Yes, Zombies Need Brains!

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Every year, Joshua Palmatier holds a kickstarter for his SF&F anthologies from Zombies Need Brains, his imprint. This year, times are tough and things are running a bit behind, pledge-wise. Please check out his Kickstarter page to see if there is anything that sparks an interest. There are lots of perks for pledging!

Here's a little bit about the project:

This project will fund THREE science fiction and fantasy anthologies, titled WERE-2, SKULL X BONES, and AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR. Each anthology will contain approximately 14 all-original (no reprint) short stories from established SF&F authors in the field and new voices found through an open call. The books will be edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier (WERE-2), David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier (SKULL X BONES), and Joshua Palmatier (AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR).

WERE-2:

It’s the night of the full moon, but there are more than mere werewolves skulking the streets. In WERE-2, we return to the back alleys in the dead of night to discover what other were-creatures might see you as prey. A were-raven? Were-squirrel? Were-octopus? You won’t know until you hear that rustle of feathers next to your ear or smell the brine of the sea in that gust from the window. Writers are asked to give us their most creative were-creature, with only one rule: No werewolves allowed!

Edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, WERE-2 will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include: 

• Randee Dawn, 
• Auston Habershaw, 
• Gini Koch, 
• Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, 
• Harry Turtledove, 
• Tim Waggoner, and 
• Jean Marie Ward.

SKULL X BONES:

Avast, ye scurvy dogs! It’s time to plunder! Pirates have enchanted and haunted readers for generations, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to the ill-fated Firefly. Whether it’s Blackbeard, Mal, or Han Solo, we love our swashbucklers, our One-Eyed Willies, and our scruffy-looking nerfherders. In SKULL X BONES, we want writers to give us their best science fiction or fantasy pirates, whether they be on the sailing ships of the deep wide ocean or the spaceships of the black void!

Edited by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier, SKULL X BONES will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include:

• R.S. Belcher,
• Alex Bledsoe,
• Jennifer Brozek,
• C.C. Finlay, 
• Violette Malan,
• Misty Massey, and
• Alan Smale.

AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR:

The city of Ampyrium is bustling with trade…in the midst of a Merchant War! In AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR, we return to the city that’s the hub for eight portals to other worlds, where the streets are shadowed on the brightest of days, the wares exchange hands both above and beneath the table, and all of it happens under the Eyes of the enigmatic Magnum. In AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR, we invite writers to come play in this shared-world city of magic and mayhem, saintliness and sin, established by the seven authors in last year’s AMPYRIUM. What nefarious plans will you perpetrate…or foil?

Edited by Joshua Palmatier, AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include:

• Patricia Bray, 
• S.C. Butler, 
• David B. Coe, 
• Esther M. Friesner, 
• Juliet E. McKenna, 
• Jason Palmatier, and 
• Joshua Palmatier.

Backers of this project will essentially be generating the base funds needed to produce these three anthologies—including payment for the contributing authors, payment for the cover artist, production costs for producing the anthology, etc. There will be a special mass market Kickstarter edition produced for backers who help fund the project at the paperback level. This special edition will have a limited print run to cover the orders made by the backers and will not be printed again after the Kickstarter print run. After that, there will be a trade paperback edition issued to the general public that will have an unlimited print run. So get in on the Kickstarter now and get the special mass market Kickstarter edition!

I see Joshua every year at the annual Shore Leave convention. He also attends other conventions when he can. He is always willing to talk about writing and help other budding authors. Here is a chance to return the favor!

Click here for the 2024 Zombies Need Brains Anthology Kickstarter! 

 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

New Release! Slipping Through

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I have stories out in a new anthology!

It's now available and I can pass on the news! It's called Slipping Through (click on the title to take you to Amazon) and it's all about passing through to other dimensions, the afterlife, or, well, who knows?

I have three entries in this anthology. One is a short story (Memory Lane) and the others are flash fiction (On the Flip Side & Wrapped in a Mystery). The other stories are from Miranda Kate (who put this all together), Michael Wombat, and Victoria Pearson. Here's the table of contents:

As you can see, there are a lot of stories here, so there's a good chance you'll find a few that strike your fancy. I don't have all my "Amazon Author page" stuff sorted out yet, but that will happen shortly...

If you want to see how this came about, you can read my previous Patreon post here.

Also, if you would like to see other stories and poems I've done, please check out this list!

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Your Fingers Will Be Slipping Through The Pages

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And the pages they will be Slipping Through will be those of an anthology from Miranda Kate!

Yes, it's been a while, but I have a couple of—oh, wait, make that three*—stories coming out in print thanks to Miranda Kate who invited me (and a couple of other authors) to write something for her reworked anthology titled Slipping Through.

