Eight Against Reality
Eight writers. Eight worlds. Eight Against Reality.
Eight years.
Let me explain. It's all about one thing leading to another, like those children's books. Maybe I should call this essay, "If you publish Keyan's poem..."
Eight years ago, I moved back to San Francisco from Asia. I was a solitary writer. I didn't even know what a writing group was, or that they existed. The only exposure I'd had was to Critters, which was helpful but quite, quite impersonal. But it encouraged me to keep writing, and even to send out things occasionally. Most of them boomeranged right back.
Then Strange Horizons published my poem, When You Left Your Body Lying Around, which put me onto their contributor's mailing list. Some months later, Mary Anne Mohanraj organized a rapid-fire reading in a bookshop on Valencia, and used that list to call for volunteers.
That's where I met Corie Ralston, who invited me to join her writing group, Second Draft. She seemed like a nice person - which is all I knew at the time - so I auditioned, and joined. (She is nice. She's also a scientist and a multiply-published-in-the-pro-mags writer.) So finally, I learned what a writing group actually was. It was awesome. I'm still a member. The membership changes over time, but it mostly draws on Clarion or Clarion West alumni. So far, it's been awesome in all its multiple incarnations, with a positive friendly atmosphere and a professional approach to critiquing. One of our members was Amelia Beamer, whose comic zombie novel The Loving Dead has just come out. I will burble about this group another time...
Among the members then was Dario Ciriello. I loved his stories, loved his critiques, and enjoyed his company. Not for long, though; a few months later, Dario and his wife Linda chased a dream to the Greek island of Skopelos. We followed their bulletins with joy, and then with concern. It wasn't working out. Dario and Linda were coming back to California. Of course I had mixed feelings about that. I really wanted the dream to succeed, it was so magical. Then again, it would be great to have them back. Maybe Dario would rejoin Second Draft.
That didn't happen, but something even better did: Written in Blood, an online writing group founded by Dario. I have no idea how he assembled such a marvelous group of writers, but I'm awed at the company I'm in.
And then Dario had an idea: An anthology of short stories from all of us. Before we knew it, Dario had set up Panverse Publishing, a micro-press. Its slogan is WONDER. STORY. THEY'RE BACK. Paul di Filippo, in 'Asimov's' (July 2010), wrote: ...when the first publication of an infant publisher is particularly bold and accomplished, then even more excitement is due. ...Editor Ciriello's broad and discerning tastes portend well for future volumes - and for Panverse Publishing as a whole. (It came out with its first book, Panverse One, a collection of novellas, in 2009. Panverse Two is under way, and Panverse Three is planned.)
So here's Our Anthology: Eight Against Reality. I've blogged about it before, in August of last year. But now it's really actually here. My contributors' copies arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago:
It has eight stories, all very different as to tone, setting, character. (Mine is called Spoiling Veena, set in a near-future Delhi. It was first published in Expanded Horizons.)
These are the stories and the authors:
The Eminence's Match by Juliette Wade: An insane ruler obsessed with control - a flawed servant desperate to find a master - will they destroy each other? Or will Xinta become the Eminence's Match?
Kip, Running by Genevieve Williams: Cross-country racing is challenging enough--but what about when the country is an urban cityscape, complete with maglev trains, smart buildings, moving sidewalks, and blimps?
The Lonely Heart by Aliette de Bodard: In the shadow of China's Three Gorges Dam, a woman finds out that the old, horrific tales might, after all, be true...
The Flying Squids of Zondor by Doug Sharp: When alien-loathing Commandrix Den Dron crashes the mighty BattleRocket Trigon into a planet full of flying squid, her libido fights a losing battle with her gag reflex.
Spoiling Veena by Keyan Bowes: Shalini's perfect daughter Veena has grown up exactly as they designed her... so what should she do when their daughter wants to be their son?
Man's Best Enemy by Janice Hardy: Shawna always wanted to be a Hunter - but facing the mutant dogs that have claimed the cities turns out to be harder than she expected.
Love, Blood, and Octli by T.L. Morganfield: The god Ehecatl gives Ayomichi many gifts to help her people, but she soon discovers that not all of them are meant to benefit mankind.
Dancing by Numbers by Dario Ciriello (edited by Juliette Wade): A young dancer discovers an ability that will change worlds - and then makes a terrifying choice that will change them further still...
And the early reviews are encouraging:
From Ex Libris Draconis: ... while I didn't personally enjoy every story, this is a book worth buying...
From Diabolical Plots: Eight Against Reality was a pleasure to read. I give this anthology of virtual unknowns a solid recommendation.
If you're intrigued, and want to Buy this Book, it's available right now.
174 pages / $11.95 / FAST shipping!
Support the authors.
Support a new publishing model.
And of course we hope you have a great time reading it.
I'd love to have your comments after you've read it. And if you choose to review it on your blog (or anywhere else), please do send a link.
