Postcards of the Week: Churches in Fort Wayne, Indiana, circa 1915

Today's postcards are from Fort Wayne around 1915.  The date is just an estimate, and they could be a bit older, though it's doubtful they're any younger than that.

First off, we have a view of the First Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Clinton Street and Washington Street:

Here's another postcard of the same church, only a different distance. 

And here is the Wayne Street Methodist Episcopal Church:

Postcards of the week: Nara, Japan

Today I'm sharing five postcards from Nara, Japan, taken sometime during the first decade of the 20^th Century.  First up we have a look at Daibutsuden Temple:

Next is a look at Nigatsudo of Tdaiji Temple:

And here's a pagoda:

This is Sarusawa Pond:

And we wrap it up with a look at the Wakamiya Shinto Shrine:

My Publishing Philosophy

Believe it or not, it has been 1 year since MartinusPublishing's first multi-author anthology came out, and it has been almost 2 years since I first started reading submissions for that inaugural release of The Temporal Element.  I have to say, it has been a slow and steady ride so far.  I've had the pleasure to meet a lot of really talented and entertaining writers, and I've had the sadder job of turning down some others.  Overall, the job of being an Editor has met my expectations, and very little has surprised me.  It helped having spent many years beforehand on the other side of the coin, writing, marketing, and working with Editors to release several of my books.  This invaluable experience showed me the way, and let me know that I could take on the responsibilities of running a small press.

Of course, starting out, I had zero capital, and I still can't boast of having a big war chest.  That first anthology offered contributors a "token" payment, in the form of a silver Mercury Dime and a Buffalo Nickel per story (though I offered a few dollars via paypal for foreign contributors, due to international postage rates).  This was a novel concept, which the contributing authors enjoyed, though a couple of non-submitters actually wrote me nasty letters, saying I was ripping people off.  Apparently, if you can't afford to pay "professional" rates, you might as well not be in business, as far as some arrogant writers are concerned.  Maybe they would enjoy a world with only big New York City firms publishing things, but without small publishers like Martinus, a lot of aspiring writers would have nowhere to go with their work.  They would have to compete in the ever shrinking big-business marketplace that often has no interest in publishing the kind of sci-fi and fantasy that I prefer to publish.

Even before the criticism of my "slave wages" came in, I had the concept of paying authors something more for what they write.  The big problem with that is balancing fairness and profitability with my diminished financial situation.  That is where I came up with the idea of offering royalties.  It's not something you see from a lot of anthology publishers, because it is quite a bit of work to keep track of everything and send out dozens of paypal payments twice annually.  However, it is fair, and it's all I ever asked for when I was a young writer starting out.  I never dreamed of "big advances," I only ever wanted to earn my fair share, and earn according to my sales.  So, I have applied this philosophy to Martinus Publishing.  I can't promise contributors that they'll get rich off of their royalties, but I can promise that they'll get a cut of each book sold.  Of course, the biggest payout is that they have a publishing credit and can read their work in print; the royalty is just an added perk.

The whole reason I started writing all those years ago was because I wanted to produce stories that I wanted to read.  I hold onto that philosophy as I continue as an Editor.  I am publishing the sorts of stories that I want to read, and I expect other readers will enjoy them as well when they pick up those publications.  That is why I started Martinus Publishing, and that is why I will continue it, for who else is going to publish stories that I like better than me?

An Editor's Job

Altered America is now officially released.  The pre-ordered copies will be mailed today, and readers are already picking up copies from Amazon, in both Print and Kindle formats.  As we see this latest Martinus release hit online shelves, I'd like to make a few comments on the purpose of editors and editing.

First, let's examine the term "editing."  It is a pretty broad term these days, and it can mean anything from "proofreading" to "rewriting," depending on the extent of the process.  Now, an Editor—capital E for emphasis—is the person in charge of a manuscript at a publishing house, and they have traditionally been in charge of the 3 R's: reading, revising, and releasing.  They read slush (submissions), they edit the manuscripts to suit their needs when necessary, and then they publish them.

The extent of an Editor's influence over a story or manuscript can vary greatly, depending on the story involved and the Editor himself (or herself, as the case may be).  Some Editors serve as little more than proofreaders, fixing typos and moving commas.  Some Editors are true revisionists, rewriting entire swaths of text, and sometimes even changing plot elements to suit their needs.  The revisionist Editors were much more common in the old days, but most stories you read today aren't too different from what the writer had in mind to begin with.

Yet, there still comes a time when you run into a good story that just has one or two little nits about it, things that don't work or need to be changed.  This is when the true Editor comes in.  Perhaps a character behaves inconsistently, or takes that blow too easily (gets up and runs around without a care in the world after getting beaten to the brink of death).  Such little changes can take a story that is simply "okay" and make it great.