Miranda wanted to publish the main story from her Slipping Through collection as a separate book. That meant the remaining book would probably be too short. She asked if she could use a flash fiction I'd written some years ago as a "flip side" to a story she had written. I, of course, agreed. The story is called Flip Side. As you can see, I put a lot of effort into that title...

Anyway, Miranda also asked if I had anything else that might work. I thought I had a story started, but I couldn't find it. Maybe it had just been in my head and I'd never written it down. When I told her that, she asked if I could write something new. I found a few paragraphs of a tale I'd begun years ago...

"I might have a story that could work," I said as my palms began to sweat. "I can probably have something for you in a week." I paused. "Well, maybe ten days."

"Ten days is fine," she replied. "As long as I know something is coming."

Nine days and 5,000 words later, I handed in Memory Lane. It has romance, motorcycles, and a bit of unsettling horror. I was quite relieved when she said it was perfect for her anthology.

Perfect is a relative term, however. It wasn't much better than a first draft, so we emailed back and forth a bit about corrections and wording.

After nailing down the main story, Miranda asked if I had anything else that might work since the other authors had submitted a greater number of stories than I had. She wanted to be fair about it. I sent here a couple of flash fiction tales. I don't really do a lot of stories about inter-dimensional/time travel, so I didn't have much. This will teach me to have more finished stories on hand. She chose one of the flash stories, Wrapped in a Mystery, for inclusion in the anthology. That makes three!

So, my stories are now coming out and should be available in both print and Kindle versions June 1st! There are also stories from the prolific Michael Wombat and Victoria Pearson in addition to Miranda's works. With all the stories she's added, it should be quite a large book!

Here is the cover!

I'll provide a link once it's available.

* I had to update my original post when Miranda picked a third story!

Note: Miranda's original cover for Slipping Through was different. So, if you want to get the new edition, make sure it has this cover!

This post was first published on Patreon. You can see it by clicking this LINK.

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Mid-Week Flash Challenge - Week 142

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This story is for Miranda Kate's weekly flash challenge. This is from Miranda's post:

This week's photo is of a sculpture by Rook Floro. He calls it 'Shadow.' If click on the link you will see a variety of angles it is taken at. 

Here's a link to the prompt image.

Please note that anyone can join in with a story up to 750 words. Mine has 699 words for those who are counting (not including the title and byline).

The Shadows of Vagus

    by K. R. Smith

    The planet is officially known as HD 254618 c, but as best we could tell, the primitive beings who live here call it Vagus. It was chosen to be the most distant outpost humans had ever attempted. Because of that, we would need to be self-sufficient for decades.

    As planets go, it was quite hospitable. The few native inhabitants were peaceful, even timid, and as accepting of our presence as could be hoped, even offering to help build our shelters. It was not always easy to communicate with the Vagusians, as we called them for wont of a better name. They had a limited vocabulary, relying on hand signals much of the time. Still, they were patient, and we all seemed to manage things together somehow to the benefit of both.

    While life wasn't the easiest on Vagus, it wasn't terrible, either. The days, filled with the routine tasks of farming, setting up the base for future arrivals, and making sure the shelters were clean and repaired had become routine — even dull, to be honest. Until the comet appeared, that is.

    The first thing we noticed was the Vagusians mostly stood around to watch the comet once it became visible. That slowed our progress considerably. When we attempted to inquire about their fascination with the comet, they would point to the sky, the ground, and then the dark hills in the distance. It didn't make any sense to us.

    As the comet grew nearer, they became anxious and wouldn't come out of their huts when it was visible. We tried to explain that the comet wouldn't hit their planet, but that seemed beyond their comprehension. Must be a superstitious lot, we figured. Any of their children, who seemed to be as excited as we were about this otherworldly event, were given a harsh scolding if caught outside. Well, that's what it sounded like to us. The Vagusians had never exhibited that sort of behavior before. Eventually, they didn't come out at all.

    On the night the comet passed, many from our colony stood on a small rise to enjoy the display. I had duties inside and was more than a little perturbed to miss what might be the chance of a lifetime. During our break, the few of us pulling shifts decided to check the external cameras. Even a little peek at the action was better than nothing.

    A few hundred meters away, we could see our crewmembers looking up at the comet. Then Sarah, who was watching on a bigger screen in the main section, said it looked like it was starting to snow. We were passing through the comet's tail, and talk came up that perhaps there was enough water coming down to cause this to happen. It was just a few flakes at first. Then it came down so fast we could barely see the crew.

    That's when the radio calls came in. It wasn't voices, just screams. Whatever was in the snow appeared to stick and burn. Perhaps dissolve would be a better word. A few wanted to put on hazard suits and try to rescue them. We weren't really sure if that would work. Before we could make a decision, the snow had stopped. So had the calls on the radio.

