Our art director, Mary Robinette Kowal, has a story out in All-Star Stories anthology, Twenty Epics, which just came out today.
John Scalzi says, “I also liked Mary Robinette Kowal’s piece quite a bit.”
Category Archives: News
Shimmer in Iceland
Welcome to the newest bookstore to carry Shimmer, Bókabúðin Hlemmi (The Happy Bookstore) in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Readercon, Day 3
Waking up was hard. I had planned on going to the ten o’clock panel, but by the time we checked out and put our luggage in the car it was 10:30. We wound up catching up with some folks and chatting until the eleven o’clock panels started.
I went to the Interstitial Arts discussion, which was talking fiction that falls between the cracks of genre. I have to say, that I felt as if I were hearing conversations about the role of puppetry in the larger theater context. Puppetry tried to coin the term “figure theater,” which some people still use, to suggest puppetry for adults. I think that coming up with a term is not about creating the art or fiction, but about trying to expand audience. The most effective things that puppetry has been doing to expand its audience is to work to become incorporated into mainstream fiction. Take Lion King, it’s a great big puppet show, but no one thinks of it that way. They think of it as theater which incorporates puppetry and mask. Even so, it opened up Broadway to Avenue Q. So to me, it makes the most sense for someone whose fiction falls between the cracks to say, “I write fiction which incorporates elements of fantasy, science fiction and…” or “I write literary fiction through the lens of classical mythology.” I mean, why make up a new term knowing the definition will shift? Why not just make the definition shift of the existing words?
Anyway. After that, I went to a panel called, “Social Class and Speculative Fiction.” The program description said, “Any completely satisfactory imaginary world will include some sort of class structure (not necessarily rigid or hierarchical), or an explanation for its absence. Are all novels without social class utopian by definition?” I thought this sounded very interesting, but the moderator shifted the focus to the mythology of social mobility in America. While this is an interesting topic, it is not what I came to hear. It was frustrating. China Mieville did touch briefly on some things about the myth of the single protagonist that causes great societal change. Which made me want to ask a question I’ve long wondered about, but I couldn’t get it in so I’ll ask it here. Why there are so few small-scale fantasy novels? I mean, it’s all “the pig boy who became king,” why aren’t there more novels which are “the pig boy who fell in love with the miller’s daughter?” The same for science fiction. Everything seems to be about “the fate of the universe,” but clearly it is possible to support novels with smaller personal stories, or the vast majority of literary fiction wouldn’t exist. What is it about the speculative genres which encourages these sweeping plots?
I had lunch outside with Joy. It’s so nice to eat outside. Ah, warmth.
 David Louis Edelman |
Once I had the shopping finished, I went back to the hotel to say goodbye to everyone. David Louis Edelman offered to share the cab that he and John Scalzi were taking to the airport. This was the best offer I got all weekend. David is funny, charming and a real gentleman. |
 John Scalzi |
Scalzi was ridiculous, fun and if you can make him blush, the tips of his ears turn red. The conversation ranged from astronomy to Civil War to book tours to the World Cup. And then they had to catch a plane. |
I spent the time waiting for my plane catching up on email and instant messaging. I was so tired it hurt. I got lucky on the plane. I had asked for a window seat, so I could lean against the wall and sleep. Instead, I got a seat in the middle aisle but no one else was in my row. As soon as we reached cruising altitude, I stretched out across all three seats and slept.
Readercon, Day 2
I started the day by dropping off copies of Shimmer in the Book room with Small Beer Press. Gavin Grant very kindly agreed to stock them for us. So far we’ve sold five copies of the magazine here. Which is great.
I also tracked down the box of Twenty Epics anthologies. They had gone missing and no one seemed to know where they were. David Moles, one of the editors, said that they had been delivered on the sixth and that “Warren” and signed for them. When I asked at the front desk, they actually knew what I was talking about, and happily took me to find the books. I suspect that Warren actually referred to the network of rooms below the hotel rather than a person. You know the movies, where the action hero runs through a warren of rooms and tunnels, passing through the kitchen of the hotel? Evidently, you have to pass through the kitchen to get anywhere.
After dropping off the books at, again, Small Beer Press, I went to breakfast with the gang from Codex. I’m happy to report that Doug Cohen, Elaine Isaak, Danielle T. Friedman, Will McIntosh and Joy Marchand are all delightful people. Much witty banter was had by all.
I headed off to a panel on Small Press run by Matthew Kressel and the other folks of Sybil’s Garage. It was a very interesting talk and gave me plenty of ideas for new ways to market Shimmer.
From there I went to lunch with John Joseph Adams, David Barr Kirtley and Amy Tibbets
More panels, and more hanging out. I’ve purchased lots of small press magazines and a couple of books to take back to Iceland with me. It was a great day.
