I'm up at my mom's doing Holiday Stuff, plus trying to write, and (kinda-sorta) keep up with online stuff only not really, so this is going to be short.
Judy Tarr has published a collection of her horse blogs in a book called Writing Horses -- The Fine Art of Getting it Right. This is a book about writing horse stuff the right way, by a writer who also breeds horses. I've been reading these blog posts all along over at the Book View Cafe, and I definitely want this book so I can have all the good stuff in one place. The info is presented in a way that particularly serves writers who are writing about horses. I've written a bit of horse stuff using horse reference books intended for people who have and/or ride horses, and Judy's method is definitely better if you're writing instead of riding. Highly recommended.
I know I've mentioned Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Freelancer's Survival Guide here before. She started posting chapters on her blog for free back in early 2009, believing that the economy made it imperative that the info get out to people immediately, rather than in the year or three it would've taken to shop a proposal around, write the book, then wait for the steady but slow gears of New York publishing to get it into bookstores. This is an awesome collection of info, experience, do-and-don't lists, things to think about, assorted resources, and things you never knew you absolutely needed to know. It's useful for freelancers of every kind, but examples pertaining to writers turn up fairly often. :) The link above goes to a page where you can buy the paperback version (580 pages!), but it's also available as an e-book, and it's still up on Kris's blog in chunks for free. Any writer who's making or hoping to make money on their fiction should read this, in whatever format. Me, I'm going for the paperback.
Angie
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Review of Chasing Fear
Dawn posted a great review up on Love Romances and More of Chasing Fear, my first Halloween short story. I've always liked this one and it's great to hear that someone's enjoyed it.
Thanks, Dawn!
==========
CHASING FEAR is a short story that will keep the reader intrigued till the very end. I don’t want to give too much away but have to admit, this was a perfect story to get my manlove fix one afternoon. Short, sweet and oh so sexy, CHASING FEAR is a delight to anyone who wants to experience this author’s writing style. Ms. Benedetti is a talented author who definitely knows how to make the reader get intrigued by having a unique character as a Greenman. I haven’t read a story that contained this type of character before and found myself wishing the story was a bit longer as it whetted my appetite to know more about Emilio and Martin. The writing was tight and the story was fast paced as it raced to the sexy ending.
Meet Emilio, a man who is in a relationship with a greenman, a man who can wield nature magic. Scared to show he is in a gay relationship, he finds himself forced to confront the issue when Martin finds him in the forest. Can Emilio let go of his hang-ups to enjoy the exquisite desire Martin inflames in him? Martin is a greenman and one who enjoys showing the world he is openly gay and in a great relationship. Knowing Emilio is holding back, he finds his lover dawdling in the forest on their annual date night-Halloween- and Martin takes measures into his own hands as he shows Emilio that pleasure can be just as enjoyable in the open as it is behind closed doors. These two are great characters to read about. Different and unique, they also step off the pages to captivate the reader till the very end. I was hoping Emilio would let go of all his fears and let Martin show him how pleasurable desire is out in the open. The sex scenes were tasteful and got your motor running. I was eager to see what exquisite delights Martin had in store for Emilio once he caught up with him.
CHASING FEAR is a wonderful story that will leave you hankering for more. I raced to the author’s website to see if there were some more stories set in the Hidden Magic world. If you want to try this author’s writing out, this is definitely a way to do it. This is a great paranormal tale that will leave you longing for more.
==========
If you've read and enjoyed "Chasing Fear," there's a free sequel up on my web site called Catching Courage.
Angie
Thanks, Dawn!
==========
CHASING FEAR is a short story that will keep the reader intrigued till the very end. I don’t want to give too much away but have to admit, this was a perfect story to get my manlove fix one afternoon. Short, sweet and oh so sexy, CHASING FEAR is a delight to anyone who wants to experience this author’s writing style. Ms. Benedetti is a talented author who definitely knows how to make the reader get intrigued by having a unique character as a Greenman. I haven’t read a story that contained this type of character before and found myself wishing the story was a bit longer as it whetted my appetite to know more about Emilio and Martin. The writing was tight and the story was fast paced as it raced to the sexy ending.
Meet Emilio, a man who is in a relationship with a greenman, a man who can wield nature magic. Scared to show he is in a gay relationship, he finds himself forced to confront the issue when Martin finds him in the forest. Can Emilio let go of his hang-ups to enjoy the exquisite desire Martin inflames in him? Martin is a greenman and one who enjoys showing the world he is openly gay and in a great relationship. Knowing Emilio is holding back, he finds his lover dawdling in the forest on their annual date night-Halloween- and Martin takes measures into his own hands as he shows Emilio that pleasure can be just as enjoyable in the open as it is behind closed doors. These two are great characters to read about. Different and unique, they also step off the pages to captivate the reader till the very end. I was hoping Emilio would let go of all his fears and let Martin show him how pleasurable desire is out in the open. The sex scenes were tasteful and got your motor running. I was eager to see what exquisite delights Martin had in store for Emilio once he caught up with him.
CHASING FEAR is a wonderful story that will leave you hankering for more. I raced to the author’s website to see if there were some more stories set in the Hidden Magic world. If you want to try this author’s writing out, this is definitely a way to do it. This is a great paranormal tale that will leave you longing for more.
==========
If you've read and enjoyed "Chasing Fear," there's a free sequel up on my web site called Catching Courage.
Angie
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Anthology Markets
If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.
Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guildelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.
Note there are a couple of spot shifts -- Jack-o'-Spec was previously under "Until Filled" but now has a (very close) deadline, Warrior Wisewoman has been pushed back six months, and Panverse Three has been filled. If Panverse follows their previous pattern, number four will open for submission within a couple of months. Also, note that I included In Situ because it sounds like a neat project, but I just found it and it's due in less than three weeks. [Edit: make that five weeks -- deadline moved.]
Non-erotica/romance writers: check out Jack-o'-Spec, In Situ, Bewere the Night, The Faery Taile Project, the Historical Lovecraft Anthology, Horror Library and Warrior Wisewoman 4.
***
15 November 2010 [Formerly UNTIL FILLED] -- Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy -- ed. Karen A. Romanko, Raven Electrick Ink
Submissions open 11 October 2010; closing date will be announced when the book is close to full.
Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy is a planned paperback anthology of speculative short stories, flash fiction, and poetry about Halloween and the traditions and legends surrounding it. All works must contain an element of science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror. If it's not speculative, I'm not interested. Also note that this will not be an all-horror anthology. I want to see science fiction and fantasy in a variety of sub-genres. In addition, please be mindful of the caveats about gore, as stated below.
EDITORIAL CAVEATS:
Nothing sexist, racist, or above a "PG" rating; no gore (i.e. no cannibalism, evisceration, "skinning," severed body parts, dead babies, etc.); no simultaneous submissions.
FICTION:
Length up to 2500 words (word processor count ) for new fiction. Length up to 3500 words for reprints. For reprints, include story's publication history.
Send one story. (It's okay to have one poem and one story under consideration at the same time, as long as each is sent in a separate e-mail.)
E-mail fiction submissions to: jackospec@ravenelectrick.com.
In the subject line, type "Fiction Sub" with your last name, e.g. "Fiction Sub: Asimov."
Send the story in an attached .rtf file.
Use black text only.
Include your biography in a brief cover letter.
TERMS: By submitting your work to Jack-o'-Spec, you agree that:
The submitted story or poem is an original work; you are the author of the submitted original work ("the work"); you own the copyright to the work; no other publisher holds exclusive license to the work at the time of submission to Jack-o'-Spec.
PAYMENT:
New fiction: 3 cents per word (rounded to the nearest 100 words) for stories to 800 words, $5 minimum and $24 maximum. Flat rate of $25 for stories 900 words to 2500 words.
Fiction reprints : 1 cent per word (rounded to the nearest 100 words) for stories to 2400 words, $3 minimum and $24 maximum. Flat rate of $25 for stories 2500 words to 3500 words.
Also looking for poetry; see submissions page for that and other details. Query address: comments@ravenelectrick.com.
***
1 December 2010 -- Male Model Anthology -- ed. Neil Plakcy, Cleis Press
Who hasn’t experienced a pang of lust or longing at a photo of a male model? Whether a hundred times life size on a billboard, or romping through the pages of a glossy magazine in his Calvins, Tommys or Ralphs, the male model is the gold standard for masculine beauty.
But what happens behind the scenes at those South Beach photo shoots or Manhattan runway shows? When the students put away their sketch pads, and the photographers shelve their lenses? Model Men will show these men at their handsomest and sexiest moments.
The editor of Hard Hats, Surfer Boys, Skater Boys and The Handsome Prince is looking for great stories focused on male models. Hand models, silver foxes, and locations around the world are fair game for Model Men. I’d love to see stories set in the traditional locales of New York, London, Milan and LA as well as other, unexpected places. Surprise me, romance me, get me hot and bothered!
Story length: 3,000 – 5,000 words
Publication Date: 2011
Payment: $60.00 per story, payable on publication, plus 1 copy of the book
You may forward this call to other erotica writers you know. Submit your story to Neil Plakcy at plax@bellsouth.net as a MS word attachment.
***
15 December 2010 -- Dancing -- Torquere Press
Three-story mini-anthology of short, sexy m/m stories on the theme, 3-7K words, 35%/25% of cover price from publisher's site/vendors, divided among the three authors. Send attached file to Submissions@torquerepress.com.
***
15 December 2010 [formerly 30 November] -- In Situ -- ed. Carrie Cuinn, Dagan Books
We will respond with acceptances after December 15, 2010, once all stories have been reviewed. Some rejections may be sent prior to the closing date. Payment will be 2 cents per word, up to $80 US, paid within 30 days of publication.
We're looking for stories of between 2,000 and 4,000 words. "In situ" is a Latin phrase meaning in the place. According to current archaeological usage, in situ refers to an artifact that has not been moved from its original place of deposition. In other words, it is still where it was left. An artifact being in situ is critical to the interpretation of that artifact and, consequently, to the culture which formed it. Once an artifact's 'find-site' has been recorded, the artifact can then be moved for conservation, further interpretation and display. An artifact that is not discovered in situ is considered out of context and will not provide an accurate picture of the associated culture.
But what if the artifact isn't from a human culture? Could we, as humans, possibly understand it? If not, what might we mistake it for? Whether it's 19th century scholars finding an alien artifact at an a dig site in the Mediterranean, or 25th century explorers uncovering ancient ruins on a recently discovered planet, far out in space, In Situ seeks to unearth something new.
SUBMISSIONS FORMAT:
Send all stories to submissions (at) daganbooks (dot) com in .doc or .rtf format. You must put the following in your email subject line:
[In Situ] "Name of your story" LastName
For example, our editor might submit a story with the following subject line:
[In Situ] "Alien Archeology" Cuinn
Use a common font in your submission, like Courier or Times New Roman, 12 pt, and if you need to note any funky formatting or spelling, please do so at the end of the document. Thank you.
***
31 December 2010 -- Fire and Ice: Short Gasps of Romantic Suspense -- ed. Jessy Marie Roberts, Pill Hill Press
Email submissions to: fireice@pillhillpress.com
Please put SUBMISSION, followed by the title of the story, in the subject line of your email. Thanks!
This anthology will feature SUSPENSEFUL short stories with a STRONG ROMANTIC THEME. We want interesting submissions where the protagonist(s) FALL IN LOVE through the course of the story, all the while facing incredibly SCARY situations. Love scenes are acceptable, as long as written tastefully and are integral to plot development (think romance novel sex, not Penthouse sex - we are not looking for erotica or pornography).
Most genres are acceptable as long as they contain strong elements of both suspense and romance. They can take place anywhere (Earth, outer space, other planets, etc.), at any time (past, present, future, alternate. Stories should be written in the third person.
We prefer short stories in the 4,000-6,000 word range, but will consider stories from 1,500-15,000 words.
Payment is 1 cent per word (up to 6,000 words or a $60.00 cap), plus 1 contributor's copy upon publication.
***
31 December 2010 -- Bewere the Night -- ed. Ekaterina Sedia, Prime
I'm looking for stories dealing with any were-creatures; werewolves are welcome, of course, and the stories should be in a general urban fantasy vein. I'll need the stories by the end of December 2010, and I'm looking for reprints as well as originals. Reprints pay 1c/word and originals 5c/word, and the length should be between 1,000 and 7,500 words. Also, please suggest reprints by other authors if you happen to think of any.
