Where to pick up?

I wrote some stuff as a kid. The first story I ever told completely and handwrote out was “The March of the Vegetables,” wherein the monarch of the Vegetable Kingdom decided he wanted more and took his troops into the realm of the Fruits. The story’s around here somewhere, but I’d honestly have to dig it out and reread it to learn who won. I know it was an all-out war though, one army against another, for the fate of the known world. So my first story was an epic fantasy.

Some time went by. I wrote some, but did a far lot more reading: Westerns, espionage thrillers, war stories, survival adventures, science fiction, myths, and fantasy. Lots of heroics and heroic figures filled my head and heart. Even though my reading was filled with such, my writing took a poetic bent. Several years and binders and a few submissions of poems later, I tried my hand at writing again.

That unfinished Western novel is still here. And then I fell down a flight of concrete stairs and spent December 1999 though February 2000 bed- and recliner-bound. I read, and tried to write. In the cabinet that houses that Western are tons of documents of history and characters and even a card game I created for the also unfinished fantasy duology in which I invested a lot of time writing everything but the damn story. I did learn a bit, mostly about what not to do when setting off to write novels, or stories of any length for that matter.

Then I discovered writing groups. Years joining, even leading, sometimes chairing them taught me about helpful feedback and constructive criticism and writing to audience and much more. Most importantly, I also learned how to begin using the internet to search for markets and like-minded persons, find out about conventions, and follow authors I enjoyed. Which led me to standing in line waiting for George R.R. Martin to sign my books in November 2005.

When I told him I was trying to write a novel as pleasurable to read as Martin’s own A Game of Thrones, Mr. Martin kindly looked me in the eyes and told me to write some short stories. Told me to write and submit and learn from each of the rejections encountered in pursuit of publication. Told me to make a name for myself in the world of small press and magazines. Whether such advice holds as much weight now as it once did is moot. What matters is that I went straightaway home and discovered an online fellowship of like minds I never knew existed.

That night I found Pitch-Black Books, their “Icons” themed anthology, swordandsorcery.org and the Flashing Swords ezine, and SFReader.com. I never went to sleep; instead, I read everything on those websites and at work the next day I wrote my 9,000-word “Icons” story. That Daniel Blackston rightfully promptly rejected–with a terrifically helpful personal note. And so began my short story writing.

That day and that site changed my destiny. Everything that I have done in publishing, editing, reviewing, facilitating, promoting, and my writing since then began that day. I read every forum discussion, joined every discussion, explored every idea, talked to just about everyone. I started writing more in earnest, but I also paid attention to all the ideas people and creatives, took up in-house challenges, found out about all the behind the scenes work that needed to be done and much of it by volunteers. I had discovered the entirely new-to-me world of non-traditional small press publications.

Through interactions via the SFReader.com Forum I met and furthered my relationships with Daniel, Armand Rosamilia (of the once-Carnifex Press), James Boone Dryden (of the once-Sheer Speculation Press), Kelly Christiansen (of Cyberwizard Productions), and numerous other fine editors, authors, and reviewers. I held many conversations with writers whose works I enjoyed and advice I respected. These connections led in turn to progressive opportunities: fantasy book reviewer in the Carnifex Press magazine Clash of Steel; book reviewer for SFReader.com; fantasy acquisitions editor for the Sheer Speculation Press magazine Staffs & Starships.

Funny thing was, I’d never set out to be here. Fortunately, somewhere along the way I’d met John O’Neill, guru of SFSite and Black Gate Magazine. He became the fellow I now tell people I consider my mentor in the publishing/SpecFic life. Then he was just a cool guy in a patched-elbow jacket and more books than the Library of Alexandria. I don’t think anyone has introduced me to more people than John. Nor been as kind and helpful to me.

Anyway...

So there I am, young buck, eager to write, eager to help, eager to learn. Playing in this new-to-him world of delights. Joining in all sorts of crusades. And then they start crashing, the bubbles bursting. I didn’t know (then) the fragility of the small press, for-the-love, publishing/writing world. The magazines, the publishers, the books, even the forums, were vanishing. Even Pitch-Black–a place I’d been trying desperately to get a story into. And I was devastated.

I thought it over for a few days. Talked to some folks. Discussed it with my wife. We were not exactly flush with extra money, but I did have the advantage of having a job that allowed me overtime, almost as much as I wanted. So with the understanding that my new hobby would not impact our family finances, I reached out to Dan and offered to assume Pitch-Black’s portfolio, as it were, which he and David had put out on the porch, free to a good home.

