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THE BACKSTORY: I've been writing fiction since I was eight or nine. I wrote several (really, really bad) science fiction and fantasy stories, a few of which appeared in my high school literary magazine, and I continued writing through college. It wasn't until my junior year in college (1973) that Denise and my best friend at the time (and fellow aspiring writer) Earl House convinced me that I should send out some of the stories collecting dust in my desk drawer. Under their continued insistence, I finally did so. Like everyone else, I collected enough rejection slips to paper a small room, but about a year and a half later, I also sold my first story... You'll no doubt notice (you certainly will now that I'm pointing it out for you...) that after 1978, my short work started appearing at longer and longer intervals. In 1979, I started writing my first novel, SLOW FALL TO FAWN, which sold in 1980 and was published in 1981. Since then, most of my creative efforts have gone into novels. Nearly all the short fiction I wrote from 1987 - 1995 was for the WILD CARDS series. After the WILD CARDS series folded (temporarily, as it turns out), I experienced a five-year hiatus in short fiction (1996-2000). In a way, I regret that. I like writing short stories. I really do. The good news is that more recently, I've started to write short fiction again, thanks mostly to invites from anthology editors. Given my schedule, I rarely have the 'extra' time to set a novel aside for a bit and write something shorter, but I've been trying to make the effort... And as of 2008, “S.L. Farrell” will be writing some short fiction as well. Below is a reverse chronological listing of my short fiction. With the first appearance of a story are some commentaries on the genesis of the tale that you may (or may not) find interesting...
2009 "The Gods of Every Other Wednesday NIght" (as S.L. Farrell), to be published in GAMER FANTASTIC, edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg. DAW Books, publication date TBD -- 6,900 words. Another invitation to a theme anthology, and again because the theme seemed interesting I accepted. This one nearly didn't make it -- it was a struggle. At the last moment, however, inspiration arrived to save me, and I ended up with a story I like quite a lot. The whole grim story is here if you're curious...
2008 "Dirge In A Major Key" (as S.L. Farrell) to be published in BUSTED FLUSH, edited by George RR Martin. Tor Books, December, 2008 -- 13,800 words. BUSTED FLUSH will be the second book of the new Tor-published Wild Cards series. “Dirge” will also feature Michael Vogali, aka “DB,” aka “Drummer Boy” as I put him through some new torture and have him reach an epiphany... The story will be split up into three sections, which will be scattered through the book, rather than being presented in one piece, as "Incidental Music for Heroes" was. The story also changed fairly redically from first draft to last, due to the needs of the book -- this one was a long slog, and I probably wrote twice as many words as what will appear in the final. The other contributors are Melinda M. Snodgrass, Caroline Spector, Carrie Vaughn, Walton Simons, Ian Tregillis, Victor Milan, Kevin Andrew Murphy, and John Jos. Miller "Incidental Music For Heroes" (as S.L. Farrell) in INSIDE STRAIGHT, edited by George RR Martin. Tor Books, January 2008 - 18,500 words. INSIDE STRAIGHT is the first book of the new revival of the Wild Cards series, though it's the 18th Wild Cards volume to be published, and we're all excited at this new start! The book is chock full of new characters and new situations and (hopefully) will not require that the reader be familiar with the universe. My portion of this collaborative novel -- really, that's what most of the WILD CARDS books are: collaborative novels tightly orchestrated by the participants -- features Michael Vogali, aka "Drummer Boy" or "DB" -- a joker-ace whose body is his instrument. As is usual for WIld Cards, this story is long: double it and you’d have a short novel. I've read most of the tales in this volume in draft form (something you have to do to make the novel as seamless as possible) and it's going to be a fantastic read! The book also features sections written by Daniel Abraham, Melinda Snodgrass, Carrie Vaughn, CL Spector, Michael Cassutt, John Jos. Miller, Ian Tregillis, and George himself.
