Fringeworks / Dead Men's Tales Update

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Update: Just to let everyone know, Dead Men's Tales, with my story Skarett's Treasure, was published in February 2017. You can find it HERE.

I received an e-mail yesterday from Melissa Black, the editor of Fringeworks' Dead Men's Tales anthology. If you've read my other posts on this, you know my story, Skarett's Treasure, was to be included, but it seemed as if the project had stalled and was in danger of disappearing altogether. It's been a long time coming, but she confirmed it is to come out during the third quarter of this year (around September?). The cover art is almost complete and the project is moving forward!

That's all for now, but I hope to have more on this soon!

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 2014

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This is the first of several posts covering events at Shore Leave 2014, a convention of artists, performers, writers, scientists, and fans of science fiction and fantasy in general that takes place from August 1 through August 3, 2014 in Hunt Valley, Maryland. If all goes as planned, I will be in attendance!

Here is a list of the "media guests," actors that have played parts in science fiction TV shows, Star Trek in particular.

Richard Dean Anderson http://twitter.com/andersonrdean/

Eve Myles http://evemyles.net/
http://twitter.com/TeamEveMyles/

Leonard Nimoy* http://www.leonardnimoyphotography.com/
http://twitter.com/TheRealNimoy/

Beaming into Shore Leave con Sunday August. 3 at 9AM Pacific time. Hope to SEE you there. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) July 26, 2014

Silas Weir Mitchell http://www.silasweirmitchell.com/

Robert Picardo http://www.robertpicardo.com/
http://twitter.com/RobertPicardo/

Teryl Rothery http://terylrothery.com/
http://twitter.com/terylrothery/

Michael Welch http://www.michaelwelchact.com/
http://twitter.com/michaelwelchact/

Join me this weekend for Shore Leave in Maryland! http://t.co/YyBEOfV4CZ
— Michael Welch (@MichaelWelchAct) July 29, 2014

* Mr. Nimoy will appear via Skype

I hope to meet a few of these folks, attend a writing workshop (and meet a lot of writers), check out some artwork, and do a bit of reporting via twitter - or maybe even a post here!

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

HB Challenge #8 - Wrapped In A Mystery

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Horror Bites Challenge #8

From the Office Mango website:

Anyway went a bit mad on holiday and got some random pictures that I hope over the new few months will inspire some horrific tales.

1:  Tales can be posted on your blogs & then just add to the wee linky tool, or add as a comment if you don’t have a blog.

2:  A word count of 250-300.

3:  Try to scare me, or at the very least create a little bit of darkness.

4:  This will be a fortnightly (two weeks) challenge from when the post goes live, so you’ve got plenty thinking time.

So come on what are you waiting for, go find your inner demons and get your scare on!

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They say you should keep a little mystery in your relationship...

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Wrapped in a Mystery

    "There's not a single person in the pool, Bob, or even next to it. Not that anyone would blame them. A third disappearance from this very hotel in as many weeks is a bit much. 
    "That's true, though I guess it's good for us, Debbie. We have the place all to ourselves and we can pick any spot we want."
    "You know there are all kinds of terrible stories about what might have happened. When I went out to get a bottle of wine last night, I heard some of the hotel staff talking about it."
    "Like what?"
    "Kidnappings, murders, even abductions by little green men from outer space. The police are baffled, they said. It's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. No evidence, no witnesses, and no clue of any kind."
    Debbie stretched out on a lounge chair, pulled her floppy hat over her eyes, and wrapped a beach towel around her legs to protect them from the sun.
    "Well, I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually," Bob said. "We're on a tiny little island, after all. Nobody can get away without someone noticing. Everyone's seen the pictures of the missing people. If they're alive, they can't sneak off, and if they're dead, there's no place to easily hide the bodies." 
    "I don't know, Bob. We are in the Bermuda Triangle."
    "Now don't be silly, Debbie. Nobody believes that stuff," Bob replied as they both laughed.
    "Still, it does make one wonder, doesn't it?"
    There was no reply, so she continued with the conversation.
    "Do you know what time it is? I don't want to be late for dinner." 
    Answered only by silence, Debbie lifted the brim of her hat to see an empty chair next to hers.
    "Bob?"

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Perhaps he just had to use the restroom. Or not...

(293 words without the title)

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Previous Horror Bites challenges: 

If The Shoe Fits (#7)
You Won't Feel A Thing (#6)
The Wings of Death (#5)

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Fearless

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Fearless

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.

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This may be he shortest FSF Challenge post I've ever done - and perhaps one of the scariest.

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Lines

Source: http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/WV1.jpg 
via http://lilliemcferrin.com/five-sentence-fiction-fearless/

    "What happened, Colonel? They're unarmed nurses, not infantry. They were supposed to move close to the enemy lines—not over."
    "They didn't, sir. While tending to the wounded, the lines moved behind them."

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Image source: http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/WV1.jpg
Description: Female nurses in 1944.

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Rain

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Rain

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.

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A short one this week...

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Tears Among the Raindrops
 

 

Falling_rain_in_Mexico.jpg
© Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com /
 Wikimedia Commons /
CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
 

    He found her standing outside a café as the rain began to fall, broken-hearted and sobbing. He had always loved her, and hoped someday she would notice, but as he walked her home through the downpour, she vowed never to let herself fall for another man. 
    "I like the rain," she said, tilting her face up toward the sky. "It hides my tears."
    "Mine, too," he replied.

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Image source:  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFalling_rain_in_mexico.jpg  
Description: Falling rain in downtown Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

FSF Challenge - Pages

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This week's writing challenge from Five Sentence Fiction ( Lillie McFerrin Writes ) is based upon the prompt: Pages

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.

