The fruit of a lot of labor from some very talented people (and me too!) has produced the first edition of O.T.H.E.R. Sci Fi Magazine, a Journal dedicated to the promotion and review of speculative fiction, horror, fantasy, science fiction and fantasy that have world-building and inclusiveness at their center.
We invite you to take a tour and to consider contributing, joining the staff or submitting your works for review!
O.T.H.E.R. SCI FI THE MAGAZINE
Join the Facebook event here - https://www.facebook.com/events/350703228408079/?notif_t=plan_user_joined
Since Where the Monsters Are came out it has gotten six 5-star reviews! It's on pace to be the most well-reviewed story I've ever written! So to say thanks, I'd like to give away 6 copies. All you have to do is tell me about a childhood encounter with an under-your-bed or in-your-closet type of monster. I'll pick the six I like best and post them on my site. And in case you'd like to check it out, here's the link to the eBook! http://amzn.to/1aYa92y
 |
| Source: Link below |
Download a copy of Where the Monsters Are for only $0.99 - http://amzn.to/1aYa92y. Join the Facebook Giveaway Event!
I'm truly surprised. This is probably the best response I've gotten to any of my books. I'd written Where the Monsters Are way back in 2006, maybe even earlier and shelved it because I didn't like it. But I chanced across it, read it again and thought it only had 'potential'.
Since I only had it in hard copy I had to scan it and re-type the stuff Adobe Reader didn't recognize (which gave me an opportunity to edit) and when I came to the ending which actually was bad, I changed it, then changed it again.
What a difference a little a few years makes. Check out CM Briggs' review!
Actually, the reverse of the cliche is true: It's no fun writing a rave review especially if the reviewer wants to work in the same genre as the author. Folks, don't read this stuff! Gerald, get's writer's cramp or blocked or something because this one's so good that it's scary on many levels.
It's difficult to discus a short story (not quite a novelette by my word count, but why split hairs?) in any detail lest you ruin it for the reader. I can tell you that "Where the Monsters Are" is metaphorical little gem of a fright, ambiguous enough to keep you guessing long after you've finished reading and yet immdiately accessible. I agree with the reviewer above who states that you want to go back and reread it a few times to get the full flavor, all of the psychological nuances, of the work. So, not to put you off, let me tell you that there is substance here. This isn't pretentious in a college, lit class kind of thing written to impress a girlfriend, but an intellectually stimulating and yet emotionally gripping to challange you.) The basic story is vivid and well written enough to keep you reading up until the end as the problems escalate and the narrator's life gradually goes to to Hell - maybe. Then again, it could be his mind. Nicely done. "Where the Monsters Are" is a perfectly balanced outing from a rising star. If this guy doesn't end up anthologized along with some of the big, big guns in the horror field.... well, there just isn't any justice in this world..
There are a hundred, masterful touches here as Gerald builds the suspense, from the initial appearance of "The Man in Black" in the narrator's favorite coffee shop to several rather cool Raymond Chandler style turns of phrases. When the bad guy's assistant is introduced part of the description reads: "a smile that should have been sexy but wasn't." Just enough.
Right now this is a Lindle "dollar baby" and cheap at half the price. It's no fluke. There's real talent at work here. I've seen an advance of the author's newest, "Dead Pictures." The concept is killer, the execution, even in its unfinished state, chilling.
This is a talent to watch.
There are many things that an artist can do to fulfill himself, paint, drawing, storyboarding, etc.
I have always been fond of the Dr. Seuss books, even unto this day and wanted to illustrate
something that would be just as unique as his titles.
I think this is it.
My Father Found Bin Laden is about following the humorous misadventures of a young
girl who adores her father who is a navy doctor and wishes for him to come home
dearly... but first Bin Laden must be found.
Yes, indeed... he must.
Brought to you by Window Sill Children's Book headed by writer Donna Matthews.
She has received a BA in Social Work from Morgan State University and a Masters in Fine Arts from the American Film institute. Donna is a strong advocate for children and cares about the issues children must contend with on a daily basis. The Window Sill Children’s Series was created to give children a voice. Many of these generations’ children are dealing with abandonment issues.
For me as an artist, this is a goldmine for creativity... since I have been assigned to illustrated
all six titles in the series.
I hope that you will find this children's literature interesting enough to pick up a copy
at amazon.com... or tell your friends about it. Here is the link below.
Download a copy of my latest story, Where the Monsters Are. It already has six 5-star reviews and is only $0.99!
Like many other authors last month, I accepted the NaNoWriMo challenge last month. And like many of those authors, I fell way short of my goal. Part of the problem was not seeing how much I was writing. Sure, I could check my word count, but that wasn't really putting it in the proper perspective for me.
So I wanted to pick up from where I fell down miserably sometime in mid-November (approximately 7,000 words). I've already espoused the virtues of Google Drive and writing with your smart phone. Now while I'm currently having some issues with writing on my smart phone, it's still beats the hell out of writing in a notebook and transcribing later.
