End of the Universe Theories

New flash fiction at 365 Tomorrows: End of the Universe Theories
I read this at SFContario as part of the "Flash Fiction After Dark" and was happy to see it get some laughs. It's challenging to read a story that it mostly dialogue between two people and find a way to distinguish the voices without comic exaggeration (at least it is when one isn't a trained voice actor) but I think I got the point across.

SFContario 3 Schedule

I'll be going to SFContario 3 this weekend. I've had some fantastic times at the the last two instances of this convention and last year's was particularly special. I've really appreciated the focus they give to stories and science, the downtown location and a really comfortable setting where it's more about the quality of people and panels and not the volume. This will be the first time I'll be a panelist and I've got an interesting set of discussions ahead for the weekend.

Flash Fiction After Dark Can a short story be a thousand words? A hundred? Six? Listen to some short readings of recent speculative flash fiction and learn the tricks of how writers cram big stories into tiny word counts.

Friday 10:00 PM, Location TBA

Short Stories Our panelists discuss the role short stories have and will play in science fiction and fantasy, from proving ground to promotions to the merits of writing and reading short stories. We'll explore where the form is headed, whether its early popularity is enduring and what are the influence of contests and electronic publishing. 

Saturday 3:00 PM, Ballroom A

Will we ever stop being human? From the cyberpunk desire to transcend the flesh to speculative fiction's monstrous bodies, when does the category "human" cease to apply? This panel will explore what the terms "human,""transhuman," and "posthuman" really mean and, through the lens of science fiction, imagine what the future of humanity might look like. 

Saturday 4:00 PM, Gardenview

Writing in the digital age Many professional writers these days maintain an online persona. How does one survive as a writer in the digital age? How does an internet persona mesh with the introverted lifestyle of an author? What's the best way to deal with the trolls and haters? 

Sunday 10:00 AM, Ballroom BC

Leaves the City in Silence

My short-short piece about the arbitrary nature of sheet music Leaves the City in Silence is in the November issue of The Cafe Irreal. They have a wonderful sense of the fantastic and the incongruous along with a healthy appreciation for Kafka and Borges, the later of which I was shamelessly (and quite hopelessly) trying to imitate.

"Thirteen Generations" at AEscifi.ca

 Thirteen Generations is now live at AESciFi.ca.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the artwork by Paul Jackson to go along with the story. I've had art for two stories of mine to date and it's a flattering and humbling feeling. I think Jackson's drawing does a great job playing up both the physical features of the gastrotrich-like worm-creatures and the more iconic nature of the maze.

I rather like this storyand I hope it's a good fit alongside the fantastic short fiction AE has been putting out over the last two years (like Matt Moore's Touch the Sky, They Say and David Steffan's The Infinite Onion.)

Check out Paul Jackson's other creative efforts at www.theskycaptain.com.

"Thirteen Generations" coming to AE SciFi

 

I'm delighted to announce a short story sale to AE Science Fiction Review. It's quite validating in that it makes my previous professional sale slightly less of a fluke and it's also a very recent story, so the thrill of acceptance feels rather immediate. Anyhow, I look forward to sharing "Thirteen Generations" through a site that has had some brilliant short SF that isn't afraid to veer into literary and experimental territory.

Thank you AE!

Writing: Year 1

It's an anniversary of sorts for me today. In early July of 2011, I submitted a pair of stories to some publications for the first time, and one year ago to today I received my first rejection letter for a short story.

It was for a short piece that would later be called "Estimated Time of Arrival". I consider it my attempt to write an SF comedy, a  version of Stephen Leacock's "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town", if you will. It  wound up with a greater debt to sitcoms and had a more dour and somber tone to it by the end. I don't think it's a bad story, but it took a little time to find a market that appreciated the particular balance of moods and themes. Ray Gun Revival  gave it a chance and the story was published with them last April. It was also my first ever reviewed piece thanks to Adam Shaftoe taking the time to critique it on his Page of Reviews.

The other story submitted last summer took a stranger route through publications that shut down before I heard anything back, had a finalist run in the Friends of the Merril Contest and a faced rejection or two before being picked up by Daily Science Fiction for my first professional sale (thanks Michele and Jonathan). That story, "The Mobius Garden" was mailed out to their subscriber list today and should be on their web archives in a few weeks.

Anyhow, if you've just received Daily Science Fiction and were curious enough to visit,  please accept my thanks and gratitude for your time spent reading "The Mobius Garden". If you have opinions, reactions or other thoughts to share I'm happy to chat over my twitter (@JamesBambury) and Google+ accounts. If you're not into social media there's the contact form at the top of the page that will e-mail me somewhat indirectly.

Again, my thanks.