Farthing reviewww

Check out my review of Farthing, Issue 3! There's some really good stories in this issue.

Let's see...

NaNoWriMo is coming up very soon. Seven days. Wait, eight. Ah, who knows. I didn't go to school for counting. The outline for Waterways is mostly finished, but there's definitely enough there to start out at a strong pace. I'll be documenting my progress here daily so if you like word countings, witless ramblings, and that infamous whine that is a writer struggling live without a net, well, this is the place then. Enjoy your stay and don't forget to tip the maid!

Also, I suck at self-promoting things I do. Basically, I just post a link on here and leave it at that. Well, with that out in the open, please visit Greenhorn, my web comic about the speculative fiction world, and if you like what you see/read, leave me a comment. If you hate it, leave me a comment too. Either way, you'll make my day. I promise.

Hmmm...videogame news? I beat Sly Cooper 3: Honor Among Thieves the other day. Fun game though it felt like they threw in every single mini-game idea possible just to have the game brimming over with junk to do. Some were fun, some were stupid, but all in all the game was enjoyable. Now I'm trying to finish playing Killzone, which is really stupid, but I feel bad about buying a new game when I have so many that I still need to finish. So I'm holding back from buying new games until I beat the ones I got. There is one exception though. Final Fantasy XII comes out on October 31. I will either buy it once I complete NaNoWriMo or I will buy it December 1. That'll be a nice treat.

And, to end on a more somber note, I'm currently reading the biography of James Tiptree, Jr./Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips and it's the most engaging thing I've probably ever read. Really, she was a fascinating woman. And all I can think of as I read is how me and her are so similar in a lot of small ways. Several large ones save that I'm not as fascinating. I encourage everyone to learn more about her and read "The Women Men Don't See."

Seacrest ou...Paul out!

My BSG post (spoilers within)

Well, it was inevitable. It was only a matter of time until I finally came to this moment, but it's now, so get ready for it:

Battlestar Galactica is one of the best television shows to ever see light in the past twenty years. Simple as that. It's what space opera should be; engaging characters, an ever building air of tension, strong storylines, marvelous editing, special effects that actually look good, and creepy-as-hell-sex-fiendish-broken-robots!



Season One, now thinking back to it, was quite tame, but it was a strong season, mainly due to the marvelous four-hour miniseries that launched the show to new popularity. The question of who might be a Cylon and who might not be was always on the forefront of my mind as I watched the show. It was enticing, making each episode more and more nervous to watch. And the season finale...near perfect. We'd spent a whole season following Sharon around, hoping she wasn't what she feared she was. We grew to like her as a character, to be sympathetic to her actions, and then BAM! she goes and shoots Adama. Triggered. Like that. Amazing.



Season Two, was a mixed bag. The first half...great. So much chaos; Sharon being a Cylon, the search for Earth, Pegasus showing up, and more. Everything was moving at a good pace with the acting getting better and better each episode. Then the next half was all right. The wait inbetween was enough to annoy me but then the producers decided to kill off Billy (Billy! You were great!) so that Apollo and Dee could fall in love. Blah. The season finale, which set things up for what's happening now, was good. I was impressed that Ron Moore wasn't afraid to take the show in a whole new direction. Granted, some episodes of Season Two--along with some certain deaths and actions--felt like filler. And for a show this amazing, that is not acceptable.

Season Three, so far has blown my mind. Let's ignore the use of mirroring the War On Terror for a moment and look at what the show is doing. It's getting back to basics, getting folks off New Caprica, and making another run from the Cylons. We've got whole new relationships and the Cylons are more than just machines. Xena is even...I mean whatever number she is...is looking for love. There's torture, betrayal, and sacrifices. And it's only been four episodes so far. I'm hooked. I can't wait to see how the show plays out over the rest of the season.



Frakking amazing. So say we all.

Crossover review

Check out my review for Joel Shepherd's Crossover! It's a fun sci-fi thriller easily akin to that of Ghost in the Shell. Very enjoyable.

Phantom of the Review!

Check out my review of Phantom, #0 edited by Nick Mamatas!

Review for the kingdom!

Check out my review of Cherie Priest's Wings to the Kingdom! It'll be out come mid-October, just in time for the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween. Definitely worth the bucks.