When it comes to novels, Editors most commonly consult with the writer on changes.  However, that isn't always the case, and it often isn't the case when it comes to short stories in magazines and anthologies.  Minor changes are common, and there are rare instances where more substantial edits are required.  Of course, without these edits, some stories wouldn't be published at all.  It all comes down to whether an editor feels like working on a story or not.

There have been a few stories I have been willing to "fix" because I enjoyed them, even if they had some grammatical or style issues that were a tad off.  This is why there is a clause in each Martinus Publishing story agreement, reserving the right to edit the material.  Still, I can think of maybe a dozen stories that have required more than simple proofreading and a few word adjustments.  Most of those were grammar issues, where some sentences or paragraphs sounded "clunky," but a few needed more.

One example of a story that needed a change was one that had a main character with no name.  It was a 3^rd Person tale that only identified the protagonist as "he" or "him," which got confusing at times when other characters were put into the mix.  In this instance, I gave the character a name during the initial round of edits.  Another instance was a story that was all "telling," and in the present tense, which made for a very awkward narration.  I past-tensed it and rewrote some paragraphs to make it smoother.  A third example had a character behaving out of character during a conversation.  It made things a bit confusing, so I reworked the dialog to make things clearer, and make the character more sympathetic and consistent.

These three examples, and the few other changes I've made over the years, were entirely necessary in my opinion.  As Editor, I must make the call about what gets published and how it gets published.  Sometimes, I'll ask the author to make changes, but in many cases I'll take care of it myself.

Of course, some writers take issue with an Editor who wants to actually "edit" their precious words.  I'll call these "Verbatim Writers," the people who have a vision and want everything published their way.  To be fair, every single one of us who writes has a touch of that in us, but some have it more than others.  These Verbatim folks get angry and upset if you ask them to change things, and I had one fellow outright pull his submission because I asked for a very simple scene change.  It's a shame, because the story in question would have been a really great addition to VFW.

Then there are the "Nitpicking Writers," those who will work with you on a story, but argue that "I want this, this, and that left alone," or "Can't we do this and this instead?"  This takes up time and energy, and while some of this can be tolerable, it can get excessive when you're dealing with a bunch of different writers all at once.

Nitpickers and Verbatim Writers are actually the minority, and most writers who submit are quite understanding and helpful.  Most understand that an Editor is "the boss," and it is the Editor's job to filter through and make changes when they deem them necessary.  As an Editor, I sometimes have time to consult a writer on little edits, and other times I don't, or they simply slip my mind.  Really, when you're going over a 21-story collection and decide to rewrite a few paragraphs, there isn't always time to stop for a consultation on each and every one.  I do my best to keep writers "in the loop," but if you happen to read one of your stories and see that Character A says or does something that you didn't originally write word for word, please don't chew me out for making an editorial decision.

Editors generally have respect for writers, and this is why they do their best to "improve" stories when necessary.  If a writer doesn't want anything changed in a story, they should forego the submission process and self-publish.  Some Editors these days may act like glorified proofreaders, leaving submitted content virtually unaltered, but don't count on it.  Sometimes, we actually edit.

Postcard of the Week: Japanese Schoolgirls

This week's antique postcard is from Japan, hand colored, from about 1910:

And as a bonus, here is a vintage postcard of a solitary Japanese lady:

Shows Cancelled Too Soon

In my second in the series of show exposés, we investigate a few shows that were cancelled early in their existence.  Each was dropped for various reasons, and in these brief commentaries I’ll explain some of my suspicions about why they were dropped.  Some people may find my feelings justified, some may deny them, and there were no doubt various other factors involved in each cancellation.  These are purely my opinions, based on my biased viewpoint and personal feelings.  Beyond that, I personally feel these shows deserved to be continued.  So, in no particular order...

Jeremiah:  A month ago, I’d never seen a single episode of this series.  Now, it is quite possibly the best post-apocalyptic series I’ve ever encountered!  The premise stirs the imagination; just think of the world falling apart when everyone past puberty dies of a disease—this is what the world could look like 15 years later.  The characters are well rendered and there is significant growth with them, and the acting is top notch.  There is some nudity/sex in some of the episodes, and they swear about as much as my father does (which is quite a bit), but if you can overlook these adult elements (or if you enjoy them), this show is incredible to watch.  It’s about surviving, rebuilding, and restoring hope.

It sucks that it only ran for 2 seasons.  There was so much more to tell!  I expect this show was cancelled because it was ahead of its time.  In the early 2000’s, there wasn’t as big a fan-base for this sort of dark, gritty future fiction.  Today, we have shows like The Walking Dead that prove there is a larger television market for character-driven dystopian survival stories.  Also, the “adult” elements hindered the show’s marketability.  If they’d gone for a PG-13 effect, they could have sold it to more broadcasters, even if it may have diminished its gritty realism in some respects.

