pbray

In film, Alfred Hitchcock is known for his signature cameo appearances. In fiction, Patricia Bray is known for including goats. Goats creep into her stories like secret punctuation marks, leaving tiny cloven hoofprints among the pages. Some call her obsessed, but Patricia has stumbled on a truth that few others know--the universe is made up of five elements, not four-- Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Goats. Now you can show your support for all things Caprid, by pledging $85 you'll receive a ZNB goat mascot autographed by Patricia, guaranteed to contain the secret knowledge known only to goats and their devotees.

Follow this link to learn more about ZNB's latest Kickstarter: Robots, Water, Death, and to make your pledge in order to receive your very own goat mascot.

Zombies Need Brains publishing has just launched their new Kickstarter looking to create not one but two original anthologies featuring an outstanding lineup of authors.

This project will fund TWO science fiction and fantasy anthologies, titled ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE-, each containing approximately 14 all-original (no reprint) short stories from established SF&F authors in the field—including Phyllis Ames, Jacey Bedford, Patricia Bray, David B. Coe, Walter H. Hunt, Faith Hunter, Gini Koch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, Juliet E. McKenna, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, and Jean Marie Ward. The books will be edited by Joshua Palmatier & Patricia Bray, both editors of the DAW Books anthologies “After Hours: Tales from the Ur-bar” and “The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity," and the Zombies Need Brains LLC anthologies "Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens" and “Temporally Out of Order.”

Follow the link here to learn more and see all the great rewards that have been lined up, including a Tuckerization in my WereGoat story.

You'd think this would be obvious, but recent evidence suggests not.

First, never assume that your cover letter is going to stay attached to your manuscript. This is especially true for electronic submissions, where your attached file may be downloaded and stored separately from the email. Always include your contact info on page 1 of the submission.

Second, always include page headers with the page number and either your name or the story title, preferably both. I received multiple submissions without page headers of any kind, and it was a freaking pain in the butt when the printer spit pages on the floor and two of those stories got mixed up. Not to mention that later I'll wind up adding page numbers to make it easier to discuss the story with my co-editor, e.g. "The scene that starts on page 4 is..." What makes it even more inexplicable is that these stories were submitted in Microsoft Word where adding page headers is a basic function.

Even stranger was the story where the author had forgotten to put their name anywhere in the manuscript. Just a bare title, no name, no contact info, presumably they assumed that I'd be happy to hunt back thru the emails to figure out who had sent it in.

Finally spell check is your friend. Proofreading is your friend. Take that extra hour for one last pass before you send your story in. And if you know you're terrible at catching your own mistakes, have someone else take a look at your work.

Remember, first impressions count. A poorly formatted story sends the signal that you can't be bothered with the details, and will be difficult to work with. Don't give the editor a reason to be cranky before she reads a single line of your story. Because if it comes down to a choice between two stories that are equally good, the editor is going to pick the one that didn't make her sigh with annoyance. Trust me on this one.

Team humans or Team Aliens? Team Patricia or Team Joshua? You have until Friday morning at 11:56 EDT to join our army of supporters by backing Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier. The anthology will include stories by Bradley Beaulieu, Caitlin Kittredge, Gini Koch, Scott Lynch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, Ian Tregillis, and others.

We've already reached the minimum funding level so the project is a go. Now we're on the bonus jeopardy rounds, with cool extra awards being unlocked. Make your pledge and reserve your copy now, and we'll add your name to the list of those who will be under our protection when the zombie hordes begin their rampage.

Yesterday afternoon the kickstarter crossed the 10K mark, which means Zombies Need Brains LLC's first anthology project CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS is a go!

We have two weeks left in the kickstarter, which means you still have a chance to preorder your copy. Any funds raised over the 10K threshold will be used to increase the payouts to the authors*, and improve the quality of the printed books (such as adding embossing, etc.). If we reach 20K we'll be offering a limited run hardcover edition.

We're totally psyched about this project. Steampunk and aliens, together at last! A collection of outstanding authors have already committed to the project: Bradley Beaulieu, Caitlin Kittredge, Gini Koch, Scott Lynch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, and Ian Tregillis, and we've invited a select group of extremely talented authors to submit stories to fill the remaining slots.

Visit our Kickstarter page here to learn more, and to preorder your copy. And be sure to check out the gorgeous cover art by Alex Broeckel.

* We're paying the authors 5 cents a word, which is a standard professional rate. For every 2.5K raised over the 10K, we'll be bumping it up.

Today's question to ponder-- if the Daleks invaded an Earth defended by Captain Nemo, would humanity survive? Nemo has the advantages of an undersea base, while the hive mind tells me that Daleks haven't been seen swimming since the Classic Who episode The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964). But the Daleks have shown the ability to assemble overwhelming armies....