2007 "Transformation" (MAN VS. MACHINE, edited by John Helfers, DAW Books, Jul 2007) - 5,445 words. As seems to be usual lately, this is a by-invitation anthology. I despaired for some time of coming up with a story for this, and I was on the verge of e-mailing John and saying that I wasn't going to be able to give him a story -- which would have been the first time I'd 'failed' at one of these. I just couldn't think of anything but the stereotypical plots for this, which didn't interest me at all. Then I had a providential encounter with an article that talked about bio-mechanical devices, and I realized that sometime in the future, man would be the machine... And the story flowed from there, with help from a failed novel start in the files. "Chaos Theory" (TIME TWISTERS, edited by Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg, DAW Books, Jan. 2007) - 2,963 words. As I've said, with theme anthologies, I always try to push the boundaries of the theme if I can, I really thought I'd gone too far with this one, since the story is very 'slipstream' and nearly metafiction, and doesn’t actually have any science fictional content except peripherally. But Jean liked it anyway... She obviously has good taste!
2006 "They Also Serve" (SPACE CADETS, edited by Mike Resnick, special limited publication anthology by LACon IV, the 64th WOrld Science Fiction Convention, September 2006) - 4,020 words. Another 'theme' anthology. I remembered reading stories about the first black cadets in the military academy, and I wondered how it might be for the first 'genetically engineered' species... "You, by Anonymous" - 1,350 words. FICTIONWISE REPRINT "You, by Anonymous" - 1,350 words. REPRINT in "Science Fiction: The Best of the Year," edited by Rich Horton, Prime Books, June 2006
2005 " 'You' by Anonymous" (I, ALIEN, edited by Mike Resnick, DAW Books, April 2005) - 1,350 words. Mike Resnick, Laura Resnick and I were giving a presentation at a library when someone in the audience asked how we managed to place stories in various markets. Mike answered this way: "Here, let me show you one way it works. Laura, Steve, I'm going to be editing an anthology called 'I, Alien' which will be stories in the first person viewpoint of the alien. The deadline will be January. Are you interested in writing a story?" We both laughed and instantly chorused "Yes!" So that's how this story came about. What I eventually came up with took the record for "Shortest Story I've Ever Sold" from "Green Stones" in ASSASSIN'S FANTASTIC. The genesis for the tale lies in my thinking about how I could distinguish my story from all the other "I..." first-person stories in the anthology. I think I managed to do that, but read it yourself and make up your own mind. Just keep an open mind (heh, heh). "Sweeter Far Than Flowing Honey" (WOMEN OF WAR, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Tanya Huff, and Alexander Potter, DAW Books, July 2005) -- 4,219 words. Tanya's responsible for this one -- she asked if I'd contribute to an anthology she was editing, with a theme of women in war times. I said certainly, then, as has been usual with these assignments, put in on the subconscious back burner for awhile... I almost waited too long, suddenly remembering about two weeks before the deadline that I had to write a story quickly. About the same time, we started the bombing in Iraq, and I was struck by how increasingly removed soldiers (especially those of the Air Force and Navy) could be from a war. This disturbs me to an extent, since being able to hold the violence of war at arm's length -- being able to kill without in turn placing yourself in harm's way, without even seeing the enemy that you're striking against -- makes it easier to kill. And I knew then what I wanted to write. “Altar Ego” (YOUR TITLE HERE: A ROUND ROBIN NOVEL edited by Mike Resnick, Fictionwise (http://www.fictionwise.com). Yes, the title is correctly spelled. Mike had asked me to contribute to a round robin novel he was doing for Fictionwise. He’d written the first chapter and was asking several other sf/fantasy writers to write succeeding chapters. In a round robin, the job essentially is to try to write the next writer into a corner and/or to twist the plot in such a way as to send it off in a new direction. Hopefully I accomplished one or the other of those... "Among The Pack Alone" - 4,950 words) FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Staying Still" - 5,150 words) FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Green Stones" - 4,100 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Strings" - 15,218 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Sixteen Candles" - 10,000 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Evening Shadow" - 4,260 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Encounter" - 7,350 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Flamestone" - 6,800 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT Shaping Memory" - 9,350 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Tapestry" - 10,275 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "When We Come Down" - 7,975 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "A Rain of Pebbles" - 9,900 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT "Answer In Cold Stone" - 8,250 words FICTIONWISE REPRINT
2004 "Among The Pack Alone" (SIRIUS: THE DOG STAR, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Alexander Potter, DAW Books, January 2004) - 4,950 words. AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! Again, Marty Greenberg and Alex Potter wrote asking if I'd like to contribute to this anthology, and since they give long lead times, I agreed. Of course, with long lead times, it's easy to bury the letter requesting a story... which is what I did, and I didn't remember until a week or so before the story was due. The anthology's theme is "science fiction or fantasy stories that feature a canine." Now, I'm not a dog person, so this was a bit of a struggle, but I remembered the cow that escaped a local slaughter house and managed to run free for an entire week in a nearby woods before the authorities finally manage to get close enough to tranquilize it. (Happy ending for the cow story -- the cow was bought by Peter Marx, the artist, and put on an animal sanctuary in New York State, where it now roams forever free.) The cow's tale gave me the initial spark for the story, though don't expect to find a cow or any of its adventures in the tale...