Readercon, Day 1
To start with, Joy and I drove past Walden pond to get here. It’s someplace that I knew was real, but never really thought of as real, know what I mean? People were swimming and playing; for most of them, I’m sure it was just the local pond, not some literary shrine. I was most taken with the trees. Walden pond sits in a bowl, surrounded by trees. The trees are probably not that remarkable, except that I’ve been living with limited access to them for months now. And no really big trees. But here, I couldn’t see the sky.
We drove on to Readercon. At first, it was a little bewildering to wander around knowing that there were people here who I knew online. I just didn’t know what they looked like.
So Joy and I decided to dive into the panels. We started with A Nomenclature of the Fantastic, then moved on to a reading of China Mieville’s new unpublished novel. He has a beautiful reading voice.
Afterwards, we ran into Doug Cohen, John Joseph Adams, which were the only two I’d met before. Then I met Paul Berger, who is in Twenty Epics with me. Joy introduced me to Will McIntosh, who I knew from Codex but had never met. We did not get to see Jenny Rae Rappaport, who was supposed to be our roommate, because she is at home with a nasty stomach flu. Everyone send her get well wishes.
I also met David Louis Edelman, whose first novel just came out; Lancer Kind, a fellow West Coaster and many other people whose business cards I didn’t take. I’m terrible at names.
Oh! And I sold a copy of Shimmer.
Mary Robinette Kowal and Shimmer: An Interview
Cat Rambo at suite101 interviewed our art director, Mary Robinette Kowal, about her work with Shimmer. The interview touches on art, writing and puppetry. Check it out.
ReaderCon
Art Director Mary Robinette Kowal and Editor Emeritus Joy Marchand are at ReaderCon this weekend – say hi to them!
Interview with Michael Livingston
Michael Livingston’s short story, Gnome Season, appears in the Summer 2006 issue of Shimmer. Check out his website.
Questions About the Story
Where did the idea come from?
I was sitting in the library one day and noticed a copy of Zoetrope All-Story on a table. I opened it up to a story by Stacey Richter called “The Cavemen in the Hedges.” I didn’t really have time to read the whole thing, but I did see the first two sentences: “There are cavemen in the hedges again. I take the pellet gun from the rack beside the door and go out back and try to run them off. These cavemen are tough sons of bitches who are impervious to pain, but they love anything shiny, so I load the gun up with golden Mardi Gras beads my girlfriend, Kim, keeps in a bowl on the dresser and aim toward their ankles.” The images in those two sentences made me really happy. When mixed with my deep-seated mistrust of garden gnomes and their garden-watching unions, I had the seeds of a story.
How did the story change as you developed it?
Originally the father did not come home and witness the assault; the introduction of that extra dimension of conflict was a spot-on editorial suggestion that allowed me to make the question of reality vs. fantasy in the story even more muddled than it was before.
You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
I didn’t kill any darlings, though there was much discussion about throttling the word “flitgun” since many readers had no idea what it meant. Rather than send it the way of the dodo, however, I ended up adding a sentence or two from Gramps that makes clear what a horrible reference he’s making.
How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
I’ve no idea what my work is like, I’m afraid. So I can only say that I’ve never written a story about gnomes before.
Questions About Writing
Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
I write to stay sane, to get some of the gunk out of my head that keeps floating around in there. I think I can explain the art of it best in an analogy: creative writing is like opening the spit-valve on the trombone of your mind and then blowing really hard.
What writing projects are you presently working on?
In fiction: a rather large novella that an editor has asked to see, a couple more short stories, and then a multi-book series about angels and demons. In non-fiction: a number of projects short and long.
What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
Night, mostly, but pretty much whenever I get the chance.
Favorite book read when you were a child?
The Monster at the End of this Book — starring Grover, no less.
Random Questions
If you could trade places with anyone, who would it be? And Why?
That’s easy: whoever is “with” Aishwarya Rai, so that I could, um, get to know her a little bit better, so to speak.
Watch much TV? If so, what shows do you watch? Which shows are guilty pleasures?
Don’t watch much, I’m afraid, since the present state of television sucks. As proof, I submit that two of the finest TV shows in recent years were both canceled before completing a single season: Keen Eddie and Firefly.
Favorite restaurant?
Der Wilder Mann in the Getreidegasse in Salzburg, Austria. If you go, order a huge flagon of the local Stiegl beer, which has been going strong since 1492.
Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
Dog — especially if it’s a half-Border Collie half-Australian Shepherd named Sydney the Wondermutt.
If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
“Just ask her, you nimrod. The worst case scenario is she says no; the best case scenario is — well, let’s just say I’ve been pondering that for all these many years.”
Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain your answer:
None. A real writer works in the dark.
Interview with Nir Yaniv
Nir Yaniv’s short story, A Wizard On The Road, appears in the Autumn 2006 issue of Shimmer. Check out his website.
Questions About the Story
Where did the idea come from?
