jpskewedthrone | Entries tagged with zombies need brains.

Time to announce the Table of Contents for the Were- anthology, coming out in August 2016! This was funded through a Kickstarter last year and those who preorder the paperback of the anthology will get a special Kickstarter edition of the book and will be able to read it early, before the general public. Those that preorder the ebook will also get the ebook early. You can preorder the book at the Zombies Need Brains online store here: ZNB Online Store. Just scroll on down to the preorder section. And check out all of the other books and merchandise offered by ZNB!

Here's the back cover copy (tentative, we're still tweaking it) and the Table of Contents for Were-! The art by Justin Adams that we'll use for the cover is below as well. It's all coming together!

Back Cover Copy:

Werewolves rule the night in urban fantasy, but everyone knows there are other were-creatures out there just as dangerous and deadly, if not as common, each with their own issues as they struggle to fit into—or prey upon—society. What about the were-goats? The were-crows and were-wasps?

Here are seventeen stories of urban fantasy by today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors that introduce you to some of those other were-creatures, the ones hiding in the dark background shadows, waiting to bite. Join us as they take you into the hidden corners of our world to see some lesser known were-creatures. You may want to bring along some silver . . . just in case.

Table of Contents:

Introduction by Joshua Palmatier

“Best In Show” by Seanan McGuire

“We Dig” by Ashley McConnell

“Eyes Like Pearls” by Susan Jett

“Among the Grapevines, Growing” by Eliora Smith

“A Party For Bailey” by David B. Coe

“Cry Murder” by April Steenburgh

“Missy the Were-Pomeranian vs. the Masters of Mediocre Doom” by Gini Koch

“Paper Wasp” by Mike Barretta

“Point Five” by Elizabeth Kite

“The Promise of Death” by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

“The Five Bean Solution” by Jean Marie Ward

“Witness Report” by Katharine Kerr

“Attack of the Were-Zombie Friendship With Benefits” by Sarah Brand

“The Whale” by Anneliese Belmond

“Anzu, Duba, Beast” by Faith Hunter

“Shiftr” by Patricia Bray

“Sniff For Your Life” by Phyllis Ames

Cover Art:

Time to announce the Table of Contents for the Alien Artifacts anthology, coming out in August 2016! This was funded through a Kickstarter last year and those who preorder the paperback of the anthology will get a special Kickstarter edition of the book and will be able to read it early, before the general public. Those that preorder the ebook will also get the ebook early. You can preorder the book at the Zombies Need Brains online store here: ZNB Online Store. Just scroll on down to the preorder section. And check out all of the other books and merchandise offered by ZNB!

We're working on finalizing the stories for the Were- anthology at the moment, currently in copy edits. Once that's done, we'll get contracts out and will be able to announce the Table of Contents for that anthology as well.

For now, though, here's the back cover copy (tentative, we're still tweaking it) and the Table of Contents for Alien Artifacts! The art we'll use for the cover is below as well. It's all coming together!

Back Cover Copy:

What might we run into as we expand beyond Earth and into the stars? As we explore our own solar system and beyond, it seems inevitable that we’ll run into aliens … and what they’ve left behind. Alien artifacts: what might they reveal about us as we try to unlock their secrets? What might they reveal about the universe?

In this anthology, nineteen of today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors explore how discovering long lost relics of alien civilizations might change humanity. Join Walter H. Hunt, Julie Novakova, David Farland, Angela D. Penrose, S.C. Butler, Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, Juliet E. McKenna, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Andrija Popovic, Jacey Bedford, Sofie Bird, James Van Pelt, Gini Koch, Anthony Lowe, Jennifer Dunne, Coral Moore, Daniel J. Davis, C.S. Friedman, and Seanan McGuire as they discover the stars and the secrets they may hold—both dark and deadly and awe-inspiring.

Table of Contents:

Introduction by Patricia Bray
"Radio Silence" by Walter H. Hunt
"The Nightside" by Julie Novakova
"The Familiar" by David Farland
"Me and Alice" by Angela D. Penrose
"The Other Side" by S.C. Butler
"The Hunt" by Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin
"The Sphere" by Juliet E. McKenna
"Shame the Devil" by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
"The Captain's Throne" by Andrija Popovic
"Weird is the New Normal" by Jacey Bedford
"And We Have No Words to Tell" by Sofie Bird
"Titan Descanso" by James Van Pelt
"Alien Epilogue" by Gini Koch
"The Haint of Sweetwater River" by Anthony Lowe
"Music of the Stars" by Jennifer Dunne
“The Night You Were a Comet" by Coral Moore
"The God Emperor of Lassie Point" by Daniel J. Davis
"Pandora" by C.S. Friedman
"Round and Round We Ride the Carousel of Time" by Seanan McGuire

Cover Art by Justin Adams:

So, today I want to start introducing some of the behind-the-scenes people here at Zombies Need Brains, those that help produce such great anthologies. We're going to hear from April Steenburgh today, who helps produce the ebooks. But first, I have a new and exciting backer incentive.

