THE ART ISSUE

Now Available!
For this issue, the art comes first. We selected art, and then invited some Shimmery favorites to write stories inspired by the images. Our cover image is Penny’s Grave, by award-winning artist John Picacio; we used it as the trigger for a contest at the Liberty Hall Writer’s Workshop. The winning story is Penny Wise, by Kurt Kirchmeier.

Sandro Castelli’s Cherub inspired Michael Livingston’s A Very Young Boy With Largely Clipped Wings.

Conceptions of the Mind, by Fatima Azimova, was the trigger for Aliette de Bodard’s Within the City of the Swan.

Chrissy Ellsworth’s My Career as a Fashion Designer inspired Dresses, Three, by Angela Slatter.

And Carrie Ann Baade’s Untitled (Hawk headed infant with frogs) gave us Flying and Falling, by Kuzhali Manickavel.

These art-inspired stories are joined by new stories from Daniel Rabuzzi and Josh Vogt.

View the full table of contents, or order your copy today!

The Clockwork Jungle Book

Shimmer is pleased to announce The Clockwork Jungle Book. Think steampunk animal parables! It’s a special double-length issue, guest-edited by George Mann of Solaris Books, scheduled for Autumn 2008. Now accepting submissions. Read the guidelines for more details.

The Pirate Issue

Ahoy! The Pirate Issue, guest-edited by John Joseph Adams, is a special double-length issue chock full of piratical yarns. Featuring stories by Mikal Trimm, James Cambias, Justine Graykin, Marissa Lingen, and more! Illustrated throughout by James Owen. Grab a copy today! Table of Contents

Stories to read for FREE:

The Sweet Realm, by Jill Snyder Lum
Captain Blood’s B00ty, by Jeremiah Tolbert

Ken Scholes’s short story, Action Team-Ups Number Thirty-Seven appears in the Winter 2006 issue of Shimmer.

About the Story Itself

Where did the idea for Action Team-Ups Number Thirty-Seven come from?
I needed something really short to read at Talebones Live. I am a comic book/superhero geek going back to early childhood. I wanted to take a stab at what would happen to a Batman-type character if he ran out of money and landed in an assisted living facility.

Do you work with a critique or writers group?
I have first readers who check out my stories. And with this particular story, I test-drove it on a room of about thirty.

How did the story change as you developed it?
It really didn’t. Shimmer purchased my first draft.

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?
Well, I DID have to go back and change several superhero/supervillain names…at least one of those was a darling, but I think the story survived it.

About writing in general:

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
Both. I think my writing taps into whatever my subconcious is processing but good storytelling isn’t self-centered, it considers the reader as a passenger in the car.

How long had you been submitting before you made your first sale?
I came to writing in two stages. First, in high school, I submitted several stories, racking up maybe ten rejections or so. Second, as an adult, I came back to it in 1997 and made my first sale 75 rejections later in 1999.

How did you celebrate your first sale?
I can’t recall. I know I made a copy of the check and it’s in my file somewhere. There was much rejoicing, I know that.

What writing projects are you presently working on?
I’m writing about 2 short stories per month so it changes from week to week. I’m also starting my first novel.

Does popular culture/entertaiment influence your writing?
Sometimes it sparks ideas. Like stories about…um…superheroes. And literary figures. And historical characters.

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
Well, I don’t like writing at night. I much prefer morning or afternoon. But I take what I can get.

Favorite short story read this year?
Anything I read by Howard Waldrop or Ray Vukcevich.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Cat in the Hat.

Random Questions:

If you could trade places with anyone, who would it be? And why?
Hmmm. Depends on how long. Pretty much, I’d be okay with just staying me.

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?
I believe in the unknown. I don’t know how supernatural it is…but I’m open minded.

If you have a day job, what is it?
I write contracts and coordinate procurements for a government agency.

Fast food: Yea or Nay?
Hmm. Sometimes I like it but it rarely likes me. I’m becoming a sandwich sort of guy.

Favourite food?
I dig the pizza. And tapioca pudding. And cocoa krispies.

Favourite restaurant?
Pa’s Kettle. Greasy spoon breakfast joint near our place.

Name one place in your hometown that you love to go to and would recommend to others to visit.
My hometown? Haven’t been there for a while. Here in Portland (my new hometown) — Powell’s Books.

