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Ahoy, Critterfolk!
New entry May 28
Critter Notices
Books from Critters!
Check out Books by Critters for books by your fellow Critterfolk, as well as my list of recommended books for writers.
How to Write SF
The Craft of Writing Science Fiction that Sells by Ben Bova, best-selling author and six-time Hugo Award winner for Best Editor. (This is one of the books your ol' Critter Captain learned from himself, and I highly recommend it.)
(Also via Amazon)
New Book from a Critter Member
**NOW IN
PRINT EDITION
TOO!** Awesome new book,
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SPECULATIVE FICTION OPENINGS,
from a Critter member who's unearthed a shard of The Secret
to becoming a pro writer. Really good piece of work.
"...if you're at all concerned about story openings, you'd be nuts not to read what Qualkinbush has to say." —Wil McCarthy, author of BLOOM and THE COLLAPSIUM
Interviewed!
I was interviewed live on public radio for Critters' birthday, for those who want to listen.
Free Web Sites
Free web sites for authors (and others) are available at www.nyx.net.
ReAnimus Acquires Advent!
ReAnimus Press is pleased to announce the acquisition of the legendary Advent Publishers! Advent is now a subsidiary of ReAnimus Press, and we will continue to publish Advent's titles under the Advent name. Advent was founded in 1956 by Earl Kemp and others, and has published the likes of James Blish, Hal Clement, Robert Heinlein, Damon Knight, E.E. "Doc" Smith, and many others. Advent's high quality titles have won and been finalists for several Hugo Awards, such as The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy and Heinlein's Children. Watch this space for ebook and print editions of all of Advent's current titles!
Book Recommendation
THE SIGIL TRILOGY:
The universe is dying from within...
"Great stuff... Really enjoyed it." — SFWA Grandmaster Michael Moorcock
Announcing ReAnimus Press
If you're looking for great stuff to read from bestselling and award-winning authors—look no further! ReAnimus Press was founded by your very own Critter Captain. (And with a 12% Affiliate program.) [More]
~~~
FEATURED BOOK
~~~
Weekly Notes
Notes for 28-May-2025...
Fund Drive Update...
By request from some folks who preferred to use Venmo or Zelle to donate to the fund drive, viola! I've added QR codes you can scan for Venmo and Zelle. They're on the usual donation page,
https://critters.org/donate.php
Thanks for the idea! (And, of course, thanks for the donations to keep the lights blinking! [on the router...])
Here are the monthly stats...
Jan: $564.88 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $18.12 for the month
Feb: $206.50 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $376.5 for the month
Mar: $320.92 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $262.08 for the month
Apr: $142.18 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $440.82 for the month
May: $819.87 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, exceeded by $236.87 for the month
=> short by $860.65 of annual fund drive goal to date
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New release supporting the Critters Fund Drive...
MOOSE AND RACCOON by Craig Strete - $5.99
ReAnimus Press Store: www.ReAnimus.com/1750
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHHVQ7WD/?tag=critters3a-20
(available in ebook + hardcover + paperback)
The hilarious adventures of Moose and Raccoon!
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST SCREAM
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST FISH
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST SAIL
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST FLY
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST COOK
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST FIND TREASURE
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST RIDE A GLACIER
MOOSE AND RACCOON ALMOST CLIMB A TELEPHONE POLE
Moose was asleep in his favorite chair. His friend Raccoon was curled up on a top of a floor lamp beside him. It was almost midnight. The wind blew. Something rattled against the window.
Moose jumped up in fright.
His antlers hit the lamp and Raccoon fell to the floor with a thump.
Raccoon sat up on the floor and rubbed his tail.
"Ouch! That hurt!" said Raccoon.
"Shhh!" said Moose, putting a paw to his snout in a shushing motion. "I heard a scary noise!"
"That was me hitting the floor," said Raccoon grumpily.
"That wasn't a scary noise, that was just a silly noise," said Moose.
There was a sound of something tapping on the window.
"There it is again!" said Moose.
[Disclaimer: Ye Olde Critter Captain also runs ReAnimus Press, sales from which help him keep Critters going as a free site.]
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Thanks for the donations, folks! We are 29.3% of the way to the fund drive goal with contributions from 70 donors, leaving about $4900 to go.
Thanks especially to
Philip Lindeman
Frank Shewmake
Douglas J Kolacki
John Baumgartner
for their recent donations to help keep Critters going. Much appreciated!
Stats by month...
