Release Party for Futuredaze with Editor Erin Underwood and More and a $40.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest!
WINNERS of the contest have been contacted via email. They are: Bonnie H. and Lisa R. They have THREE days to contact us or their prize will be awarded to another reader.
Futuredaze: An Anthology of Young Adult Science Fiction is our answer to the lack of short science fiction being published for teens. Fans of YA fantasy, horror, or paranormal romance have been feasting for years on a bounty of literature (and there are obviously some great new YA science fiction novels) but where’s the short SF for young adults? Short science fiction has always been an important breeding ground for new, innovative fiction. This lack is troubling.
Science fiction is a wide-ranging genre—experimental, multifaceted, far-seeing, diverse. James Tiptree, Ursula K. LeGuin, Ray Bradbury, KurtVonnegut, and the young Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) wrote the stories SF continues to riff on today. Despite the Suzanne Collins juggernaut, there aren’t many young adult SF anthologies in a post-Katniss world. In particular, it seems odd that short science fiction written to contemporary young adult standards is largely missing from bookstore shelves: i.e. fiction featuring teens, written from the teen perspective. Surely teens want short SF? Surely authors want to write it? Maybe this nascent form of science fiction is a bit of a teenager itself: a little bit lovelorn, a little misunderstood. So, while Katniss might have gained in popularity, Bella Swan has kept her status as Prom Queen–at least for now.
In order to break short YA science fiction out of its funk we decided to inject it with some rocket fuel. We wanted teens to have contemporary science fiction that is written for them that also holds a modern mirror to the stories we’d grown up with—those classic “golden age” tales that established the genre—but we also wanted to honor the fluidity of a genre that can take you to Mars one day and post-apocalyptic Auckland the next. We wanted to dazzle a young audience with the elastic potential
of science fiction—and to create a collection of stories with as much variety of experience as kids themselves. So, we created Futuredaze.
While Futuredaze is not likely to be the “end all” of young adult science fiction anthologies, we hope that it is a step toward building a solid launching pad for teens who are interested in exploring science through fiction. Whether our readers are like young Alex Benedict, uncovering secrets of the past, or savvy Min Wan who plans to pilot her own starship, or brave Owen Mboku “jumping” into love and combat, we hope SF aficionados of all ages will find a piece of themselves in this anthology. Yes, Futuredaze was created for teens, but you don’t have to be a teen to “get it.”
•¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆
Learn more about Futuredaze and the authors here:
CONTEST INFO: Open to readers worldwide.
PRIZE: 2 -$20.00 Amazon Gift Cards
The Contest Entry rules have changed so read them carefully
The CONTEST portion of the event runs FOUR DAYS until 11:59 pm Central on 3/15/13.
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Tweet this event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=62260 + 1 Points (max 3 times a day please not all at the same time) include @bittenbybooks in your tweet.
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Purchase a print copy of Futuredaze by clicking here.
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1. Please note, the prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be absolutely no substitutions or changes the prize is non-transferable. If you don’t want the prize being offered, please don’t enter the contest. If you ever win an electronic copy of a book, please note that it is ILLEGAL to forward, give away or copy it in anyway once you receive it. Doing so violates copyright. If we find out that it has been done, you will no longer be eligible to win any of our contests.
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3. The prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be no substitutions, trades or changes. No exceptions. Please do not ask. If for some reason you do not wish to claim your prize, please let me know as soon as possible. Bitten by Books has the option to re-award it or not.
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Is this thing on?
Hi Chuck, it’s on!
There was a short technical delay, but it looks like it’s working. Good to see you!
Cheers,
Erin
Late to the party, it seems. Sorry to have missed this, as it appears I’ve done, and I hope it was a fine chat forum.
Best,
greg
No. I think we haven’t started yet.
Hi Greg,
Nope. Not late.
Feel free to also post this URL on Facebook and Twitter for people to come chat: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=62260
Cheers,
Erin
I’d love to recommend Futuredaze to my nieces and nephews but am not sure they’re old enough (I usually err!). What age range do you feel would engage most with these stories? Have you had much response from young readers yet?
Karen B. United States.
Hi Karen,
Excellent question! I think that age 12 and up is fine. As for reader response, I think most of our feedback has come from readers who are adults. Many of them have written, saying that they’re looking forward to giving Futuredaze to their children.
Cheers,
Erin
It depends on the kids, too. I work in a library and I’ve got kids whose reading levels are all over the place – fifteen year olds reading Judy Moody, twelve year olds working their way through the Women of the Otherworld series, and everyone in between. So if your boys are big readers they might be into Furturedaze even if they’re only eight or so. I remember my dad presenting me with my first grown-up novel (Heirs of the Force by Timothy Zahn) when I was seven.