David Farland has generously offered up the ebook of his short "We Blazed" for all backers of the ALIEN ARTIFACTS/WERE- dual anthology Kickstarter who pledge before we hit the $15K mark! So of course, everyone pledged right now, as this posts, is already getting this reward. And with this addition, that makes THREE additional free ebooks if we hit that $15K goal to all backers up to that point (TWO free ebooks for everyone who gets in after that). We're already at $11.7K and we're only halfway through the Kickstarter. I'm fairly confident that we'll be able to make that $15K goal. So get out there and tell everyone to get in on this Kickstarter NOW, before we reach $15K, so that they can get those THREE additional ebook bonuses! Not to mention that along the way we'll hit $12.5K and everyone pledged $15 or over will get free bookmarks for both anthologies AND Katharine Kerr (author of the Deverry novels and the Nola O'Grady series) will join the WERE- anchor author list. And thanks for David Farland for donating the ebook of "We Blazed" for the cause!

And now, introducing April Steenburgh! I've known April for years. We both worked at the local Waldenbooks at the mall, before it was closed, and we participated in our own little writers group (that also included Patricia Bray) that met for wine, chocolate, and critiques on a regular basis. April is a writer and editor in her own right, with a short story in the anthology The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity, which Patricia Bray and I edited for DAW Books (selkies at SeaWorld, anyone?). She's the one that makes our ebooks actually readable. And if you find issues with our ebooks (formatting, typos, etc), she's the one that fixes them. I've asked her to write up a little something to introduce herself. If you have a project that you need converted into ebook formats, considering hiring April. You can check out her work in all of Zombies Need Brains' productions, including Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens and Temporally Out of Order. Thank you, April, for all of your hard work! And now ... a word from April:

"Hello! I am April, the tech elf behind the eBook versions of Zombies Need Brains anthologies. It is my job to format the books so they are lovely on your eReaders and computers. To make that happen Josh sends the anthology content my way, providing input on how he would like things to look. I then spend some time wrangling code while drinking coffee until clean and functional eBooks are created. They head back to Josh for approval and if everything looks good my part of the process is complete. I have known Josh for years, both professionally and socially, and it has been and continues to be a pleasure to work with Zombies Need Brains.

"I have also created eBooks for Laura Anne Gilman, creating eBook versions of her Sylvan Investigations novellas. Personal projects have included Fight Like a Girl, an anthology of female-centric fantasy by female authors, and What Follows, an anthology exploring how immortals would deal with the end of the world.

"I am available for formatting work fairly regularly and have a contact form on my website for queries. You can also find more information as to what sort of work I take on within my site, as well as check out previous projects. You can find me at http://aprilsteenburgh.com/."

The open call is now closed! If you'd like to preorder either of the two anthologies listed below, swing on by the Zombies Need Brains online store.

The ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE- anthology kickstarter has made its goal! This means that we can now open up submissions for the remaining slots in the anthology. If you have a story idea that fits one of the anthology themes, write it up, revise it, polish it, and send it in for consideration. I've posted the guidelines below. A special thanks to everyone who backed the project and got us funded! Without you, we wouldn't be able to produce such cool anthologies! And now, the submission guidelines:

ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE- Submission Guidelines

Zombies Need Brains LLC is accepting submissions to its two science fiction and fantasy anthologies ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE-. Stories must be submitted in electronic form as an attachment with the title of the story as the file name in .doc or .docx format. The header of the email should include the name of the anthology the submission is for along with the title of the submission (for example: WERE-: WereJellyfish Gone Wild!). The content of the email should also include which anthology the manuscript is intended for. Please send multiple submissions in separate emails. Manuscripts should be in manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use New Times Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold.

Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 7,500 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology.

ALIEN ARTIFACTS is to feature stories where some type of left-behind alien tech has been found and how it may affect our society, our humanity, or the characters. It can be an artifact discovered on Earth in our past or during current times, OR PREFERRABLY, an artifact that we run across while exploring space in the future. I want to stress this: the story must feature an alien artifact (not an alien). Aliens can appear in the story, but the genesis of the story must be some kind of alien artifact. Stories featuring more interesting alien artifacts, and twists on how they are discovered or how they affect our society/humanity, while being set in the future, will receive more attention than those set in the present or past. In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with an archeological dig discovering a long buried alien artifact. If we do, it’s likely that only one at most would be selected for the anthology. So be creative and choose something different and use it in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.

