Tag: reading

Writing

A Clean, New Look

M.E. Garber

Well, if you haven’t noticed, it’s here. I’ve changed this blog’s theme, and spruced things up a bit. More has been done behind the scenes, and more will continue to change back there where you won’t notice it much. Hopefully I will, though.

Meanwhile, life isn’t stopping. I’m still attempting to write this draft of the novel, and keep short fiction submissions moving. The west coast is still on fire, hurricanes and tropical storms still threaten the Gulf coasts, coronavirus still sweeps the world, and my dog still has epileptic seizures. Like the one he had yesterday.

All my careful plans went out the window as I re-prioritized everything to care for him. Fortunately, it was only the one episode, not a cluster like he’s been having so often. And I know the source: someone had left salted peanuts out for squirrels at the dog park, and Dasher licked one shell. Didn’t eat it, just licked it. (Reason #41 why not to leave food behind in a dog park!)

Later today I get to take my tablet in for repairs, and cringe at so many $$ being spent to repair the shattered-crazed touch-screen glass. But for 5 days, I’ve not used my tablet. And it’s shown me how dependent on that little thing I’ve become. Keeping up with my friends on Slack is the main thing I’ve missed. It’s much harder to go sit at a computer and log in. And my phone, well, yeah, I can use that–but the screen is so small. (insert squinchy-face) Do not like.

So I’ve gotten a LOT more reading done. Like, a LOT a lot. And…okay, wow. So that’s where all my time was going–quick bursts of socializing, some gaming, checking Twitter, doom scrolling the News, one more check on email… it all adds up to become a rather significant chunk of my day. So, despite part of me hating to admit this, having my tablet out for repair for some while might actually be a good thing.

Now let me change gears and give you more reasons to remain online: two new online magazines have opened/are opening. The first is a new quarterly SF mag named Departure Mirror. What makes them stand out for me is this line, from their submission guidelines: “We’re most excited by stories that tap into the current cultural zeitgeist.” In other words, stuff that is from this moment, and extremely timely. Which is something that many other markets really don’t want, because with their long lead times, there might be a year between acceptance and publication–making the story no longer timely, but “old news.” The first issue is out, and free to download, and all the stories were quite good. I think I’ll be reading this one regularly, and hope you will, too.

Next up is a forthcoming magazine called “Constelación.” From their website: Constelación is a quarterly speculative fiction bilingual magazine, publishing stories in both Spanish and English. Writers can submit their stories in either language. Fifty percent of the stories we publish in every issue will be from authors from the Caribbean, Latin America, and their diaspora.

Constelación is being created by a pair of editors, one of whom is from my Viable Paradise cohort–Coral Moore. She’s an amazing writer and an awesome person, and I think this magazine is going to fill a niche that has been too long ignored. They have a Kickstarter going on right now to fund their first year, with loads of fun backer rewards, and they’re looking to provide pro-levels of payment to their authors, their illustrators, and their translators, which is not only the right thing, it’s the awesome thing. So go grab yourself a capybara founder’s pin!

publication, Reading, What I'm Reading

Because We’re All Readers First, Right?

M.E. Garber

I love reading. If you’re reading this blog, chances are good you do, too.

So I’m excited to link to a new place to check out for your short fiction fixes. Curious Fictions is an online venture meant to help readers connect with previously published short fiction you might have missed. It’s a place to meet your next “favorite writer,” and maybe your next “favorite magazine.” At Curious Fictions, you’ll be able to sample magazine offerings, and find the writers they publish. Then you can go subscribe to those magazines you love–those you’ve previously hesitated to pay for, not knowing if you’d like them or not.

(Need some suggestions to get started? How about reading Sylvia Spruck Wrigley? Or Wendy Nikel? Or perhaps Effie Seiberg‘s story, Dinkley’s Ice Cream–I love that one!)

Curious Fictions is a work in progress. It’s new, and the person behind it is still tweaking the format, the page, the functions. New work is always arriving, and new readers–well, of course new readers are always welcome.

Some of my work is there, of course. But I encourage you to not read my stories (or, not just mine), but to try out some of the others. There are tons of great writers you haven’t read yet. Give one a try over at Curious Fictions, won’t you? And tell your friends. Writers need readers.

awards, Reading, Writing

Event Horizon Available as a FREE Download

M.E. Garber

Event Horizon is an anthology of stories by authors eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer–meaning writers whose first pro sale have been published within the last two years. The volume contains over 75 authors and 350,000 words, and, hanks to the efforts of Jake Kerr, is available for free download–until July 15, 2017–at the link above. That is a whole lot of good reading.

 

Congratulations to all those within the anthology, and good luck to each of those eligible for this year’s award!

publication, Reading

Sale at The Colored Lens

M.E. Garber

Just a quick reminder, if you were waiting for one: today is January 31st. I just checked and yes, this issue of The Colored Lens is currently on sale for 99¢ over on Amazon. That’s a lot of words for less than a buck, including my story, “Sanachi’s Escape.”

Announcement ends here. Please carry on with your regularly scheduled day!

Links, Reading, signal boosting, What I'm Reading

Writers Need Readers

M.E. Garber

Every year, hundreds of thousands of wonderful stories are written and go out into the world. Along comes award season, and we readers scratch our heads, trying to remember which stories we read this year, not last year. What length were they? And which ones were by new authors who are eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. It’s a bit overwhelming at the best of times.

