Unparalleled Journeys:
Tales From the Writers of Amazing Journeys Magazine
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Unparalleled Journeys: Tales From the
Writers of Amazing Journeys Magazine is a collection of science
fiction and fantasy due out in late March 2005. Published by Journey Books
Publishing and Edward Knight, who published the excellent Amazing
Journeys Magazine where I'd twice appeared, it contains seven new
tales of science fiction and fantasy by writers whose work had appeared
(most of them more than once) in the magazine.
Please, support
not only me as a writer but small press as well!
Order a copy of Unparalleled Journeys now!
My involvement
This is an interesting story (well, to
me, anyway) about how a short story I submitted to a magazine (where I had
appeared twice before) surprisingly got added into an upcoming
anthology... and then I ended up co-editing and laying it out.
I'd been published a few times in
Amazing Journeys Magazine, courtesy the excellent editor, Ed Knight.
In 2004, Ed decided to put together an anthology of new stories by
contributors who had appeared in the magazine. Somehow, with a busy
summer, I forgot about his open request for submissions.
In the fall of 2004, I was suddenly
possessed of a writing frenzy one weekend and wrote "White Ribbons, Red
Roses." I went to AJ's web site to get Ed's email and discovered,
much to my dismay, that the anthology had closed with the six stories he
wanted already chosen. This was dejecting, but I nonetheless queried Ed in
email about my story. It was over 10,000 words, far longer than he
preferred and longer than his usual absolute cutoff, but in his editorial
wisdom he said he'd be happy to look at it... since one never knew where
one would find a good story. Ed is a gracious man who has always been
happy to look at my work, so of course I sent it to him. He liked the
story enough to squeeze it in amongst the elite six he'd already chosen
for the anthology, and that was quite an honor.
Proofreading. Several months
passed. January 2005 rolled around. Ed suddenly sent me my story one day,
in PDF format for the layout of the 5.5" x 8.5" book, instructing me to
read over this proof copy and check for any layout errors, technical
glitches, or any last minute changes I wanted to make. He pointed out how
much he wanted all the writers to ensure their stories were exactly the
way they wanted them. (Ed's that kind of a guy. There should be more
editors like him.)
I found a number of technical glitches.
To be fair, there were a few of my own, but a large number of layout
issues. I pointed them out to Ed and he was impressed enough with my
attention to detail to ask if I'd be interested in reading over the other
six stories for him. Of course, I agreed; any chance to contribute to
something in which my work appears, especially a project as good as this
one for an editor I admired so much, was something for which I was game.
Over the next several weeks (interrupted
by the worst bout of sickness I've ever had, hands down, in my entire
life), I edited the stories. The details are between Ed and me (and they'd
bore anyone else anyway), but in the end we agreed we'd ended up with a
better product.
Layout/design. Somewhere in there,
I took on the job of laying out the book. It had been done in Word but I
re-did it in Publisher in order to have more control over formatting. In
the end, I re-worked the layout for the cover and worked to iron out a
number of issues typical of sending jobs to commercial printers.
The piece de resistance was that
Ed was beyond grateful and gracious, and he gave me a co-editor byline. As
if having my story in Ed's anthology wasn't an honor enough, now I had the
incredible privilege of sharing a byline with him on this project.
Thanks, Ed, forever and ever, on this. I
owe you. Don't hesitate to ask if you have other anthologies coming up!
My Take on the Stories in UJ
After the anthology came back from the
printer, Ed asked all the authors to comment on each others' stories in
the message forum, so I did. Here's my post (beginning with thanks for Ed
talking me up so well):
First of all,
thanks to Ed for the kind words and recommendations he made about me
concerning editing and layouts. It is much appreciated. He's a great guy;
I don't care what ANY of you folks keep secretly telling me in email. :-)
My Story
Last year, I submitted a story to Ed that I thought was too long for
the magazine. It bordered on 11,000 words, beyond his preferred 7,000-word
limit and past his 10,000-word absolute limit, but I wanted Ed to have
first look at anyway. I love Amazing Journeys and I thought it was
something up his alley. Ed's the best kind of speculative fiction editor
there is: he didn't care what the word count was, he wanted to see it.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," he told me.
It turns out it was up his alley. Evidently, Ed had been assembling an anthology for which he had chosen six
stories. I had been unaware of the anthology or I'd certainly have begged
to be considered for it in the first place. That'll teach me to stay out
of touch for too long, Anyway, my submission was thus a last minute
addition. Appearing in the anthology alone was honor enough, never mind as
a late addition. But more was to come...
Beyond My Story
After Ed sent me a proof of the layout of my story for review, he
asked me to have a look at all the other stories from the standpoint of an
experienced editor, proofreader, and layout artist. Of course, I was more
than willing to have a look; I'm always interested in working with any
publication in which my work appears. And this project was truly a lot of
fun. After the editing was done, I laid out the book's interior and cover.
Ed has been very gracious regarding the
help I gave him, but I have at least as much graciousness for him letting
me in on the project at all. I've worked on a lot of newspapers,
magazines, and books over the years, but I have a special place in my
psyche with this one. It was a lot of fun editing and laying out, not to
mention reading... and I'm sure everyone who reads Unparalleled Journeys
will have the same kind of fun. The stories contained therein certainly
live up to the title!
What's In Unparalleled Journeys?
