RIP: Sweetie
Some weeks ago I had to take my leopard gecko (Sweetie) in to have a growth removed. It turned out to be an infection, but the vets managed to get the stuff out and she seemed to be recovering nicely. Then a little over a week ago she stopped eating and became lethargic. We put her on some meds and some liquid food on Friday, hoping she’d start eating on her own again. I woke up this morning at 9 AM to find that she had passed on. And I’m not particularly happy… For those that don’t really know much about her, I can easily say she was appropriately named. She was really rather sweet. She never once bit me, though she certainly got fed up with me from time to time. She always had a cute look on her face too. She’s been with me for several years now and even produced an egg several years back, which gave me Little Buddy (who I lost last year). I hope she had a good life. Here’s the only picture I could find. I’m sure mother has more:
Calling All Readers: Help Me Name My Pet Fern!
I brought a new friend home with me today. It’s a Boston fern (I think). A friend of a friend decided to dig one up out of the latter friend’s yard after hearing me talk about how I was thinking of getting a plant for my apartment. Now I have one, and I want your help.I want to name my fern. So, here’s what you can do. In the comments for this post, suggest one name you would give this fern. Only one. I will only count the first name you give, so don’t name twelve or thirteen. Think of some clever, unusual, bizarre, or downright hilarious names, because I want it to be unique (although if you wanted to name it Bill, I would be fine with that, because it’s funny and dry). Then, once the poll I have running on the left has ended, I’ll start up a new poll with a list of the names and let you all vote! Whichever name gets the most votes wins. Sounds easy enough, right? So, have at it! P.S.: In the event that there are too many names to put on one poll, I’ll run a series of polls in a semifinals sort of fashion and put the best choices in the final poll. Hopefully that won’t happen, but just in case.
RIP: Jeanne Robinson
Sad news indeed. Author and wife of Spider Robinson passed away on May 30th of a form of biliary cancer. I have never read anything by the Robinsons, but I’ve heard many good things. John Scalzi wrote some very kind words about Jeanne, which gives me the sense that she was not only a talented writer, but was also a wonderful human being. She was apparently at work on a film adaptation of her novel Stardance. Hopefully we will still see it hit our screens in the future.My condolences to Mr. Robinson and his family. Jeanne will be missed.
Realms of Fantasy Needs Your Help
The news has been circulating that Realms of Fantasy, saved last year after its original publisher dropped it for seemingly no good reason, is in trouble. Apparently newsstand sales and advertising are up, but the problem is that there just aren’t enough subscribers. The owners have been kind enough to let us know of this, because the previous publisher of RoF didn’t and shocked us all by closing shop without notice. So, if you like fantasy fiction and want to support an awesome genre magazine, get yourself a subscription now! It’s only $20 for one year and $35 for two in the United States (internationally it is $30 for one year and $55 for two). You can also get the magazine on the Kindle for $4 an issue, which isn’t a bad price, if you ask me. I subscribed for two years. It seemed like a good deal and the last time I bought a two year subscription to something I was quite happy (that was for Interzone, which is, in my opinion, the best science fiction magazine out there). Anywho!
Lightspeed Magazine is Live!
The news is circulating around the interwebs that Lightspeed Magazine, edited by John Joseph Adams, has launched. This is, of course, very good news indeed for anyone who loves science fiction and wants there to be more pro-paying avenues out there for those who write it. Here are the details (after the fold): FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact: publicity@lightspeedmagazine.com ROCKVILLE, MD, JUNE 1 — Lightspeed (www.lightspeedmagazine.com), the new online science fiction magazine published by the award-winning independent press Prime Books, launches today with the publication of “I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno” by Vylar Kaftan. Lightspeed is edited by John Joseph Adams (Fiction Editor), the bestselling editor of anthologies such as Wastelands and The Living Dead, and Andrea Kail (Nonfiction Editor), a writer, critic, and television producer who worked for thirteen years on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Lightspeed’s focus is exclusively on science fiction. It features all types of sf, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and anything and everything in between. No subject is considered off-limits, and Lightspeed writers are encouraged to take chances with their fiction and push the envelope. Each month at Lightspeed, you will find a mix of original and reprint fiction, and featuring a variety of authors—from the bestsellers and award-winners you already know to the best new voices you haven’t heard of yet. When you read Lightspeed, it is our hope that you’ll see where science fiction comes from, where it is now, and where it’s going. Lightspeed also features a variety of nonfiction features, fiction podcasts, and Q&As with our authors that go behind-the-scenes of their stories. Lightspeed’s regular publication schedule each month includes two pieces of original fiction and two fiction reprints, along with four nonfiction articles. Fiction posts on Tuesdays, nonfiction on Thursdays. Additionally, award-winning audiobook producer Stefan Rudnicki, will be producing the Lightspeed Magazine story podcast, which will feature audio adaptations