Avatar

Lana and I watched Avatar finally last night. She brought home a copy from the library. I hear all the time people telling me that you have to see “X” on the big screen. Well, I figure Avatar would definitely have been better on the big screen. It seemed made for it.

As for the movie, here are my thoughts. First, outstanding digital effects. I expected that. Second, the story was good, although certainly not original. I finally gave up counting the number of crystal clear influences that I could see, but some include the “Pern” novels by Anne McCaffrey, and the Horseclans stories of Robert Adams, Lynn Abbey’s work, and very strongly, the Janus novels by Andre Norton, including Judgment on Janus and Victory on Janus. There were also heaping helpings of Heinlein and Clarke.

In addition, the story is embedded in lots of human myths and/or misunderstandings. There’s the noble savage idea, the concept of the chosen warrior (used also in The Matrix, of course), the Gaia concept of the living earth, the conflict between nature as good and civilization as evil. I was a little disappointed in how blatant these were, and a bit disappointed that the Navi were so closely based on a kind of mythic idea of the Native Americans. This made the story very predictable.

I know everyone borrows and I’m not troubled particularly by that, although I might have liked the borrowing to have been transformed a bit more. Obviously the story resonated with a lot of folks, and that’s quite likely because it touched on so many myths and feelings that we modern folks hold. I was telling Lana last night that one thing I hoped people watching it wouldn’t do would be to assume that this material is all new and original. The ideas and themes in Avatar are much, much older, and in many cases were barely altered from their roots.

None of that means I didn’t enjoy the movie and that it didn’t hold my interest. I’m glad I finally saw it.
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Recent Readings

I've actually been getting through quite a few books recently. I'm also listening to some on my Kindle on my commute. Here's my quick updates.

Gangdom's Doom, either 4th or 7th in the Shadow series by Maxwell Grant. I listend to this one, in which the Shadow goes from New York to Chicago. I actually liked this one about the best of the ones I've listened to so far. It featured the Shadow on stage more than some of the previous volumes, which focused overly much it seemed to me on Harold Vincent, the Shadow's assistant.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, by John Ryder Hall. This is a novelization of the movie and stays pretty close to the film. I have to say I liked the film somewhat better. I thought the book started out well but began to seem rushed toward the end. Plus, it stayed almost too close to the movie. I like when novelizations expand a bit on the film.

Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris. Harris is really Candice Proctor. This is the third in her Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series, which is set in England in the early 1800s, the Regency period. I love this series. I read the first two back to back but then somehow got distracted and delayed picking up the third. Once I finished this one, though, I launched immediately into the fourth one, Where Serpents Sleep. "Mermaids" was wonderful and so far I'm really enjoying "Serpents" as well. I have the fifth one, What Remains of Heaven and it's scheduled next. The sixth in the series will be out next year. I'm actually not a huge mystery reader but the character of Sebastian St. Cyr is so compelling, and the settings so wonderfully etched, that I'm hooked on this series.

I'm currently listening to She by H. Rider Haggard. Definitely a bit of a slow start but once it gets going it's pretty cool. I had not previously read this and I was kind of fascinated at some similarities in the 'introduction' to the story to the introduction that I used for Swords of Talera. Almost uncanny in some places.

Here's a couple of books I'm wanting below:




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Lucid Dreaming

I'm posting about Lucid Dreaming over at Novel Spaces today. Please drop by if you get the chance.

In other news, my article on "Bull Riding and Writing" is in this month's Illuminata. It's Volume 8, Issue 4, October 2010, and you can download the whole issue for free here.

Have a great day.
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Writing With Power

I'm reading Writing with Power by Peter Elbow, and I'm finding some really good stuff as well as a few items I disagree with. One thing he says that I like has to do with design flexibility. He says essentially that an outline planned out before you write is like: "a plan you work out for travel in an unfamiliar country; it usually has to be changed once you get there and see how things really work." I know writers who use outlines to great effectiveness, but I believe a risk of outlining is that the result can turn out flat and stale, without spontaneity. Oftentimes as I'm working on a book, I'll find my mind running off onto tangents that turn out to be far more creative than what I'd come up with, or could come up with, after careful conscious consideration. The conscious mind just isn't "playful" enough to generate the best twists and turns.

