Lyn C. A. Gardner

Realms of Fantasy does it again

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:09:59 GMT

I do, of course, find it highly amusing (not) that the magazine recently lambasted for a sexist cover has put together a call for submissions supposedly to encourage women writers and positive female images, yet in said guidelines manages to call women both "girls" and "ladies." Is this adding insult to injury? It sounds like they want to be positive but still have absolutely no clue. Will the women they pick manage to make a positive difference despite the obvious blindness of the magazine's top male staff?

http://www.rofmag.com/2010/01/04/announcing-august-2011-women-of-fantasy-themed-issue/

"Contests" that publish runners-up for nothing

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:50:39 GMT

Is anyone else bothered by this trend?

I'm seeing a disturbing number of "contests" these days put out by small presses in which the goal seems to be for the publisher to fill an anthology or issue while paying almost nothing for the stories. First prize is a relatively reasonable sum for publication--usually 3-5 cents a word. Second/third places, if there are any, often fall somewhere in the 1-3 cent/word range (if that; often they are just a higher token payment, such as $20, regardless of length). "Honorable mentions," of which (with an anthology) you can bet there will be a lot, receive, if anything, $5 and/or a copy of the print anthology, but more often (and especially if it's an electronic anthology or publication), just "exposure."

Paying in copies or exposure can sometimes be acceptable, even desired, particularly if one is a poet or a writer of the academic/literary school, in which the prestige of the journal means far more than any payment. Many university and college publications pay in copies, yet are so respected in the field that the ability to include the title of the publication is worth as much or more as the payment would have been. Yet even here the most prestigious of the literary markets generally pay very well indeed.

The problem with these "contests" in the speculative or mystery field is that without the backing, prestige, and audience of a university or literary society (or a particularly respected editor or author), if the publisher can't afford to pay the authors decently, the odds are good that few but the editors, fellow contributors, and their friends and family are even going to see this publication, let alone read it. It not only does nothing to help with prestige, it also effectively buries the story from its potential audience. Now not only does the writer have a virtually meaningless credit (a name other editors most likely haven't heard--or if they have, know carries no prestige), the story carries the stigma of having been previously published--so unless the author is able to rise to a level of recognition that justifies a short story collection, there's little chance that story will ever be read. And that's, to my mind, worse than the lack of payment. (Were I offered $1,000 for a short story under the condition or certain knowledge that no one but the purchaser would ever read it, I would decline.)

There are a few notable exceptions to this rule, but they are exceptions for a reason. Some small presses that can only pay their authors a token amount up to 1 cent/word have actually built a reputation due to the strength of their editors. However, these publications do have something else to offer--reputation--and that commodity will be one that the potential author should be able to discover fairly quickly. Reputation can make certain publications, SFWA- or MWA-approved status or not, well worth the fight to get in, regardless of the monetary reward. But these publications generally don't have to *advertise* or solicit submissions. They're frequently deluged by submissions from excellent writers who are excited by what those editors are able to bring together.

This kind of scenario is a hoax, folks. If you see a "contest" (or a publication) that offers a plum to one (or three) lucky winner(s), but pays the runners-up peanuts, if anything, I strongly advise you to ignore it.

Aside from the risk of having your story taken out of circulation for no good reason, even if you are that lucky winner (or "editor's choice"), you're helping out an outfit that's taking advantage of other new writers. And odds are good that the company you keep (the quality of the other submissions) will not do your own reputation any good, either.

I do, with shame, speak from experience.

My dear Grandma Edythe

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:43:31 GMT

I wrote the obituary with some feedback from Mom, my sister Melody, & Uncle Dan, who asked me to write it because he was so impressed with the one I'd written for Dad.

It's all becoming too much to bear.

http://www.dailycamera.com/obits/2009/mar/10/edythe-hegarty/

Mythic Delirium 19: with Delbert R. Gardner's "Tammuz to Ishtar"

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:27:56 GMT

Mythic Delirium 19 is out now, a beautiful issue that Amal El-Mohtar (tithenai) has kindly reviewed, including praise for Dad's poem:

http://tithenai.livejournal.com/172072.html
"'Tammuz to Ishtar,' by Delbert R. Gardner, is a beautiful, haunting sonnet that made me think of some of Duncan Campbell Scott's poems; the rhythm's tilt from line to line put me in mind of "Watkwenies," which I'm sure won't mean anything to those of you lacking an interest in Canadian Confederation poets, but all the same. What I mean is, it's lovely."