Lake sale!

154-day sale to The Blue Lady for my short story "Love Under the Lake," which is scheduled to appear in issue #2. This is my second horror story dealing with creepy lake things and I'm happy to see it find a home.

Hocuses, powers, and wards, oh my!

I love debuts. Love, love, love, love them. In 2006 so far, I've read a good share of author debuts (Crystal Rain by Tobias S. Buckell, Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest, According to Crow by E. Sedia, Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi, and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow to name a few) and have enjoyed just about each and every one of them. Mélusine by Sarah Monette is no different.

It takes place in the city of the novel's namesake, a sprawling mass of buildings and districts, each with their own brood of inhabitants and creatures. The narration is divided between two distinctly different characters; Mildmay the Fox, a kept-thief and one sarcastic but witty man, and Felix Harrowgate, a nobleman and hocus with a dark past. They both lead seperate lives but once the Virtu, a monument of extreme importance to the city and its magicians, is broken, Mildmay and Felix will have to flee the city. Inevitably, they will meet up. But can they help each other or will their pasts hinder the cause?

Mélusine is a bit slow at first, chugging through the usual standards of welcoming the reader into the city, showing off its buildings rich with history and dropping hints of the weird and off-beat. Mildmay's chapters started out right with a bit of thieving and running around and some light flirting. Felix, well, his chapters were interesting, yes, but I found them harder to get through. Each are told from first person perspective, and I was happy to see that their voices were unique enough to seperate the two as characters. Probably one of the big reasons I enjoyed Mildmay more is that he likes to curse. A lot. Kethe, that's just great.

The book picks up the pace midway through and by then it's smooth sailing. Er, well, not for the characters. Hard times are ahead and as they begin to learn more and more about each other it becomes apparent why they need to stick together. There are other members of the cast, but they eventually get left behind and many never seem to have a real importance in the book except to help Mildmay/Felix from one place to the other. Hopefully, The Virtu will dive more into the relationship of Felix and Lord Shannon. And Malkar. Oh, he was a nasty brute but we don't see him for much of the book.

My favorite aspect of Mélusine is Monette's manipulation of its language. Kethe, powers, hocus, and more. The word "magic" is actually seldom used. The worldbuilding within is masterful, and you can tell the city is brimming with history. Everything felt natural, and it certainly showed that Monette knows her world well. Granted, I didn't completely understand her calendar/time system on the first go, but she has posted an interesting explanation of how it works.

Anyways, it's out in mass market paperback now so there is absolutely no reason not to check it out. The Virtu is out in hardback, and two more novels set in the same world are planned to be released in the future.

Blog celebration

Hey! I started this blog in October 2005! Now it's October 2006! I'll leave the rest for you intellects to figure out. Huzzah!

Coming up soon

November is just about a month away from us. That means NaNoWriMo is beginning to rear its writerly head. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'll participate this year.

I did it last year and quite enjoyed myself, winning two days before the month ended. This was also all done during a new job acquisition and location move. The novel is The Periwinkle Prince and it will never be shown to a single human being (hopefully). It ended up just over 54K and still would need another 30K before coming to a close. I doubt I'll ever finish it. But the writing of it was good practice, and I think if I were to do it this year I'd be able to do even better. I say this only for the fact that I feel like my writing skills are much better than they were a year ago. It's a learn-by-trial sort of thing.

And I have plenty of novels started that could use a burst of inspiration, and nothing gets the mind working faster than a solid deadline. If I were to do NaNoWriMo again, I'd either pick the space opera novel Summersong or the urban fantasy Waterways to do. Both working titles, of course.

The thing that I'd be most worried about is, of course, time. Between a full-time job, two reviewing gigs, short story writing, some editing projects, and the newly started Greenhorn, I wonder if I'll be able to manage the 1,000 or so words a day needed to complete the task. Chances are though that I'm going to be cutting back on my reviews tremondously...almost to the point of maybe one review now and then. I'll still be reading, but I guess I can't form an opinion on everything.

So I think I might do some light outlining for the novels, and if one really holds my attention then I'll have to decide if I'm going to participate or not. Anyone else in the blogosphere planning to do NaNoWriMo this year?