What are some of your hobbies?
Hanging with the wonder-wife Jen, hanging with my writerly pals, playing guitar and singing, video games, movies.

Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
I’ve become a cat person because they’re less needy than dogs and still have substance.

Is there anything that you would “sell your soul” for?
Not so much, no.

All-time favourite movie?
It’s a Wonderful Life

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
“It’ll all turn out just fine. Trust me.”

Do you have a secret skill that you never get to show off?
Well, I only get to show THAT skill off to my wife these days….

How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb?
None…they’re too busy writing to notice that the damn thing’s burned out.

Ian Creasey’s short story, The Goldsmith, appears in the Winter 2006 issue of Shimmer

Questions about the story

Where did the idea for The Goldsmith come from?
It came from a writing exercise. At the time I was part of a short-lived writers’ group that met at the house of a woman called Natalie. She gathered together a few miscellaneous objects and gave us fifteen minutes to write something inspired by them. One of the items was her ring — it was the first time I’d ever seen an inscribed ring. I think it took me five minutes to come up with a story based on the ring, and ten minutes to scribble down a rough draft. Obviously the time constraint made it a short piece: it’s only about 350 words. Afterward I wondered whether to expand it, but I decided it worked best as flash fiction. I polished it up a little, and sent it out.

Do you work with a critique or writers group?
I’m currently a member of two online groups: Critters and Codex. Critters is fairly well known, and I certainly recommend it as a good group for beginners. But after four years and a few pro sales, I’m starting to feel that I’m growing out of Critters, so I was glad to hear about Codex — it’s a group specifically for “neopro” writers who are past the beginner stage. If you’ve made a pro sale or graduated from a major workshop such as Clarion, you’re eligible to join Codex. We welcome new members: feel free to look us up.

I’m also an occasional attendee of the Milford UK workshop, which is held annually in Wales. It’s a week of critiquing and socialising with fellow writers: great fun and very energising. My account of Milford 2005 is on my website.

I’m a big believer in the workshopping process: I personally find it very helpful to both critique and be critiqued. I’ve written hundreds of critiques over the years, and I think that’s the main source of my development as a writer. After all, learning from your own mistakes is rather time-consuming — it’s much more efficient to learn from other people’s!

Questions about writing:

How long had you been submitting before you made your first sale?
Less than a year. But that was only because I was impatient for a sale and I submitted a story to a small new magazine. If I had followed the standard method of starting with the pro markets, it would have taken longer. After that first sale I became more rigorous about submitting on a top-down basis, so it took me another two years before I made my second sale.

What writing projects are you presently working on?
At the moment I’m trying to complete and submit all my half-finished short stories. Once I’ve done that, I plan to take an extended rest break. Then I’ll come back and make a serious attempt at writing a novel.

Does popular culture/entertainment influence your writing?
I’m not hugely inspired by popular culture, but even if I were, it’s difficult to use cultural references when you’re a British writer and most of the markets are American.

This was illustrated very well at the last Milford workshop, where two of the stories (neither of them mine) were about cloning celebrities. One was based on David Beckham, who is one of the most famous men in Britain, although I would hazard a guess that few Americans have heard of him. He’s the captain of the England football team. (Even that sentence illustrates the issue — I do of course mean real football, i.e. soccer, not the ludicrous American version.) The story was full of references to various elements of English pop culture, and to me it was very funny, but the two Americans in our group didn’t understand a word of it. At Milford we discuss marketing as well as critiquing, and we all agreed that there was simply no point in submitting this story to any American market.

The other cloning story was based on Elvis. (Notice that I don’t even need to give a surname.) American pop culture is the world’s pop culture — although I’m British, I understood every reference in the story.

I don’t personally want to write about American culture. It’s not my heritage. To the extent that I’m influenced by culture — and no-one writes in a vacuum — it’s British culture that most resonates with me. But when I’m writing a story, even the most tangential reference can be problematic. I’m constantly having to stop and think, “Will the Americans get that?” It’s another reason to workshop my stories — Critters has quite a few Americans who are swift to express bafflement at anything from beyond their shores.

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
Late at night. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I prefer to write in silence, without any distracting noise from outside, and the world is much quieter at night. The second is that I’m a dreadful procrastinator, and I often fritter away the entire day until about midnight, when I finally decide that I really must get some writing done before bedtime.