***
31 December 2010 -- The Faery Taile Project #2 -- CatsCurious Press
There are two sides to every story... And we here at CatsCurious Press think that our readers deserve to read BOTH! Again!
A Call for Submissions... of the Faery Taile Kynde! CatsCurious Press will re-open to submissions starting October 1, 2010 for all well-written, humorous fairy tale re-tellings (except red riding hood, but that's because we've been there, done that)! But there's a catch -- these stories must be written from ONE POV only... the protagonist's.
Why would we be so strict, you ask? Because Anton Strout, author of Dead To Me, Deader Still, 'Dead Matter and Dead Waters has already gotten on board to write a counterpoint story! That's right -- once we have plowed our way through the slush, Anton will review our favorite stories and then choose ONE from among them to write a counterpoint to.
The end result will be a double-sided book with two covers (one featuring artwork for Anton's story, the other featuring artwork to coincide with the protagonist's point of view). Stories will be printed upside-down from one another -- flip the book over, and start fresh from the top! I can't wait to see the end result! Check out Faery Taile Project #1 to see what we have in mind.
Here are the requirements:
Story length must be between 7500 and 12,000 words
Stories must be humorous
Stories must appeal to a broad range of folks -- from twelve years old to adult (so no raunchy humor, please!)
Stories must be single POV, from the protagonist's point of view (this will take some finesse -- leaving enough details to the imagination that Anton can create a counterpoint, yet creating a rich-enough world that the reader won't be left wanting)
Submission period: October 1st, 2010 to 11:59:59pm December 31st, 2010
Any fairy tale is fair game (except red hood of course, for obvious reasons)!
The payment? $.06 per word and seeing your name next to Anton Strout's!
***
1 January 2011 -- Red Velvet and Absinthe: Gothic Tales of Erotic Romance -- ed. Mitzi Szereto, Cleis Press
A trade paperback to be published by Cleis Press, USA. Publication date: Autumn 2011. Deadline: January 1, 2011 (I’ll be selecting stories on a rolling basis, therefore earlier submissions are strongly encouraged, though I’ll still consider stories that make it in by the deadline).
Word count preferred: 3,000 to 6,500.
What I’m looking for: Well-developed story lines and well-crafted prose told in a unique voice and containing interesting characters and settings. Think atmosphere, passion, desire… imaginative stories that send a shiver up your spine and make your heart beat faster. Readers should be able to feel the red velvet beneath their fingertips and taste the absinthe on their tongue! Tales that contain supernatural beings such as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters, demons, and other entities of a paranormal nature are welcome, as are those of the Wuthering Heights variety with tormented heroes and dark secrets. Stories may be set in the past, present, or future. Stories from female and male writers are welcome, as are those written from the POV of characters of any gender and containing characters of any sexual orientation (including those that haven’t yet been created!). Take your inspiration from the pens of the Brontë sisters, Mary Shelley, Daphne du Maurier, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Poppy Z. Brite, Stephenie Meyer, Laurell K. Hamilton…
Note that sexually explicit content is acceptable as well as a more subtle approach; however, no stock sex scenes or formulaic writing/terminology. Please refer to my previous anthologies to get an idea of the variety and style of content I look for. No excessive gore or violence. No reprints.
One-time payment in the range of USD $50-70 (payable on publication) and 2 copies of the anthology.
Submission requirements: Stories should be formatted as follows: double-spaced Arial 12-point black font Word or RTF document. Indent the first line of each paragraph by half an inch. Do not add extra lines between paragraphs or any other irregular spacing. American spelling and punctuation only (i.e. quote marks, etc). Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), postal address, and a fifty-word maximum author bio written in the third person. Contract is for one-time, non-exclusive anthology rights with one year’s exclusivity from date of publication. (This may be waived if your story is selected for a “Best Of” collection). No simultaneous submissions please.
In the subject line of your email, please state: Red Velvet and Absinthe
Send to: submissions @ mitziszereto.com
***
3 January 2011 -- Historical Lovecraft Anthology -- ed. Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, Innsmouth Free Press
What We Want: historical fiction with a Lovecraftian twist. Stories should be set in a variety of places, cultures and time periods. While we might buy one story set in 1920s New England, we want to stray far from the normal Lovecraft milieu. If you’re going to do 1920s, why not ship us off to China and tell the story from the point of view of a native of Shanghai? Please note that for our purposes we consider historical anything up to 1937 (the year of Lovecraft’s death).
Length: from flash fiction (1,000 words or under) to novelette (10,000 words). Keep in mind we have a payment cap of $50 CAD, so your long novelette might be better served by finding another home.
Payment: one cent per word up to a maximum of $50 CAD. One physical copy of the anthology and one e-book copy. Payment made via PayPal or Canadian check upon acceptance. We are purchasing first English print and electronic rights for the anthology.
Reprints: considered, with a few caveats:
1. Indicate where and when the story was originally published in your cover letter.
2. Reprints offered should not be easily available in print or online.
3. Payment is a flat $25 CAD for reprints.
If you published it in a small collection in 1985 and it’s no longer on the market, that’s fine. If it was published in a German magazine and never translated to English, we’d like to see it. If it appeared in a now-defunct zine, that’s okay, too. If it was in a recent issue of an English-language zine that is currently online, no.
Submitting: e-mail us at innsmouthfp AT gmail.com. Subject line: Historical Antho, [Title of your Story, Author's Name]. The subject line is important; otherwise, the story might go into the wrong pile.
Do not send simultaneous submissions. Do not send more than one submission. If we reject one story, you can send another one.
Include a cover letter with the story word count, salient writing credits and any reprint information (if applicable). Yes, we do read cover letters, so please include the information (Paula gets cranky when stories arrive sans byline, title or cover letter).
Attach story as RTF (preferred) or Word (doc, not docx) document. Use standard manuscript format. Italics as italics, bold as bold. No fancy fonts.
Stories can be sent in English, French or Spanish.
Submissions are accepted from September 1, 2010 to January 3, 2011. Do not send anything before or after that date.
We will reject some stories as they come in and send others to the hold pile. Final story selection will take place in January 2011. Check back for updates.
***
15 January 2011 -- Canes -- Torquere Press
Three-story mini-anthology of short, sexy m/m stories on the theme, 3-7K words, 35%/25% of cover price from publisher's site/vendors, divided among the three authors. Send attached file to Submissions@torquerepress.com.
***
[UPDATED] 31 July 2011 -- Warrior Wisewoman 4 -- ed. Roby James, Norilana Books
Warrior Wisewoman is an annual anthology series of science fiction featuring powerful and remarkable women, edited by Roby James. The first volume was published by Norilana Books in June 2008, the second volume in June 2009, and the third volume in August 2010.
The anthology was conceived as a sister volume to the classic Sword and Sorceress fantasy series originally edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with the main difference being that the story themes will involve science fiction instead of fantasy, and they will be intended for a more mature audience, allowing a mixture of serious contemporary issues and reasonable sexual content (but no erotica) in addition to action and adventure. The stories will have a stronger focus on the interface between scientific exploration and our sense of wonder.
Editor Roby James says "I am looking for stories that shed light on the truth of what it means to be female, that illuminate the wisdom and the strength of a woman, but not in cliche 'goddess' stories. I love action and adventure, grand space opera, thrilling discovery, and intelligent protagonists. Make the story thoughtful, wise, and surprising. In addition, the stories in the anthology should appeal to genuine emotions, suspense, fear, sorrow, delight, wonder. The science can be part of the background and the characters foremost, or the science can be central to the story, as long as the characters are realistic and appealing. It is strongly recommended you read the previous volumes to get an idea of what kind of material we're looking for.
"This is science fiction, but I also welcome stories of spiritual exploration, looking at the bond between the scientific and the divine. I want to see how a woman survives tragedy and disaster, overcomes impossible odds, achieves her true potential, or goes on to thrive in a marvelous universe of so many possibilities, using what is inside her, as well as what she finds in the laboratory, the alien planet, or space itself.
"The stories should contain the question of 'what if' on some level. And they should have a woman answer it."
RIGHTS PURCHASED: First English Language Rights and non-exclusive electronic rights. The anthology will be published by Norilana Books in a trade paperback edition in June 2011, to be followed by an electronic edition to be produced later.
PAYMENT: $0.02 a word on acceptance, and a pro rata share of royalties, plus a contributor copy.
WORD LENGTH: Up to 10,000 words, with longer stories having to be exceptional.
READING PERIOD begins on September 15, 2010. Please do not submit your stories before then.
DEADLINE:January 15, 2011 July 31, 2011.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Submissions are electronic only. Please submit your story as a Word (.doc or .rtf) attachment to your e-mail. The subject line of your e-mail should say "Submission: Story Title, last name of author." Also, include a brief cover letter. It should have your full name, address, e-mail address, title of story, number of words, and brief biographical information in case we don't know you, with most recent publishing credits, if applicable. We are open to new writers and seasoned veterans alike.
EDITORIAL ADDRESS: roby dot james at comcast dot net.
[EDIT: Note that Norilana is postponing most of its upcoming anthologies by six months, so the deadline is later, although the guidelines still say reading began on 15 September 2010. They're open, but it'll take a lot longer to get a response than originally indicated.]
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Horror Library, Vol. 5 -- Cutting Block Press
Cutting Block Press is pleased to announce an open submissions period for the 4th Volume of its Horror Anthology Series, +Horror Library+, to be published in trade paperback during 2011.
We're looking for the highest quality examples of all forms of Dark Fiction, running the gamut from traditional horror, supernatural, speculative, psychological thriller, dark satire, including every point between and especially beyond. No Fantasy or Sci-fi unless the horror elements are dominant. Read +Horror Library+ Volumes 1-3 to see what's already pleased us. Special consideration will be given those pieces that we find profoundly disturbing, though blood and violence on their own won't cut it. While we will consider tales of vampires, ghosts and zombies, we tend to roll our eyes at ordinary ones. They're just too plentiful. Your best bet is to surprise us with something that is different, while well conceived and tightly executed.
Guidelines: Stories will range between 1,000 and 6,000 words, though we'll look at longer works of exceptional merit. In that case, query before submission. Buying 1st worldwide anthology rights. No reprints. Paying 1.5 cents per word, plus one contributors copy. For established authors, rates may be negotiable. Response time: six months or sooner. Deadline: We will accept submissions until filled. All Queries to horrorlibrarysubs@yahoo.com.
Manuscript format: 12 point courier font, standard margins, left side of header: name, contact info, right side of header: word count, top of first page: title, author
Variances from traditional manuscript format: single space, NO INDENTS, ONE EXTRA space between paragraphs, use bold, italics and underline as they are to appear in story
Subject box: Short Story submission - title of story
Attach story in MS Word Document or RTF (only). Please paste your cover letter in the body of the e-mail. Send submissions to horrorlibrarysubs@yahoo.com.
[See the web page for a special offer on copies of Horror Library Vol. 1 for writers doing market research.]
Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guildelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.
Note there are a couple of spot shifts -- Jack-o'-Spec was previously under "Until Filled" but now has a (very close) deadline, Warrior Wisewoman has been pushed back six months, and Panverse Three has been filled. If Panverse follows their previous pattern, number four will open for submission within a couple of months. Also, note that I included In Situ because it sounds like a neat project, but I just found it and it's due in less than three weeks. [Edit: make that five weeks -- deadline moved.]
Non-erotica/romance writers: check out Jack-o'-Spec, In Situ, Bewere the Night, The Faery Taile Project, the Historical Lovecraft Anthology, Horror Library and Warrior Wisewoman 4.
***
15 November 2010 [Formerly UNTIL FILLED] -- Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy -- ed. Karen A. Romanko, Raven Electrick Ink
Submissions open 11 October 2010; closing date will be announced when the book is close to full.
Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy is a planned paperback anthology of speculative short stories, flash fiction, and poetry about Halloween and the traditions and legends surrounding it. All works must contain an element of science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror. If it's not speculative, I'm not interested. Also note that this will not be an all-horror anthology. I want to see science fiction and fantasy in a variety of sub-genres. In addition, please be mindful of the caveats about gore, as stated below.
EDITORIAL CAVEATS:
Nothing sexist, racist, or above a "PG" rating; no gore (i.e. no cannibalism, evisceration, "skinning," severed body parts, dead babies, etc.); no simultaneous submissions.