Hi Everyone!
I’m sending out the URL to people now so that they know where to go. More people will be filtering in throughout the afternoon and evening. So, feel free to check in anytime to say hello, answer questions, and chat.
Thanks!
Erin
Who are your favorite SF writers?
Minna P Finland
RSVP’d
Hi Minna,
It’s so difficult to pick my favorites. I’d have to say the top of the list is Ursula K. Le Guin. Not only is she a very gifted writer, but her stories are as fearless as they are touching. I could easily recommend her to anyone.
Do you have any favorites?
Cheers,
Erin
Le Guin’s a great one! I always forget to list her when it comes to science fiction, because her stories seem to transcend the boundaries of SF. Like Bradbury’s cautionary tales, they feel more like timeless myths than prophecies of the future. I’m a big fan of “She Unnames Them” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”; just brilliant work.
Jules Verne and my new favorite is the Finn who writes in English, Hannu Rajaniemi.
For me, Samuel R. Delany, Octavia Butler, and Alfred Bester.
Three great authors! I guess I’d also have to add Bradbury, Asimov, and Zelazny since they were early inspirations for me.
Of the recent crop, I’d have to name people like Tobias Buckell, Paolo Bacigalupi, John Scalzi, Jay Lake, and Nnedi Okorafor. Ken Liu and Robert Reed are two very excellent short fiction writers–John Kessel and Bruce Sterling also have some great shorter works that have really spoken to me.
As far as “classic” SF writers, it’s hard to beat Bradbury or Arthur C. Clarke.
It’s hard to list everybody, but those are the first that leap to mind.
I adore almost anything by M.T. Anderson (FEED, OCTAVIAN NOTHING) or Philip Reeve (esp. FEVER CRUMB). My classic fave is Doris Piserchia (EARTHCHILD), and my current love is the short fiction of Kij Johnson (AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER OF BEES).
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/31688.M_T_Anderson
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/287861.Mortal_Engines
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1295204.Earthchild
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12970063-at-the-mouth-of-the-river-of-bees
Never heard of either Fever Crumb or Earthchild. Will have to keep an eye out for those.
Samuel R. Delany, Connie Willis and Gene Wolfe are my absolute favourites, but though there are hundreds more wonderful sf writers.
Pleease ignore the “though” in that comment of mine. I hadn’t had enough coffee yet.
Douglas Adams! (for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, of course) Rob Grant/Doug Naylor for the Red Dwarf books, and also Aaron Allston for his Star Wars tie in novels, because I am a massive nerd!
Hooray for Douglas Adams! And for Adam Rex’s True Meaning of Smekday (for the future Adams fan. Smekday is a middle grade novel).
As far as contemporary young adult fiction, Paulo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker is excellent. I also enjoy Scott Westerfeld’s work and Beth Revis’s Across the Universe series.
Samuel Delany, China Mieville, Peter S. Beagle, Lloyd Alexander, Ursula K. LeGuin – all wonderful writers!
As March is women’s history month, can you comment on the female role models in your chosen stories? I would hope they would represent strong and powerful people.
Hi Virginia,
One of my favorite female role models in Futuredaze is Min Wan. She’s a teenaged girl who ends up going on an unexpected adventure with a boy she likes. However, when things go wrong, she shows her competency and ability to solve problems in a way that makes me look up to her…but the beauty of this character is that she never loses her sense of humor or gives into dark circumstances.
However, I really can’t think of a single female character in any of the stories that isn’t equally as bright, engaging and savvy. They all have different stories and navigate their ways as best they can through the issues that come up in their lives, and I never once found myself wishing any of these characters were stronger…because they are all really strong women, even as teens.
Thanks for a great question!
Erin
My story is about a female character, but I see here as more a typical 14-year-old instead of a role model for anything — though she is smart and resourceful when she has to be.
Chuck, “Spirk Station” was a really fun story. It still has me smiling when I think of it.
Like Chuck (as it sounds), I didn’t really set out to write my female protagonist as having any sort of gung-ho agenda. I’m a feminist, however, so I think that when I’m creating characters they tend to come across as believable, imperfect fragments of the kinds of people I’ve met in life.
I’ve written at least as many, if not more, female viewpoint characters as male ones–it’s no longer a conscious effort. And to be honest, I don’t see the big gender divide that a lot of men struggle with; I work in an intimate office setting exclusively with women, and we think very similarly about life and the world.
I don’t think of my character as particularly stronger or more powerful than the rest of us, but “Over It” does tackle what it means to challenge prevailing notions of beauty or femininity or social palatability, especially when those notions change hourly and school (sChOOL) is corporate-sponsored…
Camille, “Over It” was fabulous. It was a story that really reminded me of what it was like to be a teen girl.