Another thing Elbow points out is that too much conscious rewriting can often wring all the fresh juice out of a piece. It can end up making your prose plod instead of sing. I realized this a long time before I read Elbow. And I have a suggestion about how to deal with the issue for anyone who writes. Anytime I'm going to make substantial changes to a story, more than just revising a few words or correcting grammar, I save two copies of my file. I usually call them “Storyorg” for the original, and “storynew” for the other. Then I only work on the new file. This way, if I revise all the life out of a paragraph, I can always go back to the original and copy and paste that paragraph back into the new story. The original is sacrosanct, untouched except to provide a safety net so I can revise the new file with an axe and not worry about cutting anything out that’s important.

By now in my files, I actually have 3 or 4 versions of some of my stories. I have the original. I might have a piece that is revised to be shorter, or revised with a different ending. Or I might have a piece that I’ve altered into a horror story from what was originally a mainstream piece. As long as I’ve got the original saved, I feel completely comfortable hacking a story to shreds and letting the chips fall where they may.

Many of the stories in my collection, Bitter Steel illustrate this process. I don't think a story in that collection reads exactly the way it did when it was first released. Some have been dramatically revised. But I still have that original tucked away safe and sound in my files.





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A New Quiz: Vampires

Oh, those pesky vampires. Blood suckers extraordinaire. The first vampires in literature were evil. But over time vampires took on more and more romantic and sympathetic elements until today they can even be leading men. Can you match the famous vampires from page and screen on the left with their creators on the right? Zero to five correct means you’re either covering for the vamps or you’re VQ is a little low. Six to ten correct is a good score. You’ve probably bitten a few necks yourself. Over ten correct makes me wonder if the phrase “blood bank” has more than the usual meaning for you.

1. Vampirella (1st issue) ............... Laurell K. Hamilton
2. Carmilla ........................... Anne Rice
3. Saint-Germain ...................... Whitley Strieber
4. Molochai, Twig, & Zillah ............. Suzy McKee Charnas
5. Prince Vulkan ...................... Robert R. McCammon
6. Edward Weyland ...................... T. Prest OR M. Rymer
7. David Lyle Hardwick ................. Stephen King
8. Jean-Claude ......................... P. N. Elrod
9. Jonathan Barrett .................... Nancy Kilpatrick
10. Dracula .............................. J. Sheridan Le Fanu
11. Joshua York ......................... Forrest Ackerman
12. Miriam Blaylock ...................... Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
13. Varney .............................. Poppy Z. Brite
14. Barlow .............................. George R. R. Martin
15. Lestat .............................. Bram Stoker






Answers: (Author's Last name only) 1. Ackerman, 2. Le Fanu, 3. Yarbro, 4. Brite, 5. McCammon, 6. Charnas, 7. Kilpatrick, 8. Hamilton, 9. Elrod, 10. Stoker, 11. Martin, 12. Streiber, 13. Prest or Rymer, 14. King, 15. Rice.
*****

NOTE ALSO: Please check out this book giveway and consider the worthy cause Homes for Our Troops.

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CassaStar

One of our blog colleagues is having his first book released today, October 19. I’m throwing my support behind him. This is Alex J. Cavanaugh, and the book is entitled: CassaStar. Alex describes it as Science fiction/ adventure/ space opera. The ISBN is 9780981621067, and it’s from Dancing Lemur Press LLC.

There’s a very cool trailer here.

Here’s a bit of description of the book:

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin, the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

The Library Journal says: “…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.”

If you’re interested in purchasing CassaStar, the links are below:

AMAZON


BARNES & NOBLE - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/9780981621067/?itm=1&USRI=cassastar

BAM - http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780981621067?id=4581185563381#overview

The book is also available in eBook format for Kindle, iPad, Nook, and others

Alex has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He’s experienced in technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. He lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Good luck to Alex!
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Beat to a Pulp Round One Interview

We are visiting with Elaine Ash, who, along with David Cranmer, edited the fantastic new anthology Beat to a Pulp Round One. Elaine has agreed to answer some of my questions, and, as you know, I also solicited questions from the blogosphere. Below are Elaine’s answers, and if you have others just ask in your comments here and we’ll make sure you get answered. I’ll leave this post up for a few days. Questions are in italics, the answers not. Thanks to Elaine for joining us, and without further ado, here she is:

Charles: Elaine, can you tell us how you chose the stories you did? And how did you get major names like James Reasoner, Bill Crider, and Ed Gorman to contribute?

