Welcome and good morning. Well, it’s morning in Chicago. God only knows what time it is near you. I say that without trying to sound all high and mighty. Last week a person in Mongolia signed up for this newsletter. How they found me is a mystery, but, thanks to Google, I now know there’s a thirteen hour time difference between us. For them, and anyone else who may think they might have missed a newsletter, or just wish to crawl through the wasteland of my mind, CLICK HERE for my blog. It contains a copy of every newsletter I’ve ever written.
As you may, or may not, be aware, we are smack dab in the middle of Pride Month. In my work with Hadithi Sambamba diversity has always been front and center. From the very first issue of Legends Parallel to the ongoing madcap multiverse that is Hybrid Zero, every project, no matter how big or small, has represented characters from all walks of life.
Here’s why that matters.
About a year after Svarozic came out I was working a con in northwest Illinois. The audience skewed much younger than was good for me, so I’d resigned myself to watching cute kids do cute cosplays and maybe eating some pizza. Then a woman showed up at my booth. She’d driven over an hour to meet me and buy Svarozic. Fun fact, you could, and can, buy it for $2.00 online plus shipping and still get it autographed. Nevertheless, she was there, I had copies, so I sold her one, autographed it, and chatted for a bit. It seems her daughter had recently come out as trans and she wanted to show her she was represented too, and not just as a token background character.
Two weeks later I got an email addressed to Mr. McSciFi. I opened it and it was from the nice woman’s daughter. And, like all conversations with teenage girls, eye rolls and OMGs were easily noted. But, she also noted how much she loved the story, how cool it was to feel as though she had a spot in the world, and how she was looking forward to more. And, as I noted two weeks ago, we are finally in negotiations to make that happen.
HAPPY PRIDE EVERYONE!
More below.
Once again I find that I have a story in the Autumn Issue of Sci-Fi Lampoon. This is my third story they’ve snagged. My humble contribution is called Fun Time at the Apocalypse a Go-Go. It’s a first person horror comedy based on a serial killer living in the land of Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. Of course, I didn’t use those names. I have this aversion to being sued into oblivion. If you click that link you’ll be gifted with the dulcet tones that emanate from my mouth hole reading a snippet. You’ll also be gifted with some amazing pandemic hair. Not to worry, I did eventually buy a comb so now I can pretend to be adulting.
One thing I feel should be mentioned; this story has naughty words, graphic violence, and uses a cheese grater in ways you might not have considered. Proceed at your own risk.
The winter issue of Sci-Fi Lampoon has hit the streets as well. I guess they’re just clearing the decks so they can prep for the holiday season. Those Turduckens aren’t going to debone and stuff themselves.
I think that’s enough fun for one day.
