Obviously, when you are submitting a manuscript you will need to check the publisher’s requirements to ensure you have used the correct font type and size, the correct margins, and the correct paragraph style and line spacing. However, there are three other things for which you should also watch out, and which will make your editors love you.
Troy, Kansas, looking northwest August 21, 2017 about 1:06p.m. Moon’s shadow approaching. (Photo by Jeff Baker) Driving to Troy, Kansas to Wait for the Moon By Jeff Baker Here is my account of traveling to see the total solar eclipse last month. (Note: All times Central Daylight.) August 21, 2017, 6:45 a.m. Wichita, Kansas: Heading out, patch of blue sky in east. Clouds otherwise. Sprinkling. 7:58 a.m.: Mild traffic. Cloudy. Tantalizing glimpse of blue sky—may be clearer up north. Saw orange sunrise. Am at truck stop outside Emporia, Kansas. About 1/3 of the way. 9:00 … Read more
Oh, have I got something cool today! For many a year, since graphite took over as the lead in our pencils, we authors have unknowing been using a piece of what’s becoming a revolutionary material in the world. It’s Vegeta-level awesome, in my humble opinion. And oh, the things we can do with it! I’m talking about the superhero brother to friendly neighborhood graphite. Graphene. No, seriously, the stuff graphene can do reads like some sorcerer thought this up and made it. Graphene temporary tattoos are being tested for medical monitoring. Scientists are feeding it to spiders, which in turn … Read more
As a humanist with an eye to the awesome possibilities of the future, as well as an author who loves to write science fiction, I’m of the personal opinion that all scientific discoveries or advancements are good things. It’s the way those advancements and discoveries are used that makes science bad. We have plenty of examples throughout history of how this works. Never is this more of a possibility than the current times in the world. We have started to microchip humans. Now, I know what some will say, groan in exasperation really. “But T.A., we already have numerous stories … Read more
Enemies are out there. I’ve seen them. I’ve lived with their insults. I’ve felt their curses, their contempt leaking into the words ‘queer’, ‘gay’, and ‘lesbian’, poisoning them. They’ve projected their own ugliness into the words, turning them into badges of shame. Their virulence pulses within those badges, making those with every right to proudly claim them turn their backs in shame. Hatred has power. It terrifies me. Being brushed with it contaminates me in turn. Every time I’m exposed to it, I feel my own hatred, vibrating with me for the ones who inspired it. I imagine all the … Read more
Back in 2000, Mike Baker (no relation) and Martin Greenberg edited an anthology called “My Favorite Horror Story.” The setup was simple: several horror writers (Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, F. Paul Wilson) were asked to pick a favorite horror story and tell why they picked it. Chosen authors included Robert Bloch, Phillip K. Dick and Japanese master Edogawa Rampo. This anthology appeared before the recent big boom in LGBT-themed genre fiction, so I could select a story for the anthology (if asked, nobody has.) So, which LGBT-themed horror story would I pick as my favorite for an anthology? The story … Read more
Chinese scientists broke the boundaries of human technology yet again in early July. With precision, determination and science prowess that just boggles the mind, these scientists managed to send a photon from Earth to an orbiting satellite, using quantum teleportation. Six times. It’s a feat scientists the world over have been aiming for a long time time now. A quantum scientist friend of mine is absolutely green with envy. I applaud this monumental discovery and look forward to more. Quantum teleportation, for those who have no idea what it is, is a process by which quantum information can be transmitted … Read more
Hello! Welcome to the second installment of my series of columns on the history of LGBTQ science fiction, fantasy and horror. As I noted in my previous post, things had begun to improve slightly for SF/F/H readers looking for more positive portrayals of LGBT characters and complex perspectives on sexuality and gender in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. That trend accelerated after the events of June of 1969 when the police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The raid triggered several days of rioting by bar patrons and other LGBT people. These … Read more
In this day and age, a whole, huge deal is made about cloning. Dolly the Sheep, lab rats, stems cells. The list goes on. And humanity is eagerly waiting for custom, lab grown organs that are tailored with our own genes and available to the mainstream. The reality is, and what an awesome reality, we’re probably going to get better mechanical models way before we achieve cloned organic replacements. Enter, 3D printing. Stories abound of the astounding way 3D printing is starting to revolutionize prosthetics. Robert Downey Jr, himself, went and delivered a newly printed Iron Man gauntlet prosthetic to … Read more
The LGBT community has gone through many changes over the years and one aspect of that is its evolving lexicon. I thought it would be interesting to discuss this both as an historical subject and regarding the extent to which current LGBT authors incorporate slang terms into their writing. It is hard to tell how far back LGBT slang goes. Certainly the eighteenth-century molly subculture had its own lexicon, with some terms borrowed from thieves cant. No doubt the nineteenth century then adapted this to suit its own purposes as the decades passed. However, it’s in the twentieth century and … Read more