    When we finally ventured out, all that remained of those watching the comet were black, glassy ashes in the form of humans, looking like frozen shadows. The celestial snow was gone.

    When the Vagusians arrived, they began to carry our dead towards the hills. Not knowing what else to do, we followed. They seemed quite solemn, almost grieving, while they performed their task. As we approached the dark hills, we understood. Body upon glassy body of Vagusians, from who knows how long ago, were stacked high above the plains. Now many of us would join them.

    It took a while, but our small group slowly began to comprehend the Vagusian language as their mixture of words and gestures became clearer. They had tried to explain the cycle and how the comet had returned. And they hadn't been pointing at the ground; they had been pointing at their own shadows — the shadows of Vagus.

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© 2019 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 41 Videos

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As promised, here are a few videos from Shore Leave 41!

I apologize for the shaky video. I was a long way from the stage with a small point-and-shoot camera and no tripod. And I had to move at times as people walked into the line of view.

The first is Andromeda/Stargate actress Lexa Doig telling a dating story (as Michael Shanks listens):



This is a short clip of Lexa telling what sci-fi tech she would like to use:



The final one is a discussion by a few members of the Smallville cast (John Glover (Lionel Luther), Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Laura Vandervoort (Kara), and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen)):



Thanks for viewing!

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© 2019 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 41 Saturday Summary

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When we last left our hero (and heroine), they had just turned in for the night after a busy day at Shore Leave 41...

We woke up on Saturday morning still fairly tired from the preparation leading up to Shore Leave and the previous day's marathon. We knew it wouldn't get any better; we rarely get much rest during this convention. It's non-stop from early morning until late at night.

The first order of the day was breakfast. They seem to have scaled back a bit from the last two years, but the Cinnamon Tree Restaurant (inside the hotel) still did a good job. You have to work hard to get away from their breakfast buffet and still be hungry. And you have to take in a good meal to start the day because you may not get a chance to stop for lunch.

After breakfast we made a quick trip back to the room to pick up what we would need for the day. I grabbed more books for the giveaway. Most of these would be set out, but I stuffed a couple of Beth Rhodes' books in my bag to go with the sign I was carrying offering a free book of hers if anyone asked. As it turned out, I didn't get asked, but maybe Beth got some free publicity.

Remember that foreshadowing I'd mentioned? Alex Mallari was still trying to get to the convention. Nobody seemed to know when he would get there. As he was the first speaker of the day, his arrival (or late arrival) would affect the previously well-planned convention photo-op and speaking schedule. Which would snowball into the panels I planned to attend. And there was more to come.

Anyway, before the photo-ops and talks started, I headed off to a couple of writing panels. I'll have more details on these later.. The first was The Worth of Workshops and Writing Classes. I got a good lead for courses recommended by the panelists in this one. From the program:

Panelists who have attended writing workshops and/or classes discuss what they got out of the experience, what they wish they would have known going in, and the impact it had on their writing practice and/or career.
Panelists: Kelli Fitzpatrick, Jim Johnson, Derek Attico, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Lorraine Anderson, Laura Ware

The second was Beta Readers—How to Choose Them and What to Expect. From the program:

Feedback is helpful to almost every writer. But are you getting the notes that actually help you improve your WIP? Your craft? This panel discusses how to vet beta readers and set up a process so you get the most out of the experience.
Panelists: Joshua Palmatier, Lorraine Anderson, Peter David

No matter the subject, one of the most important things to take from these panels is that even successful authors have problems and difficulties to overcome—you are not the only one.

I left the last panel slightly early to get to my photo-op with Nichelle Nichols. Unfortunately, there was a delay, so our group was left waiting. If I'd known, I would have stayed until the end of the discussion on beta readers. Marie and her friend decided to get whatever autographs they could until the talks started. Since the autograph area is in the same place (generally) as the photo-op line, that seemed to be the best option.

Anson Mount (Captain Pike - Star Trek Discovery)
interacting with a fan (Marie) in the autograph area

Now, I'm not a big one on getting autographs from or photos with actors and actresses because, quite frankly, I don't know most of them. I don't watch TV except when I'm at someone else's house (as I don't own one myself), I don't stream shows on the Internet (don't have time), and I seldom go to movies. I did, however, want to get a picture with Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek's Uhura. It seems a few other people did, too.

The line to get a photo with Nichelle Nichols (Uhura)

Because Nichelle's photo-op was now running late (and no one seemed to be sure when it would take place), we had to keep checking with staff as to when the line would form. Eventually the call came and, even though we had been monitoring the situation, we somehow ended up at the back of the line. Well, nearly. Author Mary Fan got in line right behind me. Even though Mary is a Shore Leave panelist she didn't get any special treatment from the photo-op staff. We made jokes about staying near the doors so we could catch a bit of cool air from inside the building as we waited (see photo above showing where we were waiting). Once things started moving, the line slowly snaked around until we were in the photo area. That all took a while. Time was not on my side...

