Greek Shakespeare

 I'm very pleased that my short story Romeo and the Robots has been accepted by Greek magazine Ef-Zin. This will be my ninth story to have appeared in that magazine, and my twelfth in Greek altogether. It should be in the next issue due out in July.

Romeo and the Spanish Robots

 My short story Romeo and the Robots has been accepted by Cuban magazine Korad to be translated into Spanish for their next issue. This will be the first translation of this story, my second story in Korad and my nineteenth story in Spanish altogether.

Romeo and the Chinese Robots

The Chinese translation of my short story Romeo and the Robots is now out at what I assume is an affiliate of Nature, the original publishers. Nature have worldwide translation rights for a period of time, and several different language editions. 

This is my first story in Chinese - my 36th language!

A Droid by Any Other Name

 My short story Romeo and the Robots is out now at Nature.com, along with my brief 'story behind the story' article. It's my fifth story in Nature, and my second story published in a week!

Romeo and the Robots

I'm very pleased to announce that I've sold my short story Romeo and the Robots to Nature magazine, my fifth sale to that august publication. I don't have a publication date yet, but presumably some time this year. 

This is my third Shakespearian science fiction story.

The Gondolier Remix - Shakespeare Edition

The second author I decided to attempt to emulate with a remixed version of The Gondolier is none other than Shakespeare.

The black prow of my gondola so swift,

Cut smoothly through the waters o so calm,

Upon canals the craft gives me a lift

It’s many years of service like a charm.

 

For many passengers along the way

Through city’s waters I have been a guide

For generations of the service pay

To ancient kin of mine who have now died.

The sun sank down upon the city old,

And turned the water to a lane of ink

Of ribbon lain between the bricks of gold

Of sandstone buildings warm and gold and pink

 

I breathed in deeply of the evening breeze,
No city stands that is more beautiful

This wondrous city of canals doth please

So never is a day within it dull

 

As the boat into its mooring eased

I stopped to gaze with satisfied huzzahs

Another day in which I was so pleased

To be beneath the darking skies of Mars.

Back to the Shakespeare

 A reprint of my story Alleged Shakespeare Play May Prove Time Travel Possible is out today in the anthology Of Poets, Spies and Unearthliness from Rogue Planet Press.

It's always great to find the perfect anthology for a story.

Shakespearian Cover

The cover of the anthology Of Poets, Spies and the Unearthliness – Otherworldly Tales in the Times of Shakespeare and Marlowe has been revealed, with the release date hopefully to be some time in October.

The book will include a reprint of my story Alleged Shakespeare Play May Prove Time Travel Possible, which was first published last year in Brief Candle magazine.

 

Shakespeare Returns

 I'm very pleased that a reprint of my short story Alleged Shakespeare Play May Prove Time Travel Possible has been accepted for the anthology Of Poets, Spies and Unearthliness - Otherworldly tales in the times of Shakespeare and Marlowe. It's always great to find such a specific market for such a specific story.

The anthology is due out some time later this year.

Brief Candle

 Issue #8 of Brief Candle - the punk Shakespeare magazine - is out now and includes my story Alleged Shakespeare Play May Prove Time Travel Possible. It's nice to find a magazine perfectly suited to a story.

Alleged Shakespeare Manuscript

 I'm very pleased to announce that my short Alleged Shakespeare Manuscript May Prove Time Travel Possible has been accepted by Brief Candle magazine and should be out in issue #8 in November.

William Shakespeare's Returneth to the Future

 I enjoyed reading William Shakespeare's Star Wars Episode IV: Verily, a New Hope by Ian Doescher a few years back, and thought to myself, what else could be Shakespearised? The obvious answer seemed to be Back to the Future.

I wrote a Shakespearian version of the opening scene and, rather pleased with it, sent a query to the publishers of Ian Doescher's books, only to discover he was already working on the same idea. His book was later published as Get Thee back to the Future, and my opening scene remained languishing on my computer.

I rediscovered it again today and decided I may as well post it here instead.

William Shakespeare’s Returneth to the Future

By Gareth D Jones

 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

CHORUS

DOC BROWN, a scientist

MARTY MCFLY, his friend, a high school student

 

 

 

ACT I

 

SCENE 1.

In Doc Brown’s house.

 

CHORUS        A house quite startling in its clutter’d mess,

In fair Hill Valley where we lay our scene,

                        Is where Doc Brown doth genius confess

                        And tinker with both time and time machine.

A vast array of clocks all march in time,

In harmony they start their daily task

And trigger automation so sublime,

                        So that on time Doc Brown may break his fast.

                        But for this feast of food so skilful made,

                        Of coffee, egg and toast on which to dine,

                        There is nobody home, no table laid,

                        Not man, nor beast, the loyal dog Einstein.

                        And in amongst this wonder of cuisine,

                        The TV tuned in to a sombre scene:

[Exit.

 

NEWSCASTER  A theft of rare plutonium, we hear
Hath taken place and causes us much fear

                        Foul terrorists from Libya were blamed,

                        Yet now ‘tis but an error, it is claimed.

[Exit.

 

Enter MARTY MCFLY.

 

MARTY            Oh Doc! Doc Brown! Art thou at home, pray tell?
What is that stench, that overwhelming smell?
'Tis Einstein’s food upon the kitchen floor,
A mess the mutt will relish, that’s for sure.
I know not where the Doctor can be found,
But while I'm here I'll try out this new sound.
I'll turn the amps up, all the dials to ten
And my guitar I will plug in, and then
With plectrum twixt my fingers I will strum...

[Marty is flung across the room.

That sound! So loud! For hours my ears will hum!

[ A telephone rings.

 

DOC BROWN   [On the phone:] Young Marty, is that you my faithful friend?

 

MARTY            Hey Doc, hey Doc, where art thou this fine day?

 

DOC BROWN   Pray canst thou meet me at the Twin Pines Mall?

Tonight at one fifteen and there I shall

Reveal a major breakthrough I have made

For which I’ll need assistance of first grade.

 

MARTY            But wait a moment, one fifteen you say?

In early morn, before the light of day?

O Doc, what’s going on? Where hast thou been

All week? And what of Einstein? Hast thou seen?

 

DOC BROWN   Indeed he is right here along with me.

 

MARTY            Thou left thine apparatus on all week.

 

DOC BROWN   My apparatus, Marty, brings to mind

Thou best had not hook up the speaker grand,

Mayhap there could be caused an overload.

 

MARTY            Advice I’m sure that will be helpful, aye.

 

DOC BROWN   Until tonight then, prithee don’t forget,

At Twin Pines Mall at one fifteen be set.

 [Clocks chime.

                        Are all my clocks a-chiming in accord?

 

MARTY            Yea verily, ‘tis eight o’clock precise.

 

DOC BROWN   Ah, perfect! My experiment hath worked.

For five minutes and twenty they have shirked.

 

MARTY            O wait a minute, wait a minute, Doc!

Thou meanst it’s twenty-five past eight o’clock?

 

DOC BROWN   Precisely, Marty, that is what I mean.

 

MARTY            Ye gads! I’m late for school, I must away!

[Exit Marty, on a skateboard.

 

 CHORUS:        And so on wheeléd board young Marty flies,

                        With aid of passing carriages he speeds,

                        A poster of Mayor Wilson he espies,

                        En route to tend to his scholastic needs. 

[Exit.