Elaine: Hi Charles! First let me say that you are not only a prolific writer, but you seem to be on top of every blog on the web, offering comments and encouragement throughout the community. You’re one of the pillars, and thank you so much for offering Razored Zen as a forum for the release of Beat to a Pulp Round One. Your readers have been very generous to supply such great questions.

This project started as a gleam in David Cranmer’s eye almost 3 years ago. Back then, Beat to a Pulp was a little acorn of a site; it did not have the established author and agent attention it now enjoys, and we had no idea if we’d get any stories at all for an anthology.

So we started with what we had—some really terrific writers like Glenn Gray and Patti Abbott, Frank Bill and Chap O’Keefe, who had been with us almost from the very start. In Chap’s case, I loved his satire “The Unreal Jesse James” so much that I begged for its inclusion. We just started asking for stories, and then word got out and stories rolled in. About halfway through, I got the idea to contact bigger names like Ed Gorman and Charles Ardai for stories, and David said, “Okay dreamer, go ahead.” Now I knew an ordinary email stating a plain request was not going to cut it. I spent hours and hours crafting customized pitches as to why we deserved the story and our track record with respecting short fiction and our plans for the book. I proofed and proofed those emails, because I knew both of them were sticklers for spelling and punctuation, and they’d be judging me, as an editor, to see if one extra space got through. When they both said yes, David about fainted on the spot. All of a sudden this project was bigger than he had ever imagined, with well-known names associated. He’s already been working on Robert Randisi and James Reasoner for months and months, and got them onboard. He also wrangled Bill Crider into doing the Introduction, and Bill has been a stalwart supporter of BTAP from the first story. Anyway, David was coming up with the cash, so he took an assignment overseas to earn money to finance it.

Charles: You and David Cranmer edited this book together. How did you divide up the duties? Did you butt heads over anything?

Elaine: I started as the developmental editor on BTAP and it became obvious, as the thing grew like kudzu, that I couldn’t handle the webzine stories plus the anthology. So I’ve exclusively worked on the anthology for about the last year. David and his brilliantly talented wife, the web designer and book designer, Denise, handled production, including the cover, and of course, David does what he always does; vetting the first round of stories that come in, vetting my suggestions and changes, and then keeping the promotion and publicity stoked on his blog, Education of a Pulp Writer.

Creative debate makes every project better. Did we butt heads? Like two rams on the side of a clover hill, you betcha. I come from the Hollywood tradition: He Who Cares the Most Wins. I argued passionately for “my” stories and reasons for printing them, and David argued for his. Why do you think there’s a boxer on the cover of this thing? The result is an eclectic collection that reflects the breadth of our contributors and readership, plus a touch of whimsical this and that. You gotta lighten up once in a while.

Charles: What makes a story hard or easy to edit?

Elaine: Plotline, plotline, plotline. Did I mention the plot? A story has to have clear plot points on which to hang its hat, or it just gets off in the weeds and is hard to follow. I take out a scalpel and trim away some fat, if necessary, so the plot shines clearly. When the plot is good, the rest is much easier. It doesn’t matter how great and colorful the characters and setting are, without events that twist and turn the story, and move it along, ya got nuthin’. A story has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Proofreading is the next biggest time waster for an editor. Never rely solely on spell-check. It’s not your last friend standing. Webster’s latest edition is your friend and you have to pick up that ten pounds of paper and use it. Did you know back seat is spelled backseat? How about loose versus lose, know the difference? Put the time in with Webster’s before you send a story out. Editors really appreciate the effort. It separates the pros from the not-yet-pros. I might have found one teeny proofing item in Charles Ardai or Patti Abbott or Ed Gorman. The less well-known the writer, the more riddled and riddled with typos, misspells etc. In a 140,000-word anthology, that means weeks of work for me, for David, and for the designer who has to go in and laboriously change every letter by hand. Late nights, lots of late, late nights. Yes, it’s my job to do this. I’m not complaining. I’m just lifting the curtain on the process.

