We are so pleased to announce that the introduction to
Glitter & Mayhem will be written by the fabulous writer, director, and
actress Amber Benson! Welcome to the party, Amber!
Cover Preview from Galen Dara
Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it?
Apex Publications presents Glitter & Mayhem
It all started on Twitter. We were basking in the glow of Chicago’s Worldcon and missing that special feeling that comes from hanging out with friends at a convention.
John mentioned that if he went to next year’s Worldcon in San Antonio, he wanted to throw a glitter party for all the science fiction and fantasy people that he knows. Michael helpfully showed John a link to The Rollercade, San Antonio’s #1 roller skating rink that does black light/glow-in-the-dark roller skate parties. Not exactly a glitter party (and what was that anyway?) but pretty awesome nonetheless.
We decided in an instant that not only were we going to the San Antonio Worldcon, but that we had to go to The Rollercade for a glow-in-the-dark roller skating party.
But why just throw a glow-in-the-dark roller skating party when you can also make it a book release party? And what’s better than a glow-in-the-dark roller skating party celebrating a book about the secret history of 20th Century nightlife/party culture?
Nothing, that’s what.
So we’re editing, assembling, and printing an anthology as a co-production with Apex Publications between now and August of 2013 when we’re all in San Antonio for Worldcon. Yes, that's foolish and overly optimistic. Lynne quickly crafted a writing prompt:
Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, (literal) party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, etc.
Glitter & Mayhem will be published by Apex Publications and will feature a standalone novella from New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire set in her InCryptid universe. We also have commitments from other talented writers including Alan DeNiro, Amal El-Mohtar, Daryl Gregory, Damien Walters Grintalis, Maria Dahvana Headley, Kat Howard, Vylar Kaftan, Jennifer Pelland, Tim Pratt, Cat Rambo, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Diana Rowland, Sofia Samatar, David J. Schwartz, William Shunn, and Rachel Swirsky. There will be an open reading period so we can uncover glamorous writers that we've overlooked.
Lynne M. Thomas
Michael Damian Thomas
John Klima
New Backer Level!
We have a new $50 pledge level. In addition to getting an electronic copy and a paper copy of the finished back, we will make an electronic copy of Seanan McGuire's novella for the anthology available when we hit our funding goal. This means that if we hit our funding with two weeks to go, you'll get to see the story then.
In Seanan's own words: " "Bad Dream Girl," a 16,000 word novella set in the universe of my New York Times bestselling InCryptid series. This novella focuses on Antimony Price, and will be her first formal appearance as a narrator, allowing for a story that has connections to existing material, yet remains accessible to new readers."
How cool is that?! Anyone who funds at $50 and above will receive this reward.
Glitter & Mayhem Will Open to Submissions When It Reaches 50% Funding on Kickstarter!
Glitter & Mayhem: The Speculative Nightclub Anthology is looking for a few glamorous stories.
As you know, we’ve got fabulous work from amazing writers like Alan DeNiro, Amal El-Mohtar, Daryl Gregory, Damien Walters Grintalis, Maria Dahvana Headley, Kat Howard, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Pelland, Tim Pratt, Cat Rambo, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Diana Rowland, Sofia Samatar, David J. Schwartz, and William Shunn.
But what about you? You’re glamorous, right? We bet you have a dazzling idea for a story, don’t you? You probably even know the prompt by heart:
Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, (literal) party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, etc.
Well, if you aren’t already writing, you should start now!
Here’s the details you’ve been waiting for:
- We’re opening to submissions (there are multiple slots open) when the Kickstarter reaches 50% funding.
- The max word limit is 6000 with a deadline of March 15 (you know, beware the Ides yadda yadda yadda).
- We’re paying $.05 per word.
- You’ll have the chance to be edited by Hugo Award-winning editors and be in a ToC with awesome authors (see above).
We can’t wait to see what you create. Surprise us. Amaze us. Dazzle us.
Preview Cover Sketches at 75% Funding
One can only imagine what sort of wild cover a speculative nightclub anthology will have. That's more true than you think.
There is one person who can imagine that: Galen Dara. Check out her portfolio and we think you'll agree with us. There's something so moving and evocative of her artwork that we felt it was a perfect match.
If there's anyone who can capture the nightclub roller derby debauchery the stories this anthology have, it's Galen Dara.
We know that she's working hard on cover ideas (you can see our Pinterest board for where her inspirations are coming from) and we want to share that with you.
Once we hit 75% funding, we'll have cover sketches to show you. So now there's at least two things to shoot for:
- Open to submissions at 50%
- Cover preview at 75%
And we have at least one more kick-ass piece we're working on that we hope to announce soon!
Video
We've got our 'scary' book trailer done and up in an update, but here it is on the front page. Our 'swank' book trailer will go up soon!
About the Reward Tiers
We've priced our reward tiers so that if you contribute to our Kickstarter, you're basically placing a pre-order. Every backer who selects one of our reward levels will get a copy of the anthology in either electronic or print format (and often both!)
About the Funding
The money raised by this project will go into creating the most amazing anthology possible.The costs include a stunning cover, paying authors professional rates for their work (at least 5 cents per word), the Rollercade Glow Party at Lone Star Con III, and promotion. Anything raised above and beyond our stated goal will go towards paying more money to the authors.
Risks and challenges
There are challenges to this project. We're on a super-tight deadline. If we're going to launch the book in August (yes, this year's August!) we'll need finished stories around March so that we can edit the stories and get them ready to go to a printer in early summer so that copies are available.
So not only is this deadline difficult for the authors and editors, but for our publisher as well. That said, we all feel energized and excited by this project and look forward to getting it started!
Beyond the deadline there's all the typical risks and challenges that any book faces. Writing is not production line work. Authors can't necessarily just push start and have a story one week later. All creative endeavors face this risk, but we know that those writers who have signed on will get us great work.
Are you excited? We are!
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Funding period
- (30 days)