Space Oddity

Other than my wife, Chris Hadfield is the coolest Canadian to ever live.

Truly, a rock star who is totally out of this world.

I Get Off On Submitting My Rejected Stories

Yep. Just like the post title says. 

Big time.

I like challenges. A lot. And more than any challenge, I really enjoy trying to sell my newly rejected stories to another magazine. I get an adrenaline rush from it. 

Seriously. 

For me, it's the perfect challenge: the odds for acceptance are not in my favor, and I have just about two paragraphs (for the kinder ones, a page) to hook a slush reader/editor before they reject my story. 

What warm-blooded, competitive person wouldn't get off on that?

Yesterday, Crowded Magazine rejected a story of mine, but I've already made some changes to it with the plan to send it out into the world again in the next few days (if not tonight). 

Challenge accepted.

Oh, and next month when the submission period opens again for Crowded, I'll be submitting another story.

Double challenge accepted. 

This is nothing personal against Crowded Magazine, any other magazine, or editors and slush readers. This is all about becoming better at the craft of writing. I take the feedback I've been given on my rejected story, apply it to my writing, and come out with an improved and sharper piece.

We all deal with rejection(s) in our own unique way. This is how I deal with mine.

Might as well have a little fun with it along the way, right?

Always Be Prepared

Just a matter of time. 

FUNKY HISTORY: Building the world and characters of my Steamfunk story

cover art by Marcellus Shane Jackson

In 2004, I decided to set all of my science fiction stories (that's all I was writing back then) in Chicago, my hometown.  I made that decision for a few different reasons:

·         My wife (who is Canadian) and I had just moved with our one-year-old daughter to the Greater Toronto Area  after teaching English in Japan for three years. My wife had taught mostly in Tokyo, and I'd taught in its far-flung northeastern suburbs.

·         I was homesick. I hadn't spent more than a few months in Chicago the previous five years. Immediately after I graduated from college, and before I went to Japan, I moved to Montana for two years to work as a youth development coordinator with AmeriCorps VISTA. 

·         And I'd just read Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring, set in Toronto, and re-read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, set in Los Angeles. Obviously, I was (and still am) fascinated with dystopian stories.

So what does all of this have to do with steamfunk and world-building? Well, I wanted to big up my hometown in my stories. I wanted to build my Chicago based on my experiences.

Nalo Hopkinson and Octavia Butler had incorporated Toronto and Los Angeles so smoothly into their novels that I was inspired to do the same with Chicago. Besides, it wasn't like there were a slew of speculative fiction stories out there featuring Chicago.
  
But as I started to write my stories, I found it difficult to use Chicago as my setting. I'd been away for too long. Chicago had changed a lot in those five years. It was hard to ground myself there while living in Canada.

And then I got a job in Chicago, and my family and I moved to the Northwest Side. I'd never lived there before. I still didn't feel grounded.

So I went back to my roots. 

I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Jeffrey Manor to be exact. Affectionately, we call it 'The Manor'. 

(Don't let the name fool you, though. While it may sound a bit bou'gie, The Manor is anything but that. It's not Cabrini-Green, either, though.)

My moms was one of the millions of African Americans who went North from Down South during the Great Migration. She came to Chicago from Mississippi (by way of New Orleans) because her older brother had done so years earlier and found a good job. 

That was my personal history, and I wanted to incorporate it into my stories. That pride to fictionalize my history had also been inspired by Brown Girl in the Ring. Nalo Hopkinson's use of West Indian/Caribbean culture in that novel and in Midnight Robber fascinated me to no end. 

I wanted my stories to be just as interesting, just as rich, and just as personal as hers.

And now, almost ten years later, I think I'm on the right track.

Petal McQueen, the main character of "Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules", my short story in the Steamfunk! anthology, is a mix of my moms and my one of my more colorful aunts.

Petal's attitude is all my aunt. But her way of speaking, her word choice, is mostly my moms. 

My moms still calls bad-ass kids 'no-good chaps'. 

She, along with a fair number of people I know from Down South, still says, 'I'll whoop you like you stole a Mississippi mule.' 

And one of her favorite sayings is, 'Now between you, me, and the fence post...' 

All of that characterization made it into my story. All of that characterization gives Petal McQueen and the steamfunk world I built in "Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules" some breadth and life. 

And all of that characterization made this story so fun to write.

Here are some of the other contributors to the Steamfunk! anthology who share their experiences writing, reading and living steamfunk:

Milton Davis – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com  andwww.wagadu.ning.com .

Ray Dean – Growing up in Hawaii, Ray Dean had the opportunity to enjoy nearly every culture under the sun. The Steamfunk Anthology was an inspiration she couldn't pass up. Ray can be reached at http://www.raydean.net/.

Valjeanne Jeffers – is an editor and the author of the SF/fantasy novels: Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend and Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds and The Switch: Clockwork. Visit her at: http://valjeanne.wordpress.com andhttp://qandvaffordableediting.blogspot.com/.

Rebecca M. Kyle – With a birthday on Friday 13, it's only natural that the author is fascinated with myths, legends, and oddities of all kinds. Ms. Kyle lives with her husband, four cats, and more rocks and books than she cares to count between the Smokies and Cumberland mountains. Visit her at http://bexboox13.blogspot.com/.

Carole McDonnell – is a writer of Christian, supernatural, and ethnic stories. Her writings appear in various anthologies, including So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonialism in Science Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson; Jigsaw Nation; and Life Spices from Seasoned Sistahs: Writings by Mature Women of Color among others. Her reviews appear in print and at various online sites. Her novels are the Christian speculative fiction, Wind Follower, and The Constant Tower. Her Bible study is called: Seeds of Bible Study.   Her website is http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/.

Balogun Ojetade – Author of the bestselling “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” (non-fiction), “Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman” (Steamfunk); “Once Upon A Time in Afrika” (Sword and Soul); “Redeemer” (Urban Fantasy) and the film, “A Single Link” and “Rite of Passage”. Finally, he is Co-Author of “Ki-Khanga: The Anthology” and Co-Editor of “Steamfunk!” Visit him:http://chroniclesofharriet.com/.

Hannibal Tabu – is a writer, a storyteller, and by god, a fan. He has written the novels, “The Crown: Ascenscion” and “Faraway” and the upcoming scifi political thriller “Rogue Nation”. He is currently the co-owner and editor-in-chief of Black geek website Komplicated at the Good Men Project, and uses his Operative Network website (www.operative.net) to publish his poetry, market what he's doing, rant at the world and emit strangled cries for help.

Geoffrey Thorne – Geoffrey Thorne has written a lot of stuff in a lot of venues and will be writing more in more. It's his distinct pleasure to take part in another of these groundbreaking anthologies. Thanks for letting me roll with you folks. For more (and God knows why you'd want more) check out http://www.geoffreythorne.com/.

I AM A STEAMFUNKATEER! Why I write and read Steamfunk

cover art by Marcellus Shane Jackson

Three years ago, I was all about steampunk. So was the entire science fiction/fantasy genre, it seemed. 

People were writing steampunk novels like they were going out of style. And they might have, had steampunk not become the movement it is. I talked a little about that here.

But as much as I liked steampunk back then, I wasn't ready to write steampunk short stories, yet. I had just barely wrapped my head around writing fantasy, which was a huge leap forward for me and my writing career.

I wrote my first short story when I was 11 years old. I'd always identified myself as a science fiction short story writer.  Writing fantasy felt so alien to me (yeah, I can be punny when I want). Sci-fi and cyberpunk were my comfort zones.

And then, a little over three years ago, Purple Zoe  said she was putting together a black fae anthology. I was intrigued. I'd never heard of black fae, let alone read a story with one as a character. 

To this day, I can't remember how it happened, but somehow I came up with an idea of a coal-dust faery  who granted the poor and downtrodden coal dust—the black gold that moved the gears of my steampunk world. 

Check that. Steamfunk world. 

Though the term hadn't been coined in 2009 (at least, I don't think it was), my short story was definitely steamfunk. Just look at my worldbuilding:

My protagonist, Bijou LaVoix, is a twelve-year-old Louisiana Creole girl who has just moved to Chicago with her mother. 

My coal-dust faery, Asha, is a beautiful shade of ebony. 

And nearly every child in my steamfunk world has some sort of steam-powered prosthetic or steam-powered enhancement because a polio epidemic has ravaged Chicago. Bijou has a steam clock heart. 

Writing "Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery" was one of the most enjoyable writing experiences I had—in a long time. I'd taken a sub-genre I liked, flipped the script, and made it mine. 

My steamfunked Chicago reflected my heritage and my background: 

Like Bijou's mother, my mother was born in Mississippi  moved to Louisiana, and then migrated north to Chicago. Like Bijou, I was a latch-key kid. Like Bijou, I took public transit to school (not a steam locomotive, but look hard enough, and you'll find one in Chicago). And like Bijou, I also had a very small, core group of friends in elementary school.

So it made sense for me to submit a story to the Steamfunk! anthology.