That being said, BTAP has always pushed the envelope and we appreciate experimentation. Case in point: George Miller Jr.’s “Cedar Mountain,” which can be found in our archives on the webzine. It does not have a classic plot, it follows the four seasons, which still qualify as a beginning, a middle and an end.

Charles: The anthology has an awesome cover. How did that come about?

Elaine: David and Denise have always been art collectors and avidly follow new painters and photographers. When Denise came up with her wonderful and unique design for the webzine, I knew she was very special and I defer to her judgment, always. I think she and David, together, found James O’Barr on-line, contacted him, and commissioned the original artwork for the anthology. This was not existing art; it was especially commissioned just for the anthology and David now owns the piece. It’s this kind of enthusiasm and dedication for the book as a whole, from the words to the layout, font, design, cover, that set Round One apart from other works, in my opinion.

In fact, “looks” set BTAP apart from other webzines, in my opinion. Again, I’m from Hollywood, where how it looks is very, very important. BTAP’s web design and graphics are colorful and well-balanced. The archives are beautifully structured and maintained. I’d love to see some other webzines team up with art students or budding designers and let them show what they can do to showcase words. I think the world, even the world of reviewers and critics and competitions, have shown they are willing to take on-line fiction seriously. As a result, IMO, it’s time for on-line zines to step it up a notch and take proofing a little more seriously, for a start. Utilize an independent proofreader. Writers are too close to their own work to accurately catch mistakes. It’s entirely possible to find a crime-loving proofer who will do the job for a credit on a webzine, you just have to ask. Find him/her and use them to get rid of the typos and punctuation gaffes. If anybody’s listening, maybe I’ll never have to grit my teeth at the sight of another double hypen in place of an em-dash! Attention journalists: your fiction can’t be proofed againstthe AP Handbook. You gotta crack that Webster’s. Now then, you see what David puts up with? :) Not taking my advice won’t kill you in the zine world, but it will in bigger competitions. A typo knocks you out of the field, say in the Thriller Awards. They’re ready to take zines seriously. The question is: Are we ready to take them seriously?

Deka Black: Well, here is one question I’m very interested in so...
Any chance to see Beat To A Pulp published in Spain?

Elaine: You know, even with internet and all that e-shop stuff, sometimes it’s hard to be a pulp reader in the East of the Great Puddle.I’m very flattered that you show an interest. The market decides, you know. It’s all about demand. BTAP is a teeny, tiny player funded with capital from our personal piggy banks. But publishing is changing rapidly. People buy more and more books online and big players like Barnes and Noble are getting left behind. They were very slow to recognize the on-line sales trend and are hurting because of it. The good news is, all it takes to launch a book in a new market is a translation and throw it up on CreateSpace. Or if you mean just selling the book in English, in Spain, CreateSpace ships internationally. There are no borders to internet selling. That’s the great thing about it.

Ron Scheer: Were there stories you liked but didn't select for reasons other than space?

Elaine: Yes, undoubtedly there were. But we were already hefty at 397 pages, and had to draw the line somewhere.

Ron Scheer:Did you start out with an agreed balance among past, established, and new writers? Were there any differences between the two of you from the start about selection criteria? Any that came up later?

Elaine: No. My criteria is and always will be a compelling story that makes me give a damn. I don’t care if you’re nobody from Bumlost, Nobodyville. David always checks resumes, but I’ve been known to give thumbs-down to stories that may be by big names that I don’t feel are as good as one by somebody not well known. Case in point would be Jake Hinkson’s story, “Maker’s and Coke.” Nobody would call Jake a household name, and David suggested, rightly so, that we might push the story a little further back in the lineup to make way for a writer who is, very much, a household name. But I felt strongly about the emotional impact of “Maker’s and Coke.” I felt that anybody cracking open the book and reading that story first would be unable to put the rest of the book down. It sets the tone for editorial excellence and our taste and eye for great crime writing and characterization. “Maker’s and Coke” may be a tough-guy story but it’s as much a heart-rending tear-jerker as any literary drama out there. I just said my piece and let David make the final decision. Jake stayed first up.

