Beneath Ceaseless Skies » News

BCS Authors Elsewhere – de Bodard, Bossert, Schneyer, and More

Scott H. Andrews — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:28:09 +0000

More BCS authors appearing recently in several top print zines:

Aliette de Bodard (“Memories in Bronze, Feathers, and Blood” in BCS #45, “In the Age of Iron and Ashes” in BCS #33, and several more) in Interzone #246, May-Jun 2013
Gregory Norman Bossert (“The Telling” in BCS #109) in Asimov's, Aug 2013
Kenneth Schneyer (“Serkers and Sleep” in BCS #96) in Analog, Sept 2013
KJ Kabza (“The Leafsmith in Love” in BCS #39 and the Ceaseless Steam anthology) and Harry R. Campion (“Walking Out” in BCS #21) both in F&SF, July/Aug 2013

Congratulations, all!

BCS #123 – McHugh, Allmon, Bennardo Podcast

Scott H. Andrews — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:12:37 +0000

BCS #123 is now out, featuring two returning BCS authors and a guest-narrated podcast.

Ian McHugh (“Red Dirt” in BCS #58; “Songdogs” in BCS #27) returns to BCS with "Cold, Cold War," a tale of biplanes and strange demonic ziggurats. Don Allmon (“Bandit and the Seventy Raccoon War” in BCS #103) offers a new but unrelated Weird West story featuring pulp fiction: "A Sixpenny Crossing."

The BCS Audio Fiction Podcast episode is BCS 106: The Penitent by M. Bennardo, from BCS #122. It's read by guest-narrator Michael J. DeLuca, who has read past episodes including BCS 090: Worth of Crows and BCS 097: Misbegotten.

BCS Interviewed at Weightless Books

Scott H. Andrews — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:57:56 +0000

Weightless Books, the online indie ebook store that sells subscriptions to BCS and many other fine genre magazines, recently interviewed Scott.

Check out the interview to see things like how he knows a story is right for BCS or how the fact that he's a writer as well has influenced the magazine.

And remember that Weightless is the only place where you can get a subscription to BCS, delivered straight to your email or addressable e-reader device. Twenty-six issues, fifty-four stories, for only $13.99 a year. Ebook issues are released early, before the website, and all proceeds go to support BCS.

Slush Update, 06/05/13

Scott H. Andrews — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:06:11 +0000

All submissions to Beneath Ceaseless Skies sent on or before Apr. 16, 2013 have now been replied to.

If you sent a submission on or before Apr. 16 and you have not received a response, please query us using the email form on our Contact Page.

We really mean this–go ahead and query now; it’s not necessary to wait. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks very much.

BCS Authors Elsewhere – Tobler, Katz, Yoon Ha Lee

Scott H. Andrews — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:23:06 +0000

Several BCS authors appearing elsewhere in recent weeks:

E. Catherine Tobler (“Lady Marmalade” in BCS #98, several others, and a forthcoming new story this July) in the May issue of Clarkesworld
Nathaniel Katz's BCS story “Beyond the Shrinking World,” from BCS #102, podcasted at PodCastle
Derek Künsken (“The God Thieves” in BCS #84) winning the Asimov’s Readers’ Awards for Best Novelette with a piece from their 3/12 issue
Megan Arkenberg (“Juggernaut” in BCS #91, “The Gardens of Landler Abbey” in BCS #83, and several others) winning the Asimov’s Readers’ Awards for Best Short Story with a piece from their 6/12 issue

And Yoon Ha Lee (“The Book of Locked Doors” in BCS #91 “The Pirate Captain's Daughter” in BCS #27, and several others) interviewed in Clarkesworld upon the release her debut short fiction collection, Conservation of Shadows. Congratulations!

BCS #122 – Bennardo, Beehr, Isacksen Podcast

Scott H. Andrews — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:28:35 +0000

BCS #122 is out, featuring a returning BCS author, a new BCS author, and new cover art.

M. Bennardo (“After Compline, Silence Falls” in BCS #107 last autumn) returns with "The Penitent," a story of confinement. Alongside Dana Beehr's "Dreams of Peace," likewise a story of confinement.

The BCS Audio Fiction Podcast episode is BCS 105: Our Dead Selves Lie Like Footsteps in Our Wake by Jeff Isacksen, from BCS #121. And the new BCS cover art is "News from the Horizon," by Finnish artist Tuomas Korpi.

Next issue, we'll have two returning authors and a podcast of this M. Bennardo story.

New Cover Art: “News from the Horizon,” by Tuomas Korpi

Scott H. Andrews — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:56 +0000

Starting with BCS #122 next week, our new cover art will be "News from the Horizon," by Finnish artist Tuomas Korpi.

