Shameless Plugging: Two stories out

Just plugging my two stories out currently online (for free!):

There's Makisig's Heart (my take on an Ilokano epic):

http://philippinegenrestories.blogspot.com/

And, Connections, my non-specfic story (gasp!):

http://philippinesfreepress.com.ph/?p=4440

Read up if you guys have the time, and let me know what you think. :)

PSF7: 5 days to go! and Other Matters

PSF7

Let's go people, I have faith in y'alls! Remember, I always respond within 24 hours (unless it's a Saturday, haha), so please resend if you have not heard from me.

For those who have submitted already, our reading period begins in October, so expect to hear from us somewhere in early November (or earlier, depending on the average length of the stories we have received).

Other Matters

Attended the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards last week (also known as Mo Francisco's birthday bash, haha). It was... interesting. The food was good. Met new writers (who, of course, I badgered into an oral contract to give stories for PSF). But the program was unclear.

That said, Alex and I (in separate instances) won luggage in the raffle. Not a bad evening. :)

Other (Other Matters)

If you need some inspiration for your stories, here are some fiction from PGS:

http://www.philippinegenrestories.com/

Also, there's a new story from PSF contributor Tin Lao:

http://philippinesfreepress.com.ph/2011/09/24/workshop/

Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 7

People are still basking in the afterglow of the successful book launch of PSF6 (you can read about it here, here and pictures here), which makes this the best time to open our virtual doors for the next volume: Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 7 (PSF7), to be edited by yours truly and fellow writer, action-adventure-sci-fi enthusiast (and also my husband!), Alex Osias, is now officially open for submissions.

Please read the guidelines below. Don't be afraid to email or facebook me (yes, I have declared 'facebook' to be a verb), if you have questions.

On a related note, PSF6 immediately sold out last Saturday. We are thinking of doing another print run, so if you want a copy or several, drop me a note so that I can forward it to our publisher, Dean Alfar.

___________________

Editors Alex and Kate Osias invite you to submit short fiction for consideration for Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 7.

Philippine Speculative Fiction is a yearly anthology series, which collects a wide range of stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between. The anthology has been shortlisted for the Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Award, and multiple stories from each volume have been cited in roundups of the year’s best speculative fiction across the globe.

First-time authors are more than welcome to submit; good stories trump literary credentials any time.

Submissions must be:

1. speculative fiction—i.e., they must contain strong elements or sensibilities of science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, alternate history, folklore, superheroes, and/or related ‘nonrealist’ genres and subgenres

2. written in English

3. authored by persons of Philippine ethnicity and/or nationality

Submissions are preferred to be:

1. original and unpublished

2. no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 7,500

3. written for an adult audience

In all cases, these preferences can be easily overturned by exceptionally well-written pieces. In the case of previously-published work—if accepted, the author will be expected to secure permission to reprint, if necessary, from the original publishing entity, and to provide relevant publication information.

Submission details:

1. No multiple or simultaneous submissions—i.e., submit only one story, and do not submit that story to any other publishing market until you have received a letter of regret from us. We don’t mind if you submit to contests.

2. All submissions should be in Rich Text Format (saved under the file extension ‘.rtf’), and emailed to kate.osias at gmail.com, with the subject line ‘PSF7 submission’.

3. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Manila time, September 30, 2011. Letters of acceptance or regret will be sent out no later than one month after the deadline.

Editors’ notes:

1. Please don’t forget to indicate your real name in the submission email! If you want to write under a pseudonym, that’s fine, but this can be discussed upon story acceptance. Initially, we just need to know who we’re talking to.

2. If you’d like to write a cover letter with your brief bio and publishing history (if applicable), do feel free to introduce yourself—but not your story, please. If it needs to be explained, it’s probably not ready to be published.

3. We advise authors to avoid fancy formatting—this will just be a waste of your time and ours, since we will, eventually, standardize fonts and everything else to fit our established house style.

There will be compensation for selected stories, but we’ve yet to determine exactly what. In previous years, we’ve provided contributor copies of the book, as well as small royalty shares, but we are considering shifting Philippine Speculative Fiction to digital format, so we may be shifting to outright financial payment as well.

Please help spread the word!

Thanks,

Alex and Kate Osias, co-editors

Dean Alfar, publisher

PSF6: Test Covers

PSF 6: Lineup Announcement

After several months of reading (and reading, and reading), intense discussions, emails and follow ups, Nikki and I are pleased to announce the Philippine Speculative Fiction 6 line up (in no particular order):

1. Alternative Histories by Ian Rosales Casocot
2. Strange Adventures in Procreation by Andrew Drilon
3. Lament of the Counselor by Jay Anyong
4. The Grim Malkin by Vincent Michael Simbulan
5. A Smell of Mothballs by Mailin Paterno
6. Ashland by Elyss G. Punsalan
7. Carpaccio (or, Repentance as a Meat Recipe) by Arlynn Despi
8. Eternal Winter by Maria Pia Vibar Benosa
9. From the Book of Names My Mother Did Not Give Me by Christine V. Lao
10. Hollowbody by Crystal Koo
11. Offerings to Aman Sinaya by Andrei Tupaz
12. On Wooden Wings by Paolo Chikiamco
13. Prisoner 2501 by Philip Corpuz
14. Resurrection by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo
15. Simon's Replica by Dean Alfar
16. Break in at Batay Street by Francis Gabriel Concepcion
17. The Big Man by Asterio Gutierrez
18. The Bookshelves of Mrs. Go by Charles Tan
19. The Impossible and the R.S.C. Gregorio del Pilar by Alex Osias
20. The Kiddie Pool by Kenneth Yu
21. The Storyteller's Curse by Eliza Victoria
22. Villainoguing by Joseph Montecillo

For those interested in stats (like me, haha) this year, we have 22 stories total, of which 21 will see their first publication in PSF6. There are 15 guys and 7 gals in the anthology and the story subsets include horror, sci-fi, 2nd world and urban fantasy.

It is such a great honor to be on the editorial team this year. I hope to see you all in the book launch, which we expect to happen sometime in March!

PSF6 Update: TOC coming soon!

Hello folks! Sorry for the delay, but due to technical problems, we haven't been able to announce the TOC. But never fear, we are still right on schedule for the ultimate deadline. :)

Stay tuned for more updates on this blog, or find me on Facebook for more frequent, status-sized updates. :)