Ron Scheer: Doing this all over again, what would you do differently?

Elaine: Nothing. It would just get done quicker and more efficiently because the trail has been blazed already.

Tom: Will there be a "Round 2" and if so, when can I submit a story?

Elaine: That will be up to David Cranmer. I think somebody asked that question on his blog, Education of a Pulp Writer, and he said he nearly fell on the floor. He’s swamped with publicity and business demands right now, trying to get the word out about Round One.

Scathach Publishing: Are the authors paid a lump sum? Do they get royalties? If so, how much per copy goes to the author, how is it worked out?

Elaine: BTAP contracted and paid writers outright for their stories, which is more than some anthologies are doing. We also provide a free copy per author. Royalties are something that may be discussed at reprint time, if and when it comes around. Remember, this anthology is a labor of love, and David and I went in and invested in it knowing we might not make our money back. So although we don’t pay a lot, at least we pay something, and believe me, the writers got paid a year ago and we’ll probably have to wait another year to see anything, and maybe we won’t ever. But it’s worth it. We raise our own profile while providing a vehicle for our writers, and that’s the main thing. BTAP would be nothing without writers trying their best, over and over again, and we appreciate it so much. The on-line crime writing community is the best, most supportive, decent bunch of people in the world, IMO.

Thanks very much to Elaine for visiting and answering our questions. If you have any others, now’s the time. Just put ‘em in your comments
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Record Keeping and Reading

I'm working today on the questions for Elaine Ash of Beat to a Pulp, and that will be up in the next day or so. In the meantime, here's a kind of placeholder post.

I finish my reading year on my birthday, and naturally I keep records. I read 116 books since October 14 of 2009. Mystery and Thrillers accounted for 24 of those and SF added up to 21. Westerns and nonfiction accounted for 13 each, and fantasy scored 11. I read fewer graphic novels this year than last, 2 versus 5, and reread only three books rather than 6. I read only 3 YA books, as oppossed to 11 last year. That was a Harry Potter year. I went up very slightly this year in hororr and historical fiction, and remained steady in poetry at 5. I have 7 books in the "other" category this year as opposed to 0 last year. "Other" is a catch all category for books in genres I don't typically read in. A romance novel would fall in this category for me, for example, or a mainstream literary novel that doesn't fit into classics. I read 0 books in the comedy column, which is standard for me since I only have 2 listed in that column over the past 7 years. I just don't read much material that is meant to be humorous.

OK, that's probably enough boring details about my reading year. See you next year with the same kind of post. :)
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Movie Day at Novel Spaces

I'm posting about movies over at Novel Spaces today. Sorry I haven't been around to blogs this weekend much. Lana and I spent Saturday shopping for cars and going to the Northlake Nature Preserve. (I’m considering replacing my car, which has 107,000 miles on it.) On Sunday we took a day trip to Mississippi to see “Red Bluff,” sometimes called the Little Grand Canyon. It was awesome. Check out Lana’s blog for details.

I’ll start visiting blogs again this evening, but with almost 200 in my queue I doubt I’ll get around to them all. In the meantime, I hope you’ll stop by Novel Spaces, and I’ll leave you with a pic Lana took at Northlake. I think it’s a Sasquatch footprint and I’m sticking with that.


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Beat to a Pulp: Q & A

Elaine Ash, who edited the new Beat to a Pulp anthology alongside David Cranmer, will be guesting on my blog in the next week or so. She’ll be here to answer questions about putting together anthologies in general, and BTAP Round 1 in particular. I have a few questions I plan to ask her, but I’m soliciting input from everyone who visits as to what additional questions they might like to see answered. Here’s your chance to pick the brain of an editor. You can leave your question in the comments section here, or email me at kainja at Hotmail dot com (You all know how to translate that, I believe). Or you can just drop by on the day that Elaine is here and ask your questions directly. I’ll post again as soon as we establish that date.

