Untitled Writers' Group

Zettel — SHORT REVIEWS AND BRIEF RANTS

Across the Nightingale Floor; Tales of the Otori Book One by Lian Hearn
Book review by Sarah Zettel

---

I love finding a book I could not possibly have written.

Across the Nightengale Floor is unusual in several respects. The first is, in this day of books that require you to reinforce your nighttable before you put them down, it’s a thin volume. Now, I do enjoy a fine, fat fantasy, but it takes a very good story to sustain that kind of length. Mostly, it seems like authors and editors just don’t know when to stop.

Lian Hearn, however, gives a lovely, spare tale, very much like a Japanese watercolor -- just a few simple brushstrokes and colors are laid on the paper, and yet the image is complete.

Sarah Zettel — In Camelot's Shadow

Here's the fabulous cover for the British edition of Sarah's fantasy IN CAMELOT'S SHADOW, due out in March 2004 from Harlequin Books. (Yes, indeed, Harlequin is enterig the fantasy market.)

Anne Harris — WorldCon Schedule

Anne will also be joining Sarah, Steven, and Catherine in Toronto this coming weekend. She will be participating on the following panel:

716 Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading
Day: Fri Time:1800
Duration: 2 Room:CC: 206B
Description: Broad Universe describes itself as "a group of women and men dedicated to celebrating and promoting the work of women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror." Ten group members read short selections from their current and forthcoming fiction.
Panellists: Naomi Bilodeau, Suzy Charnas, Anne Harris, Ellen Klages, Louise Marley, Victoria McManus [plus others not mentioned]

Sarah Zettel's Updated WorldCon Schedule

Visit TorCon 3 for more information.

Title: Sarah Zettel (Reading)
Day: Sat Time: 1400
Duration: 0.5
Room: CC: 203A
Description: Sarah reads from her current work.
Panellists: Sarah Zettel

---

Title: Worldbuilding: Worlds that Are, Worlds that Have Been and Worlds
that May Yet Be
Day: Sat Time: 1700
Duration: 1
Room: CC: 206C
Description: Fantasy and science fiction are both genres in which writers
create imaginary worlds so they can talk about our real world. Worldbuilding
techniques range from close extrapolation to alternate history to wild
flights of fantasy, but the best F/SF is alway [missing text].
Panellists:

---

Title: Design of Non-Humans in Fantasy
Day: Sun Time: 1400
Duration: 1
Room: CC: 104CD
Description: Fantasy, unlike science fiction, tends to focus on
psychological rather than merely physiological notions of alienness.
Traditional descriptions of the Fey mindset, for example, diverge markedly
from the human norm. But given stories positing the quotidia [missing text].

UWG Goes to WorldCon

UWG members Sarah Zettel, Steven Harper Piziks, and Catherine Shaffer will be attending the World Science Fiction Convention, this year titled Torcon 3 and held in Toronto, Canada, August 28 through September 1.

All three will participating in convention programming. The bare details are below. Refer to the website for more information.

Sarah Zettel:
Thursday, 3pm, Autographs
Thursday, 4pm, Beauty in the Near and Far Future
Thursday, 5pm, Summit, Writing the Extraordinary Realistically
Saturday, 2pm, Reading (Sarah reads from her current work.)
Saturday, 5pm, Worldbuilding: Worlds that Are, Worlds that Have Been and Worlds that May Yet Be
Sunday, 2pm, Design of Non-Humans in Fantasy
Monday, 2:30pm, Kaffeeklatsch (Tea and coffee in an informal setting.)

Steven Harper Piziks
Thursday, 1:30pm, Reading (Steven reads from his current work.)
Saturday, 1pm, Autographs
Saturday, 10pm, Performers' Circle Storytelling
Sunday, 1pm, Concert: Steven Harper Piziks / Rhodri James

Catherine Shaffer
Friday, 10:00am, Writers Workshop Session 2

UWG Quotes

Ever wonder what writers say to each other? The UWG's funny and sometimes very odd quotes from critiquing sessions have returned to the web. Follow the "quotes" link to the right, or go to leutheuser.com/writing/quotes.html.

Lisa Leutheuser — Ice Cream by Candlelight

Power drops and the emergency lights go on. Cool, I think, a little excitement in the day is always appreciated, especially as I didn't lose any work. (I have good "save reflexes".) All the staff around me are calling relatives and friends, and I learn through them that the power outage covers New York, to Ontario, to Chicago (sic). Wow. This is big. Of course the question of terrorists crosses my mind.

Catherine Shaffer — The Big Bad Blackout

I didn't think much of it when the power went out. It happens often enough I just ignored it until my neighbor knocked on the door and told me it was another terrorist attack. I was completely alone in the house. My son was across the state visiting his grandparents for the week. Brent was at work. The phone lines were jammed. I couldn't call anyone. I borrowed the neighbor's cell phone, but it didn't do any good. This recalls my father's experience way back in the seventies with the Big Flood. The person in charge of civil emergency and evacuation knocked on his door at 6 AM and when my father answered, he shouted, "Run for your lives. The water is coming!"

Public Appearance — Zettel and Piziks

Come one, come all!

Sarah Zettel and Steven Harper Piziks will be talking about Science Fiction and getting published at the The Kerrytown Bookfest on Sunday, September 14. 11am to 5pm. They will also be selling and signing copies of their books.

www.kerrytownbookfest.org

(They're not listed on the events page yet, but they are scheduled to be there. So keep checking!)

New Market — Polyphony 4

Opens September 1, 2003; Deadline, October 15, 2003.

Polyphony 4, Wheatland Press, PO Box 1818, Wilsonville OR 97070. Publisher/Fiction Editor: Deborah Layne; Fiction Co-Editor: Jay Lake.

"Wheatland Press announces an open reading period for Polyphony 4, the fourth volume in the critically-acclaimed Polyphony anthology series. The publisher and editors are committed to finding outstanding cutting edge fiction from new writers as well as from established writers. We will be looking for stories that stretch (or break) the boundaries of traditional genres. Send us your magic realism, surrealism, literary stories with a genre sensibility, and other hard-to-classify stories with strong literary values, compelling characters, engaging tone, and unique voice. If you really want to know what we are looking for, check out the previous volumes of Polyphony, available directly from Wheatland Press, genre booksellers, or online booksellers."

Pays 6 cents/word, to $600 maximum, on acceptance for First Print and Electronic World Anthology Rights. No multiple or simultaneous submissions.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND WHEATLAND PRESS CONTACT INFO IN THE EXTENDED BODY