Blog Posts - Bascomb James

Guest Editor at Third Flatiron Anthologies

1/29/2016

I am pleased and honored to be a guest editor for the upcoming Hyperpowers anthology published by Third Flatiron Anthologies. Juliana Rew at TF publishes four themed anthologies each year. In addition to theme-specific stories, each anthology includes one or two humorous flash fiction pieces (Grins and Gurgles). Some of the published stories are featured as podcasts.

The theme for the Summer 2016 anthology is “Hyperpowers,” featuring space opera and military science fiction stories. Space operas are dramatic, large-scale science fiction adventures focusing on character and plot action. We’re looking for page-turners, adventure stories that keep us on the edge of our seats. Mindless mayhem just doesn’t cut it. We want compelling science fiction tales that wake our emotions and stimulate our imagination.

With all of space and time to choose from, this is your chance to show off your world-building and storytelling chops. Show us the tech, the people, and the politics; weave them into rebellions, invasions, hostage rescues, fleet actions, cyber wars, and special ops. It’s all good. Please stay away from fantasy elements (wizards, magic, gods, etc.). Fan fiction is a definite no-no.

Third Flatiron is seeking original unpublished stories for this anthology. Base compensation is $0.03/word but you could receive more. See the submissions page for complete information on remuneration and rights sought.

Open submission period: January 15 – March 15, 2016.

Length: 1,500 to 3,000 words for theme stories; flash humor pieces should be around 600 words.

Submission method: See the submissions page for detailed submission instructions.

Simultaneous submissions = No. Multiple submissions = No.

Last Outpost Update - January 2016

1/13/2016

I tuned in to the President’s State of the Union speech last night and I have to admit my mind was wandering during most of it. The local impact of his speech included the realization that I needed to post this State of the Book update. In case you’ve forgotten, Last Outpost, the third volume in the Far Orbit space adventure series was open for submissions from September 15 through December 15, 2015. During that time, we had an open call for military space adventure stories. A gratifying number of you responded to the call and I am thankful for your submissions.

Submissions
The submission period is closed and everyone who submitted during the open window should have heard from me. Let me know if you have not received a response yet. During this submission cycle, the average response time was <7 days.

Intermission
Once the initial parsing was completed, I took a break to reset and clear my head. My last acts during the intermission were (a) purchasing a Lottery ticket for the $1.5 billion drawing and (b) a two hour self-directed fantasy where I was Trumpianly rich and able to piss people off in wholesale lots. The cost for the whole experience was less than a movie ticket. The infernal villainy - priceless.

Short List Parsing
At this writing, I’m back in editor mode; re-reading shortlisted stories and making lists, revision notes, and first-pass line edits. This is the exciting and frustrating part of the book creation process. In order to create a work that appeals to a broad range of readers, I sometimes have to say, “No thanks” to very good stories.

And Finally…
The State of the Book is strong and we hope to start making notifications in mid-February.

December Writing Prompt

12/6/2015

Cameras as historians and time machines.

What if we could take the PC card from a camera and insert it into a time machine? What if the machine could take us back to that moment?

Would we be observers or participants in the moment?
Could it be used to investigate crimes?
Would there be a market for visiting historic events? Sex videos? Lost family members?

Do cameras capture your soul? Are the eyes the windows to the soul?

If you look into a camera lens, are you vulnerable to soul snatching?
Is the soul one thing or is it divisible? Would picture-taking be akin to stealing the loose change from your pocket; small unnoticed thefts that compound over time?
How would this affect the “ghost” industry that attempts to photograph ghosts, apparitions, and other spiritually-derived entities? Would the spirit live in the camera?
What would this mean for our “Selfie” generation or our surveillance culture? Is our population spiraling toward soullessness one click or traffic cam image at a time?
Could a nefarious adept reprocess cell phones and cameras, collecting the stolen bits of soul and re-purpose them to animate golems? AI constructs? The recently dead? His/her home automation system? Ghosts? A lost lover?