FICTION:
Length up to 2500 words (word processor count ) for new fiction. Length up to 3500 words for reprints. For reprints, include story's publication history.
Send one story. (It's okay to have one poem and one story under consideration at the same time, as long as each is sent in a separate e-mail.)
E-mail fiction submissions to: jackospec@ravenelectrick.com.
In the subject line, type "Fiction Sub" with your last name, e.g. "Fiction Sub: Asimov."
Send the story in an attached .rtf file.
Use black text only.
Include your biography in a brief cover letter.
TERMS: By submitting your work to Jack-o'-Spec, you agree that:
The submitted story or poem is an original work; you are the author of the submitted original work ("the work"); you own the copyright to the work; no other publisher holds exclusive license to the work at the time of submission to Jack-o'-Spec.
PAYMENT:
New fiction: 3 cents per word (rounded to the nearest 100 words) for stories to 800 words, $5 minimum and $24 maximum. Flat rate of $25 for stories 900 words to 2500 words.
Fiction reprints : 1 cent per word (rounded to the nearest 100 words) for stories to 2400 words, $3 minimum and $24 maximum. Flat rate of $25 for stories 2500 words to 3500 words.
Also looking for poetry; see submissions page for that and other details. Query address: comments@ravenelectrick.com.
***
1 December 2010 -- Male Model Anthology -- ed. Neil Plakcy, Cleis Press
Who hasn’t experienced a pang of lust or longing at a photo of a male model? Whether a hundred times life size on a billboard, or romping through the pages of a glossy magazine in his Calvins, Tommys or Ralphs, the male model is the gold standard for masculine beauty.
But what happens behind the scenes at those South Beach photo shoots or Manhattan runway shows? When the students put away their sketch pads, and the photographers shelve their lenses? Model Men will show these men at their handsomest and sexiest moments.
The editor of Hard Hats, Surfer Boys, Skater Boys and The Handsome Prince is looking for great stories focused on male models. Hand models, silver foxes, and locations around the world are fair game for Model Men. I’d love to see stories set in the traditional locales of New York, London, Milan and LA as well as other, unexpected places. Surprise me, romance me, get me hot and bothered!
Story length: 3,000 – 5,000 words
Publication Date: 2011
Payment: $60.00 per story, payable on publication, plus 1 copy of the book
You may forward this call to other erotica writers you know. Submit your story to Neil Plakcy at plax@bellsouth.net as a MS word attachment.
***
15 December 2010 -- Dancing -- Torquere Press
Three-story mini-anthology of short, sexy m/m stories on the theme, 3-7K words, 35%/25% of cover price from publisher's site/vendors, divided among the three authors. Send attached file to Submissions@torquerepress.com.
***
15 December 2010 [formerly 30 November] -- In Situ -- ed. Carrie Cuinn, Dagan Books
We will respond with acceptances after December 15, 2010, once all stories have been reviewed. Some rejections may be sent prior to the closing date. Payment will be 2 cents per word, up to $80 US, paid within 30 days of publication.
We're looking for stories of between 2,000 and 4,000 words. "In situ" is a Latin phrase meaning in the place. According to current archaeological usage, in situ refers to an artifact that has not been moved from its original place of deposition. In other words, it is still where it was left. An artifact being in situ is critical to the interpretation of that artifact and, consequently, to the culture which formed it. Once an artifact's 'find-site' has been recorded, the artifact can then be moved for conservation, further interpretation and display. An artifact that is not discovered in situ is considered out of context and will not provide an accurate picture of the associated culture.
But what if the artifact isn't from a human culture? Could we, as humans, possibly understand it? If not, what might we mistake it for? Whether it's 19th century scholars finding an alien artifact at an a dig site in the Mediterranean, or 25th century explorers uncovering ancient ruins on a recently discovered planet, far out in space, In Situ seeks to unearth something new.
SUBMISSIONS FORMAT:
Send all stories to submissions (at) daganbooks (dot) com in .doc or .rtf format. You must put the following in your email subject line:
[In Situ] "Name of your story" LastName
For example, our editor might submit a story with the following subject line:
[In Situ] "Alien Archeology" Cuinn
Use a common font in your submission, like Courier or Times New Roman, 12 pt, and if you need to note any funky formatting or spelling, please do so at the end of the document. Thank you.
***
31 December 2010 -- Fire and Ice: Short Gasps of Romantic Suspense -- ed. Jessy Marie Roberts, Pill Hill Press
Email submissions to: fireice@pillhillpress.com
Please put SUBMISSION, followed by the title of the story, in the subject line of your email. Thanks!
This anthology will feature SUSPENSEFUL short stories with a STRONG ROMANTIC THEME. We want interesting submissions where the protagonist(s) FALL IN LOVE through the course of the story, all the while facing incredibly SCARY situations. Love scenes are acceptable, as long as written tastefully and are integral to plot development (think romance novel sex, not Penthouse sex - we are not looking for erotica or pornography).
Most genres are acceptable as long as they contain strong elements of both suspense and romance. They can take place anywhere (Earth, outer space, other planets, etc.), at any time (past, present, future, alternate. Stories should be written in the third person.
We prefer short stories in the 4,000-6,000 word range, but will consider stories from 1,500-15,000 words.
Payment is 1 cent per word (up to 6,000 words or a $60.00 cap), plus 1 contributor's copy upon publication.
***
31 December 2010 -- Bewere the Night -- ed. Ekaterina Sedia, Prime
I'm looking for stories dealing with any were-creatures; werewolves are welcome, of course, and the stories should be in a general urban fantasy vein. I'll need the stories by the end of December 2010, and I'm looking for reprints as well as originals. Reprints pay 1c/word and originals 5c/word, and the length should be between 1,000 and 7,500 words. Also, please suggest reprints by other authors if you happen to think of any.
***
31 December 2010 -- The Faery Taile Project #2 -- CatsCurious Press
There are two sides to every story... And we here at CatsCurious Press think that our readers deserve to read BOTH! Again!
A Call for Submissions... of the Faery Taile Kynde! CatsCurious Press will re-open to submissions starting October 1, 2010 for all well-written, humorous fairy tale re-tellings (except red riding hood, but that's because we've been there, done that)! But there's a catch -- these stories must be written from ONE POV only... the protagonist's.
Why would we be so strict, you ask? Because Anton Strout, author of Dead To Me, Deader Still, 'Dead Matter and Dead Waters has already gotten on board to write a counterpoint story! That's right -- once we have plowed our way through the slush, Anton will review our favorite stories and then choose ONE from among them to write a counterpoint to.
The end result will be a double-sided book with two covers (one featuring artwork for Anton's story, the other featuring artwork to coincide with the protagonist's point of view). Stories will be printed upside-down from one another -- flip the book over, and start fresh from the top! I can't wait to see the end result! Check out Faery Taile Project #1 to see what we have in mind.
Here are the requirements:
Story length must be between 7500 and 12,000 words
Stories must be humorous
Stories must appeal to a broad range of folks -- from twelve years old to adult (so no raunchy humor, please!)
Stories must be single POV, from the protagonist's point of view (this will take some finesse -- leaving enough details to the imagination that Anton can create a counterpoint, yet creating a rich-enough world that the reader won't be left wanting)
Submission period: October 1st, 2010 to 11:59:59pm December 31st, 2010
Any fairy tale is fair game (except red hood of course, for obvious reasons)!
The payment? $.06 per word and seeing your name next to Anton Strout's!
***
1 January 2011 -- Red Velvet and Absinthe: Gothic Tales of Erotic Romance -- ed. Mitzi Szereto, Cleis Press
A trade paperback to be published by Cleis Press, USA. Publication date: Autumn 2011. Deadline: January 1, 2011 (I’ll be selecting stories on a rolling basis, therefore earlier submissions are strongly encouraged, though I’ll still consider stories that make it in by the deadline).
Word count preferred: 3,000 to 6,500.
What I’m looking for: Well-developed story lines and well-crafted prose told in a unique voice and containing interesting characters and settings. Think atmosphere, passion, desire… imaginative stories that send a shiver up your spine and make your heart beat faster. Readers should be able to feel the red velvet beneath their fingertips and taste the absinthe on their tongue! Tales that contain supernatural beings such as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters, demons, and other entities of a paranormal nature are welcome, as are those of the Wuthering Heights variety with tormented heroes and dark secrets. Stories may be set in the past, present, or future. Stories from female and male writers are welcome, as are those written from the POV of characters of any gender and containing characters of any sexual orientation (including those that haven’t yet been created!). Take your inspiration from the pens of the Brontë sisters, Mary Shelley, Daphne du Maurier, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Poppy Z. Brite, Stephenie Meyer, Laurell K. Hamilton…
Note that sexually explicit content is acceptable as well as a more subtle approach; however, no stock sex scenes or formulaic writing/terminology. Please refer to my previous anthologies to get an idea of the variety and style of content I look for. No excessive gore or violence. No reprints.
One-time payment in the range of USD $50-70 (payable on publication) and 2 copies of the anthology.
Submission requirements: Stories should be formatted as follows: double-spaced Arial 12-point black font Word or RTF document. Indent the first line of each paragraph by half an inch. Do not add extra lines between paragraphs or any other irregular spacing. American spelling and punctuation only (i.e. quote marks, etc). Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), postal address, and a fifty-word maximum author bio written in the third person. Contract is for one-time, non-exclusive anthology rights with one year’s exclusivity from date of publication. (This may be waived if your story is selected for a “Best Of” collection). No simultaneous submissions please.
In the subject line of your email, please state: Red Velvet and Absinthe
Send to: submissions @ mitziszereto.com
***
3 January 2011 -- Historical Lovecraft Anthology -- ed. Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, Innsmouth Free Press
What We Want: historical fiction with a Lovecraftian twist. Stories should be set in a variety of places, cultures and time periods. While we might buy one story set in 1920s New England, we want to stray far from the normal Lovecraft milieu. If you’re going to do 1920s, why not ship us off to China and tell the story from the point of view of a native of Shanghai? Please note that for our purposes we consider historical anything up to 1937 (the year of Lovecraft’s death).
Length: from flash fiction (1,000 words or under) to novelette (10,000 words). Keep in mind we have a payment cap of $50 CAD, so your long novelette might be better served by finding another home.
Payment: one cent per word up to a maximum of $50 CAD. One physical copy of the anthology and one e-book copy. Payment made via PayPal or Canadian check upon acceptance. We are purchasing first English print and electronic rights for the anthology.
Reprints: considered, with a few caveats:
1. Indicate where and when the story was originally published in your cover letter.
2. Reprints offered should not be easily available in print or online.
3. Payment is a flat $25 CAD for reprints.
If you published it in a small collection in 1985 and it’s no longer on the market, that’s fine. If it was published in a German magazine and never translated to English, we’d like to see it. If it appeared in a now-defunct zine, that’s okay, too. If it was in a recent issue of an English-language zine that is currently online, no.
Submitting: e-mail us at innsmouthfp AT gmail.com. Subject line: Historical Antho, [Title of your Story, Author's Name]. The subject line is important; otherwise, the story might go into the wrong pile.
Do not send simultaneous submissions. Do not send more than one submission. If we reject one story, you can send another one.
Include a cover letter with the story word count, salient writing credits and any reprint information (if applicable). Yes, we do read cover letters, so please include the information (Paula gets cranky when stories arrive sans byline, title or cover letter).
Attach story as RTF (preferred) or Word (doc, not docx) document. Use standard manuscript format. Italics as italics, bold as bold. No fancy fonts.
Stories can be sent in English, French or Spanish.
Submissions are accepted from September 1, 2010 to January 3, 2011. Do not send anything before or after that date.
We will reject some stories as they come in and send others to the hold pile. Final story selection will take place in January 2011. Check back for updates.
***
15 January 2011 -- Canes -- Torquere Press
Three-story mini-anthology of short, sexy m/m stories on the theme, 3-7K words, 35%/25% of cover price from publisher's site/vendors, divided among the three authors. Send attached file to Submissions@torquerepress.com.
***
[UPDATED] 31 July 2011 -- Warrior Wisewoman 4 -- ed. Roby James, Norilana Books
Warrior Wisewoman is an annual anthology series of science fiction featuring powerful and remarkable women, edited by Roby James. The first volume was published by Norilana Books in June 2008, the second volume in June 2009, and the third volume in August 2010.
