bookshelves of doom

Now taking orders for TBR Tallboy #2.

TBRT #2 is almost ready to print and will ship next week.  Readers of TBRT #1 will be familiar with some of the names in the line up -- but there'll be plenty of new discoveries as well.

Volume 1, Number 2 begins in high summer and ends with a snowfall.  More specifically, you'll find:

a period piece about raking blueberries and taking chances,
the realization that any friendship is not necessarily good friendship,
an Aiken-esque fantasy,
a modern tribute to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,
a story about grief and lemon meringue pie,
a pizza delivery guy who has an experience straight out of a pulp-horror magazine,
and the dangers of actually speaking to your long-term crush.

As always, if you're interested in submitting, check out the guidelines, and if you have thoughts about the stories, suggestions, ideas about you'd like to see TBRT do in the future or anything else -- write to bookshelvesofdoom@gmail.com. 

Shipping Destination

USA $5.00 Canada $6.50 Everywhere Else $8.00

What I've been up to.

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting much lately.

I have many reasons (not excuses, mind -- reasons!).

Reason #1:  OH MY GOD THE CYBILS.  Lots and lots more to read still, including the massive box of S&S books that arrived today.

Reason #2:  I've discovered the world of vintage sewing patterns.  (There are loads more links at A Dress A Day.)  So much of my time online lately has been spent wandering and reading and, yes, buying.  And then there's the sewing.  This is the third dress I've made recently (I posed to match the lady on the pattern envelope.  Why do they stand like that?):

Reason #3:  Josh and I recently spent an afternoon rolling out characters for the Star Wars roleplaying game.  So when I haven't been reading for the Cybils or sewing or tracking down more dress patterns, I've been totally geeking out about the Star Wars universe.  (I'm playing a character who is super-strong, super-nimble, super-hot, and completely lacking in common sense.  And Josh is playing someone who's wicked stinky and very smart.  So that'll be fun.)

Reason#4:  Tallboy #2.  I'm just finishing up with the formatting, and it's on track to ship on December 1st.  I'll get a pre-order form up tomorrow or Friday, but here's the cover:

 

Last-minute reminder!

Today is the last day to submit to the December issue of TBRT.

That is all.

...

...

...

Tomorrow, I will explain why I have been so MIA this week.

That is really all.

Tallboy reminder.

The last day to submit to the December issue of TBRT is September 30th -- this coming Wednesday.

Yowzer, that came fast.

Tallboy update/reminder.

Submissions are open until the end of the month.

So if you're planning on submitting, polish up (if needed!) and get it on in.

Tallboy reminder.

I'm taking submissions until the end of next month.

(Man, this is very much the summer that never was.)

That is all.

Fold and fold and fold and staple and staple and staple.

Yep.

That's right.

I'm assembling Issue #1 of TBRT at this very moment (well, okay, strictly speaking, I'm taking a very short break from assembling).  Assuming all goes well, it'll be winging its way to you as of tomorrow*. 

Hooray!

You know what?  I'm going to treat myself to a few more exclamation marks:  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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*Which just so happens to be my birthday.  Which my co-workers celebrated today by bringing in a million different kinds of pasta salad.  (I have a thing for pasta salad.)  I am extremely full.  And sleepy.  But I must amp myself up because I'm emceeing Trivia Night tonight.  YAR!

Links.

• The SBBT rides again!  I wasn't able to get it together to participate this time around*, but I'll very definitely be following along.
• The Guys Lit Wire Book Fair continues.
• I keep meaning to mention that Flux now has a podcast.  So here I am, mentioning it.
• Drama continues in the YA blogosphere.
• Authors respond to bad reviews at The Worst Review Ever.
• Have you been following the AV Club's Nashville or Bust column?  I haven't agreed with everything the author has had to say, but yay him for bringing attention to country music -- and note that I'm talking non-Shania-Twain-pretendy-country.
• There'd better be a bazillion pictures posted online, dammit.  Definitely something I'd love to see in person. 
• Oh, MAKE IT STOP.
• YES.  For all of those readers (myself included) who sometimes get a little paranoid that the excessive reading might be causing carpal tunnel.  What?  Really?  I'm the only one?  Damn.
• Dollhouse was renewed, which means that I will stop being a baby and actually watch the rest of Season One.
• Now that my reading slump is over, all I want to do is read.  So off I go.