2003 "The Hue of the Mind" (DOWN AND DIRTY, ed. George RR Martin, iBooks, January 2003) - 17,900 words REPRINT "Hartmann's Fall" (ACE IN THE HOLE, ed. George RR Martin, iBooks, March 2003) - 40,000 words REPRINT "Staying Still" (MEN WRITING SF AS WOMEN, edited by Mike Resnick, DAW Books, December 2003 - 5,150 words) Also available on Fictionwise! Mike's assignment to the writers was relatively straightforward: write a story with a female viewpoint character, where the story works only if the viewpoint character is female (the companion volume, obviously enough, has the opposite task). As Mike said, if you can change the main character's name from "Doris" to "Donald" and the story still works, that's not what he was looking for. I thought the concept was right up my alley -- all of my recent novels have a female viewpoint character (you are free to create your own opinion as to why that is). But when I finally sat down to work on this story, I cogitated a bit and came up dry and dissatisfied. I decided I needed an expert opinion. "Hey, Denise..." We had a bit of rambling conversation on the differences between men and women. Denise was re-reading LOTR (preparation for the upcoming movie) and mentioned a specific and very minor incident in that book where she felt that the male/female perspective on things was interestingly delineated... and all of the sudden I experienced that strange, wonderful instant of disorientation and surprise and excitement: the "Aha!" moment. I knew what I wanted to write: the whole character arc and background flew into my head, and I turned around in my chair (after thanking Denise profusely, of course!) and started writing. No, you're not going to recognize anything even vaguely Tolkienian in the story. First, it's science fiction, not fantasy; more importantly, the spark of inspiration flew out sideways and ignited a fire way off to the side. But it's interesting that story ideas can come from the strangest places. I still love LOTR for the scope and detail of that fictional world, but Tolkien was not interested in strong female characters.
2002 "The Tint of Hatred" (ACES ABROAD, ed. George RR Martin, iBooks, September 2002) - 20,000 words REPRINT "Promises" (DEUCES DOWN, edited by George RR Martin, iBooks, July 2002) - 15, 189 words. What George wanted for this volume was stories about the minor characters in WILD CARDS, not the ones with great abilities. So I took Gary Bushorn, a minor character who appeared in BLACK TRUMP, and followed his tale after the events described in that book. I also gave myself a challenge: I wanted to write a Wild Cards story where no one died violently, one where the emotions were positive rather than negative. I ended up writing a story that I loved -- I think it's the best thing I've ever written for this series... ...
