Caren Gussoff writes urban science fantasy, whatever that is. She’s also co-founder of Brain Harvest: An Almanac of Speculative Fiction. She lives in Seattle with her husband, the SFF artist Chris Sumption, and their two cats, Molly Bloom and Paul Atriedes.

I’ve been thinking about steampunk lately.

I haven’t been able to escape it, really—it was steampunk month at Tor. Two weekends ago, my hometown hosted its first SteamCon. And now, tonight, I am going to hear VanderMeer* (who, as you know, Bob, has been an influential cog in the steampunk editing machine) himself read with Cat Rambo (a fine fantasy writer who integrates elements of steampunk in her fiction) and Cherie Priest (whose steampunk novel, Boneshaker, has made it onto everyone and everything’s “must read” lists).

In fact, it seems like all of you have been thinking about steampunk quite a bit and that no one’s been able to escape—there are even web pages dedicated to propelling, um, naughty adult toys with Tesla turbines (seriously. Just Google it, if you dare).

This had led me to wonder what’s next.

Steampunk has probably passed well beyond any coolness statute of limitations (should there ever exist a thing, and far be it for me to access coolness, really), but I’m type of woman who remembers the Hindenburg, knows the Nautilus was propelled by electricity, and abhors corsetry. I’m anxiously awaiting the next big punking.

There’s been some quiet, interesting work in clockpunk and I know a few good writers who are pushing greenpunk. Allow me to propose a relatively untouched sub genre: plaguepunk. While potential, future plagues are the staff of SFF, alternate medieval histories are undeclared territory, unless, of course, you count The Doomsday Book, which squarely saints Connie Willis as its patron saint. Now, I’m only half-serious, and I know that the death of 25 million within a 5 year span is poor fodder for a half-baked comedy stick, but think about it–the loss of that large of a percent of the population in such a short time seems like a historical pivot point where you know things could have gone really, really differently. Sure, plaguepunk costuming wouldn’t be as fun as steampunk—tunics, doublets, and latex buboes, anyone?–but there were underestimated scientific strides being made within monastery walls and in agrarian technology (girl’s gotta eat).

You read about it here first, right here on Ecstatic Days.

Anyway, I’d like to hear from you now. What do you think (or wish or joke) will be the next big alt-history punk craze?

 
*I’ll say hi to him from you!

Mark Charan Newton was born in 1981, and has worked as an editor for imprints covering film and media tie-in fiction, and later SF and Fantasy. His first novel is called Nights of Villjamur, published by Pan Macmillan (Tor UK) and in June 2010 from Random House (Bantam Spectra).

You can’t move in Hollywood for people clutching screenplays about the apocalypse. If you’re in a café out there there’s probably someone writing one next to you right now. These days there’s some kind of cinematographer’s fetish for destroying landmark buildings and tearing up natural monuments. So maybe because of this rise in the popularity of post-apocalyptic media, or because a younger genre audience might have little knowledge of the fictions of yesteryear, I wanted to use my first posting on Jeff’s blog to write a little more about the Dying Earth genre. Because it’s pretty cool.

There are plenty of stories about the Earth being gutted, but the Dying Earth is something quite different, and it deserves more attention. Although I’m not concerned with the business of genre taxonomy here, and nor do I want to pursue the aesthetics of an academic essay, there are a few things worth noting that sets the Dying Earth genre apart, and a few key texts to explore. So here are some initial observations for the uninitiated, and some Memory Lane fodder for the rest of you.

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Guest-blogger Will Hindmarch is a freelance writer, graphic designer, and game designer. He also blogs at the game/story outfit, Gameplaywright, at his home venue, The Gist and at the tumblelog, the Word Studio Notebook.

Halloween has come and gone, and with it went the Twitter-fiction event, Cthalloween, which I first wrote about at Gameplaywright. (See the whole event via the Twitter hashtag: #cthalloween)

I went into the event with hardly a plan in mind, writing as things struck me, aiming more for mood than story, because I figured only a few people would catch more than a few tweets at a time. Plus, I had to bail before the end of the event, due to Halloween parties and my untweetable phone. Maybe that was an ill-thought plan, but I’d been focused on too many other writing assignments to really devote much time to planning this little riff. So it goes.

What I ended up with is a little less than 700 words of somewhat creepy ramblings with a bit allegory, I think. In hindsight, this reveals more about what I find scary, I think, than it does anything about how to write horror.

What was planned was the notion of taking something omnipresent and trying to twist it towards the macabre somehow. That is my go-to formula for horror, whether it’s in fiction or games or the performance art of running storytelling games. What was also planned was the idea of my character being a melange of the suggested archetypes (Citizen, Artist, Professor, and Cultist) — I went with the Citizen’s paranoia, the Artist’s chilling visions, and a trace of the Cultist’s lunacy. You tell me if any of this ended up at all creepy or Lovecraftian.