I learned that another party had just an hour before offered and assumed new ownership, but Dan said he’d put us in touch and perhaps we could work together. The rest is history. Turned out Kelly/Crystalwizard had stepped up when needed. We talked. She intended to carry on what Pitch-Black had started. She already had her own small press apparatus in action. I could learn some things and give her a helping hand. We agreed and thus I suddenly was the assistant managing editor for the very same Flashing Swords ezine I discovered that pivotal night in 2005, now newly resurrected under Cyberwizard Productions.

A few months later we decided to expand to anthologies and I was promoted to anthology editor, then managing editor of the new imprint Flashing Swords Press. We had a strong nucleus of stories from Dan and David that had been briefly gathered in an e-only anthology that would form the core of what became my first anthology, Return of the Sword. RotS received lots of interest and attention and still gets referenced by readers of Sword & Sorcery/Heroic Fantasy today. We began work on the sequel, Rage of the Behemoth. I had met some professional authors online and in person by then, and struck upon the idea of asking one to headline each of the five sections I intended to divide the contents into. I had met Richard K. Lyon in the SFReader forums and he very kindly agreed to join and bring Andy Offutt along with him. It turned out to be their last collaboration–and almost led to fisticuffs between Andy and I.

Before I get to that though...

Clint Werner [who writes as ‘C.L. Werner’—Deuce] and I met online via Howard Andrew Jones and Black Gate and swordandsorcery.org. Clint readily agreed to write a story, and brought the very first Shintaro Oba tale to Rage of the Behemoth. We have enjoyed a lasting friendship since. I’d also met Mary Rosenblum through her online writing forum, and she accepted my invitation. I honestly don’t remember how I got to Brian Ruckley, but he also said ‘Yes’ when I asked him. I got stuck then, and had one more section for the anthology. Michael Ehart bailed me out by putting me in touch with Lois Tilton, well-regarded as a reviewer but not an author I was familiar with. She and I discussed things and she also agreed, coming out of short story retirement to pen a story. (As an aside, I’ve been blessed with a number of authors writing something for me that they either no longer or rarely do. It’s been an astounding experience many times.) And so I had my headliners for my second anthology. I was ready to open the submission call.

That’s when Kelly/Crystalwizard informed me she wanted Flashing Swords to return to her previous publishing plan as an e-zine and no longer wished to run a small press or produce books. A bit flummoxed, I once again sought guidance from my mentors and spouse. Overriding everything though, was the fact I had just finished making agreements with five professionals to produce a book with our names on it. I don’t break promises and I also wasn’t about to disappear from publishing and writing, so there was no way I was allowing Rage of the Behemoth to wither away and take my reputation with it.

Suddenly, I was editor and publisher at Rogue Blades Entertainment, my very own publishing house. I had a company to establish, a book to fill, and money to spend. Well, I didn’t really have the money, but...

Back to Lyon and Offutt. Richard handled all the communication between he and I, and most of the editing. Until the end, when he surprisingly admitted to me that he was dying and I’d need to finish things up with Andy. We talked a little bit longer, and he shared Mr. Offutt’s number. One of my regrets is that Richard never got to hold the final result, though we did arrange in advance for his wife to receive his copies of the anthology. Anyway, I called Andy and he just about blew a gasket when he learned I was a nobody from a micro (not even a small) press and paying peanuts.

Luckily I got him to calm down long enough to hear me out. We then actually enjoyed almost an hour talk and discovered much in common. We talked a few more times over the production and publication of RotB, and then once more before he died. Every one of those conversations was amicable. As have been the vast majority of my interactions with authors, professional or not, famous or not, over the years. There are very few names I’d prefer not to work with again, and to my knowledge none who have said that about me. For the most part, the people who read and write and illustrate what I read and write and publish have been terrific human beings.

But in all honesty, I’m not a businessman. I’m not a marketing man. I’m not a salesman. I create, I facilitate, I help. There’s never been money in this business, and no matter how I would have liked to pay more and do more, the overtime dried up, some decisions were costly, and the administrative side of things is a killer. When all is said and done, I have published 15 books under the Rogue Blades Entertainment banner. I wanted to cover all the heroic adventure genres, so I fell a little short there, but gave a good show overall I think, with one poetry collection, one novel, one nonfiction title, and 12 anthologies. As I mentioned, Return of the Sword is often praised still to this day almost 20 years later, so that’s pleasing. Writing Fantasy Heroes not only is my best-seller, it’s the only book I’ve had translated...and at request. And I get to happily close my career as a publisher with Neither Beg Nor Yield, the greatest book of Sword & Sorcery Attitude ever published. Bar none.

So s’long, and thanks for all the action.