of two Lightspeed stories every month. Lightspeed’s debut issue features four all-new, never-before-published stories: from newcomer Vylar Kaftan, an interstellar love story dealing with the perils of communication and time-dilation; from bestselling, award-winning author Jack McDevitt, a tale about Earth’s moon and the mysteries it might still possess; from David Barr Kirtley, an adventure of a young catman who must face the last of the dogmen and something else entirely unexpected; and from bestselling author Carrie Vaughn, a cautionary tale of the near future that shows some of the extremes we might be pushed to if we don’t start implementing now the seeds for a sustainable future. Additional features include an article about relativity and the speed of light by astronomer/author Mike Brotherton; a list of the top ten reasons why genetically-engineered animals won’t make good pets by humorist Carol Pinchefsky; a profile of astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, by Genevieve Valentine; and a primer for sustainable living by ecologist Amanda Rose Levy. As a special feature of the debut issue, in conjunction with the popular podcasts Escape Pod and Hugo Award nominee Starship Sofa, Lightspeed will present two bonus podcasts: “I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno” by Vylar Kaftan will appear on Escape Pod on June 1 and “Cats in Victory” by David Barr Kirtley will appear on Starship Sofa on June 15. This is in addition to the Lightspeed Magazine story podcast’s offerings, which will present “The Cassandra Project” by Jack McDevitt and “Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn. Future issues of Lightspeed will include fiction by the likes of George R. R. Martin, Joe Haldeman, Ursula K. Le Guin, Carol Emshwiller, Catherynne M. Valene, Tobias S. Buckell, Tananarive Due, Yoon Ha Lee, Cat Rambo, and Adam-Troy Castro, as well as from newcomers such as Genevieve Valentine, Alice Sola Kim, David Tallerman, John R. Fultz, and Corey Joshua Mariani. Lightspeed held a launch event at the science fiction convention Wiscon, in Madison, WI on Memorial Day weekend. Limited edition Lightspeed Magazine samplers in digest magazine format were made available for free to all members of the convention. This special hardcopy edition of Lightspeed features “I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno” by Vylar Kaftan, “Is There Anybody Out There That Wants to Go Fast” by Mike Brotherton, “Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn, and an Author Spotlight on Carrie Vaughn. The launch event included readings from Vylar Kaftan, Alice Sola Kim, Cat Rambo, and Genevieve Valentine. About John Joseph Adams (Fiction Editor) John Joseph Adams (www.johnjosephadams.com) is the bestselling editor of many anthologies, such as Wastelands, The Living Dead (a World Fantasy Award finalist), By Blood We Live, Federations, and The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Barnes & Noble.com named him “the reigning king of the anthology world,” and his books have been named to numerous best of the year lists. Prior to taking on the role of fiction editor of Lightspeed, John worked for nearly nine years in the editorial department of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In addition to his editorial work, John is also the co-host of Tor.com’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. About Andrea Kail (Nonfiction Editor) Andrea Kail (www.andreakail.com) is a graduate of the Dramatic Writing Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has spent the last two decades working from one end of New York’s television spectrum to the other: HBO, MTV, A&E, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, as well as thirteen years at NBC’s Emmy Award-winning Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Her fiction has appeared in Fantasy Magazine, and her novella, “The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom,” was a first-place winner in the Writers of the Future contest and appeared in Writers of the Future Vol. XXIII. Since 2005, Andrea has also been writing lively film criticism for such venues as Paradox Magazine and CinemaSpy. About Stefan Rudnicki (Audio Editor) Stefan Rudnicki is an independent director, producer, narrator, and publisher of audiobooks. He has received more than a dozen Audie Awards from the Audio Publishers Association,
Memorial Day: A Quick Note
I’ve said similar things before, but because today is the day we honor our fallen friends who have served the United States of America, I am going to say a few things before the night ends. I am eternally grateful for those men and women who served in the United States military and gave their lives for whatever cause (our freedom or someone else’s). It matters not whether you participated in a war that we now disagree with or condemn, because, to me, you did nothing but what you were supposed to do when you took that oath to serve as a soldier or pilot or what have you, and when your country said, “We need you,” you didn’t say, “Sorry, I won’t have any of that.” You took up your pens and rifles and ships and planes and so on and did your duty, and many of you died or will die as a result. Not many people can say they have that kind of dedication to a cause or nation or people or anything. So, to the men and women currently serving in the U.S. military: thank you; there are few people I can say are true heroes, and military people make up 99% of all heroes in my book. To the men and women who have died, who have left behind families and may or may not be able to see this, depending on your belief in the afterlife: thank you; you, like the men and women who are still here on this planet, are heroes, and you deserve more respect than you have collectively been given by the nation you sacrificed yourself for.That is all. Happy Memorial Day…