Copies are available for $5 (specify Issue 19):
Mike Allen (time_shark), 3514 Signal Hill Ave NW, Roanoke, VA 24017-5148. (Rate
applies to U.S. residents only. If you live outside the U.S., and wish
to purchase a sample copy, contact the publisher at mythicdelirium[at]
gmail[dot]com.)
http://www.mythicdelirium.com/#current

http://time-shark.livejournal.com/209550.html

Christmas

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:28:12 GMT

Something you probably already guessed. I will do a seasonal mailing sometime early next year. But I am just not up to it right now. So please feel free to send a card if you want to; I will still appreciate it; but my reply will be a bit delayed.

T.S. Rap

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:39:39 GMT

We had a sports-themed staff day this year, and each department was supposed to create a cheer. Our Technical Services Department wasn't planning to do one--I have not been in a cheering mood (understatement), and haven't been able to write anything since Dad went into the hospital. However, when we came in today I found that they had put us on the program in a specific time slot.

I jotted down this rap on the back of an activity sheet in free moments during the sessions and performed it, to my surprise, to instantaneous rhythm clapping and whistles from the audience. We wound up taking second place. It was supposed to be a cheer, so I added a cheer line at the end of the rap, which Terri, who stood up with me, shouted along.

"We're the Technical Services Department, and this is the T.S. Rap!"

Send your books to us if they look old
We'll quarantine them if they have mold
We know the best places where books are sold
And we'll find you a bargain as good as gold

Don't test us--you really can't best us
We're Technical S. and we fix book messes

We put what you need in the catalog
To find books and shows till you're all agog
We get holds out fast and replace lost fellers
And we stay on top of New York Times best sellers

We find it--you really can't hide it
We're Technical S. and we will provide it!

Technical S. Team--Yeah!

Dad & writing

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:35:23 GMT

It's been nearly impossible to write anything since Dad died...since he went into the hospital, actually.

I've delayed our special issue of Virginia Libraries by about two and a half months mostly because I simply couldn't write a word.

I finally turned in the editorial yesterday. The issue is complete. What gave me the motivation to finish is also part of what made it so hard to write. The following is the final third of our piece, "Openers: For the Love of Reading." I'll post a link when the issue is finally available online. There's also an interesting interview I did with Richmond mystery writer J. B. Stanley in that issue.

This doesn't begin to touch the many things I love about Dad and all that he means to me and my family. It also focuses on only one aspect of our lives together (and doesn't say even a fraction of what there is to say about that; space and the format caused me to leave out a lot). But since I haven't been able to say much, and some have asked about Dad's writing or his connection to my being a writer, and since I've already struggled to write this, I figured I'd share it here.

Excerpt from Openers editorial column for Virginia Libraries Vol. 54 No. 3-4
(when it goes online you'll be able to access the full text here:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VALib/)
The part in brackets will be the "pull quote" featured on that page.

The biggest influence on my own literary life, both as a reader and a writer, has always been my father, Delbert R. Gardner. While I inherited a love of reading from both parents, with fond memories of both reading to us from an early age, my father carried on the tradition of reading aloud to our family long past the time when we could read for ourselves. He would read with gusto at the dinner table, in Saturday-morning living-room gatherings, or in the car on family trips from classics such as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court or the adventures of Groo the Wanderer. When I reached my early teens, my father opened a new world to me, drawing on my own interest in mythology, medieval legends, and fantasy fiction to introduce me to the works of such authors as Tennyson, Browning, Keats, and William Morris (about whom Dad had published a scholarly book, and whose The Life and Death of Jason thrilled me as much as John Gardner's Jason and Medeia at age fourteen). Throughout our lives, Dad shared with us the joy of reading all types of works; and, as a former English professor, he elucidated aspects of classic works that helped us appreciate them all the more.

Likewise, from the beginning, I loved my father's enthusiasm for pounding the keys of his heavy manual typewriter, creating drafts of stories and poems that he would meticulously polish before giving them to my mother, who typed clean copies and revised versions for submission. I loved Dad's desk, with his wooden file box and small notebook for submissions. He shared each new publication, sometimes reading them aloud to us; indeed, he could still quote his own poems in conversation years later. I grew up loving the magical world of books, and seeing firsthand how a writer lived inside them. I always knew I wanted to be a writer like my father; and when the time came, he showed me how to submit my work, and gave me a postage allowance each month despite our limited means.

While both our parents took us on many library jaunts throughout the years, Dad continued to share the library experience with me long past childhood. In addition to taking me to a variety of academic libraries on many occasions during high school and college (we loved hunting down literary clues together), he also saw the library as the perfect place for me to work--and he was right. He encouraged me to apply to our local library when I was sixteen. From my teenage days as a page and then library assistant while I paid for college, through my years as a research assistant at a museum library upon achieving my master's in English literature, to my present work as catalog librarian at Hampton Public Library, I've loved the chance to work with books and the people who enjoy them. Dad was as proud that I became a librarian as I was pleased to be one; though he was eighty at the time, he and my mother drove all the way to Tallahassee, Florida, from Newport News to attend my MLIS graduation. He was always happy about my involvement in the world of books.