There's something in this for everyone: a generation ship speeding
across the stars, its passengers engaged in constant battles with each
other and worse problems ... a fairy tale kingdom with modern science and
genetic amazements in a story of assassination, duty, honor, and genetic
control ... on a planet deep inside enemy space, a magic capable of
answering questions, solving problems, perhaps performing miracles ...
imprisoned dwarves revolting against their captors for a taste of the
freedom they deserve ... a barbarian faced with his city's devastation and
fighting for its justice ... the origins of helpful robots and a global
plan of peace that sort of backfires ... one man with a checkered past
trying to clear his name and solve a mystery before Galactic Police find
him.
What an assortment!
Reviews of the Stories
Ed has asked that the authors offer reviews of the stories, and I am
happy and excited to do so. I'd love to write long reviews of each one of
them, but in the spirit of not spoiling anything for anyone, I'll keep
them all brief. That's going to be tough!
- Riding Out the Legacy by
Sandy Parsons
Sandy has created a believable future world where the best minds on
Earth are being sent to a distant world--given that Earth has some
serious apocalyptic problems in the works. The story is from the POV
of one character and details the interrelationships among the many
members of the ship, including how they deal not only with one another
but with unforeseen difficulties. The personalities of the other
characters are well-developed--something that is always a challenge
when writing in the first person. Unlike the third person, where a
writer can jump from mind to mind, the first person is a more
difficult way to write when it comes to building three dimensional
characters aside from the storyteller. Sandy does a marvelous job.
- Fidelity by Angie Lofthouse
A truly enjoyable story mixing the feel of a fairy tale with a
futuristic world, rolled up in a serious drama. I'm not sure how to
get into any of the details without giving anything away! The story
opens with a bang and Angie's handling of action is excellent. No
sooner has the action subsided than the real problem begins to rear
its ugly head. The main character struggled valiantly with feelings of
duty and honor against feelings of friendship. All of this happens
with some great scientific twists going on that help build a rich,
believable world.
- White Ribbons, Red Roses by
David M. Fitzpatrick
I can't review this since it's my own story, but I can summarize it.
Will Duncan's wife and daughter are killed in a tragic accident that
he knows is his fault. He believes his only chance at redemption or
salvation is on a planet, deep inside enemy space, known for a bizarre
magic that has resulted in far too many unexplained things. He
recruits a lady mercenary and heads there--against the law, against
common sense, against all odds--and knows he'll either find a solution
or die trying.
- Freedom’s Fire by Bill
Snodgrass
We've all felt like prisoners before, either literally or
metaphorically. From the first page, the reader will feel an affinity
for and sympathy--if not empathy--with the main character who has been
a prisoner for longer than any human can imagine. The dwarf's plan for
escape has been well thought out and the action that follows is
well-paced and exciting. As well, Bill builds great bad guys in the
form of his baines, servants to the dragons. Like Angie's story, I
can't get into too much detail because I don't want to give anything
away. Suffice it to say, Bill gives us characters we care about and
expertly keeps the action flowing right up to the exciting climax.
- Sturoq of Dunhugel by Peter
J. Welmerink
If anything else could happen to Sturoq, one wonders what it might be.
Peter's barbarian hero starts off this story as relaxed as a man can
get, and he is suddenly thrust into a living hell. I'm finding it
difficult to give away ANY details about ANY of these stories, and
once again this is one you'll have to read. Peter portrays Sturoq as
both valiant and desperate, as both noble and fierce, as he fights to
bring some measure of justice to the terrible horror that befalls
Dunhugel from the first page of the tale. That horror doesn't stop
until the story is over, mind you, so don't think you've got this one
all figured out.
- Janibots, Inc. by Terofil
Alexander Gizelbach
The origins of the Janibots is an amusing tale told in the first
person, and like Sandy, Terry does a fine job building other
characters through the eyes of his protagonist. Here we follow the
birth of the Janibots and the amazing (and entertaining) sequence of
events that unfold. I'm not sure now whether or not I'd like a Janibot
in my house, and wonder whether I even dare get one of those new
vacuum cleaners that intelligently vacuum your house all on its own.
Terry has done a great job in the tradition of robotic science-fiction
yet at the same time has built a totally original world--one we may
end up in if we're not careful.
- Sparks’ War by Donnie
Clemons
Donnie follows Sparks, a man with a colorful history that has been
threatening to catch up with him--and does in this story. Besieged by
old legal problems, a law enforcement officer who won't forget or
leave him alone, and family matters, Sparks finds himself in trouble
for something he didn't do. With his sidekick and partner, Baron, by
his side, Sparks sets out to deal with this problem, clear his name,
and perhaps even solve the mystery. Donnie always builds good
characters and solid stories, and this one will keep you wondering
until the end.
Summary
What more can be said? If you're reading this and haven't ordered a
copy... what's the delay? Do it now!
You won't regret it.
Fnord,
-Indy
To this, Ed Knight replied:
Man, not only does he write great stories,
edit with passion, and do fantastic layouts, just look at that post. It's
as pretty as a picture. I don't want to know what's in those emails. :-)
Indy has painted an excellent picture of
what Unparalleled Journeys is and how it evolved. Now that I have a
copy in my hands, I can honestly say that it surpasses my expectations. I
knew I had a great lineup of writers and stories to work with, but Indy
polished this project to a sheen. One of my faults is that I'm not detail
oriented. Indy buffed out the rough spots and brushed away the crumbs...
For Ed's comments on "White Ribbons, Red
Roses," visit that
story's page.
Please, support not only me as a writer but small press as well!
Order a copy of Unparalleled Journeys now! |