"The Black"

For all you Serenity fans out there (and this is including me), you must check out Bill Mudron's "The Black", a touching and marvelously drawn comic about a young Mal Reynolds. There are a couple other comics to read on the site based in Joss Whedon's world, but I urge you to read Mudron's take on it. It's worth your time. Really, go now. Shoo.

Dreams and Visions review!

Check out my review of Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy, an anthology of YA fantasy stories edited by M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss!

Greenhorn comic!

Finally, it's official and live and all that hoopla. My friend Damon (from FantasyBookSpot) and I have put together a book-related webcomic called Greenhorn. The first comic is up, and here's the link:

http://www.greenhorncomic.com

The story so far (or better yet, the story that's always been)...in Greenhorn, we have a group of several friends deeply involved in conventions, fandom, and all things book-related. Some folks get along better than others; the Purple Ninja has an extreme hate for anyone that doesn't like what he/she likes, no one wants to be around Con Kid, and everyone questions Molly on a daily basis about her reasoning for still hanging out with such a group of dorks. Also, there's some live action role-playing going on. What could go wrong?

Enjoy, and let us know what you think!

Icy dragon review!

Check out my review of George R.R. Martin's The Ice Dragon, his children's story debut. It has some lovely illustrations in it and is bound to hook young readers from the start. It'll be out in October, I believe.

Back Roads, #1

Well, the first issue of Back Roads is out. This contains my short story "Never Order the Midnight Special" along with T.L. Morganfield's "The Wonder Tower." Toss in a Lovecraft reprint and you've got a zine of moody rural horror. So order a copy and enjoy!

P.S. I absolutely love this cover.

What's happening

Well, let's see what's been happening lately. I've read some books and been writing reviews for a couple of them. I've finished The Light Ages by Ian R. MacLeod, Dreams and Visions edited by M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss, The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin, and Wings to the Kingdom by Cherie Priest. Expect to see some reviews for those popping up soon.

I've started reading Melusine by Sarah Monette, which is a bit slow so far but still interesting. I already know that I'm going to enjoy Mildmay's chapters way more than Felix. Felix is a bit too whiny for me, and I always have a soft spot for the deeply complicated thief character. And whenever I get around to it I'll finish up the crapfest that is David and Leigh Eddings latest. Complete and total crapfest.

I've also been doing a lot of work on a secret project Damon and I are creating together. It's a bit time consuming, but I think it'll be worth it. We plan to reveal the whole special thang sometime next week. Stay tuned for further updates.

Writing-wise, I've finished a couple stories here and there. I'm trying to finish up my contest entry for the Apex Halloween Contest, and the deadline is October 15. Shouldn't be too hard to finish. I just need to sit down and figure out what is going on in my story.

And I bought Killzone for PS2 since it was a $20 Greatest Hits game. Waste of money. The enemy AI is dumb and the ally AI is even more dumb. Blargh. That annoys me; I should have just gone for Ratchet: Deadlocked instead. At least I know that game will challenge me in a good way. Oh well, maybe next month.

Shameless promotion!

My horror story "Curling Tendrils of Love," which won second place in a contest a couple months back and will be appearing in an anthology to debut in 2007, has been published on the new blog of Apex Publications. Check it out!

Contest plug

Like contests? Like Halloween? How about alien witchcraft?

If so, go and check out the contest being held at Apex Digest:



Get to it!

How I write

So there's been this how-I-write-a-novel meme going around the blogosphere lately (see here, here, here, and here). Unfortunately, I don't write novels. Not yet, at least. I've started some. Well, lots actually. But here's my take on the process, using short fiction as my medium.