Random questions:

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?
Not in the slightest. Having said that, ghosts or ghost-like entities crop up in my fiction more often than I might expect. I don’t know why that is — it’s a recurrent theme that must come from deep inside my subconscious. I guess immaterial beings are a useful archetype that can address a wide range of situations.

What are some of your hobbies?
I was in a band before I took up writing. I still enjoy playing guitar, writing songs and recording them at home. This is just for my own fun. It’s a relaxing contrast to writing for publication, because if you want an editor to buy a story, that puts certain constraints on what you can do. On the other hand, with music I can be self-indulgent and record anything I like, because no-one else ever hears it.

I love getting outdoors. I like pottering in my garden, and growing strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers. I go hiking in the countryside. I also do a fair amount of conservation volunteering: this includes things like planting trees, repairing footpaths, laying hedges, building dry-stone walls, clearing invasive weeds, and many other tasks. Recently I spent a week in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, maintaining an unusual habitat occupied by an endangered snail. I was a little embarrassed because I lost one of our tools in the bog….

All-time favourite movie?
My favourite film of all time is “Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl”. But when people ask about films, they usually mean full-length films rather than shorts. If I had to nominate a feature film, it would be a toss-up between “Airplane!” and “The Princess Bride”.

Do you have a secret skill that you never get to show off? (i.e. ambidextrous writing, blood-curdling screams, double-jointed, badminton champion…)
I’m surprisingly good at air hockey. Even though I only see a table once every few years, when I get on there I’m unbeatable.

Interviews

Author Interviews – Winter 2008 The Art Issue
Learn more about these Shimmery authors by clicking on the links below.

Aliette de Bodard–Within the City of the Swan

Kurt Kirchmeier–Penny Wise

Kuzhali Manickavel–Flying and Falling

Daniel A. Rabuzzi–Monologue with Birds and Burin

Josh Vogt–Even Songbirds Are Kept in Cages

Angela Slatter–Dresses,Three

 

Bonus Audio Versions

Michael Livingston reads his story Gnome Season from the Summer 2006 issue of Shimmer. Listen now! on mp3. (5.3 MB)

Ken Scholes reads his story Action Team Ups Number Thirty-Seven from the Winter 2006 issue of Shimmer. Listen now! on mp3. (5.3 MB)

A Convocation of Clowns by Mel Cameron. Mary Robinette Kowal reads this amazing story from the Autumn 2005 issue of Shimmer. Listen now! on mp3. (1.4 MB).

Bonus Fiction

Spring Bonus Story – posted April 1, 2006
Don’t miss A. L. Pineson’s spectacular “Robot Zombie Vampire Goats of Mars.”

Interview Archive

Author Interviews – Summer 2006 – Issue 4
Learn more about these Shimmery authors by clicking on the links below.

Paul Abbamondi – Always GreenerAmal El-Mohtar – The Crow’s CawBeverly Jackson – A Fish Tale

Michael Livingston – Gnome Season

Stephen L. Moss – Oscar’s Temple

Tom Pendergrass – Urban Renewal

Angela Slatter – Bluebeard

Marina T. Stern – On the Edge of the World
Author Interviews – Spring 2006 – Issue 3
Learn more about these Shimmery authors by clicking on the links below.

Paul Abbamondi – The Dealer’s HandsAliette de Bodard – A Warrior’s DeathBruce K. Derksen – Rubber Boots, Mr. President

Darby Harn – Paper Man

Clifford Royal Johns – Dog Thinks Ahead

John Mantooth – Litany

Angela Slatter – The Little Match Girl

Marina T. Stern – Drevka’s Rain

Author Interviews – Winter 2006 – Issue 2
Learn more about these Shimmery authors by clicking on the links below.

Gerald Costlow – The Persian BoxIan Creasey – The GoldsmithSamantha Henderson – Route Nine

Jay Lake – The Black Back-Lands

Jason A. D. MacDonald – Neighbor

Erynn Miles – Music in D Minor

Edo Mor – One-Leaf-Two

Ken Scholes – Action Team-Ups Number Thirty-Seven

Author Interviews – Autumn 2006 – Issue 5
Learn more about these Shimmery authors by clicking on the links below.
John Parke Davis – Halloween NightKathy Watts – Skeletonbaby Magic

Bryan Lindsey – Pray for Us, St. Dymphna

Angela Slatter – The Angel Wood

Aliette de Bodard – Through the Obsidian Gates

Nir Yaniv – A Wizard on the Road

Monica M. Eiland – Voices of the Gods

Silvia Moreno-Garcia – King of Sand and Stormy Seas

Author Interviews – Autumn 2007 – The Pirate Issue
Learn more about these Shimmery authors by clicking on the links below.

