What a week! Two sales! That's a first.
First the sale to Dark Valentine for Halloween, and now "Locust Time" will appear in Fungi #20, probably at year's end.
This only spurs me to work harder. Dashed off a flash story to a place last night, and need to finish and submit another story elsewhere.
Pretty good output for a non-writer.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
We're Obsolete?
Great think piece at this link: http://www.salon.com/news/us_economy/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/07/27/american_people_obsolete
The author makes some valid points. He could have made an even stronger case by linking the current situation with the tottering Roman Empire. When they were no longer fighting for survival of their country, but mere expansion of empire, as our country is doing now, the Roman citizens rightfully wondered why they should serve in the Legions, to go off and die for nothing in a foreign land that treated them as the invaders and occupiers they were. Far better to hire mercenaries to do the bleeding and dying for you. The US now uses its own brand of mercenaries (contractors) in our empire occupations, and apparently, cannot run without them. Hmmm. We should rethink this, or go the way of the Roman Empire.
The patriotic men and women who serve in our armed forces see the mercenaries get better equipment, pay, and protection than they do. Our troops get injured (physically and psychologically) and then shafted when they don't receive the care they should. And given the numerous Arlington Cemetery scandals, they don't even get proper burial honors. Disgusting treatment from a government that expects them to offer themselves as sacrifices, with no return.
And all we get as news of the occupation are lies. The latest Wikileaks affair reveals thousands of official documents showing the unending insane cluster**** that is our "mission" there. Our troops dying, their civilians dying, an unending cycle of misery and death and waste, all for nothing. This is utter madness.
And then we hear of our "allies" in Pakistan using the money we give them to fund the Taliban. Your tax dollars are paying for our troops to be killed. Wonder if the Tea Partiers will ever protest that little fact? No, they're too busy fighting against overrides to make their local schools better.
As in the Roman Empire, when the rich got super-rich and the poor got progressively poorer, the whole structure was in trouble, and began to fall. We need to take a good hard look at our actions and make changes now, before we become the next empire to fall. When a nation no longer has anyone in charge but the oligarchs, we are doomed. Right now, the super-rich are ruining the nation, and waging war on the middle class. They are sowing the seeds of destruction for us all.
The author makes some valid points. He could have made an even stronger case by linking the current situation with the tottering Roman Empire. When they were no longer fighting for survival of their country, but mere expansion of empire, as our country is doing now, the Roman citizens rightfully wondered why they should serve in the Legions, to go off and die for nothing in a foreign land that treated them as the invaders and occupiers they were. Far better to hire mercenaries to do the bleeding and dying for you. The US now uses its own brand of mercenaries (contractors) in our empire occupations, and apparently, cannot run without them. Hmmm. We should rethink this, or go the way of the Roman Empire.
The patriotic men and women who serve in our armed forces see the mercenaries get better equipment, pay, and protection than they do. Our troops get injured (physically and psychologically) and then shafted when they don't receive the care they should. And given the numerous Arlington Cemetery scandals, they don't even get proper burial honors. Disgusting treatment from a government that expects them to offer themselves as sacrifices, with no return.
And all we get as news of the occupation are lies. The latest Wikileaks affair reveals thousands of official documents showing the unending insane cluster**** that is our "mission" there. Our troops dying, their civilians dying, an unending cycle of misery and death and waste, all for nothing. This is utter madness.
And then we hear of our "allies" in Pakistan using the money we give them to fund the Taliban. Your tax dollars are paying for our troops to be killed. Wonder if the Tea Partiers will ever protest that little fact? No, they're too busy fighting against overrides to make their local schools better.
As in the Roman Empire, when the rich got super-rich and the poor got progressively poorer, the whole structure was in trouble, and began to fall. We need to take a good hard look at our actions and make changes now, before we become the next empire to fall. When a nation no longer has anyone in charge but the oligarchs, we are doomed. Right now, the super-rich are ruining the nation, and waging war on the middle class. They are sowing the seeds of destruction for us all.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Another Sale!
Yahoo! Just got word that the editor of Dark Valentine loved my tale "Kamikaze Hipsters," and is accepting it for publication.
Number 14 and counting. Almost enough for that story collection!