["I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."

--Jorge Luis Borges]

Along with his love of family, literary pursuits shaped his life. Among other occupations, he spent twenty-one years as a professor of English literature and creative writing (whereby he met my mother, a talented former student with whom he stayed in touch) and another fourteen years as a writer-editor for the government. Throughout their marriage, my parents continued reading aloud to each other on car trips of any length, in waiting rooms and hospitals, filling hours of waiting with this pleasure they shared. On what turned out to be the last day of his life, my sister and I took turns reading to Dad when he could neither rest nor speak. Earlier in 2008, I had begun submitting his writing for him; we enjoyed discussing his work and what might be done to complete it. In the hospital, I told him how much I admired his work and vowed to continue striving to complete his publications. At his funeral, his sister-in-law spoke of how Dad opened the world of literature to her by urging her to read Raintree County; having discovered she'd never read it, he spent a day of their vacation hunting through a dusty bookshop for the then out-of-print work, which she fell in love with as well. One of my brothers was named in part for its author, Ross Lockridge.

Dad died on September 21, 2008. I've been finding it extremely difficult to concentrate or stay motivated even for the simplest tasks. Writing this column has been an almost insurmountable goal (and has been the first piece of writing I've managed to complete since he entered the hospital). The delay of this special issue is entirely my fault, and I beg the pardon of our readers and writers alike. But while it's difficult to find strength to continue, I'm determined to carry on his work--making sure his writing is remembered; continuing to live the literary dream we both shared; and perhaps most important of all, helping to share our passion for reading.

Batgirl Barbie contest to promote Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:09:02 GMT

Raven Electrick Ink is hosting a cool contest right now--check it out and blog away!

The book in question, Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic (http://www.ravenelectrick.com/sportyspecgls.html and http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0615173616), includes my poem "Riding to Faery." We have a copy of the book here in my library; I did the original cataloging for it. I love doing original cataloging, especially for small press SF/F to which I hope to bring more notice, but it's rather thrilling when I get to insert my own name authority file into the bargain.

I know I speak from a biased point of view, but this book is a lot of fun. I love looking at seemingly familiar things through a speculative lens (it's how I prefer to view the world a lot of the time), and I love reading sports stories (I am primarily a baseball fan--and if you like baseball, I highly recommend Ring Lardner's stories!). Since all the pieces are poems or flash fiction, this book is also very easy to nibble on for relaxation in those stolen moments in a busy schedule. And with its sports theme, it makes a great gift for a lot of people!

There are a number of great pieces in this book, as evidenced by the recognition some have received, such as:
Samantha Henderson, "The Tithing Hunt," Honorable Mention, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008.
2008 Rhysling Award nominations (included in the 2008 Rhysling Anthology)
Short Poem category: "Menace Anyone" by Brian Rosenberger
Long Poem category: "Space Envelopes" by Willow Katsumi Relf-Discartin & Terrie Leigh Relf

Here are some reviews:
Cleveland Poetics

SF Site

The Fix

Midwest Book Review

The publisher's description:
"Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic views sports and games with a speculative twist, in prophesied futures, parallel presents, and imagined pasts. From tennis matches with Death to chess games with Oberon, from free throws with the Fairy Court to surfing with werewolves, every sport imaginable (and a few unimaginable) exist within this speculative city of games. 42 authors, veterans and rookies alike, have contributed flash fiction and poetry that will take you from pong with a dust mote at the beginning of the world to sailboarding through the stars at the universe's edge."

Here are some places where you can read it
WorldCat

or buy it
Barnes and Noble

Amazon

And, if you liked this book, Raven Electrick Ink has another one coming soon:
Cinema Spec: Tales of Hollywood and Fantasy
I've got a poem in it, "House 5," and my Clarion West mate, Vylar Kaftan, has a story, "Starshow"--it promises to be an exciting read!

newly cataloged

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:08:08 GMT

The Lone Star Stories Reader, edited by Eric T. Marin

http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=9780981781907&qt=owc_search

original cataloging by yours truly.

The great thing about being a cataloger is, not only do I get to make sure there's as much information as possible about these titles so that readers can find them by any of the included stories and authors, but I also often get to be the first person to read the book once it's processed!

I'm looking forward to reading this one.

