Getting back to normal....

It's a cold day in Salt Lake, alternating rain and snow. It would have been a great day to call in sick at work and just nap all day, but responsibility won out, and I ended up being pretty productive. I have a great mountain of Shimmer stuff to catch up on, as well - I got way behind when Sean was out here. We had a great time together, mostly just hanging out, but also took time to make pizza for friends, and go to another friend's housewarming party. It was really great, and I'm really looking forward to him moving out here.

After work tonight, I headed off to a yoga class. A year ago, I was in really great shape and yoga came easily to me. For one reason or another - travel, changes in the studio schedule, etc - my practice faded away, and now every class that I do make it to is really challenging. It's hard, remembering how strong I used to be, to have to do so many modifications to asanas. But the great thing about yoga is how it works at any level. Even when I'm taking it really easy, I can just focus on breathing and moving and at the end of class, I'm stronger and more stable.

Tonight we spent a lot of time in Ardha Chandrasana, which is really good at developing both strength and stability. And it's one of the asanas I can do reasonably well, so it was fun.

And now, for dinner: grilled chicken with spicy peanut sauce, and edamame. Yum.

The Importance of Contact Info....

The other day, I received a submission via mail (despite only accepting submissions via e-mail, we do occasionally get a paper submission).

The submission did not include a SASE for my reply. It also did not have any contact information on the cover letter or the story itself. The envelope does have a return address, but got some heaving black marks on it during the mailing process, and I can't read it.

So if you're the nice young man in Everett, WA, who recently mailed me a story, I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to respond to your submission. Next time, please submit via e-mail; at least that way I can reply.

Most publications have useful information about how they'd like stories submitted: e-mail or in paper? What kind of formatting? Are multiple or simultaneous submissions allowed? Make it easier for both yourself and the editors by understanding the mechanics of submitting stories.

Any questions? Leave 'em in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.

And even more productivity!

I seem to have a great deal of energy these days, and I'm getting lots done besides decluttering. On Sunday I got so busy cleaning the kitchen that I forgot to go to yoga - but the house looks great. I also got some cooking done and some yardwork that I've been putting off since November or so. And some of my own writing, for the first time in, well, a long time.

I'm starting to get caught up on Shimmer stuff, too, which is an amazing feeling. (Speaking of which, have you bought your copy of the Autumn issue yet? Supplies are running low.)

Hell, I even did a few blog posts. Crazy productive!

Sean's arriving for a visit tomorrow, though, so I expect to be getting a lot less done for the next week. I'm really looking forward to it, though!

Spring decluttering....

For the past month or so, I've been busy going through all my stuff and getting rid of as much as I can. I'm not being very rigorous about it: if I have a faint impulse to keep something, it stays - so I'm really only purging crap I have zero interest in.

But despite these low standards, I'm getting rid of an astonishing volume of stuff. Today I took 6 garbage bags full of stuff to the thrift store - and this was at least my third trip there, with a similar volume of Stuff.

Where did all this crap come from? I thought I was pretty good about not having a lot of extraneous stuff, and about keeping what I do have under control. But no. Just bag after bag of stuff I no longer want, much of which I think I never wanted in the first place.

Feels good to get things streamlined and straightened out, though.

So what are you letting go of these days?

The Minotaur's Rabbit Just Keeps On Going

Should have called it The Minotaur's Energizer Bunny.

My story The Minotaur's Rabbit ran in Apex Digest #7. (If you haven't read it, I'm sure you can still grab a copy from the Apex site. Just so you know, this isn't a happy story about bunnies.)

I just found out that Michael Livingston used the story in his creative writing class at The Citadel. How cool is that? The students had a different perspective on the story than most of the other readers I've heard from. "Why's there a minotaur on a spaceship?" they asked, which led into a good discussion about the use of myth and symbolism in literature. I think the students interpreted it differently than I intended, but it sure sounds like it sparked a worthwhile discussion. Plus, I feel so established now. Thanks, Mike!

In other news, Jason Sizemore of Apex fame is considering a calendar featuring stories from issues 5-8, so he ran a poll to see which stories people were most interested in seeing on a calendar. The last time I checked the results, 15 people had voted for The Minotaur's Rabbit, which put it in the lead, and should be enough to secure a spot in the calendar. People sure do like their bunnies, I guess. Check it out for yourself!

The Shimmer Trailer

Hey, everyone, check out the video trailer for the Winter 2007 issue of Shimmer. It's up at our site right now: www.shimmerzine.com

It was produced and narrated by our super-awesome art director, Mary Robinette Kowal, and features music by John Scalzi.

And it's gorgeous.

If you're wondering when the Winter issue's going to be out - good news! It's at the printers, and we should be mailing it out in about 2 weeks.

Some days. . . .

Some days, you just need to shoot a screaming slingshot monkey at someone.