The anthology was conceived as a sister volume to the classic Sword and Sorceress fantasy series originally edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with the main difference being that the story themes will involve science fiction instead of fantasy, and they will be intended for a more mature audience, allowing a mixture of serious contemporary issues and reasonable sexual content (but no erotica) in addition to action and adventure. The stories will have a stronger focus on the interface between scientific exploration and our sense of wonder.
Editor Roby James says "I am looking for stories that shed light on the truth of what it means to be female, that illuminate the wisdom and the strength of a woman, but not in cliche 'goddess' stories. I love action and adventure, grand space opera, thrilling discovery, and intelligent protagonists. Make the story thoughtful, wise, and surprising. In addition, the stories in the anthology should appeal to genuine emotions, suspense, fear, sorrow, delight, wonder. The science can be part of the background and the characters foremost, or the science can be central to the story, as long as the characters are realistic and appealing. It is strongly recommended you read the previous volumes to get an idea of what kind of material we're looking for.
"This is science fiction, but I also welcome stories of spiritual exploration, looking at the bond between the scientific and the divine. I want to see how a woman survives tragedy and disaster, overcomes impossible odds, achieves her true potential, or goes on to thrive in a marvelous universe of so many possibilities, using what is inside her, as well as what she finds in the laboratory, the alien planet, or space itself.
"The stories should contain the question of 'what if' on some level. And they should have a woman answer it."
RIGHTS PURCHASED: First English Language Rights and non-exclusive electronic rights. The anthology will be published by Norilana Books in a trade paperback edition in June 2011, to be followed by an electronic edition to be produced later.
PAYMENT: $0.02 a word on acceptance, and a pro rata share of royalties, plus a contributor copy.
WORD LENGTH: Up to 10,000 words, with longer stories having to be exceptional.
READING PERIOD begins on September 15, 2010. Please do not submit your stories before then.
DEADLINE:
HOW TO SUBMIT: Submissions are electronic only. Please submit your story as a Word (.doc or .rtf) attachment to your e-mail. The subject line of your e-mail should say "Submission: Story Title, last name of author." Also, include a brief cover letter. It should have your full name, address, e-mail address, title of story, number of words, and brief biographical information in case we don't know you, with most recent publishing credits, if applicable. We are open to new writers and seasoned veterans alike.
EDITORIAL ADDRESS: roby dot james at comcast dot net.
[EDIT: Note that Norilana is postponing most of its upcoming anthologies by six months, so the deadline is later, although the guidelines still say reading began on 15 September 2010. They're open, but it'll take a lot longer to get a response than originally indicated.]
***
UNTIL FILLED -- Horror Library, Vol. 5 -- Cutting Block Press
Cutting Block Press is pleased to announce an open submissions period for the 4th Volume of its Horror Anthology Series, +Horror Library+, to be published in trade paperback during 2011.
We're looking for the highest quality examples of all forms of Dark Fiction, running the gamut from traditional horror, supernatural, speculative, psychological thriller, dark satire, including every point between and especially beyond. No Fantasy or Sci-fi unless the horror elements are dominant. Read +Horror Library+ Volumes 1-3 to see what's already pleased us. Special consideration will be given those pieces that we find profoundly disturbing, though blood and violence on their own won't cut it. While we will consider tales of vampires, ghosts and zombies, we tend to roll our eyes at ordinary ones. They're just too plentiful. Your best bet is to surprise us with something that is different, while well conceived and tightly executed.
Guidelines: Stories will range between 1,000 and 6,000 words, though we'll look at longer works of exceptional merit. In that case, query before submission. Buying 1st worldwide anthology rights. No reprints. Paying 1.5 cents per word, plus one contributors copy. For established authors, rates may be negotiable. Response time: six months or sooner. Deadline: We will accept submissions until filled. All Queries to horrorlibrarysubs@yahoo.com.
Manuscript format: 12 point courier font, standard margins, left side of header: name, contact info, right side of header: word count, top of first page: title, author
Variances from traditional manuscript format: single space, NO INDENTS, ONE EXTRA space between paragraphs, use bold, italics and underline as they are to appear in story
Subject box: Short Story submission - title of story
Attach story in MS Word Document or RTF (only). Please paste your cover letter in the body of the e-mail. Send submissions to horrorlibrarysubs@yahoo.com.
[See the web page for a special offer on copies of Horror Library Vol. 1 for writers doing market research.]
Thursday, November 4, 2010
More Plagiarism, Because the Internet Is All Public Domain
Cooks Source managing editor Judith Griggs has just tanked her career with great energy and enthusiasm.
For folks who don't want to wade through the sea of links above, or the many more below, the basic story is this. A writer named Illadore on LJ (whose post is the first linked above, under "managing") wrote an article on the history of how apple pie has developed, which was posted on a web site for historical reenactors, back in '05. Recently, a friend pointed out that the magazine Cooks Source had the article, and asked her when she'd sold it. Illadore went, "Huh?" She figured she'd contact the Cooks Source folks and straighten this out:
So. I first phone the magazine then send a quick note to the "Contact Us" information page, asking them what happened and how they got my article. (I thought it could have been some sort of mix-up or that someone posted it to some sort of free article database.) Apparently, it was just copied straight off the Godecookery webpage. As you can see from the page, it is copyrighted and it is also on a Domain name that I own.
After the first couple of emails, the editor of Cooks Source asked me what I wanted -- I responded that I wanted an apology on Facebook, a printed apology in the magazine and $130 donation (which turns out to be about $0.10 per word of the original article) to be given to the Columbia School of Journalism.
Sounds reasonable to me, particularly since she wasn't asking for any kind of cash restitution for herself, but rather as a donation to a school which, presumably, teaches its students about copyright law. [cough]
Ms. Griggs responded (in part) thusly:
"Yes Monica, I have been doing this for 3 decades, having been an editor at The Voice, Housitonic Home and Connecticut Woman Magazine. I do know about copyright laws. It was "my bad" indeed, and, as the magazine is put together in long sessions, tired eyes and minds somethings forget to do these things.
But honestly Monica, the web is considered "public domain" and you should be happy we just didn't "lift" your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free!"
So... right. Not only is anything posted to the internet automatically public domain (?!?) but Illadore should be paying Ms. Griggs for the editing! After all, Illadore now has a nice piece for her portfolio, so Illadore's come out ahead, right?
I think it says something about Ms. Griggs's knowledge of English and her editing skills (or research skills, since this is easy to look up if you can't tell from the context) that she was unable to recognize through a reading of the actual article she stole that the recipes were from 14th and 16th century cookbooks, and their language was perfectly appropriate for their time, and for the historical reenactor audience. Instead, it apparently just looked wrong to Ms. Griggs, bad writing that Illadore should've thanked her for fixing. Wow.
But seriously, this is a woman who is taking a paycheck for her work as a magazine editor, and she honestly -- really?? -- believes that anything posted to the internet is in the public domain? She's so sure she's right that she feels comfortable taking a patronizing tone with someone she's ripped off. Clearly it couldn't possibly be Ms. Griggs who's in the wrong here; that's completely outside the realm of possibility. Right? Right?!
This woman is in dire need a a few good smacks with the cluebat. Luckily, the internet is giving them to her.
Aside from the above links, on Making Light (in a nearly useless link because it's an open thread and only a few of the hundreds of comments are on this topic, and there's a sidelink but I can't link to that, but anyway) there are reports in comments of Ms. Griggs also having plagiarized Martha Stewart, Weight Watchers, The Food Network, CNN and WebMD (per James MacDonald, citing a Facebook page), Martha Stewart (again) and Cooks Illustrated (per Tom Whitmore, citing the Washington Post), and Disney (per Jon Meltzer).
Paula Dean (linked under "career" above) has been notified on her Facebook page of a recipe theft and has said that she's forwarded the matter to her legal department. You don't mess with Paula, folks, seriously.
I've also seen mention in several places that Neil Gaiman has Twittered about this, but I couldn't get his page to come up when I tried the link. Seems Mr. Gaiman's feed is even more popular than usual today for some reason.
Massive stupidity, seriously. This isn't some newbie webzine we're talking about here; Cooks Source is available online but it's also a paper magazine, supported by ad revenue, distributed on newsstands. How did someone this ignorant of copyright get to be the managing editor? And just how much do the people who hired her for that job regret it right now...? [Ahh, found out the answer to the second to last question at least -- Ms. Griggs owns the magazine. Well, there you go.]
I have to include the title to John Scalzi's post (which is linked under "tanked" above): The Stupidest Thing an Editor With Three Decades of Experience Has Said About the Web Today." Also BoingBoing's (linked under "energy"): "Today's Web Justice Driveby." Incisive commentary right there. [wry smile]
How about a quote from Judith Griggs's Twitter feed: "I don't know why everyone is so angry." Umm, yeah. That's kind of the problem, hon. [EDIT: Cindy Potts has pointed out that this Twitter feed looks like a spoof account. All I can say is it sounded like her. [wry smile]]
And the Bitchery has declared a Googlebomb of their definition of the new verb "to griggs" -- Judith Griggs. I'm contributing a link, because when you've been in the business for thirty years you get zero sympathy from me for not having yet learned the most basic laws that govern your industry. When you take money for your work, you're declaring yourself to be a pro and it's your responsibility -- nobody else's -- to have all your ducks in a row. Especially when you get snotty at other people over their supposed ignorance. [eyeroll]
Any bets on how long before Cooks Source is going to be out of business? If it were owned by some conglomerate, they could just fire Ms. Griggs, replace her with someone who knows what copyright means, and move on after some groveling. Given that it's completely her enterprise, though, I don't see it surviving. Maybe if it were only a bunch of blogs griping, but with the LA Times and Washington Post and who knows what other mainstream news sources picking it up, they're doomed.
Not that I'm crying over it. This is an example of blatant ignorance and arrogant stupidity. Good riddance.
Angie
For folks who don't want to wade through the sea of links above, or the many more below, the basic story is this. A writer named Illadore on LJ (whose post is the first linked above, under "managing") wrote an article on the history of how apple pie has developed, which was posted on a web site for historical reenactors, back in '05. Recently, a friend pointed out that the magazine Cooks Source had the article, and asked her when she'd sold it. Illadore went, "Huh?" She figured she'd contact the Cooks Source folks and straighten this out:
So. I first phone the magazine then send a quick note to the "Contact Us" information page, asking them what happened and how they got my article. (I thought it could have been some sort of mix-up or that someone posted it to some sort of free article database.) Apparently, it was just copied straight off the Godecookery webpage. As you can see from the page, it is copyrighted and it is also on a Domain name that I own.
After the first couple of emails, the editor of Cooks Source asked me what I wanted -- I responded that I wanted an apology on Facebook, a printed apology in the magazine and $130 donation (which turns out to be about $0.10 per word of the original article) to be given to the Columbia School of Journalism.
Sounds reasonable to me, particularly since she wasn't asking for any kind of cash restitution for herself, but rather as a donation to a school which, presumably, teaches its students about copyright law. [cough]
Ms. Griggs responded (in part) thusly:
"Yes Monica, I have been doing this for 3 decades, having been an editor at The Voice, Housitonic Home and Connecticut Woman Magazine. I do know about copyright laws. It was "my bad" indeed, and, as the magazine is put together in long sessions, tired eyes and minds somethings forget to do these things.
But honestly Monica, the web is considered "public domain" and you should be happy we just didn't "lift" your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free!"
So... right. Not only is anything posted to the internet automatically public domain (?!?) but Illadore should be paying Ms. Griggs for the editing! After all, Illadore now has a nice piece for her portfolio, so Illadore's come out ahead, right?
I think it says something about Ms. Griggs's knowledge of English and her editing skills (or research skills, since this is easy to look up if you can't tell from the context) that she was unable to recognize through a reading of the actual article she stole that the recipes were from 14th and 16th century cookbooks, and their language was perfectly appropriate for their time, and for the historical reenactor audience. Instead, it apparently just looked wrong to Ms. Griggs, bad writing that Illadore should've thanked her for fixing. Wow.
But seriously, this is a woman who is taking a paycheck for her work as a magazine editor, and she honestly -- really?? -- believes that anything posted to the internet is in the public domain? She's so sure she's right that she feels comfortable taking a patronizing tone with someone she's ripped off. Clearly it couldn't possibly be Ms. Griggs who's in the wrong here; that's completely outside the realm of possibility. Right? Right?!
This woman is in dire need a a few good smacks with the cluebat. Luckily, the internet is giving them to her.