[Poll #1925504]

Nemo is the original Steampunk antihero, so I'd like to think that humanity had a fighting chance. And Daleks even look Steampunk in appearance, so they'd fit right in the set of the old films. I'd like to see James Mason* facing off against them.

Alas, I can't bring you Nemo versus the Daleks. But I can offer up a collection of Steampunk vs Aliens stories for your reading enjoyment. Want to know if your favorite authors are on Team Humans or Team Aliens? Visit the Clockwork Universe kickstarter page to find out how you can help make this project a reality.

*James Mason played Captain Nemo in the 1954 film 20000 Leagues Under the Sea.

I took Friday off and headed over to the lakes, where sightseeing included mandatory stops at independent bookstores. Then yesterday I hit a couple of local bookstores for the sake of variety. In two days I've purchased more books than I've managed to read so far in 2013. Optimism, it's the new black.

Though in my defense, several of the books were debut novels by first time authors, and I'll generally buy any first book that looks at all interesting, as a gesture of support.

I love books. I love discovering new authors. I love reading science fiction and fantasy and mysteries and cold war spy thrillers and nautical fiction and books that are pretentiously shelved under Litfic. I'll wander over into horror and romance and westerns and read YA as much for my own enjoyment as I do to pickup recs for my nieces. The only thing better than discovering a great story is getting to share that story with others. ("You must read X! It's fabulous!")

Putting together an anthology combines so many of my favorite things. It's getting the chance to read great stories and to share them with others. It's the opportunity to work with a fantastic partner-in-crime jpsorrow and an outstanding group of authors. It's the battle of Team!Patricia versus Team!Joshua as we each strive to bring the very best stories to the table.

Now, with your help, we're getting to do it again. The CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: Steampunk vs Aliens anthology will have fourteen original stories by Bradley Beaulieu, Caitlin Kittredge, Gini Koch, Scott Lynch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, Ian Tregillis and others, brought to you by the newly launched small press Zombies Need Brains LLC. Team human versus team alien, dirigibles against spaceships, steam power versus lasers. Can't wait to read it? Then follow the kickstarter link above and help make this project a reality.

CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS is the first anthology being launched by Zombies Need Brains LLC, a small press founded by friend and frequent partner in crime Joshua Palmatier.

We've been talking about this project for months, so I'm thrilled to finally be able to share this with you. This is going to be an awesome anthology featuring an incredibly talented lineup of authors.

Visit the kickstarter webpage to find out more about the project, and how you can become a backer. As a special bonus for supporters we have a limited number of Tuckerizations available, and we expect these to sell out fast.

CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs. ALIENS. When aliens reach Earth, they encounter the clockwork mechanisms and Victorian sensibilities of a full-blown steampunk civilization. Inspired by the classic science fiction adventure tales of the nineteenth century, leading fantasy and science fiction authors will bring us tales of first contact with a twist, as steam power meets laser cannons . . . and dirigibles face off against flying saucers. Edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier, it will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each. The anthology will include short stories by: Bradley Beaulieu, Caitlin Kittredge, Gini Koch, Scott Lynch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, and Ian Tregillis, and others.

...reams of paper. And toner cartridges.

I'm doing the final read through on the MODERN FAE anthology, and I'm happy to report that I still enjoy the stories, even though I've read each of them at least a half-dozen times. This is the first time, however, that I'm reading the final version of the stories in the order that they'll appear in the book.

So far everything looks good. All the individual story files have already been copyedited, but now that they've been combined into a master document file, I need to check to make sure that everything looks good and there are no lingering formatting issues. Microsoft Word is really good about importing files from different wordprocessor formats...except, of course, when it's not.

If all goes well, we'll send in the final manuscript to Tekno tomorrow. Friday the 13th is a lucky day to deliver a book, right?

THE MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray is scheduled for a March 2012 release. And yes, Joshua and I are currently plotting out our next anthology collaboration.

Why do people go to science fiction conventions? So they can meet up with like-minded souls and hang out in bars, discussing deep thoughts. Occasionally, these conversations result in book ideas, and for once we actually wrote down the idea, polished it up...

and sold it to DAW.

I'm thrilled to announce that AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR, edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray, will be published by DAW Books.

The first bar, created by the Sumerians after they were given the gift of beer by the gods, was known as the Ur-Bar. Although it has since been destroyed, its spirit lives on--in each age there is one bar that captures the essence of the original Ur-Bar, where drinks are mixed with magic and served with a dash of intrigue. Heroes, villains, poets and thieves may be found within its walls; when the gods visit Earth they stop by the Ur-Bar for a drink.

The anthology is by invitation only, and the first round of invitations has already been sent out. We're hoping to put together an eclectic mix of stories, designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes. The book is due next summer, and best guess for release date is sometime in 2011.

I'm incredibly excited. This is an awesomely cool idea, and I'm going to get to work with great people. What could be better?