I usually write about female protagonists but after reading a few articles on how boys are under-represented in YA, I decided to try a short story about a guy this time. But Miles has a single mom who (as you can probably tell from the stuff he’s talking about in the story) has to be pretty strong to deal with all the disasters he creates. Miles’ mom is partly based on my mom, who used to say ‘uh oh’ whenever I said ‘I have an idea’ as a kid.
Hi everyone! I’m here, please let me know if you have any questions!
Hi E!
I’ve been meaning to ask this. I believe your poem is part of a larger piece. What inspired it? Where can we find more?
I have been working on a chapbook of poems based on the supernatural and unexplained. Several of these pieces have been published in lit mags in the last year, including Cordite, Going Down Swinging, and PANK. I’m hoping to publish the chapbook as a whole at some point!
Hello, everybody.
For anyone out there who has read the book, or seen a copy, my story is titled “Prospect of a World I Dream,” which begins on page 200.
It’s a slow, snowy day at work. I’d love to answer any and all questions about YA literature, science fiction, or that nebulous, ever-changing notion we call the Future.
Hi Alex,
Your story has an “old school” SF feel that I really enjoyed. What are some of your SF influences/inspirations?
As far as the old school of SF goes, I was heavily influenced (at age 18, I think) by Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. That’s the kind of book you pick up unaware of what you’re getting yourself into, blaze through it in awe, and then have to reread to parse all the colossal ideas he’s throwing at you in such a short page count. It’s a small novel by today’s standards, but there’s a richness of imagination that I’ve rarely seen elsewhere.
A couple exceptions from the more recent SF I’ve picked up would be novels like Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, and Sly Mongoose by Tobias S. Buckell–or his more recent, near-future technothriller Arctic Rising. That’s probably my favorite science fiction novel of recent years. And his short fiction, like “A Jar of Goodwill” and “Placa del Fuego,” both published at Clarkesworld, are huge influences on the style of my work.
My other big influences include short stories I’ve read and loved: “Clean” by John Kessel, “The Brave Little Toaster” by Cory Doctorow, “Bicycle Repairman” by Bruce Sterling, “Ray of Light,” “Outbound,” and “The Chaplain’s Assistant” by Brad Torgersen. Not to mention all the stuff outside of SF that I’ve read: Chuck Palahniuk, Joe Hill, Hunter S. Thompson, etc. Generally, the wilder and more stylishly written, the more likely it is that I’m sure to love it. I’m not so big on subtlety–not usually.
I just read Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, for those who might not know), and it’s a great sign that SF is moving back to its roots. Very exciting book. Now I’m reading Scalzi’s Old Man’s War for the first time, because I absolutely loved his fan-fiction reboot novel Fuzzy Nation (without having read the original H. Beam Piper books, for better or worse).
Hello, Everone! I’m in FUTUREDAZE as well. My story has steampunk elements. I just went to Old Tucson Studio during a steampunk festival, and I had a great time. I know we’ll all have just as much fun here at the launch party!
Steampunk is such a fun genre. There is so much you can blend together that you really can do almost anything with a steampunk story. I really enjoyed “Clockwork Airlock.”
Thanks for joining in on the fun, Nancy!
You’ve got an impressive bibliography full of exciting media tie-in books for properties like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, and so I’m wondering: Are you what you’d call a full-time writer? What kind of hard work and dedication did it take to make it to that point? I’m sure you made a lot of sacrifices, in conjunction with being in the proverbial “right place at the right time,” in order to get that hired for that kind of thing.
(As a writer/Futuredaze contributor myself, I’ve got a good hunch about the amount of work it takes, but I’m sure readers might find your journey interesting, as well.)
Waving at my fellow contributor! Yes I am a full time writer. The sacrifices that entails are like those of other professions, I think. Sometimes I have to skip the fun to make the deadline. But what I do is fun, which takes the sting out of it!
Nancy makes everything fun!
Plus, she’s the reason that I rediscovered how much I absolutely LOVE young adult fiction. She really “gets” teens.
Nancy,
Was that the new, rebuilt Old Tucson? (I think I’ve answered my own question unless you time-traveled to it…which would be oddly appropriate with Steampunk).
Yes, it was the new Old Tucson. I had a blast. I love moviemaking and theme parks so it was poifect.
I suppose I should introduce myself, too. My story, “Spirk Station,” is in the anthology.
It was something of an experiment for me: I tried writing in the voice of a 14-year-old girl, which I most decidedly am not. I realized I was on to something when I submitted it to the Critters workshop and got a critique saying, “When I first read this, I thought that a teenager had joined the workshop.”