Aside from the above links, on Making Light (in a nearly useless link because it's an open thread and only a few of the hundreds of comments are on this topic, and there's a sidelink but I can't link to that, but anyway) there are reports in comments of Ms. Griggs also having plagiarized Martha Stewart, Weight Watchers, The Food Network, CNN and WebMD (per James MacDonald, citing a Facebook page), Martha Stewart (again) and Cooks Illustrated (per Tom Whitmore, citing the Washington Post), and Disney (per Jon Meltzer).
Paula Dean (linked under "career" above) has been notified on her Facebook page of a recipe theft and has said that she's forwarded the matter to her legal department. You don't mess with Paula, folks, seriously.
I've also seen mention in several places that Neil Gaiman has Twittered about this, but I couldn't get his page to come up when I tried the link. Seems Mr. Gaiman's feed is even more popular than usual today for some reason.
Massive stupidity, seriously. This isn't some newbie webzine we're talking about here; Cooks Source is available online but it's also a paper magazine, supported by ad revenue, distributed on newsstands. How did someone this ignorant of copyright get to be the managing editor? And just how much do the people who hired her for that job regret it right now...? [Ahh, found out the answer to the second to last question at least -- Ms. Griggs owns the magazine. Well, there you go.]
I have to include the title to John Scalzi's post (which is linked under "tanked" above): The Stupidest Thing an Editor With Three Decades of Experience Has Said About the Web Today." Also BoingBoing's (linked under "energy"): "Today's Web Justice Driveby." Incisive commentary right there. [wry smile]
How about a quote from Judith Griggs's Twitter feed: "I don't know why everyone is so angry." Umm, yeah. That's kind of the problem, hon. [EDIT: Cindy Potts has pointed out that this Twitter feed looks like a spoof account. All I can say is it sounded like her. [wry smile]]
And the Bitchery has declared a Googlebomb of their definition of the new verb "to griggs" -- Judith Griggs. I'm contributing a link, because when you've been in the business for thirty years you get zero sympathy from me for not having yet learned the most basic laws that govern your industry. When you take money for your work, you're declaring yourself to be a pro and it's your responsibility -- nobody else's -- to have all your ducks in a row. Especially when you get snotty at other people over their supposed ignorance. [eyeroll]
Any bets on how long before Cooks Source is going to be out of business? If it were owned by some conglomerate, they could just fire Ms. Griggs, replace her with someone who knows what copyright means, and move on after some groveling. Given that it's completely her enterprise, though, I don't see it surviving. Maybe if it were only a bunch of blogs griping, but with the LA Times and Washington Post and who knows what other mainstream news sources picking it up, they're doomed.
Not that I'm crying over it. This is an example of blatant ignorance and arrogant stupidity. Good riddance.
Angie
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Artist Wanted
For anyone with an artistic bent, Josh Lanyon is looking for a cover for a short story. He's getting the rights back to an anthology story soon and plans to self-publish it. Drawing/painting/photomanipping isn't his thing, though, so he's holding a contest -- if he chooses to use your cover, he'll pay $50 for it. (I know that's not a lot, but it's pretty much the going rate on this end of the industry.)
Luck to anyone who gives it a shot. :)
Angie
Luck to anyone who gives it a shot. :)
Angie
Monday, November 1, 2010
October Stuff and Cetera
I hope everyone had a great Halloween? This was our first Halloween in the new place, so we had no clue how many kids we'd get. There's a school right next to our little group of buildings, though, and an apartment complex on the other side, so we figured we'd probably get quite a few.
None. Nada. Zip. Not a single kid rang our doorbell, and we had good candy, which the husband and I will just have to eat ourselves. [heavy, theatrical sigh] Seriously, though, that's really sad. Trick-or-treating is one of the best rituals of childhood, and the idea that it might be dying out sucks massive quantities of swamp water. :(
Writing-wise, I actually did pretty well in October -- 9 points in McKoala's challenge, which is a great improvement over any of the last few months.
Writing 8250 -- 3 pts.
Editing 17,102 -- 3 pts
Synopsis -- 1 pt
Submissions -- 2 pts
TOTAL = 9 pts
One of the submissions was accepted, yay! And one of the stories accepted earlier was published on the 30th, also yay! :)
Most of the writing was in the last couple of days. I've been working on a fanfic novel that I started just over two years ago. I was originally thinking it'd be a long short story, or maybe a novelette, but it just kept growing. O_O Eventually, in early '09, I just had to set it aside to get back to work on my commercial writing. My readers have been saintly in their patience, but I've felt this hanging over my head, and sort of cringed inside whenever I thought about it. I finally broke through a difficult scene toward the end, though, and from there it just flowed. Gotta love when that happens. [beam] I don't usually mind half-done projects -- I have more partial stories than I want to think about on my hard drive -- but something I've started posting, that has readers waiting for the next chunk, is a different story. Finally getting it done feels like the classic huge weight fallen off my shoulders.
And... just in time for NaNo. :) I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, after having skipped last year. If anyone else who's NaNoing wants to buddy with me, I'm at AngiePen on the NaNo site. (Which is currently not responding -- I'm sure Chris Baty is howling in pain over the demolition of his bandwidth, as happens every year at this time. [grin])
Speaking of which, I have an awesome NaNo icon I got from someone on LiveJournal. The credit was "Lesley." I have no idea who Lesley is, but the person who gave it to me assured me it was okay to share, so feel free to grab it if you like it. :D
Enjoy! And best of luck to everyone else NaNoing this month!
Angie
None. Nada. Zip. Not a single kid rang our doorbell, and we had good candy, which the husband and I will just have to eat ourselves. [heavy, theatrical sigh] Seriously, though, that's really sad. Trick-or-treating is one of the best rituals of childhood, and the idea that it might be dying out sucks massive quantities of swamp water. :(
Writing-wise, I actually did pretty well in October -- 9 points in McKoala's challenge, which is a great improvement over any of the last few months.
Writing 8250 -- 3 pts.
Editing 17,102 -- 3 pts
Synopsis -- 1 pt
Submissions -- 2 pts
TOTAL = 9 pts
One of the submissions was accepted, yay! And one of the stories accepted earlier was published on the 30th, also yay! :)
Most of the writing was in the last couple of days. I've been working on a fanfic novel that I started just over two years ago. I was originally thinking it'd be a long short story, or maybe a novelette, but it just kept growing. O_O Eventually, in early '09, I just had to set it aside to get back to work on my commercial writing. My readers have been saintly in their patience, but I've felt this hanging over my head, and sort of cringed inside whenever I thought about it. I finally broke through a difficult scene toward the end, though, and from there it just flowed. Gotta love when that happens. [beam] I don't usually mind half-done projects -- I have more partial stories than I want to think about on my hard drive -- but something I've started posting, that has readers waiting for the next chunk, is a different story. Finally getting it done feels like the classic huge weight fallen off my shoulders.
And... just in time for NaNo. :) I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, after having skipped last year. If anyone else who's NaNoing wants to buddy with me, I'm at AngiePen on the NaNo site. (Which is currently not responding -- I'm sure Chris Baty is howling in pain over the demolition of his bandwidth, as happens every year at this time. [grin])
Speaking of which, I have an awesome NaNo icon I got from someone on LiveJournal. The credit was "Lesley." I have no idea who Lesley is, but the person who gave it to me assured me it was okay to share, so feel free to grab it if you like it. :D
Enjoy! And best of luck to everyone else NaNoing this month!
Angie
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Free Halloween Stories
I'm driving the bus over at Torquere Social today, on LiveJournal. I'll be posting throughout the day, and for every one of my posts you comment on between now and noon (Pacific) tomorrow (to allow for folks in other timezones), I'll throw a slip with your name on it into a bowl. The drawing is for a bundle of my Halloween stories -- three short stories, all set in the Hidden Magic universe, plus my ghost story "A Spirit of Vengeance," which is a novelette. Two of the shorts, "Chasing Fear" and "Candy Courage" are from years past, but "Reach Out and Touch" is brand new, just released yesterday.
I have two posts up now, and will be posting more later on. Come over, hang out, chat, and enter to win free fiction. :)
Angie
I have two posts up now, and will be posting more later on. Come over, hang out, chat, and enter to win free fiction. :)
Angie
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Wonderful Play on Language
How I Met My Wife -- This is today's Jumbo Joke, but it's not really a joke per se. It's a wonderful play on language, originally published in the New Yorker, according to a note on the site. It begins:
It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.
I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.
Definitely read the rest. :)
Angie
It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.
I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.
Definitely read the rest. :)
Angie
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Free Cornwall!
I have to share this 'cause it's too much fun to keep to myself. Chris Dolley blogs at the Book View Cafe -- a collective of SF/F authors both blogging and publishing together, worth reading -- and for the last month has been relating the story of how he, as a university student, conspired with a number of his fellows to stage a revolution to free Cornwall from the shackles of the English. No, really! :)
It was a prank to raise money for charity, but it's something that never would've gone over in the hyper-paranoid atmosphere today. It's a great story, though, and well worth reading. Check it out. The link goes to Part Five, but Parts One through Four are linked in the first paragraph.
Today he posted about what they did the following year, which was bury a body in a flowerbed for charity. It's not quite as giggle-worthy as the Cornish Revolution, but it's short and fun and definitely worth reading.
Enjoy!
Angie
It was a prank to raise money for charity, but it's something that never would've gone over in the hyper-paranoid atmosphere today. It's a great story, though, and well worth reading. Check it out. The link goes to Part Five, but Parts One through Four are linked in the first paragraph.
Today he posted about what they did the following year, which was bury a body in a flowerbed for charity. It's not quite as giggle-worthy as the Cornish Revolution, but it's short and fun and definitely worth reading.
Enjoy!
Angie
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
This Is How it Happens
Harriet Jacobs at Fugitivus made this pretty awesome post about how most women in our society are socialized, how we're taught to behave and relate to others in social situations, and how that leads to a culture where way too many women end up getting raped and then blamed for it. I'm going to quote the core list, because it really needs to be spread around, but I encourage you to read her whole post. I had to stop myself from just going on and on and on with the copy hilighting, because it's all true and it's all important.
If women are raised being told by parents, teachers, media, peers, and all surrounding social strata that:
* it is not okay to set solid and distinct boundaries and reinforce them immediately and dramatically when crossed (“mean bitch”)
* it is not okay to appear distraught or emotional (“crazy bitch”)
* it is not okay to make personal decisions that the adults or other peers in your life do not agree with, and it is not okay to refuse to explain those decisions to others (“stuck-up bitch”)
* it is not okay to refuse to agree with somebody, over and over and over again (“angry bitch”)
* it is not okay to have (or express) conflicted, fluid, or experimental feelings about yourself, your body, your sexuality, your desires, and your needs (“bitch got daddy issues”)
* it is not okay to use your physical strength (if you have it) to set physical boundaries (“dyke bitch”)
* it is not okay to raise your voice (“shrill bitch”)
* it is not okay to completely and utterly shut down somebody who obviously likes you (“mean dyke/frigid bitch”)
If we teach women that there are only certain ways they may acceptably behave, we should not be surprised when they behave in those ways.
And we should not be surprised when they behave these ways during attempted or completed rapes.
Most of that crap never took with me. I've always been loud and agressive and out there, even as a kid. Most of the times I got punished, it was for something I said rather than something I did. If I didn't like someone, or what someone was saying or doing, I made it really clear. That made for a lot of awkward social situations. I've never been The Popular Girl, never had a lot of boyfriends, never really fit in perfectly with the people around me. But you know what? I've never been raped, I've never felt unsafe out in public with strangers, even late at night on lonely streets. I know where to draw lines, I know how to say no, I know how to make it clear from the start that I'm not interested in talking to someone. Polite women are the ones who get raped, and I never have been; I can't regret that. :/
Ironically enough, the only time I've ever felt unsafe in that way was at a party at my mom's house. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and a sort of second-tier family friend (Gusto? I think that was his name) was drunk and insisted on getting close and touching me. He was feeling "friendly" or whatever, and wanted to hug me and press against me. I gritted my teeth and let him have one hug, but he wanted to keep on hugging and after the first one I wasn't having any. He was sort of a friend, though, and I didn't want to make a fuss. (Don't get loud. Don't set boundaries. Don't be mean to someone who's just being friendly.) I was saying no and backing off, but I ended up cornered against the counter with a big wooden meat platter with spikes on it between me and him like a shield, spikes out. He was kind of confused for a minute or three, like he was trying to figure out how to get to me around it, but he finally got a fucking clue and wandered away.
