Forgive me if I've been missing out on the chit-chat here.
Last week was a bit chaotic as the family was involved in a family emergency, one that required some balancing act between work, the kids, and the need to be somewhere else working on fixing the emergency. By late yesterday afternoon, things have quieted down and the nervousness that pervaded the atmosphere the past week and so have disappeared. Everyone has heaved their sighs of relief.
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What's with using the "F" word and "sh!t " in Brent Weeks' The Way of the Shadow, the first in his Night Angel Trilogy.
I'm way past the middle of the volume and so far I've been enjoying it as the story races to its climax (for the first volume) especially as this time around, it's not a fighter or mage who's in the thick of the action but an assassin, specifically, a wetboy which in Weeks' terms is a special assassin in that a wetboy (or girl) uses magic to deal death to his targets.
For all the action, romance, and humor injected, I however get jarred when I encounter the words "f_ck" and "sh_t". I mean, this is supposed to be a medieval fantasy setting so it gets me to think, "Why do these folks in this non-Earth world use these terms?" I've no problem with using conversational English in epic fantasy novels (like the Eddings do in their books) as this makes for easier reads (as compared to thees and thous and the whole archaic tongue effect) but the use of swear words from our world and times is just a tad discomforting. In a world setting such as cyberpunk, modern, urban, or post-apocalyptic, such words would be expected.
But this is just a little peeve on my part and I'm sure Weeks' has a perfectly valid reason why his characters of Midcyru use "f_ck" and "sh_t" as part of their daily, colorful, language. It really doesn't get in the way of the story. And as I'm about to finish the volume in a few more days, there's an itching in me to look for book 2 of the trilogy so that I won't be bitin.
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Just a reminder for spec-fic practitioners out there ...
Co-editors Alex and Kate Osias will be helming the next installment of the popular Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology, now on its 7th volume and they're calling out for brave souls to submit their spec-fic masterpieces for their meticulous scrutiny. Those who pass, will be included in the next volume due next year, I believe. Again, the guidelines:
First-time authors are more than welcome to submit; good stories trump literary credentials any time.
2. written in English
3. authored by persons of Philippine ethnicity and/or nationality
Submissions are preferred to be:
1. original and unpublished
2. no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 7,500
3. written for an adult audience
In all cases, these preferences can be easily overturned by exceptionally well-written pieces. In the case of previously-published work—if accepted, the author will be expected to secure permission to reprint, if necessary, from the original publishing entity, and to provide relevant publication information.
Submission details:
2. All submissions should be in Rich Text Format (saved under the file extension '.rtf'), and emailed to kate.osias at gmail.com, with the subject line 'PSF7 submission'.
3. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Manila time, September 30, 2011. Letters of acceptance or regret will be sent out no later than one month after the deadline.
Editors' notes:
2. If you'd like to write a cover letter with your brief bio and publishing history (if applicable), do feel free to introduce yourself—but not your story, please. If it needs to be explained, it's probably not ready to be published.
3. We advise authors to avoid fancy formatting—this will just be a waste of your time and ours, since we will, eventually, standardize fonts and everything else to fit our established house style.
There will be compensation for selected stories, but we've yet to determine exactly what. In previous years, we've provided contributor copies of the book, as well as small royalty shares, but we are considering shifting Philippine Speculative Fiction to digital format, so we may be shifting to outright financial payment as well.
Editors Alex and Kate Osias invite you to submit short fiction for consideration for Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 7.
Philippine Speculative Fiction is a yearly anthology series, which collects a wide range of stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between. The anthology has been shortlisted for the Manila Critics' Circle National Book Award, and multiple stories from each volume have been cited in roundups of the year's best speculative fiction across the globe.
First-time authors are more than welcome to submit; good stories trump literary credentials any time.
Submissions must be:
1. speculative fiction—i.e., they must contain strong elements or sensibilities of science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, alternate history, folklore, superheroes, and/or related 'nonrealist' genres and subgenres
2. written in English
3. authored by persons of Philippine ethnicity and/or nationality
Submissions are preferred to be:
1. original and unpublished
2. no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 7,500
3. written for an adult audience
In all cases, these preferences can be easily overturned by exceptionally well-written pieces. In the case of previously-published work—if accepted, the author will be expected to secure permission to reprint, if necessary, from the original publishing entity, and to provide relevant publication information.
Submission details:
1. No multiple or simultaneous submissions—i.e., submit only one story, and do not submit that story to any other publishing market until you have received a letter of regret from us. We don't mind if you submit to contests.
2. All submissions should be in Rich Text Format (saved under the file extension '.rtf'), and emailed to kate.osias at gmail.com, with the subject line 'PSF7 submission'.
3. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Manila time, September 30, 2011. Letters of acceptance or regret will be sent out no later than one month after the deadline.
Editors' notes:
1. Please don't forget to indicate your real name in the submission email! If you want to write under a pseudonym, that's fine, but this can be discussed upon story acceptance. Initially, we just need to know who we're talking to.
2. If you'd like to write a cover letter with your brief bio and publishing history (if applicable), do feel free to introduce yourself—but not your story, please. If it needs to be explained, it's probably not ready to be published.
3. We advise authors to avoid fancy formatting—this will just be a waste of your time and ours, since we will, eventually, standardize fonts and everything else to fit our established house style.
There will be compensation for selected stories, but we've yet to determine exactly what. In previous years, we've provided contributor copies of the book, as well as small royalty shares, but we are considering shifting Philippine Speculative Fiction to digital format, so we may be shifting to outright financial payment as well.
Deadline, folks. Remember the deadline (or am I just saying that to myself?).
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Tis a short one today, folks. Not really in the mood. Brain isn't into it yet. Hopefully, a better one within the week.
Ta Ta!