I'm sure you've all heard about the furor over the word scrotum recently; I won't rehash it. I'd just like to assure you all that this blog has always been, and always will be, 100% scrotum free. I'm not even going to tell you all about the day at work we realized that the phrases "Why are there scrotums?" and "Wire their scrotums" sound exactly alike. Nor will I tell you how one of my coworkers had the nickname "Scrotum" in high school. Or even.... ooops. Perhaps I have already done irreparable damage to the youth of America just by saying that much. I'd better shut up.

Ahoy! Pirate story submission window extended

Just in case you haven't heard this news elsewhere: the deadline for submissions to Shimmer's pirate issue has been extended to 2/28/07. That gives you scurvy sea-dogs and landlubbers plenty of time to polish up your stories and get 'em in.

For full info and guidelines, set sail for Shimmer.

New Year's Resolution

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Fill my house with chocolate pudding. Get your resolution here.

In the interest of fairness. . . .

Alas, it seems that Jason Sizemore over at Apex doesn't think we're quite as friendly as I did. Jason, I have nothing but the depeest respect and admiration for you and your work, and I hope that someday, you'll be able to see past our editorial differences.

He posted one of my rejection letters to him. It's only fair, I think, that I post his submission - I just want everyone to be able to make up their own minds.

Here's his cover letter:

Dear Mr. Debbie Wodnizky,

Here is my story "Intestines On The Moon!" It is way better than the crap you usually print! My mom really likes it so if you don't like it you are STUPID and I will tell everyone on the interwebs that you are MEEN.

Sincerely,
Jason Sizmore

P.S. APEX ROCKS!!!!! BUY A MUG!!!!!

And here's the story that accompanied this fine letter:

INTESTINES ON THE MOON
by
Jason Sizmore

Strong manly handsome Lt. Commander Jason Sizmore knew he was in trouble. "That's one big scary alien," he thought to himself in his head. Because the alien was really big. And scary! "I sure wish I was back in the hollers making out with my cousin right now. Instead of being here on the moon with an alien! Because she is really nice. And pretty! Like a dragon who has read the Kama Sutra! And not big and scary like this alien."

The alien growled. It was scary! Then it used its magic telepathy to hurl strong manly handsome Lt. Commander Jason Sizmore against the wall of the moon base. It hurt!

And then the alien ripped open his space suit and started to eat Sizmore's intestines. They were all slippery and oozy but the alien liked them that way! Yum, yum, intestines! said the alien, in his weird alien language, which sounded like this: Alskdhj 3hq65hdj asjjzzjgj jhadh hahshg.

"Ouch!" said strong manly handsome Lt. Commander Sizmore. Then he died.

And there were no more intestines! The alien was very sad. So he invaded Earth to get more intestines.

Yum, yum!

THE END

Jason Sizemore Doesn't Really Think I'm Evil

The other day, Jason Sizemore of Apex Digest fame mentioned me in a blog entry.

It seems likely this princess of sweetness and charm [Mary Robinette Kowal] was tarnished by that evil editor lady over at Shimmer Magazine, but I won't say her name because she's likely got her name plugged into Google Alerts and Technorati.

This comment has apparently raised an eyebrow or two - and I guess if you don't know Jason or me, it's not entirely clear that he's TOTALLY KIDDING. Jason and I know each other well enough to indulge in cheerful mockery on occasion, but the truth is, we're friends, and Jason's been very supportive of Shimmer.

So relax; there will be no fistfights at the next convention where our paths cross.

(But if we DID have a fight, I would totally win.)

Shimmer Holiday Subscription Special

Hey there. Shimmer has a limited-time special offer for the holidays. Anyone who buys a subscription to Shimmer between now and the end of the year, gets a signed copy of our holiday chapbook. This year’s holiday story is Christmas Season by Jay Lake.

A subscription is only $17. Already have one? Send Shimmer to a friend for the holidays; we won’t tell them that you kept the chapbook for yourself.

Avast! It's Pirate Season!

Ahoy, landlubbers! 'Tis time to be submittin' your pirate stories to Shimmer. Cap'n John Joseph Adams is guest editing our pirate issue, and it's time to fill his chum bucket up with submissions. Check out the web site for details.

And yes, we'll continue to read non-piratical submissions; there's still some room in our Spring 2007 issue. Insider tip: I seem to be particularly fond of stories about birds these days; I don't know what's up with that, but if you have a strange and lovely bird story, please send it my way.

Shimmer Autumn 2006 Reviews!

Our Autumn issue got two great reviews this week. Woo-hoo!

Danny Adams at Tangent has nice things to say about every story.

Sam Tomaino at SFRevu liked it, too:

It was a totally enjoyable experience and all the stories got a Very Good from me.... Shimmer is one of the best small press magazines out there and you should all be subscribing to it!

I couldn't agree more. Why not head over to www.shimmerzine.com and grab a copy?