About this Photo

The photo that inspired the December prompt is a Canon AT-1 camera with a manual focus 50mm FD Macro lens. This camera spent much of its working life in the morgue at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor taking photos of ... parts, people parts. Cameras are the ultimate historian, capturing slices of time with every click. This particular camera did more so than most; it was the intimate historian for thousands of individuals, documenting their illness, disease progression, and ultimately, their demise. The stories it could tell…

From the Publisher's Weekly Review of Far Orbit Apogee

12/4/2015

“An attempt to harness the magic of mid-century science fiction is mostly fun in Bascomb’s second Far Orbit collection. There are a few gems among the 13 stories, including Julie Frost’s “The Affairs of Dragons,” which is an utterly charming Firefly-esque tale about a space captain and his crew that take on very unusual cargo: a clutch of dragon eggs that must be kept safe at all costs, but when they hatch, the crew find themselves in the middle of a dragon clan war and a wily bunch of tiny, hungry fire-breathers. Another standout is Keven R. Pittsinger’s “Culture Shock” in which an attempted sabotage of a mining rig lands the saboteur in the brig and to an unlikely friendship with his diametrically opposed jailer, and Dominic Dulley’s “Dainty Jane,” about the 17 year old daughter of a bulk hauler that will do anything not to continue her father’s business, but when raiders board their ship, realizes there are much worse fates.”
— Publisher’s Weekly

Opening Day of Deer Season

11/15/2015

Photo by Charles Romanik.

Up North Stories. Today is the Opening Day of firearm deer season in Michigan, a sacred day for many northerners. Approximately 600,000 deer hunters got up well before dawn, pulled on their blaze orange vestments, and spent the day worshiping at the shrine of St. Antlers. Opening Day is the northern version of Mardi Gras, heralding a two week pilgrimage into the woods and fields. Workmen are as scarce as hen’s teeth during the season and I had to hustle to get my garage door fixed well before the sacred event.

Craft shows and bazaars flourish as deer camp widows make a different kind of pilgrimage. I'm not trying to be sexist, so I'll mention that an increasing number of women are blaze orange acolytes and they too spent time in the woods with firearms.

Local hotels and motels are full as out-of-towners come to share the experience. Restaurants, bars, and party stores see an uptick in business as hunters unwind or pick up a few last-minute items.

For the non-hunter, the Up North world changes significantly during the first week of deer season. The pace is slower as the community feels the absence of so many members. Depending upon your perspective, deer season can a shot of social Novocain or it can be a quiet holiday without all the commercial hype.

For many people, hunting is a solitary endeavor but it’s also about tradition, spending time with family and friends, telling stories, building memories, and enjoying the downtime. For others, deer hunting is an organized travesty and the inconveniences are aggravating.

It really doesn’t matter where you stand on the hunting issue. When you live Up North, hunting season is what it is.

Status Report - Last Outpost Submissions

10/21/2015

We are now in the sixth week of a 12-week open call for military science fiction short stories. I have responded to all submissions sent before October 18th. If you submitted something before October 18th and you haven’t heard from me, drop me a note.

So far, the average response time has been about seven days with a few stories taking a little longer because they needed a second, third, or fourth read.

As you might expect, I’ve been reading a lot of battle scenes but to make the shortlist, your submission must be a complete story with a beginning, a transition, and a strong ending. A battle vignette, by itself won’t work.

I’ve gotten lots of stories about aliens attacking settlements (aka, aliens at the wall stories), spaceship action, individual and small group action tales, and zombie stories. Don’t be discouraged if you want to submit this type of story. Tightly written, action-packed tales in these categories can still make the short-list.

I’m surprised I haven’t seen stories about sentient BOLOs or spaceships, carrier-based fighter squadrons, cyber warfare/cyber weapons (not to be confused with drones and remotely operated battle bots) and ecological weaponry. I’m also surprised I haven’t received boot camp or survival training tales or stories about the alienation soldiers experience as they return to civilian life.

What do I like? I am particularly drawn to stories that embody the traditional military values of bravery, sacrifice, a sense of duty, and camaraderie.