You know, I knew nothing "serious" was going to happen. There were like a dozen people around and I knew I wasn't actually going to get raped or anything. But it was frightening anyway, and I can't even really explain why except that this guy I had no interest in whatsoever, even as a friend because he was frankly a creep from pretty much all angles, was trying to touch me and get way more in my space and way more intimate than I wanted to, and I didn't know how to make him stop without making more of a fuss than would've been socially acceptable. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to be groped, but what do you do about it when it's someone's friend and you're right there and there are people around and no one else seems to think anything is wrong? It's exactly like the paragraph in the post above about the woman at the bus stop who's being hit on by a guy. My brother Sean was right there and didn't do anything, didn't say anything to Gusto, even though he was his friend (I think he was; I know he was the friend of someone in the family, and it wasn't Mom or me; maybe he started out as a friend of a friend, but he came to our house a few times over the years) and afterward, after Gusto staggered off, when I expressed that that'd been upsetting and kind of scary, Sean was very eyerolly and dismissive. He said that if anything had "really" happened he'd have stopped it, but nothing happened and there was nothing to be upset about. It was just a hug after all, nothing to make a fuss about. He sounded kind of angry, just a little, that I'd even vaguely imply that Gusto might've done anything wrong, even though Sean was there pretty much the whole time I was being stalked around the kitchen and trying to fend the guy off with no luck.
But that's the problem -- unless it's some stranger jumping out from behind a bush to drag a woman into a dark alley and rape her, it doesn't count. Nothing less than that is worth making a fuss about. And if a woman does make a fuss about something not worth making a fuss about, then you're back to "Mean bitch," and "Crazy bitch" and "Stuck-up bitch" etc., all that social pressure to be Nice and to be Polite and to be Ladylike and to not upset anyone, to just put up and deal and smile and pretend it's all okay, because you're the woman and that's your job. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that if Gusto had tried to stick a hand into my bra or down my pants, Sean would've been right there to haul him away and maybe smack him around a bit. But just wanting to hug me, to touch me in a way I didn't want -- that doesn't count and I had to be pressured into agreeing that it was no big deal. So I'm supposed to be nice and polite and go along when some drunken creep wants to touch me against my will. Keep doing that and eventually you do get raped, and everyone around you is saying, "But you didn't protest when he groped you!"
And this was ME. Loud, aggressive, social-bull-in-a-china-shop Angie, who (usually) takes no shit from anyone, and still I ended up in a situation where I felt pretty strongly the social pressure to go along, be polite, not cause a fuss in a crowd when some creep was trying to touch me. My fear of the social consequences with my friends and family if I'd shoved him away or cussed him out or raised my voice at him took away effective options, made me seriously afraid because I couldn't think what to do, and reduced me to a passive defensive action behind a spiked cutting board until the guy trying to grope me gave up and went away. What kind of a chance do normal women have, the ones who've actually been successfully socialized in all the nice, polite, ladylike behavior, when some determined, smiling guy wants more than a drunken hug and grope? Not much.
This is why rape happens as often as it does, and this is why so many people jump in to deny that it was "really" rape, because the woman didn't yell, didn't punch or kick, didn't tell him to leave her the fuck alone, didn't even protest too much when he first groped her. This is how it happens, and this is how it's dismissed.
Angie, who's very glad all that quiet-polite-ladylike stuff never really took
If women are raised being told by parents, teachers, media, peers, and all surrounding social strata that:
* it is not okay to set solid and distinct boundaries and reinforce them immediately and dramatically when crossed (“mean bitch”)
* it is not okay to appear distraught or emotional (“crazy bitch”)
* it is not okay to make personal decisions that the adults or other peers in your life do not agree with, and it is not okay to refuse to explain those decisions to others (“stuck-up bitch”)
* it is not okay to refuse to agree with somebody, over and over and over again (“angry bitch”)
* it is not okay to have (or express) conflicted, fluid, or experimental feelings about yourself, your body, your sexuality, your desires, and your needs (“bitch got daddy issues”)
* it is not okay to use your physical strength (if you have it) to set physical boundaries (“dyke bitch”)
* it is not okay to raise your voice (“shrill bitch”)
* it is not okay to completely and utterly shut down somebody who obviously likes you (“mean dyke/frigid bitch”)
If we teach women that there are only certain ways they may acceptably behave, we should not be surprised when they behave in those ways.
And we should not be surprised when they behave these ways during attempted or completed rapes.
Most of that crap never took with me. I've always been loud and agressive and out there, even as a kid. Most of the times I got punished, it was for something I said rather than something I did. If I didn't like someone, or what someone was saying or doing, I made it really clear. That made for a lot of awkward social situations. I've never been The Popular Girl, never had a lot of boyfriends, never really fit in perfectly with the people around me. But you know what? I've never been raped, I've never felt unsafe out in public with strangers, even late at night on lonely streets. I know where to draw lines, I know how to say no, I know how to make it clear from the start that I'm not interested in talking to someone. Polite women are the ones who get raped, and I never have been; I can't regret that. :/
Ironically enough, the only time I've ever felt unsafe in that way was at a party at my mom's house. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and a sort of second-tier family friend (Gusto? I think that was his name) was drunk and insisted on getting close and touching me. He was feeling "friendly" or whatever, and wanted to hug me and press against me. I gritted my teeth and let him have one hug, but he wanted to keep on hugging and after the first one I wasn't having any. He was sort of a friend, though, and I didn't want to make a fuss. (Don't get loud. Don't set boundaries. Don't be mean to someone who's just being friendly.) I was saying no and backing off, but I ended up cornered against the counter with a big wooden meat platter with spikes on it between me and him like a shield, spikes out. He was kind of confused for a minute or three, like he was trying to figure out how to get to me around it, but he finally got a fucking clue and wandered away.
You know, I knew nothing "serious" was going to happen. There were like a dozen people around and I knew I wasn't actually going to get raped or anything. But it was frightening anyway, and I can't even really explain why except that this guy I had no interest in whatsoever, even as a friend because he was frankly a creep from pretty much all angles, was trying to touch me and get way more in my space and way more intimate than I wanted to, and I didn't know how to make him stop without making more of a fuss than would've been socially acceptable. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to be groped, but what do you do about it when it's someone's friend and you're right there and there are people around and no one else seems to think anything is wrong? It's exactly like the paragraph in the post above about the woman at the bus stop who's being hit on by a guy. My brother Sean was right there and didn't do anything, didn't say anything to Gusto, even though he was his friend (I think he was; I know he was the friend of someone in the family, and it wasn't Mom or me; maybe he started out as a friend of a friend, but he came to our house a few times over the years) and afterward, after Gusto staggered off, when I expressed that that'd been upsetting and kind of scary, Sean was very eyerolly and dismissive. He said that if anything had "really" happened he'd have stopped it, but nothing happened and there was nothing to be upset about. It was just a hug after all, nothing to make a fuss about. He sounded kind of angry, just a little, that I'd even vaguely imply that Gusto might've done anything wrong, even though Sean was there pretty much the whole time I was being stalked around the kitchen and trying to fend the guy off with no luck.
But that's the problem -- unless it's some stranger jumping out from behind a bush to drag a woman into a dark alley and rape her, it doesn't count. Nothing less than that is worth making a fuss about. And if a woman does make a fuss about something not worth making a fuss about, then you're back to "Mean bitch," and "Crazy bitch" and "Stuck-up bitch" etc., all that social pressure to be Nice and to be Polite and to be Ladylike and to not upset anyone, to just put up and deal and smile and pretend it's all okay, because you're the woman and that's your job. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that if Gusto had tried to stick a hand into my bra or down my pants, Sean would've been right there to haul him away and maybe smack him around a bit. But just wanting to hug me, to touch me in a way I didn't want -- that doesn't count and I had to be pressured into agreeing that it was no big deal. So I'm supposed to be nice and polite and go along when some drunken creep wants to touch me against my will. Keep doing that and eventually you do get raped, and everyone around you is saying, "But you didn't protest when he groped you!"
And this was ME. Loud, aggressive, social-bull-in-a-china-shop Angie, who (usually) takes no shit from anyone, and still I ended up in a situation where I felt pretty strongly the social pressure to go along, be polite, not cause a fuss in a crowd when some creep was trying to touch me. My fear of the social consequences with my friends and family if I'd shoved him away or cussed him out or raised my voice at him took away effective options, made me seriously afraid because I couldn't think what to do, and reduced me to a passive defensive action behind a spiked cutting board until the guy trying to grope me gave up and went away. What kind of a chance do normal women have, the ones who've actually been successfully socialized in all the nice, polite, ladylike behavior, when some determined, smiling guy wants more than a drunken hug and grope? Not much.
This is why rape happens as often as it does, and this is why so many people jump in to deny that it was "really" rape, because the woman didn't yell, didn't punch or kick, didn't tell him to leave her the fuck alone, didn't even protest too much when he first groped her. This is how it happens, and this is how it's dismissed.
Angie, who's very glad all that quiet-polite-ladylike stuff never really took
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Outrageous Sentencing
So a fifteen-year-old girl named Ashley falsifies a police report -- lying about not knowing who attacked her on her way to school one day -- and she gets twelve months. Tony Simmons, the forty-two-year-old juvenile counselor who has charge of her -- the one shuffling her around in handcuffs in the courthouse -- makes a detour to the basement on their way to the courtroom and rapes her, which we find is something he's done with some unknown number of juvenile girls assigned to him over the years, and when it all finally comes out, he gets probation.
No, really.
And we expect our teenagers to have faith in the justice system? To trust the people given power over them? To be good, cooperative kids because the people in authority have their best interests at heart?
Sure. That's going to happen any time now.
I'll just sit here and wait for it....
Angie
No, really.
And we expect our teenagers to have faith in the justice system? To trust the people given power over them? To be good, cooperative kids because the people in authority have their best interests at heart?
Sure. That's going to happen any time now.
I'll just sit here and wait for it....
Angie
Friday, October 1, 2010
September Stuff
Still in the writing rut. :/
2 submissions = 2 pts.
3654 words written = 0 pts. [hides under keyboard]
12,800 words edited = 2 pts.
TOTAL = 4 pts. which is extremely disappointing
If one of the subbed stories had been 2200 words longer, I'd have gotten another point for the pre-sub clean-up edit -- I need to write longer. :P Of course if I'd written more, I'd have gotten some writing points too, so....
I got an acceptance on one of the stories I subbed in August, though, so that's cool. It was for Torquere's Halloween Sip Blitz (short Halloween stories released in a bunch, sort of like an anthology only not all in one book). It's another Cal-and-Aubrey story, the characters who starred in "Unfinished Business" and were supporting characters in A Hidden Magic. They're great guys and their character dynamic together is a hoot; I love writing about them. :)
Earlier in September, my husband and I went on a late-anniversary trip (the rates were better a couple of weeks after the actual anniversary, and I'm not sentimental enough to insist on spending more money for the same trip just because of the date) to San Francisco. I'd planned on blogging about it at the time, or shortly after getting home, like I did last year, but the first four or five days were a total disaster. My, umm, natural cycles hit about ten minutes after we checked into our room, and it was a killer. I haven't had that bad a time since I was on the depakote, which messed with me something awful -- known possible side effect, and I hit the side effect jackpot with that particular prescription. Then just as that was slowing down to the point where I could consider maybe leaving the hotel the next day, my husband (who'd been going out by himself, bringing food back periodically, and generally leaving me alone to cuss and wish for menopause) came back with some wrap sandwiches from this little Mediterranean place. He got me a chicken wrap, and the chicken was a bit dry, but I didn't think much of it. About five hours later I had a case of raging food poisoning. :(
That took another couple of days of vacation time.
Once I was a few minutes' walk from death's door, we went out and had a some fun. We went to the same dim sum place we went to last year, and the food was just as good. Then we walked up to the Museum of the African Diaspora, which is small but has some cool exhibits. We watched a film about Celia Cruz, the Cuban salsa singer. I'm not really into music much, so I'd never heard of her, but the film was very good, interesting even if it's not one's style of music. They had some computerized displays with touch-screen monitors in the walls, about different kinds of foods from Africa, and another set about personal adornment, showing native styles of clothing, jewelry, makeup, hairdos, piercings, pretty much anything, and each style morphed into a style you see today in the modern West, to show descent. I hadn't thought about that, specifically, matching up modern American styles with traditional African influences, so that was interesting too.