Number 14 and counting. Almost enough for that story collection!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Conspiracies
Throughout history, those in power meet to talk and plot of how to increase their power and wealth. They manipulate events to their benefit, often involving criminal acts, which unfold to the detriment of the rest of us. There are proven power groups doing anything to consolidate and expand their power and money. And yet, brainless shills of The Powers That Be (TPTB) often pose this question in various media: "Why do so many people believe in conspiracies?"
Well, duh. Because those in power lie to us. They're so terrified of anything resembling the truth, and so contemptuous of the common folk, that they'll push any load of reeking manure as "The Official Version." Usually, this is so transparently idiotic, and so easily disproved, it's a wonder why they bother. But they follow the Goebbels maxim, "Repeat a lie often enough, and it becomes the truth."
So TPTB have their flunkies promote a distorted meme and wonder why anyone with a brain doesn't swallow it. Then they work very hard to cover up or discredit anything contradicting the official version. You know, when a group acts together in this way, it is, by nature, a conspiracy. That's why we believe in so many-- because they're happening! If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks, sounds, smells, and feels like a duck, has the dimensions and DNA of a duck, with a big sign around its neck saying DUCK, we're told we are unhinged if we call it a duck.
People who question the whitewashing coverup are called crazy, paranoid, nutbags who wear tinfoil hats and believe in all kind of crazy things. Their detractors sometimes go too far, as one who complained about people believing in a conspiracy to kill Lincoln. Uh, it happened, dumbass, and people were hung for it. Sorry we're not as stupid as you think we are.
People use their emotions to make beliefs more often than they use facts. Sure, some people will believe anything, but when vast numbers of rational people doubt the word of our government, we have a crisis. We doubt them because they refuse to tell us the truth about anything that matters.
A conspiracy is just a group of people acting in their own interests to screw the rest of us.
So let's play The Conspiracy Game! See if you can guess these common kooky conspiracies!
1. The leader of a nation is assassinated by a supposed lone gunman, with numerous shadowy ties to multiple criminal organizations opposed to the slain leader. Days later, the alleged assassin is in turn slain, despite being "guarded" by numerous armed law-enforcement officers. This SECOND convenient "lone gunman" also has numerous ties to these organizations, and can offer no convincing motivation for his deed. TPTB convene a show commission, spend months of toil and millions of dollars, to produce a multi-volume fairy story that puts the Brothers Grimm to shame. This ludicrous farce awakens the country to the fact that they will never again get the truth from their government.
2. A country that believes in voting to elect its leaders has an election that is close. Rather than going through the bother of actually counting the votes cast, a group of people with amazing power decide that they will pick the winner, and so they appoint their chosen buddy. Somehow, the country agrees to let this happen, and the world is plunged into a nightmare. When those votes are finally counted, they show conclusively that the opponent won the election, by thousands of votes. This bloodless coup of treason goes unpunished.
3. After a horrendous act of violence against its populace, a nation retaliates by declaring war against a third party with no ties to the incident (like invading Mexico for the attack on Pearl Harbor). To prop up this illegal activity, TPTB spread the lie for years that there was a connection, until finally admitting it was not true. Yet they are so efficient that a significant portion of the populace still believes the lie, and supports the criminals and their efforts. The conspirators, some of whom had been planning this path for 20 years, are rewarded lavishly.
4. A huge worldwide organization with unlimited wealth and power discover that thousands of their officials routinely engage in the sexual abuse of children. Their response is continued public denial, and the transfer of the predators to new pastures, where they continue to rape and abuse children. The organization does nothing to halt the criminal activity and continues business as usual, which keeps them comfy and secure, amidst a world of poverty and oppression. The predators and their protectors continue to go unpunished.
5. A patriotic man with a career as a professional athlete enlists in the armed forces to serve his country. He is shipped to a foreign country, where he becomes disillusioned with his "mission," of being a target/cannon fodder/bullet sponge. He is slain by members of his own unit, yet his death is rearranged and retold as a noble tale of heroism and sacrifice in the face of the enemy. TPTB move swiftly to bury the truth, brutally lying to the man's family and the world. The coverup conspiracy is deep and wide, yet the truth sneaks out. A low-level scapegoat or two are tossed to the crowd as sacrifices, yet the organization goes on with business as usual, with no punishment for those who crafted the conspiracy.
6. Oh, yeah, and this, from a recent Washington Post:http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/a-hidden-world-growing-beyond-control/
Crazy stuff, huh? Just imagine if any of it were true! Remember, conspiracies don't exist!
Insert Jedi mind trick here...
Well, duh. Because those in power lie to us. They're so terrified of anything resembling the truth, and so contemptuous of the common folk, that they'll push any load of reeking manure as "The Official Version." Usually, this is so transparently idiotic, and so easily disproved, it's a wonder why they bother. But they follow the Goebbels maxim, "Repeat a lie often enough, and it becomes the truth."
So TPTB have their flunkies promote a distorted meme and wonder why anyone with a brain doesn't swallow it. Then they work very hard to cover up or discredit anything contradicting the official version. You know, when a group acts together in this way, it is, by nature, a conspiracy. That's why we believe in so many-- because they're happening! If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks, sounds, smells, and feels like a duck, has the dimensions and DNA of a duck, with a big sign around its neck saying DUCK, we're told we are unhinged if we call it a duck.
People who question the whitewashing coverup are called crazy, paranoid, nutbags who wear tinfoil hats and believe in all kind of crazy things. Their detractors sometimes go too far, as one who complained about people believing in a conspiracy to kill Lincoln. Uh, it happened, dumbass, and people were hung for it. Sorry we're not as stupid as you think we are.
People use their emotions to make beliefs more often than they use facts. Sure, some people will believe anything, but when vast numbers of rational people doubt the word of our government, we have a crisis. We doubt them because they refuse to tell us the truth about anything that matters.
A conspiracy is just a group of people acting in their own interests to screw the rest of us.
So let's play The Conspiracy Game! See if you can guess these common kooky conspiracies!
1. The leader of a nation is assassinated by a supposed lone gunman, with numerous shadowy ties to multiple criminal organizations opposed to the slain leader. Days later, the alleged assassin is in turn slain, despite being "guarded" by numerous armed law-enforcement officers. This SECOND convenient "lone gunman" also has numerous ties to these organizations, and can offer no convincing motivation for his deed. TPTB convene a show commission, spend months of toil and millions of dollars, to produce a multi-volume fairy story that puts the Brothers Grimm to shame. This ludicrous farce awakens the country to the fact that they will never again get the truth from their government.
2. A country that believes in voting to elect its leaders has an election that is close. Rather than going through the bother of actually counting the votes cast, a group of people with amazing power decide that they will pick the winner, and so they appoint their chosen buddy. Somehow, the country agrees to let this happen, and the world is plunged into a nightmare. When those votes are finally counted, they show conclusively that the opponent won the election, by thousands of votes. This bloodless coup of treason goes unpunished.
3. After a horrendous act of violence against its populace, a nation retaliates by declaring war against a third party with no ties to the incident (like invading Mexico for the attack on Pearl Harbor). To prop up this illegal activity, TPTB spread the lie for years that there was a connection, until finally admitting it was not true. Yet they are so efficient that a significant portion of the populace still believes the lie, and supports the criminals and their efforts. The conspirators, some of whom had been planning this path for 20 years, are rewarded lavishly.
4. A huge worldwide organization with unlimited wealth and power discover that thousands of their officials routinely engage in the sexual abuse of children. Their response is continued public denial, and the transfer of the predators to new pastures, where they continue to rape and abuse children. The organization does nothing to halt the criminal activity and continues business as usual, which keeps them comfy and secure, amidst a world of poverty and oppression. The predators and their protectors continue to go unpunished.
5. A patriotic man with a career as a professional athlete enlists in the armed forces to serve his country. He is shipped to a foreign country, where he becomes disillusioned with his "mission," of being a target/cannon fodder/bullet sponge. He is slain by members of his own unit, yet his death is rearranged and retold as a noble tale of heroism and sacrifice in the face of the enemy. TPTB move swiftly to bury the truth, brutally lying to the man's family and the world. The coverup conspiracy is deep and wide, yet the truth sneaks out. A low-level scapegoat or two are tossed to the crowd as sacrifices, yet the organization goes on with business as usual, with no punishment for those who crafted the conspiracy.