1. Something to write on/type in (I prefer typing in Word because my handwriting is akin to that of a fourth grader.)
2. Story's title (It doesn't have to be anything great. It could be "The Far Moons of Summer's Eyes" or "On This Cloudy Day" or "The Sentry's Mark" or "Talking Cat Story." I just need a name as it helps me focus on the story. I can always change the name later if the story goes too far away from it. Most often though the name sticks and I work my story around it instead.)
3. Contemplate the idea (What if? Maybe they? Who did it? What's going on? What's the point?)
4. Write the opening scene (This is probably my favorite step. Not that I enjoy hooks when I read novels, but writing them can be fun.)
5. Scribble down notes at the bottom of the file: possible scenes, character names, grocery list, a couple of curse words
6. Write some more (This part is tedious.)
7. Contemplate the ending (I hate endings. Absolutely hate them. Most of the time I just want to write, "And then they had makeup sex and the evil robots exploded from jealousy. THE END.")
8. Look up better words in dictionary/thesaurus to replace the crappy ones I used as placeholders
9. Finish the story (Hah!)
10. Quick pass on the first draft (This is more for grammar. I'll let the first readers tell me stuff about plot holes.)
11. Hand off to first readers (Those poor souls.)
12. Second round of editing per comments from first readers (Sometimes this involves a lot of head hitting desk action, but that's all right. It gets the job done.)
13. A third read of the story
14. Possibly change its title
15. Market research (Ralan.com is the best.)
16. Format according to the proper guidelines and submit to the godly editors who will smite me for writing about yet another talking cat (Fingers crossed at this point.)
17. Forget about the story, go have something to eat, and begin the process all over again (Woo.)

And that is how it is done, most of the time. Occasionally, mainly with flash pieces, I just write nonstop, straight from the brain, and submit. Maybe that's a good thing. I've sold mostly flash fiction recently. But hopefully I'll get around to finishing Summersong one day and I'll let you know how I write a novel (at least one I'm proud of). I'm sure it involves a lot more crying.

Sale to Apex!

51-day sale to Apex Digest for my flash piece entitled "Sonorous," which is slated for publication in issue nine! Very excited about this one. :)

In other news, my list of stories I'd like to write is getting longer and the actual amount of stories being written is fairly low. This is because of a secret project I've been working on, which, hopefully in a few weeks, I'll be able to reveal to you all.

Big Bone

Well, I caved. Just placed an order at Amazon for Jeff Smith's Bone: One Volume Edition. Figured it's definitely worth the price. Um, that's a lot of Bone. ::cough cough::

Corporate review!

Check out my review of The Clan Corporate by Charles Stross!

Hooray for sales!

Just learned that my piece of horror entitled "The Feet Eaters" sold to Aberrant Dreams for publication sometime in 2007. I'm very happy about this one as I've always enjoyed AD's stories, and this tale of creepy turtles and things under lakes is a personal favorite of mine.

Blog banner

I've updated the above banner. I originally stole--I mean, borrowed--it from the Slush God, but most of the ones on it were either dead (SCIFICTION and Fortean Bureau) or zines I've actually never read (Asimov's [don't be too shocked] and Weird Tales).

It now has covers and links to magazines that I either 1) am in/forthcoming in or 2) really enjoy. Yes, I'm not in Black Gate, but that magazine's too awesome not to put up there.

So see? I'm sharing the love with lots of linkage. Hopefully I'll make a trillion more sales and can just have an entire blog's worth of magazine covers...

The Fortress of Glass

Check out my review of David Drake's The Fortress of Glass, his latest offering in the Lord of the Isles series!

Books not for review

Not every book I read gets reviewed. Sometimes it's nice to just read something, put it back on the shelf, and move on to another item. Here are some of those books:

• Map of Bones by James Rollins
• The Light Ages by Ian R. MacLeod
• Mélusine by Sarah Monette
• Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

In actual reviewing news, I hope to have some things written up for the latest books by David Drake, Charles Stross, and David Eddings. I finished my review of Jigsaw Nation (very good!) the other day and submitted it to SFReader. It's a bit long, but hopefully they'll take it...

Lord of the Reviews

Check out my review for The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke! It's a fun YA novel set in Venice and contains some of the most distinct characters I've experienced so far. Inkheart is another great book by Funke, and pretty soon I'll be starting its sequel, Inkspell.

Night Fairies

My piece of flash fiction entitled "Night Fairies" is now up at AlienSkin Magazine for their August/September 2006 issue. I enjoy the accompanying piece of artwork, if only for how much it doesn't match up with the story. So check it out!

Heliotrope debut!

My good friends at FantasyBookSpot, Damon, Dacco, and Jay, have just revealed the title and first issue of their e-zine. It's called Heliotrope, and boy does it pack a punch.