I had wanted to attend one of the art workshops (Draw Your Own Shuttle (Sat, 2-3 pm) by Robbie DubBryan), but due to changes in the photo-op schedule, I couldn't. Missing the photo-op would mean throwing away a good bit of money, so the photo-op was what I did. I wasn't sure how much time we would need, and it turned out I would have had to miss a lot of the workshop, so I it was the right choice.

After the photos, we went to pick up our pictures for autographs plus a quick trip back to the room for a short break and to get more books for the giveaways. I could hardly set them down before folks were taking them away. I think we stopped in the Café for a quick bite to eat. It's all a blur now... Then it was back to the autograph line.

As you may know, Nichelle is in rather frail health. Yet when she saw the line of people waiting for her autograph, she refused to be taken away to rest (she physically stopped anyone from moving her wheelchair). She was supposed to break for lunch and to rest. Nichelle was having none of it. Her fans were there and she refused to disappoint them. She stayed, signing picture after picture, until everyone who was waiting had their picture autographed. Only then did she take a break. Later on, she came back and signed more! Tough lady!

Nichelle Nichols (Uhura - Star Trek TOS)
signing autographs at Shore Leave 41

Because the schedule for some events had changed, we had to rethink the talks we could attend. And which we would miss. And what panels would be missed. And we had to re-evaluate as to when we could go back for autographs since some the people who would have been available were now speaking. Remember that foreshadowing? So many events overlap that you have to make choices, and when the schedule changes, it can really mess things up...

And so it did. Because of the talks starting up, attending any more panels for the rest of the day (of the ones I wanted to go to) was out of the question. And I would have to wait until later to check back with the art show. I had also planned to go back to the room to get more books to give away, but that would have to wait until the evening, or Sunday if any were left. But we made the best of it.

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Starting at 3:00 pm, Lexa Doig and Michael Shanks gave their talk. Although they were briefly in Smallville, but they are better known as Dr. Carolyn Lam and Dr. Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1. Lexa is the more animated of the two, while Michael often keeps a deadpan expression while answering questions or listening to Lexa's responses. But there was a good bit of playful husband-wife banter which had the audience laughing. They were asked who was the smartest of the two. Lexa said Michael is the smart one and the one to go to for homework problems. I'll have to take her word for it, but Lexa has a quick wit and is a good speaker.

Here are few pictures from their talk. Sorry about the poor quality, but it is always difficult to get good pictures in the hall due to the lighting and distance.

Lexa Doig (Dr. Carolyn Lam) and Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson)

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Lexa Doig (Dr. Carolyn Lam)

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Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson)

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Between 4 & 5 pm, the other Smallville cast members attending gathered in the Hunt Valley ballroom to give their talk and Q&A session. They answered questions from the audience and told stories about the making of Smallville. By the way, John Glover really is a bit crazy, but in a good way!

Here are pictures from the talk with John Glover (Lionel Luther, Lex Luthor's father), Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Laura Vandervoort (Kara), and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen). Again, sorry about them being a bit grainy. The lighting isn't the best in the hall and I was quite far away.

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John Glover (Lionel Luther) and Erica Durance (Lois Lane)

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Laura Vandervoort (Kara) and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen)

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Laura Vandervoort (Kara)

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Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen)

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Erica Durance (Lois Lane)

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John Glover (Lionel Luther)

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With the talks over, we dropped by the art show room to see if any more bids had come in. To our surprise, Marie had sold a few more pieces of jewelry and I had a second bid on my little On Edge painting. And my dragon illustration for the charity auction had sold at the 'quick sale price' which was $10 over the minimum bid. The quick sale price is like the 'Buy it now' price on eBay. I honestly didn't think it was anything special. I put it together a short time before Shore Leave just so I would have something to offer up for the Loretta Shaneybrook charity auction. And yet it was the piece that got the most attention. I'll have to do more dragons for next year... And maybe cats. They tell me cats are big at the Shore Leave art show. Don't know why. Not that I'm going all commercial, mind you. I'll still have my spacescapes.

Okay, maybe I'll do a space-cat.

That's all for now, but I hope to have some videos available with the Smallville cast for the next post!

Here's a link back to the first Shore Leave 41 post in case you'd like to read what lead into this post.

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© 2019 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Mid-Week Flash Challenge - Week 117

This story is for Miranda Kate's weekly flash challenge. This is from Miranda's post:

This week's photo prompt was taking by Thomas Hawk, I think he has captured this particular sculpture really well from this angle. He called his shot, Woman. The sculpture is by mixed media artist Karen Cuolito and stands 30 feet high. The California-based sculptor’s towering figure of a woman titled Ecstasy is made of 9 tons of salvaged steel. When this was taken it was being exhibited in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, but is now part of a private collection.