Call for Authors - Last Outpost

9/2/2015

To protect from all enemies… World Weaver Press is expanding the Far Orbit anthology series with a new a new military science fiction anthology, Last Outpost. Last Outpost will be published in 2016. As the name implies, we’re looking for military adventure stories, page-turners that keep us on the edge of our seats. We’re not looking for mindless mayhem; we want compelling science fiction with a military theme.

Send us stories about grunts, space fleets, espionage, alien invasion (even if we're the aliens), hostage recovery, battle bots, drones and droids, cyber wars, special ops, inciting rebellions, or quelling them. Anything in the military action adventure genera is fair game. We’ll entertain biopunk, cyberpunk, solarpunk and other punkish motifs but the story has to be a rip-roaring adventure. Please stay away from fantasy elements (wizards, magic, gods, etc.). Fan fiction is a definite no-no. Fantasy-like adventures (John Carter of Mars) have to be really special to be included in the anthology. Gore is OK but it has to advance the plot.

Please remember that this is a science fiction anthology. The action can take place on far off worlds or on Earth, in the far future or the day after tomorrow. If you can write a military space opera in under 10,000 words, go for it. We’ll be happy to read it.

Here are some submission tips from the series anthologist.

·         I’m not a fan of the “everyone dies horribly” ending unless you can really move me.

·         I’m looking for subject diversity in the anthology. If you’ve written something different in this genera, I want to read it.

·         I love escapist adventures, mind candy, and thoughtful integration of technologies and aliens.

Previously published stories are acceptable but we will not publish stories that have been previously anthologized.

Rights and compensation: Payment: $0.01/word. All contributors will receive a paperback copy of the anthology. For previously unpublished works: Seeking first world rights in English and exclusive rights to publish in print and electronic format for twelve months after publication date after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for a term. For reprints: Seeking non-exclusive right to publish in print and electronic formats for a term. Previously unpublished stories preferred; reprints will be considered. No previously anthologized stories.

Open submission period: September 15 – December 15, 2015.

Length: Under 10,000 words

Submission method: Paste the story into the body of the e-mail message. Include the approximate word count. Subject line: Outpost – [Title]. Send submission to: farorbit [at] worldweaverpress [dot] com.

Simultaneous submissions = OK. Multiple submissions = No.

If I Could Invite Four Writers to a Dinner Party...

8/19/2015

I had a flight of fancy this evening and I didn't even have to go through Security or pay to check my bags. Anyway, my fantasy involved food, famous chefs, and of course, booze. Lots of booze. Which writers would I invite? All writers would show up in their prime (sharing a table with a dead person isn't part of the fantasy). Who would I choose?

Here's my overachieving week of dinner parties.

Monday Night: Let’s see what happens!
Catered by Iron Chief Bobby Flay (Food Network)
Chuck Wendig
Robert Sawyer
Phillip K. Dick
Jon Stewart

Tuesday Night: A Comfortably Creative Evening
Catered by Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli (Food Network)
Anne McCaffery
Elizabeth Hand
Julie Czerneda
Alice B. Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr.)

Wednesday Night: A Perfect Fairy Tale Evening
Catered by Iron Chef Jeffery Zakarian
Kate Bernheimer
Maria Tartar
Robin McKinley
William Goldman

Thursday Night: Interesting and Varied Conversations
Catered by Iron Chef Michael Symon
Stephen King
Cordwainer Smith (Paul Linebarger)
L. Sprague deCamp
Nora Roberts

Friday night: Just a hoot!
Catered by Guy Fieri (Food Network, Diners Drive-ins and Dives)
Terry Pratchett
Neil Gaiman
Connie Willis
Tanya Huff

Well, that's my week. Who would you like to hang with for an evening?

FAR ORBIT APOGEE Cover Reveal

8/13/2015

I am pleased to show off the FAR ORBIT APOGEE cover. Apogee is the second volume in the Far Orbit anthology series edited by Bascomb James. This well-received series features modern science fiction adventures crafted by a new generation of Grand Tradition SF writers.