Dad's dissertation included in SF/F resource list

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:27:48 GMT

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Utopian, and Dystopian
Theses and Dissertations

Compiled by Leslie Kay Swigart

Latest List Update: 23 September 2004
©2002-2004 by Leslie Kay Swigart

Authors: E through K

http://www.csulb.edu/~lswigart/sfftd02.html

Year Author Title Institution Country [& State if US] Degree [B, M, D] Dept. DAI & MAI

1963 Gardner, Delbert Ralph William Morris's Poetic Reputation in England, 1858-1900 U Rochester US-NY D
DA 24: 2030

"The Statue" by Delbert R. Gardner, a bibliographical question mark, & a request

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:52:33 GMT

An excerpt from The Gardner Castle listserv.

Just thought I'd mention that a search the other day revealed that
this story of Dad's appears in an online index:

http://www.philsp.com/homeville/fmi/s813.htm

It's actually one of his science fiction pieces. In one of those
paperback-sized looseleaf notebooks that he used to keep track of
submissions and ideas, I found the following story kernel, which he
had crossed out after having completed the story:
"Stuffed dead soldiers in war memorial."

You can read the story here:

http://www.gardnercastle.com/DelbertRGardnerStatue.htm

as part of http://www.gardnercastle.com/DelbertRGardner.htm

Also of interest: Dad's correspondence (as a writer) with THE
QUEST/THE LITTLE MAGAZINE is archived as part of the literary
magazine's collection at The University of Texas at Austin (see
details below). The particular file where Dad's letters are found
contains manuscripts that were later published, including the galleys
for those works. I may need to make a trip there to view these
archives, since this is one of Dad's publications that I can't find
anywhere else. There are two others that I know I'm missing (see
below), for which I at least have a few bibliographical details,
though I haven't found the manuscripts or publications that pertain
to them. Based on some of the things that are missing, I believe
there may be others of which I have no record. If you have any
publications by my dad, would you please check against the
bibliography on the "Writing" page at
http://www.gardnercastle.com/DelbertRGardner.htm and let me know if
you have something I don't know about? Also, please let me know if
anyone has a copy of either of the following, as these are the two
for which I have bibliographical information but no printed copies.

• "Much That Is Genuine in Neumann's Poetry," Elmira Sunday Telegram,
January 25, 1970.

• "Vacation in the Southland," Fort Eustis Wheel, November 5, 1981.

Also, in a reverse note, I have an article that Dad wrote, presumably
for the Elmira Star-Gazette, titled "Woman M. D. Aided Folks Beyond
the Call of Duty." However, I have no bibliographical details. From
internal evidence, I believe it to have been published in or not long
after October 1948 (she died September 30). This is the story of Dr.
Ella Ritter, the physician who saved his mother's life free of charge
when Dad was a boy. Dad later wrote a long narrative poem, "Hollow
Beats the Night," partly based on that experience, which to my
knowledge he never submitted due to its length (251 lines), for which
I am now seeking a home (it includes an important ghost intervention
by a figure based on his mother). Please let me know if you have any
details about the Ella Ritter article such as publisher, date, or
page numbers (Dad saved only the clipping, without the header).

Here's the info about the correspondence files of THE QUEST/THE
LITTLE MAGAZINE, for any who are curious.

http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00078.xml

Little Magazine:
An Inventory of Its Records at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research
Center

-------file information---------------

Gardner, Delbert R.--2.4

---------------------------------------

"The Quest was founded in the fall of 1965 by Alexis Levitin. The
original editorial staff and board comprised--like Levitin--graduate
students at Columbia University. Levitin created a literary magazine
which attempted to avoid a narrowly-defined focus and to encourage
good writing from contributors of many viewpoints. 'We expect (read
the magazine's entry in the Directory of Little Magazines) of the
artist not only a well-wrought structure, but, within it, a creative
and meaningful reflection upon the essential truths of our existence
as well.'

"After Levitin left New York in 1968 for a teaching position at
Dartmouth, most of the work of editing the magazine was carried on by
David Hartwell and Tom Beeler. This led to the purchase of the
magazine from Levitin by Hartwell and Beeler in late 1969. Hartwell
and Beeler had never liked the name Quest and renamed it The Little
Magazine, under which title the magazine first appeared with the
spring 1970 issue. Of the new title Beeler later wrote 'no harm in a
little cockiness when you are regenerating a literary periodical.'

"After Beeler's departure in 1971 the principal burden of continuing
the magazine was borne by David Hartwell, working with a constantly-
changing cast of editors and editorial board members.

"Throughout its twenty-one year life The Quest and The Little Magazine
published new poetry and short fiction from--in the main--younger
American writers. Circulation never rose much above a thousand, even
with national distribution by Bernhard DeBoer, and in the face of
steeply rising production costs publication became increasingly
irregular in the late 1970s. By the end of the 1970s Hartwell was
heavily involved in science fiction editing but was able to continue
publication with the help of the volunteer editorial board.
Eventually the end came, and with the appearance of v. 15, no. 3/4 in
1987 The Little Magazine ceased publication."