How the Other Half Lives

It's no secret that I am not a morning person. Through much of my life, I've been lucky enough to arrange things to accommodate my natural sleep cycle, more or less - I argue that going to work 9 am is still pretty damn early, but must admit that it's a reasonable compromise between 6 and noon.

But today my luck ran out. I had to be at work by 7 AM for a class. (Was the class worth such a sacrifice? No comment.)

It's still dark at 7; who knew? And there are LOTS of people awake at that hour. I knew that, but have rarely seen this behavior in the wild, so it has the power to amaze me.

Getting up that early went way better than I expected. And I have to admit that there are some advantages to getting an early start: I got to leave before most of my coworkers, and soon I'm heading off for a yoga class that I can't usually attend.

But, really. 7 AM? WTF?

Thanksgiving

Apparently the blog police are going to arrest me if I don't write a long post listing all the things I'm thankful for. It's good to take a little break and appreciate all the things that are good about your life - I hope I'd do this even without the threat of jail time.

I'm thankful it's Thanksgiving, and not Christmas. Today I'm sleeping late and then eating a lot of really good food with friends - what's not to love? I am thankful for gravy.

I'm thankful I'm healthy. I'm thankful I can do a handstand and put my feet behind my head (not at the same time; I am not that thankful). I'm thankful that I haven't gotten the flu yet this year.

I'm thankful for my job, most of the time; it's great to be paid well for something you enjoy and are good at and that doesn't make you insane most days. I'm thankful for my coworkers Mueller and Mueller, who make it fun to go to work. I'm thankful to my boss for her brilliant advice ("Keep on wanking").

I'm thankful for my friends: Keri, for having such an interesting and dramatic life; Amy for keeping me informed about reality TV; Heather for being so cheerful; Tony and Wendy for martinis and years of friendship; Mary for being superhumanly amazing in all ways; Sean for millions of words of conversation and for his constant kindness and understanding; all the people who I am forgetting to mention for knowing that I love them even if I am not smart enough right now to put their names up here.

I'm thankful for Shimmer, which is growing into something more spectacular than I thought possible, thankful for Mary's incredible contributions to our success, thankful for Elise and Lisa and Cat and David and Susan and Cheryl and Sunil for the work they have done and will continue to do, thankful for our brilliant contributors who allow us to print their work, thankful for our readers and supporters.

And now, I think I'll go take a thankful little nap.

Belated Orycon Report

So either I'm a great big procrastinator, or I was just waiting to get some photos to post. You decide!

Orycon was a great deal of fun. I got to hang out with the usual suspects (Mary, Ken Scholes, Jay Lake, and probably a dozen others that I am shamefully neglecting to name-drop) and meet a bunch of great new people.

The highlight for me was the Shimmer party Saturday night. We decided to avoid the room party thing and held it in a spacious salon room, and laid out a lot of good food and wine. Mary and I got all dressed up, which was fun! Stephen Stanley brought the art he's done for us (including a piece I hadn't seen yet for our Winter 2007 issue), and Ken displayed the art Karl Kessel of Marvel Comics fame did for his story. Ken also brought his guitar and I finally got to hear him play! Jen West took a bunch of great pictures, but I haven't seen them yet - so get on it, Jen!

So now it's back to work, just in time for a little holiday break. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Autumn '06 Shimmer

It's here!

The Autumn 2006 issue features our interview with Campbell-award winner John Scalzi. We’ve got new fiction from Shimmer veterans Angela Slatter and Aliette de Bodard, as well as stories from Monica Eiland, John Parke Davis, Bryan Lindsey, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kathy Watts, and Nir Yaniv.

Copies available on our web site.

I mailed the last of the copies out today; if you've already ordered one, it should reach you shortly!

In other news, we'll be at Orycon this weekend. If you're going to be there, be sure to stop by the Shimmer party on Saturday at 7 pm. See you there!

Back from World Fantasy

World Fantasy was a lot of exhausting fun. I got to spend a lot of time with Mary Robinette Kowal, who is an excellent driver, as well as meeting too many fabulous new people to mention here. I would surely forget several dozen and then feel bad for neglecting them.

The best part of the con for me was the Shimmer pirate party on Saturday; we had a really great turnout and everyone seemed to be having fun. Here's a lovely picture of me tattooing Jay Lake.

Still pretty worn out! It's good to be home.

A Review of The Minotaur's Rabbit

Marshall Payne over at Tangent has some kind words to say about The Minotaur's Rabbit, in the current Apex. "I found it poignant and satisfying," he says. Can't beat that.

In other news, today was Day 1 of Nanowrimo, and I banged out 2011 words. Apparently they are less sucky than I thought, too, or so I am assured by a reliable source. Only 48k to go - but I think it's going to be a rough month.

And tomorrow I take off for WorldCon! I can't  wait. If you're going to be there, please hunt me down and say hi!