WERE- is to feature stories where some type of were-creature OTHER than a werewolf is the main character. Werewolves can appear in the story, but they cannot be the main character or the central focus of the story. I want to stress this: the story must feature a were-creature! Stories featuring more interesting were-creatures, and twists on how they are integrated into the story, will receive more attention than those with more mundane creatures. In other words, we don’t want to see 100 stories dealing with a were-cat. If we do, it’s likely that only one at most would be selected for the anthology. So be creative and choose something different and use it in an unusual and unexpected way. We are looking for a range of tones, from humorous all the way up to dark.

The deadline for submissions is October 31st, 2015. Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of December 2015. Please send submissions to Joshua@zombiesneedbrains.com. You will receive a receipt email within a few days of receiving the submission. Notices about decisions on the stories will be sent out no later than the end of January 2016.

If your story is selected for use in the anthology, you should expect a revision letter by the end of January 2016. Revisions and the final draft of the story will be expected no later than the end of February 2016. These dates may change due to the editor’s work schedules. Zombies Need Brains LLC is seeking non-exclusive world anthology rights (including electronic rights) in all languages for the duration of one year after publication/release of the anthology. Your story cannot appear elsewhere during that year. Pay rate will be an advance of a minimum of 6 cents per word for the short stories. For each additional $5000 raised above the Kickstarter minimum of $10,000, we will increase this advance pay rate by 1 cent per word. The anthology will be published as an ebook and an exclusive mass market paperback edition, distributed to the Kickstarter backers. The book would be available after that to the general public in ebook and trade paperback formats. Advances would be immediately earned out by the success of the Kickstarter. Royalties on additional sales beyond the Kickstarter will be 25% of ebook cover price and 10% of trade paperback cover price, both divided evenly (not by word count) by the number of stories and editors of the anthology.

Questions regarding these submission guidelines should be sent to Joshua@zombiesneedbrains.com. Thank you.

We are less that $500 from our funding goal! Can we get funded today? We should certainly try! So go forth and post a link to the Kickstarter on your social media sites! Write a quick note saying you've proudly funded this project and mention the stellar anchor authors, including the newly added C.S. Friedman and David Farland/Dave Wolverton! Post the rough sketch of the cover art for ALIEN ARTIFACTS on Twitter and Instagram (seen below)! Then cajole all of your friends into participating! WE CAN MAKE FUNDING TODAY WITH YOUR HELP!

(The excessive use of exclamation points will stop now.)

And seriously, there are some great reward levels left to be snatched up. Want to be mauled to death by a were-goat? Be tuckerized in Patricia Bray's WERE- story ($250). Want to be attacked by a were-opossum? Be tuckerized in Jean Marie Ward's WERE- story ($250). Care to have something hideous done to you by some unnamed were-creature that the anchor author is refusing to reveal? Be tuckerized in Danielle Ackley-McPhail's WERE- story ($150). Faith Hunter still has some vampire stake rewards left, with stakes modeled after her Jane Yellowrock series ($55), as well as some "Beast Is Not Prey" armband rewards remaining ($65). Plus we have signed copies of the upcoming TWELVE KINGS IN SHARAKHAI by Bradley P. Beaulieu ($70), signed copies of ELEMENT OF MIND by Walter H. Hunt ($50), signed copies of FROZEN IN AMBER by Phyllis Ames (aka Phyllis Irene Radford, $85), a signed copy of THE SHADOW OF ALBION by Andre Norton & Rosemary Edghill (signed only by Rosemary, $70), and signed copies of THE SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF C.J. HENDERSON from Danielle Ackley-McPhail ($65).

And if you missed out on Zombies Need Brains' previous Kickstarters, you can still catch up by grabbing one of the rewards featuring the KICKSTARTER EDITION of CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS ($55) or TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER ($55) or both ($75).

So, plenty of great options, not least of which is two great anthologies with completely new stories from some great authors at a great price--$12 for the two in ebook, $25 for the two in paperback, or $35 for both ebook and paperback! (Oops, that last exclamation point just slipped in there.)