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This prompt really set me off... in a good way, of course. So we're having a 3-for-1 sale! The first is a poem inspired by another FSF entry.

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Love and a Good Book

Note: I wrote this after reading Madeline's entry for this week's FSF challenge. The poem is about reading a book. Honest. Well, anyway, that's the story I'm sticking to...  Read Madeline's first to understand where I came up with this.


I inhale the bouquet, a perfume like no other.

My fingers touch lightly,
Caressing in anticipation.

Opening before me for the first time,
All is offered to my eyes.

My imagination runs wild
With the promise of the next moment,
The next hour,
Until it is finally over.

Yet even when our story is done,
And there are no more pages to turn,
You will be mine forever.


                                         K. R. Smith

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Homework

This is for all the computer geeks. I had a crash at work and, wouldn't you know, the words "page fault" flashed up on the screen. Then I saw this prompt. Put the two together and this is what you get.

   "Mom? I need help with my book report."
    "What's the matter, honey?"
    "I was printing it out from the computer and I got this message saying there was a page fault. I've read my report over maybe a hundred times and I still can't find it."

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The Missing Words

    She thumbed through a diary, one written long ago, and the memories surged from inside her heart. It told of her first love, her true love, a man she knew while growing from a girl into a woman. It told of the places they went, the times they shared, and she could feel those same emotions again from the faded words. Then she came to the page that was missing, a page torn out in anger and burned. The words that had tortured her had long been destroyed, yet the pain was as fresh as the wind that swirled around the bridge on which she stood.  

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Image source http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/book-pages-med11-1024x768.jpg via Lillie McFerrin's FSF 

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

This Week's Free Photo - Astilbe

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Once again I am behind in posting my free photos. Instead "This Week's Free Photo," perhaps I should call it "This Year's Free Photo."

Anyway, it's more flowers again, this time astilbe. They had just bloomed and were covered in little water droplets from the rain. These images are quite large, and are best seen at full size. They might take a while to load, however.

Astilbe - Image Astilbe_bunch_2.jpg

Astilbe - Image Astilbe_with_dew_2.jpg

Astilbe - Image Astilbe_with_dew.jpg

Astilbe leaves - Image Astilbe_leaves.jpg

Astilbe leaf - Image Astilbe_leaf_with_dew.jpg

Astilbe - Image Astilbe_bunch.jpg

Astilbe - Image Astilbe.jpg

Stop back again! I'll have more photos for you next week (or fairly soon thereafter)!

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Images Astilbe_bunch_2.jpg, Astilbe_with_dew_2.jpg, Astilbe_with_dew.jpg, Astilbe_leaves.jpg, Astilbe_leaf_with_dew.jpg, Astilbe_bunch.jpg, and Astilbe.jpg ©2014 K. R. Smith - www.theworldofkrsmith.com - may be used, in whole or in part, with attribution.

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Grimm & Grimmer / Fringeworks Update / The Saga Continues

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UPDATE 7/9/2014

I have received an e-mail from Adrian Middleton stating they do intend to publish Dead Men's Tales before the end of the year as a Fringeworks project. He is waiting for a final list of the stories to be published.

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Sorry for the long title, but at this point I'm not sure what else to call it.

Many months ago, I had two stories accepted for publication by Fringeworks. I had expected them to have been published almost a year ago. I have written several blog posts about them. There have been a number of delays, and I'm not sure if they will ever be published...  One was supposed to go to the imprint they picked up (Knightwatch Press), but it's been months since I've heard from the editor.

I had wondered if Fringeworks had taken on more than they could handle, and it appears this is the case based on what they've put up on their blog.

Posted on the Fringeworks website (under the "blog" heading as of 06/30/2014):

Fringeworks is a small-press publisher by day and consultancy by night.

Sort of.

We are based in Mid-Wales and Birmingham, and are focused on doing things differently to everybody else. We like to experiment, and we like to export the things that work (And own up to the things that don’t). This is where you’ll find all the latest news on what the Fringeworks crew are up to. Stay tuned! Lots of exciting developments to come!

Note: The site is currently undergoing maintenance and some of the following links are currently unavailable and will go live from July 1st 2014.

OUR AUTHORS : OUR ARTISTS : OUR BOOKS : OUR EVENTS : OUR IMPRINTS : OUR NEWSLETTERS : OUR PROMOTIONS : OUR SCHEDULE : PROJECTS ON HOLD : WORKING WITH US  (Note: a lot of these still aren't working - KRS)

Our founder, Adrian Middleton, has this to say:

“When we started in 2011 the plan was to have a small in-house press that could my dream of running a bookshop/pub-cum-events venue. Sadly that never quite happened, so in 2013 we changed gear. Instead of publishing just four or five books per year we took over a horror imprint, Knightwatch Press. That decision stretched us to the limit and led to more than 20 titles being available by the end of the year. We learned a lot – good and bad – and now it’s time for us to step back and look at things afresh.”

Fringeworks is going back to its original mission – to produce quality genre and other books that stand out from the crowd. To make this work we need to be transparent – both with our authors, our artists, our writers and our customers.

Page modified by Admin on June 21, 2014

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They have always tried to keep me informed even when things were not going well, and they've had to deal with a few issues beyond their control. I still think they are honest and are doing what they can, but this is taking a long time. So, what does this mean for me? I'm not sure. But I still have hopes of having the stories they've accepted published (The Fisherman and His Wife for Grimm & Grimmer IV, and Skarrett's Treasure in Dead Men's Tales). I will keep you posted!

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved