dwarzel

Item: The fine folks at the venerable Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction have just posted a brief interview with me on the subject of my story "The Blue Celeb", which appears in their January/February issue (an issue you just might still be able to find in your local bookstore, if the guy in charge of magazine turnover is especially sluggish this winter). If you're as fascinated with me as I am with myself, I'd imagine it's a must-read.

The usual miscellany, presented without comment or apology.

• Farewell to Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
• Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
• Swords Against the Shadowland by Robin Wayne Bailey
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• The Meaning of Life (and AIDS Jokes) by Tom Z
• Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
• Fault Lines by Kate Wilhelm
• Nerilka's Story by Anne McCaffrey
• Writers of the Future Vol. XXII edited by Algis Budrys
• Dragonriders' Dawn by Anne McCaffrey
• Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
• A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks
• The Renegades of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by John Godey
• Wild Cards edited by George R. R. Martin
• Angry Candy by Harlan Ellison
• Aces High edited by George R. R. Martin
• The Elysium Commission by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
• Chronic by D. A. Powell
• Fletch by Gregory McDonald
• The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
• Jokers Wild edited by George R. R. Martin
• Writers of the Future vol. XXVII edited by K. D. Wentworth
• Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
• Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters
• Project Maldon by Chris Atack
• Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
• Tales Before Tolkien edited by Douglas A. Anderson
• Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
• Anti Gravity by Steve Mirsky
• The Road Show by Gary Jennings
• Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
• Fear by L. Ron Hubbard
• In Our House by Peter A. Balaskas
• The Center Ring by Gary Jennings
• Bradbury Speaks by Ray Bradbury
• The Grand Promenade by Gary Jennings
• Brewster's Millions by George Barr McCutcheon
• Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
• Dark Delicacies edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb
• The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
• Myth-Gotten Gains by Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye
• Divine Comedies by Tom Holt
• Myth-Chief by Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye
• Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
• Fresh Lies by James Lileks
• Drood by Dan Simmons
• Approaching Oblivion by Harlan Ellison
• The Deadly Streets by Harlan Ellison
• A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
• Ellison Wonderland by Harlan Ellison
• For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose
• From the Land of Fear by Harlan Ellison
• Memos from Purgatory by Harlan Ellison
• No Doors, No Windows by Harlan Ellison
• Paingod and Other Delusions by Harlan Ellison
• A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
• Historical Lovecraft edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles
• Journey to the Center by Brian Stableford

If you haven't yet read Mark Ciccarone and Theresa Dillon's anthology Night Terrors II from Blood Bound Books, 1) first of all, shame on you, and 2) now's your chance, because for this weekend only, the Kindle version is on sale for ninety-nine cents.

And if you've got some harvest cash (or Amazon credit) burning a hole in your pocket, might I suggest these other fine volumes to enhance your Halloween experience, such as:

An issue of Shroud magazine (they've got about a dozen to pick from);
Return of the Raven--stories inspired by Edgar Allan Poe (available in print from the publisher or as an ebook from Kobo);
31 Days of Halloween Horror (exactly what it says on the label), available in numerous electronic formats;
Candle in the Attic Window--new tales of gothic terror; and
Love & Darker Passions--new horror and dark fantasy stories involving relationships.

You really can't miss.

The folks behind the venerable Uncle John's Bathroom Reader franchise have gone literary: their latest offering is Flush Fiction, a collection of dozens--literally dozens, I tell you--of short stories. From the publisher:

"Prepare to be entertained by this unique collection of short-short stories–all fewer than 1,000 words–handpicked by the master story-teller himself, Uncle John. Whatever genre you’re into–humor, mystery, romance, horror, adventure, sci-fi, or slice-of-life–it’s in here."

Flush Fiction contains my dryly humorous science fiction story "Wrestling with Alienation", but if that isn't enough to entice you, go here to see the entire list of contributors.

Even better: the kind staff of the Bathroom Readers' Institute have graciously allowed me to offer a free copy to one lucky person. So, how shall we go about this?

• For simplicity's sake, let's set the deadline at April 30, 2012 at 11:59:59 Eastern Time.
• Residents of the U.S.A. only, please.
• One entry per person, please.
• I will gather all eligible entries and select one completely at random under the auspices of random.org.
• If you know me personally, feel free to enter anyway. You'll have the same chance as everyone else; I don't see why my friendship should carry any more penalties for you than it already does.
• Flush Fiction boasts a lot of contributors, so there's a chance you'll run across other giveaways of the book; if you should win one of those before my giveaway reaches its deadline, kindly let me know so I can remove you from the running. One freebie to a customer, please.
• How to enter? Simply leave a comment below (if you're smart, you'll either leave me an email address in some form or be the sort of person who checks your livejournal messages, because once I notify the winner, he or she has forty-eight hours to acknowledge me and supply a shipping address). And, just to separate the deserving people who read the rules from the undeserving who don't, your comment, in order to constitute a valid entry, must answer the following question: "What is your favorite short story?" Answer honestly if possible; if you can't decide, or can't think of a favorite, then just name a short story. It's not as if I'll know the difference. In the name of fair play, I'll go first: "Unaccompanied Sonata" by Orson Scott Card.
• Comments screened for your safety and security--nobody will see your info.
• Good luck.