Eight years.
Let me explain. It's all about one thing leading to another, like those children's books. Maybe I should call this essay, "If you publish Keyan's poem..."
Eight years ago, I moved back to San Francisco from Asia. I was a solitary writer. I didn't even know what a writing group was, or that they existed. The only exposure I'd had was to Critters, which was helpful but quite, quite impersonal. But it encouraged me to keep writing, and even to send out things occasionally. Most of them boomeranged right back.
Then Strange Horizons published my poem, When You Left Your Body Lying Around, which put me onto their contributor's mailing list. Some months later, Mary Anne Mohanraj organized a rapid-fire reading in a bookshop on Valencia, and used that list to call for volunteers.
That's where I met Corie Ralston, who invited me to join her writing group, Second Draft. She seemed like a nice person - which is all I knew at the time - so I auditioned, and joined. (She is nice. She's also a scientist and a multiply-published-in-the-pro-mags writer.) So finally, I learned what a writing group actually was. It was awesome. I'm still a member. The membership changes over time, but it mostly draws on Clarion or Clarion West alumni. So far, it's been awesome in all its multiple incarnations, with a positive friendly atmosphere and a professional approach to critiquing. One of our members was Amelia Beamer, whose comic zombie novel The Loving Dead has just come out. I will burble about this group another time...
Among the members then was Dario Ciriello. I loved his stories, loved his critiques, and enjoyed his company. Not for long, though; a few months later, Dario and his wife Linda chased a dream to the Greek island of Skopelos. We followed their bulletins with joy, and then with concern. It wasn't working out. Dario and Linda were coming back to California. Of course I had mixed feelings about that. I really wanted the dream to succeed, it was so magical. Then again, it would be great to have them back. Maybe Dario would rejoin Second Draft.
That didn't happen, but something even better did: Written in Blood, an online writing group founded by Dario. I have no idea how he assembled such a marvelous group of writers, but I'm awed at the company I'm in.
And then Dario had an idea: An anthology of short stories from all of us. Before we knew it, Dario had set up Panverse Publishing, a micro-press. Its slogan is WONDER. STORY. THEY'RE BACK. Paul di Filippo, in 'Asimov's' (July 2010), wrote: ...when the first publication of an infant publisher is particularly bold and accomplished, then even more excitement is due. ...Editor Ciriello's broad and discerning tastes portend well for future volumes - and for Panverse Publishing as a whole. (It came out with its first book, Panverse One, a collection of novellas, in 2009. Panverse Two is under way, and Panverse Three is planned.)
So here's Our Anthology: Eight Against Reality. I've blogged about it before, in August of last year. But now it's really actually here. My contributors' copies arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago:
It has eight stories, all very different as to tone, setting, character. (Mine is called Spoiling Veena, set in a near-future Delhi. It was first published in Expanded Horizons.)
These are the stories and the authors:
The Eminence's Match by Juliette Wade: An insane ruler obsessed with control - a flawed servant desperate to find a master - will they destroy each other? Or will Xinta become the Eminence's Match?
Kip, Running by Genevieve Williams: Cross-country racing is challenging enough--but what about when the country is an urban cityscape, complete with maglev trains, smart buildings, moving sidewalks, and blimps?
The Lonely Heart by Aliette de Bodard: In the shadow of China's Three Gorges Dam, a woman finds out that the old, horrific tales might, after all, be true...
The Flying Squids of Zondor by Doug Sharp: When alien-loathing Commandrix Den Dron crashes the mighty BattleRocket Trigon into a planet full of flying squid, her libido fights a losing battle with her gag reflex.
Spoiling Veena by Keyan Bowes: Shalini's perfect daughter Veena has grown up exactly as they designed her... so what should she do when their daughter wants to be their son?
Man's Best Enemy by Janice Hardy: Shawna always wanted to be a Hunter - but facing the mutant dogs that have claimed the cities turns out to be harder than she expected.
Love, Blood, and Octli by T.L. Morganfield: The god Ehecatl gives Ayomichi many gifts to help her people, but she soon discovers that not all of them are meant to benefit mankind.
Dancing by Numbers by Dario Ciriello (edited by Juliette Wade): A young dancer discovers an ability that will change worlds - and then makes a terrifying choice that will change them further still...
And the early reviews are encouraging:
From Ex Libris Draconis: ... while I didn't personally enjoy every story, this is a book worth buying...
From Diabolical Plots: Eight Against Reality was a pleasure to read. I give this anthology of virtual unknowns a solid recommendation.
If you're intrigued, and want to Buy this Book, it's available right now.
174 pages / $11.95 / FAST shipping!
Support the authors.
Support a new publishing model.
And of course we hope you have a great time reading it.
I'd love to have your comments after you've read it. And if you choose to review it on your blog (or anywhere else), please do send a link.