2001 "Green Stones" (ASSASSIN FANTASTIC, ed. by Martin Greenberg & Alexander Potter, DAW Books, 7/2001) - 4,100 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! This was the first non-Wilds Cards short work I'd written in twelve years! Also at the time the shortest story I'd sold -- ever. Marty Greenberg sent a letter asking if I'd consider contributing to this original anthology, and since there was a long deadline before this story was due, I accepted. It was a wonderful feeling, going from start to finish in one week when I finally sat down to work on the story. And I like the story quite a bit. Maybe I learned a little bit about writing short fiction while I was concentrating on novel length works. The only limitation to this was that the story had to concern an assassin. I figured most everyone would concentrate on the assassin-at-work, in various and sundry ways, of course. I thought for a moment about looking at what it must be like to become an assassin -- how that first kill must feel. But the more I thought about it, I wanted to examine an assassin long after the killings have ended. So I started with someone walking into a tavern looking for an old, retired assassin named "Green Stone" and went from there. Honestly, when I started, I didn't even know who Green Stone was... "Silence Synopsis" (I HAVE THIS NIFTY IDEA, ed. Mike Resnick, Wildside Press, August 2001) - 1,500 words. Mike Resnick said that perhaps the most common question he gets asked by newbie novelists is "How do you write a synopsis?" So he decided to put together a book of synopses by various writers, and asked if I'd contribute. I said "Absolutely..." and gave him the synopsis that would eventually become the book "Thunder Rift" by Matthew Farrell. Interestingly, Mike (and those of us who contributed) did this book as a bit of "paying forward." We received no advance on the book at all, nor did Mike get paid as the editor. Instead, we agreed that we would take only our pro rata share of the royalties (and that only after Mike had received his usual editorial fee from the royalties). Frankly, I doubt that any of us ever expected to see a dime from this book. But... the good news is that with the very first royalty statement, the book has evidently sold well: Mike has received his full editor's payment, and we contributors have all received a check -- admittedly not a huge one, but still... "Strings" (WILD CARDS, ed. George RR Martin, iBooks, August 2001) - 15,218 words REPRINT
2000: No short fiction published 1999: No short fiction published 1998: No short fiction published 1997: No short fiction published 1996: No short fiction published
1995 "Hartmann's Death" (BLACK TRUMP, ed. George RR Martin, Baen Books, August 1995) - 42,300 words. Gregg's last story, and for a long we thought this was also be the last book for the series. A successful ending, too, I believe, with lots of loose ends tied up. Gee, we did write LONG books -- at 42,000+ words, my own section's a short novel all on its own, and there were four other writers.
1994 "The Color of His Skin" (MARKED CARDS, ed. George RR Martin, Baen Books, March 1994) - 31,500 words. Uh-oh. Greggie's back... "Steve, can I turn Gregg into a yellow caterpillar? Please?" Sure, Walter. Go ahead
1993 "The Ashes of Memory" (CARD SHARKS, ed. George RR Martin, Baen Books, February 1993) - 33,600 words. "Steve, you've got the interstitial material again..." For this one, I created Hannah, a nat (normal) arson investigator who's given the job investigating the torching of the Church of Jesus Christ Joker. And not the villain of the piece, but the hero. What a change! I think this is maybe THE strongest book in the entire series--it's the one I've re-read the most, even after the drudgery of seeing draft after draft after draft. I'm still proud of the last line of the book, which from what I've heard, made many of the fans of the series shudder.
1992 "Bloat's Triumph" (DEALER'S CHOICE, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam Books, August 1992) - 32,400 words. DEALER'S CHOICE was another "full mosaic" novel. I had a great time coordinating this plot with that of Ed Bryant's shaman character, and also putting in all the Boschian touches. Is Bloat still alive in the Twinkie Dimension? well, maybe...
1991 "Sixteen Candles" (ONE-EYED JACKS, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam Books, January 1991) - 10,000 words . AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! "Steve, we need a new villain..." Another one of those seminal phone calls from George, and this one birthed Bloat (ouch!), not so much a villain as a misguided, immature adolescent with powers too big for him to handle. Bloat would be the antagonist for everyone in the next three books, which we called the "Rox trilogy" We also called this trilogy "those damn #*)$ing jumper books." I think we all hated the jumpers -- aces who could 'jump' from one person's body to another -- which were Chris Claremont's contribution to the Wild Card series. The POV character in this story is actually of my creations: Oddity, who is actually three people fused in one agonizing joker body. "Hartmann's Recap" (comic book storyline for WILD CARDS, Epic Comics, ed. by Lew Shiner, Marvel Comics, September 1991) - 5,000 words. I'd never written anything for comics before, but Lew was doing a WILD CARDS comic for Marvel, and wanted me to recap Hartmann's story from the original book. Also in Epic's WILD CARDS compilation of all four WILD CARDS comics, 1992 "The Temptation of Hieronymous Bloat" (JOKERTOWN SHUFFLE, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam September 1991) - 26,600 words. The second of the Rox trilogy, and the first where I used Bloat as my POV character, and my second go at being the "interstitial" writer, with my story weaving in and through all the other ones in the book. I actually liked poor Bloat. (As a friend, Frank Johnson, once said: "Steve, you're such a nice guy, but your characters do such AWFUL things!"
