Witches and the Stars

January 14

10:40 p.m.

Two pieces of good news to relate.

Good News, Part the First:

I'm going to be the new editor of Star*Line, the journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Currently (and for the past, um, four years) edited by David Kopaska-Merkel (great editor, super poet and nice guy). I'm taking over as of, well, now. David's filled (nearly) the next three issues, so the first issue under my editorship will be the October/November ish, but I'm accepting submissions immediately! To timpratt@sff.net, or to the mailing address over on the side there. The PO Box in Berkeley.

How did this happen? Well, I was telling Marge Simon and Bruce Boston that I wasn't editing Speculon anymore, and that I was terribly sad about that, as I love editing. And they told me that David was thinking about stepping down as editor of Star*Line soon. So Bruce talked to David, and then I talked to David, and then I talked to SFPA president Scott Green, and poof! Here I am. New editor of Star*Line, a nifty print 'zine that comes out every two months, and includes lots of poetry, market info, reviews, letters, and SFPA business. Want a subscription? Just join SFPA! For $15 you get 6 issues of Star*Line, and you get to vote for the Rhysling Awards (the Nebula of poetry). Come on! $15 bucks! Wonderful poetry! Neat artwork! What are you waiting for? It's a great deal.

This is, in many ways, more exciting than editing Speculon was. There, I was starting from scratch, which had a certain appeal, I admit; here, I have a pre-existing infrastructure and readership, which makes it much more comfy, much less working-without-a-net. Other hard-working volunteers handle actual layout and mailing; I don't even have to send out checks! I just pick the poems and other material, put them in order, send them off, and proof them. (Well, "just". It'll be a lot of work. But it'll be rewarding). And the poets I met through working at Speculon will, I think, follow me over to Star*Line... and some of the poets I know who were nervous about publishing in online magazines can no longer give me that excuse. :)

Good news, Part the Second:

This morning I received the following e-mail:

Dear Tim,
Thanks very much for letting me see your story. I like it a great deal and would like to take it for RoF. Please send an e-copy... so that it can be put into production. A contract will follow shortly.
All best
Shawna McCarthy

That "RoF" is Realms of Fantasy, one of the major paper prozines. Shawna McCarthy is the editor. The story in question is "The Witch's Bicycle"... which is actually a novelette, at 12,000 words. (I wrote it back in February during my self-imposed Short Story Dare; the relevant entry is here)

I just sold a novelette to a major magazine! This is tremendous. I got the e-mail at work, and proceeded to bounce around the office. Of course, I work with people who know what a thrill it is to make your first pro sale, so they were happy for me (I've made sales to online prozines, of course, but this is the first one that's unambiguously acknowledged as a pro sale by SFWA, etc... holy shit, this'll make me eligible for the Campbell!). My boss said "Now you just have to hope the magazine doesn't go out of business." He has the sort of worldview wherein you expect the worst, so you can only be pleasantly surprised...

Tim Powers happened to call the office today, and I chatted with him, told him my good news -- told him his efforts to teach me at Clarion were not wholly wasted! He said there's no turning back now; I'm a pro forever. (We're running an interview with Powers in the February issue of A Certain Magazine; look for it!)

I'm deliriously happy. This is one of my favorites of the stories I wrote. I didn't expect it to be accepted, though; I mean, it's 12,000 words by a total unknown! But it was liked, and accepted, thus extending the Clarion '99/Realms of Fantasy streak. I follow in the recent footsteps of Tom Gerencer and Hilary Moon Murphy... Maybe I'll be TOC mates with one of them!

Okay. That's enough public enthusiasm for now. I'll see you later.

Tim Pratt
P.O. Box 13222
Berkeley, CA 94712-4222