Jericho:  Another post-apocalyptic show that I found quite captivating.  At the time it first aired, the theme may have been a bit too “9/11 Truther” for your average viewer, but now, with the exposure of the NSA spying, government surveillance, drones, and the continuing attacks on American liberties, the premise of factions within our own government conspiring to destroy the country, in order to “reform” it seems far more plausible—frighteningly so.  But, in 2007, it was only a few “conspiracy theorists” willing to buy into this premise, and that likely lowered the ratings.  Today, this show would be more popular.

Stargate Universe:  The final end to the great Stargate saga?  I hope not, but right now it’s looking pretty bleak.  SGU changed everything for the franchise, taking what had been a winning formula of action-adventure sci-fi and seeking to give us a darker, grittier series.  The storyline started out slowly, and after watching the first season I wasn’t all that pleased with it.  We had some good ideas, though also some real dud stories (I swear “Life” is the worst episode of any SG series ever).  Where the first season was lacking, Season 2 succeeded, bringing us back into the sort of imaginative, adventurous Stargate that I enjoyed in SG-1 and Atlantis, albeit with more “edge.”  The last 10 episodes are my favorite of any Stargate series, and I wish they could somehow bring this back, to continue the story.  Alas, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

The Job:  Denis Leary’s comedy about cops in New York City.  This show was hilarious, but its timing was wrong.  Its second season was due to air after 9/11/2001, so in the wake of the terrorist attacks nobody wanted to laugh about wacky NYC police officers.  They were “heroes” after that, so the cynical nature of this series was no longer funny for a lot of people.  If this had aired in the 1990’s it probably would have run for a few more seasons, as it should have.

Enterprise:  Well, at least we got 4 good seasons out of this last Star Trek series.  There was a lot to like about this “prequel” show, giving us a glimpse into events before the Federation.  The first couple of seasons were a little slow, and I think they may have tried to emulate the original series too much, giving us a lot of dry, moral lessons.  That all changed with Season 3, and by season 4 we had the perfect blend of action/adventure, think-pieces, and overall Trekkie-ness.  Some people found the third season to be somehow wrong, but I think it worked well (I just would have ended the whole thing differently, erasing the events from history via the temporal effects that went on—the attack on Earth at the end of Season 2 would never have happened because they changed the timeline by stopping the Sphere Builders).

The show’s decline and fall came about due to several factors.  One of those was the dry aspects of the first two seasons. I didn’t find them that dull, but others did, and some of the story elements were only interesting to bonafide Trekkies.  Another aspect, as minor as it might seem, was the theme song.  There was a lot of criticism of it, and there were actually people who boycotted the show over it.  Yes, it might seem ridiculous and petty, but when you have thousands of fans having a fit over you using “sickening soft-rock” instead of the traditional orchestration, it can cause problems.  I believe this alienation of a small percentage of the audience was just enough to diminish the ratings, and thus set the ball rolling for the eventual cancellation.

Believe it or not, there are still people pushing for them to make Season 5 of Enterprise, though I fear that starship has sailed.

Odyssey 5:  Another “adult-oriented” sci-fi show that got cut short with season 1 (and with an annoyingly-unresolved cliffhanger).  This show was a victim of Showtime’s short-sightedness.  There were a lot of fascinating elements to this show, and we were just getting a glimpse of how things were going to fit together with the finale.  I think this show would have been fantastic in its second season, but the first one was more of a set-up toward that end.  Sadly, it didn’t stir enough interest.

Firefly:  A must on any sci-fi fan’s list.  Canceling this series was the biggest mistake anyone in Hollywood has ever made.  This show had a solid fan-base when it was on the air for its single half-season, so much so that it justified the creation of a movie to help conclude it.  I have long held the belief that this show was shut down because it was too “anti-authoritarian.”  The characters came off as very libertarian, and not in the cool “mainstream” rebellious sort of way.  That was unacceptable to certain people in charge of programming.  Okay, enough of my conspiratorial rant.  This show should have run for years, not months, and it sucks that it’s gone.

Okay, there you have just 7 shows on my list of cancelled gems.  What are some of your favorite shows that didn’t survive?

Author Interview: Jeff Provine

As Martinus Publishing has some new contributing authors, I'll be conducting interviews to help promote their anthologies/works.  Today, I'm interviewing Jeff Provine, an excellent author who contributed the short story Wild Blue to "Altered America."  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Jeff.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

JEFF PROVINE:  I grew up a farm kid out in the wide, open spaces of Northwest Oklahoma. After graduating the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, I pursued writing in college, which was a big switch from the realm of numbers. Armed with a Master’s, I’ve been out adventuring in the world, teaching as a Composition professor, backpacking, and spending days on end hunched at my desk.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

JP:  We had to entertain ourselves out in the country, so I took to making games and writing stories early on. There’s nothing quite like asking “what if” and seeing how far it can go. Whole worlds can grow up to reveal themselves simply on taking a seed of an idea. That being said, speculative fiction is definitely my favorite, whether Fantasy, Sci-fi, Magical Realism, or what-have-you.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

JP:  If I had to pick just one, I would probably say Mark Twain. He had such a great range of fiction and nonfiction, and always had that wit about him. Countless other authors are great inspirations for their many strengths, but Twain just seemed to have it all.