Steamfunk is me. I am steamfunk.

I can't help but write it.


Here are some of the other contributors to the Steamfunk! anthology who share their experiences writing, reading and living steamfunk:

Milton Davis – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com  andwww.wagadu.ning.com .

Ray Dean – Growing up in Hawaii, Ray Dean had the opportunity to enjoy nearly every culture under the sun. The Steamfunk Anthology was an inspiration she couldn't pass up. Ray can be reached at http://www.raydean.net/.

Malon Edwards – Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Malon Edwards now lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Much of his speculative fiction features people of color and is set in his hometown. Malon can be reached ateastofmars.blogspot.com.

Valjeanne Jeffers – Valjeanne Jeffers is the author of Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, The Switch II: Clockwork and Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds Visit her at http://www.facebook.com/l/GAQHync5dAQELhG-ZYioznHu4XdpmGVjPHLVMOi5sqNSNbg/valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://www.facebook.com/l/oAQGmdGxgAQEg4FxO57Ot1Tb-0vW-XEdGEjPA4IMSKsJxmQ/www.vjeffersandqveal.com

Rebecca M. Kyle – With a birthday on Friday 13, it's only natural that the author is fascinated with myths, legends, and oddities of all kinds. Ms. Kyle lives with her husband, four cats, and more rocks and books than she cares to count between the Smokies and Cumberland mountains. Visit her at http://bexboox13.blogspot.com/.

Carole McDonnell – is a writer of Christian, supernatural, and ethnic stories. Her writings appear in various anthologies, including So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonialism in Science Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson; Jigsaw Nation; and Life Spices from Seasoned Sistahs: Writings by Mature Women of Color among others. Her reviews appear in print and at various online sites. Her novels are the Christian speculative fiction, Wind Follower, and The Constant Tower. Her Bible study is called: Seeds of Bible Study.   Her website is http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/.

Balogun Ojetade – Author of the bestselling “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” (non-fiction), “Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman” (Steamfunk); “Once Upon A Time in Afrika” (Sword and Soul); “Redeemer” (Urban Fantasy) and the film, “A Single Link” and “Rite of Passage”. Finally, he is Co-Author of “Ki-Khanga: The Anthology” and Co-Editor of “Steamfunk!” Visit him:http://chroniclesofharriet.com/.

Hannibal Tabu – is a writer, a storyteller, and by god, a fan. He has written the novels, “The Crown: Ascenscion” and “Faraway” and the upcoming scifi political thriller “Rogue Nation”. He is currently the co-owner and editor-in-chief of Black geek website Komplicated at the Good Men Project, and uses his Operative Network website (www.operative.net) to publish his poetry, market what he's doing, rant at the world and emit strangled cries for help.

Geoffrey Thorne – Geoffrey Thorne has written a lot of stuff in a lot of venues and will be writing more in more. It's his distinct pleasure to take part in another of these groundbreaking anthologies. Thanks for letting me roll with you folks. For more (and God knows why you'd want more) check out http://www.geoffreythorne.com/.

Steamfunk! Anthology - Table of Contents

cover art by Marcellus Shane

Yesterday, I mentioned the Steamfunk! anthology has been released, and I'm part of a week-long (give or take) blog tour discussing the anthology and the newly coined sub-genre.

Below is the Table of Contents for the anthology (which includes my story, "Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules"), with links to the contributors' pages. Check out their pages and what they have to say about steamfunk.

I assure you there will be diverse and interesting discussions going on.  

Steamfunk! Anthology - Table of Contents:

Ronald T. Jones  – Benjamin’s Freedom Magic

Malon Edwards – Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules

Hannibal Tabu – The Sharp Knife of a Short Life

P. Djeli Clark – Men in Black

Geoffrey Thorne – The Tunnel at the End of Light

Ray Dean – A Will of Iron

Kochava Greene – The Refuge

Carole McDonnell – Oh, Western Wind

Rebecca McFarland Kyle – Once a Spider

Josh Reynolds – The Lion Hunters

Melvin Carter – Tough Night in Tommyville

Valjeanne Jeffers – The Switch

Balogun Ojetade – Rite of Passage: Blood and Iron

Milton Davis – The Delivery

The STEAMFUNK ANTHOLOGY: What – and Why – It Is

cover art by Marcellus Shane

On February 20, two of the hardest working independent editors in the business - Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade - released the Steamfunk! anthology under Milton's MVmedia Publishing. 

I'm pleased to say my short story, "Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules", is included in the table of contents.

Now, some of you may be asking yourselves, 'What exactly is steamfunk? I've never heard of that.' Well, before we define it, let's start with steampunk. 