I wanted something more concrete for me, a definite means of seeing exactly where I was and how much further I have to go. So I created a spreadsheet to do just that. This is my actual spreadsheet, titled Goals. Feel free to look it over and if you think it might be of use to you, copy it for yourself.
 |
| Source: Link below |
There are many reasons why the nations of Africa should set aside their religious conflicts, invite the African Diaspora to return home, create a common currency and go to the Moon. India just launched a probe to Mars. The Chinese are planning a space station and an effort to put a base on the Moon. The Western powers are retooling to reach out to the distant moons of Jupiter and Saturn. There is even talk of colonizing Venus and building cloud cities. The Japanese seek to go to Earth's moon and build a power station to beam electricity back to our planet. International corporations have formed collaborations to go into deep space and capture asteroids that can be mined for metals and minerals as well as precious water valuable for fuel and breathing.
Space agencies exist on every continent except Antarctica. However, if there is a race to the Moon, or any moon, sadly, Africa is sitting in the bleachers in the cheap seats watching other players commit to winning. But that could change dramatically, once Black people are inspired to setting higher goals in today's rapidly evolving global society.
There is an entire solar system within our grasp to explore and exploit (hopefully, there will be no intelligent life that we abuse). Incredible possibilities exist. But how do we influence farmers, fishermen, bus drivers, students, housewives, and dictators to focus on the big bright orb that we see almost every night.
We can use science fiction to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to set their sights on a lofty goal. We need stories. We need movies. We need music and art. An effort to establish a base on the moon would create millions of jobs (or at least thousands). The technologies developed would greatly benefit all people. We are talking more than just making space juice such as Tang. But we have to inspire people to think bigger-- there is more than one moon, there is more than one dream.
This is the breakdown of planets with moons (but subject to change as humans stretch out into their local solar neighborhood).
Mercury and Venus-0.
Earth-1
Mars-2
Jupiter-63
Saturn-60
Uranus-27
Neptune-13
Pluto which has been demoted from full planet status to dwarf planet has five moons. And Pluto sits on the edge of the solar system where there are billions of orbiting bodies possessing the riches of the universe.
I haven't read or reviewed it yet, but we need more tales like this to help Africa go to the moon.
More at: Science.NASA.gov
 |
| An Oscillating Graphene Drum. Source: Link below |
Physics World: Nanomechanical FM transistor is smallest yet
One of the things that stands out as the deliminator between great fiction and mediocre fiction is the ability to build credible worlds.
Building a credible world is more than a sweet premise, like say Vampire Ninjas who wear awesome reflective ninja suits (Ed. Sparkly Ninja Vampire Boyfriend: coming soon from Moorsgate Media). A credible world starts from a reasonable (or not so) premise, and then builds a realistic world around that premise. Credibility in world building comes from making the incredible credible.
If upon reading your story or your game plot summary, your testers keep telling you "I don't understand why Ninja Vampire Lestapolizes would rebel against the Triamphumphrate of Zoldan?" then you have a credibility problem.
However, solutions to the credibility problem are easier than you think. One of the reasons that A Song of Fire and Ice is so popular is that the author has taken a fairly fantastic premise and built a credible world around that premise. Sure, dragons and ice zombies are fairly fantastic notions. However, backstabbing alliances of rich people, wars over rightful succession, and the obligations of a liberating power, are all credible everyday topics. GRRM has explained that most of his source material comes from "The War of the Roses" a 15th century British civil war. GRRM added fantastical elements to a historically supported story and wound up with a massive hit that has spawned a hit TV show and a legion of fans giving Tolkien a run for his money.
While not everyone's story will take off like GRRM's, there is no reason to not explore the possibility of using a historical platform to tell an ahistorical story. Human history, written and oral, is full of tales of heroes and villains and political machinations. A story can not be hurt by researching a historical event that has parallels to the world you are building.
Writing a zombie apocalypse story? Check our the Black Death for inspiration. What did people do when faced with the seemingly realistic proposition of the end of the world? Alien invasion? Look to the Macaque, the Sioux, the Taliban (depeding on your character's POV).
The world building process does not have to take place in a vacuum. Science Fiction is built on historical allegories, there is no reason to abandon that path. If you are finding that your world isn't credible, motivations are murky, check to history, and it might provide the future.
reprinted from:
Site: www.moorsgatemedia.blogspot.com
Twitter: Moorsgate
 |
| Source. Note: not an advertisement for the movie |
 |
| Simply Psychology |
 |
| Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs |
"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
Proofreading is a necessity for any writer.
And you should proof to the best of your (and the Internet’s) ability before you send it to anyone else to read. Even your Beta readers or your Mom. They may not say anything but they’ll notice.
What is proofreading? It’s checking the basics. Are the words spelled correctly? Is it the right version on the word (to, too, two for example). Has a word been left out of a sentence?
Maybe you used a word you didn’t mean. Sometimes spellchecking programs will not catch these. Especially if you leave the “l” out of the word public. Cringe.
It happens, even after you’ve read over your own work ten (or more) times. You’ve looked at this piece over and over again and your brain is filling in the words that you meant to write. That’s why I recommend you find someone else to proofread for you.
Your proofer should catch oversights like these for you before your work goes to print. If you’re proofreading for yourself, give your eyes (and your brain) a break from looking at the same text it just created.