Here's a link to the prompt image.

A post-apocalyptic story for this round.

Please note that anyone can join in with a story up to 750 words. Mine has 744 words for those who are counting (not including the title and byline), and I had to do a lot of chopping to get it down that far!

There is a downloadable PDF version of the story on my Patreon site.

Legacy

K. R. Smith

    Beneath a rocky overhang, an old man was carving strange marks into the stone. Trilla had watched him before, though she'd never had the nerve to approach. Her curiosity had finally overcome her fears, however, and she moved closer, hiding behind bushes as she advanced. Then the crack of a twig underfoot gave her away, or so she thought. The old man didn't react. She peeked out to see him running his fingers along the stone.

    "It seems I have a visitor."

    Trilla ducked down, afraid to move.

    "There's no need hide. I won't hurt you."

    A dirty face with dust-brown hair popped up as the man waved his hand, inviting her to join him. She stopped about ten feet away and sat on the ground.

    "What's your name?"

    She hesitated, then spoke almost inaudibly.

    "Trilla."

    "Hello, Trilla. My name is Miklos. You've come to watch me work?"

    Trilla nodded.

    "I hope you don't mind if I continue. There is much to be done."

    Before the old man could strike his chisel, Trilla asked, "Why?"

    He replied with his own question. "Why?"

    "Why do you make marks on the rocks?"

    "For you. And those like you. It's a story."

    "A story?"

    "Yes. And a warning. Someday you'll be able to read these marks and understand."

    "I like stories. Can you tell it to me?"

    "You may not like this one, but I can give you a short version."

    Miklos set down his tools and gazed into the distance.

    "The life we all live—gathering what we can, some farming, and hunting at times—it wasn't always like this."

    "How?"

    "Life was easy. There was little to do outside of the arts. And plenty of food and drink, a thousand flavors to enjoy. Most people spent the day with friends and such."

    "Plenty of food? Where did it come from?"

    "Have you heard of the Valley of Death?"

    Trilla's head bowed. "I was there once. I was afraid. The dead metal monsters where there."

    "I see. Do you know where those metal creatures came from?"

    The girl shook her head.

    "We made them. Then we taught them to make others like themselves."

    She looked up at the man, her eyes wide open and unblinking. "Why?"

    "They did the work. They farmed, cleaned, built things. Soon, few people knew how to do the work the creatures did."

    "Didn't anyone know?"

    "All our knowledge, all our history, was stored in what were called clouds."

    Trilla looked up at the sky.

    "It wasn't quite the same, but it might as well have been. And the creatures were the ones who maintained those clouds."

    "Did they forget, too?"

    "Not exactly. Do you know what a comet is?"

    "No."

    "It's a pile of rocks and ice that comes from space, high in the sky. One struck our land. Although it wasn't very big, there was damage to a few cities."

    "Cities?"

    "It's where a lot of people live together."

    "Oh."

    "The damage wasn't enough to destroy our world, but within that comet was what they called a protovirus. It wasn't a problem for people, but the creatures you saw, now just metal, had a coating of living tissue, sort of a fake skin. They looked very much like us."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. I was not much older than you when it all happened, but I remember well. The protovirus attacked that tissue and quickly spread. Soon the creatures we made where nothing more than the metal you saw in the valley. Everything, all the work they did for us, soon came to a stop."

    "Why didn't you make new ones?"

    "Why." The old man laughed. "You're quite fond of that word, aren't you? That's a good thing. You'll do well."

    Trilla grinned even though she didn't understand.

    "Because the creatures were now the ones who made others of their kind and controlled the information to do so. Without their labors, the world turned into chaos. There was fighting. Many suffered. Many died. We were helpless to help ourselves. We had grown lazy and useless. This is why I carve these symbols. To tell others what happened, and to warn them. Few remain who know. And I am growing old. There is not much time left for me to finish."

    Trilla picked up the chisel and handed it to the old man.

    "I will read them. And tell everyone."

    The old man smiled.

    "You know, Trilla, I believe you will."

Author Troy Blackford and his family is having a difficult time due to the potentially fatal illness of one of his sons. Help him out if you can. You can also find him on Twitter.

Author Terri Deno has a new book of poetry available: If It Was New York, Summer 2009. Please consider purchasing a copy. Writing is her only means of support, so let's support her writing!

Thanks!

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© 2018 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 41 Friday Summary

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I know it's unusual to start a series of posts on a subject with a summary, but in this case I felt it is justified. Or maybe it's a prequel. Perhaps you'll understand once I'm done...

