Blog
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.
Stayin' Alive
If you want to make a career of SF writing, STAYING ALIVE - A WRITER'S GUIDE by three-time SFWA President Norman Spinrad, published by your Critter Captain's ReAnimus Press, is an indispensable guide to the inside workings of the SF publishing industry by an expert.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 23-Apr-2025...
New email sender address for critiques -- critmailer@critique.org -- please add to your whitelist...
In my ever advancing quest to get things ship-shape to migrate my network connection from comcast, critique emails will now arrive from "critmailer@critique.org". In the past I've tried to forward the critique emails as if they came from the original critiquer, but so many email sites now balk at this that I can't keep doing it.
So, if your manuscript is up for critique, (1) please be sure you accept email from that address, and (2) please be sure that if you reply to the critiquer, you reply to their actual address and not back to critters or the critmailer address. The critiquer's actual address will be in the critique, as well as in the email headers as the reply-to address -- but not all mail apps honor that. So just be sure if you reply, the reply isn't going to anying @critique.org (or @critters.org). And since this is a new sending address, you might find some critiques landing in your spam folder, so be sure to check there.
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The Critters Fund Drive is being supported this week by sales of this cool book from ReAnimus Press:
ENERGIZED by Edward M. Lerner - $7.99
ReAnimus Press Store: www.ReAnimus.com/1741
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFQ6PBRG/?tag=critters3a-20
(available in ebook + hardcover + paperback)
No one expected the oil to last forever. How right they were....
One geopolitical miscalculation sufficed to taint major oil fields with radioactivity and plunge the Middle East into chaos. What little oil remains usable is more prized than ever. No one can build solar farms, wind farms, and electric cars quickly enough to cope. The few countries still able to export oil and natural gas--Russia chief among them--have a stranglehold on the world economy.
And then, from the darkness of the outer solar system, Phoebe appeared. Rather than divert the onrushing asteroid, America captured it into Earth orbit. Phoebe was a game changer.
Solar power satellites--cheaply mass-produced in orbit with resources mined from the new moon, to beam vast amounts of power to the ground--offer America its last best hope of avoiding servitude and economic ruin. As though building miles-across structures in space isn't challenging enough, special interests, everyone from technophobes to eco-extremists to radio astronomers, want to stop the project. And the remaining petro powers will do anything to protect their dominance of world affairs.
NASA engineer Marcus Judson is determined to make the powersat demonstration project a success. And he will--
Even though nothing in his job description mentions combating an international cabal, or going into space to do it.
"Ed Lerner's Energized makes two points absolutely clear: first, we must utilize the resources of outer space to bring peace and prosperity to all of humankind; and second, we must be willing and able to protect those resources from fanatics and tyrants."
--Ben Bova, Author of Powersat
"ENERGIZED is excellent hard science fiction and a gripping adventure story. I came out of it still twitching, and sure that I'd been taught something too.
--Larry Niven, Author of Ringworld
[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 17.6% of the way to the fund drive goal with contributions from 46 donors, leaving about $5800 to go.
Thanks especially to
Rachel Messinger
Mae Carmel Walters
Philip Lindeman
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: $206.5 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
=> short by $1097.52 of annual fund drive goal to date
[See https://www.critters.org/donate.php for more information.]
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Woohoo! Congratulations to...
- Becky Neher, whose (Critter'd) short story, "Virobot Slayer"
is now out in the current issue of Black Sheep: Unique Tales of
Terror and Wonder No. 23: May 2025.
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 2 critiques (at time of judging), averaging over 400 words each, goes to...
Lawrence Vernon
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 23-Apr-2025 (Crits due 30-Apr-2025):
F St. Nicholas Goes to His Eternal Reward John F Willems -#31815
SF Scars of Change Natassia Dudack -#31816
F The Cactus and the Spider, Chapter 2 K L Wooderson -#31817
SF Somewhere Between Yesterday and Tomorrow Robert Philbrook -#31818
H The Book of Flesh Bob Richards -#31819
H The Lady of the Lake Holly Hefner -#31820
SF The Flight to Terra Firma Chris Owens -#31821
F Of the Blood, Chapters 0-1 Shaunna -#31822
F Of a Feather Lauren Voeltz -#31823
F Monsoon, Prologue Josh Powell -#31824
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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... THE UNBORN by BRIAN HERBERT
In the summer of 2097, Riggio wakes up with amnesia - and his lover dead in their bed.
https://reanimus.com/store/?item=1600
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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 Out Of My League chapter 1 Brooke Davis -#31826
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 :
F St. Nicholas Goes to His Eternal Reward John F Willems -#31815
SF Scars of Change Natassia Dudack -#31816
F The Cactus and the Spider, Chapter 2 K L Wooderson -#31817
SF Somewhere Between Yesterday and Tomorrow Robert Philbrook -#31818
H The Book of Flesh Bob Richards -#31819
H The Lady of the Lake Holly Hefner -#31820
SF The Flight to Terra Firma Chris Owens -#31821
F Of the Blood, Chapters 0-1 Shaunna -#31822
F Of a Feather Lauren Voeltz -#31823
F Monsoon, Prologue Josh Powell -#31824
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You might also like... THE SCIENCE OF MIDDLE-EARTH by HENRY GEE
NATURE Editor Dr. Henry Gee explains the science behind the greatest epic ever told
https://reanimus.com/store/?item=1383
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... GHOSTS OF ENGINES PAST by SEAN MCMULLEN
Award winning Steampunk from a master!
https://reanimus.com/store/?item=1353
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https://www.critters.org/email.ht .