MTI:  Your story, Wild Blue, appears in Altered America, an anthology of alternate histories.  The fictional accounts in this collection let us imagine what it would be like if something had happened differently at different points in history.  Tell us a little about how your story changes history.

JP:  The story came from a marriage of posts I wrote on my blog, This Day in Alternate History, where I take an important event on a date in history and twist it around a bit. The idea of hot-air balloons goes way, way back; for example, to 1709 when a Brazilian monk impressed the King of Portugal with a flying paper balloon and a candle. With a century head-start on ballooning, we could see a world where the colonization of the West happens very differently. Freight carried by balloon wouldn’t need the expense of railroads, though it would make for a long trip.

MTI:  If you could go back in time and try to change any one historical event (aside from killing Hitler/stopping WWII—almost everybody tries that), which would you choose?

JP:  A lot of folks quickly pipe up with stopping the burning of the Library at Alexandria at various points in history, but I would have to go with 9/11. I wouldn’t want to tamper with history too far and find myself not born, and that would save a lot of modern lives. Plus, we wouldn’t have those weird body scanners at the airport.

MTI:  Conversely, name a historical event that you would never want to see changed/would go back in time to stop somebody from changing it.

JP:  The discovery of Penicillin was a pretty good one. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without modern antibiotics.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

JP:  Right now I’ve got a Steampunk story set in a world where Aaron Burr’s Bastrop colony set up a state called Gloriana. It’s packed with intrigue, a little alchemy, and a whole lot of airships and jetpacks.

MTI:  Other than Wild Blue, appearing in Altered America, do you have any other stories being published in the near future?

JP:  This summer I have a short piece in the Grayhaven alternate history comic book anthology about Nikola Tesla. I’ll also have some previously released novels back in both print and online: the space-faring steampunk Celestial Voyages and a Young Adult SF Dawn on the Infinity, about a girl kidnapped by an inter-dimensional crew of vampires, robots, fairies, but doppelgangers, but nothing is quite as it seems.

MTI:  Sounds intriguing.  On a lighter note, have you watched any good television lately?

JP:  A lot, yes. Probably more than I should have. And then lately I’ve been delving online to the cartoon Bravest Warriors from the creator of Adventure Time.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

JP:  I’ve been on a big techno kick recently, which seems to come and go as my favorite genre. I like the beats and complex warbles.

MTI:  What are three of your favorite movies?

JP:  Princess Bride, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Josie & The Pussycats

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers?  In conclusion, do you happen to have any words of wisdom to share with them?

JP:  Recently I’ve been saying “If it were important, we would have remembered.” It puts things in perspective, almost spookily so.

MTI:  Definitely words to ponder.  Thank you, Jeff, for that fine interview.  It was most enlightening.  Those who would like to check out Wild Blue can check out Altered America. Now, here’s hoping Jeff forgives me for actually giving his main character a name...

Coming Soon: Snake Oil by Bruno Lombardi

Martinus Publishing is pleased to announce that Bruno Lombardi’s novel, Snake Oil, will be released in the near future.  This wacky, cynical sci-fi story was originally published (electronically only) by a now defunct publisher.  Martinus is poised to give it a more substantial release, in both print and electronic formats.

Here is the current back cover blurb:

When the first aliens come to Earth, it is not with altruism or malicious intent, but with profit in mind.  Their arrival presents great opportunities for humanity, with the offer of miracle cures and advanced technology... for the right price!  What will a nation pay for exclusive rights to end cancer, or to possess the first interstellar spaceship?  Only mining rights to the moon, or perhaps a few metric tons of gold—as a good faith deposit.  Bids run fast and furiously among many industrialized nations, but not everyone is invited to participate, seeding greater global tensions.

As the nations of the planet sell the solar system’s resources for a shot at tomorrow, there remain those few individuals with suspicions, but still others with almost religious devotion toward “the Visitors.”  Stuck in the middle is Michael Baldwin, Special Assistant Advisor to the President for Alien/Human Policy Affairs.  Sometimes feeling in over his head, he is afforded opportunities few humans could have ever dreamed of, but at what price?  The answer will lead him to the truth of Earth’s alien benefactors, and an unlikely meeting of madmen at the crux of a madcap investigation.

Snake Oil is a cynical sci-fi story of humanity’s First Contact with an alien race.  Full of comic relief and zany characters, it is a compelling exploration of what could happen if Earth’s first alien visitors turn out to be a bit more like us, after all.

The last round of editing is now complete, and cover artwork is currently being created. With any luck everything will be set for a late April 2014 release.

Those who would like to check out other stories by Bruno Lombardi can acquire these anthologies:

Altered America:  Contains 2 of Bruno’s stories: A Single Decision, and The Road Was Lit with Moon and Star

Quests, Curses, & Vengeance:  Contains Bruno Lombardi’s Gold Fever.