You always hope the events like this will proceed in an orderly manner, and despite the best efforts of the Shore Leave staff, I should have noticed the foreshadowing the convention muses were tossing my way when they started posting the guest list. We had been hopeful as Shore Leave posted event schedule before the opening. That's a big help and I'd never seen that for previous conventions. But, back to the guest list...

First, they listed John Glover as a guest. Then they said he couldn't make the convention due to scheduling conflicts. Then he was back on as a guest. I figured I'd just wait to see who showed up.

And it was time for the trip to begin!

As Marie and I both had items for the art show (and also being accompanied by a friend attending the show), the vehicles (yes, multiple vehicles) were packed with more stuff than usual. That also meant unpacking more stuff than usual. I arrived first, checked into the hotel, picked up my badge, then started dragging our junk to the art show room.

The Fates were already toying with me as not a single luggage dolly was in sight. From previous conventions, I know they have a number of them, but I only saw one the entire time I was there. And somebody else had nabbed it. This meant multiple trips from a distant parking location in the heat. So I grabbed as much as I could and headed for the art show.

Having arrived right after opening (9:00 am), I was surprised that much of the art show space had already been claimed. The manager wanted me to hang my art first, then get to Marie's jewelry. Check-in took longer than expected as other participants had a large number of items to register. I only had four pieces to hang, so I ended up waiting for a while before they checked in my items. Then another trip back to the car for the first part of Marie's jewelry.

While the jewelry doesn't take up much space, the setup, with shelves, trays, and manikin heads, requires time. Then more waiting for them to check bid sheets, arrange the bid sheets, and other such things.

Finally the registration was finished. Or so I thought.

We had brought items to donate to the auction for Loretta Shaneybrook. Her surviving husband was having a difficult time due to medical and other bills which came as he was starting a new job. This is from the STAT website

We are saddened by the passing of our friend and long-time STAT club member, Loretta Shaneybrook. Loretta was a constant presence at Shore Leave, working behind the scenes for decades, and also at STAT club meetings as chair of the social committee, organizing holiday parties and the club’s annual picnic. If you ever volunteered at the convention, you likely remember Loretta as the lady on the scooter, bringing snacks and water to the people working at the event. She will be missed. She is survived by her husband, Randy Bruner. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through this difficult time.

Loretta Shaneybrook passed away on Wednesday, June 12.

The items we donated were my dragon illustration, three mineral specimens, a pearl necklace, and a bracelet. Here are two of the mineral specimens donated, an amethyst from Uruguay and a Kundalini quartz (citrine, from the Congo). The other specimen was a large chunk of rose quartz.

These also required bid sheets with pricing and descriptions. By the time all was done, it was about noon. Marie and her friend were still on the way to the hotel, so went up to the room to change out of my sweaty shirt. I'm glad I brought extras.

It seemed like I was carrying a lot of heavy items in the heat this year,: the jewelry shelves, luggage, and the box of books to give away. I had nearly thirty books to pass out, and after carrying them a good ways from the car, I almost passed out myself. Here's a partial list of what I had (in order of last name of author):

Terri Deno - If It Was New York, Summer 2009, Seeing What Develops
Miranda Kate - Slipping Through
Lizzie Koch - Dreaming of a Happy Ever After
Angela Lynn - Of Lies and Zombies
Beth Rhodes - All of her Hawk Elite Security series (Beth donated them for me to give out - and sent a signed copy of her latest for me to read!)
Lisa Shambrook - A Symphony of Dragons, Beneath the Rainbow: Freya's Story (with the new cover!)
K. R. Smith - Tales From The Bully Box, Dead Men's Tales, Tales By The Tree*, Human 76*, Grimm & Grimmer Vol 3

I'm sure I missed a few. There were also 6-8 hardback mystery books that were my mother's. In most of the books I added a flyer with QR codes linking back to the author's Amazon page and a short description. Maybe a few folks will check them out.

* which includes stories by some of the authors previously listed

I had hoped to have copies of the Lonesome Train anthology with my latest story, Momma Knows Best, to give away. Unfortunately, they arrived while I was away at the convention.

But I'm early for next year!

At this point, the art show items had been set up and everybody's luggage had been moved to the rooms. It was mid-afternoon, so after a quick break for lunch, we stopped back at the room to make a rest stop and sort out what we needed to bring with us for the rest of the afternoon. I also took the first batch of books to set up a giveaway near the elevators.

As I was placing them out for display, a man came up and began looking through the books. After a brief sales pitch, he reluctantly replied, "If I bring home one more book my wife will kill me." He walked away, though very slowly. That was okay as others began to check out the offerings. It doesn't take long for them to disappear.

On the way downstairs, I stopped by the front desk to ask if they had any of the small portable refrigerators available for our room. They weren't sure they had any left, but they took down the room number and said if one was available they would send it up.