If you’re looking for science fiction stories like they used to write, this is the book for you. Apogee takes all of the fun-to-read adventure, ingenuity, and heroism of mid-century pulp fiction and shapes it for a new generation of readers. Join us as we follow the adventures of heroic scientists, lunar detectives, space dragons, robots, interstellar pirates, gunslingers, and other memorable characters who wrestle with adversity beyond the borders of our small blue marble. It’s fun and engaging, pithy and piquant. Set course for Far Orbit Apogee. Engage!

Here’s what you’ll find between the covers…

“To Defend and Keep from Harm” by Anna Salonen

“This Story Will Win a Hugo” by James Van Pelt

“Contamination” by Jay Werkheiser

“A Most Exceptional Scholarship” by Nestor Delfino

“Masks” by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks

“Murder at Tranquility Base” by Dave Creek

“The Affairs of Dragons” by Julie Frost

“Culture Shock” by Keven R. Pittsinger

“Lost in Transmutation” by Wendy Sparrow

“N31ghb0rs” by Eric Del Carlo

“Dainty Jane” by Dominic Dulley

“Live by the Ten, Die by the Gun” by Milo James Fowler

“By The Shores of a Martian Sea” by Sam S. Kepfield

Praise for the FAR ORBIT anthology series

“Daring adventure, protagonists who think on their feet, and out of this world excitement! Welcome to FAR ORBIT, a fine collection of stories in the best SF tradition. Strap in and enjoy!”
— Julie E. Czerneda, author of Species Imperative

“Successfully captures the kinds of stories that were the gateway drugs for many of us who have been reading science fiction for a long time. Well done!”
— Tangent

“Spectacular. One anthology no sci-fi library should be without!”
— Night Owl Reviews (Five Stars)

“Need a quick fix of good old-fashioned science fiction? Far Orbit is it!”
— Sporadic Reviews

“Put aside all of your preconceived notions of what ‘sci-fi’ is—whether you think you love it or hate, it doesn’t matter—pick up this book and get to reading!”
— Good Choice Reading

RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2015

EDITOR: Bascomb James

PUBLISHER: World Weaver Press

LENGTH: 325 printed pages

FORMATS: eBook and Trade Paperback

Where Can I find it?

Official page:
http://www.worldweaverpress.com/far-orbit-apogee.html

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26074100-far-orbit-apogee

Amazon:
(US ebook) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013TFTKK8
(UK) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013TFTKK8
(CA) www.amazon.ca/dp/B013TFTKK8

Kobo:
(US) https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/far-orbit-apogee
(CA) https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/far-orbit-apogee

July Update for Far Orbit Apogee

7/14/2015

I just wanted to post an update on the publishing progress for Far Orbit Apogee, the second volume in our Far Orbit science fiction anthology series. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the stories in this volume and how smoothly the pre-production processes are moving.

First of all, we have a launch date: October 13, 2015!
Cover art has been finalized and the big cover reveal event will be next month. Please contact me or Elizabeth Wagner, the World Weaver Press publicist if you would like to participate in the reveal event.
We have also finalized the copy for the back cover. You can see the text below.
Contracts and page proofs are being finalized and should go out to authors later this week.
Once we have everyone under contract, we will reveal the author names and the Table of Contents.
And finally, World Weaver Press has agreed to publish a third Far Orbit anthology: Far Orbit Perigee. The open submission period will be January 1, 2016 through March 31, 2016. So, warm up your word processor and start writing!

Back Cover Copy
Modern science fiction adventures crafted by a new generation of Grand Tradition writers.

Looking for science fiction stories like they used to write? Far Orbit Apogee takes all of the fun-to-read adventure, ingenuity, and heroism of mid-century pulp fiction and shapes it for a new generation of readers. Follow the adventures of heroic scientists, lunar detectives, space dragons, robots, interstellar pirates, gun slingers, and other memorable characters as they wrestle with adversity beyond the borders of our small blue marble. Fun, engaging, pithy, and piquant, we’ve got it all!