The Temporal Element: Contains Bruno’s story, A Thursday Night at Doctor What’s Time and Relative Dimensional Space Bar and Grill, which is also available in TheBest of Martinus Publishing, 2013.

Bruno Lombardi in his "bunker."

Author Interview: Owen Morgan

As Martinus Publishing has some new contributing authors, I'll be conducting interviews to help promote their anthologies/works.  Today, I'm interviewing Owen Morgan, a talented author who contributed the short story The Loyalist Washington to "Altered America."  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Owen.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

OWEN MORGAN:  I live in Vancouver, British Columbia. I have a Bachelor of Arts in History from Simon Fraser University. I took to writing about two years ago. I enjoy reading history, science fiction, and fantasy.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

OM:  My friends always liked the stories I wrote in high school and university. I have also played a series of role-playing games and one of my fellow players encouraged me to turn my hand to writing fiction.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

OM:  J.R.R. Tolkien. I admire his ability to write a complete world. Not just a group of adventurers trying to complete a quest, but a world with histories, languages, culture, magic, and mystery.

MTI:  Your story, The Loyalist Washington, appears in Altered America, an anthology of alternate histories.  The fictional accounts in this collection let us imagine what it would be like if something had happened differently at different points in history.  Tell us a little about how your story changes history.

OM:  A student of history recognizes the size and power of the British Empire. Imagine a British Empire which encompasses the United States. It is difficult to conceive of any alliance of nations who would wish to challenge the empire. Some other differences would be an earlier end to slavery; no Canada; a later start to the European overthrow of Monarchy; and a greater rate of industrialization.

MTI:  If you could go back in time and try to change any one historical event (aside from killing Hitler/stopping WWII—almost everybody tries that), which would you choose?

OM:  I have no idea how I would do this, but I would present evidence to the government of Prime Minister Asquith of Britain to not enter war in 1914. This war and the Second World War ended British supremacy.

MTI:  Conversely, name a historical event that you would never want to see changed/would go back in time to stop somebody from changing it.

OM:  I would prevent anyone who tried to alter the outcome of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The whole history of Britain, the empire, and by extension the United States would be altered and not for the better.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

OM:  I am working on an alternate outcome to the Cuban Missile Crisis. I have also finished another alternate history based on Operation Sealion, the German plan for invading Great Britain in 1940.

MTI:  Other than your story appearing in Altered America, do you have any other works being published in the near future?

OM:  Not at this time. But I do have a couple of titles out for consideration.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good television lately?

OM:  I am not a fan of reality TV, therefore the pickings are thin. The last TV series to catch my imagination was Babylon 5.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

OM:  I listen to Gregorian Chants, Celtic, Chamber, Classical, and Military.

MTI:  What are three of your favorite movies?

OM:  Star Wars (1977); Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship; and Uncommon Valor.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers?  In conclusion, do you happen to have any words of wisdom to share with them?

OM:  With regard to history, I am reminded of Napoleon who said, “History is a lie agreed upon.” While Churchill wrote, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” Alternate history is an exciting area, however, one must bear in mind that we are invariably given a slanted view of history.

MTI:  Interesting insights.  Thank you for an excellent interview, Owen.  Those who wish to check out his story, The Loyalist Washington, can pick up a copy of Altered America.

Author Interview: Ryan McCall

As Martinus Publishing has some new contributing authors, I'll be conducting interviews to help promote their anthologies/works.  Today, I'm interviewing Ryan McCall, an excellent author who contributed the short story Guns of the Green Mountains to "Altered America."  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Ryan.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

RYAN MCCALL: I come from a science background-studied chemistry at university. I’ve traveled around a bit for the last few years, Singapore, Vancouver, Melbourne, but I’m back in my homeland of New Zealand now.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

RM:  Way back in my school days I loved writing stories, mostly it was myself and my friends fighting monsters and exploring new worlds. As I moved through my education and into working life I dropped off on writing, but was still an avid reader. The first time I decided to actually sit down and write more seriously was with the combination of a non-fiction history book and a short scenario I had read online. That led to my first novel, The Nanking War.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

RM:  Harry Turtledove. Without him I highly doubt I would even know of the alternate history genre and without my passion for that, I wouldn’t have made the decision to try and write professionally.

MTI:  Your story, Guns of the Green Mountains, appears in Altered America, an anthology of alternate histories.  The fictional accounts in this collection let us imagine what it would be like if something had happened differently at different points in history.  Tell us a little about how your story changes history.

RM:  It’s based on the Newburgh Conspiracy where, at the end of the Revolutionary War, soldiers were concerned about not being paid for their years of service. In our history George Washington prevented it, but in my story it went ahead. The USA dies in its infancy and the colonies don’t unite, creating several new nations, while the British take advantage of the chaos to reclaim some of their losses. As one of the smaller nations the Republic of Vermont ends up as a choice target for the British.