Some years, there’s a little help. Fortunately, this is one of them.

Writer SL Huang stepped into the breach and pulled together stories by 120 authors eligible for the Campbell Award this year. She’s put them into a huge ebook anthology called “Up and Coming,” and it’s available free until March 31st. That’s a whole lot of free reading, and I have to say, a lot of really good free reading.

So click that link, choose your format, and tuck your feet up–you might be awhile. Happy Reading!

signal boosting, What I'm Reading

Fantasy Scroll Magazine Year One Anthology

M.E. Garber

27822923The first year of Fantasy Scroll Magazine has been assembled into an impressive anthology by Editor-in-Chief Iulian Ionescu and Managing Editor Frederick Doot. Titled “Dragons, Droids & Doom,” the anthology totals 51 stories by 49 authors–that’s a lot of wonderful reading!

While I’ve had to step away from slushing at Fantasy Scroll, I fully believe in this worthwhile magazine, and hope that you’ll consider a purchase of either the print or ebook version for your favorite SFF fan (which might well be yourself!).

Links, What I'm Reading

Best Reads of 2015

M.E. Garber

Friend and fellow VP-17er John Wiswell invites folks to post their own versions of his BestReads2015, so here is my version of his posting.

Let me start by admitting that I didn’t read as much this year as I’d intended–far too many “life problems,” stresses, and such interfered with my best-laid plans (as they usually do). And yet, I had no end of good things to read. I managed to finish the 40 books I’d challenged myself to on Goodreads, but only by the skin of my teeth! (In previous years, a mere 40 books would’ve been simple.) I’ve purposefully winnowed my list down to my personal top five picks, but there is no way that I could put them in any sort of order.

So, here they are:

77773 To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis

I found this book an utter delight! I’d listened to Willis’s The Doomsday Book, so I was familiar with her time-traveling scholars universe, but this book–well. It just wrapped me up in events mid-step and got both sillier and more endearing with each and every page. Her characters are so well-drawn and halfway through I felt that I’d known them all for ages, and could easily tell who was speaking without dialog tags. If you’re looking for a combination “light read” and “mental bop on the noggin,” then this is your book!

 

15819028The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker

A lovely story with wonderful period details of late 1800’s New York City, this book was both heart-rending and uplifting. Each and every character had a moral dilemma, and never have I so longed for a happy ending for the title characters as I did for these two poor souls–although their lack of mortal souls was half the point of the story. Bittersweet and immersive, I found it hard to put this one down.

 

 

23533039 Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie

The third book in this series was the best yet! And that’s no mean feat, as I loved both Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Sword. It was utterly impossible not to love the Presger Interpreter, by whatever name it chose to go by. The climax was a razor’s edge dance between the absurd and the utterly inevitable, and keep me laughing out loud–when I finished that chapter, I had to go read it aloud to my (poor, long-suffering) spouse simply because I loved it so much I just had to share that joy.

 

 

3428255Cyberabad Days, by Ian McDonald

This is a compilation of short stories set in a future India. Each story thrust the reader headlong into the future culture, combining elements of the ancient past, the present-day, and extrapolations into the future without tagging them or weighing the narrative down. It was a glorious ride, and each tale was a small gem. But instead of gobbling this book down as I so easily could have, I read each story on its own and treasured it for a bit before I went back and opened the book for the next. Yes, it was just that good.

 

270259 Slow River, by Nicola Griffith

A mystery, a romance, a tech-heavy near-future thriller, a slow portrayal of someone running from her past coming to terms with her present–and her future. All this and more was wrapped up in this slim volume. In one sentence, the utter beauty of language and place held sway. In the next, the total barbarity of the humans involved in the novel came through with shocking clarity. It was a gripping read that, for me, was over all too soon. And yet, it ended exactly where it needed to.

Links, What I'm Reading

Links for the End of the Year

M.E. Garber

Winter is coming. Really, the equinox is on the 21st. So are you all settled in with your reading? No?

Well, let me recommend the latest issue of Fantasy Scroll Magazine. Yes, Issue 4 is now out, completing the first year of this publication. Weeee! Lots of great stories here, plus interviews and reviews, as well. Also, be sure to read the Introduction, which details great new things to come. Like what, you ask? We-ell, like a bi-montly format, a podcast, and more. (eh-hem) And consider that subscriptions make great gifts. As a slush reader there, I’m just saying. 🙂

Let me again sound off about Quarter Reads. They’ve updated their policy, letting you put down just $5 to try the stories, instead of the initial $10 minimum. They’ve added more authors, more stories, and more genre and subject tags to browse stories by. Give ’em a try.

Another reading favorite: Lightspeed Magazine’s recent release of FANTASY: Women Destroy Fantasy! Great fiction, great non-fiction, and amazing artwork, all guest edited by the amazing Cat Rambo.

Finally, I’ve been listening to podcasts from Beneath Ceaseless Skies’ Audio Vault, and haven’t found a bad one yet. They’re great for commuting, for holiday travel in crowded airports or trains, or just for plopping in earbuds and tuning out the holiday madness for a few moments of spec-fic bliss. Give them a listen!

There, now you’re set for reading materials. Winter may commence. Just, um, don’t let it freeze my Meyer lemons before they ripen. They’re getting so close, and I really want my very first harvest of 2 fruits!