We rode the trolley up to Castro and went to A Different Light. I got a bunch of books, and a couple were even on sale -- half off, yay! I like e-books, but I really miss being able to just look and browse. Some of the e-book vendors have done a fair job duplicating the experience (and others need to put a lot more work into it) but there's nothing like browsing actual books on shelves, you know? I'm not one for buying a lot of gew-gaws or souvenirs on vacation -- I don't hit all the fashion boutiques or the big department stores either -- but I'll usually drop some serious cash in bookstores, so I guess that makes up for it.
After the bookstore, we walked up a few blocks to a little cafe Jim had found online. The food was wonderful -- I had a really excellent macaroni and cheese -- but the chairs were horrible. They were the kind with the bars coming down from the back, diagonally to attach about a third of the way up either side of the seat. I'm sure that's a fine style if you're skinny, but if you're fat it's torture, and I'm not even kidding. It's amazing how many restaurants have chairs like this; for places that sell food, and that make more money if their customers eat more, you'd think they'd want to encourage people to come and eat, and people who eat a lot to come often. Sorry, I was in serious pain well before we were finished, and I'm not going back there no matter how great the food was. :(
We took a formal tour on our second-to-last day there; the brochure advertised a bus tour of the city, lunch in Sausalito, and then a trip up to Muir Woods where we could walk around for a while. My Great-Aunt Angie took me on what sounded like almost the exact same bus tour (no Sausalito lunch stop) thirty-some years ago, and the woods had been beautiful, so I was enthusiastic about going again. Jim agreed, so we went. Turned out this one was different. On the tour I took with Aunty, we just drove around the city while the guide did his patter, which was interesting and enjoyable, and then we went to the woods. This time there were nine stops on the tour, seven of them in SF, and it seemed sometimes like we were stopping to get out every three blocks or so. Which would've been fine except it started early in the morning and it was cool and dewy (as San Francisco is) and the first stop let us out in a neighborhood street a few blocks from the top of Lombard Street, where we were going to walk down. Getting there, I brushed against some shrubs or something hanging out into the narrow sidewalks, and my leather sandal got wet. So, wet leather strap, swells a bit and roughens, then a long walk down a steep hill with the skin at the top of my foot rubbing against the edge of the wet, rough leather strap with every step. :( By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, I was way past blister -- I had an open sore with a couple shreds of skin hanging off, and of course my sandal rubbed on it every time I took a step.
I really wanted to be able to walk around the woods, though, so I skipped about half the remaining stops -- just stayed on the bus. It actually wasn't bad; some of the stops, like Chinatown, were in places I'd been through just a year ago. And as a bonus, once we found a place to park, the driver -- who'd been basically silent the whole trip so far -- chatted with us and told us a bunch of stuff about Chinatown, which was where he'd grown up. That was pretty cool.
The Palace of Fine Arts is gorgeous, but you mostly go look at it for the outside architecture, and I could see that fine through the bus window. I got out at Grace Cathedral, because it's beautiful and I haven't been there since I was in college (I went with a couple of classmates for an art history project), and I looked at the sculpture garden outside the new DeYoung Museum, which was very, umm, modern, and I probably could've skipped that too without missing much. Lunch in Sausalito was nice, although we chose a place the tour guide recommended primarily for its speedy service, because you do not want to miss the bus on these tours. :) Then most of the tour folks caught the ferry back to San Francisco with our original guide, while the dozen or so of us going on to Muir Woods got into a smaller bus with a new guide.
If you've never been to Muir Woods, I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance because it's gorgeous. Quiet and dim, huge redwoods, laurels, a little creek running down the middle of the valley... and we saw deer! :) I know that's kind of a boring, everyday thing for some folks who read this, but it was pretty darned cool for us. The paths are fenced -- low, wooden railings on either side -- and you're not supposed to go off the paths. The deer come amazingly close to the paths to feed; it seems like they've figured out that so long as they don't get too close to the path, all the two-legged critters that walk up and down it won't bother them. The first one, a large doe, was about ten yards or so away. The second, a really small deer our pamphlet said was full-grown, just small, was within about three yards of the path, perched on a big, fallen log and reaching up for leaves over its head. You couldn't quite have bent over the railing and touched it, but it was pretty close to it. That was pretty amazing. :D
The valley is narrow, and the path runs on either side of the creek, with a series of numbered bridges. Our guide said that up to bridge three, over to the other side and back was about a mile loop. Up to bridge four and back was two miles. Usually I'd have gone for bridge four, cane and all, but with my foot still torn up I thought bridge three was the more prudent walk, and that one worked fine. We didn't hurry, and we still got back with plenty of time to spare before leaving; we sat on the railing in the middle of bridge one and just hung out in the quiet, listening to the water for a bit.
The bus took us back to Sausalito, where we took the ferry back to SF. The tour started and ended at the Ferry Terminal building, which is like a three minute walk from the front entrance of our hotel, so that was convenient both ways. At that point I just wanted to collapse and sleep, but I'd made arrangements to see a friend that night, so I took off my sandals and just sort of dozed for a bit.
I've known Karen since seventh grade homeroom. She took BART from Livermore, where she lives, to the Embarcadero stop which is about thirty seconds' walk from our hotel. (It was worth delaying the trip a bit to get back into this hotel -- great location. :) ) Karen isn't a mass transit person, so it was something new for her, but everything went well, both coming over and going home later that evening. I put on my sneakers (lucky I packed two pairs of shoes!) and we went up to the Stinking Rose -- the garlic restaurant we went up to last year) taking a cab instead of walking. The prime rib is just as big, and the garlic-cream swiss chard is just as awesome. We had something yummy for dessert, I don't even remember what, then cabbed back to the hotel. Karen stuck around a bit to talk, then went home; Jim walked her down to the BART station, not only because it was late at night, but to make sure she got on the right train okay, and that all went fine.
The next day, we came home. We got to the airport, checked our baggage, and my pants split. [facepalm] Not the classic up-the-back, luckily, but just the fabric on one side high on the inner thigh. You know, where the fabric gets worn if you're fat? It was uncomfortable but Jim assured me it didn't show, so I just ignored it as best I could and we went on. The flight was uneventful, but I lost my pedometer in the cab on the way home from the airport. [headdesk] It's like Murphy needed a couple of last pokes to remind me he was still on duty after a few good days. :P
Between this and our last cruise, where I also got sick and sprained my foot, the universe owes us about a dozen completely perfect vacations, seriously, LOL! I'd have had a hard time writing about this in a story and making it sound believable, with one thing piling on top of another, on top of another, on top of another. I don't think I'll ever be that good a writer. :) Here's to October being better. [crossed fingers]
Angie
2 submissions = 2 pts.
3654 words written = 0 pts. [hides under keyboard]
12,800 words edited = 2 pts.
TOTAL = 4 pts. which is extremely disappointing
If one of the subbed stories had been 2200 words longer, I'd have gotten another point for the pre-sub clean-up edit -- I need to write longer. :P Of course if I'd written more, I'd have gotten some writing points too, so....
I got an acceptance on one of the stories I subbed in August, though, so that's cool. It was for Torquere's Halloween Sip Blitz (short Halloween stories released in a bunch, sort of like an anthology only not all in one book). It's another Cal-and-Aubrey story, the characters who starred in "Unfinished Business" and were supporting characters in A Hidden Magic. They're great guys and their character dynamic together is a hoot; I love writing about them. :)
Earlier in September, my husband and I went on a late-anniversary trip (the rates were better a couple of weeks after the actual anniversary, and I'm not sentimental enough to insist on spending more money for the same trip just because of the date) to San Francisco. I'd planned on blogging about it at the time, or shortly after getting home, like I did last year, but the first four or five days were a total disaster. My, umm, natural cycles hit about ten minutes after we checked into our room, and it was a killer. I haven't had that bad a time since I was on the depakote, which messed with me something awful -- known possible side effect, and I hit the side effect jackpot with that particular prescription. Then just as that was slowing down to the point where I could consider maybe leaving the hotel the next day, my husband (who'd been going out by himself, bringing food back periodically, and generally leaving me alone to cuss and wish for menopause) came back with some wrap sandwiches from this little Mediterranean place. He got me a chicken wrap, and the chicken was a bit dry, but I didn't think much of it. About five hours later I had a case of raging food poisoning. :(
That took another couple of days of vacation time.
Once I was a few minutes' walk from death's door, we went out and had a some fun. We went to the same dim sum place we went to last year, and the food was just as good. Then we walked up to the Museum of the African Diaspora, which is small but has some cool exhibits. We watched a film about Celia Cruz, the Cuban salsa singer. I'm not really into music much, so I'd never heard of her, but the film was very good, interesting even if it's not one's style of music. They had some computerized displays with touch-screen monitors in the walls, about different kinds of foods from Africa, and another set about personal adornment, showing native styles of clothing, jewelry, makeup, hairdos, piercings, pretty much anything, and each style morphed into a style you see today in the modern West, to show descent. I hadn't thought about that, specifically, matching up modern American styles with traditional African influences, so that was interesting too.
We rode the trolley up to Castro and went to A Different Light. I got a bunch of books, and a couple were even on sale -- half off, yay! I like e-books, but I really miss being able to just look and browse. Some of the e-book vendors have done a fair job duplicating the experience (and others need to put a lot more work into it) but there's nothing like browsing actual books on shelves, you know? I'm not one for buying a lot of gew-gaws or souvenirs on vacation -- I don't hit all the fashion boutiques or the big department stores either -- but I'll usually drop some serious cash in bookstores, so I guess that makes up for it.
After the bookstore, we walked up a few blocks to a little cafe Jim had found online. The food was wonderful -- I had a really excellent macaroni and cheese -- but the chairs were horrible. They were the kind with the bars coming down from the back, diagonally to attach about a third of the way up either side of the seat. I'm sure that's a fine style if you're skinny, but if you're fat it's torture, and I'm not even kidding. It's amazing how many restaurants have chairs like this; for places that sell food, and that make more money if their customers eat more, you'd think they'd want to encourage people to come and eat, and people who eat a lot to come often. Sorry, I was in serious pain well before we were finished, and I'm not going back there no matter how great the food was. :(
We took a formal tour on our second-to-last day there; the brochure advertised a bus tour of the city, lunch in Sausalito, and then a trip up to Muir Woods where we could walk around for a while. My Great-Aunt Angie took me on what sounded like almost the exact same bus tour (no Sausalito lunch stop) thirty-some years ago, and the woods had been beautiful, so I was enthusiastic about going again. Jim agreed, so we went. Turned out this one was different. On the tour I took with Aunty, we just drove around the city while the guide did his patter, which was interesting and enjoyable, and then we went to the woods. This time there were nine stops on the tour, seven of them in SF, and it seemed sometimes like we were stopping to get out every three blocks or so. Which would've been fine except it started early in the morning and it was cool and dewy (as San Francisco is) and the first stop let us out in a neighborhood street a few blocks from the top of Lombard Street, where we were going to walk down. Getting there, I brushed against some shrubs or something hanging out into the narrow sidewalks, and my leather sandal got wet. So, wet leather strap, swells a bit and roughens, then a long walk down a steep hill with the skin at the top of my foot rubbing against the edge of the wet, rough leather strap with every step. :( By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, I was way past blister -- I had an open sore with a couple shreds of skin hanging off, and of course my sandal rubbed on it every time I took a step.
I really wanted to be able to walk around the woods, though, so I skipped about half the remaining stops -- just stayed on the bus. It actually wasn't bad; some of the stops, like Chinatown, were in places I'd been through just a year ago. And as a bonus, once we found a place to park, the driver -- who'd been basically silent the whole trip so far -- chatted with us and told us a bunch of stuff about Chinatown, which was where he'd grown up. That was pretty cool.
The Palace of Fine Arts is gorgeous, but you mostly go look at it for the outside architecture, and I could see that fine through the bus window. I got out at Grace Cathedral, because it's beautiful and I haven't been there since I was in college (I went with a couple of classmates for an art history project), and I looked at the sculpture garden outside the new DeYoung Museum, which was very, umm, modern, and I probably could've skipped that too without missing much. Lunch in Sausalito was nice, although we chose a place the tour guide recommended primarily for its speedy service, because you do not want to miss the bus on these tours. :) Then most of the tour folks caught the ferry back to San Francisco with our original guide, while the dozen or so of us going on to Muir Woods got into a smaller bus with a new guide.
