Niteblade

Archive for 2009

Niteblade author, Ken Schneyer, was recently the focus of an employee spotlight on his work’s website.  You can read the article here. Shame they spelled Niteblade wrong, but I won’t hold it against them 🙂

It’s been a while since I’ve offered up a status update, so I thought I’d remedy that today.

The December 2007 issue of Niteblade is back online (Yes, you really did read that right). That is two months of the pre-2009 archives back up and three to go. Hopefully I’ll get them up at a faster pace than I did the first two.

The table of contents for the new anthology is almost set. Almost. I hope to post the table of contents here in the next week or so, so keep an eye open. If you’ve submitted to it and not yet heard back from me, hang in there, that means your work is on the (very) short list and I’ll get to you soon. I promise.

I’ve fallen a bit behind on reading submissions. The oldest submission in my fiction inbox is from August 4th and in the poetry inbox is September 7th. I sincerely apologise for my delay in responding and as soon as I firm up the TOC for the anthology I will make a concerted effort to read the submissions. If you submitted before those dates and you haven’t heard back from me, I didn’t get it. Please re-submit.

I think that covers all the updates I have for the moment, though like I say, keep your eyes on this spot for the table of contents for the next anthology.

The deadline for submitting to the new anthology (still untitled, because I’m quite stumped) is coming up. In fact, it’s tomorrow! There are a fair number of submissions in already, but there’s always room for more 🙂

Anthology Guidelines

Mingle with folk from the realms of faerie and fantasy. Meet fantastical beings invoking the mystical powers of ancient gods, inhuman craftsmen wielding mighty tools of the trade, seductive assassins waiting to draw blood once again, and enchanting fays fluttering gossamer wings. Catch a stolen glimpse of the secret places where magic things dwell. Discover Amber Alexander’s fantasy art.

Prior to pursuing a career in art, Amber served as an active duty soldier deployed in Kuwait. After doing a bit of soul-searching to determine her true path, she decided to acquire a training in traditional art from the University of California at Berkeley. However, a few months before graduation, Amber discovered digital art. Once she taught herself the ins and outs of digital painting and became adept at the use of the computer to produce artwork, she realised that this was the medium for her.

Amber states that she has an interest in artists with a strong personal style, something she says she tries to capture in her own work. She includes John Singer Sargent, Peter Chung and Amy Brown among her list of favourites.

As a recent graduate, Amber now takes freelance illustration commissions. She currently has several projects-in-progress, including an illustration for the official web site opening of the R. & R. Barrs book Javen, the Curse and the Apogee’s Sign. She is also in the process of designing a series of angelic figurines for AngelStar.

More of Amber’s work can be seen on her web site Amber Alexander: Character Concept Artist & Illustrator.

***

Long story made short, I’ve had to make some changes to the payment for the upcoming Niteblade anthology. Instead of paying $1 + a copy of the book, we’ll be paying $10 + a pdf copy of the book. Everyone who has already submitted to me got an email yesterday saying we’d just be paying $10 and no contributors copies — that’s not so. I don’t want to re-email everyone and fill up your inbox in an annoying way, so I’m posting this year instead.

Everyone with work accepted for the print anthology will be paid $10 + a .pdf copy of the book.

If you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

There she is. Beautiful isn’t she? The new issue of Niteblade went live at 12:01 this morning and I think it looks fantastic. We’ve got great stories, poems and book reviews and incredible illustrations. I think this is my favorite cover yet, and it’s coupled with a new way of doing the web-based TOC that makes me incredibly happy.

Check it out:

~ Website ~ Downloadable PDF ~

Meet a master at depicting dreadful demise, crimson-tinged terror, creatures thirsting for human blood, and classic characters of horror. Discover the deliciously dark and expertly rendered paintings of horror artist Jerrod Brown, if you dare.

A traditional artist and a southpaw who has been painting and drawing for nearly forty years, Jerrod produces everything from murals to illustrations, from monstrous portraiture to genre book covers. Currently residing with his wife and daughter in Jacksonville, Florida, Jerrod works out of his home studio. In addition to selling works straight out of his studio, Jerrod also sells originals and prints at various galleries and conventions. He also received honorable mention in the 2008 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Artist of the Year.

Inspired by a multitude of horror movies and the artwork found in the classic genre magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, Jerrod’s love of all things horror simply screams from the canvases of his darkly wonderful works. Being strictly a traditional artist, Jerrod strongly advocates the use of brush and palette over the use of keyboard and mouse. And his artistic creations contain a unique spirit not found in “cookie-cutter” digital work.

More examples of Jerrod’s art, along with purchasing information, can be found here:
http://www.myspace.com/jerrodbrown

***

The table of contents for the September issue has been finalised. What this means is that I am now reading all submissions with an eye to placing them in the March 2010 issue. Wow. Just…wow. The reason for that is the December issue will be a print one (guidelines here).

Enter a twilight realm where deepening gloom stirs dark emotions, where
sinister forces lurk within every shadow, where the Grim Reaper awaits
around every corner. Encounter scenes where glimmers of light hold no hope
of salvation, serving instead as stark illumination of a diabolic fate.
Become hopelessly enthralled by the dark art of Daniele Serra.

