Month: June 2016

So nearly two weeks ago I told you folks about a largely non-SF/fantasy novel of mine called “Spoken Word,” and my inability to sell it because it’s largely non-SF/fantasy. I put out an open call for any editors who might be reading it to send me an inquiry at padguy@aol.com and I’d send them the entire MS.

Number of editors to respond: zero.

I’m taking one more shot at it, and including Chapter Two below. If I still continue to get no response, I’ll self-publish it through Crazy 8. For those who enjoyed Chapter One, enjoy:

Continue Reading “Are You a Book Editor Reading This? (Second and Last Attempt)” →

So thanks mostly to the efforts of the “Axanar” people, the guys who raised a million bucks to produce a “Star Trek” based film which resulted in a lawsuit, Paramount has now issued specific guidelines for anyone who wants to make a Trek fan film. And naturally fans are unhappy about it.

My response?

You guys are dámņëd lucky.

When I was producing a “Star Trek” fanzine back in the 1970s, Paramount issued a decree: No one could write “Star Trek” fanfic. It was copyright infringement, plain and simple, and not to be allowed. At one convention I attended, Paramount lawyers actually came into the dealer’s room and confiscated peoples’ fanzines from right off their tables.

The fact that they loosened up to the degree that they have should be something fan filmmakers should feel dámņëd grateful for. You want to make fan films about space adventures but you don’t like the Paramount decrees? Fine. Create your own dámņëd characters and universe and do whatever the hëll you want. You own the copyright and have the ability to tell any kind of story for however long you want. That’s my advice. Otherwise live with it.

PAD

While we were in Washington DC for Awesome Con (which was quite close to being Awesome, although that is an overused word) we went to the White House and filmed an ad for the website of the National Park Service.

Here it is.

PAD

The chances are spectacular that you have not heard of Lorna Kelly. For the vast majority of you, there is no reason that you would have. Lorna was an auctioneer who worked for Sotheby’s for a time–one of the first female fine arts auctioneers in the world–and she recently died of a stroke at the age of 70.

The reason that the David family knew her was because every year for over a decade, she was the auctioneer at the Broadway Bears charity auction sponsored by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Every year she would coax and cajole individuals into bidding ridiculous amounts of money for bears that had been lovingly costumed in exact replicas of Broadway character outfits. But that was hardly the extent of her life. She treated AIDS patients in Calcutta working with Mother Teresa. According to the NY Times, “She also traveled to Senegal, where she vaccinated thousands of children. In Cairo, she ministered to impoverished residents of a vast garbage dump; she likewise served the poor in Jordan, Gaza and the Bronx.” To say she led a well-rounded life is to understate it, and we were privileged to have met her and spent time with her.

PAD

Hi. Glenn Hauman here, itinerant webmaster, hijacking the blog to tell you that Peter David also has a story in the upcoming Crazy 8 Press anthology, Altered States Of The Union, debuting July 15th at Shore Leave and then available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the like shortly thereafter.

We’re taking pre-orders now, and Peter’s in the excellent company of writers like Russ Colchamiro, Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Brendan DuBois, Malon Edwards, G.D. Falksen • Michael Jan Friedman, David Gerrold, Robert Greenberger, Alisa Kwitney, Gordon Linzner, Sarah McGill, Meredith Peruzzi, Mackenzie Reide, Aaron Rosenberg, David Silverman & Hildy Silverman, Ian Randal Strock, Ramón Terrell, Anne Toole… and me.

To give you a taste of the book, here’s a snippet of Peter’s story…

In the year 1958, when Alaska was being considered for statehood, Texas governor Price Daniel strenuously objected. His reasoning was quite simple: He did not want there to be a state larger than Texas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower became so tired of Daniel’s protests that he threatened him. He told Daniel that if he did not shut up, he would divide Alaska in half, and there would be two states larger than Texas.

Daniel refused to stop complaining, not taking Eisenhower seriously.

He should have done so.

Eisenhower did exactly that and on January 3, 1959, North Alaska and South Alaska were officially declared states of the Union.

They did not get on well. There was peace between them, but an uneasy peace, and it was certainly not helped by the fact that the majority of the populace wielded guns. A frontier mentality gripped the separated regions and it slowly devolved over time. Since the two states were so far removed from the continental United States, no one really cared.

And then a new governor made it a lot worse, and it descended into war.

Want to see more? Go support Altered States Of The Union now!

 

If so, I have written a book that might interest you.

It’s hardly my first. I’ve had over a hundred published, including some NY Times Bestsellers. But this one is different. It’s not SF or fantasy. And I can’t seem to sell it.

Does it have a fantasy element? It might; that’s subjective to the reader.

But apparently that’s confusing to the editors who have read it thus far. SF editors apparently feel it’s not SF enough. Non-SF editors either don’t bother to read it because it’s from Peter David, the SF/fantasy guy. Or they reject it with conflicting responses: one said it was too humorous, a second said it wasn’t humorous enough. Helpful things like that.

I didn’t want to publish it via Crazy 8 Press because I don’t consider it fantasy, but your mileage may vary. If you are interested in reading it, please write to me at padguy@aol.com and I will shoot you a copy. The title is “Spoken Word” and it’s about a comedian whose son never speaks a word…until a very unusual woman enters their lives and changes that.

Here is the first chapter:

Continue Reading “Are You a Book Editor Reading This?” →

A Muslim sympathizer killed fifty people in Florida. Enough is enough. Time to ban Muslims.

Also, James Wesley Howell of Indiana was arrested for driving to California with the intention of blowing up people celebrating gay pride. Far as I know, he’s Christian. So we’d better ban Christians, too. As a matter of fact, we need to build a wall around Indiana since they’re obviously dangerous.

But don’t ban guns. Mustn’t touch those.

PAD

Updated 8:47 on June 14: This. Right here.