6. Oh, yeah, and this, from a recent Washington Post:http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/a-hidden-world-growing-beyond-control/
Crazy stuff, huh? Just imagine if any of it were true! Remember, conspiracies don't exist!
Insert Jedi mind trick here...
Monday, July 19, 2010
Reunion
It's been another busy time—this last week was occupied in getting ready for my 35th High School Reunion. I made my way to the upper reaches of Maine, the extreme northeast corner of the United States. Go a few feet more and you're in Canada. If it wasn't so far (8 hours by car) I'd attend more.
Been back to that town only once in the last 34 years, and that was a drive-by. Haven't seen most of the attendees since graduation, and it was good to see them again.
Most of the people didn't look like they did back then, and my name memory bank was rusty. Didn't help that most people didn't wear name tags! Most of them have seen each other in the intervening years, and all have made previous reunions. I only recognized about four without help.
Most recognized me, however, saying I hadn't changed. The dam let loose as memories came flooding back. With about 50 people present, I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone beyond basics of “Where are you now?”
The most interesting thing is when someone would recount a story, and the other person (who was ostensibly there at the time of the story) would have no recollection of it. One person's standout incident was another person's forgotten tidbit.
Had a great time. Taking the class picture was fun, and we were all rambunctious. Instead of “cheese!” I yelled “Show your surgery scars!” Had we done so, we'd probably have yielded a crop to scare combat brigades. Would have been interesting to tally up all the medications taken by that group.
There was no one I hated or even disliked. People were cordial and not abusive. It's nice to be in a room where people seem delighted to see you and talk to you. Haven't had that in awhile...
The town parade was impressive, it's a regional one for most of the county. And it's a big county. An hour and a half for all the floats to go by! And one float went by twice, surprising and puzzling us. Apparently, they got lost earlier, got squeezed into line, circled around, and also got in their original lineup slot.
The highlight was the seemingly endless parade of tiara-topped princesses, queens, and Misses, winners of various beauty and talent pageants. It seemed like every third parade vehicle sported a young miss waving to us from under a sparkling crown. Pretty amazing for a low-population region.
My companion was pleased to see both of Maine's United States Senators walk the parade, and shake hands in the meet-and-greet, all without obvious bodyguards or Secret Service presence. It speaks well of Maine that legislators can go among the common folk without cadres of handlers and musclemen walling off the person. In these troubled times of violent fanaticism, it's nice to have sense, less paranoia, and a sense of normalcy. It's the way things should be.
Been back to that town only once in the last 34 years, and that was a drive-by. Haven't seen most of the attendees since graduation, and it was good to see them again.
Most of the people didn't look like they did back then, and my name memory bank was rusty. Didn't help that most people didn't wear name tags! Most of them have seen each other in the intervening years, and all have made previous reunions. I only recognized about four without help.
Most recognized me, however, saying I hadn't changed. The dam let loose as memories came flooding back. With about 50 people present, I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone beyond basics of “Where are you now?”
The most interesting thing is when someone would recount a story, and the other person (who was ostensibly there at the time of the story) would have no recollection of it. One person's standout incident was another person's forgotten tidbit.
Had a great time. Taking the class picture was fun, and we were all rambunctious. Instead of “cheese!” I yelled “Show your surgery scars!” Had we done so, we'd probably have yielded a crop to scare combat brigades. Would have been interesting to tally up all the medications taken by that group.
There was no one I hated or even disliked. People were cordial and not abusive. It's nice to be in a room where people seem delighted to see you and talk to you. Haven't had that in awhile...
The town parade was impressive, it's a regional one for most of the county. And it's a big county. An hour and a half for all the floats to go by! And one float went by twice, surprising and puzzling us. Apparently, they got lost earlier, got squeezed into line, circled around, and also got in their original lineup slot.
The highlight was the seemingly endless parade of tiara-topped princesses, queens, and Misses, winners of various beauty and talent pageants. It seemed like every third parade vehicle sported a young miss waving to us from under a sparkling crown. Pretty amazing for a low-population region.