-----------------------------------------------------

"Series II. Manuscripts and Production Files, 1966-1987,
Contains most (perhaps 80%) of the manuscripts actually published by
The Little Magazine. Only volumes 3 and 14 are not represented in the
series. In nearly all cases the manuscripts are those submitted by
the authors, marked editorially for the printer's use. There are no
galleys in the series and only v. 14 (together with parts of v. 2, 8,
9, and 10) are represented by pasteups. A few unpublished manuscripts
are also included in the series; other manuscripts (mostly
fragmentary) are filed with the correspondence in Series I. Some
related correspondence with printers and quotations and invoices are
found in Series III, subseries B.

...

"Three series form the archive of the periodical: Correspondence, 1966-
1988 (8 boxes); Manuscripts and Production Files, 1966-1987 (6
boxes); and Business Records, 1965-1988 (7 boxes). The materials have
been maintained largely in the arrangement received, but some
reorganization within and between files has been undertaken where the
materials were clearly mixed.

...

"The second series, Manuscripts and Production Files, is the most
easily characterized portion of the archives, comprising as it does
the original manuscripts of a large majority of the works published
by The Little Magazine. Apart from the pasteup of volume 14 and a few
unpublished manuscripts these edited manuscripts comprise the
entirety of the series."

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:54:22 GMT

I won't have a lot to say for a while. I will try to talk about this when I can. I'm crushed & even less talkative than normal so please don't be offended if I don't write back, or not right away. I have been and will continue trying to take care of business as best I can. However, please don't expect much beyond that. I apologize, but Dad was everything to me...and our family.

For now, here's the obituary I wrote with feedback from my family (http://www.legacy.com/DAILYPRESS/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=117894986), and my brother Theo's words about Dad (below). After the burial in Elmira, NY, we took a brief
memorial trip to places close to Dad's heart. I felt closer to him there at Keuka Lake, which we all loved so well. It was very hard leaving--like saying a final goodbye. He lived there for years; I spent my childhood there; and we went back every summer after circumstances forced us to move away. Here at home now it's even harder to face each day. I'm finding it very difficult to find anything to fill this black hole. I'm not sure I even want to. Everything seems pointless.

Nevertheless, when I get the energy, I'm going to carry on with the task Dad entrusted to me, of submitting his work (we have agreed that I'm his literary executor; my mother, Marilyn H. Gardner, owns his copyrights; and if any profit is ever achieved, we will probably put it in the grandchildren's scholarship account mentioned below).

Unfortunately, since I had been busy collecting and typing all his manuscripts, and selfishly failed to put my own work entirely aside long enough to complete the project in time, I didn't get very far into the proofreading/consultation stage with him before he died. He and I had a number of discussions about his work (both general and individual), and how I might complete or polish some of his manuscripts, but we only got down to the gritty details with a few stories and most of the poems before he died. I'm going to try to be guided as much as possible by the spirit in which he and I worked on the previous manuscripts, and hope to achieve something he would have liked with those that remain.

Taking care of business:

In other news, my poem "Alabaster" is now up at _MindFlights_:
http://www.mindflights.com/item.php?sub_id=4502

I have a story in the first Subatomic Press anthology, One Step Beyond: Rockin' Tales of the Fantastical (Subatomic Press, ed. Charity Heller Hogge, http://www.amazon.com/One-Step-Beyond-Subatomic-Anthology/dp/0979391512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224514133&sr=8-1), but haven't yet seen a copy.

Also, if you have been working on something for the special issue of _Virginia Libraries_, please send it now. We're way past deadline for getting this to the printer (my fault: I'm having a great deal of trouble concentrating on anything), but if you can get it to me this week, it will go in.

I am not sure I will be able to keep up with LJ for a while. I may possibly post news of publications without much commentary (especially news about any of Dad's publications or sales). However, if you are looking for updates on my writing, please consider joining my one-stop Yahoo newsgroup for both me & Dad, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gardnercastle/. I try to keep the number of posts down. This list is my bare minimum of professional communication, so if you can't find news elsewhere, there is often some sort of notice there.

-----------------
From Theo:

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Remembering my beloved father, Dr. Delbert Ralph Gardner (5/6/1923 - 9/21/08)

After 9 days in the ICU at Riverside Hospital in Newport News VA, my
beloved father quietly passed away around 3am today. I feel in my
heart that he is finally at peace in Heaven with the Lord, and that he
has been reunited with his parents and his brothers. I am too full of
grief to write a eulogy here, but let me just say that if my children
grow up to love me half as much as I loved my Dad, I will have
succeeded as a parent. In addition to everything he did for me as a
father, he was also my friend. I am the man I am today because of my
father, and I will never forget him for a single day all the rest of
my life. I love you, Dad.