Jan: $564.88 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $18.12 for the month
Feb: $206.50 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $376.5 for the month
Mar: $320.92 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $262.08 for the month
Apr: $142.18 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, short by $440.82 for the month
May: $819.87 received toward $583 monthly fund drive goal, exceeded by $236.87 for the month
=> short by $860.65 of annual fund drive goal to date
[See https://www.critters.org/donate.php for more information.]
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Woohoo! Congratulations to...
- Douglas Kolacki, who sold his (Critter'd) short story,
"At the Blednica Research Station" to Amazing Stories.
- Holly Hefner, who sold her (Critter'd) short story, "Seven
Methods to Coping with the Revelation
Your Wife is a Former
Magical Girl" to Bothered Stories.
Please report your Woohoo!s via the www.critters.org/telldaworld.ht web page.
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This week's Most Productive Critter award, for 3 critiques (at time of judging), averaging almost 900 words each, goes to...
Michele Wilson
To redeem an MPC, visit: www.critters.org/usempc.ht
Congratulations! To everyone else -- Crit early and often!
(For an explanation of the MPC award, see the www.critters.org/award.ht page.)
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Recommended Reading...
One of the best writing books - Secrets from the 6-time Best Editor
Hugo Award Master, Ben Bova: THE CRAFT OF WRITING SCIENCE FICTION THAT SELLS
https://ReAnimus.com/store?item=1144
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Critters Workshop
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This week we have... [get from https://www.critters.org/private/mss.php ]...
Title Author
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Week of 28-May-2025 (Crits due 4-Jun-2025):
SF #thiq Amanda Niehaus-Hard -#31849
SF Bringer of Sorrow, Part 10, Chapt 26 - 28 Sean Masters -#31850
SF Science Unleashed Chapters 4-8 Dallas Nicholls -#31851
F The Tale of Alfred Margaret Moller -#31852
F Last Train to Xianyang Liam Kelly -#31853
F Dreamrider chapters 1-3 Chris Owens -#31854
F Fox and Spirit Chapter 1 Daniel Piper -#31855
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Recommended books on writing:
THE CRAFT OF WRITING AND SELLING SCIENCE FICTION by Ben Bova
ReAnimus Press Store: https://ReAnimus.com/store?item=1144
Amazon: https://Amazon.com/dp/B006MAZPEI
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SPECULATIVE FICTION OPENINGS By (Critter member) Robert Qualkinbush
https://ReAnimus.com/store?item=1184 | https://Amazon.com/dp/B007O272ZI
STAYIN' ALIVE - A WRITER'S GUIDE by three-time SFWA President Norman Spinrad
How things really work in the art and commerce of publishing
https://ReAnimus.com/store?item=1179 | https://Amazon.com/dp/B007SIC4I8
EXPERIMENT PERILOUS: THE 'BUG JACK BARRON' PAPERS by Norman Spinrad
(A 99cent essay on SF and writing)
https://ReAnimus.com/store?item=1180 | https://Amazon.com/dp/B007MF3MS8
Because you might enjoy it... SAFECRACKING by RICHARD BYRNE
From strong-boxes to high-tech...
https://reanimus.com/store/?item=1562
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Pieces up for critique in other workshops...
In the lit workshop - https://critique.org/lit :
L A Home on Neem Street Duaa -#31825
In the mystery workshop - https://critique.org/mystery :
M The Library Club chapters 1, 2 Don Oestreicher -#31726
In the nonfiction workshop - https://critique.org/nonfiction :
NP I *Experience*, Therefore I Am Robin niCathain -#30061
In the script workshop - https://critique.org/script :
SC It Happened One Christmas Robert W. Ross -#31694
In the kids workshop - https://critique.org/kids :
YS The Adventures of Jack, The Rabbit Emmanuel Agyei-Boatey -#31578
In the comics workshop - https://critique.org/comics :
CG Magna. logline/ synopsis Brent Claridge -#28885
In the western workshop - https://critique.org/western :
W Currently Untitled Aleksandr Vincente Hoang -#30472
In the romance workshop - https://critique.org/romance :
R Niv's Love TONYA WASHINGTON -#31832
In the video workshop - https://critique.org/video :
VS The Gallery of Henri Beauchamp Jay DeTalente -#21424
In the music workshop - https://critique.org/music :
MP The Shade Riders and Nocturnal Ned song Beth Zurkowski -#21675
In the photo workshop - https://critique.org/photo :
PH Tea and Gossip Sandy Kulhavy -#30875
In the art workshop - https://critique.org/art :
AH Peppermint Girls Brian Sellnow -#31527
In the apps workshop - https://critique.org/apps :
GM Uptown Valkyries Arthur Sankey -#31757
In the website workshop - https://critique.org/website :
WW Charles Gull creative projects blog and website Charles Gull -#31783
In the critters workshop - https://critique.org/critters :
SF #thiq Amanda Niehaus-Hard -#31849
SF Bringer of Sorrow, Part 10, Chapt 26 - 28 Sean Masters -#31850
SF Science Unleashed Chapters 4-8 Dallas Nicholls -#31851
F The Tale of Alfred Margaret Moller -#31852
F Last Train to Xianyang Liam Kelly -#31853
F Dreamrider chapters 1-3 Chris Owens -#31854
F Fox and Spirit Chapter 1 Daniel Piper -#31855
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You might also like... KAMPUS by JAMES GUNN
Tomorrow's students invent the ultimate revolution
https://reanimus.com/store/?item=1640
Standard notes:
HELP:
If you need help with anything, see https://www.critters.org/help -- there
are FAQs and a form to ask questions.
