Category Archives: Anthologies

Anthologies, Cover Reveal, Enggar Adirasa, Perfect Flaw, press release, Uncategorized

SSP Proudly Unveils Cover Art for Perfect Flaw Anthology

For Immediate Release
March 5, 2013

Seventh Star Press Unveils Cover Art For Perfect Flaw Anthology

Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the brand new cover art by Enggar Adirasa for Perfect Flaw, a dystopian-themed anthology from editor Robin Blankenship.

Perfect Flaw features a variety of speculative fiction stories, spanning many genres, that involve the exploration of society gone wrong. From “utopian” societies masking an underlying controlled state, to stories of people fighting back against repression in hopes of a better world, the flaws that create a dystopian atmosphere are identified and challenged.

The authors and stories featured in Perfect Flaw include:

Leslie J Anderson – “Michael’s Gate”
Jason Campagna – “Hope Unknown”
Frank Roger – “Cracks in the Concrete”
Mandi M. Lynch “Under a Pomegranate Sky”
Shaun Avery – “The Job Hunter”
Cathy Bryant – “Cost Benefit Analysis”
Carolyn M. Chang – “Smilers”
SC Langgle – “The Bird Below Ground”
Delphine Boswell – “Tomorrow’s Children”
Tanith Korravai – “Your Comfort is Important to Us”
DeeDee Davies – “The Ultimate Sale”
Ellen Brock – “Useless”
Herika R. Raymer – “Seventh Degree”
H David Blalock – “Guardian”
H.S. Donnelly – “First Head”
Jay Faulkner – “System Error”
Michael O’Connor – “The Choosing”

Perfect Flaw will be released towards the end of March in Trade Paperback and eBook formats. For further information and updates on Perfect Flaw, please visit the Seventh Star Press site at www.seventhstarpress.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky

Anthologies, Michael West, My Vampires Don't Sparkle, press release, Uncategorized

SSP Proudly Announces Upcoming Release of Vampires Don’t Sparkle! Anthology

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2013

Seventh Star Press Announces Upcoming Release of
Vampires Don’t Sparkle! Anthology

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the upcoming release of Vampires Don’t Sparkle!, an exciting new anthology from editor Michael West that features the talents of many of the best writers in the speculative fiction arena, including Gary Braunbeck, Tim Waggoner, Maurice Broaddus, Lucy A. Snyder, and several more exceptional authors.  Featuring cover artwork from the award-winning artist Matthew Perry, the anthology will be available in trade paperback and eBook formats by the end of March.

Vampires Don’t Sparkle! poses the question: What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?

Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else?

The authors of this collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”

Below is a full list of authors and stories included in Vampires Don’t Sparkle!

“A New Life” by J. F. Gonzalez
“What Once was Flesh” by Tim Waggoner
“The Darkton Circus Mystery” by Elizabeth Massie
“Robot Vampire” by R. J. Sullivan
“Beneath a Templar Cross” by Gord Rollo
“The Weapon of Memory” by Kyle S. Johnson
“The Excavation” by Stephen Zimmer
“Skraeling” by Joel A. Sutherland
“Dreams of Winter” by Bob Freeman
“Dracula’s Winkee: Bloodsucker Blues” by Gregory L. Hall
“I F*** Your Sunshine” by Lucy A. Snyder
“A Soldier’s Story” by Maurice Broaddus
“Rattenkönig” by Douglas F. Warrick
“Vampire Nation” by Jerry Gordon
“Curtain Call” by Gary A. Braunbeck

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the anthology will be going to cancer research institutions, which was a prime motivation for editor Michael West in putting the project together. The author of highly-acclaimed novels such as Poseidon’s Children, Cinema of Shadows, The Wide Game and Spook House, Michael decided to take on the editor’s role for Vampires Don’t Sparkle! for some personal reasons.

As Michael recently stated, “It is a very personal cause for me.  One year ago, I lost one of my closest friends, author Sara J. Larson, to cancer, and then my wife was diagnosed with the disease last fall.  I hope that, with this anthology, we can help win the fight against this real-life horror.

And what an anthology it is!  My fellow horror and dark fantasy authors will take you down some very twisted paths, each putting his or her own unique spin on the age-old legend of the vampire. Some of these tales are fanciful, some humorous, and some as black as an endless night. These are stories that will once more strike fear into your heart and make you dread sundown. These are tales to make the vampire cool again.”

To get further information on Michael West, or the Vampires Don’t Sparkle! anthology, please visit Michael’s site at www.bymichaelwest.com or the Seventh Star Press site at www.seventhstarpress.com

 

 

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky

Anthologies, Hero's Best Friend, press release, Scott Sandridge

Announcing Call for Entries on Hero’s Best Friend Anthology

For Immediate Release
February 19,  2013

Announcing Call for Entries on Hero’s Best Friend Anthology

Seventh Star Press announces a call for entries on Hero’s Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions.   Edited by Scott Sandridge, the speculative fiction anthology brings the spotlight to the noble animal companions of heroic characters.

Hero’s Best Friend welcomes stories of between 2,000 and 10,000 words from all genres of speculative fiction.  All kinds of cultural settings, types of animals, and genres are encouraged for these tales.  The stories should center on the perspective of the animal, in the way that a story would focus on Shadowfax rather than Gandalf, to use one well-known example of a heroic character and animal companion.

Residing in Ohio, editor and author Scott M. Sandridge’s first short story, “Treecutter,” was published in The Sword Review in July 2005. Since then, he’s gone on to publish over 26 more short stories, and over 60 reviews. He has also been a columnist for the Double-Edged Publishing webzines, a Submissions Editor for Ray Gun Revival, and the Managing Editor of Fear and Trembling.  Scott is also an active blogger whose site can be found at: http://smsand.wordpress.com

Hero’s Best Friend will be released in trade paperback and eBook formats in late 2013.  The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2013, and full information on the anthology can be found at https://seventhstarpress.com/submissions/

 

 

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky

 

Anthologies, David J. Guyton, Fires of Liberty, press release, Stephen Zimmer, Uncategorized

Seventh Star Press Announces Call for Entries on New Anthology Co-Edited by David J. Guyton and Stephen Zimmer

For Immediate Release
February 11, 2013

Seventh Star Press proudly announces a call for entries for Fires of Liberty (Volume One): A Speculative Fiction Celebration of Freedom, the first release of an exciting new anthology series that will be as inspiring as it is thought-provoking.

Co-edited by David J. Guyton and Stephen Zimmer, the anthology challenges authors to explore what freedom really means, and the unique value of the individual, within a speculative fiction environment.  Fires of Liberty is an invitation to exploration, celebration, and self-discovery.

The project welcomes stories of 2,000 to 10,000 words in size  from all corners of the speculative fiction world, including science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, alternate history, dystopian, and more.  Special consideration for inclusion is being given to stories that are prequels, or preludes, to an author’s existing or upcoming series.  Fires of Liberty is scheduled for a Fall 2013 release in trade paperback and eBook formats, and will feature cover art from one of SSP’s award-winning artists.

The themes of the anthology are very close to heart for both of the project’s editors, who are speculative fiction authors with ongoing series that explore the kinds of themes to be featured in Fires of Liberty.

David J. Guyton is a fantasy author and artist currently residing in the eastern United States.  He is known for his Legend of Reason series, a fantasy saga which currently features three titles, Mighty Hammer Down, Blood and Bronze, and Soul Under the Mountain.

Stephen Zimmer is an author and filmmaker residing in Lexington, Kentucky.  His work as an author includes the epic-scale, urban fantasy Rising Dawn Saga, the epic fantasy Fires in Eden series, the Harvey and Solomon steampunk tales, and the forthcoming Hellscapes horror stories.

“David and I are really excited about Fires of Liberty,” Stephen remarked.  “The themes are very important to both of us, and we are really looking forward to seeing some very inspiring and insightful stories brought to life as a result of this project.  The life of an author requires an independent streak, the pursuit of a dream, self-determination and self-motivation, so I am very confident that all kinds of writers will be able to connect and resonate with the themes featured in this anthology.”

The deadline for story submissions is June 1, 2013, and full information on the anthology project can be found at: https://seventhstarpress.com/submissions/

 

 

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky

 

 

Anthologies, Kickstarter, Michael Knost, The Writers' Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy

New Kickstarter Project for the Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy!

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce a new Kickstarter project to support the release of the Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Knost.

Here is the link to the Kickstarter Page where you can view a new short film from Allotrope Media that relates to this project and see the various levels of participation if you would like to help us make this book a reality.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seventhstarpress/the-writers-workshop-of-science-fiction-and-fantas

Here is a brief description of the book and collaborators involved:

The Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy is a collection of essays and interviews with some of most influential names in the industry; each article covering a specific element of the craft of writing science fiction and fantasy.  The collaborators in this wonderful anthology include:

Neil Gaiman — “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?”

Orson Scott Card — “On Rhetoric and Style.”

Lou Anders — “Nebulous Matters, or Speculations on Subgenre.”

Lucy Snyder — “Ursula K. LeGuin Talks About A Lifetime in the Craft.”

