Monday, 30 March 2009

Pantechnicon #9 Out Now

... containing stories by two members of the group: 'This Place Sucks' by Steven Poore and 'The Amber Room' by Ian Sales.

At present, the stories are on the web site. A PDF copy of the issue should be made available soon.

Two Anthology Calls for Submission

Ahmed A Khan is looking for submissions to two sf anthologies, one of which is aimed at ten to twelve year olds.

Cheer Up, Universe: "For this anthology, I am seeking ORIGINAL speculative fiction stories (both SF and Fantasy) that make us feel good." Payment: one cent per word up to $15. Deadline: 30 June 2009.

Fun Times in Andromeda: "I am looking for speculative stories aimed at pre-teens. Target readers: precocious kids between the ages of 10-12. The anthology will be fully illustrated." Deadline: 30 June 2009.

See here for details on both anthologies.

Ahmed A Khan has previously co-edited A Mosque Among the Stars.

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

alt.fiction 2009 cancelled

Alt.fiction, the science fiction, fantasy and horror writing convention based in Derby has apparently succumbed to the credit crunch. It should return in 2010.

Call for Submissions - Destination: Future anthology

Hadley Rille Books are looking for submissions for a new anthology, Destination: Future, to be edited by ZS Adani and Eric T Reynolds and published in 2010.

They want "science fiction stories, particularly Hard SF, Space Opera, Alien Worlds, Alien Encounter Beyond Earth, Exploration and Quest stories". Length 3,000 to 6,000 words. Payment 3 cents per word.

Submission period: 1 March 2009 to 30 June 2009.

Electronic submissions - attached. doc or .rtf - only to submissions.future[at]gmail[dot]com. Put DESTINATION FUTURE in the subject line.

More details here.

Wednesday, 25 February 2009

Chimeraworld 6 Open for Submissions

The editor is looking for...

"I want stories depicting THE WORLD AFTER THE COMING REVOLUTION, as mankind returns to a life stripped of Capitalism and Mass Media Propaganda. Is this a worse or a better world, without the Google-fuelled glare of the bankers dictating every move you make? I want insane stories about a travelling life, a journey through real freedom. I want uncensored stories about chaos, uncertainty and anarchy. I want enlightening stories about how the world deals with no money, no banks and no business loans."

Word count 2,000 – 4,000 words, strict. Rich Text Format only. Font: Times Roman, 12 point, single space. Add postal address, email and word count to first page. Add 50–100 word bio after THE END.

Payment is £10.00UK (approx $20.00US).

Electronic submissions only to m.i.k.e.@m.i.k.e.philbin.com (remove the dots in m.i.k.e.).

Chimeraworld #6 (new world disorder) will be published by Chimericana Books, late 2009 in American format 6" by 9" trade paperback.

Sunday, 1 February 2009

Story Reviews

Three reviews of Jupiter #23 are now online:

Annie at Random Thoughts on what I Read - see here.

SFCrowsnest February 2009 issue - see here.

SFRevu February 2009 issue - see here.

Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Concept Sci-Fi Short Story Competition

Concept Sci-Fi magazine has launched its first annual short story competition. Prize is £100, plus assorted "goodies" from sf author and competition judge Sean Williams. Entry fee is £3.50, and all short-listed entries will be published in a special edition of the magazine. Deadline is 15th June 2009. All entries must "conform to the following theme":

Frank Zappa once said that everything in the universe is part of one great big note. He wasn't far wrong. There's music in the earth's core, in the sun's atmosphere, even in the roiling fire of the Big Bang. There's music in our interior lives too, in the stories we tell. "Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable", according to Leonard Bernstein, which makes it a perfect tool in the writing of space opera--my true but not my only love.

Way back in the late 1980s, I had to choose between two lives: one writing words and another writing notes. In an alternate universe, there's a version of me beavering away at a new symphony, or the score to a Hollywood movie. Here, the closest I get is putting Gary Numan lyrics in the mouths of my characters, and dreaming.

Dream for me. Tell me the note that ripples through spacetime in the wake of an ftl cruiser. Convey to me the songs that alien cephalopods whistle in their jovian soup. Give me the music of the spheres as you hear it. When the echoes fade, we'll all be richer for it.

See here for more details.