Psychedelic Short Fiction from Jason Rizos

The Chrysalis of Matter - Psychedelic Short Fiction from Jason Rizos

Writer Jason Rizos (author of "Annelid" which appeared as "Fishing the Moons of Jupiter" and was featured in ResAliens Issue 4) is launching an interesting project via Kickstarter. He's soliciting financial backers for a self-published collection of the best of his "psychedelic-horror science fiction." Here's a blurb from the site:

All fiction appearing in The Chrysalis of Matter are previously written and/or published, except for one exclusive bonus—City Life, 2012, inspired by Terrence McKenna and his concept of the Time Wave Singularity, which I am completing throughout the duration of this Kickstarter campaign.

Upon the completion of funding my project, I will email you an audio recording (.mp3) of a reading of my Lovecraftian Craigslist spoof ad, Wanted: Cat Assassin, by professional voice talent Ian Stuart.

Rizos' ultimate goal is to grow a readership and support base to kickstart his professional writing career. Some of the material in the special collection include:

• Harvest (The Fourth River, 2006)
• City Life, 2012 (Unpublished, 2011)
• Annelid (Residential Aliens, 2010)
• Hexagon (Snow Monkey, 2005, Pseudopod, 2010)
• Swoon (Forthcoming, 2011)

Like I said, an interesting idea and a creative marketing strategy. If you're a fan of speculative fiction, you may be interested in supporting this project. If so, visit Jason Rizos at his Kickstarter page.

~*~

For those who want to know more about this concept, here's a blurb from the site itself:

Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every month, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.

A new form of commerce and patronage. This is not about investment or lending. Project creators keep 100% ownership and control over their work. Instead, they offer products and experiences that are unique to each project.

All or nothing funding. On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Why? It protects everyone involved. Creators aren’t expected to develop their project without necessary funds, and it allows anyone to test concepts without risk.

Each and every project is the independent creation of someone like you. Projects are big and small, serious and whimsical, traditional and experimental. They’re inspiring, entertaining and unbelievably diverse.

The Shadow Chaser: Resurgence

Check out Randy Belaire's latest novel, The Resurgance, a new book from the Shadow Chaser Chronicles - a tale of super human fiction.



For a decade, Dr. Arthur Brown has been protecting the city of Toronto as the Shadow Chaser. However, one unfortunate night had changed his life forever. He was able to heal and move on, but the Shadow Chaser was no more. Now 20 years later, that same evil has returned to prey on the innocent. Brown, with the help of his friend, Alexander Taylor, prepare for the war against evil. Brown chooses Kevin Wolf, a dispirited seventeen-year-old, damaged by the loss of the love of his life at the hands of that prevailing evil. But will the new Shadow Chaser be able to fend off the impending darkness, or will he sink once more into a self-imposed abyss?

Purchase your copy of The Resurgence: Chronicles of the Shadow Chaser
by Randal J. Belaire.

Good Stuff at GUD Magazine

You should check out all the sales going on at GUD Magazine. Founding editor Kaolin Fire is so generous when it comes to cross-promotions - he's allowed other magazines (including ResAliens) to jump on the FALL BLOW-OUT SALES SPECIAL bandwagon.

Look for special deals from such quality publications like GUD, Crossed Genres, Shimmer Magazine, M-Brane SF, Bull Spec, and of course, ResAliens. What's our special sale, you may ask? I'm glad you did! We're selling a PDF version of ResAliens Anthology Volume 1 (featuring 24 stories!) for only $1.50. Visit GUD Sales Page for the link! And thanks for supporting spec fic.

