Saturday which eventually turned out to be a ludicrously-early Easter.

Hopefully they’ll help with my job of editor at some point, but these things take time.

GDJ: What plans do you have for this year, in Pantechnicon or SF in general?

TT: The first Pantechnicon Anthology is due out later this year, with all-new stories for which we’ll actually be paying money!

This is a huge step forward for Pantechnicon. It’s always been the magazine’s goal to find and promote new writing talent, but also to work toward our goal of becoming able to pay those authors who we publish.

Outside of Pantechnicon I attended Alt.Fiction in Derby, catching up with friends and making new ones, and I should be at FantasyCon later in the year. I also maintain a blog which features regular advice and tips for new writers.

Finally, I’ll be reading a lot, and keeping an eye on the competition…

GDJ: Thanks for taking part.

TT: You’re welcome.

Roadrider Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:17:00 +0000

Two more reviews of Jupiter XX have appeared, both with nice things to say about Roadrider.

The review at Computer Crowsnest reads:

Returning to the magazine, 'Roadrider' by Gareth D. Jones concludes a trilogy of stories concerning the aftermath of an unspecified collapse of society where a road-making machine cuts its way through villages and towns of a community. The relatively simple people are astounded at the appearance of the road and it is the young, spurred on by curiosity, who decide to investigate.

In this part of the story, the boys reach the conclusion to discover the identity of the road-maker. However, it's not the end which is important, it is the journey. Jones has created a certain ambience with this work, almost quaint in nature, which is compelling enough for one to want to read more. I would certainly suggest that if you have missed the previous 'Road' stories then it might be worth looking at the purchase of back copies.

That's the first time I've been referred to as Jones!

Over at Whispers of Wickedness the reviewer writes:

Gareth D Jones’ Roadmaker series continues with Roadrider, self-contained enough to be enjoyed – and understood – on its own, but a neat episode in a larger tale. Again, an easy-to-read yarn that hammers along at a cracking pace, it contains a satisfying mix of humour, imagination and a cast of affable characters.

Latest 'Zine News

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:56:00 +0000

There's now a new website for Neon magazine, which I shall update in my side bar.

Also today the new issue #7 of Pantechnicon is available to download.

Friday Flash Fiction: The Hastening of Battle

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:57:00 +0000

This week's title was inspired by my holiday in Hastings:

The Hastening of Battle
By Gareth D Jones

The opponents faced each other across the empty plain that had once been a green and pleasant vale. A phalanx of soldiers, encased in intelligent battle armour and backed up by armoured transporters, made final equipment checks. A very similar horde of troopers made almost identical preparations at the far end of the field.

The hardware had been pushed to the limits of technology. The software ran at unimaginable speed, responding to every command from the soldiers. Fire, counter-fire, evasion, tactics and assessment: the only limit was the reaction times of the soldiers.

As the time to engage arrived the order was passed to imbibe from their helmet’s dispensary. Both sides had different names for it, both official and slang: Reactin, Speed Inducing Nerve Stimulant, SINS, Fast, Whirl. The effect was the same, whatever they called it. The human body could make full use of the hardware.

The dispensary in Trooper Gilmoolly’s helmet failed to dole out the prescribed dose. He tried again, but nothing. He checked the diagnostics on his armoured sleeve, ignoring the blurred movement and noise in the background. Nothing. He looked round for a mechanic, frustrated at the problem. There was nobody to help. Nobody left at all. The fields, now even more scarred and pitted, were full of blasted machines, mangled armour and defeated troops.

The battle was over.

The End

Estronomicon #10

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:55:00 +0000

After a slight delay a 'Fiction Special' issue of Wales based ezine Estronomicon is now online for you to download, featuring 10 short stories.

There's also news that a new Rhys Hughes novel published by Screaming Dreams, the people behind Estronomicon, will be launched at the Welsh SF conference on June 21st. More details of the event can be found on the website.

I'm Back

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:12:00 +0000

So I finally return to the land of the living. I had a week’s holiday in Hastings, Friday – Friday booking hence no FFF for 2 weeks again. The location inspired a title for this week’s FFF, so that will be appearing on-line tomorrow.

After that I was ill for several days. Lying round feeling horrendous is not conducive to writing, so despite the huge amounts of free time I didn’t get round to anything much until yesterday. I managed to iron out a few wrinkles in the plot of Eternity, so after a hiatus of a few weeks I wrote another 2000 words yesterday. The future of that novel is looking more firm. Now I’m back at work I can’t imagine I’ll have much time to make further significant progress though.

Meanwhile, I received replies to 5 submissions, a startling amount for a 2 week period. Three were rejections, one for a reprint that I had vague hopes for and 2 for stories that I’ve almost given up on. One in particular I was convinced I’d found the ideal market for, so that was a big disappointment.

I also received a reply from an anthology, which said ‘thanks, but you seem to have attached the wrong story’. Oops. Not a great way to impress an editor!

Finally, an acceptance! Inside Every Succesful Man, first published in Hub last year, has been accepted by ClonePod. Not only will this be my first podcast, but is also the first story to be accepted three times: It’s already slated to appear in Italian webzine Intercom SF later this year.

So that’s me up-to-date. More news as it appears.

The Editors: Trevor Denyer

noreply@blogger.com (Gareth D Jones) — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

Midnight Street is a smart looking A4 magazine published 3 times per year and containing a mixture of genre stories. I met up with editor Trevor Denyer in the subterranean vaults of CERN, somewhere under Switzerland, to discuss reading, publishing and fiction. Actually, I've never been to Switzerland; we corresponded by email.