Articles by Jeff VanderMeer and R. Scott Bakker, short fiction, amazing artwork, and several reviews. Surely, this is just the start of a great e-zine. So read up (it's free), tell them your thoughts on it--and if you're feeling generous--give them a donation. This is a work of labor and love. Great job, guys!

Book meme

Here's a book meme I wasn't tagged to do but am going to fill out regardless:

1. One book that changed your life?
I'm going to have to go with Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I read this shortly after the movie came out (somewhere back in 1995) and was blown away by how much better the book was than the movie. I was young then, and really had no idea how to discern if something was good or bad or just plain mediocre. I did know, however, was that Jurassic Park was fun to read. It got my imagination all spinning like a top. That's a book that really fueled me forward to devour book after book after book...

2. One book you have read more than once?
This is an easy one to answer: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. To date, I'm sure I've read it at least five times. It's a standalone novel from the Discworld series, and features two of my favorite characters ever. There's Om, the short-tempered god stuck in the body of a one-eyed turtle, and Brutha, dumb but oh so likeable.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
I guesss I'd want something deeply involving. Maybe Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.

4. One book that made you laugh?
I'm going to have to go with Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Possibly one of the funniest collabs to date, the apocalypse has never been more of a joy to read.

5. One book that made you cry?
A Separate Peace by John Knowles, and that's all I'm saying about the matter.

6. One book you wish had been written?
Hmmmm...tough one. How about Paul and the Great Sushi Avalanche?

7. One book you wish had never been written?
The entire Wheel of Time series. There, I said it.

8. One book you are currently reading?
Currently, I'm working on The Clan Corporate by Charles Stross. Quite good so far.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
When I find the time (and actually buy the book) I'd like to read Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. Dragons, dragons, dragons.

10. Now tag five people.
You, him, you, you, and her.

DKA review!

My review of Issue 33 of Dragons, Knights, & Angels is now up on Tangent Online. Feel free to check it out!

Shimmery Summer!

The latest issue of Shimmer is out and you all should buy, buy, buy, buy it. My story "Always Greener" is in it. Here's the gorgeous cover:

Fourth sale of the month!

Back Roads has decided to buy my short story of bad diner food and coyotes, "Never Order the Midnight Special," for either their September debut or December issue.

Hooray! So far, July's been a great month in the sales department. And there's still six days left to go...

Berserking review!

Check out my review of Fred Saberhagen's The Berserker Throne, which, thanks to the wonderful visionaries of Baen's Free Library, I got to enjoy for no cost whatsoever.

Saleee!

After several blah form rejections, a 24-day SALE to AlienSkin Magazine for a piece of flash fiction titled "Night Fairies." It'll be appearing in their August/September 2006 issue.

Shadowy review!

Check out my review of Dan Mishkin's and Tom Mandrake's The Forest King: Woodlark's Shadow!

Absolutely a review!

Check out my review of Absolute Uncertainty: Short Fiction by Lucy Sussex! There's Nazi Germany, Philip K. Dick, and the reincarnated Duchess of Newcastle. Good stuff...

Hey, ladies!

Check out my review of Barbara Hambly's The Ladies of Mandrigyn!

Great news!

Got some belated birthday presents:

- My story "Curling Tendrils of Love" got second place in the RLD/Apex contest, which means it will be forthcoming in Apex Online and a print anthology that will debut at World Horror Convention 2007 in Toronto.

- My story "To Make a Friend" sold to Dark Jesters for their debut issue in October 2006.

Happy, happy writer here!

The big 2-3

It's me birthday.

Now, would any nice editors like to give me the greatest gift of all time and buy one of my stories? ::wink wink::

New mags to read!

Look! I got some new magazines in the mail today:

Definitely have to squeeze these into my reading schedule soon.

The Sword Review, uh, review!

Check out my review of The Sword Review, #14, May 2006!

Blackbirds review!

Check out my review of Cherie Priest's Four and Twenty Blackbirds, a fantastic piece of Southern horror!

Yay!

Tangent Online has posted a really nice review of Shimmer, #3, Spring 2006.

Here is what Jason Sizemore kindly said of my story:

"The Dealer's Hands" by Paul Abbamondi is a short and effective piece of horror. Two friends buy plastic molds of people's hands from a mysterious dealer out of a barn. Any experienced reader of horror can tell you this isn't a good idea. Tragedy ensues, and Abbamondi has written a nice climax that leaves the reader slightly horrified by what they have just experienced.