When you really study the Revolutionary War, you realize just how lucky the Continentals were to succeed in not only the war but in creating a stable USA in those early days.

MTI:  If you could go back in time and try to change any one historical event (aside from killing Hitler/stopping WWII—almost everybody tries that), which would you choose?

RM:  I think people take the Hitler choice because it would save the most lives if you go by pure numbers, but in terms of having a bigger effect I think I can trump it. I would stop the Germans in 1917 from letting Lenin on the “sealed train.” Sure it worked out for them in the short term, but had disastrous consequences for the rest of the twentieth century.

MTI:  Conversely, name a historical event that you would never want to see changed/would go back in time to stop somebody from changing it.

RM:  The Magna Carta. I see it as the first real step that we took towards the democratic systems most modern countries have in place today.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

RM:  I’m re-writing and editing the first book in my fantasy series, Industry & Intrigue and I’m somewhere between one third and halfway through a new alternate history book set in current times, where Imperial Japan attacked the Soviet Union instead of Pearl Harbor and established a large empire in Asia.

MTI:  Other than your story appearing in Altered America, do you have any other works being published in the near future?

RM:  I just a had a short horror story-‘Curious Soldiers’ published in Dark Eclipse, a monthly e-magazine and I’ve submitted another story to Emby Press for a deep sea Leviathan-Monster Hunter anthology.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good television lately?

RM:  A friend introduced me to two shows recently, Banshee—a small town drama with a criminal who takes on the identity of the new town sheriff and Utopia—a very weird and violent British series about conspiracies inside a graphic novel. David Fincher is supposedly creating the American adaptation. I’m also eagerly awaiting the next season of Game of Thrones.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

RM:  I like a lot of R&B and dance music, but while I’m writing I also like to listen to soundtracks of my favorite movies, TV shows, and video games.

MTI:  What are three of your favorite movies?

RM:  Jurassic Park, as someone who grew up on dinosaur books it will always be one of my favorites. The Cabin in the Woods for being the most clever genre-twisting horror movie I know. The Mist—the sheer emotional brutality of the ending never fails to get me.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers?  In conclusion, do you happen to have any words of wisdom to share with them?

RM:  Always get another set of eyes to read your work; they can see things that you’ll feel stupid for missing

MTI:  Excellent advice for any writer.  Thank you for taking the time for this fine interview, Ryan.  Those who want to read his story and many other alternate history tales can pick up Altered America.

Kindle: An Endangered Species in Canada?

As we near the release of Altered America, Martinus Publishing’s 4^th multi-author anthology (not counting our Best of 2013 sampler), I find myself reminded of a growing peculiarity among sales figures.  Our last anthology, Veterans of the Future Wars, had a surge of initial sales, and has now fallen to a familiar trickle.  Pre-orders of Altered America have been better than any previous anthology release, and I have high hopes that Kindle sales will also be up once the book is released (for technical reasons, there is no pre-order platform for e-book sales at this time).

Looking over the entirety of Martinus Publishing’s existence, one strange figure has caught my attention, that being the lack of any Canadian Kindle sales.  Yes, of all the books Martinus has released, not a single copy has been sold to Canada (at least, not according to Amazon’s royalties reports).  There have been a few sales in the UK and in Europe, but nothing from Canada. Truly strange.

It is possible that the Canadian customers who have chosen to buy Kindle copies have done so through the regular US Amazon site somehow.  I’m not 100% sure of how that works, but when Amazon supplies royalty reports they break things down by currency sales.  USD, GBP, CAD, etc...  Thus far, not a single Kindle sale has been made in Canadian Dollars.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, considering there are Canadian authors in every single Martinus anthology to date.  We’ve sold some print copies to Canada, which leads me to wonder if the Kindle is perhaps a rare luxury item there.  Perhaps our readers in the Great White North simply prefer to get print copies over electronic versions.  Though, the Kindle versions are substantially cheaper.

Right now, I invite any Canadian with a Kindle who reads this to go pick up a Martinus title.  Prove to me that you exist.  If I could see just a few Kindle sales from Canada, I’d be thrilled, as would the many Canadian writers who have contributed works to these collections.

Martinus Titles on Amazon.ca:

VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars

The Best of Martinus Publishing 2013

Quests, Curses, & Vengeance

The Temporal Element

Author Interview: Charles Wilcox

As Martinus Publishing has some new contributing authors, I'll be conducting interviews to help promote their anthologies/works.  Today, I'm interviewing Charles Wilcox, an excellent author who contributed the short story The Lights on Broadway to "Altered America."  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Charles.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

CHARLES WILCOX: I’m 23 and a lifelong native of beautiful Boulder, Colorado.  I have a passion for history and international politics, and pursued this in college to get a degree in international studies at American University.

MTI: Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

CW: I have always loved learning about history and the various twists and turns it can take.  That interest got me started into writing alternate history.  It’s always been my favorite genre to work with because of how many different possibilities there are for settings while keeping a touch of familiarity.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

CW:  That’s a tough one.  But I would have to go with Terry Pratchett.  The Discworld novels create a brilliant take on the fantasy genre and can weave witty satire in with a good story very well.