The new Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter is now live! Swing on by and check out the two anthologies that we're trying to get funded: ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE-! ALIEN ARTIFACTS will contain stories about encounters with left-behind alien artifacts and how the encounters change our society and/or our humanity. WERE- focuses on stories about were-creatures other than werewolves. You can get the two anthologies in ebook or paperback or both! And the reward levels are set at essentially the "preorder" level, meaning that this is the price that will be charged when the anthologies are released to the general public. Those that help fund the Kickstarter at the paperback level will get a special Kickstarter edition of the paperback, with a limited print run (just enough to cover the Kickstarter backers, basically).

So swing on by the Kickstarter and check it out! We have a ton of great anchor authors, including: Phyllis Ames (Phyllis Irene Radford), Jacey Bedford, Patricia Bray, David B. Coe, Walter H. Hunt, Faith Hunter, Gini Koch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, Juliet E. McKenna, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Steve Miller & Sharon Lee, and Jean Marie Ward. There are tons of limited reward levels as well, with special items, signed books, and tuckerizations. Grab them before the vanish!

And here's some preliminary artwork for the cover for ALIEN ARTIFACTS, from artist Justin Adams. It's still being finished, but you can get a good idea of what we're shooting for.

And we’re down to less than a day left before the Kickstarter for ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE- begins. Hopefully everyone has set their clocks and marked their calendars for August 11th, Noon EST, which is when I’ll hit the start button. We’ve covered the special reward levels (including tuckerizations, signed books, and special items), the early backer incentives, the stretch goals, and some of the available add-ons. All that’s left is the lull before the storm. Again, there are a few changes being made to the Kickstarter model. Don't worry, we'll still have some great special items and rewards for backers to grab--such as tuckerizations, unique items from some of the anchor authors, and stretch goals for some extras--just as we did in the past Kickstarters. However, this time backers will simply be PREORDERING the anthologies: the base reward levels to choose from are $6 for an ebook ($12 for both anthologies in ebook) and $15 for a paperback ($25 for both anthologies in paperback). Those are the same prices we expect to use for the general release editions of the books in ebook and paperback, perhaps even cheaper! Those that preorder by backing the Kickstarter will get the anthologies early (before the general public release) and those that choose the paperback versions of the anthologies will also get a special Kickstarter Only edition with a limited print run.

Don't forget, you can now preview the Kickstarter, so check out all of the details--including Early Backer Incentives, all of the reward levels, High Backer Incentives, stretch goals, and anchor authors--through the following link: Preview.

Here are a few last minute changes and/or additions to the Kickstarter:

New Special Item Reward Level (and I mean special): Rosemary Edghill graciously donated a signed, first edition hardcover of THE SHADOW OF ALBION by Andre Norton & Rosemary Edghill. And yes, it’s signed by BOTH Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill. It will be offered at a $100 reward level.

New Special Item Reward Level: Rosemary Edghill also donated a Science Fiction Book Club edition of THE SHADOW OF ALBION by Andre Norton & Rosemary Edghill. This one is signed by Rosemary Edghill. It will be offered at a $70 reward level.

Steve Miller & Sharon Lee Zombie: The reward level for Steve Miller & Sharon Lee's charm (for a charm bracelet) has been reduce to $60 (from $75).

And now the countdown begins. Less than 24 hours before the Kickstarter goes live. I’m a tangled wreck of nerves, sort of like Christmas tree lights when you pull them out of the storage box and realize you must have run out of patience last year and just stuffed them all in without any effort at organization. But soon it will all begin and hopefully we’ll be able to produce two new anthologies around about this time next year, with stunning stories from today’s best authors, both new and old. And to start it off a little early, here’s a concept sketch from Justin Adams for the cover art of ALIEN ARTIFACTS. We’ll introduce the final art as soon as it’s been finalized, but this should be cool enough to whet your appetite. *grin*

And as a special bonus, here's the preliminary sketch for the cover art for ALIEN ARTIFACTS:

The small press Zombies Need Brains LLC is getting ready to launch a new Kickstarter August 11th at Noon EST, this one targeting TWO new anthology themes: ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE-. After the successes of the previous two Kickstarters for Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens (available now in trade paperback and ebook for the Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo) and Temporally Out of Order (available August 25th in trade paperback and ebook for the Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo), we feel that the small press is fairly stable, so there are a few changes being made to the Kickstarter model. Don't worry, we'll still have some great special items and rewards for backers to grab--such as tuckerizations, unique items from some of the anchor authors, and stretch goals for some extras--just as we did in the past Kickstarters. However, this time backers will simply be PREORDERING the anthologies: the base reward levels to choose from are $6 for an ebook ($12 for both anthologies in ebook) and $15 for a paperback ($25 for both anthologies in paperback). Those are the same prices we expect to use for the general release editions of the books in ebook and paperback, perhaps even cheaper! Those that preorder by backing the Kickstarter will get the anthologies early (before the general public release) and those that choose the paperback versions of the anthologies will also get a special Kickstarter Only edition with a limited print run. You can now take a look at a preview of the Kickstarter by following this link: http://tiny.cc/bfah1x. Check it out and figure out which reward level works best for you!