My companion was pleased to see both of Maine's United States Senators walk the parade, and shake hands in the meet-and-greet, all without obvious bodyguards or Secret Service presence. It speaks well of Maine that legislators can go among the common folk without cadres of handlers and musclemen walling off the person. In these troubled times of violent fanaticism, it's nice to have sense, less paranoia, and a sense of normalcy. It's the way things should be.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Death of the backlist, midlist
Once again, proof that the traditional publishing biz is cutting its own throat. This is an incisive posting from Holly Lisle. You probably haven't heard of her, but there are many who buy her books, enough for her to make a living, at least until now. Now we're all in trouble.
http://hollylisle.com/writingdiary2/index.php/2010/07/07/rebel-tales-my-war-for-the-midlist/
“It wasn’t that long ago that (mystery-DP), science fiction and fantasy were genres supporting a lot of midlist careers. And if you say “What’s the midlist?” you’re not alone.
The midlist was where writers who’d never had a New York Times bestseller, but who created great stories regularly, lived. They weren’t household names. But they were full-time writers, they sold a lot of books, their backlist (their old books) stayed in print and earned them royalties twice a year, and their frontlist—their NEW books—brought them new readers who then found all the old stuff they’d written and bought that, too.
Backlist was the keystone upon which you built your career. Your older books kept making you money year after year after year, while you wrote new books and gained new readers and built a following. Your older books were your assets, and they paid off just as any good investment pays off.
And when I first got into the field, this was still what writers thought would happen.
Only publishers don’t keep backlist in print anymore.
So there are no midlist writers anymore, because if you don’t have big numbers on your first book, and bigger numbers on your second book, you don’t have a career.
Now frontlist is all that matters, backlist dies, and writing fiction for a living has become not building a career but playing the lottery.”
******************
So there you have it. Publishers, in an effort to save pennies, are slaughtering golden geese as fast as possible. Instead of small streams of continuous revenue over the years, they're opting for big scores, of which there aren't enough to go around. And killing off the possibility of creating more. They'll absorb the losses in their multinational corporations, but the real losers are writers trying to eke out a living, and by extent, you and me.
It's hard enough making a living writing fiction, so that we have only a few hundred people in the country doing it. And it's getting harder every day, in this insane, greed-driven business atmosphere, where money trumps quality. The big publishing houses don't want to represent good books, they want “Twilight” and Dan Brown crap. They're manure dealers, and they want us to trade our gold for the crap they push.
There are few enough readers now, and with more competition, the good writing is getting driven out by the bad. “But it's popular!” say some. Yeah, so's McDonald's, but do you want that to be the only places to eat? If no other restaurant could stay in business, and no chef could practice and learn, and that was the only food choice, you'd hear some complaining.
With writers unable to make a living writing books, the pressure to write crap that will sell is enormous. Some will, but some will work other jobs and continue to write good books, only fewer of them. But when there are big piles of manure dominating the landscape, it's hard to pick the pearls out.
Just another nail in the coffin, and another reason for writers to go the self-publishing route.
http://hollylisle.com/writingdiary2/index.php/2010/07/07/rebel-tales-my-war-for-the-midlist/
“It wasn’t that long ago that (mystery-DP), science fiction and fantasy were genres supporting a lot of midlist careers. And if you say “What’s the midlist?” you’re not alone.
The midlist was where writers who’d never had a New York Times bestseller, but who created great stories regularly, lived. They weren’t household names. But they were full-time writers, they sold a lot of books, their backlist (their old books) stayed in print and earned them royalties twice a year, and their frontlist—their NEW books—brought them new readers who then found all the old stuff they’d written and bought that, too.
Backlist was the keystone upon which you built your career. Your older books kept making you money year after year after year, while you wrote new books and gained new readers and built a following. Your older books were your assets, and they paid off just as any good investment pays off.
And when I first got into the field, this was still what writers thought would happen.
Only publishers don’t keep backlist in print anymore.
So there are no midlist writers anymore, because if you don’t have big numbers on your first book, and bigger numbers on your second book, you don’t have a career.
Now frontlist is all that matters, backlist dies, and writing fiction for a living has become not building a career but playing the lottery.”
******************
So there you have it. Publishers, in an effort to save pennies, are slaughtering golden geese as fast as possible. Instead of small streams of continuous revenue over the years, they're opting for big scores, of which there aren't enough to go around. And killing off the possibility of creating more. They'll absorb the losses in their multinational corporations, but the real losers are writers trying to eke out a living, and by extent, you and me.