I am a pleased writerly fellow.

Upcoming reviews!

Another update on what I'll be reviewing soon! Of course, not in this order.

• The Sword Review, May 2006 issue
• Absolute Uncertainty by Lucy Sussex
• The Fortress of Glass by David Drake
• Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
• Dreams and Visions edited by M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss
• Jigsaw Nation edited by Edward J. McFadden and E. Sedia
• Dark Days by Steve Niles
• Ending an Ending by Danny Birt
• The Forest King: Woodlark's Shadow by Dan Mishkin & Tom Mandrake
• The Flock by James Robert Smith

Whew, lots to read!

Monkeeeeeey!

Forget snakes on a plane. I'm here to talk about gorillas on a spaceship.



Tim Eldred's Grease Monkey is a bold entry in the graphic novel world, taking leaps and bounds where others might simply hop or skip, worried they might knock over something or make a mess or have the entire fandom cult hate them. Grease Monkey bolts forward, forgetting anything it ever knew about stereotypes, cliches, and overly-done plotlines.

On the focal point space station, Fist of Earth, our two main characters meet for the first time: there's Robin Plotnik, a young lad, enlisted as an assistant mechanic for his term, and then there's the true heart of the story, "Mac" McGimben, an intellectually-enhanced gorilla who is also the lead mechanic for the all female fight squadron known as the Barbarians. The rest of the cast--the love interests, the strict superiors, and the backstabbers--is rounded out over the course of twenty-five episodes. The prospect of war lingers in the background, and on the Fist of Earth fighter pilots train rigorously. It is during these stressful times that Robin and Mac experience life...

One of my favorite aspects of Grease Monkey is that there are no "look-at-me-I'm-a-hero" heroes or "look-at-my-frown-I'm-a-villain" villains. Not even the superenhanced simians are anything special. They're just on par with the human pilots and so forth. That's not to say that some characters will not act heroic or do some bad things, but it's nice that not everyone is so cut and dry.

Eldred's writing and artistic style flow seamlessly as one, and though at times I found some of the writing to be more compelling than the art, it never once became a problem. The panels are drawn in what I can only describe as an older-styled theme, which, when you realize this piece of genius has been in the works since the early 1990s, makes sense. It seems that nowadays everything is all about the art and special effects; it's a relief to see a product so deep with history and characters and plot and humor, without it relying on the artwork to carry it on through. Granted, the art is spectacular, but there's just so much more to appreciate within Grease Monkey's pages.

Some of my favorite episodes were all four parts of "Rewards," a circular look into the loving relationships of Mac and Admiral Stettler, and Robin and Kara. Eldred commented in his historical notes that Robin is based a lot on him and his experiences, including his love life. Other strong episodes were "Election Day," a surprising look into interstellar politics, and "Art Lovers," the introduction to everything Grease Monkey.

For fans of behind-the-scenes extras, the graphic novel also comes stuffed with liner notes, a brief history of Grease Monkey (dating back to the early 1990s), and some preliminary sketches. Tim Eldred is open and honest, which makes learning about the evolution of a monkey mechanic all the more interesting.

No number rating system. No this deserves a 1,204 out of 10. Or this is an A+++ (which it is). Like the monkey's shirt says--this is No Crap. Just buy the damn book, sit back, and enjoy the experience!

---

For those interested, FantasyBookSpot is holding a contest to win a copy of Grease Monkey AND a personalized sketch to go along with it! Yee-haw, is right!

Mmm hammer...

Check out my review of Elizabeth Bear's Hammered!

Locus Awards Winners

Check out the winners of the Locus Awards! Go Gaiman, Stross, and Bear! Well deserved!

People selling books!

So FYI, it seems like June is the month to sell books. Here's what has been going on in the publishing biz lately:

- Tim Pratt sells two novels, Blood Engines and Ferocious Dreamers, to Bantam Spectra!
- Paul Melko sells his novel Singularity's Ring to TOR!
- Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette sell their novel A Companion to Wolves to TOR!
- Tansy Rayner Roberts sells her novel Seacastle, which is part of a YA shared world, to ABC Books!

Am I missing any? Let me know!

Another contest, no lie!