Your buddy,

Theo
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Funeral Arrangements for Dr. Delbert R. Gardner

Weymouth Funeral Home
12746 Nettles Dr.
Newport News VA 23606
757-930-2222

Funeral service:
Thursday 9/25/08, 7pm.
Visitation directly following funeral.

Graveside service:
Saturday, 9/27/08, 11am.
563 Jerusalem Hill Rd
Elmira NY 14901
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
In Lieu of Flowers

For anyone who is interested, we have set up a Memorial Fund for my
Father, to be used as
a college fund for the Gardner grandchildren. Checks can be made out
to Marilyn Gardner,
with "Memorial Fund for Dr. Gardner" written in the bottom left corner, and
mailed to:

The Gardner Family
338 Marlboro Rd
Newport News Va 23602.

If you would rather write the check out to another member of my
family, you can be
assured that it will be deposited in the same account (ie., the check
could be made out
to Carolyn Gardner, Dan Gardner, Marilyn Gardner, Melody Gardner, or
Theo Gardner).

Thanks to all of you for the love and support you have shown us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Silver as the Night"

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:11:47 GMT

My flash fiction piece is now available for free from Whispering
Spirits:
http://clik.to/whisperingspirits
Click "Download the Special PDF Issue" on the left.

It placed seventh in the Whispering Spirits 2008 Flash Fiction Contest.

This short is part of the story/universe of the mercury-vampire novel that I'm working on. (So many novels, so little time!) The mysterious events that result in this short story will be fully explored in the novel.

Full Unit Hookup #9

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:10:36 GMT

The Spring 2008 issue of FUHU is now in print:
http://members.aol.com/fullunithookup/

I've got two poems in it. The contents are:

Poetry
"Crete, Kentucky: Passie Fay's Lament" by Lucy A. Snyder
"Pisces" by Sonya Taaffe
"I Sing Ophelia" by Lyn C. A. Gardner
"Mermaid" by Lyn C. A. Gardner
"An Unrequited Free Ride" by Trent M. Walters
"Ugly" by JoSelle Vanderhooft
"Medusa" by M. Frost

Fiction
"How to Recognize a Dragon" by Stephanie Burgis
"Decline of the West" by Bruce Holland Rogers
"The Wish Mechanics" by Daniel Braum
"False Starts" by Robert Friedman
"Deep Down in the Diggy Back" by Scott William Carter
"The Touchstone" by John Walters

Nonfiction
"D.I. WHY? Or This Sister Isn't Doing It for Herself" by Alli Marshall
"Why I Didn't Write This Essay" by Mark Rudolph

Regards,
Lyn C. A. Gardner

special issue of Virginia Libraries: deadline extended

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:46:23 GMT

Have you been working on a submission for our special double issue but found the summer busier than you expected? You're in luck: the editors of Virginia Libraries have extended the deadline until August 30. If you have an article or interview that showcases a Virginia author, the partnerships between libraries and authors, or the ways in which libraries spread literacy and the love of reading, please send it to both Cy Dillon (cdillon@ferrum.edu) and Lyn C. A. Gardner (cgardner@hampton.gov) for consideration now--or let us know if you need more time. Further extensions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

For your convenience, the original call for submissions and our guidelines can be found below.

Many thanks,

Lyn C. A. Gardner
Coeditor, Virginia Libraries

Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 2:11 PM
To: VLA@VLA.ORG
Subject: For the Love of Reading: Call for Submissions to Virginia Libraries

Virginia Libraries is pleased to devote a special issue to the theme of literacy and reading for the fun of it. We want to help get communities excited about our libraries by reawakening the love of books of all types and genres. To that end, we'd love to see articles about some of the many literary events and programs being sponsored by libraries, as well as interviews with Virginia authors. The partnerships between authors and libraries continue to be fruitful, with benefits for libraries, the communities they serve, and the authors themselves. Please help us celebrate and encourage our literary heritage by sharing your experiences and ideas, and introducing us all to more Virginia authors through insightful interviews.

Articles and interviews are welcome at any time; however, the deadline for the themed issue is August 1 (for the October/November/December issue). As we hope this theme will generate a lot of interest, we are planning to publish a double issue to allow space for additional content. The themed issue will thus appear as Vol. 54, No. 3 & 4. We are still seeking general articles and interviews for Vol. 54, No. 2; the extended deadline is May 1.

Be sure to query first with your ideas or with the name of a prospective interview candidate. While we welcome all submissions, please remember that acceptance depends upon the full article and is not guaranteed. Full submission guidelines can be found below. (Please note our new deadlines.) Thanks in advance for your interest and support.