It's hard enough making a living writing fiction, so that we have only a few hundred people in the country doing it. And it's getting harder every day, in this insane, greed-driven business atmosphere, where money trumps quality. The big publishing houses don't want to represent good books, they want “Twilight” and Dan Brown crap. They're manure dealers, and they want us to trade our gold for the crap they push.
There are few enough readers now, and with more competition, the good writing is getting driven out by the bad. “But it's popular!” say some. Yeah, so's McDonald's, but do you want that to be the only places to eat? If no other restaurant could stay in business, and no chef could practice and learn, and that was the only food choice, you'd hear some complaining.
With writers unable to make a living writing books, the pressure to write crap that will sell is enormous. Some will, but some will work other jobs and continue to write good books, only fewer of them. But when there are big piles of manure dominating the landscape, it's hard to pick the pearls out.
Just another nail in the coffin, and another reason for writers to go the self-publishing route.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Holiday
We're tired in our household today, as we spent yesterday in Boston, celebrating the Fourth of July. To our British friends, we celebrate the date as when our country threw off the yoke of British Crown oppression.
It was a good day, although a hot one, with stops at various parts of the city, winding up at the Museum of Science. As a member, you can purshase special tickets and get rooftop access for the Boston Pops ceremony at the nearby Esplanade. Good ringside seat for the fireworks. While the Esplanade is crowded with hundreds of thousands of sweaty bodies, and requires longer standing around, the rooftop is not as crowded, and has a good breeze, and you can sit.
A musical group kept us entertained for awhile, and the Pops ceremony was televised in. And it was magic seeing the sunset over Boston, the sky a beautiful pink, gray, and blue. You look down over the Charles and see the hundreds of boats all gathered out on the water.
From our lofty perch, we could see fireworks from other cities along the coast, off in the other direction. These ones went off before ours, so we got several shows for the price of one.
Then we had to get out of town through the traffic, which was awful. Got home after midnight, and were all tired.
Too tired, in fact, to attend the Chelmsford parade this year, which was this morning. One day of extreme heat and outdoor activity was enough for us. We watched it on TV instead, and counted ourselves lucky to not have to be out in the 90+ degree heat.
We had to pull out a lot of stuff to do some painting, so today I'm going through it all, putting some back, throwing some out. In a busy life, one can collect a lot of junk. This year, I've been much better at getting rid of stuff we no longer need.
So hope you all had a good and safe holiday time. Last night, an alleged drunk driver hit one of the policemen on duty directing traffic, probably one of the ones we passed on our way. Our sympathies to the officer and his family, and let's hope the driver gets just desserts.
It was a good day, although a hot one, with stops at various parts of the city, winding up at the Museum of Science. As a member, you can purshase special tickets and get rooftop access for the Boston Pops ceremony at the nearby Esplanade. Good ringside seat for the fireworks. While the Esplanade is crowded with hundreds of thousands of sweaty bodies, and requires longer standing around, the rooftop is not as crowded, and has a good breeze, and you can sit.
A musical group kept us entertained for awhile, and the Pops ceremony was televised in. And it was magic seeing the sunset over Boston, the sky a beautiful pink, gray, and blue. You look down over the Charles and see the hundreds of boats all gathered out on the water.
From our lofty perch, we could see fireworks from other cities along the coast, off in the other direction. These ones went off before ours, so we got several shows for the price of one.
Then we had to get out of town through the traffic, which was awful. Got home after midnight, and were all tired.
Too tired, in fact, to attend the Chelmsford parade this year, which was this morning. One day of extreme heat and outdoor activity was enough for us. We watched it on TV instead, and counted ourselves lucky to not have to be out in the 90+ degree heat.
We had to pull out a lot of stuff to do some painting, so today I'm going through it all, putting some back, throwing some out. In a busy life, one can collect a lot of junk. This year, I've been much better at getting rid of stuff we no longer need.
So hope you all had a good and safe holiday time. Last night, an alleged drunk driver hit one of the policemen on duty directing traffic, probably one of the ones we passed on our way. Our sympathies to the officer and his family, and let's hope the driver gets just desserts.
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