Did you not win the first Scott Lynch contest at FBS? You know, the one where you could get a free signed copy of his eagerly-awaited debut The Lies of Locke Lamora?



Well, pout no more! Second chances are your best friend.

Head over to FantasyBookSpot and read about the latest contest for July where you could win another copy of the book. And all you have to do is send a private message to Jay. Hot dang is right!

Royal review!

Check out my review of Split Heirs by Lawrence Watt-Evans and Esther M. Friesner! This was a book I got at a local library sale. It's a fun, light-hearted medieval romp complete with Shakespearian gender confusion!

Martin interview!

In case you weren't aware, Jay Tomio has an interview with George R.R. Martin up on FantasyBookSpot.com. Check it out, I say!

Timeweb review!

Check out my review of Brian Herbert's
Timeweb (Book One of the Timeweb Chronicles)!

Books to buy

I made a list. This list says that I'm not allowed to buy any other books until I buy all the books on said list. I will obey it. In fact, I must or else chaos will destroy all that is sacred and holy in my life.

Books to buy

• Sarah Monette - Melusine
• Cherie Priest - Four and Twenty Blackbirds
• Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere
• John Scalzi - Old Man's War
• Scott Lynch - The Lies of Locke Lamora
• Cory Doctorow - Standard Eastern Tribe
• Jim Hines - GoblinQuest
• Matthew Hughes - Black Brillion

Also, I'm not allowed to add to this list until all books have been crossed off. This is me, live, disciplining myself for you all to see.

Dreaming review

Check out my review for Matthew G. McMillan's
The Dreamer!

"Chance on Catella"

My science fiction short story "Chance on Catella" is now live on AlienSkin Magazine's site. It's part of their June/July 2006 issue. Here's the link to it:

http://www.alienskinmag.com/ficsf2.htm

Enjoy! It'll be up for two months! Also, if you search around the Interrogation Room link, you'll find my answer to the question of "What makes a good story title?"

Books I never finished

An interesting post at FantasyBookSpot about books you've started but never finished got me thinking. Skimming my bookshelves, I noticed I had a couple on there. Here they are, and I'll try to justify why I never finished them:

• Year Zero by Jeff Long (got about midway through it, but the plot kind of petered out so I lost interest. I will say that I loved The Descent though)
• The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks (can't remember why I didn't finish it)
• Elixir by Gary Braver (kind of boring)
• Northshore (Volume 1 of The Awakeners) by Sheri S. Tepper (I actually enjoyed this from what I remember, but I think other more interesting books came along)
• The Eternity Artifact by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. (good plot? no. sympathetic characters? nu-huh. keep reading? nope.)
• The Heat Seekers by Katherine Ramsland (hated the writing style of it after three chapters)

I'm sure there are more than this though. I'll have to look later on.

Let me know about any books you started, but never finished! I'm curious as to why!

Aberrant Dreams, #7

Check out my review of Aberrant Dreams, #7, Spring 2006! It's a good issue, with some humor and horror stories really standing out! Plus, free to read online! :)

Dead Letters, 2.2

The newest issue of Dead Letters is now available. This issue contains my zombie story titled "With the Dead, Change is Inevitable."



Check it out!

Upcoming reviews...

Well, it's about that time again (What time? you ask. What are you even writing about?). The time when I make a list of what reviews I'll be doing soon. Duh. And hopefully in this order.

• Aberrant Dreams, #7, Spring 2006
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Timeweb by Brian Herbert
• Ending an Ending by Danny Birt
• The Dreamer by Matthew G. McMillan
• The Forest King: Woodlark's Shadow by Dan Mishkin & Tom Mandrake
• Hammered by Elizabeth Bear
• The Flock by James Robert Smith

Also, if I ever get unlazy enough I'd like to write up some comic book reviews and movie reviews. We'll see. I am lazy though. Well, not that lazy.

Coming out at the beginning of June will be my story "Chance on Catella" in AlienSkin Magazine. I shall have a link for you all soon enough, don't you worry yourselves too much.

Other than that, still writing away and waiting for the slush gods to take pity upon me and accept the virgin sacrifices I offer in return for world domination and a few more print publications. So say we all...

Fiery review!

