alanajoli: (cowboys and aliens - daiyu)
Apparently, I missed some big news two weeks ago when I didn't read Matt Forbeck's blog. He announced that the Eberron line of novels has been canceled at Wizards of the Coast (see ETAs below for clarification). Apparently the Discoveries line and the Tracy Hickman Presents Dragonlance line have also been canceled.

I can only hope that this is because the lines don't meet with the vision of Wizards right now, because they had some really good titles come out in the Eberron line, at least. I'd been hoping to pick up several of the Discoveries titles as well. As all of the interactions I've had with their editorial department have left me impressed with the people working there, I'd hoped to eventually have the chance to write fiction for them in some way or another. As someone who was never a huge fan of the Forgotten Realms as a setting (my involvement with Living Forgotten Realms aside), I was thrilled to be able to buy fiction more up my alley from a publisher I liked and admired.

At any rate, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

ETA: Paul Crilley was kind enough to post here and let me know that not all the series in the Eberron line have been cancelled. He, [livejournal.com profile] gloomforge, and Don Bassingthwaite are still working on Eberron novels. Hurrah! As I responded to his comment, I'm very glad this is the case, as it gives me greater hope that the Eberron series won't just vanish and never return. If they have some continuity, there's the chance that they'll build up the number of titles again in the future. Which, actually, gives me a chance to catch up on the titles I've purchased in the series, but not yet read.

Thanks Paul!

ETA #2: Matt Forbeck also just commented that the line is not actually ending, just some of the series. It doesn't make the situation better for those folks affected, I'm sure, but... well, I was already optimistic in my first ETA, so I'll leave it at that.

end edit

--

After posting last night, I had a great conversation with friends about interactive storytelling in home games, and talked about how much I'm looking forward to starting a game, set in Mythological Greece, for some of my old "home" group (which stretches from New Haven area to Boston, so it's hard to consider it "home" exactly). I haven't run a home game since 3rd edition came out, and that was a play-by-post. Actually, now that I think of it, I've never run a table-top *campaign* before--only ever stand alones in mixed DM campaigns. So this is going to be a whole new adventure for me, and I'm excited about going back to Delphi and Naxos and visiting Ithaca for the first time, all in their ancient glory.

In other news, I got to judge the 100+ senryu entries that came in for the Spacewesterns.com contest. They were so good! Nathan may post a handful of runners up, and I hope he does--there were a lot of really excellent poems that I hope the public will get to read. I've still go to write comments on a bunch of them--I only commented on five or so, plus my judge pick, so far--but the actual judging/ranking is complete on my end. The winners will be announced on August 6. I'll link as soon as they're up!
alanajoli: (cowboys and aliens - verity)
Here we are on a thundering Monday, me with plenty to get done and a full to-do list just waiting for some check marks. I think I've finally gotten my head back in the space where I'll actually be able to be productive, too! Which is why I'm finally catching up on an announcement I meant to make last week: I have the great honor of being one of the judges in the upcoming SpaceWesterns.com Poetry Contest. Those of you who have followed this blog for any length of time will know that SpaceWesterns.com is a site that I've been pleased to follow, and Nathan Lilly ([livejournal.com profile] nelilly), the editor, has been a great help to us at Cowboys and Aliens II (still on hiatus) in getting the word out about our project. So I was just absolutely tickled when Nathan asked me to sign on as one of the judges.

And of course, now I'm looking forward to reading some great poetry!

The contest is senryu this year (last year it was limericks), and that was the other reason I took the big book of haiku and senryu to Delphi with me. Not only does the poetry honor Apollo (in a round about, filtered through Rick Riordan kind of way), there's actually a lot more to it than I ever realized. When they teach you haiku in grade school, the rule is 5/7/5, and that's pretty much all they ever get in to (that I remember from my classes, at least). But haiku is actually a lot more flexible in form (Japanese doesn't use syllables like ours, so in English, the limit is actually between 12 and 17 syllables), and less flexible in content. Haiku has to do with nature, the seasons in particular. If the poem is about human nature, it's a senryu. This, of course, is why senryu is the chosen form for this contest: seasons are not required, but human nature--or alien nature--probably is!

So here's a clue to any of you who are thinking about entering and who are reading this: when I'm doing the judging on this, I'm not going to mark down for the 5/7/5 variety if they're really well done. But I *am* going to mark higher in my votes for poems that show and understanding of the form's flexibility, and for poems that capture a moment, showing an understanding of the nature of haiku and senryu (which is often about capturing a moment that, in its simplicity, is revealing about other things) and showing an appreciation for this cross-genre that we enjoy so much. I can't speak for the other judges of course!

I hope I'll see entries from many of you! There is a prize of cashy money, and favorite picks of the three judges each get a book prize: mine will receive a copy of Serenity Adventures when it comes out. Good luck!

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Alana Joli Abbott

November 2023

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