Altair Australia Literary Agency is a new agency looking at new and established writers. The editing part of the business is for writers seeking professional editing services to improve their manuscripts for submission to agents or publishers. Altair Agency does not solicit material for the editorial arm of the company and the editorial arm does not solicit material for the Agency. Editorial services are not free but are very competitive with fast turnarounds.
If you discover that agent submitted material is solicited by the editing arm of this company please report it immediately to this website under scams alert. "I'm serious"
Robert N Stephenson
| Gee, Mystery Guest 486644, you want to offer some proof or at least post your name? |
| Wow, I was going through a manuscript I paid an editing company to edit many years ago. I saw the name Robert N Stephenson as the editor who ripped it apart pretty much. So, for the hell of it, I did a search on his name. He only pubbed his own books. And he says in the manuscript that he works for a big literary agency but it’s a secret, he can’t tell me (I never asked). Well, what’do’ya know. He works for himself and from the looks of it; he hasn’t represented any books except his. I wish I still knew the name of the company I paid so I could go back and post to forums that it’s a scam. It’s almost hilarious that my money went to this guy to edit my manuscript and he doesn’t even represent the kind of book I write, and he isn't really a legit agent or author. Can I have my money back. |
| I got rain. In january.. in midwest United States... Minnesota to be exact. That is also weird in Jan.
=D |
| Roasting over east... Freezing here in Western Australia... We just had rain... RAIN! in January!!!
Clyde. |
| Thanks for your post over in the Christian in SF thread. I've been trying to dissociate myself with that discussion (I shouldn't have been there in the first place, as I know |--| much about that stuff. Hospitallar? that is cool stuff. Beyond me to say the least. Thanks for coming in and saying something coherent.
My New years resolution involved getting my novel finished before this summer. Finished, rough draft, second draft.. etc. ALL done. Then start shopping around a 140k novel (expected final length) heh. Not sure what genre to call it. Science-Fantasy. Sci-Fa. =David |
| Jeez, Robert, you're roasting in Australia!!! It's like 28 F here this evening. Got up to maybe 40 F (I could figure out what that is in C but I'm too lazy) today. Gray and damp and dreary - looks like I imagine England to look, actually, lol.
Keep cool, dude! |
| The cover is no where near the book - which is kind of political, mystery with a good does of SF paranoia.
The book is called Life Light in Polish, but is has been retitled Fleeing the Dragon fior the English market Robert It was 42 celcius here yesterday and heading that way again today. it is just after 10AM and its in the high thirties already. Robert Stephenson |
| Glad to see you're still around, Robert! *g* Happy New Year to you, too!
That's a cool cover on your Polish book - what's the title in English? I take it that you don't think the cover art reflects the content, much. It looks like a Borg to me. I doubt if you ripped off Star Trek. Oh well, it'll attract a certain group of readers - and sales count! |
| I live!!
Well, I survived the last weeks of November and the month of December - bad time if you are a writer. It is the time of no money coming in. But I have my health. Right - spend that at Barnes and Noble late on a Friday night. Anyway, all the books that were coming out in 05 have come out. They haven't sold much but hey, I don't read Tea leaves so how was I to know somethings would flop. Have great new Year guys |
| my book has finally come out in Poland - http://www.fantastyka.pl/wydanie_specjalne.htm I don't get the cover, but it looks okay. Nowa Fantastyka publish a quarterly magazine format novel for newstands; it has been successful for Elizabeth Moon, so I am happy to be in good company.
Robert Can't read Polish but I can read US bank notes, that's better. |
| I'll proof read something.
Unless your talking about the last line of your post. That has flat lined and cannot be rescusitatificated. (or some word) |
| I need a proof reader - doh!
Robert |
| A book assessment or manuscript assessment is where you send your unpublished manuscript to an industry professional (well it usually works out to be some clown who might have read a book once) who them gives you a report on whether your book realistically stands a chance of publication. Good ones tell you where the book fails and may even give solutions to problems that may hamper the book.