Soon thereafter, we went to check out the autograph row to see who was available to sign. We nosed around there until I left for the Effective Cover Design panel. More on that later.

I met back up with Marie and company after the panel and we headed down to the art show to see if any bids had some in. I had a bid listed on my tiny painting "On Edge" and Marie had sold a couple of bracelets. Not bad.

On Edge - 5x7 acrylic on canvas, framed

Marie and I went up to the room. When I walked in I noticed something different. Remember the refrigerator we had requested? Well, here's what we got:

Refrigerator?

Not exactly what I was expecting. Couldn't keep anything cold...

After resting up for a little bit, we went to listen to the guest speakers. Unfortunately, Alex Mallari's flight had been cancelled (not his fault), so he wasn't there. The staff announced he would be there the next day. That was part of the foreshadowing, by the way. This event would have implications later on...

Marie decided to wait for John Glover to speak while I went to check out the filk concert.

I was curious about the filk concerts. In all the years I had attended Shore Leave I had not attended a concert, sometimes because of schedule overlaps and sometimes because the sessions are scheduled in the evenings I was just too tired. Think of it as open mic night with the songs having a sci-fi or fantasy based theme. This theme can be tenuous at times. So can the idea of having the songs be based on a folk-music style. Or music in general. I'll leave it at that. Singing along is encouraged. Knowing the words appears to be optional. Author Roberta Rogow did perform a couple of good songs.

I have thought about participating in filk. I don't think I could do any worse (and probably not any better), although that would be a matter of opinion. It's best to have sense of humor if you're either a singer or in the audience.

Anyway, I sneaked out between acts and caught the final minutes of John Glover's talk. The last part of his session was taken over by a young audience member. I may have a video of that for later posting. I will certainly have more pictures!

John Glover at Shore Leave 41

After that came Luna-C's quickie version of all the Harry Potter books done in a 45 minute period. There were some good moments, but you have to be up on all the Harry Potter details to get some of the jokes. I'm not.

Luna-C's Harry Potter play
with Dumbledore and Harry in the background

It was after 11:00 pm when Luna-C finished. We took a walk through the Meet The Pros area, then called it a night.

I'll have more details (and pictures) later! And keep that foreshadowing in mind...

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© 2019 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

It's Almost Here

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Just a reminder: It’s okay to leave comments!

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Yes, in a few days I'll be attending the Shore Leave sci-fi convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Every year I say I'll be ready ahead of time, and every year I fail to be prepared. I'm still working on the finishing touches on a painting and trying to get other stuff together.

There was a minor miracle, however. The Shore Leave folks have posted the convention schedules before the convention starts this year! There have been times when the event is underway before anyone knows what's going on. This is a big plus to have the info ahead of time so you can plan what you are going to do.

There are a number of new panels this year, too. I'm hoping to attend a few of them. For example:

The Worth of Workshops and Writing Classes

Panelists who have attended writing workshops and/or classes discuss what
they got out of the experience, what they wish they would have known going in, and the impact it had on their writing practice and/or career.
Kelli Fitzpatrick, Jim Johnson, Derek Attico, Danielle Ackley-McPhail,
Lorraine Anderson, Laura Ware

Effective Cover Design

Whether you are creating your own cover or working with the publisher’s art department, how to come up with an effective concept everyone can be happy with. What works, what doesn’t, and how much does it matter?
Mike McPhail, Aaron Rosenberg, Greg Cox, Joshua Palmatier

Beta Readers—How to Choose Them and What to Expect

Feedback is helpful to almost every writer. But are you getting the notes
that actually help you improve your WIP? Your craft? This panel discusses
how to vet beta readers and set up a process so you get the most out of the
experience.
Joshua Palmatier, Lorraine Anderson, Peter David

There are plenty of other new ones to choose from if my schedule allows.

And I'll be putting up some items for sale in the art show again. Well, it all depends on whether I can get that last painting sorted out if it's three or four pieces. That one in the middle is giving me fits...

I'll also be putting up Gear Girl again since it didn't sell last year (it was the one I thought would sell!). And there will be a dragon illustration (and a few other items) for charity.

I hope to post some pictures and such from the convention, although Saturday night may be too busy to post then. I'm playing everything by ear this year.

Since I'm running out of time here, that's all I'm saying for now. But I'll be back!

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© 2019 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Final Judgement - Part I

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I've put the first part of my short story Final Judgement on Patreon (sorry, patrons only). It's a mix of sci-fi and horror.

Dr. Mischner is pulled in to assist a government project where people's minds are extracted and stored electronically. Unforeseen problems, however, put the lives of the participants in jeopardy. Although the doctor is unsure of the morality of the scheme, he reluctantly joins the efforts to help those taking part. Little did he know there would be a few surprises for him, too...