In this post, I wanted to highlight some of the stretch goals, in case we reach our funding goal. Basically, these are bonuses if we manage to raise MORE than our funding goal, things like bookmarks, extra ebooks, extra pay for the authors, even extra stories for the anthology. In fact, if we manage to reach $25,000, Zombies Need Brains may be able to produce a THIRD anthology (to be announced if we manage to get close to that). Here are the details regarding the stretch goals:

Stretch Goals:

Stretch Goal: BOOKMARKS! At $12,500, every backer pledged at $15 or more will receive a free promotional bookmark for both ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE-.

Stretch Goal: At $15,000, all authors will be paid an additional 1 cent/word AND every backer pledged at $6 or more will receive a FREE ebook short story "In the Dying Light" by Danielle Ackley-McPhail.

Stretch Goal: At $17,500, we will add an additional story to each anthology using the submissions from the open call, so each anthology will feature 15 stories minimum, AND every backer pledged at $25 or more will receive a free wallet card stating they are an "Official ZNB Minion."

Stretch Goal: At $20,000, all authors will be paid an additional 1 cent/word AND every backer pledged at $35 or more will receive a special ebook (PDF) of ZNB's "Secret Guide to Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse" written by Patricia Bray (and possibly Joshua Palmatier).

Stretch Goal: At $22,500, we will add an additional story to each anthology using the submissions from the open call, so each anthology will feature 16 stories minimum.

Stretch Goal: At $25,000, Zombies Need Brains LLC will produce a THIRD themed anthology, title to be announced as we approach the stretch goal AND all authors will be paid an additional 1 cent/word.

Other stretch goals will be added as the Kickstarter continues.

So mark your calendar for August 11th and be ready to pledge at Noon EST, once the Kickstarter goes live. The earlier we make our funding goal, the sooner we can get to work on achieving some of these stretch goals!

Once again, here's the cover flat for our upcoming second anthology release, TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER, available August 25th (available for preorder now on Kindle and Kobo):

I and Zombies Need Brains will be attending Shore Leave, a convention being held in Hunt Valley, MD, this weekend, August 7-9th! Once again, I'll have a table in the dealers room. Here are the dealers room hours and the panels and events that I'll be attending. If you're in the area, come join us at the convention! If you're at the convention, catch me on these panels or find me in the dealers room and say hi!

Dealers Room Hours:

Friday: 2-8pm
Saturday: 10-7pm
Sunday: 10-4pm

My Schedule:

Friday, 4pm: Writing Groups and Beta Readers
Friday, 6pm: Why We Write SF&F
Friday, 10-12midnight: Meet the Pros/Autographing

Saturday, 9am: Star Trek Club Meeting
Saturday, 11am: Writing Tips for Aspiring Writers
Saturday, 1pm: Show Me the Money! (Crowdfunding)

Sunday, 1pm: Writing and Publishing Short Stories
Sunday, 2pm: Switching It Up: Writing in Different Genres
Sunday, 3pm: Writing the Next Book: Sequels and Sophomore Books

And those are the planned shenanigans. I'm certain there will be plenty of unplanned shenanigans as well. *grin* I'm hoping to do fairly well with the ZNB booth this con, since there are a ton of people. I expect to be selling more t-shirts, caps, and totes, as well as perhaps some of the art prints--more so than books--but we'll see. In any case, don't forget that Shattering the Ley is now out in paperback! Check your local Barnes & Noble (which appears to have put 2 copies in every store) and pick up a copy for yourself and one for a friend!

The small press Zombies Need Brains LLC is getting ready to launch a new Kickstarter August 11th at Noon EST, this one targeting TWO new anthology themes: ALIEN ARTIFACTS and WERE-. After the successes of the previous two Kickstarters for Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens (available now in trade paperback and ebook for the Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo) and Temporally Out of Order (available August 25th in trade paperback and ebook for the Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo), we feel that the small press is fairly stable, so there are a few changes being made to the Kickstarter model. Don't worry, we'll still have some great special items and rewards for backers to grab--such as tuckerizations, unique items from some of the anchor authors, and stretch goals for some extras--just as we did in the past Kickstarters. However, this time backers will simply be PREORDERING the anthologies: the base reward levels to choose from are $6 for an ebook ($12 for both anthologies in ebook) and $15 for a paperback ($25 for both anthologies in paperback). Those are the same prices we expect to use for the general release editions of the books in ebook and paperback, perhaps even cheaper! Those that preorder by backing the Kickstarter will get the anthologies early (before the general public release) and those that choose the paperback versions of the anthologies will also get a special Kickstarter Only edition with a limited print run.

In this post, I want to feature some of the special reward levels being offered in the Kickstarter, featuring things like tuckerizations and items donated by the anchor authors to help us reach our funding goal. If one of these strikes your fancy, then make certain you're at your computer the moment the Kickstarter starts up, because quantities are limited and these items may end up going fast. We'll start with:

Tuckerizations: If you aren't familiar with the term, a tuckerization means that the author of the short story will work with the backer to incorporate a name of the backer's choice into their story. It may be a main character in the story, or the first victim with a gruesome death, or a side character met only briefly. It's up to the author how the name will be used. In addition to the tuckerization, the backers for these reward levels will get copies of both of the new anthologies in paperback and ebook formats. We'll have multiple tuckerizations available, including ones from Danielle Ackley-McPhail (1), Patricia Bray (1, death by goat), Gini Koch (3 for WERE-; 1 for ALIEN ARTIFACTS), Gail Z. Martin (1), and Jean Marie Ward (1). All of the tuckerizations are at $250 reward levels and include copies of both of the new anthologies in paperback and ebook formats, except for Danielle Ackley-McPhail's tuckerization which is at $150.

Signed Copies of Books: A bunch of the anchor authors have donated signed copies of some of their books as reward levels. In addition to the signed copies, the backers for these reward levels will get copies of both of the new anthologies in paperback and ebook formats. I've indicated the author, the book to be signed, and the reward level and quantity available here: Danielle Ackley-McPhail donated 3 signed copies of the trade paperback The Society for the Preservation of C.J. henderson ($65 reward level); Phyllis Ames donated 10 signed copies of her new mass market paperback Frozen in Amber ($85 reward level); David B. Coe donated 3 signed copies of his mass market paperback Spell Blind ($50 reward level); Walter Hunt donated 10 signed copies of his mass market paperback Elements of Mind ($50 reward level); and Joshua Palmatier donated 10 signed sets of hardcovers including The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, The Vacant Throne, and Shattering the Ley ($135 reward level).

Special Items: A bunch of authors donated special items to be used for reward levels. In addition to the special items, the backers for these reward levels will get copies of both of the new anthologies in paperback and ebook formats. Here are some of the special items and their reward levels: Faith Hunter donated 5 Jane Yellowrock vampire stakes and Jane Yellowrock cell phone notebooks ($55 reward level); Faith Hunter donated 5 leather armbands with the quote "Beast Is Not Prey" and Jane Yellowrock cell phone notebooks ($65 reward level); Faith Hunter donated 5 leather armbands with the quote "Beast Is Not Prey," Jane Yellowrock vampire stakes, and Jane Yellowrock cell phone notebooks ($75 reward level); Steve Miller & Sharon Lee donated 7 sterling silver "Tree and Dragon" logo charms for a charm bracelet from their Liaden Universe series ($75 reward level); and Joshua Palmatier donated 7 sets of "steampunk" oriented items (a journal, folder, and pouch) to be grouped with a copy of Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens ($70 reward level).

And those are the special items and reward levels for the new Kickstarter. Again, if you really want one of these items, make certain you catch the Kickstarter early, since some (probably most) of these items will go fast. Besides, there are a bunch of early backer bonuses for those that back the Kickstarter in the first 24 hours, or before we reach $5,000, or for the first 50 backers. I'll discuss those bonuses in my next post about the Kickstarter.

For now, here's the cover flat for our upcoming second anthology release, TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER, available August 25th (preorder now for Kindle and at Kobo):

The small press Zombies Need Brains LLC is getting ready to launch a new Kickstarter August 11th at Noon EST, this one targeting TWO new anthology themes. After the successes of the previous two Kickstarters for Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens (available now in trade paperback and ebook for the Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo) and Temporally Out of Order (available August 25th in trade paperback and ebook for the Kindle, Nook, and on Kobo), we feel that the small press is fairly stable, so there are a few changes being made to the Kickstarter model. Don't worry, we'll still have some great special items and rewards for backers to grab--such as tuckerizations, unique items from some of the anchor authors, and stretch goals for some extras--just as we did in the past Kickstarters. However, this time backers will simply be PREORDERING the anthologies: the base reward levels to choose from are $6 for an ebook ($12 for both anthologies in ebook) and $15 for a paperback ($25 for both anthologies in paperback). Those are the same prices we expect to use for the general release editions of the books in ebook and paperback, perhaps even cheaper! Those that preorder by backing the Kickstarter will get the anthologies early (before the general public release) and those that choose the paperback versions of the anthologies will also get a special Kickstarter Only edition with a limited print run.