Here are the questions I’ve already lined up for that day:

1. Can you give us some of your selection criteria for the anthology? How did you choose the stories that you did?

2. You and David Cranmer edited this book together. How did you divide up the duties? Did you butt heads over anything?

3. What makes a story hard or easy to edit?

4. The anthology has an awesome cover. How did that come about?

End of questions:

Now, if you have any burning questions you’d like to toss into the ring, please do so. Elaine volunteered for this, after all!
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Politics and Religion in Writing

I sold a story in 1995 called "Crypto," and I was looking at it yesterday with the idea that I might try to sell it as a reprint. But there's a problem. That problem is politics and religion.

The story is meant to be humorous, but in making its jokes it pokes fun at political correctness and at televangelists. It also picks on congress. I was careful with the “congress” jokes to not attack one particular party, but the televangelist jokes could possibly be seen as attacking the more fundamentalist types of religion. And in today’s cultural climate, people seem to be unusually rabid in responding to even the hint of an attack on their politics or religion. Even when the story was first published a couple of readers reviewed it negatively because they took it to have an “agenda.” Honestly, there was no agenda, just an attempt at some jokes. In fact, I was completely surprised that anyone would have thought I had an agenda, although in retrospect I’m surprised that I was surprised.

I have a friend who got into trouble with some readers for her “agenda,” even though it was a “character” in her book that expressed some anti-government sentiment. I at least thought readers would not take everything the characters say or think as evidence of the writer’s beliefs. I was wrong. And in “Crypto,” the jokes (or insults) come through the narrative, which is easier to attribute to the writer’s personal feelings.

In the end, I decided that “Crypto” is going to become a trunk story. I’m going to put it away for now because I know that one reader who feels attacked is very likely to share that feeling with other readers. That outcome might not be good.

How about you? Do you avoid issues of politics and religion in your writing? In your everyday discussions? Does it turn you off if what you’re reading expresses a different perspective on politics and religion from your own? I’m curious.

Finally, in other news, Robert Swartwood is hosting an “Ultimate Flash Fiction Package,” in which you will have a chance to win 120 bucks worth of books. Check it out here.
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Publications and Sales and Sech

I’m excited to announce that Hint Fiction is currently available for preorder on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. I got my contributor copy of the book a couple of days ago and have already read it. It’s a wonderful collection and I’m very happy to be a part of it. I almost couldn’t believe how well many of the pieces worked as both standalone efforts and to suggest or “hint” at a much bigger story behind the scenes. The work starts out with a dynamite piece from Joe Lansdale, probably my favorite in the collection, but there are many more great pieces and for the first time I really saw the potential of the hint fiction concept realized. I feel pretty lucky to have made it into this group.

Among the bigger names in the collection are Jack Ketchum, Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, and F. Paul Wilson, but the selections from unknowns and relative unknowns are just as powerful. I got lots of smiles and quite a few “winces” out of these pieces. They were just amazingly effective.

In other news, I’ve gotten in some author copies of Bitter Steel finally. If anyone should want a signed copy, I can offer them at a discount over what the unsigned book costs at Amazon and Barnes & Noble at present. I’m asking $12.50, and I’ll cover shipping within the US. For Canada or elsewhere I might have to split the costs with you. If you’d like a copy, please email me at kainja at hotmail dot com.

I also have one copy of Swords of Talera in which the red color of the cover is worn through in places. It’s not bad, but if anyone wants it I can let it go for $5.00, plus whatever the shipping would be. Same email if you are interested.

Finally, I just finished reading Ty Johnston’s Kindle collection American Crossroads, which puts together five stories about people reaching turning points in their lives. I enjoyed it very much and reviewed it on both Goodreads and Amazon. I highly recommend it. It’s worth much more than the .99 cents it costs.

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A Case of Plagiarism

Rick Moore, a friend of mine, and of some of you, is a highly talented writer. He's also just become the victim of a plagiarist. His short story, "Electrocuting the Clowns,” which appeared in the excellent 2003 collection Beyond the Porch Light, has been stolen by a man claiming the name David Byron. That’s not the name this guy goes under on Facebook. He is apparently selling a work on Lulu that contains Rick’s story. He has several books there, under his two names, so I’m not sure which one contains the story.

Please check out Rick’s post about this plagiarist. This hurts all writers and readers, and diminishes us all.
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