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*I have, you know, stuff going on.  Due to ship next week!  YOWZA.

Quick as Dreams.

For the upcoming TBRT #1, I asked the authors for soundtrack songs for their stories.  While this song wasn't one of their picks, it's one of my personal soundtrack songs for one of the stories -- it has a similar setting and it made me react in a similar way, even though it's from a totally different perspective and focuses on a different kind of breakdown:

But until the magazine comes out, only the author will know what I'm talking about, so I suppose this post was a tad silly.

Now taking orders for TBR Tallboy #1.

The first issue of TBRT is rapidly coming together and is on track to ship in late May.  You may be familiar with some of the names in this first line up -- but I'm confident that you won't recognize them all.  I'm also confident that you'll enjoy getting to know all of these stories and authors (familiar or otherwise) just as much as I have over the past few months.

In Volume 1, Number 1, you'll revisit one of Shakespeare's plays; experience time travel; spend time at a racetrack, in high school and the world of cubicles; break down on your way to Vegas; and escape from summer camp.

As this is the very first issue, there is no Letters to the Editor page -- but in the future, I hope to include one. So, if you have thoughts about the stories, what you'd like to see TBRT do in the future or anything else -- write to bookshelvesofdoom@gmail.com. 

Shipping Destination

USA $5.00Canada $6.50Everywhere Else $8.00

The last big reminder.

The last day to submit* to TBR Tallboy is tomorrow!

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*This time around, anyway...

mental_floss is now publishing fiction!

At mental_floss:

There are many fine webzines and lit fiction sites online, like apt23.com, where you can find pantloads of well wrought original stories and poetry. But very few general interest magazines, or their sister sites like mental_floss, dare to publish fiction any more. Indeed, if you don’t subscribe to The Atlantic Monthly or The New Yorker, chances are you aren’t getting much by the way of short stories at all. No Small Tales is here to change that, starting today.

Good for them.

Speaking of fiction*, I am still seeking submissions for TBR Tallboy.  I hope you are all editing madly.

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*Like that?  Very subtle, yes?

More on TBR Tallboy.

It is a silly name.  But it makes me happy.  The TBR/PBR similarity has always been something that's made me laugh.  I suspect I'm the only one, but that's okay.

Unless the demand turns out to be beyond my (very capable) capabilities, I'll be taking care of the printing and distribution myself.  When we get closer to printing time, I'll set up a place to order copies right here at this very blog.

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'm very excited about it.  There don't seem to be a whole lot of outlets for short fiction of this type (younger YA up through crossover YA/adult fiction), I've always wanted to see more of it, so I figured... well, why not create one?

As I said in the Submission Guidelines, I'm looking for short fiction (from 500 - 5,000 words) of any genre geared towards middle grade readers on up through the crossover YA/adult audience -- basically the stuff I enjoy reading and what I think a lot of the people who frequent this blog enjoy reading.  Exceptions:  At this time, I'm not looking for non-fiction, interviews, personal essays/memoir pieces, poetry, early reader, or artwork.  Also erotica.  I'm not looking for erotica.

I'm also looking for, at the moment, Six Word Short Stories.  See the guidelines for more on that.

In the future, I'd love to feature serials.

I'm hoping that once I've got a few issues under my belt I'll actually be able to offer some sort of financial compensation, but at the moment, I'm just working on spreading the word and getting this party started.

My new project.

And here it is, in all its new (possibly over-ambitious) glory:

TBR Tallboy.