One night, rather late, I was doing my customary power-walk between the computer and the refrigerator, and then I got to think, for some reason, about how we tend to take things for granted. If someone appears out of nowhere and gives you an opportunity to go to a fantasy land – will you take it? Many would take it for granted that the answer is positive. I wouldn’t take for granted even my customary power walk to the refrigerator.
How did the story change as you developed it?
Not at all. It took me about half an hour to write, then I went over it several times, and that was that. The real challenge when writing such a short story is the exact choice of words, which is why it took half an hour and not three minutes.
You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
Alas, no different versions here, nor cuts. I knew exactly what the last sentence would be before I keyed the first sentence in.
How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
Well, I tend to write short rather than long stories, though this one is shorter than most. Also, I usually apply a considerable amount of rhymes, word games and other language special effects – but I had not done so in this particular story, to the great relief of Lavie Tidhar, who had done me the kindness of translating it into English.
Questions About Writing
Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
I honestly have no idea.
What’s it like to work with a translator?
In this case it was very simple. In some of my longer stories we had hours of discussions and considerations regarding this or other word, especially when dealing with word games and terms which exist in Hebrew but not in English, or which have different cultural meaning in English and so must be replaced. However, this particular story was really a very quick job, and my only concern was the model of the car, which was left as it was – I guess that a Fiat is a Fiat everywhere…
What writing projects are you presently working on?
At the moment I’m co-writing a novel about a murder in an Israeli SF&F convention – which, admittedly, isn’t actual SF, but is rather fun. I’m also composing a soundtrack for a horror TV series, which can also be considered as writing. Of sorts.
What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
Anytime after actually waking up. Waking up, in this case, doesn’t mean “getting out of bed” or “going to work”. It means something like “being out of bed for at least 5 hours and having eaten lunch already”.
Favorite book read when you were a child?
There were – and are – so many of them!
Random Questions
If you could trade places with anyone, who would it be? And Why?
Someone just like me, only with a tremendous amount of money.
Watch much TV? If so, what shows do you watch? Which shows are guilty pleasures?
No TV for me. I play in bands instead.
Favourite restaurant?
You should ask my girlfriend that question. Myself, gimme some meat inna bun, and I’m well and done.
Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
Only when it rains.
If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
I’ve no idea. I’m still waiting for an older self to appear and give me some good advice.
Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? Please explain your answer:
It doesn’t need to be changed, I wanted it this way!
Interview with Beverly A. Jackson
Beverly A. Jackson’s short story, A Fish Tale, appears in the Summer 2006 issue of Shimmer. Send her e-mail or check out her web site.
Questions About the Story
Where did the idea come from?
I used to live on the Mad River in the Pacific Northwest, and always loved to watch the fishermen during salmon season—and my fantasies bit like the fish.
How did the story change as you developed it?
It just fell out in a piece, this one.
How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
This is a sort of a half-baked prose poem, I suppose, and I think poetry (my first love) always shows up in my prose in some small way or another. I think the concise imagery in poetry is very helpful in prose.
Questions About Writing
How did you celebrate your first sale?
Well, actually I sat down and wrote a poem which was later published in Pig Iron Malt 2003. I thought it was amusing (and of course you don’t need to print this, but I thought you might get a giggle):
On Being Published
I want to croon tonight, crow & prance
drifting on a raft with violinists.
Arms hoist me, ravens sing
harmony while my hand floats in
cold-water rapids of rapture.
Publish me! More sensuous than sucking
if you hold the wet words in your mouth
and spill them out without swallowing.
Edit red dust, hike across the canyon,
a horse corral by any other name would
smell. Do you love me? Do you LOVE me?
Lie to me, typeset my whore’s heart
in AGaramond italics.
Does your work tend to explore any particular themes?
I think exploring the human condition and relationships between people (or failure of them) consumes a lot of my energy. And then sometimes I just get silly, (so tired of myself.) But my work is usually described as dark. I’m working on a novel in stories that is dark, dark, dark. Alas.
Favorite book you’ve read recently?
Father & Son by Larry Brown.
Random Questions
What is your proudest accomplishment?
For the past five years I’ve been the founder, publisher and Editor in Chief of a wonderful literary journal, Ink Pot, and an independent press, Lit Pot Press, Inc. which produced books of poetry and novellas that were extraordinary. We recently lost our funding and closed the doors, but the outpouring of love from writers and readers makes me proud indeed. It was the best job I ever had, and the best staff. Our last hurrah is at http://www.inkpots.net.
What are some of your hobbies?
Well, I love to paint, and that’s a given. I do portraits and abstracts and collage. But I also love crafty things–nothing for very long, but I have done quilts, papier mache, flower pressing, macramé, needlepoint, all sorts of handy things. I also love to cook for company. The yang of that is I hate housework.
All-time favorite movie?
Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire” followed by “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.” (I wish I’d written that title!)
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Young.