You definitely got the future-teen-speak!
Thanks. And I really appreciated your mention of it in the introduction.
Jumping backwards a little: favorite sf authors…Zelazny was and remains a huge influence. I had Samuel R. Delany, Roger Zelazny, Joe Haldeman, Gene Wolfe, Damon Knight & Kate Wilhelm for Clarion instructors (that’s as much name dropping as I’m allowed for the year I think). Was very very humbly gobsmacked to be in such august presences. Contemporaries (besides those in Futuredaze) would include John Kessel, James Patrick Kelly, Kelly Link, Karen Joy Fowler, Maureen McHugh, Michael Swanwick, Tom Purdom…(and at this point whoever I forgot, because there is sure to be someone.)
I love this list of writers! They’re all excellent examples of science fiction that continues to be engaging for readers.
Karen Joy Fowler, I believe, published a vampire story in Subterranean that was by far the most cogent, effective criticism of the Twilight saga I’ve seen. She’s truly brilliant. (Not trying to derail the conversation by mentioning those books, just commenting on how skilled a writer Fowler is–and also how funny.)
[googles]
It was called “Younger Women”: http://subterraneanpress.com/magazine/summer_2011/younger_women_by_karen_joy_fowler
Hi everybody. I wrote “Your Own Way Back” for Futuredaze, and I’m very honored by the company. Ask away!
Hey, Rich! As other have asked and answered: Who are your big literary influences? Do you have any particular SF novels that made you into the writer you are now?
Some of the first sci-fi I ever read was Gregory Benford’s Galactic Center series, which I discovered when I was about nine years old. More modern influences definitely include Feed by M.T. Anderson, and The Live-Forever Machine by Kenneth Oppel. What I’ve enjoyed most lately are the sci-fi anthologies put together by Lou Anders, which are just a fantastic way to sample a variety of styles and voices in one go.
Agreed about anthologies. They’re my favorite way to discover new authors and styles that might go overlooked by the more traditional digests. I love Asimov’s–it’s probably my favorite of the print magazines, although I enjoy all of them a great deal–but the “Big Three” often have a particular flavor of story, which can probably be chalked up to wide marketability. Whereas the anthologies put out by Strahan and Adams and Datlow and Anders, et al., can better afford to take risks with subject matter, and give page space to relatively unknown writers. I’ve seen them referred to as the “New Pulps” elsewhere, and I certainly think that’s becoming more and more true.
When I was younger, I used to read a lot of short stories. Then for some reason I stopped. It wasn’t until I went to grad school that my love of anthologies was rekindled. I also found that it was a great way to sample various forms of fiction in bite sized portions and a great way to find new authors.
Bonnie H United States
RSVP #8 +25 pts.
Question +1 pt.
Total +26 pts.
How did you select the stories for your science fiction anthology? Did all the authors know each other or meet together to discuss the book?
I can respond as an author and we didn’t meet or get together. In my case, I had a story I thought might be appropriate and I sent it off to Erin.
Ditto Chuck Rothman. I do love a good anthology, though. It’s always a ride to see how antho editors weave everything together into a coherent whole.
To add to what Camille and Chuck have already said, this book is Erin and Hannah’s brainchild; they get all the credit for the idea of a YA Science Fiction anthology.
But when I saw the submissions call, thanks (as I recall) to a notification in my e-mail that Cat Rambo had backed the project on Kickstarter, I knew I had just the right story to try with the editors–and they ended up loving it, which was such a thrill. Of all the stories I’ve sold, this is the one that means the most to me.
Hi Bonnie,
When Hannah and I selected the stories and poetry for Futuredaze, we had three criteria that had to be met in order to be considered. 1) The piece had to be science fiction. 2) It had to be very well written. 3) It had to reflect today’s standards for young adult fiction. If a submission met those three criteria, we considered it for Futuredaze. There were several pieces of terrific SF that didn’t quite meet the YA standards, and those were really difficult to let go. However, when we looked at the final selection of pieces that we wanted to publish, we felt like we had something very special to offer to our readers.
We knew several authors who submitted pieces (and many more at least by name), but only a few of those were chosen. Also, the pieces by Nancy Holder, Gregory Frost and Jack McDevitt were the only pieces that we asked for in advance. Every other piece came in via open submissions, and over the months since accepting these stories and poems for Futuredaze, we got to know all of our authors. They truly are a terrific and talented group of writers.
Hi everyone; checking in a bit late to the party.
I wrote “Speech Lessons” for Futuredaze. I’ve loved reading the other contributions. This anthology is really well done!
Hi Alicia,
Thanks for stopping in.
Thanks for having me, Erin!