HELPING CRITTERS:
Critters is donation funded & volunteer run, so if you'd like to
help out with our current fund drive or otherwise, please visit
https://www.critters.org/donate.php -- Thanks!!
HOW TO SEND CRITIQUES:
Remember to send the critiques directly to me, critters@critique.org, so
I can forward them to the authors _and_ give you credit for your effort.
Please send only one critique per mail message (makes it easier to
archive). Please make sure the "#" symbol and manuscript number are in
the email Subject: line, like Subject: #1234. (Conversely, if you want
ol' Aburt to personally read the message, i.e., it's _not_ a critique,
don't put a "#" in the subject or I won't see it. Also -- put my current
anti-spam code word in there: see https://www.critters.org/antispam.ht .)
You may also send your critiques via https://www.critters.org/webcrit.ht .
Note that all critiques will be available to everyone to read the next Saturday.
DIPLOMACY:
Remember, authors and critiquers, we're all friends here. Be polite. Be
considerate. Be tactful. You can say you thought a story was drivel in a
courteous way. Try to point out the good and the bad; offer alternatives
if you can. Never, ever, attack the author -- only the story. Authors:
Remember that some reviewers may lack tact. Try to be understanding,
but if you get any that you feel are just plain mean-spirited, too short
to be of any use, or too "feel good," let me know and I'll withhold the
reviewer's "credit" for that story and/or cajole them into something
more insightful. See https://www.critters.org/diplomacy.ht for more...
CRITIQUE LENGTH:
If you want to send a short critique that you know is too short for
credit (200 words or less of your own meaningful content) please put
"NC#" in the Subject (NC=No Credit, like Subject: NC#1234) -and- say
something like "not for credit" inside your critique. (Remember also that
for MPC purposes, a critique must be 300 words or more.)
CHATTING:
Comments -other- than critiques (such as discussion of the critiques,
or Woohoo! announcements, or chit chat) should be posted to one of the
official Critters discussion forums (See the https://www.critters.org/newsgroups.ht
web page for full info, guidelines, etc.) Don't post stories or critiques
(mail those to critters@critique.org).
QUOTING:
Please pare the ms. down if critiquing in-line (don't quote the whole ms.!).
Other format rules are at https://www.critters.org/format.ht .
EVERYTHING'S ON THE WEB:
Past reviews are on the web page. The current week's manuscripts are
also there, as are prior mss. and even some rewrites. There's a Master
Page Index (site map) with tons of links to common items.
AUTHORS:
Authors for this week -- if you aren't getting email'd critiques from
me (as they come in) within a couple days -- ask me and we can verify
I'm sending them to the correct address. (Send me a phone# in case I
can't get email to you.) Check the format of your story ASAP to make sure
it's all there and readable.
EMAIL ISSUES:
If you want to change your email address or preferences (# mss. emailed,
SF/F/H type, or whether you get the huge critique batches at week's end),
point your browser to https://www.critters.org/admin.ht . Please don't
ask me to do this by hand, it's quite a chore! (E.g., if you're going
on vacation and want to suspend mail from me -- do this before/after
your trip.)
BACKUP SITE:
If you're unable to reach www.critters.org to get manuscripts, I've set up
an emergency backup site at https://backup.critters.org where you can get the
week's manuscripts (but not much of anything else :-). Speaking of backups --
don't forget to back up your own manuscripts so you don't lose them!
QUITTING:
If you want to quit or go inactive, drop by https://www.critters.org/admin.ht .
DONATIONS:
Critters is funded by donations, so visit https://www.critters.org/donate.php
if you'd like to help out.
Because you might enjoy it... STAR WATCHMEN by BEN BOVA
'Bova lets his imagination soar' - Locus
https://reanimus.com/store/?item=1157
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