James Gunn — “Beginnings.”

George Zebrowski — “Middles.”

Jay Lake — “Endings.”

Nayad Monroe — “Tim Powers Talks About Writing Supernatural Awe and More.”

Pam Sargent — “Talking Too Much, or Not Enough: Dialogue in Science Fiction and Fantasy.”

G. Cameron Fuller –– “How Alien the Alien: A Primer on Viewpoint.”

Nancy Kress — “The Green-Skinned Zorn Laughed With Grief: Character and Emotion in Science Fiction and Fantasy.”

Harry Turtledove — “Alternate History: the How-To of What Might Have Been.”

Jude-Marie Green— “Larry Niven Talks About the Collaborative Process.”

Joe Haldeman — “Hemingway Talks About Writing.”

Nisi Shawl — “Unbending Gender.”

Alan Dean Foster — “Reverse Engineering: Writing Novelizations.”

Alethea Kontis — “Kevin J. Anderson Talks About Spin-off Novels and Prequels.”

Elizabeth Bear –– “Tactics of Worldbuilding.”

Jackie Gamber–“Ann Vandermeer Talks About Weird Fiction”

Michael Knost — Short fiction editors Ellen Datlow, Stanley Schmidt, Gordon Van Gelder, James Patrick Kelly, Mike Resnick, and John Joseph Adams discuss what they are looking for when reading submissions.

Anthologies, James R. Tuck, press release, Sword and Sorcery

Seventh Star Press Announces New Anthology Project With James R. Tuck!

3 Comments

For Immediate Release
August 2, 2012

Seventh Star Press Announces New Anthology Project With James R. Tuck

Seventh Star Press proudly announces a new anthology project with James R. Tuck, author of the highly acclaimed Deacon Chalk stories released by Kensington Publishing.  An open call for submissions has been issued regarding the new anthology, Thunder on the Battlefield, which will take the reader on many adventures within the realms of Sword and Sorcery.

Writers are encouraged by James to explore the possibilities of the genre.   The time of the story could be placed in an ancient world, or even perhaps a futuristic one where a cataclysm has set a modernistic society back into a barbaric age.  The setting could be the heart of Africa, the steppes of Russia, the snowbound wastes of Iceland, or  the hills of China.  Warriors were found throughout the ages, the Celts, the Vikings, the Samurai, the Israelites, the Zulu, the Romans, and many more.  The challenge to the writer is to bring their best and make it heroic.

James brought the project to Seventh Star Press for a number of reasons. “I have been extremely impressed with the professionalism I have seen from Seventh Star Press. Their books are quality, they always make a big presentation at conventions, and their authors are happy. Happy authors mean a LOT in this business. Plus, with the stable of incredibly talented authors working with Seventh Star I knew that this anthology would be taken seriously and done right.”

James, whose latest Deacon Chalk adventure, Blood and Silver, is to be released in mass market paperback by Kensington on August 7th, is a former bouncer and a professional tattoo artist who lives in the Atlanta area with his wife, two children, and four dogs.  His first Deacon Chalk novel, Blood and Bullets, was released in February of 2012 and received high praise in urban fantasy circles.

What inspired James to do a project like Thunder on the Battlefield?  As James explains in his own words:

“Because sword and sorcery rocks my face off!

“On a serious note, I was a young kid when I discovered sword and sorcery for the first time. I have always been an artist, drawing when I should have been studying, and I found this artist, you may have heard of him, named Frank Frazetta. His artwork blew my preteen mind, just took the top of my skull right off and spilled in all this masculine power and feminine beauty and horrible monstrosity right inside my brainpan. I studied that book I had found, furrowed away in the back corner of my junior high library. Reading, I discovered these were the covers to books.

“I loved to read. The next trip to the used bookstore I found a book with a Frazetta cover, it was Robert E.Howard’s Conan The Adventurer. Those words, those damn near poetic, dark, strings of prose ate into my brain like acid. I was hooked from the first paragraph. I became voracious in finding more, more Robert E. Howard, more Conan, more sword and sorcery. I ran through Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, Karl Wagner, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
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“All those stories imprinted on my DNA and helped form the kind of stories I write today. I wanted to bring more of them to the forefront and put together a collection of today’s heirs to Robert E. Howard and his colleagues. To put new faces in the hands of the fans of the genre.”
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Thunder on the Battlefield is slated for release in the 2nd quarter of 2013 in both print and eBook editions.
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The guidelines include a 10,000 word maximum, 2,000 word minimum.  The full call for submissions is now posted at the Seventh Star Press site at:

https://seventhstarpress.com/submissions/

The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2013.

 

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com