Elizabeth I., USA
RSVP #11 (as Elizabeth)
Question:
Do you think YA readers tend to gravitate to certain subcategories of SF, such as steampunk?
Hi Elizabeth,
I think steampunk is a genre that does a great job of bridging the fantasy/science fiction gap, and it’s definitely something that I think teens would enjoy. However, the key is “well-written” fiction. I think any fiction that is well-written and speaks to the needs and concerns of teens would be appealing to them.
I also agree with Alicia that dystopias are also pretty popular with teens right now, and (like steampunk) it’s a great sub genre for a teen to test out the SF genre.
Do you have any favorite sub genres?
People seem to be really into post-apocalyptic fiction right now, as well, which maybe started with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road–I don’t know. It’s always been an interesting, if depressing, subgenre.
I work in a library and I’ve noticed that a lot of kids will only read near-future sci-fi that specifically concerns one human – the kind of stuff that doesn’t have a lot of crazy new planet names and aliens and stuff or a lot of perspective characters. I guess it’s easier for them to relate to.
Hi everyone, apologises about being late to the party – the joys of time differences in Australia.
For way of introduction i wrote the story the Cleansing in the anthology and am really happy to be a part of this great collection.
I generally write in the horror genre so ending up in a sci-fi antho was a nice change for me.
Welcome, Mark! Thanks for coming.
Elizabeth, I think certain themes like change, transformation, and coming-of-age, all of which can be keenly expressed through steampunk, appeal to YA audiences. Other subcategories such as dystopias seem to be popular now. Maybe this is because of the tension inherent in the “darker” settings. Growing up is full of tension, after all!
I think there is something to the “darker” settings, which may be way horror and paranormal romance are so popular right now.
Hi everyone,
I’m Australian too, so I’ve only just joined in. I have a poem in Futuredaze tha starts as a peerfectly true story about my cat and transforms into a bit of a tribute to Bradbury.
I read masses of sf when I was a teen – mostly yellow-covered Gollancz hardcovers from the local library. There wasn’t much YA around in those days, so most of what I read was written for adults, but that didn’t worry me. I wrote poetry back then as well, though i gave it up for a decade or two in between
Jenny, your poem is very Bradbury.
“Learning to be a Cat” is a great poem…especially if you love cats and science fiction. It’s a nice combo.
Thanks, Erin! I wrote it during some very long nights when my cat kept me awake by bringing tiny frogs to me and letting them go next to the bed. It’s very hard to get to sleep after that!
He brought frogs into the house!?! Doh
Hi All,
Wow was this book pimped (she did not use that word) by Nancy Holder at the Tucson Festival of Books. My copy is just under Alexander Outland: Space Pirate in my TBR pile. This may mean I get to read it this year. I made a resolution to get my TBR under 500 this year. We’ll have to see if I make it.
Koren, tackling your TBR pile is an admirable goal. I’m constantly fighting with mine, but as soon as I read one book….the next great book is out!
Nancy is fantastic. Sounds like the festival was a lot of fun. Do you read much science fiction?
I read much everything including SciFi, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy even PR. And I enjoy books that cross genres as well.
I love cross genre books, too. I find them exciting because of the endless possibilities creating by a bringing genres together.
I talked about this a lot at Tucson Festival of Books because I’m so proud to be in such a great book!
Do you generally set one large or many small goals?
I think a series of smaller, more achievable goals are definitely more my style. I find the big goals to be a little nerve-wracking, and it’s much easier to reach those goals when I give myself a series of smaller steps to get there. For example, putting together Futuredaze was a massive goal that was only possible by achieving each smaller set of goals.
It’s important to have both.
I always have a larger goal that I’m working towards (writing fiction for a living) but I try to set smaller, more achievable goals as stepping stones as I go, such as writing X words in a week, or making sure I get a story finished to submit to a certain publication by a deadline.
Smaller goals are a great way to keep you motivated.
I guess my goal is to keep writing. I writer stories and if they work out, start marketing them. But I don’t have any goals in particular.
I set myself large goals and try to set myself deadlines (like finish novel x by date y), and then I finish out how to finish it within that deadline. That generally involves using smaller goals (like finish chapters 3-5 by the end of April or something like that).
I try to focus on goals that don’t rely on luck or the involvement of others so I don’t go crazy or get discouraged when it doesn’t happen. So I can’t set a goal like “get a book published” but I can set a goal to write a book and submit it to ten different places. Nanowrimo and Script Frenzy help a lot with the short-term ‘you must write this much today if you want to goof off’ goals.
What do yo do to reward yourself when you reach your goals?
Me too, Erin. I eat way too much candy! I’m also lucky enough to have a writer friend who lives across the street. We congratulate ourselves by going out for fancy coffees and taking the rest of the day off.
I give myself a day or two and then start writing again, if it was a long goal. If it was a short goal (finish a chapter or so, I kind of just keep going. I feel as though I should use this as an excuse to eat excess amounts of candy, though.
Do you keep track of random plot bunnies as the pop up, or do you let them run free and grow until you need them?
By using plenty of carrots! LOTS of carrots!
Seriously though, I think everyone has different writing styles, and different things work for different people. For me, I’ve learned that a strong outline is my saving grace.
Do you write? Have you troublesome plot bunnies running around your text?
Copious use of notebooks. Baby bunnies live in my general purpose notebook but when they grow up and start spawning whole colonies of material I give them their own notebook, usually with a collage of cool pictures relating to the story on the front so I can tell all my generic dollar store notebooks apart.
Unfortunately, plot things just sort of grow in my head and then I have a lot of them in my head. I have a good part of three novels in a series in my head right now, plus the general plot of a different novel and some other stuff. It isn’t something I recommend, but I lose stuff a lot, so that’s the safest way for me to keep track of ideas.
Here’s something you might also enjoy. It’s the book video for Futuredaze: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoGQ9XFIOTE
I was impressed at how professional that looked.
Thanks, Chuck. We wanted to do something fun showcase science fiction and young adult literature.
I know. When I saw it the first time, I started jumping up and down. And then I sent it to a bunch of people.
Yeah me too. When I heard there was a trailer I was a little worried. I’ve seen some book trailers that were… not awesome… so I was relieved to see the one for our book was totally cool!
other stuff…
1.Koren C USA
2.ASKED 3 +3
Tally own +1
total 4
Good luck!
Aww, I guess I’ve missed it.
Hi Evelyn,
We’re still around. The authors are filtering in and out.
Feel free to ask and they shall answer. 
Wait!!!! Is this Evelyn our teen contributor!?!
Yes. Though I am finally an adult teen.
Congratulations! Happy unBirthday, Evelyn!
Oh, also, I’m the author of “Why”.
Hey everybody, I’m a Futuredaze author too (Me and My Army of Me) and I’ll be here for a bit in case you had any questions!
Katrina’s piece has some fun artwork!
and she’ll bend your mind with science.
Just wondering: do most of you write short stories or novels?
I write everything. My training is in screenwriting but my hard drive has short films, feature films, TV pilots, spec scripts, short stories, novels, and even a graphic novel script floating around on it. No poetry, though.
I’m writing short stories currently. I’ve written a couple of novels: Staroamer’s Fate and Syron’s Fate, which are going to be republished by Fantastic Books.
Lately, it’s just been short fiction and nonfiction for me. I have longer projects that I’d like to tackle, but it’s difficult to carve out the extended amount of time.
Sorry for the delayed reply. It’s deadline day at work.
I have a focus on short fiction at the moment but have also written screenplays and tv scripts. Short fiction is a great place to work out all the bad habits and hone your craft before moving onto longer works
Currently my primary focus in middle grade and young adult novels, and I sneak in a short story here and there when I get a chance. But I also have a background in poetry and screenwriting. My first novel was adapted from one of my screenplays (that’s how I discovered I liked novel writing).
Hi, Evelyn! We’re still here!
Who are the authors that inspire/inspired you guys? I know for me it was people like Tamora Pierce, who I have actually met and who is awesome.
Lloyd Alexander and Piers Anthony inspired me to be a reader. Roger Zelazny inspired me to be a writer.
My inspiration to start writing seriously was because of one author and one book: John Varley’s Titan. I can’t explain why — it’s a good book, but there are many better ones. All I know is that after I read it, I sat at my typewriter and started to write stories.
Rob Grant and Douglas Adams inspired me to be a science nerd/nutcase early in life. Joss Whedon inspired me to try and write about it. Meeting Kelley Armstrong and Brandon Sanderson at conventions inspired me to keep plugging away at it until I get where I want to be.
You met Kelley Armstrong and Brandon Sanderson? I’m jealous. I actually got writing advice from an author (Carolyn Jewel) through email, and that really helped a lot. I met Tamora Pierce and Holly Black at a writing workshop I went to (Alpha), as well as Timothy Zahn and Michael Arnzen.
Start going to science fiction conventions. You can meet all sorts of authors there.
I’m inspired by so many books and authors… too many to count. Most recently, was completely awed by David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.
Lisa R USA (hey what happened to Rafflecopter?-so much easier)
I love Sci-fi be it YA, New Adult or whatever. I fell in love with time travel decades ago when I read The Man Who Folded Himself. I am thrilled that we are beginning to get some truly amazing sci-fi books. While I enjoy short stories as a way to “meet” new authors, they leave me gnashing my teeth for more.
What recent YA Sci-fi books have you read that you really enjoyed?
+1 Asked question
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+1 shared on blogger-http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/2013/03/release-party-for-futuredaze-with.html
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YA Sci-Fi books I’ve read and liked in the last couple months:
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
The Supernaturalists by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin (graphic novel)
Alcatraz vs the Scrivener’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Matched by Ally Condie
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Laika by Nick Abadzis (graphic novel)
All Good Children by Catherine Austen
Shockrockets by Kurt Busiek (graphic novel)
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
YA Sci-Fi books I’ve read and liked in the last couple months:
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
The Supernaturalists by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin (graphic novel)
Alcatraz vs the Scrivener’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Matched by Ally Condie
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Laika by Nick Abadzis (graphic novel)
All Good Children by Catherine Austen
Sorry that wasn’t supposed to go up twice.
The most recent SF book I’ve read was the YA anthology AFTER, which was really great. I’m so glad to see more YA SF anthologies. Before that, I’ve been rereading the Kage Baker series. I seem to be on a “time travel” binge. I blame Doctor Who.
I mentioned some of these above already in another comment:
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Uglies and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Ship Breaker by Paulo Bacigalupi
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
and I am in love with True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, which is a middle grade novel.
Lisa R USA
Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters?
+1=33
Lisa R USA
Something people would be surprised to know about me is…
I can’t live without…
+1=34
Kitties! Though that wouldn’t be surprising if you’d ever seen me with one.
I can’t live without TV and sugar. I’m addicted to both.
I can’t leave without electricity. I had to do that some after Sandy and it was very not fun. I also need books. And sugar.
People are usually surprised when they find out I’m a writer.
I can’t live without chocolate.
Lisa R USA
What books are on your nightstand or in your TBR pile right now?
+1=35
I work in a library so my TBR list is HUGE. You can’t work around books and not want to take them all home… at least I can’t. The ones I’ve got checked out right now are:
The Third Gate by Lincoln Child
Liar’s Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Big Truck That Went By by Jonathan Katz
My Dream of Stars by Anousheh Ansari and Homer Hickham
My list keeps growing, since my wife and daughter always buy me books for birthdays and holidays. The novel that’s next on my list is Shades of Grey by Jasper fforde (I love fforde, though this title confuses people — but he used it first!). I also have a history of the transcontinental railroad and an anthology of pulp fiction stories.
I just reread all of the paranormal romances by Carolyn Jewel in backwards order of the series (started with book 4, ended with book 1). I don’t usually actually read series by that, but I just started at book 4 and then went “I should read book 3″, and so on. I’m waiting for Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare and Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost to come out. I read a lot more fantasy/romance/YA than SF, though.
Right now I’m reading Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, Rewired: The Postcyberpunk Anthology, In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood, and Chuck Wendig’s Double Dead. (Yeah, I read a handful of books simultaneously. It’s a bad habit I’ve had for a long time.)
Up next in the TBR pile are books like:
- Makers by Cory Doctorow
- The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod
- Mitigated Futures by Tobias Buckell
- Redshirts by John Scalzi
- The Complete Short Stories of Amy Hempel
- Home by Toni Morrison
- Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm
- and Futuredaze, of course!
I just finished The Door to Lost Pages by Claude Lalumiere.
On my nightstand: How to Flirt in Faeryland by C.S.E. Cooney, a speculative poetry collection.
Also, Futurdaze!
Lisa R USA
If you were selected today for an outer space adventure, would you go?
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Absolutely. I would love to see something beyond this world and to experience even a few minutes in space.
Kashyyk! Or maybe Triton if I had to go someplace real. Neptune’s pretty.
A review of Futuredaze is up on Tangent Online:
http://is.gd/yxi3N6
Mary P.
AUSTRALIA
Do you find you lean more towards e-books or do you still purchase hard copies?
+25 RSVP #25
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marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I purchase hard copies of a lot of books and often save e-books for those really cheap (or free) half-decent books on Amazon. At one point, my bookshelves were all triple-stacked, but I donated a lot of my books to my local library.
I prefer hard copies, though a Kindle or iPad is nice when you want to keep a lot of books with you.
I have an e-reader with a few things on it. I read on my iphone when I’m stuck somewhere without a book (rare!). But I still prefer hard copies and think I always will. I read too much to buy them all, so I frequent my library and usually only buy books written by people I know or from authors at their readings.
I spent most of my Younger Years Reading SCI-FI but have not seen much of it out lately been mostly reading Paranormal now days.