If you're a patron, click the title below to start reading Part I!

Final Judgement

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© 2019 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

ZNB Anthologies Funded - Call For Submissions

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For the last few weeks you've seen this at the top of my blog posts:

Please consider donating to the Zombies Need Brains Sci-fi/fantasy anthologies Kickstarter! There will be three books! Lots of perks and, if funded, there will be an open submission! If you're a writer, that's a good thing! You can reach the Kickstarter by clicking HERE.

Well, I can stop posting that now!

The three anthologies ( Portals, Temporally Deactivated, and Alternate Peace ) have been funded (and exceeded their target) with $25,854 pledged towards $25,000 goal as of 11:30 pm EST on September 30, 2018!

Now comes the fun part. There is an open submission call to fill out the anthologies in addition to the tales from the pre-selected authors. You can find the submission guidelines here:  Submission Guidelines: Portals, Temporally Deactivated, and Alternate Peace. So get writing and pass the word!

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© 2018 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 40 - Saturday

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Saturday is always the busy day at a Shore Leave convention. There are too many panels and talks to attend every one you'd like, especially when they are scheduled at the same time. There are difficult decisions to make! Plus, I was helping some friends with taking pictures and getting autographs, so that came into play, too.

The first stop is always the restaurant where the Cinnamon Tree cooks up a nice buffet with made-to-order omelets, eggs, and waffles. Notice that was an "and" and not an "or." I did try to keep the calories under control, however. That being said, everyone eats a good-sized breakfast because there is never time for lunch—too much is going on. And dinner is usually late. After fueling up, we dove right into the action.

During the middle of the day the actor/actress guests were either talking, posing in the photo area for pictures with the fans, or signing autographs. Some in my party were getting multiple pictures taken with the actors/actresses, so I was left holding the bag ( or bags ) while they were busy. I also helped hold the autographed pictures while the signatures dried. They move the lines quickly there, so there are usually multiple photos in everyone's hands who are waving them in the air until the ink has set. Even though it doesn't take long, you still have to let them dry before putting them into their protective sleeves. The whole process can be quite awkward. I did get a picture with William Shatner, and his autograph, plus an additional one ( with an image from one of his Twilight Zone shows ) for a relative.

I didn't get to any of the writing panels on Saturday. The ones I could have attended were panels I'd been to 2 or 3 times over the years, often with the same panel members. A couple of others conflicted with scheduled talks, autograph lines, or photograph sessions. That's the way it is at these conventions; there are too many activities to get to all the ones you want to attend. Still, you do get to talk with writers all day long and at just about any time. With some authors, if you ask them about their book you have a hard time getting them to stop! They will discuss what is popular and what isn't doing as well, and most important, what might be coming up next. And there is always the opportunity to make or refresh connections with authors, some of whom are small press publishers. There isn't much free or wasted time at Shore Leave!

After getting the pictures and autographs, we caught part of the talks by Shawn Ashmore and Ming-Na Wen. I know the photographs from Shore Leave are not the best, but when the guests are on stage they always shine these yellow lights on them and this really messes with the images, especially from my little camera.

Ming-Na Wen at Shore Leave 40

Shawn Ashmore at Shore Leave 40

Around 4:00 pm, the second William Shatner talk / Q & A session started. Mr. Shatner does have some interesting responses to the questions people ask, but he seldom gets directly to the answer. "It will all be clear in a minute," he says, much to the amusement of the audience. Eventually he does get to the point, but it always took more than a minute. I had heard he was often a bit gruff, but he was very warm and engaging whenever I saw him.

William Shatner at Shore Leave 40

About 7:00 pm I stopped by the room where the art auction was supposed to take place and found it was already over. Not many pieces went to auction ( none of mine where in the auction ), so it hadn't lasted long. It was at this time I discovered my painting ( Alien Dawn #1 ) had a bid but had not been picked up by the purchaser. That was when I became concerned they might not come back! I did spend time talking to the art show staff and got a lot of pointers on what to do for next year. They also discussed some of the changes coming to the art show rules to prevent items being offered for sale that might violate copyrights.

After this, we stopped by the pub ( The Paddock Bar, which is within the hotel ) for a light meal and refreshments, talked about what we'd seen during the day, and planned Sunday's activities.

As the others in our group decided to turn in for the night, Marie and I headed outside to where the stargazing activities were set up. There were several telescopes, and for once, clear skies. This is the first time in the last three (four?) years the weather has cooperated. We got to see Venus and Saturn, and yes, Saturn's rings were clearly visible! No UFOs or aliens, though. Not even a shuttlecraft.

That was all we could do for Saturday—it was time for bed!

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© 2018 K. R. Smith All rights reserved