Guidelines for Submission to Virginia Libraries

1. Virginia Libraries seeks to publish articles and reviews of interest to the library community in Virginia. Articles reporting research, library programs and events, and opinion pieces are all considered for publication. Queries are encouraged. Brief announcements and press releases should be directed to the VLA Newsletter.

2. Please submit manuscripts via email as attachments in Microsoft Word, rich text, or plain text format. Articles should be double-spaced with any bibliographic notes occurring at the end of the article. Please avoid using the automatic note creation function provided by some word processing programs.

3. Articles in Virginia Libraries conform to the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Accepted articles are subject to editing for style and clarity. Authors will be consulted on points of fact.

4. All articles submitted for consideration are reviewed by the editors and may be refereed by the editorial board. Articles that are not selected for publication will be returned within three months.

5. VLA holds the copyright on all articles published in Virginia Libraries. Contributors of articles receive two copies of the issue in which their work appears.

6. Illustrations are encouraged and should be submitted whenever appropriate to accompany a manuscript. Hard copy illustrations will be returned if requested in advance. Digital images should have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Authors are responsible for securing legal permission to publish photographs and other illustrations.

7. Each contributor should provide a brief sketch of professional accomplishments of no more than fifty words that includes current title, affiliation, and email address. Unless specified otherwise, this information will be shared with readers of Virginia Libraries. Physical addresses should also be provided for the mailing of contributor's copies.

8. Articles should generally fall within the range of 750-3,000 words. Please query the editors before submitting any work of greater length.

9. Email manuscripts and queries to Cy Dillon, cdillon@ferrum.edu, and Lyn C. A. Gardner, cgardner@hampton.gov. Please be sure to copy both editors.

10. Virginia Libraries is published quarterly. The deadlines for submission are: November 1 for Number 1, January/February/March; February 1 for Number 2, April/May/June; May 1 for Number 3, July/August/September; and August 1 for Number 4, October/November/December.

Hampton Public Library blog

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:21:25 GMT

I contributed the July 30, 2008, entry about Maxwell Perkins.

WAT Week One--optional

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:07:05 GMT

Actually, let me amend that. I did one of my bonus activities last night. While I didn't attend an external literary event, I did go to Starbucks with my dad & brother. My parents like to read poetry or fiction to each other at Starbucks, but my mom's out of town. So I brought along my newly received copy of the 2008 Rhysling Anthology of the Science Fiction Poetry Association (www.sfpoetry.com -- a great community) and read six or seven sf poems (yes, including my own--I was giving my dad a copy I'd inscribed). I know, this isn't exactly what I had in mind--but it was very cool sitting there reading sf poetry to them, adding my vocal interpretation to the poems I loved best, and seeing them both enjoy a genre they don't encounter very often. We've all grown up loving shows like Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, to which Dad introduced us, so it wasn't a stretch, more like introducing them to the child of an old friend :)

WAT Week One

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:37:08 GMT

So, I finally completed my basic week one goals at 2 a.m. this morning with a short story called "Caught in the Maze"--an expansion of an extremely short treatment of the same subject. The new version is about 80%+ completely new draft. I'd already covered the poetry portion with the rewrites of two poems, "Deliverance" and "Alabaster," for the MindFlights contest. I didn't have time for any of the optional stuff, but I hope to get into full stride later this week. In fact, I'm going to start trying to work ahead, as I expect the same sort of family-inspired crunch to occur near the end of the WAT as I've faced here at the beginning. So with any luck I may soon begin to time travel and slowly report further into the weeks ahead :)

WAT--week one off to a good start

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:02:16 GMT

I'll be checking in about the Clarion West Write-a-Thon on any day when I actually complete something. So, last night I got in over four hours' work. I rewrote two poems pretty substantially (added about one-third to half again as much content while changing much of what remained) and sent them to the MindFlights poetry contest (for any interested poets out there, they're looking for speculative poetry with the theme of exile, up through 100 lines; you can submit up to three poems--http://www.mindflights.com/item.php?sub_id=4327). I'm hoping to finish one more poem this week (this time a completely new draft) for the same contest.

Lyn C. A. Gardner
http://www.clarionwest.org/node/354
http://www.clarionwest.org/events/writeathon/LynCAGardner

A new day

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:26:34 GMT

I'm sorry I've missed so much time here. A number of things have been going on that I won't go into much...my Uncle Don died in January...it hit all of us hard, but my father particularly (he's the third brother and my beloved uncles died in age-order)...my father has been getting increasingly frail and can't get around well...I've been spending as much time with him as possible, including working on some projects for him, such as typing his MSS so I can start his submissions rolling again (he had a good number of stories & poems published in the past, and continues to write, but is no longer up to submitting himself). This week, my mom's going back to CO to visit her 97-year-old mother (whom I visited in April & hope to go back to see soon), so I'll be spending most of my time with Dad while she's gone. (I'm actually pretty scared right now and fighting panic most of the time.)

