Ten Years Ago In Fiction

Ten years ago, I'd just had my 2nd, 3rd and 4th stories published - all accepted by the first markets I subbed to, a trend that lulled me into a false sense of security, but inspired me with confidence to carry on writing. Both were non-paying exposure markets, and both are still going strong today: Aphelion and Bewildering Stories.



Fluctuations, in BWS #139 in March 2005 remains one of my favourite stories. It was reprinted in one of their 'Best of' summary issues in July 2005, my first reprint. A revised version was published in the anthology Quantum Genre on the Planet of Arts in November 2010, and earned me a footnote in Wikipedia in the article on quantum genre.


Devotion was my second story in BWS in April 2005.



The Grey Hole, in Aphelion #91 in April 2005, was the first of 8 appearances I made in that webzine, and one of a very few attempted 'hard SF' stories. It was a wonderfully friendly place, the first on-line forum I joined, and I remain in touch with some of the regulars still. The Grey Void was the first sequel I wrote and appeared in Aphelion #102 the following year.

Favourite Stories of 2010

It's time to look back over a year's worth of reviews and a collection of other magazines I read during the year to see which were my favourite stories of the year. Here's the result, in alphabetical order:

A Clown in Apus – Gary Budgen – Jupiter XXVIII
Agents of Repair – Rosie Oliver – Jupiter XXIX
Alternate Girl’s Expatriate Life - Rochita Luenen-Ruiz – Interzone 229
Frogs on my Doorstep - Annette Reader - Albedo One 39
Ishin – Madelin Ashby – Shine
Over Water – Jon Ingold – Interzone 228
Plague Birds – Jason Sanford – Interzone 228
Served - Rauri MacInnes – Murky Depths 11
Spare Change – Jay Eales - Murky Depths 12
The Bottle Garden – Mike Wood – Jupiter XXIX
The Cloth from which she is Cut – Gareth Owens – Fun with Rainbows
The Shipmaker – Aliette De Bodard – Interzone 231
The Shoe Factory - Matthew Cook – Interzone 231
The Story of Andrew Haddock, Part 2 - Dave Barnett – Murky Depths 11

Quantum Anthology Released

After a long delay due to various circumstances, and a change of format, the anthology Quantum Genre in the Planet of Arts has now been released as an e-book. The anthology has been published by Paraphilia books and contains a huge selection of quantum works.

What is quantum genre?

Basically, the Quantum Genre is not theme-based but style-based. In other words, Quantum Works are not about quantum theory but quantum representation of characters and their worlds. The style is distinguished by a high degree of obscurity of both the narrative and characters which are subject to mutability and ambiguity.

If you want to know what that means, take a look at the revised reprint of my story Fluctuations in the anthology. When the story originaly appeared on Bewildering Stories it received some very favourable comments, which include some spoilers.

Anthology Cancelled

Sad news today - the small press publishers Crossing Chaos / Enigmatic Ink have folded, leading to the cancellation of the forthcoming anthology Quantum Genre on the Planet of Arts. After a couple of previous delays I was looking forward to seeing my story Fluctuations in print this month, but alas it is not to be.

Fluctuations is one of my favourite - and certainly one of my most unusual - stories. It originaly appeared in Bewildering Stories and I rewrote the ending for this anthology. I think I shall look for another new home for it.

Turning Over a New Leaf

My second Mare Inebrium story is on line in this month's Aphelion. It's also a sequel to one of my earliest published stories Fluctuations that received this excellent review in Bewildering Stories.

So go and read Turning Over a New Leaf.

Devoted to Writing

Another day, another anniversary.

This time last year Devotion appeared in Bewildering Stories, my 4th story to be published. It's another of my earlier stories, but has since become my first story translated into another language. The accompanying picture was chosen by the editor of Bli Panika to go with the Hebrew translation.

Fluctuations - One Year Later

Today marks the anniversary of my second story to have been published, Fluctuations in Bewildering Stories. I started writing this story during what will come to be known as my 'early creative period' in 1993-4, when six other stories were completed including Devotion (see below).

When I returned to writing in the summer of 2004 I found the hand-written opening two paragraphs of Fluctuations among my other work. I wrote the rest in October 2004 and it was the fifth story I submitted, in November.

More recently Bewildering Stories has anounced plans to publish several anthologies. I haven't been contacted for the first volume, but I'm egotistical enough to hope that Fluctuations might be selected for a future volume. I still like to re-read the editor's review occasionaly to cheer me up after receiving a rejection or two.

The Isreali Opinion

A very kind author and fellow contributor to Bewildering Stories, Tala Bar, has looked at the Bli Panika forum for me to see what they thought of Devotion.

It seems that the forum critiques generally wanted a larger story and
more of a surprise ending. Funnily enough I've had a couple of other comments that the story felt like it was part of something bigger; there probably is scope for more, but at nearly 5,000 words it's already getting quite big for a short story. As for the ending, it isn't a great surprise, but it's the how and why that makes the story. One of the things that most English language magazines say in their guidelines is that they don't want totaly unexpected endings that come out of no-where.

The other thing worth mentioning is that Devotion is one of my earliest stories, written 12 years ago. I only have one more of that vintage that I'm still trying to place.

So, over all it's been an interesting experience. My first translated story, and I guess to some extent the readers' opinions will be shaped by the translator. I'm just pleased to have had a story accepted by two different editors.

If Only I Could Read It!

The Hebrew translation of my story Devotion is now on-line at Bli Panika. It even has an illustration to go with it. Of course I have no idea what it says, apart from the fact that I wrote it. There's also a forum, but again I have no idea if anyone has said anything about it. If anyone out there happens to read Hebrew and could help me out...

Don't Panic!

The Hebrew translation of Devotion has been completed, so it should be appearing in Bli Panika (Don't Panic) in a couple of weeks time. Meanwhile I've submitted another two stories this week, so that's now four I'm waiting to hear back from.

Work on the novel has slowed down as I keep inconveniently thinking of ideas for short stories that need to be written!

Fluctuations

On first reading Fluctuations you may well be thoroughly confused. It's all about a tear in the fabric of reality, and as I wrote it subjectively you have even less idea of what's going on than does the protagonist. The Bewildering Stories editors wrote an excellent review of it though, so hopefully you'll like it too once you've worked out what's going on.