So How meny Stories are in this book? +1
I Tweeted https://twitter.com/sasluvbooks/status/311683132527095808 +1
I RSVPed +25
I Tallyed +1=28
Stacey s USA
sasluvbooks at yahoo
21 stories, with about the same number of poems.
I love reading sci-fi, although it’s usually full length novels.
What was your favorite childhood book?
___
+1 Dovile P., Lithuania
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The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, definitely! The Chronicles of Narna were a close second. I love epic fantasy.
I love Lloyd Alexander!
Me too! Have you ever read his illustrated children’s stories from Prydain? There’s one about Coll and Hen Wen. So good!
The Tom Swift series and the Rick Blaine book “The Whispering Box Mystery.” Both had plenty of science fiction.
For the poets and poetry lovers, who are your favorite speculative or scifi poets? Places to read scifi poetry?
Lisa R USA
What is your favorite thing about the writing experience and why?
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My favorite thing about putting together Futuredaze was being able to discover some terrific new science fiction for teens. Also, I absolutely loved discovering the gems as we went through the reading process.
Lisa R USA
You woke up this morning and realized you had been reincarnated as a pair of shoes.
Describe yourself.
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Lisa R USA
If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?
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I would have to pick a Harry Dresden book since I’d really love to meet that wizard!
Sara D. USA
RSVP’d #23 +25
add up +1
Total: 26
1. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME AND YOUR COUNTRY – Elaine R, USA
2. Ask the author some questions, please no duplicates. + 1 points ask as many questions as you like PLEASE ASK EACH ONE IN A SEPARATE POST -
When writing Science Fiction for young adults, let alone adults, how do you write it so that it isn’t over the top with the tech, but not dumbed down?
6. Tally your own points total = 2
Hi Elaine,
I think the key is just focusing on the story and letting it unfold as naturally as possible. In some cases, a little more tech is required, but I find that when an author addresses “technology” at the appropriate point in the story, weaving it into the moment, it is easier for the non-techies to understand. For example, in “The Stars Beneath Our Feet” there are two teenagers alone on a spacecraft and they have to go through some technical things (and do some math along the way) in order to figure out of the problem. I also think that whether or not you’re writing for teens, the tech referenced should always feel appropriate at the moment it is included in the story. This way, even if the reader doesn’t know what a G-drive is, the definition can be gleaned from the other things going on at the time.
Vanessa P / USA + 1
I look forward to reading this. Anthologies have always been my fav way to discover new to me authors. I love SciFi and have ever since I was a young adult… I have not read all of the authors in the anthology. Will you tease us with a couple of short excerpts or a couple of descriptions of some of the 33 stories? + 1
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/rosemarysgreen/status/312104987838783488 +1
tally +1 = 5
Duuuh, allowed myself to get distracted, that was tally = 4
I love anthologies, too. It’s a great way to get bite-sized pieces of fiction.
Here are a few of my favorite sentences. Consider them mini-bites of fiction.
“Clockwork Airlock” by Nancy Holder
His face and the shell of his body had once been completely covered in lovely bronze and brass, though several sections had broken off.
“Not With You, But With You” by Miri Kim
Daphne’s dad no longer has a name, either. Civil Servants aren’t supposed to.
“Powerless” by Leah Thomas
The first power line on the edge of our woods all but blew me off my bike.
“The Stars Beneath Our Feet” by Steven Covey and Sandra McDonald
He hugs me. And laughs like people do when they escape Certain Doom.
“A Voice in the Night” by Jack McDevitt
Alex lived with his uncle Gabe, an archeologist. While most of the other kids went swimming and played ball, he spent his summers in various dig sites. It was the twelfth millennium, and the human race was by then spread across the stars.
What do you do to “color” outside the lines?
https://twitter.com/alterlisa/status/312270842224586752
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What was the first moment you knew you had to write?
https://twitter.com/alterlisa/status/312279251552464898
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I knew I had to write when it was the only thing that made me happy.
Futuredaze sounds like a wonderful anthology for young adults. I will definitely recommend it to the head librarian at my local branch of the PINES library system here in the state I live in. I will also get a copy for myself although I am chronologically an adult but a kid at heart!
Roger H. Unites States of America
Hi Roger,
Thank you so much for recommending Futuredaze to your library. I really hope you enjoy it.
When we put together the anthology, we aimed to create something that those of us who are still “young at heart” would also enjoy reading.
Cheers,
Erin
What projects do you have planned for the future?
https://twitter.com/alterlisa/status/312312428773928961
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We plan to do another YA SF anthology later this year.
https://twitter.com/rosemarysgreen/status/312889098480267264
new tweet
so a new tally = 5
Ummmmm but I noticed other people’s tallys have different point values for things like questions… am I using the correct points??
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