Check out my review of Heir to Fire: Gila Flats by Rob Worley and Mike Dubisch!

Shimmer Spring 2006!

The newest issue of Shimmer is out now, and contains my very first fiction sale, "The Dealer's Hands," which you all should check out!

Very excited for my contrib. copy to arrive!

Stormy review!

Check out my review of David Niall Wilson's The Mote in Andrea's Eye!

Reflection...

It seems the slush gods have been quiet as of late. I shall say a prayer, and know that now that I've posted this they will destroy my hopes and dreams with forms and semi-personal rejections in the next few days.

Ah, the life of a writer. Slow, quiet, and filled with enough anxiety to belittle a classroom of kids with ADD.

That's all for now. I'll have some new reviews coming up soon of David Niall Wilson's The Mote in Andrea's Eye, Brian Herbert's Timeweb, and a couple of YA fantasy books. Stay tuned!

The Sword Review, uh, review!

Check out my review of The Sword Review, Issue 13, April 2006!

Hypergalactic review!

Check out my review of What I Did on my Hypergalactic Interstellar Summer Vacation by Adam Beechen and Dan Hipp!

Rumored review!

Check out my review of 30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte! Yay for vampires!

What a thing, a Farthing!

Check out my latest review of Farthing, Issue 2! It's a great publication with a wide variety of stories to be enjoyed. What are you waiting for? Get reading!

We're off to see the Wizard...

Over the weekend I swung by a yard sale and was happy to find a couple copies of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Four of them are the Del Rey editions, which aren't too bad looking, but one of them is much, much older. It's Ozma of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1907):



It's not in the greatest condition, but its copyright is 1907. Yes, 1907. In one more year, it'll be 100 years old. Well, not the book itself as I think it was published in the 60s, but the idea...that'll be 100 years old. Crazy. And I got is for .50 cents. I happen to think that's pretty darn cool.

Now I have to go and fish out my copy of The Wizard of Oz that I've had since I was maybe twelve or thirteen.

Magical review!

Check out my review of Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom!

Star-tastic review!

Check out my review of John Scalzi's Agent to the Stars!

Review time!

Check out my review of E. Sedia's According to Crow! You'll be glad you did!

Glorius contests!

Hey, you. Yeah, you. D'you like contests? Wanna enter one? How about two? Come on, kid, everybody's doing it these days. It's not gonna kill you.

You could possibly win autographed copies of Vellum by Hal Duncan and signed copies of His Majesty's Dragon and Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik.

Pretty sweet deal, right? So, what d'ya say? Feelin' lucky?

Get to it!

Shimmer cover!

This has already been posted on my LJ, but I wanted it here as well.

Check out the cover of Shimmer's Spring 2006 issue!



It's got my name on it. Woo hoo!

New review up!

Check out my review for
The Sword Review, Issue 12, March 2006!

Woo, another one!

Just made an 87-day sale of my story "Chance on Catella" to AlienSkin Magazine for their June/July 2006 issue! Happy happy joy joy...

I wrote this story after reading a ton of Lovecraft though I doubt anyone will see a connection. It is a symbolic piece of dark science fiction. I like all things dark...

Story sale!

My Romero-esque zombie story, "With the Dead, Change is Inevitable", sold to Dead Letters for their 2.2 issue!

Woop woop!

Updated review queue!

All right, kiddies...here's an update on my review queue!

1. The Sword Review, Issue 12, March 2006 (will be posted this weekend)
2. David Drake's Surface Action (will be posted this weekend)
3. Hugh Cook's The Wishstone and the Wonderworkers
4. Cat Collins's Sleeping Dragons
5. Dan Simmons's The Fall of Hyperion

More books are being sent via FBS and those will be added to the list as they arrive. Plus, I also have Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom coming soon along with the fact that E. Sedia just contacted me and is sending me a copy of According to Crow to review. Woo hoo!!!

I'm a happy book-reading boy.

Uh oh...Amazon.com!

Well, I did it tonight. I created an account on Amazon and ordered some books. I got Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and two S&S collections from Pitch-Black.

Eep! This could get dangerous real fast, but I think I can control myself. So many books though...blargh...

Oh, and for those not aware, I have a personal website in the works. Check it out:

http://www.sfreader.com/authors/PaulAbbamondi/