Short fiction treasures

[pbray]

In a strange fit of synchronicity, yesterday I was whining about how long it was taking for Say Magazine issue #5 to come via media mail, only to return home and find it in my mailbox.

At WFC I heard Janni Lee Simner janni read the opening of her story "Practical Villainy" and knew I needed to buy the magazine to find out how it ended. Alas by the time I managed to a) make it to the dealer's room and b) remember why I was there, they were sold out.

I attempted to order a copy from Project Pulp, but they were also sold out. Casting around, I checked with Neil at Clarkesworld Books clarkesworld, who didn't have it in stock but was gracious enough to point me to someone who did, so I was finally able to order a copy.

And then I waited. And waited. And remembered just why I detested media mail, in this age when priority mail is too slow and overnight is better.

Finally it came, and it was worth the wait. Janni's story was delightful--humorous and just when I thought I knew where she was going, she pulled another twist and took me by surprise.

And as a bonus the issue also included Larry Hammer lnhammer's "Paul Bunyan and the Photocopier" story. Larry has a wicked sense of humor, and he captured the language and rhythm of an old tall tale perfectly.

It's been years since I read short fiction regularly, or subscribed to one of the genre magazines. These two stories reminded me of just how much I'm missing. My TBR stack is overflowing, and in my Christmas shopping somehow I've acquired even more books that I may never have time to read, but it may be time to add some short fiction to the pile.

ETA: If anyone else is looking for a copy of SAY Magazine, you can find it via LCRW at http://www.lcrw.net/nonlcrwpages/fow/index.htm

Comments

[larryhammer]

Aw, shucks. She called my humor "wicked." That's the best thing anyone's said to me in a month.

---L.

[janni.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed the story, ahd honored you went to so much trouble to get it!

[janni.livejournal.com]

(and, not ahd; though ahd is an interesting-looking word)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! It is a most excellent story.

[larryhammer]

BTW, after reading A Most Suitable Duchess and The Wrong Mr. Wright as well as The Irish Earl and Lord Freddie's First Love, I see why you have reservations about, at least, Wrong. It's pleasant enough, but very slight, especially compared to the others. But Duchess is as good as the earlier two (and has a the best resolution scene -- the others' all seem rushed, as if trying to push the emotional arcs shut too quickly instead of letting them (un)fold to a close).

I can understand liking Freddie the most -- the first two-thirds are excellent, though I had problems with the plotting of the last part.

Now to see if I can scrounge up the rest.

---L.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

There's something to be said for working out your craft issues in one genre and then moving to a different one.

One of the things that frustrated me about writing for Zebra is that my original editor was very good, but when I was reassigned to a different editor (a very junior editor) our styles were incompatible. For the last two books I did with her there was no feedback and I didn't even see the copy-edits, just the galley pages.

[larryhammer]

Much to be said for it.

No CE? Ouch!

---L.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

No CE, and most of the galley changes I made were never input. Led to interesting issues with capitalization of titles in one of the books, for which I received a scolding letter from someone who assumed that the mistakes were mine rather than the result of a CE's misinformed "corrections".

But really, it could have been worse. Zebra is also the home of the infamous romance where the editor rewrote the manuscript to change a minor character into a raccoon, and since the author never saw the CE's, by the time she realized what had happened it was too late.

[larryhammer]

I saw the capitalization, and attributed it shoddy production values. To which I also attributed a mention of "Sir Walter Scott" before he was baronetted.

Raccoon? Talk about dehumanizing effects of the publication process ...

---L.