Daniel Swenson hits a panel of high powered fans (Robert J. Defendi, R. A. Baxter, Nathan Croft, and yours truly) with some of the hardest questions to plague sci-fi fans for decades. It felt like a convention panel gone off the rails!
http://www.dungeoncrawlersradio.com/episodes/episode-sticks-and-stones-or-is-that-blasters
Also, Immortal Works just opened an imprint with a new logo! What do you think?
I think that title says it all. I just did a fun podcast interview with Daniel Swenson. If you want to here more about Immortal Works Press, listen to the podcast at:
http://www.dungeoncrawlersradio.com/episodes/episode-immortal-works
In a recent discussion with my friend, R. A. Baxter, I casually mentioned that magic and future tech were fundamentally the same thing in different settings. In some ways science fiction and fantasy are the same, which is why they are often shelved together in stores and libraries. Fans of both often prefer the term “speculative fiction,” since the lines between them have been blurred so much.
He pointed out that one big difference between them is that readers often assume future technology will be possible some day, whereas most of the time nobody believes magic is real. What I realized when I heard this, was that sci-fi seems fundamentally more optimistic than fantasy for that reason.
Traditional sci-fi is full of ideas for inventions that would make life better. It is set in the future, and as real time catches up with the imagined worlds of past authors we are amazed that so many were correct. In many cases, the inventions presented as fiction inspire later engineers to invent them, thus fulfilling a kind of techno-prophecy.
Medieval fantasy is set in the past, and tends to include a longing for bygone ways. The magic changes the balance of power and often alters the course of lives or worlds. However, the overall statement seems to be that life would be better with magic.
Based on these stereotypical genre descriptions, fantasy is more pessimistic. In reality, there are many dystopian futures and fantasies that include a positive ideal of humanity (which is about the characters more than the magic). Indeed my own fantasy novel, Salvation, is much more socially positive than my science fiction book, Theocracide.
What do you think? Does one of these genres represent a more positive view of humanity in general?
Now that I’m managing acquisitions for Immortal Works Press, I will be writing blog posts for their website about once a month. The first one is up! It’s about the audience IW is looking for and what we mean by “general audiences” in our submissions guidelines. Occasionally I might re-blog articles here, but if you want to get them all, you should sign up to follow IW’s blog.
And if you’re going to Comic Con in Salt Lake City this weekend, come see the IW booth at table number 2220.
Have a great day!
I’m pleased to announce that a brand new publishing company is officially open for submissions: IMMORTAL WORKS. I have accepted a position as the ACQUISITIONS MANAGER for this new press. You can find more information at:
Needless to say, I’m very excited about this new prospect. I will continue to have my books published through Curiosity Quills Press, but I have not been working as an acquisitions editor for them for some time. This will be a new adventure! I’m thrilled to be part of the team.
For those interested in submitting a book to Immortal Works Press, please check the submissions page. We are accepting queries at submissions@immortal-works.com now!
Now you can get the paperbacks of my books on Walmart.com! They are cheaper than on Amazon.com and you can get site to store shipping for free. Here are the links:
The Actuator 2: Return of the Saboteur
Happy shopping!
If you’ve read them, please follow these links, rate, and review my books. I’ll send you a free e-book or short story.🙂
This Steampunk and Science Fiction anthology includes twenty-seven short stories. Four of them are mine! In addition, you can enjoy the works of Jordan Elizabeth, G. Miki Hayden, Benjamin Sperduto, D. J. Butler, Christine Baker, Lorna MacDonald Czarnota, Jessica Gunn, Lorna Marie Larson, Quinn Southwick, Terri Karsten, W. K. Pomeroy, Ashley Pasco, Jeremy Mortis, Grant Eagar, Amberle Husbands, Nick Lofthouse, Perry McDaid, and S.A. Larsen.
I have two new and two reprinted stories in the book, including:
The Vault is about two children trapped in their family’s manor by an abusive butler. Is there any hope of escape?
Gearhead features the last in a line of techno-knights, being forced to repair a gigantic war machine created by his order. Will he choose honor or death?
Sheriff Anderson’s Steam Deputies is about a tinker who deals with Wild West outlaws in a new way– clockwork gunslingers.
The Dark Glass was created to contact Harold’s dead parents, but instead brings him a spirit, desperate for his help
If Steampunk is not you thing, you can find more of my short stories here.
Here are some of the other stories you’ll find in UNDER A BRASS MOON:
Maiden in the Clock Tower by Jordan Elizabeth: A young woman is trapped in a clock tower of her father’s doing to be held as a pawn in an evil merchant’s scheme. Can she escape to her true love?
The Queen of Cobwebs by Jeremy Mortis: Something is hunting people in the foggy streets, and the Professor and his assistant are about to meet it.
Vacant by Nick Lofthouse: Where does a dreamer fit into a world where ideas are a finite resource from any one person? Could free-thought be our savior, or just a sweet distraction from the inevitable?
Hour of Darkness by Ashley Pasco: Carissa Upton is just your average Victorian street urchin – little does she know that her life is about to change forever. Not only is her entire life a lie, but her future is uncertain.
Calliope by Terri Karsten: Roscoe Gordon dreams bringing back his dad’s Steam Calliope, but he’s hindered by a pair of prank-loving ghosts. With their help, will he lead the parade or blow the whole thing up?
The Balloon Thief by Jessica Gunn: Adeline has made a name for herself as Beltham’s Balloon Thief for stealing high-priced jewelry items and leaving only a balloon in their place. Adeline has been told the stolen rings and gems open a door on the mysterious Leikei, the temple in the air where she thinks her friend Colin is stranded. On her last robbery attempt, she’s arrested and forced to place her trust in the museum owner’s daughter who has her own reasons for wanting to get to Leikei. If she can trust her, Adeline just might be able to rescue Colin. If not, it might be the end for them all.
Ethereal Coil by S.A. Larsen: A new sin eater’s refusal to do her job of keeping balance between good and evil awakens Wrath – one of the Seven Deadly Sins – endangering those closest to her.
Fritz Finkel and the Marvelous Mechanical Thing by Lorna MacDonald Czarnota: Every era has to begin sometime, and every inventor starts someplace. For Fritz, it is the opportunity to impress the “apple of his eye,” the lovely, unobtainable Greta Spielmacher–the toymaker’s daughter. Fritz wants to be a toy designer, but he’s the janitor. Will his special toy be the key to winning his lady love?
Talking Metal by W. K. Pomeroy: Five years after piloting a zeppelin to the other side of the world to find the spark, Saskia is on the verge of inventing greatness, but her old professor appears to have beaten her to the patent office, or has he?
UNDER A BRASS MOON is available now from Curiosity Quills Press. Grab your copy from Amazon and make sure to check out reviews on GoodReads.