BCS At Balticon This Sunday

Scott H. Andrews — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:49:53 +0000

BCS will be at Balticon this Sunday for the day, including appearing on several panels:

From Slush to Sale (Sun, 1:00 PM)

This panel will be a reprise of the 'From Slush to Sale' roundtable that I was on in February hosted by the Baltimore SF Society.

We'll be discussing various aspects of the submission, acceptance, and editing process, including the ever-popular 'what do editors want' and its converse, 'what do editors see all to often'. :)

Jake Bible We Hardly Knew Ye: The Current State of Podcast Fiction (Sun, 2:00 PM)

This panel features a number of prominent podcasters. I will be representing the trends in 'hybrid' online magazines--those that publish in text / ebooks and in audio podcasts.

Editors' Q&A Session (Sun, 4:00 PM)

This panel includes several editors of theme anthologies and will answer audience questions about submissions, acceptances, and the publishing process, for anthologies and magazines.

I will also have the requisite stack of shiny BCS flyers and postcards. Feel free to say hello!

World Fantasy Award Nominations Close May 31

Scott H. Andrews — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:45:33 +0000

Nominations for the 2012 World Fantasy Awards close soon. The WFAs are a juried award, but three of the five finalists in each category are chosen not by the judges but by reader nomination.

For any BCS readers interested in nominating , here are details on how you can nominate and links to several of our best-reviewed stories of the year.

Nominations close on May 31, so plan to do it soon.

Are You Eligible to Nominate?
If you were a member of World Fantasy Con last year (2012, Toronto) or in 2011 (San Diego), or are a member this year (2013, Brighton UK), you are eligible to nominate.

Deadline to Nominate:
Voting closes on May 31, 2011.

How to Nominate:
Go to World Fantasy Convention 2013 -- World Fantasy Awards Ballot and either use the online nomination form, or use one of their file-format ballots (DOC, PDF, etc) and email it to the email address provided (rturner@arctera.com).

What BCS Stories are Eligible:
Everything published in 2012, which is BCS #86 through #111, inclusive.

Here are links to a few of our best-reviewed stories of 2012, including which WFA category they fit in (Short Story or Novella--the categories are different from the ones for Hugos or Nebulas). For a list of all eligible BCS stories, click "Show hidden text" at the bottom of this post.

Best Short Story:

"The Castle That Jack Built," by Emily Gilman (selected for Year's Best SF&F)

"Scry," by Anne Ivy

"Unsilenced," by Karalynn Lee

"The Telling," by Gregory Norman Bossert

(all of these stories were named to the Locus Recommended Reading List)

"The Governess and the Lobster," Margaret Ronald (selected for Year's Best SF&F)

Best Novella:
"In the Palace of the Jade Lion," by Richard Parks (also named to the Locus Recommended Reading List)

For more information on the WFA categories, see this WFC page.

Thanks very much for your interest in Beneath Ceaseless Skies!

All World Fantasy Award-Eligible Stories from BCS

Here is the full list of all BCS stories that are eligible for the World Fantasy Awards. Thanks very much for considering us and our stories!

Best Short Story:

"The Castle That Jack Built," by Emily Gilman (selected for Year's Best SF&F)

"Scry," by Anne Ivy (named to Locus Recommended Reading List)

"Juggernaut," by Megan Arkenberg

"Sinking Among Lilies," by Cory Skerry (named to Locus Recommended Reading List)

"The Governess and the Lobster," Margaret Ronald (selected for Year's Best SF&F)

"Serkers and Sleep," by Kenneth Schneyer

"Ratcatcher," by Garth Upshaw

"Unsilenced," by Karalynn Lee (named to Locus Recommended Reading List)

"Hold a Candle to The Devil," by Nicole M. Taylor

"After Compline, Silence Falls," by M. Bennardo

"Liaisons Galantes: A Scientific Romance," by David D. Levine

"The Telling," by Gregory Norman Bossert (named to Locus Recommended Reading List)