MTI:  Your story, The Lights on Broadway, appears in Altered America, an anthology of alternate histories.  The fictional accounts in this collection let us imagine what it would be like if something had happened differently at different points in history.  Tell us a little about how your story changes history.

CW:  Well I can’t say much without spoiling the story, but The Lights on Broadway is more subtle with the changes.  It’s more of a secret history than straight up alternate history.  There have been some changes to technological progress.

MTI:  If you could go back in time and try to change any one historical event (aside from killing Hitler/stopping WWII—almost everybody tries that), which would you choose?

CW:  I would go back and change the result of the 1954 World Cup so Hungary beats West Germany in the final.  As a big fan of international soccer, it’s very disappointing that one of the best, if not the best national team of all time didn’t win a World Cup.  And who knows; maybe a more optimistic feeling among the Hungarian population would alter the course of the Hungarian Revolution two years later for the better.

MTI:  Conversely, name a historical event that you would never want to see changed/would go back in time to stop somebody from changing it.

CW:  That’s a tough question.  There’s always something on a grand scale that could be changed for the better.  However, I probably would not prevent the assassination of President McKinley.  It gave the United States the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and it’s not likely Teddy would have gotten into office otherwise.  Without Teddy there would not have been a progressive era in the United States.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

CW:  I have a few alternate history stories in the works at the moment.  Primarily I’m writing a story set in a New York that stayed Dutch and became the center of a merchant republic.  There are also a bunch of ideas for stories and settings in my head waiting to be fleshed out.

MTI:  Other than your story appearing in Altered America, do you have any other works being published in the near future?

CW:  Nothing at the moment, but I hope to have something else out there soon.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good television lately?

CW:  Lately I’ve been watching Fringe, the Amazing Race, Vikings, and Borgia (the Canal+ production, not the Showtime series).  Borgia in particular is a great historical drama.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

CW:  I’ll listen to just about anything.

MTI:  What are three of your favorite movies?

CW:  Run Lola Run, The Transporter, and Road to El Dorado.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers?  In conclusion, do you happen to have any words of wisdom to share with them?

CW:  Never immediately discount an idea you have for a story.  Even if it doesn’t seem like it could work at first, let it sit in your mind for a while.  Many times, just keeping a story in mind and coming back to it will give you a fresh look and new inspiration for the story.

MTI:  Solid advice for any writer.  Thank you for that excellent interview, Charles.  For those who want to check out his story, The Lights on Broadway, along with many other alternate takes on history, pick up Altered America.

Author Interview: James S. Dorr

As Martinus Publishing has some new contributing authors, I'll be conducting interviews to help promote their anthologies/works.  Today, I'm interviewing James S. Dorr, an exceptional author who contributed the short story Avoid Seeing a Mouse to "Altered America."  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

JAMES S. DORR: I was born in Florida, grew up in New Jersey, went to school in Massachusetts, and currently live in Indiana, which pretty well covers the area east of the Mississippi.  I am a short fiction writer and poet with nearly 400 credits both recognizable and obscure, from Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine to Yellow Bat Review.  I also have four collections published, Strange Mistresses: Tales of Wonder and Romance and Darker Loves: Tales of Mystery and Regret from Dark Regions Press; the all-poetry Vamps (A Retrospective) from Sam’s Dot/White Cat; and most recently The Tears of Isis from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, of which I may speak a bit more later.  I’ve also had some training in art, worked on set design in theatre - these being back in college days - and currently play tenor recorder and lead a Renaissance music group.      

MTI: Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

JSD:  I did quite a bit of writing for college publications, along with occasional illustrating and cartooning and, as a graduate, was editor at one point of a campus arts magazine.  From there I went into technical writing/editing, but, losing that job during the Reagan Recession of the ‘80s, went into freelancing primarily real estate, consumer, and business topics.  However I had been a science fiction fan and had also toyed with amateur fiction so, recession ended, I got a “regular” job and started to put my writing activity primarily into fiction and poetry.  By that time I was also more hooked on darker approaches so, while I still do occasional sf (as well as mystery - and lots of crossing genres) most of my writing today falls into horror/dark fantasy  

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

JSD:  If only one, I would have to say Ray Bradbury who, harking to my answer just before, also bridged both science fiction and horror.  But I would also add Edgar Allan Poe as an early influence and, expanding the range a bit, the poet Allen Ginsberg and German playwright Bertolt Brecht in terms of technique as well as subject.   

MTI:  Your story, Avoid Seeing a Mouse, appears in Altered America, an anthology of alternate histories.  The fictional accounts in this collection let us imagine what it would be like if something had happened differently at different points in history.  Tell us a little about how your story changes history.