 For many, steampunk is an idea, a movement, a political statement, a lifestyle, a style of dress, or a way of life. Wikipedia, that venerable source of information we know and love, defines steampunk as:  

"a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are often set in an alternate history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power." 

No matter how you view or define steampunk, this sub-genre of speculative fiction has definitely transcended literature these past few years. 

Google 'steampunk', and you'll find numerous links for steampunk clothing and jewelry (especially on Etsy), steampunk societies (both real world and virtual), and, of course, steampunk literature.

What you won't find much of is people of color.

That's where steamfunk comes in.

But you say, 'Wait. What about the movie Wild Wild West? It has Will Smith, Selma Hayek, and that huge steam-powered spider. And if you google steampunk and click through far enough, you'll find some dapper brothers wearing bowler hats and vests and some fine sister wearing corsets and riding boots.' 

And you're right. 

But steampunk literature often marginalizes or overlooks people of color. We aren't the main characters. The nuances of our societies aren't depicted in detail, if at all. In short, we're noticeably absent.

Which is why the Steamfunk! anthology was created.

Wikipedia won't give you a steamfunk definition, but Balogun defines it as:

"...as a person, style of dress or subgenre of fiction that seeks to bring together elements of blaxploitation films and merge it with that of Steampunk fiction...a philosophy or style of writing that combines the African and/or African American culture and approach to life with that of the steampunk philosophy and/or steampunk fiction."

And that's a good, solid start for this new movement. 

Below are some the writers with stories in the Steamfunk! anthology. Over the next week or so, they will also discuss on their blogs the anthology, what steamfunk is, and what steamfunk means to them. 

Check them out for more insight into steamfunk and their own work. 

Milton Davis – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com  andwww.wagadu.ning.com .

Ray Dean – Growing up in Hawaii, Ray Dean had the opportunity to enjoy nearly every culture under the sun. The Steamfunk Anthology was an inspiration she couldn't pass up. Ray can be reached at http://www.raydean.net/.

Malon Edwards – Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Malon Edwards now lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Much of his speculative fiction features people of color and is set in his hometown. Malon can be reached ateastofmars.blogspot.com.

Valjeanne Jeffers – Valjeanne Jeffers is the author of Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, The Switch II: Clockwork and Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds Visit her at http://www.facebook.com/l/GAQHync5dAQELhG-ZYioznHu4XdpmGVjPHLVMOi5sqNSNbg/valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://www.facebook.com/l/oAQGmdGxgAQEg4FxO57Ot1Tb-0vW-XEdGEjPA4IMSKsJxmQ/www.vjeffersandqveal.com

Rebecca M. Kyle – With a birthday on Friday 13, it's only natural that the author is fascinated with myths, legends, and oddities of all kinds. Ms. Kyle lives with her husband, four cats, and more rocks and books than she cares to count between the Smokies and Cumberland mountains. Visit her at http://bexboox13.blogspot.com/.

Carole McDonnell – is a writer of Christian, supernatural, and ethnic stories. Her writings appear in various anthologies, including So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonialism in Science Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson; Jigsaw Nation; and Life Spices from Seasoned Sistahs: Writings by Mature Women of Color among others. Her reviews appear in print and at various online sites. Her novels are the Christian speculative fiction, Wind Follower, and The Constant Tower. Her Bible study is called: Seeds of Bible Study.   Her website is http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/.

Balogun Ojetade – Author of the bestselling “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” (non-fiction), “Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman” (Steamfunk); “Once Upon A Time in Afrika” (Sword and Soul); “Redeemer” (Urban Fantasy) and the film, “A Single Link” and “Rite of Passage”. Finally, he is Co-Author of “Ki-Khanga: The Anthology” and Co-Editor of “Steamfunk!” Visit him:http://chroniclesofharriet.com/.

Hannibal Tabu – is a writer, a storyteller, and by god, a fan. He has written the novels, “The Crown: Ascenscion” and “Faraway” and the upcoming scifi political thriller “Rogue Nation”. He is currently the co-owner and editor-in-chief of Black geek website Komplicated at the Good Men Project, and uses his Operative Network website (www.operative.net) to publish his poetry, market what he's doing, rant at the world and emit strangled cries for help.

Geoffrey Thorne – Geoffrey Thorne has written a lot of stuff in a lot of venues and will be writing more in more. It's his distinct pleasure to take part in another of these groundbreaking anthologies. Thanks for letting me roll with you folks. For more (and God knows why you'd want more) check out http://www.geoffreythorne.com/.