 

Jason A. D. MacDonald’s short story, Neighbor, appears in the Winter 2006 issue of Shimmer.

Questions about the story

Where did the idea come from?
My roommate. A few years ago, he thought that our upperstairs neighbour was playing with the faucet when he took a shower, resulting in a cold experience. The idea was kind of funny so I took it to an absurd extreme. The more fantastic elements developed in the writing process.

Do you work with a critique or writers group?
I used to workshop my writing through Imaginaries. Neighbour was among the pieces I submitted. Currently, I am exchanging dedicated critiques with a fellow writer who is dependable and perceptive.

How did the story change as you developed it?
I wrote the story slowly over a period of three years, taking long breaks to work on a novel. When the urge struck, or I lost interest in the book, I’d return to the story. For the longest time, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with the climax. I toyed with having the upstairs neighbour be a vampire but rejected that as too cliche. The final concept derived from an Encyclopedia of Fantasy Literature my brother gave me for Christmas. I was fascinated by the history of Jack figures in folktales. I developed Mr. Clean with an eye toward the archetype and made him specifically interested in the psychological problems of my protagonist.

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?
Frankly speaking, I tend to be an egoist where my own writing is concerned. When I’m pleased, I feel like Shakespeare reincarnated and can’t fathom how someone else couldn’t be comparably excited about the material. It makes cutting my story a very painful and pragmatic exercise. If I get a lot of feedback concerning a particular segment not working, I throw a childish fit and then consider how I can preserve the original intent without compromising what I consider to be valuable. If I do my job correctly, I may please both myself and others with the revision but I’m never wholly convinced that the original wasn’t better.

Questions about writing

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
The first audience will always be myself. I have to be excited about the creation or there’s no point in moving it out of that narcissistic space. Ultimately, my goal is always to share, of course. Writing that is purely confessional need never evolve from diary to publication. I don’t remember a time in my life when writing wasn’t my uppermost goal in life and, more particularly, to share my excitement and fun with others.

How long had you been submitting before you made your first sale?
If we’re talking about poetry, I had made several submissions (I forget the exact number) before I struck a small vein of publishing gold. As for short fiction, I got lucky. I did my market research well and found Shimmer on my first attempt.

How did you celebrate your first sale?
I told everyone I love.

What writing projects are you presently working on?
I have a short story entitled Marrow of Common Being in consideration at The Book of Dark Wisdom. The narrative is set in ice-age Canada and concerns a young tribesman’s transformation into a spirit of revenge. Another short story in development revolves around a security guard posted to a burned-down hotel and its mysterious inhabitants. My long term project is a novel tentatively called Shroud of Tears. Set in a fictional fantasy milieu, the plot involves a man who has angered Death and is fighting to protect his children from its wrath.

Does popular culture/entertaiment influence your writing?
If you read through Paradise Lost, you’ll discover a universe of classical allusions that today’s world largely can’t relate to. Throw away or not, pop culture forms a common metanarrative that people use to communicate in a similar way. I’ve been fascinated in using those symbols in my writing and did so to a large degree in Neighbour. As a big video game player, I especially wanted my POV, Adam, to relate metaphorically to his world through gaming symbols and ideology.

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
Whenever time and mood coincide, I’ll write. I do think it is important to try to write in a regimented way, every day if possible.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Probably The Hobbit. I have a hard time picking favourites. I’d also cite the Asterix line of illustrated books and DC comic books, although they aren’t quite what was asked.

Random questions

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?
I believe ghosts probably exist, although I’ve never seen one. I think a bit of haunting is good for the creative imagination. Otherwise, I don’t believe in rejecting phenomena on the basis that I’ve never personally experienced them. Logic says that you can’t prove a negative. Imagination profits from a healthy suspension of disbelief in everyday life. Childlike wonder is too precious a resource to lose.

What are some of your hobbies?
Video games, reading, music, and pipe smoking.

Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
I grew up a dog person and ended up a rat person. The humble rat has a much undeserved reputation. They’re intelligent, attentive, cute as hell, and possess a degree of personality that is startling in a little rodent. And I have never known one to bite intentionally. I still love dogs, though.

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
Stop wasting time and focus on what means the most to you. Make a plan for how you intend to acheive that and get cracking. The years fly by faster than you might think.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb?
One to call the electrician. Who has time to learn such an esoteric skill?

Erynn Miles’s story, Music in D Minor, appears in the Winter 2006 issue of Shimmer.

Questions about the story

Where did the idea for Music in D Minor come from?
I honestly have no idea.

Do you work with a critique or writers group?
No, not anymore. I think it’s valuable to have someone critique and lend an unbiased view of your work. Unfortunately, in my experience, many writer’s groups consist of people idly talking about how they need to write something, but need others for motivation, and never end up bringing anything to the group. Or it’s the blind leading the blind. But I’m sure there are some great groups I’ve never heard of out there somewhere.

How did the story change as you developed it?
The plot and characters didn’t change much. Mostly I tweaked and tightened a lot of the wording. And the ending a few times.

Do you have any cut scenes/outtakes/etc that might be entertaining/informative? Any interesting anecdotes?
No not really. Most of what I cut was neither interesting or entertaining, which is why it had to go.

Questions about writing

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
I write for other people, certainly, while remaining true to myself. I’ve never understood marketed artists claiming they do things solely for themselves.

How long had you been submitting before you made your first sale?
Almost 6 years. It may have happened sooner, though, had I not been so lazy about the marketing aspect.

How did you celebrate your first sale?
My boyfriend took me out for a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and I jumped up and down (not at the same time).

What writing projects are you presently working on?
I’m somewhere in act two in my new full-length play and I’m writing a short story.

Does popular culture/entertaiment influence your writing?
Absolutely!

What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?
It used to be late at night and now it’s early in the morning.

Favorite short story read this year?
Too many to name.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Where the Wild Things Are

Random questions

If you could trade places with anyone, who would it be? And Why?
I would never trade places with anyone because that would be kind of weird, wouldn’t it? I like the idea of earning my place in life. Although I wouldn’t mind borrowing some good qualities from my favorite authors.

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural?
No, but I love writing about them.

If you have a day job, what is it?
I work for a financial firm. A likely place for a writer.

Fast food: Yea or Nay?
I’d like to say “Nay”. But sometimes I slip and it’s “Yea”.

Favourite food?
Kraft Mac and Cheese dinner (powder cheese kind only). Followed closely by Sushi.

Favourite restaurant?
Right now it’s the diner in my neighborhood called The Little Corner Restaurant. I’ve become a regular. They have the best coffee and their soup and sandwiches are to die for.

Name one place in your hometown that you love to go to and would recommend to others to visit.
I’m originally from the suburbs of Indianapolis and it’s really boring there. The Children’s Museum is always fun, though.

What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy folk and ethnic dancing, blogging, trying strange foods and wine, reading, going to see plays and readings, hiking, movies. God. My life reads like a personal ad entry.

Cat or dog person? (or something else, like birds, iguanas, or even evil robot monkeys?)
I am the proud owner of two cats because they’re practical city dwelling pets, but I love all animals and have had several pets growing up. Except ferrets. I will never like ferrets. To me, they are the sketchy rednecks of the animal kingdom.

Is there anything that you would “sell your soul” for?
I don’t believe in a soul, so I’d probably sell it for just about anything the buyer had to offer. If anything were possible, I’d love to hang out with some of my favorite dead people that I will never get to meet. Like Orson Welles or Oscar Wilde.

All-time favourite movie?
I have way too many favorite movies to pick an all-time favorite.

If you had a working time machine what advice would you give a younger self?
I don’t think I would do anything of the sort because, knowing my younger self, if anyone were to approach me from the future, that in itself would blow my mind and I would likely just sit around being overly philosophical about it, become obsessed, and never get anything worthwhile done.

Do you have a secret skill that you never get to show off? (i.e. ambidextrous writing, blood-curdling screams, double-jointed, badmitton champion…)
I can’t say I have too many talents, but come to think of it, I am pretty good at hopscotch.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb?
I don’t believe I’ve ever changed a lightbulb with a writer before, and I’ve changed one before by myself so . . . one?