A professional illustrator residing on the Mediterranean isle of Sardinia,
Daniele Serra's work has seen international success. His art has appeared
in various European, Australian, and American publications. He has
illustrated the works of authors such as Brian Stableford, Rain Graves,
and Steven Savile. He has also created images for DC comics, and his art
has been displayed in various Italian exhibits. A book of Daniele's darkly
sensuous artwork, entitled Illusions, is available through Black Coat
Press.

Daniele uses pencils and watercolours to create his scenes, then blends
these macabre visions digitally. He masterfully combines and contrasts
light and shade in provocative ways, instilling a disturbingly seductive
quality into his art. He deftly drags the viewer into a world of horror
and dread, a place ruled by darkness and death.

More examples of Daniele Serra's work, as well as purchase information for
Illusions, can be found on his web site:
http://www.multigrade.it/

***

I bought a copy of Troll’s Eye View for myself, then once I’d finished devouring it I shared it with my eleven year-old daughter, Danica. I enjoyed the book so much that I intended to ask the editors, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling for an interview here at Niteblade, however, when it turned out that Danica loved it too, I got a different idea. I asked Ellen and Terri if they would mind answering a few questions from Danica rather than me. They agreed, thus increasing their level of awesome in my mind.

Danica: Was editing Troll’s Eye View fun? Why?

Ellen: Yes, because working with Terri is always fun and also because pushing our authors to consider the villain’s point of view and so get them to stretch as writers is always fun.

Terri: Editing Troll’s Eye View was loads of fun. I loved fairy tales when I was a kid, and I didn’t stop loving them when I grew up. I went on to study folklore at college, where I discovered that fairy tales have a long and fascinating history. The earliest versions of stories like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White were much darker and stranger than the Disney versions that most people know today — and the heroines tended to be more active, more feisty, and much more clever. The tales aren’t static; they change from century to century as storytellers re-work them for each new generation. By encouraging writers to re-tell fairy tales in Troll’s Eye View and our other fairy tale anthologies, we become part of a tradition that stretches back to the dawn of storytelling itself. I find that very exciting.

Danica: Ellen, if you could work with Terri again would you? Why?

Ellen: Of course! We’ve worked on many many anthologies together and hope to work on many more in the future. And although I prefer horror to fantasy and Terri prefers fantasy to horror, I think we work well together. Unfortunately, we rarely actually see each other in person as she lives in England and Arizona while I live in New York City. But working together keeps our friendship alive and vital.

Danica: Terri, if you could work with Ellen again would you? Why?

Terri: I’ve been editing anthologies with Ellen for over twenty years, and I hope we’ll still be working together in another twenty — not only because we’ve become good friends after all this time, but also because I have enormous respect for her literary acumen and editorial skills. I think our partnership works because we’re so different: Ellen loves horror and dark fantasy, I love myth and high fantasy; she loves everything quirky and strange, I love everything Pre-Raphaelite and romantic; she lives in one of the largest cities in the world, I live in a tiny English village; etc. etc.. We couldn’t be more opposite — which means we bring a broad range of personal tastes into every project we work on together. What we share is a passionate love of short stories, and a belief in the literary possibilities inherent in fantastic fiction.

Danica: If you could be any of the characters from Troll’s Eye View who would you be?

Ellen: Ooooh. I think I’d like to be Jaundice, the witch’s marmalade cat in Garth Nix’s “An Unwelcome Guest.” I love cats and I think it might be fun to be one for a short while.

Terri: Nick in Delia Sherman’s “Wizard’s Apprentice,” because he knows how to turn into a fox! I’d love to be able to be able to do that. There are foxes in the woods behind my house in Devon, and they are such quick, clever, beautiful creatures.

Danica: Who is your favorite fairy tale villain?

Ellen: Rumpelstiltskin because he’s not really a villain at all. He was cheated by the lying princess who broke her promise. In fact, I think a LOT of the supposed “heroines” are the actual villains –The princess in the
Frog Prince who breaks her word–what is it with these twits?

Terri: The villain who has always frightened me the most is Snow White’s wicked step-mother. Beautiful and cold as ice, the Queen not only orders her huntsman to take Snow White into the woods and kill her, but demands he bring back the girl’s heart and liver as proof — and then eats them for dinner! There are lots of nasty step-mothers in fairy tales, but Snow White’s is the creepiest, hands down.

On the other hand, I’ve recently become a step-mother myself, and so I can’t help but wonder if fairy tale step-mothers have simply had a bad rap….

Danica: I don’t think step parents are all that bad 🙂 Do you write as well as edit? If so, what genre?

Ellen: Nope -at least not fiction. I write the occasional book review or essay.

Terri: Yes. I’ve written fantasy fiction for children, teenagers, and adults, and nonfiction on myth and contemporary mythic arts. I’m also a painter, specializing in imagery based on myth and folklore.

Danica: Thanks  for answering, I really liked the book so please keep editing.