If I had this to do over (like, say, if another MMOSE happens), I’d create a character that wasn’t so isolated and unraveled, so that I could directly interact with the tweets of other writers, especially locals like @Servantofproces. Instead, I tried to keep my tale small (without giving up the Lovecraftian alien monstrosities).

Here, then, is my #Cthalloween story (“story”), modestly edited but still in the form of its original 140-character bursts, and with a lurid purple title slapped on it:

Branches Beneath The Silver Tower

Bad dreams last night. Yet the further I get from sleep, the sharper the images get. I remember branches, black branches.

Trying to shake last night’s abnormal dreams. Going for a walk to take in some jack-o-lanterns. Neighborhood’s real quiet.

People are just standing at their windows, staring out into the street. Staring at me, as I walk by. Pumpkins are glowing.

The rain has stripped the leaves from the trees. Naked trees arch over the street above me, tangled black branches.

Back home, where the trees seem bare, not like they were when I left. Locking the doors.

Last night’s dream getting sharper—black branches snaking against a sky of pallid clouds, and a sound like chewing.

Trying to work, but when I blink I see serpentine veins pumping black sap. I picture hooves pounding quaggy ground.

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Charles Tan blogs at Bibliophile Stalker, The World SF News Blog, and SF Signal.

Hi! My name is Charles Tan and despite my Chinese name, I’m from the Philippines. I’m mostly known in the field for promoting Philippine speculative fiction. In line with that expectation, here’s my tentative (tentative because the year isn’t over yet and I’m open to revisions) summation of the Philippine genre, patterned after the summaries in the now-defunct Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow, Gavin Grant, and Kelly Link (St. Martin’s Press).

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Huzzah! Tomorrow is the official release date for Finch, my latest novel, a mix of fantasy, noir, thriller, spy story, political intrigue, and a dash of science fiction. The book’s been enthusiastically blurbed by the likes of Ken Bruen, Meg Gardiner, Tad Williams, Richard K. Morgan, Joe Abercrombie, Joe Lansdale, and many more.

Several cool things are now available to you…

Finch Insurgency Campaign–a new page from which you can download Finch “traitor” posters, icons, banner slogans, Murder by Death official soundtrack, “fungal teasers,” podcast promos, and more. We wanted to make the experience more about providing cool stuff for you than about PR for Finch, so many of these Insurgency Campaign items require you to mention the book, too, and a link to ordering information.

You can buy Finch through Amazon, Indiebound, Powell’s, and any of your other favorites, including indie and chain bookstores.

Jeremy Tolbert created the bulk of this work (some of it from John Coulthart’s cover), with the exception of the Hawk Alfredson icons, and the awesome Luis Rodrigues created the site. I highly recommend all three of them, and think Jeremy did a wonderful job with the insurgency posters–you can even photoshop yourself into one of them. I’m also chuffed that the models for the “traitors” include Jeremy Lassen, Charles Tan, Lisa Bennett, Angela Slatter, and a former Clarion student who prefers to remain anonymous. (Meanwhile, a special Finch promo video will debut later this month.)

Also, tomorrow Thursday, you can read my Big Idea piece for John Scalzi’s blog. A long excerpt from the novel is also available.

Previous features have included guest posts for the Powell’s book blog, Crimespree, and the LA Times. Some great reviews have appeared in the weeks leading up to publication, including from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and even more are forthcoming–I’ll post links to all of them next week, along with a slew of interviews (most recent, for the Willamette University gig).

So please spread the word if you like my work, and make tomorrow’s release day a rousing success. Me, I’m on the road in San Francisco and will be appearing with Cherie Priest and Cat Rambo at the University Bookstore in Seattle Nov. 4th at 7pm. I’ll also be at Willamette University the evening of Nov. 5th, before heading to Portland for a Press Club event at 5:30 on Nov. 6th with Jay Lake, Jeff Johnson, and Cat Rambo, followed by a 4:00 pm reading Nov. 7th at Powell’s (Cedar Hills). For the complete 28-event schedule please refer to my blog entry.

I should note I don’t care where you buy Finch from, but I do hope you’ll consider picking it up from your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookstore.

Starting Wednesday, November 4th, a mob of guest bloggers will take over Ecstatic Days, and I’ll just be posting a few little things on an irregular basis, until my return from the book tour on December 13th.

I think you’ll enjoy the viewpoints represented by this unruly group. Not familiar with all the names? You will be by the middle of December. (And many thanks to them for being willing to drop by here.)