How much time? It varies from a few hours to a few weeks. In my opinion for the best results, you need to fill that time with something non-writing related.
I’ve had my work go to an editor and then to a proofer. They each knew the lines of their duties and didn’t cross them. But some presses have one person that does both.
When it comes to some vanity presses, you’re one your own because the publisher tells you upfront that your work will not go through a proofing process before it goes to print. Same goes if you’re self-publishing. If you find yourself responsible for your own for proofreading your work, read and re-read the text or ask a friend that will be honest with you to read it.
A friend commented once during a writer’s dinner out: “Get someone to read your work that doesn’t like you and hasn’t slept with you.” (Well, he didn’t use the word “slept” but I have to edit myself before I put these posts up. But more on editing in the next segment.)
But I agree to a certain extent. Find a proofreader that won’t hold back on their corrections. Even if the paper fills up with red ink or the screen gets overloaded with tracked changes. And don’t be offended or discouraged if your work is returned to you that way.
It may save you from having your mistakes seen in “pubic”.
Pick up a copy of Where the Monsters are here. I will let the review speak for itself:
By Keith Milstead
Gerald Dean Rice’s novelette WHERE THE MONSTERS ARE so befuddled me the first time I read it that I believed I should read it again. Not to say it was anything but genius, it was. I just kept feeling the need to reread Mr. Rice’s journey into madness. Upon my first reading, I looked at Mr. Rice’s story at face value, a man’s journey through the rabbit hole where he meets people who think they know him from the past and then begin showing up again and again, affecting his life by going as far and destroying a co-workers career and killing another. His journey is diluted by the fear he will kill his wife and destroying his life.Now, if I had chosen to stop there, it would have been like eating the cherry off a cake but not eating the cake. I am not even sure Mr. Rice had this deeper meaning that I perceived because as a nightmare story, this tale would have been sufficient and well worth the price of admittance. Instead, I read it again and as I moved through the main character’s nightmarish journey, I, being a long time student of clinical psychology began to see the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder and the horrible influences that this disease has on people.
I cannot be sure that this is what Mr. Rice wrote about but it is how his work influenced me. People affected by schizoaffective disorder experience strange thoughts and perceptions along with paranoid thoughts and ideas. This is definitely what the mind of our main character, Gerald Parsons, seems to be filled with. A victim of schizoaffective disorder experiences delusions, hallucinations, a manic mood as well as thoughts of homicide and suicide. People who are affected by this disorder also have problems with attention and memory and display behavior at the extreme ends of the normal spectrum. My first clue that Gerald is being treated for something is indicated when he takes medication of an unknown type and that he has seen a psychiatrist before.
I will not reveal any more of this story and plot line because Gerald Dean Rice is a master story teller and you should obtain this e-book to fully enjoy a story that works so well on so many levels. Reading it through the second time is where I let my imagination open up and gained a whole new since of Mr. Rice’s story. So to me, it was like reading two different stories with the same characters. This is an incredible book, an incredible story and an awesome journey into madness. I cannot recommend this book any more than I have.
Literally, buy this book and figuratively, get your mind blown! Kudos Mr. Rice, kudos!
Is it the same for you? I was remembering the dude called "Face" in "The A Team". Total character immersion was his stick and I wondered if he was going to come out of it. He would even select a character before the mission started which seemed a psychic choosing and necessary down the line.
Although I don't do character design, I do put myself in the room when I am imagining a house design or a piece of art. It seems essential to be in that "space" to explore the spiritual dimensions before I commit to physical form. And it is kind of out of whack with all this virtual reality, because I can fully realize an idea in a virtual form and be satisfied enough as to not desire to see it in physical form. Now I can imagine, sketch it flatly, draw it in 3d and walk around and through it. The drawing is not real but I can get enough cues to realize the great possibility of materialization. Easy on a desktop model, overwhelming engineering feat in sticks and stone.
Writers never seem to get this bent. They are used to visualizing a character and watching it come to life in the story. The extra layer of having to materialize a form in this dimension, this material plane is a great stress. I design a house, no I formulate the idea of a house, do a drawing of it. The first comments I get are "that's cool, what are you going to do with it?" and "are you going to build it?" Of course now I'm full of anguish, I do not have the means to materialize this idea. I feel a rush of urgency followed by a weight of inability. I move on to the next idea, the next design because it is easier and more economically sound to imagine.
Maybe we are all like this in our perspective roles, playing characters with all seriousness, immersed to the point no one can doubt our sincerity. They even hope for you, push you to the characters goal. Now I really don't care much if the thing becomes a pale physical reality, the glory is in having the vision, can you see what I am seeing. I try really hard to illustrate it so that you see it too. There is not enough time in one life to realize all the dreams. Don't you see dreaming is the reality? And we all take on the myths and legends and hero personalities, immersing ourselves to follow paths in guises, dipping our souls in paint to color our canvases uniquely.
Total character immersion is our stick and I wondered if we are going to come out of it. We even select our life's character before our mission started which seems a psychic choosing and necessary down the line.
CalTech: Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume III: Quantum Mechanics
Feynman-Leighton-Sands