GDJ: Like several other magazines, you’ve opted for the mixed genre approach. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to that choice?

TD: Because I have always had fairly wide ranging tastes when it comes to genres, I enjoy working across more than one or two. It broadens the possibility of receiving good quality work and, I feel, increases the magazine’s potential to reach people. Though it may be the case that not everyone will like everything, hopefully enough people will like the majority of what I publish.
I also think that, the more diverse the magazine’s remit, the more leeway I have to publish what I like and what I think the readers will like. This will include work that borders on the mainstream to that which is very firmly slipstream.
I suppose, if I had to consider the disadvantages of the mixed-genre approach, I would suggest that writers who haven’t read either the magazine or the guidelines think that it’s OK to send anything. That’s not the case, as there are limitations on what I’m likely to reject or accept. Still, I suppose writers who haven’t researched the potential market probably deserve to be rejected!

GDJ: The title suggests you’re looking for perhaps darker stories. What appeals to you about them?

TD: I think that darker stories often reflect the human condition more accurately. As a result, I tend to find them more interesting. Everyone loves an anti-hero, whether it’s a character or a situation. Often, an element of darkness in a story gives it more depth and enables the formation of characters that are more three-dimensional.
I think that, in the right hands, the potential to shock, surprise and thrill the reader is more evident where there are shades of darkness in a story. That doesn’t mean that the story has to be overtly shocking. Often the more subtle approach is far more effective. That’s what I look for.
Incidentally, the title, ‘Midnight Street’ was inspired by a line in the David Gray song, ‘This Year’s Love’: (http://www.davidgray.com/music/discography/WhiteLadder.aspx)

GDJ: Producing a magazine is obviously a lot of hard work. What inspired you to take on the task?

TD: I’ve always been interested in editing and creating magazines. This began way back when I was at school. I, together with several friends, regularly produced a hand written and illustrated magazine. It included articles, comic strips and news. We came to the attention of the local newspaper, who typed up and printed 50 copies of one issue for us!
I enjoy the whole editorial process, though have far too little time to spend on it. I have a sub-editor who reads for me. Without him, I’d sink without trace under the weight of all the submissions!
I love the creative side of producing a magazine; what stories to include, how to balance them in terms of genre and subject matter, where to put interviews and factual articles, what stories to have illustrated etc.
I think the pay-off is constructive reviews and comments from readers. That’s what keeps me inspired and helps me to make decisions on policy and production.

GDJ: Do you have a favourite sub-genre or author? What other magazines do you enjoy reading?

TD: I enjoy reading Stephen King. I’m currently half way through ‘Lissie’s Story’, which is very different to his other novels. It’s a fascinating study of character and the effects of loss.
I like stories that have that kind of depth (though not so deep that they lose me!). I also enjoy James Herbert, but more for the excitement and escapism factor. I like reading Stephen Baxter’s hard sci-fi novels. Not necessarily for the science, but for the magical way he can twist this into something amazingly creative.
Of the (relative) new comers, I think Joe Hill’s work is outstanding, as is Marion Arnott’s. I admire Joel Lane’s and Tony Richard’s work enormously.
I suppose my tastes are eclectic. I like to read autobiographies, and have recently finished reading Eric Clapton’s excellent book.
As for magazines, I’ve always enjoyed ‘The Third Alternative’ (now ‘Black Static’), though sometimes I find the stories a bit long and something of a triumph of style over content.
I think the BFS magazine, ‘Dark Horizons’ is interesting and well packaged, though sometimes a bit of a see-saw as far as material goes.
Gary Fry’s ‘Fusing Horizons’ was always a good read, though I haven’t seen that around recently.

GDJ: One of my favourite stories last year was Spin-Off Merchandise in Midnight Street #10. Other stories in that issue were quite varied. What is it you’re looking for in a story?

TD: What I look for in a story is good characterisation; depth of character; an interesting and original plot line that is not necessarily obvious. The story has to excite me enough from the beginning (because those that don’t, tend to be summarily rejected!). There has to be something that very quickly hooks me in to the story, by way of writing style/competence, excitement or promise. I have very little time to cogitate over stories!
That doesn’t necessarily mean lots of action or blood and guts. It’s often the subtleness of a story that appeals.

GDJ: Several small presses and webzines have come to a finish in the past year, while several others have started and Midnight Street has moved into double figures. Do you think there’s an answer to be found, or should we just look on the bright side – there’s always something new to read?

TD: I think that small presses and webzines are labours of love. I don’t think that anybody should go into this area expecting to make a profit, because the odds are very much stacked against you.
I do it because I enjoy it. Discovering new talent and promoting it gives me a real sense of achievement. Promoting authors who are outstanding at what they do makes the hard work worthwhile.
The small (or as I prefer to call it – independent) press has always been unstable, for the reasons stated above. Despite all of this, though, there will always be someone fool enough to take it on!

GDJ: What plans do you have for this year?

TD: Plans! What plans? All I can say is that I intend to continue publishing ‘Midnight Street’ three times a year (health permitting). I’ve had a lot of illness over the last couple of years, but things have improved now.
Things I’d like to do are to completely revamp the website, using a new software package I’ve got; perhaps resurrect ‘Legend’ as an on-line magazine; produce an annual anthology; try and do more writing myself…..but we will see. Time is very much at a premium. I’m back at work again now, and there are always other family type things you have to do.
Anyway, one thing you can be sure of is that I will continue to promote the magazine and will be lurking about in the independent press world for, I hope, many years to come.

Trevor Denyer April/May 2008