The Aedyn Chronicles by Alister McGrath

Discovered a blog post at Koinonia Blog (Fantasy meets Theology) about The Aedyn Chronicles (Zondervan, April 2010), a new fantasy series for children by renowned theologian, Alister McGrath. Here's a blurb from the publisher:

The land of Aedyn is a paradise beyond all imagining. But when this paradise falls, strangers from another world must be called to fight for the truth. Peter and Julia never suspected that a trip to their grandparents’ home in Oxford would contain anything out of the ordinary. But that was before Julia stumbled upon a mysterious garden that shone on moonless nights. It was no accident that she fell into the pool, pulling her brother along with her, but now they’re lost in a strange new world and they don’t know whom they can trust. Should they believe the mysterious, hooded lords? The ancient monk who appears only when least expected? Or the silent slaves who have a dark secret of their own? In a world inhabited by strange beasts and magical whisperings, two children called from another world will have to discover who they truly are, fighting desperate battles within themselves before they can lead the great revolution.

Sounds intriguing. I've read some of McGrath's books on apologetics and very much enjoy his writing style - he can communicate profound truths in an appealing and understandable manner. Like C. S. Lewis, McGrath can straddle the worlds of deep thinkers (see his interview with atheist Richard Dawkins here) to the person in the pew.

P&E Readers Poll Results Are Official

The Results Are In!

A little pat on the back to ResAliens Zine on our 2nd place win in the Fiction Zine Category of the 2009 Preditors & Editors Annual Readers Poll. Official results for all categories are here.

But even more exciting is that two of our author's stories made the Top 10 in the SFF Short Story Category. Congratulations to T. W. Ambrose on taking the #1 spot with his story, "The Pilgrimage." And tying for 9th was T. M. Hunter's story, "Redemption." You can read these stories for free online, but also look for them (along with a whole fistful of stories) in a special "flash fiction" issue of ResAliens Print Zine coming later this year!

Here are the results by category (so you know my artwork is legit! lol):
+ Fiction Magazine
+ Short Story - Science Fiction & Fantasy
Thanks to all who voted...or who read the zine and thought about voting!

Spec Fic Graphic Novels

I admit up front - I am not too conversant with the genre of epic comics and/or the world of graphic novels. It's a fascinating and visually interesting medium, I am just not familiar enough with what makes a particular product a success. So I've enjoyed reading a few reviews lately, having discovered that January is, in fact, comic book appreciation month!

Now, I have read Gareth Hinds' Beowulf and was quite impressed with its faithfulness to the original epic, even though it is necessarily a minimalist rendering. Of course, most of us should be familiar with Maus: A Survivors Tale, the seminal work (and holocaust autobiography) of Art Spiegelman. But other than a handful of other stories (like Batman: The Dark Knight and The Watchmen from the 1980s), I'd be hard-pressed to name many more.

That's why I try to keep abreast of the projects by the group of writers I've come to know via the forums I frequent. I discover new gems all the time, including an S&S comic called The Marsh God by Bruce Durham and illustrated by Michael "Mikos" Mikolajczyk (and published by Cyberwizard Productions). You can purchase a copy for only $10 at comiXpress. At one of my favorite haunts, SFReader.com, I've had the opportunity to meet and interact with some great folks like Bruce. In fact, The Marsh God is actually an adaptation of Durham's short story by the same name and published in 2005 at Flashing Swords magazine.

So while I 'don't know much 'bout graph-ology' (sing along if you know the words), I'm learning, thanks to some new friends on the web. Thanks, people, and keep up the great work. I look forward to discovering more gems out there.

Preditors And Editors Readers Poll

Your Attention Please.

Now through Jan 14 the annual "Preditors & Editors Readers Poll" is open and Residential Aliens has been nominated in the fiction ezine category. Also, your host (that's me, Lyn Perry) is listed in ezine editors category.

And finally, two short stories we've published at RA have been nominated in the SF short story category. You can vote for either:
+ "Redemption" by T. M. Hunter (Nov 2009)
+ "The Pilgrimage" by T. W. Ambrose (Aug 2009)

Please take a moment to show your support. Scroll down in each category and click on us to vote. You'll need to enter your name and email, then you'll get a confirmation email to respond to in order to validate your vote (to avoid ballot stuffing). But the effort is worth it! :) Thank you!