If you've never been to Muir Woods, I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance because it's gorgeous. Quiet and dim, huge redwoods, laurels, a little creek running down the middle of the valley... and we saw deer! :) I know that's kind of a boring, everyday thing for some folks who read this, but it was pretty darned cool for us. The paths are fenced -- low, wooden railings on either side -- and you're not supposed to go off the paths. The deer come amazingly close to the paths to feed; it seems like they've figured out that so long as they don't get too close to the path, all the two-legged critters that walk up and down it won't bother them. The first one, a large doe, was about ten yards or so away. The second, a really small deer our pamphlet said was full-grown, just small, was within about three yards of the path, perched on a big, fallen log and reaching up for leaves over its head. You couldn't quite have bent over the railing and touched it, but it was pretty close to it. That was pretty amazing. :D
The valley is narrow, and the path runs on either side of the creek, with a series of numbered bridges. Our guide said that up to bridge three, over to the other side and back was about a mile loop. Up to bridge four and back was two miles. Usually I'd have gone for bridge four, cane and all, but with my foot still torn up I thought bridge three was the more prudent walk, and that one worked fine. We didn't hurry, and we still got back with plenty of time to spare before leaving; we sat on the railing in the middle of bridge one and just hung out in the quiet, listening to the water for a bit.
The bus took us back to Sausalito, where we took the ferry back to SF. The tour started and ended at the Ferry Terminal building, which is like a three minute walk from the front entrance of our hotel, so that was convenient both ways. At that point I just wanted to collapse and sleep, but I'd made arrangements to see a friend that night, so I took off my sandals and just sort of dozed for a bit.
I've known Karen since seventh grade homeroom. She took BART from Livermore, where she lives, to the Embarcadero stop which is about thirty seconds' walk from our hotel. (It was worth delaying the trip a bit to get back into this hotel -- great location. :) ) Karen isn't a mass transit person, so it was something new for her, but everything went well, both coming over and going home later that evening. I put on my sneakers (lucky I packed two pairs of shoes!) and we went up to the Stinking Rose -- the garlic restaurant we went up to last year) taking a cab instead of walking. The prime rib is just as big, and the garlic-cream swiss chard is just as awesome. We had something yummy for dessert, I don't even remember what, then cabbed back to the hotel. Karen stuck around a bit to talk, then went home; Jim walked her down to the BART station, not only because it was late at night, but to make sure she got on the right train okay, and that all went fine.
The next day, we came home. We got to the airport, checked our baggage, and my pants split. [facepalm] Not the classic up-the-back, luckily, but just the fabric on one side high on the inner thigh. You know, where the fabric gets worn if you're fat? It was uncomfortable but Jim assured me it didn't show, so I just ignored it as best I could and we went on. The flight was uneventful, but I lost my pedometer in the cab on the way home from the airport. [headdesk] It's like Murphy needed a couple of last pokes to remind me he was still on duty after a few good days. :P
Between this and our last cruise, where I also got sick and sprained my foot, the universe owes us about a dozen completely perfect vacations, seriously, LOL! I'd have had a hard time writing about this in a story and making it sound believable, with one thing piling on top of another, on top of another, on top of another. I don't think I'll ever be that good a writer. :) Here's to October being better. [crossed fingers]
Angie
Bullies and Other Predators
Cindy Potts over on LiveJournal posted this, and I felt a great need to ask permission to repost, rather than just linking as I usually would. I love Cindy's fiction, but her blog is really awesome. This post rings with TRUTH in a way that's very rare to read. I wish I could round up all the people who think that bullying is "just kids being kids" or that it's "only words, just ignore it" or that "if you ignore the bullies, they'll get bored and go away" and tie them to chairs and read this aloud to them, until they get it.
===============
A Note on Personal Responsibility
And so, it is said to me, you can't really bully someone to death. You can certainly make them miserable, but that choice, that ultimate final choice to end it all, to leap from the bridge, to borrow Daddy's gun, that's out of your hands. That's beyond your power, beyond your responsibility, beyond anything you could conceivably be held accountable for. The blame in suicide lays always upon the person who kills themselves, for they always have another choice.
A fatal reclamation of personal power, as it were.
I read all these stories of freshly dead children and I say bullshit on that.
Around here, there are what are called (by me, at least) coy dogs. A mix of coyote and good dogs gone bad, feral creatures, they live on the fringes of society, not wholly wild, not nearly tame. No one cares for them. They are self-sufficient, or they die.
Coy dogs are generally small and scraggly. They stand perhaps two feet tall at the shoulder - a few bigger, some very few smaller. They're perpetually thin. On their own, they'll get by. There's garbage, there's house cats, there are slow bunnies and roadkill and dinner snatched secondhand from pampered pet's dishes.
When they work together, though, they can feast. A pack of coy dogs will go after larger prey - goats, sheep, llamas, calves, ponies, deer. It's here, in the hunt, that the coy dogs are at their most primal. You don't see even vague vestiges of the creatures that would once happily follow people around, begging for scraps. Here, it's speed and pursuit -- chasing, chasing, chasing. And coy dogs bark when they hunt -- not like wolves, who mostly keep silent. Coy dogs keep up a constant cacophony of death, announcing imminent demise with every stride. One coy dog will keep in close pursuit, the others hanging back and resting, preserving their strength until it's their turn to take point, to present some fresh new horror, to add another element of terror to the chase. They all take a turn.
They don't actually bite the prey all that much. A nip at the heels, a few ambitious leaps to worry shoulders, haunches, beefy necks. They don't have to. Once the blood starts running, all they have to do is keep the prey moving, moving, moving, until exhaustion and fear do their magic. It doesn't take long. The point will come where the prey doesn't have the strength to fight anymore. The hooves that should kick away, flinty hooves that can crush a skull, if the strength is there, do not have the strength. It's over, the coy dogs have won, and the end of the game is as much surrender as capture -- even fighting to the last, the prey's been run too hard, too long, to win.
That is what bullying is. Pure and simple, what we're seeing is humanity taking on that coy dog aspect. No one person has to do that much -- what's a comment? what's a shove? what's possessions trashed, families threatened, rumors started, video shared? It is the aggregate effect that kills, the preponderance of hate, delivered daily, hourly, inescapably. Animalistic behavior, the basics of human decency abandoned for the thrill of the chase, the toxic exhilaration of pursuit -- and above all, the embrace of the group, the knowledge that you have a place in the pack. You don't have to do so much, really. Take a turn in point position, if you've the stomach for it, but that's not even truly necessary. All you have to do is hiss little comments. Or laugh. Or look away and do nothing.
And at the end of it all, is there blood on your hands? You can look in the mirror, examine your muzzle, look for the flint-scented evidence that yours was the hate that mattered the most. Will you see it? I guess it depends on the light you choose to stand under.
But deer don't run themselves to death.
Funny thing, that.
==============
Note that it's worth reading the comments too, particularly this thread.
===============
A Note on Personal Responsibility
And so, it is said to me, you can't really bully someone to death. You can certainly make them miserable, but that choice, that ultimate final choice to end it all, to leap from the bridge, to borrow Daddy's gun, that's out of your hands. That's beyond your power, beyond your responsibility, beyond anything you could conceivably be held accountable for. The blame in suicide lays always upon the person who kills themselves, for they always have another choice.
A fatal reclamation of personal power, as it were.
I read all these stories of freshly dead children and I say bullshit on that.
Around here, there are what are called (by me, at least) coy dogs. A mix of coyote and good dogs gone bad, feral creatures, they live on the fringes of society, not wholly wild, not nearly tame. No one cares for them. They are self-sufficient, or they die.
Coy dogs are generally small and scraggly. They stand perhaps two feet tall at the shoulder - a few bigger, some very few smaller. They're perpetually thin. On their own, they'll get by. There's garbage, there's house cats, there are slow bunnies and roadkill and dinner snatched secondhand from pampered pet's dishes.
When they work together, though, they can feast. A pack of coy dogs will go after larger prey - goats, sheep, llamas, calves, ponies, deer. It's here, in the hunt, that the coy dogs are at their most primal. You don't see even vague vestiges of the creatures that would once happily follow people around, begging for scraps. Here, it's speed and pursuit -- chasing, chasing, chasing. And coy dogs bark when they hunt -- not like wolves, who mostly keep silent. Coy dogs keep up a constant cacophony of death, announcing imminent demise with every stride. One coy dog will keep in close pursuit, the others hanging back and resting, preserving their strength until it's their turn to take point, to present some fresh new horror, to add another element of terror to the chase. They all take a turn.
They don't actually bite the prey all that much. A nip at the heels, a few ambitious leaps to worry shoulders, haunches, beefy necks. They don't have to. Once the blood starts running, all they have to do is keep the prey moving, moving, moving, until exhaustion and fear do their magic. It doesn't take long. The point will come where the prey doesn't have the strength to fight anymore. The hooves that should kick away, flinty hooves that can crush a skull, if the strength is there, do not have the strength. It's over, the coy dogs have won, and the end of the game is as much surrender as capture -- even fighting to the last, the prey's been run too hard, too long, to win.
That is what bullying is. Pure and simple, what we're seeing is humanity taking on that coy dog aspect. No one person has to do that much -- what's a comment? what's a shove? what's possessions trashed, families threatened, rumors started, video shared? It is the aggregate effect that kills, the preponderance of hate, delivered daily, hourly, inescapably. Animalistic behavior, the basics of human decency abandoned for the thrill of the chase, the toxic exhilaration of pursuit -- and above all, the embrace of the group, the knowledge that you have a place in the pack. You don't have to do so much, really. Take a turn in point position, if you've the stomach for it, but that's not even truly necessary. All you have to do is hiss little comments. Or laugh. Or look away and do nothing.
And at the end of it all, is there blood on your hands? You can look in the mirror, examine your muzzle, look for the flint-scented evidence that yours was the hate that mattered the most. Will you see it? I guess it depends on the light you choose to stand under.
But deer don't run themselves to death.
Funny thing, that.
==============
Note that it's worth reading the comments too, particularly this thread.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Homecoming King Stripped of Crown
Despite the title of the post, this is actually more of a happy story than not. Oak Reed is a high school senior in Muskegon, Michigan, who was elected homecoming king by his classmates, by a considerable margin. The principal refused to give him the title, however, because Oak is transgender. The assistant superintendant supports the principal's decision, saying "the ballot gave two choices: Vote for a boy for king and a girl for queen."
All right, so the adults in authority seem to have their heads firmly inserted somewhere dark and moist, but the cool thing about this story is that Oak's classmates aren't just rolling over. It's too late to reverse the decision -- the homecoming king and queen have already been crowned -- but the students of Mona Shores High School are rallying in support of Oak, with a Facebook page (almost 7300 members from all over the world) and a compaign to wear T-shirts saying "Oak is my King" on 1 October. The shirts are being sold as a fundraiser, to help pay for Oak's reassignment surgery, which he plans to start after he turns eighteen.
Despite my disappointment with the school authorities, I find this story wonderfully encouraging from the POV of optimism for the future. In a world (and a country) where GLBT teens are still regularly harassed, beaten, murdered or driven to suicide because of who they are, it's awesome to see all these other teenagers rallying around a transgender classmate. Go Mona Shores!
Thanks to Cindy Potts for sharing the link.
Angie
All right, so the adults in authority seem to have their heads firmly inserted somewhere dark and moist, but the cool thing about this story is that Oak's classmates aren't just rolling over. It's too late to reverse the decision -- the homecoming king and queen have already been crowned -- but the students of Mona Shores High School are rallying in support of Oak, with a Facebook page (almost 7300 members from all over the world) and a compaign to wear T-shirts saying "Oak is my King" on 1 October. The shirts are being sold as a fundraiser, to help pay for Oak's reassignment surgery, which he plans to start after he turns eighteen.
Despite my disappointment with the school authorities, I find this story wonderfully encouraging from the POV of optimism for the future. In a world (and a country) where GLBT teens are still regularly harassed, beaten, murdered or driven to suicide because of who they are, it's awesome to see all these other teenagers rallying around a transgender classmate. Go Mona Shores!
Thanks to Cindy Potts for sharing the link.
Angie
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