Rima Abunasser
Selena Chambers
Gio Clairval
Eugie Foster
Felix Gilman
Caren Gussoff
Will Hindmarch
Shane Hoversten
Kameron Hurley
N.K. Jemisin
Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
David Moles
Mark C. Newton
Eden Robins
Luis Rodrigues
Jason Sanford
Liam Sharp
Kelly Shaw
Rachel Swirsky
Charles Tan
Lavie Tidhar

(Tempest and Jetse, looking toward the future)

A little late since every minute of the World Fantasy Con has been filled with some commitment, here are the winners of the Last Drink Bird Head Awards and a few photos from the party. More photos later. The finalist list was posted earlier on my blog.

Gentle Advocacy
In recognition of individuals willing to enter into blunt discourse about controversial issues…

- K. Tempest Bradford

Tireless Energy
In recognition of individuals who selflessly give of themselves for worthy organizations or causes…

- Rina Weisman (for SF in SF and the Variety Children’s Charity of Northern California)

Promotion of Reading
In recognition of individuals whose efforts contribute to the promotion of reading or an increase in reading proficiency…

- Susan Straub (for her work as the creator and director of the Read to Me program, the goal of which is, in part, to “stimulate the imagination”)

Expanding Our Vocabulary
In recognition of writers whose fiction or nonfiction exposes readers to new words and, often, new ideas…

- John Clute

International Activism
In recognition of those who work to bring writers from other literary traditions and countries to the attention of readers in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia…

- Charles Tan (for Bibliophile Stalker and various ad hoc efforts)

Special Achievement Award

The winner of a Special Achievement Award is Neil Clarke. This award is geared toward recognizing individuals who are proactive behind the scenes but whose efforts for literacy and general advocacy, especially personal resources, time, and other commitments, are not often recognized.

Sunday, Nov. 29th, 3:30 to 5:30, The Book Escape (805 Light Street, Baltimore)

Sometimes Dead Men Do Talk Back: A discussion of new trends in classic noir and mystery fiction with Sandra Ruttan, author of the police procedural Lullaby for the Nameless (“[She] writes with utter ferocity.” – Greg Olsen), and Jeff VanderMeer, author of the noir fantasy Finch, the novel that made Ken Bruen exclaim “it blew me to hell and gone” and forced Joe R. Lansdale to admit, “I loved it. In fact, I’m a little jealous.” Moderated by Mystery Bookspot’s Brian Lindenmuth. Reading and signing as well.

Free Murder by Death Finch soundtrack CDs with purchase of Finch, while supplies last.

Finch

BOOKWORK FOR A BOOKLIFE: Talk, Discussion, and Signing with Award-Winning Author Jeff VanderMeer at Copperfield’s, 140 Kentucky St, Petaluma, CA, starting at 7:00pm on Friday, Nov. 13.

Part of a five-week national book tour, Jeff VanderMeer’s in-store talk and Q&A coincides with the release of his new Booklife: Strategies & Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer, the first book to blend traditional career and creativity advice with the best ways to thrive in our new internet-based world without losing your mind. Funny, blunt, practical, and humane, Booklife is the perfect gift for you or the writer in your life. “A frank, revealing manual not simply on how to be a better wordsmith, but on how to be a better human being.” – Minister Faust

VanderMeer will share often outrageous details of working on successful, complex book projects, along with sustainable career and creativity advice for this new media age. His talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience and a take-away of exercises and prompts aimed at enhancing your creativity and honing your career focus. In addition to writing for the New York Times Book Review, LA Times, Washington Post, and Miami Herald, he is the best-selling author of the cult classic City of Saints & Madmen, with books published in 20 languages. Jeff’s new novel is Finch, a noir fantasy thriller that has received rave reviews from the likes of NYT Bestsellers Stephen R. Donaldson and Tad Williams.

Free Finch CD soundtrack by critically acclaimed rock band Murder by Death with purchase of the novel, while supplies last.

Join Jeff VanderMeer at the Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue, in Seattle for an event presented by the Fantastic Fiction Salon. Monday, Nov. 9, at 7:00pm.

BOOKWORK FOR A BOOKLIFE: Award-winning writer and editor Jeff VanderMeer shares the inside, often outrageous, details of working on successful, complex book projects, along with sustainable career and creativity advice for this new media age. The world of publishing is changing. How should you change with it, and what will remain the same? Practical, irreverent, idealistic, and brash, VanderMeer will give a talk followed by a discussion with series organizer Leslie Howle and then take questions from the audience. VanderMeer is the author of Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer. “A frank, revealing, riveting manual not simply on how to be a better wordsmith, but on how to be a better human being.” – Minister Faust