Abandoned Towers Magazine

Want more good reading this Christmas?
Try Abandoned Towers - an online zine and a print zine with different content on each platform. Enjoy online for free; for different stories you can only find in print, buy the magazine. Cool concept.

Zero Hour - November, 2010

Zero Hour – Stories of Spiritual Suspense

A New Collection of Short Fiction by Stoney M. Setzer

Now Available from ResAliens Press

ResAliens Storefront

The Tears of Ishtar by Michael Ehart

Here's a sneak peak at the cover of Michael Ehart's new project (coming February, 2010) - The Tears of Ishtar, a "servant" novel. Ehart is the author of The Servant of the Manthycore, a collection of stories featuring "a warrior woman as ruthless, bloody, and honorable as the ancient world in which she walks, spanning more than forty lifetimes..." I've read many of the short stories, and they are action-filled epics. This new release promises continued mystery, excitement, and adventure.


Here's a bit from Michaels' blog:

February 14th is not just a day for lovers next year --- it is time for Fantasy lovers, too! No, not that kind of fantasy! That is the date that The Tears of Ishtar releases...

Looks like a great Valentine's present to me!

The Muse by Fred Warren

A friend and fellow Kansan, Fred Warren (he blogs at Frederation), has published his first book, The Muse, a contemporary fantasy novel just released by Splashdown Books. While I've not read it yet, it's on my Christmas list and so far has garnered some nice reviews at Amazon and B&N.

Here's the official blurb:

Stan Marino needs a muse. He's written himself into a corner...again. A shot of inspiration is all he needs to finish his story...where is he going to find it? What Stan doesn't know: Inspiration has found him. And it's about to take over his life. Ripped from reality, he must lead a band of lost souls in a life-or-death battle with a merciless enemy. Stan has found his muse, but will he survive it?

Splashdown Books is the brainchild of Grace Bridges, author of Faith Awakened. Billed as an independent publisher of inspirational science fiction and fantasy, this small press is based out of New Zealand and has similar goals as my own ResAliens Press. We both want to broaden the category of faith-informed speculative fiction. So toward that end, congratulations to both Grace and Fred in bringing another product to market. I look forward to reading it.

BTW, You can view the book trailer here. And here's the ad:

Sword and Soul

Came across an intriguing genre of fiction in recent months, although it's been around for quite some time. It's called "sword and soul" and can generally be described as African-inspired heroic fantasy. Charles Saunders is probably the most well known author of this type of literature, introducing heroes like Imaro and Dossouye who could probably, or so I'm told, go head to head with the likes of Conan and Elric any day.

While I've not read Saunders, I frequent SFReader.com, a SF/F discussion board, where another Sword & Soul writer has generated quite a bit of interest. Milton Davis is the author of Meji Books One & Two, a nice review of which is up at Black Gate (written by Saunders). From what I've read and heard, these stories seem fresh and exciting. And the publishing world is always on the lookout for something new and different. Like I said, the genre isn't exactly new, but it's a niche that I believe will find a wider audience. Davis and Saunders may be on the cusp of a new wave in fantasy fiction. It's definitely a genre worth exploring.

Here's the official blurb from Milton's website:

On the continent of Uhuru, in the grasslands of the Sesu, Inkosi Dingane is granted his wish. His Great Wife Shani bears him a son, an heir to his growing empire. But the ancestors have plans of their own. Shani bears him twin boys, meji, an abomination among the Sesu, but a blessing to Shani’s people, the Mawena.

Thus begins the story of two brothers destined to transform their world. One brother, Ndoro, fights for his place among the Sesu, hoping to shed the stigma of abomination. The other, Obaseki, grows to a man among the Mawena, struggling with a gift that alienates him from his family and eventually leads to his exile. Each brother sets out to find his destiny, revealing a prophecy that changes them and their world forever.

I don't know about you, but I get Christmas money every year...so it looks like I know what I might be getting myself come the New Year!