“Calibrated Allies,” by Marissa Lingen

“The Lady of the Lake,” by E. Catherine Tobler

“The Last Gorgon,” by Rajan Khanna

"The Proof of Bravery," by David Milstein

"A Place to Stand," by Grace Seybold

"Shadows Under Hexmouth Street," by Justin Howe

"The Mote-Dancer and the Firelife," by Chris Willrich

"The Book of Locked Doors," by Yoon Ha Lee

"Bearslayer and the Black Knight," by Tom Crosshill

"The Ivy-Smothered Palisade," by Mike Allen

"Pridecraft," by Christian K. Martinez

"To Go Home to Leal," by Susan Forest

"A Marble for the Drowning River," by Ann Chatham

"Shades of Amber," by Marie Croke

"The Magic of Dark and Hollow Places," by Adam Callaway

"One Ear Back," by Tina Connolly

"Lady Marmalade," by E. Catherine Tobler

"How the Wicker Knight Would Not Move," by Chris Willrich

"Fox Bones. Many Uses.," by Alex Dally MacFarlane

"The Three Feats of Agani," by Christie Yant

"Virtue’s Ghosts," by Amanda M. Olson

"The Heart of the Rail," by Mark Teppo

"The Tale of the Aggrieved Astrologer," by Jack Nicholls

"The Angel Azrael Delivers Small Mercies," by Peter Darbyshire

"Beyond the Shrinking World," by Nathaniel Katz

"When Averly Fell from the Sky," by Dean Wells

"Bandit and the Seventy Raccoon War," by Don Allmon

"The Ascent of Unreason," by Marie Brennan

"Worth of Crows," by Seth Dickinson

"Three Little Foxes," by Richard Parks

"Cursed Motives," by Marissa Lingen

"Luck Fish," by Peta Freestone

"A Song of Blackness," by Nancy Fulda

"They Make of You a Monster," by Damien Walters Grintalis

"Seeking The Great Raymundo," by Jamie Lackey

"The Scorn of the Peregrinator," by John E.O. Stevens

"The Storms in Arisbat," by Therese Arkenberg

"Casualties," by Alec Austin

"The Giants of Galtares," by Sue Burke

Best Novella:

"The Empire of Nothingness," by Geoffrey Maloney

"In the Palace of the Jade Lion," by Richard Parks (named to Locus Recommended Reading List)

"‘His Crowning Glory’: a new tale of the Antique Lands," by Noreen Doyle

"Death and the Thunderbird," by Michael J. DeLuca

Thanks very much for considering us and our stories!

A Best-of-BCS-Podcast List

Scott H. Andrews — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:08:15 +0000

BCS Audio Fiction Podcast listener and podcast fan David Steffen has compiled his best-of list for the last year and a half of the BCS podcast.

Take a look at his list and see whether your favorite episodes are on it!

And if you have a favorite episode of the BCS Audio Fiction Podcast from the last year, consider nominating it for the Parsec Awards, the awards for F/SF/H podcasting. BCS was a finalist for Best Magazine Podcast last year; hopefully we'll be in the running this year as well.

BCS #121 – MacFarlane, Isacksen, Guest Podcast

Scott H. Andrews — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:05:18 +0000

BCS #121 is now out, featuring a returning BCS author, a new BCS author, and another guest-narrated podcast.

Alex Dally MacFarlane (“Fox Bones. Many Uses.” in BCS #99 last summer) returns with “Singing Like a Hundred Dug-up Bones,” which likewise deals with powerful connection through earthly remains. Jeff Isacksen's “Our Dead Selves Lie Like Footsteps in Our Wake” finds powerful connection in cerebral remains.

The BCS Audio Fiction Podcast episode is BCS 104: Singing Like a Hundred Dug-up Bones, the Alex Dally MacFarlane story, guest-narrated by Folly Blaine. Folly Blaine has narrated for BCS twice in the past: BCS 094: Seeking The Great Raymundo, and as part of the multi-narrator cast of our special 100th podcast episode, BCS 100: Boat in Shadows, Crossing.

If you're a fan of genre podcasts, consider nominating your favorite podcast or episode for the Parsec Awards, which are given for F/SF/H podcasting. Info and links are here, if you're interested; the deadline is May 31.

Nominations Open for Parsec Awards

Scott H. Andrews — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:44:51 +0000

The Parsec Awards--the awards for podcasting in F/SF/H--are now open to nominations.

BCS was a Finalist last year for Best Magazine Podcast. The Parsec Award categories also cover lots of types of podcast other than fiction magazines, including audio drama, news and fan discussion, humor, podcasts about podcasting, and individual podcasted stories.

If you liked a specific episode of the BCS Audio Fiction Podcast, please feel free to nominate it. Any episode from May 1, 2012 through Apr. 30, 2013 is eligible, which is episodes BCS 081 through BCS 102. The official category all those episodes fit into is Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form).

Nominate your other favorite podcasts or audio stories too. But do it soon--nominations close by the end of the month!

Recent Acceptances, 05/07/13

Scott H. Andrews — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:18:29 +0000

Yet more recent acceptances at Beneath Ceaseless Skies in the last few months:

"The Girl Who Welcomed Death to Svalgearyen," by Barbara A. Barnett

"Not The Worst Of Sins," by Alan Baxter

"The Black Veil," by M. Bennardo

"A Feast for Dust," Gemma Files

"Forsaken Beneath the Stars," by Jason S. Ridler

"The Goblin King's Concubine," by Raphael Ordoñez

M. Bennardo (“After Compline, Silence Falls” in BCS #107), Gemma Files ("Two Captains," forthcoming in July), Jason S. Ridler (“Buzzard's Final Bow” in BCS #68), and Raphael Ordoñez (“Misbegotten” in BCS #113) have appeared in BCS before , but the others are new to our pages.

Congratulations all!