Magazine: Space and Time, issue 125

Planetary Defense Command

Space and Time Magazine, issue 125

A steward shows me onto the cruise ship’s bridge and introduces me to the Captain, who reaches out to shake my hand.  “You’re that science journalist I’ve been hearing so much about.”

“Science-fiction book-blogger, actually.  I’ve heard your ship’s library has a copy of Space and Time Magazine that I’d like to read.”

“You know, I bet you’d like to write a story about the AI we use to manage the ship.”

“Not really, everyone has a HAL-9000 series these days.”

“You wouldn’t believe the things our computer can do.  Adaptive steering to keep the deck level and prevent seasickness among the passengers …”

I’m bored, and I zone out whatever the captain is saying.  I look out the window to the decks below.  Two young girls climb over the railing and leap into the ocean.  A third girl, running at full speed, vaults over…

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The Lights of Ceres

Is life outside of our planet the ultimate discovery?

A trio of explorers land on the asteroid, Ceres, in hopes of explaining the mysterious lights detected on its surface, only to discover more questions than answers.

Enigmatic patches of light on the largest body in the asteroid belt, Ceres, now suspected to be the work of living organisms, prompts the first manned mission to another celestial body since the moon landing. However, the search for life outside of our planet is quickly eclipsed by something much bigger.

*****

And be sure to check out:

“Ringshine”

“As a avid science fiction reader I had to check this book out. Ringshine is a short story which had me hooked by the middle and then carried me right through to the end.”

5 Stars – Amazon.com

Amazon – Smashwords – Barnes & Noble

Life has been seeded throughout the solar system and has evolved time and again only to be repeatedly snuffed out, sometimes by nature itself, sometimes by unnatural forces. Is it our destiny to explore the universe, or will the act of exploration lead to life’s demise… again?

And don’t miss this!

“Twice Upon A Time”

Not all stories have happy endings.

Paperback and Ebook

Fairy Tales, Myth and Folklore Retold With Some Dark Twists

New Short Stories and more at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords!!!

Smashwords – iTunes – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

*****

Proud Member

The St. Louis Area Horror Writers’ Society

*****

Thanks for dropping by!

W.P.

Coming soon to a PDC near you

Planetary Defense Command

In early January, many bloggers posted their plans for the coming year.  I’m just getting around to it now – that should tell you what kind of a year I’ve been having.

Here’s a list of things I hope to do in 2017.  I’ll place a poll below, so you can tell me which ones actually sound interesting.

#1:  Finish my magazine quest.  I’ve read issues of 34 different SFF magazines, but I’ve only reviewed 20 of them so far.

#2:  Endlessly analyze the results of my magazine quest until my follower count dwindles to zero.

#3:  Complete rounds 2 and 3 of the magazine quest, where I read additional issues of the better magazines, and decide whether to subscribe.

#4:  Compare anthologies to magazines.  A lot of the anthologies I read are single-author, but for a more apples-to-apples comparison, I’ll be using multi-author anthologies.  Suggestions…

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Three Horned Dinosaur – Aurora Triceratops – model kit

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Originally posted on parlor of horror:
Aurora Prehistoric Scenes Triceratops – model kit with the Lava Pool Base extention I finally tackled another model kit build after a short hiatus. This one is an original Aurora Prehistoric Scenes, Three-Horned Dinosaur (aka: Triceratops). Added on to the build is the Lava Pool base extension which lines…

Extremophiles

Look at that, I am still writing…

An advanced species emerges from the depths of a gas giant to take its first steps towards space exploration. On a small, rocky moon covered in ices and dotted with lakes of methane, the discovery that life is not unique in their solar system is overshadowed by its implications.

Life is never as expected…

Sentient beings venture out to explore one of the many moons orbiting their home planet,searching for knowledge and life beyond their world,
only to discover that life is more strange and terrifying than any of their race could imagine, and it’s more advanced. Will initial fears and lack of understanding prevent contact, or will it ensure it?

*****

And be sure to check out:

“Ringshine”

“As a avid science fiction reader I had to check this book out. Ringshine is a short story which had me hooked by the middle and then carried me right through to the end.”

5 Stars – Amazon.com

Amazon – Smashwords – Barnes & Noble

Life has been seeded throughout the solar system and has evolved time and again only to be repeatedly snuffed out, sometimes by nature itself, sometimes by unnatural forces. Is it our destiny to explore the universe, or will the act of exploration lead to life’s demise… again?

And don’t miss this!

“Twice Upon A Time”

Not all stories have happy endings.

Paperback and Ebook

Fairy Tales, Myth and Folklore Retold With Some Dark Twists

New Short Stories and more at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords!!!

Smashwords – iTunes – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

*****

Proud Member

The St. Louis Area Horror Writers’ Society

*****

Thanks for dropping by!

W.P.

Story published in Sci Phi Journal

Physics and Art

My short story, The Road Not Taken, is published today in Sci Phi Journal. This story started as a dream that was so weird I got out of bed and wrote it down. After some major surgery it became a short story. Today it goes out into the world.

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Aurora Godzilla – MotM (Monsters of the Movies) Prototype – Model Kit

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Originally posted on parlor of horror:
  Aurora Godzilla – MotM (Monsters of the Movies) Prototype (1973-ish) In the 1970’s Aurora was planning a second GODZILLA model kit under their Monsters of the Movies line. The kit was in design stages and complete prototypes were made. There are a few images of the kit which…

Another Shot at Sci Phi Journal

Taking another shot at Sci Phi Journal,

a publication specializing in the philosophical aspects and topics of science fiction with a focus on the Phi more than the Sci.

(Pretty cool, right?)

Wish me luck, and check out the publication:

Sci Phi Journal

*****

   And don’t miss this…

Check out my paranormal horror short, Wish Witch, and many other amazing authors in this great anthology.

“Twice Upon A Time” – Fairy Tales, Lore & Myth Reimagined and Remastered

*****

New Short Stories and more at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords!!!

Smashwords – iTunes – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

*****

Proud Member

The St. Louis Area Horror Writers’ Society

*****

Thanks for dropping by!

W.P.

What’s going on???

At the moment, not much…

Got something coming up with Blaster Books and some new short stories nearing completion but sort of in a holding pattern for now.

In the mean time…

Get some great deals at Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale

and check out one of my very first stories and its latest review:

4-Stars…

“Nice little story. I enjoyed reading it.” -Amazon

FREE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords

*****

Check out my paranormal horror short, Wish Witch, and many other amazing authors in this great anthology.

“Twice Upon A Time” – Fairy Tales, Lore & Myth Reimagined and Remastered

*****

New Short Stories and more at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords!!!

Smashwords – iTunes – Amazon – Barnes & Noble

*****

Proud Member

The St. Louis Area Horror Writers’ Society

*****

Thanks for dropping by!

W.P.

Magazine: Nebula Rift V4N1

Planetary Defense Command

Nebula Rift

I’m not writing a silly intro story for this review, because I want to talk about the magazine’s business model. (OK, enough booing, settle down.)

Most science fiction magazines pay a per-word rate to their authors. For “pro” magazines, this is six cents or more per word. For “semi-pro” magazines, it is typically one or two cents per word. Below that, payments are considered “token”.

Nebula rift does things differently. They have five stories per issue, and instead of an up-front payment, each author receives an ongoing royalty of 10% of sales of that issue. So, the publisher gets 50% and the authors split 50%.

At first, I loved this business model. The publisher doesn’t have to worry about bankrupting itself with up-front author payments, and there are five authors per issue with a vested interest in promoting the magazine to their friends and on social media.

On second…

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