UPDATE: Jan 22, 2010. I did receive the two Meji books and they look great. For up to date info about his latest projects, check out Milton's new blog, Wagadu.

Nightmare by Robin Parrish

Nightmare by Robin Parrish, coming Summer 2010.

Very cool cover!

Robin notes on his website that the first draft is almost complete. What is it about? Details are hard to come by, but from what we've been able to pick up, it's a paranormal/supernatural thriller to be published by Bethany House. Here's the blurb from their site:

Pull Back the Veil on the Paranormal with This Chilling Novel

Ghost Town is the hottest amusement park in the country, offering state-of-the-art chills and thrills involving the paranormal. The park's main ride is a haunted mansion that promises an encounter with a real ghost.

When Maia Peters visits during her senior year of college, she's not expecting to be impressed. Maia grew up as the only child of a pair of world-renowned "ghost hunters," so the paranormal is nothing new. In fact, the ride feels pretty boring until the very end. There, a face appears from the mist. The face of Jordin Cole, a girl who disappeared from campus a year ago.

Convinced what she saw wasn't a hoax and desperate to find answers to Jordin's disappearance, Maia launches into a quest for answers. Joined by Jordin's boyfriend - a pastor's kid with very different ideas about the spirit realm - Maia finds herself in a struggle against forces she never expected to confront.

According to Robin's Twitter feed, the book "told me that it wanted to be a 1st person story." It was described early on by Robin as "a wild ride that delves deep into the supernatural." So far, it's caught my interest.

You can catch more from Robin on Facebook or Twitter.

Clive Staples Award for Christian Spec Fic

Image via Wikipedia

Generating buzz and interest in a proposed "Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction." (Clive Staples being C. S. Lewis' full name, for the uninitiated. :-)

Why? Because The Christy Awards does not have a category for speculative fiction. This general lack of awareness (or respect) for spiritually themed spec fic in the CBA industry has led to numerous grassroots blogs, guilds, and independent presses that are not only filling the void but starting to impact the traditional houses themselves.

Blogs like Becky Miller's A Christian Worldview of Fiction. Groups like The Lost Genre Guild. And indie publishers like Marcher Lord Press. Then you have a growing number of zines as well (including my own ResAliens.com) that seek to bring quality spec fic to the expanding online community interested in this genre.

Interested in generating your own buzz? Comment below!

2009 Hugo Award Winners

Blatantly cut & pasted from The Hugo Awards website:

• Best Novel: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
• Best Novella: “The Erdmann Nexus”, Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
• Best Novelette: “Shoggoths in Bloom”, Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008)
• Best Short Story: “Exhalation”, Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
• Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008, John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)
• Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
• Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow
• Best Editor Long Form: David G. Hartwell
• Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
• Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales, edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal
• Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan
• Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
• Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu

And the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): David Anthony Durham

New Gig at Tangent Online

Excited to report that I'll be adding an occasional review to Tangent Online, a Fantasy and SF review magazine. When The Fix (see my reviews there) went on hiatus (I think they are back now with three new reviews posted today!) I wanted to continue to write and so contacted the editor there. He liked my previous reviews and gave me my first assignment for TO: Fantasy & Science Fiction. F&SF is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year, so I'm honored to review stories by such grand masters as Robert Silverberg, Kate Wilhelm, Carol Emshwiller, and others. Watch for it in a few weeks.

Jim Baen's Universe to Close April 2010

From the editor of Jim Baen's Universe, Eric Flint, August 1, 2009:

I’ll write a long analysis of the reasons we found it necessary to close the magazine for the October issue. I’m not in position to do it right now, however, because I simply don’t have the time. As many of you know already, I had to have open heart surgery three months ago (triple bypass operation) and once I was able to work again I was under tremendous deadline pressure to work with David Weber to get Torch of Freedom finished. (That’s the next volume in Weber’s Honor Harrington series, coming out in November.) So I’ll still trying to catch up with everything.