So what are the two anthologies and their themes? The first is a sci-fi anthology called ALIEN ARTIFACTS and the second is an urban fantasy anthology called WERE-. Here are the details for the themes and a list of the anchor authors we have lined up for each:

Alien Artifacts:

Life is out there. Alien civilizations have grown and died and been reborn again since the dawn of the universe. Some of those civilizations have left behind signs of their existence, hidden in the ruins on unexplored planets or floating in space in the form of ghost ships. In this anthology, 14 of today’s best short story writers will tackle what could happen if, in our exploration of space, we run across some of these ancient alien artifacts. Will they catapult humanity to new technological heights . . . or reveal our darkest secrets and destroy us? Edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier, this anthology will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each. The anthology will include short stories by: Jacey Bedford, Walter Hunt, Gini Koch, Gail Z. Martin, Seanan McGuire, Juliet E. McKenna, and Steve Miller & Sharon Lee. All other slots aside from the named authors will be filled by the open call for submissions following the successful completion of the Kickstarter.

Were-:

We’ve all read hundreds of stories about werewolves . . . but what about the less famous of the were-clans--the werelions, wereducks, and wereferns? These underrepresented families need to come out of the dark, full moon or not! From light and humorous to dark and serious, this anthology will explore other varieties of were-creatures and tell their stories. No werewolves allowed! Edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray, it will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each. The anthology will include short stories by: Phyllis Ames, Patricia Bray, David B. Coe, Faith Hunter, Gini Koch, Seanan McGuire, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and Jean Marie Ward. All other slots aside from the named authors will be filled by the open call for submissions following the successful completion of the Kickstarter.

As noted in the above write-ups, we've only filled about half of the anthologies with anchor authors. The other slots will be filled with an open call for submissions, so anyone can submit their stories during that open call window and have a chance to have their story in the anthology. All of you writers out there, take note: as soon as the Kickstarter reaches its funding goal, I'll post the information about the open submissions, including where to submit and the guidelines for story format.

Over the next few days, I'll post some of the specialized reward level that are limited--including the tuckerizations and special items being offered. If you want one of these, I'd suggest getting on the Kickstarter the moment it starts and grabbing them before they're gone. Mark your calendars! I'll also post some of the early backer bonuses, including free ebooks of novellas and short stories, plus some signed bookmarks from anchor authors, etc. Also, I'll post some of the stretch goals, in case we reach our funding goal and want to reach for some additional extras! So keep watch here, and get yourself ready for Zombies Need Brains' next Kickstarter! Remember, August 11th at Noon EST!

Our current upcoming release: TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER, available August 25th:

As most of you know, I'll be attending Confluence in Pittsburgh this coming July 24-26th. Here's a peak at the schedule for me and Zombies Need Brains. Again, ZNB will have a booth in the dealer's room at the con, which will be manned by me and my mom and will have all of my books and all of the ZNB merchandise available at the moment. (Note: We will NOT have the anthology Temporally Out of Order, but you can preorder the Kickstarter edition if you'd like to receive it before the general public release. The Kickstarter edition will be shipping as soon as I receive the order from the printer.) This is what's planned, just remember to check the schedule once you arrive, since things have a habit of changing at the last minute.

Friday:

7pm: "It Came From the Slushpile!" Editors talk about cover letters, writing samples, what works, what doesn't, and more!

8pm: Literary Beer: Crowd-funded Anthologies: Creating successful crowd-funded anthologies.

Dealer's Room: 5pm-8pm

Saturday:

9am: Kaffeeklatch: Zombies Need Brains: Come talk to the founder of ZNB and two of the contributing authors of its anthologies.

10am: Seven Things and SF/Fantasy Novel Always Includes: Checklist or bucketlist, your mileage may vary!

2pm: "As Long As Anyone Can Remember . . .": Surely everyone hasn't REALLY been doing things the same way for thousands of years. Authors talk about the causes and consequences of social evolution in the real world and epic fantasy.

7pm: The Manuscript on the Doorstep: Successful relationships between writers and editors.