1990 "Hartmann's Fall" (ACE IN THE HOLE, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam Books, February 1990) - 40,000 words. Another new experience in the WILD CARDS series for me, as this story was part of a "Full Mosaic" novel, where the invidivual stories are so tightly woven together that the book is entirely like a novel to the reader. Each writer writes the scenes from his/her character's viewpoint, but all the movement within the book has to be tightly coordinated with the other writers and the editor. ACE IN THE HOLE would be one of the most successful books we produced, and (I thought at the time) the last Gregg Hartmann tale I would write. I was, of course, wrong. Also in SF Book Club, 1990; Titan Books, Great Britain, 1990
1989 "The Hue of the Mind" (DOWN AND DIRTY, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam Books 1989) - 17,900 words. Not an interstitial, but another straight Hartmann story, though it follows directly after the events of "The Tint of Hatred." Also by SF Book Club, 1989; Titan Books, Great Britain 1990
1988 "The Tint of Hatred" (ACES ABROAD, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam Books 1988) - 20,000 words. This one would be the first time (but hardly the last) that I had to provide an "interstitial" storyline for a WILD CARDS volume -- a story that would be woven between the stories of the other writers in the book to provide a consistent 'thread' for the reader to follow. I found that it was a tough assignment... and I did it well enough that I quite often was chosen by George to do the interstitial work... Also by SF Book Club, 1988; Titan Books, Great Britain 1990 "Evening Shadow" (Asimov's SF Magazine, September 1988) - 4,260 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! A nice, quiet 'moody' tale. How might you feel if you found that you might live forever? Not as happy as you might think, I suspect. Gardner Dozois rejected this one initially, as nicely as possible, and I tossed the manuscript in a drawer and let it sit for a year or so. (NOTE TO BEGINNING WRITERS: DO NOT DO THE SAME WITH YOUR MANUSCRIPTS! No, no no. Send them out right away again -- Editor A may not buy the story, but Editor B may think it's the best damn tale to come across her desk in a year.) When I took the manuscript out again and re-read it, things suddenly clicked and I realized why it wasn't working. I did a quick revision, sent it to Gardner again, and this time he bought it.
1987 "Encounter" (SUPERTANKS, ed. by Joe Haldeman, Marty Greenberg and Charles Waugh, Ace Books, April 1987) - 6,875 words. REPRINT Also AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! "Strings" (WILD CARDS, ed. George RR Martin, Bantam Books, January 1987) - 15,218 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! "Steve, you like role-playing games, don't you? And you spend lots of time doing that when you could be writing, right? Well, so do a bunch of us here, and we had an idea..." Those weren't the exact words George Martin spoke when he called me one night in 1985, but they're close. Thus I was dragged in the Wild Cards Consortium... If you're not familiar with the WILD CARDS series, it follows an alternate universe where an alien virus is released over NYC in 1946. The virus immediately kills 90% of those infected, turns another 9% into horrid, misshapen forms called 'jokers,' and gifts the remaining lucky 1% with superhuman powers of various types. This first story features the character I would follow through most of the books: Senator Gregg Hartmann, aka 'Puppetman.' Also by SF Book Club 1987; Titan Books of Great Britain, July 1989; Japan 1992, Germany 1993, iBooks 2001. The WILD CARDS series was (and is) such a great ride! We would even be nominated for a Hugo in 1989. A fantastic bunch of writers: George RR Martin, Melinda Snodgrass, Walter Jon Williams, Roger Zelazney, Vic Milan, Pat Cadigan, Lew Shiner, John J. Miller, Bill Wu, Chris Claremont, Mike Cassutt, a host of others... We took the idea of a "shared universe" to new levels with this, especially in the "mosaic novel" books, where there were no individual stories at all, but plot threads woven together into one story. We had a fabulous editor in George (and a great assistant editor in Melinda) -- I forgive them both the many, many rewrites and the high phone bills. I learned a hell of a lot doing this, and had a wonderful time, even if I was usually responsible for creating the villain in these pieces. As George once pointed out to me, I have the only character (Gregg Hartmann) whose story arc begins in the first book and ends in the last. If Disney had only made the movie...