JSD:  At midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1999, the Egyptian gods return to Earth - or more specifically Memphis, Tennessee for starters - and not the nicest of their deities either.  While we’d thought the worst thing that could happen would be our computers going haywire.  Of course, though, it’s more complicated than that, bringing in a one-night-only wrestling exhibition in the Pyramid Arena, “Cat Country” at the Memphis Zoo, a solar eclipse, and a romantic breakup over a mouse that’s been spotted in the Pink Palace Museum.   

MTI:  If you could go back in time and try to change any one historical event (aside from killing Hitler/stopping WWII-almost everybody tries that), which would you choose?

JSD:  I would try to have someone whisper in President Nixon’s ear not to end the Apollo moon landing program but, instead, to let NASA build on it.  Perhaps by now we'd have people on Mars.   

MTI:  Indeed, the space program has not lived up to its potential.  Conversely, name a historical event that you would never want to see changed/would go back in time to stop somebody from changing it.

JSD:  The Buddha Gautama’s meditation beneath the bodhi tree.  No, I’m not a Buddhist, and yes, things that happened hundreds of years before Christ are (to say the least) not well-documented, and individual events may be distorted by many retellings or even made up.  But Siddhartha Gautama himself does appear to be historical and, in some way, presumably came up with what became the “Noble Truths” of Buddhism.  These principles subsequently spread from the India-Nepal border to cover the world, at the least in proclaiming that there’s such a thing as moderation - and that moderation is okay.  From this may come much of the teaching of Jesus (caravans constantly crossed through the Near East) and hence at least the more peaceful parts of Christianity.  Also from this comes the possibility that people can compromise rather than fight, something we might do well to remember more often today.    

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

JSD:  These are, indeed, exciting times!  I mentioned before that we might come back to my new collection, The Tears of Isis.  As it happens it is now an official 2014 Bram Stoker Award® nominee for superior achievement in a Fiction Collection, which even though the competition against it is fierce, could conceivably win.  (Hey, moderation doesn’t mean we can’t still have contests - just that we try to be friendly about them!)  So much of my time has been involved with the awards, reading other people’s work including in other categories, deciding which works I’ll vote on myself, and now as voting ends making plans to get to World Horror Convention in Portland, Oregon where the winners will be announced.  And with that, trying to keep a high profile for The Tears of Isis as well as keeping in touch with the publisher for any plans he might have for extra publicity.

MTI:  Other than your story appearing in Altered America, do you have any other works being published in the near future?

JSD:  And yet life goes on.  The biggest news is I have a new story, inspired by a tour I took at last year’s World Horror Convention in New Orleans, speculating about a sort of local historical urban legend which has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction.  The story itself is a short horror tale titled “Casket Girls” and, while I don’t have a publication date yet, readers can subscribe to DSF for free at http://dailysciencefiction.com (whereupon one can also search on my name in their archives for two more stories).  Then, earlier this month, I’ve just had two zombie stories accepted as reprints by Big Pulp and The Pun Book of Horror, respectively, “Cold, Lifeless Fingers” and “Olé Bubba and the Forty Steves.”

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good television lately?

JSD:  Oddly enough, with a season of new horror or horror-related TV shows, I haven’t really watched any of them.  I tend more to watch news and documentaries, the latter partly for ideas, then kick back sometimes and watch DVDs later at night.  (Two exceptions, though, I do make a point of watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report on the Comedy Channel when I can - horror enough in their own ways sometimes.)

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

JSD:  For listening, jazz (particularly traditional New Orleans style, as well as the “cool” jazz of the 1950s and after); for playing, Renaissance dance music. 

MTI:  What are three of your favorite movies?

JSD: First, Nosferatu, the original German expressionistic silent with Max Schreck and still the creepiest adaptation of Dracula made (one warning, though - some cheaper DVDs are truncated American versions with about a half hour cut out); second, La Horde, a French film about corrupt police officers having to join forces with gangsters they’d first come to kill when a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Paris, both scary and funny, ultra-violent,  and, even though none of the characters are particularly likeable, strangely engaging; and third, Cabin in the Woods, a deconstruction of certain horror movie clichés revealing their mythical underpinnings and how what these hide can be far more frightening. 

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers?  In conclusion, do you happen to have any words of wisdom to share with them?

JSD:  Let this be a plug for Altered America too:  If you enjoy an author who’s in an anthology, buy the book if you can.  Assuming you also enjoy the concept, chances are you’ll like the other stories with it.  If so, then tell your friends about it - and lending it to a friend is okay too, but ask them, if they like it, to tell their friends about it as well.  Also, if you really enjoy a book, consider writing a review. 

Then for readers who might want to know a bit more about me, I have a blog at http://jamesdorrwriter.wordpress.com .  All are welcome to stop by and explore around and, should the spirit move them, leave comments. 

MTI:  Excellent advice!  Thank you for the excellent interview, Mr. Dorr.  For those who want to check out his story and many other Alternate Histories, pick up a copy of Altered America.