Dealer's Room: 10am-6pm

Sunday:

10am: Magic for the 21st Century: No matter how our technology advances, we still want something out of the ordinary. Come explore magic realism, Clarke's law, and alternate sources of wonder.

Dealer's Room: 10am-3pm

Zombies Need Brains LLC, my SF&F themed anthology publishing company, is getting ready to run a new Kickstarter and has announced the TWO anthology themes that we'll be trying to get published. The Kickstarter will likely start sometime in August (I'm shooting for August 15th, but that may change) and if it's successfully funded there will be an open call for submissions for the two anthologies after that. In an attempt to give writers a chance to come up with a cool idea, write a story, and revise it before the submission deadline, I'm announcing the two themes now. So here they are:

Alien Artifacts: Life is out there. Alien civilizations have grown and died and been reborn again since the dawn of the universe. Some of those civilizations have left behind signs of their existence, hidden in the ruins on unexplored planets or floating in space in the form of ghost ships. In this anthology, 14 of today’s best short story writers will tackle what could happen if, in our exploration of space, we run across some of these ancient alien artifacts. Will they catapult humanity to new technological heights . . . or reveal our darkest secrets and destroy us? Edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier, this anthology will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each.

Were-: We’ve all read hundreds of stories about werewolves . . . but what about the less famous of the were-clans—the werelions, wereducks, and wereferns? These underrepresented families need to come out of the dark, full moon or not! From light and humorous to dark and serious, this anthology will explore other varieties of were-creatures and tell their stories. No werewolves allowed! Edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray, it will contain approximately 14 stories with an average length of 6000 words each.

So, all of you writers out there, put on those thinking caps and start cogitating! And keep track of Zombies Need Brains at their website (www.zombiesneedbrains.com) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/zombiesneedbrainsllc) and Twitter (@ZNBLLC) so you know when the Kickstarter kicks off AND, if it's successful, when the deadline is for the open call. Swing on by the ZNB online store to check out their two previous anthologies and ZNB merchandise!

I'd like to announce that my new small press called Zombies Need Brains LLC will be celebrating it's launch at Balticon 2014 this coming May 23-26th, 2014, at the Hunt Valley Inn in Maryland. I'll be there the entire weekend, with panels both on Friday and Monday (my schedule will be announced soon), but the official Zombies Need Brains party will be Friday, May 23rd, 2014, from 9-11pm in Parlor 1026. We will be celebrating the creation of Zombies Need Brains LLC and the upcoming release of its first anthology, CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs ALIENS (July 2014). There will be free snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, and ZNB merchandise (t-shirts, tote bags, and baseball caps) will be for sale. You can also preorder CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE from the press at the event. In addition, Gail Z. Martin, Jean Marie Ward, and Jason Palmatier--all contributing authors to CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE--will be there.

So mark your calendar and plan on attending Balticon on Friday, May 23rd! And if you can't make the party, keep watch for CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE this July from all of your usual book resources, both physical copies and ebooks.

Hey, all! So, I decided that I wasn't busy enough doing the day job teaching thing and writing my own novels and short stories . . . so I started a new small press. It's called Zombies Need Brains LLC and it's goal is going to be to publish anthology projects, initially funded by Kickstarters. (This is not self-publishing, I'm going to produce books by other authors. DAW is still publishing my own books.) Here's the cool logo for the press:

Our first anthology project is called CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK vs. ALIENS and it will be edited by Patricia Bray and myself. We already have a great list of participating authors, including Scott Lynch, Seanan McGuire, Gini Koch, Caitlin Kittredge, Bradley Beaulieu, Ian Tregillis, and Gail Z. Martin. And that's only HALF of the anthology! I think this is going to be a great project . . . if we can get it off the ground. To do that, we're running a Kickstarter. You can find the entire details of the project through this link. I'll give you a summary of the anthology concept here though:

Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens: When aliens reach Earth, they encounter the clockwork mechanisms and Victorian sensibilities of a full-blown steampunk civilization. Inspired by the classic science fiction adventure tales of the nineteenth century, leading fantasy and science fiction authors will bring us tales of first contact with a twist, as steam power meets laser cannons . . . and dirigibles face off against flying saucers.

We've also already contracted for the art we'll use to create the cover of the anthology, which I think rocks. It's called "Steampunk Octopus" by Alex Broeckel:

If that doesn't draw your attention, I don't know what will. *grin*

In any case, if you'd could help me spread the word about the Kickstarter project, I'd greatly appreciate it! And if you can help fund it--because it's a cool idea for an anthology and because we've got some great authors already--I'll thank you in advance. Spread the word! I'd love it if this little dream of mine got off the ground.