1986: No short fiction published
1985 "Flamestone" (AFTERWAR, ed. by Janet Morris, Baen Books, 1985 - 6,800 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! Janet Morris had invited me to write a story for this, an anthology of "after the nuclear holocaust" stories, and I'd come up with what I thought was a unique twist -- the nuclear disaster cracks open the walls between alternative realities, allowing the creatures of myth to enter our world. Janet later told me that she received some three other "elf" stories... "Shaping Memory" (Asimov's SF Magazine, September 1985) - 9,350 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! I'd started this one a few years before, and could never find a plot resolution that sounded right to me. That didn't stop me from sending it out, of course, and it was bounced from every decent market, almost all of them telling me what I already knew: "I like this, but the ending somehow doesn't work for me..." After six or so such notes, I stuck it in a drawer and pulled it out much later to find out that, oh, now I know what's wrong. I fixed it, sent it to Gardner, and he bought it.
1984: No short fiction published 1983: No short fiction published
1982 "Tapestry" (BERKELY SHOWCASE #5, ed. V. Schochet & M. Singer, Berkley 1982) - 10,275 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! I was happy when Victoria Schochet bought this one, because this one felt so full of atmosphere for me. I'd just read the book "Life in a Medieval City" by Joseph and Frances Gies, and used some of that material to give this medieval tale an architectural framework which worked very well. Is it fantasy or science fiction? You decide.
1981: No short fiction published 1980: No short fiction published 1979: No short fiction published
1978 "When We Come Down" (Asimov's SF Magazine, July 1978) - 7,975 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! This had an interesting two-page illustration, which the binder ruined by placing a cardboard cigarette ad in the fold. Learning how to 'play the game' when one feels outside of things has always been a problem for me, and for the characters in this one. Also published in ASIMOV'S CHOICE: E, Dale Books 1978 "After Stone And Steel" (Eternity Magazine, May 1978) - 7,150 words. A rare sword and sorcery fantasy for me...
1977 "Encounter" (DESTINIES #3, ed. by Jim Baen, Ace Books, 1977) - 7.350 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! I always wondered what you'd do with those cyborg fighting machines after the war, and how such an enhanced human might feel about it. I wrote this story to find out, and still like it quite a bit. Also published in SUPERTANKS, ed. by Joe Haldeman, Marty Greenberg and Charles Waugh, Ace Books, April 1987. On Terry Carr's "Recommended Reading List", 1977 "A Rain of Pebbles" (Analog, April 1977) - 9,900 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! Cultural conflict--responding with the reflexes of the culture in which you were raised when you're now in another society--has always fascinated me, and this is another exploration of that. This also reflects my then-fascination with fencing (the kind with foils and sabers, not the kind with chain link and barbed wire). Evidently several other people liked this as well. Voted "Best Short Story of 1977", Analog Annual Reader's Poll. Listed on the Locus Poll "Best Short Fiction" of 1977 "The Mask of Night On His Face" (FUTURE PASTIMES, ed. Scott Edelstein, May 1977) - 5,775 words. This book was a fiasco. Most of the writers (including me) weren't paid for YEARS, and the book didn't appear and didn't appear... I think maybe 25 people total have ever seen a copy -- every one of them a contributor to the volume... "In Darkness Waiting" (Asimov's SF Magazine, October 1977) - 9,300 words. This story formed the basis for my first novel, SLOW FALL TO DAWN. Thanks to Gardner Dozois, who pulled it out of the slush pile, managed to see the story hidden in my mediocre draft, and took the time to give me the severe editing notes it needed to make it a publishable story
1976 "Answer In Cold Stone" (Analog, December 1976) - 8,250 words AVAILABLE ON FICTIONWISE! My first professional sale... I remember a vague sense of disappointment, because my only acknowledgment that this had sold was an envelope with a check inside, with the contract printed on the back. No note, no letter of acknowledgment -- just a check. I certainly didn't mind the check, of course, but a few words from the editor saying 'good story!' would have been nice. I learned later from other writers that this came from John Campbell's long reign. While Campbell would write copious notes regarding stories he was rejecting or wanted revised, he felt that the money was enough of a statement for stories he was buying. "Answer In Cold Stone" also had the first line: "It is in my family to hate." I gave my grandmother a copy of the magazine when it came out, and she was distressed at that line, not quite being able to separate fiction from reality...
1975 "And Speak of Soft Defiance" (Eternity Magazine, February 1975) - 4,500 words. My first paid publication, even if ETERNITY was a semi-prozine paying a grand half-cent a word. I actually haven't read the story again in years... I wonder how it holds up?
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