In any event, what with sharing a car with Marc & spending a good deal more time on family affairs, I haven't had the emotional energy or the time to write much. While I probably won't be up to speed for a while, I'm going to try to catch up on what I can in the coming weeks. One thing I'm doing to try to force myself to get back on the ball with my own creative writing is signing up for the Clarion West Write-a-Thon again this year: http://www.clarionwest.org/events/writeathon/LynCAGardner

My goals are:
"One completely new draft of a story (can be a new draft of an old story, but the entire draft has to be freshly written) and one new draft of a poem per week. Bonus (extra credit, optional): If time allows, I will also sketch out the idea for a new story each week, inspired by that week's instructor. And, in lieu of the weekly reading event, I will look for a literary event to attend or participate in."

If anyone else is interested in participating, it's always helped give me a kick in the pants when I needed one:

http://www.clarionwest.org/events/writeathon

"From June 22nd through August 1st, shadow the Clarion West Workshop and write, write, write! Write 15 minutes or 4 hours a day, 250 words a day, or maybe 8000 words a week (we call that a "Swanwick"); revise a story or a chapter of your novel every week; complete a story, a novella, or a trilogy; submit three short stories to professional markets. Or do something else completely different."

I'll talk to you soon...

"The Brothers Swann" now available online

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:52:17 GMT

My story "The Brothers Swann" appears in the third and last issue of Blood, Blade & Thruster: The Magazine of Speculative Fiction and Satire (page 59, http://www.bbtmagazine.com/bbt-issue3.pdf).

The issue contains a number of other interesting stories and poems, some of them quite funny at times. My favorites are "When the Comet Came" by Marsheila Rockwell (p. 25), "For the Love of the Machine" by irving (p. 37), and "A Bright and Joyful Future" by John B. Rosenman (p. 55). There are also some interesting tidbits in the interviews with George R. R. Martin and Joe Hill. The magazine could have used better copyediting in many places, but there are still a lot of enjoyable pieces, and I applaud the editors for following through and coming out with this issue in the face of the life changes that have brought about the decision to close the magazine.

More Halloween Fun!

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:27:33 GMT

My story "The Anniversary" was chosen as an honorable mention in the Purgatory's Pets contest at Tales from the Moonlit Path (http://www.moonlit-path.com./). The story first appeared in fantasque, Summer 2003.

http://www.moonlit-path.com./contest-winners-10-29-07.htm

http://www.moonlit-path.com./fiction/gardner-10-29-07.htm

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:53:43 GMT

I just got the go ahead for my story idea for Haunted Hearths. Yay!

I'm going to be at the Virginia Library Association conference for Halloween this year. While I love the conference, I love Halloween more, & I don't like "missing" it. But since the story's due on Nov. 1, at least I can put the finishing touches on my ghost story on Halloween while I'm there! Too bad it's a hotel and not a haunted bed-and-breakfast :)

I've also got another story to complete in the next few days--so I've really got my hands full. And I haven't even sent out Halloween cards yet... At least both the stories are Halloween-related, which gives me extra incentive...I feel like I'm celebrating even while I'm working. (I try to find Halloween-related stories to work on the same way I try to find snowy stories to write on those rare days we actually get a dusting here near the sea.)

Happy Halloween!

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:20:22 GMT

The Science Fiction Poetry Association is hosting an online poetry reading again this year! Visit http://www.sfpoetry.com/halloween.html to partake of the spooky atmosphere. There's some really great & chilling stuff here! (Included is my poem, "Our Lady of Darkness.")

Also in the spirit of the season: the first issue of C. A. Gardner's Halloween Cat, a special collection of links to spooky fiction & poetry of mine that's been published online, complete with illustrations and other Halloween pages I've created over the years. Check out the ghosts, vampires, and assorted other monsters at: http://www.gardnercastle.com/CAGardnerHalloween2007.htm

In other news, I've been writing again, finally...perhaps too much. There is something to be said for sleep! Maybe one day I'll know what it is. I just turned in a new story last night, and I'm hoping to have another finished--or nearly so--by the time I return from Colorado (visiting my grandmother) next week.

Let me try that again! ("Holding Faerie" redux)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:43:07 GMT

It seems I didn't give all the links I should have--sorry about that!

If you are interested in voting, this should work: http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/aoife/vote.htm

To read all the entries, and in case this doesn't work, try going in the front way: http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/aoife/cover.htm

Thanks!
Lyn