For the moment, I’ll just provide a short summary. In a nutshell, we were simply never able to get and retain enough subscribers to put us on a sales plateau that would allow us to continue publishing. From the beginning, we were too dependent on the income from the Universe club. The Club’s purpose was to provide the magazine with a much-needed initial surge of income—which it did indeed provide—and then, after the first year, to continue as an important but subsidiary source of income. Instead, the Club wound up being the source of about half of our annual income, from beginning to end.

That was just too much; or, to put it another way, a reliance on too few critically important subscribers. Once some of them began to fall by the wayside—which was inevitable and, indeed, something we expected—the magazine’s income began to be badly squeezed.

It was our hope from the beginning that, as time went by, we’d expand our regular subscription base to the point where that base alone provided all the income we needed to keep publishing. Obviously, a situation where many customers are paying a small amount is a much more stable and dependable financial basis on which to operate a magazine.

But... we never got there. As I said, we came close. But it was never enough, and as time went by the situation simply became untenable. By the end of our third year of publication (which was officially July 31, 2009), we saw no reason to think that the situation would change—not, at least, in the near enough future—and so we made the final decision to close the magazine. We wanted to make that decision early enough that we could avoid the sort of mess that so often accompanies the folding of magazines. (Short-changed subscribers, orphaned stories, unpaid authors... oh, it can get very ugly indeed.)

For whatever it’s worth, I can assure you that no one is sorrier that we had to come to this decision than the magazine’s editors, Mike Resnick and myself, and the rest of the magazine's staff: Paula Goodlett, our managing editor, Dave Freer (art director), Rick Boatright (tech geek), Walt Boyes (marketing) and Stoney Compton (for lack of a better term, our utility infielder.).

Eric Flint
August 1, 2009

Oooh, Shiny!

UPDATE Aug 10: My review is in.

Just received my review copy of R.L. Copple's new book, Transforming Realities (cover art by E.J. Mickels). This novel is a followup to his collection of 5 short stories in novella form, Infinite Realities (published by Double-Edged Publishing).

I'll be commenting on it soon, but until then, check out this review:
+ Splashdown Reviews
+ Plus, here's my take of Infinite Realities at SFReader.com.

But wait, there's more...
Want a taste of R.L. Copple's style? Some of his short stories appear in the pages of ResAliens here:
+ The Battle (super flash fiction)
+ Space Talk (sci-fi flash fiction)
+ For nonfiction, read Copple's essay on Fantasy and Christianity.

Free Pulp Fiction Web Serials

The Latest in Spec Fic News...

Adam Graham, of Laser & Sword told ResAliens recently that they are now featuring free web serials adapted from their quarterly magazine, Laser & Sword.

"In the true spirit of serial fiction, we're going to give you a couple short scenes and then you'll get to wait until next week to see what happens."

Sounds good to me!

Adam also said that individual issues of Laser & Sword can still be downloaded for $1.25 each. A print edition of Laser & Sword Annual 2008 (cover to the right, the volume contains all four issues of 2008) is also available.

There are currently three serials being posted:

1. In Rise of the Judge, Snyder, a juvenile delinquent living in Boise during the 78th Year of the Empire, loathes Earth's dictator while hailing the regime's American governor as a hero. Getting caught meting out vigilante justice on the Boise Greenbelt gets him inducted into the Imperial Army under threat of a noose. Can a double agent get Snyder back on the right track? Will Snyder survive to discover his destiny?

2. In Order of the Sword, the Sword (Sword Comics owner Jesse Miller) seeks to defeat terrorism by uniting the world's greatest superheros. Will he learn who the bad guys are that masquerading as good guys before the traitor in their midst sends the heroes to their doom?

3. In Tales of the Dim Knight, mild mannered janitor Dave Johnson discovers a symbiotic alien and this superfan's dreams of being a superhero come true with hilarious results. One question haunts: can there be such a thing as a good Symbiot, even if he is a silver cylinder rather than black tar?

Best wishes, Adam, as you provide another great venue for fans of modern pulp serials.