The UK is full of such service providers, so to the USA and now Australia is getting flooded with companies offering this. I do some now and again but I don't advertise the fact - it is usually a writer asking specifically for my advice. The industry is teaming with low lifes that fleece the writer with dodgy reports or even form type responses (please insert name here) I have a big shot at the Australian companies and the editor of the mag, in fairness is actually giving a major assessment company the right of reply - should be interesting. Robert N Stephenson At about $250 a pop these reports don't come cheap. |
| Robert, What is a book assessment? |
| Isn't that a great thing to find a good author? |
| Cool, Rob. Enjoy! |
| Just offn the astory reading by one of the best - rarely published- authors in Australia. Some may have heard his name in different things but I discovered him seven years ago and have been urging him to write at every oportunity. He is one of these gifted writers who has absolutely no belief in his own work; yet, if you have read any of the Altair Magazine I publishecd some years back Brendan Carson was one of the leading lights. Fresh, neat, sometimes quirky and always with ideas cleverly disguised as something else - the Vampire Doctor who worked the ER was one of his best.
Brendan is a Doctor working Emergency in my home city, a great doctor but when he hits the keyboard, wow. I once read one of his patient charts, bloody read like an anthology of greatest medical stories. Well, I'm off up into the hills around my place to go to a small coffee shop in what will be a very closed tiny rural town to hear his latest. I haven't been this excited since I had lunch with Raymond Feist. Look for his work - I hope to sign him to my agency one day. Robert |
| OH well, interzone gave me a resounding no - but I think their reason is a bit biased. No point arguing known facts with someone who has a different view of realty - off to someone else it goes.
Robert |
| Interzone sent me a free copy of their latest mag - wow, have they gone upmarket or what. I sent them a story and proposal that might bare fruit anbd I'd be damn tickled pink to have a piece in this mag. I last sold to them in 99, so it has been a while (That was also the last time I sent them a story by the way)
Robert |
| I did reject a story of mine once - I sent myself a form letter with crap written in crayon across the bottom.
Yea, that cover is pretty cool. Robert |
| Excellent Cover... looks neetums. |
| What a great cover!
Kaori |
| LOL, I loved your post at Acceptance/Rejection. Did you ever happen to reject one of your stories, or send it back for changes? |
| Again it has taken me weeks to get on in here: The Robots and Time antho is going up for some pre-sales for Christmas while I finish the final proofing.
This has beena bloody tough project, given the money woes. Drop by and check out the cover - it is way bloody cool. http://www.altair-australia.com/altair/robots.html |
| Take metamucil for regularity. |
| It's good to hear from you, Robert, even if it is only once a blue moon. ;) |
| EE Gads! It takes me so long to cruise on by these days I forget what I'm doing. - Gidday Greg, you managed to garner a sale yet - I wish I could have been the one to bring your work back into the light. Hey guys, Greg is one cool writer.
Any ways - I have released Jack McDevitts book - Ships in the Night www.altair-australia.com/altair/sitn.html and Tony Shillitoe's book 'Tales of the Dragon' should be on sale in the next week or so. The Robots and Time anthology is ready to go, I just need to get the money for the printers. Had a big legal battle with a greedy client, cost me heaps. Have I eve said that I hate nasty authors? - Well I do. Sold a book to Hazard Press in NZ for a client, but all the negotiations have to be done second hand because the Publisher doesn't like me - Oh well, you do what youb gotta do I spose. anyway, will try to be more regular - again Keep well guys Robert |
| Hi Rob,
I was over taking a look at Ask Ann and decided to swing by your neighborhood to see what you've got cooking these days. Never a dull moment for you, is there, Robert? I wish I could step forward to be the one to support you with your publishing endeavor in the US, but I couldn't give it the time it would need. Good luck with all your many projects, though. I hope we can keep in touch from time to time. Greg Hunt |
| HI Guys, I have got the TOC in order now for the adapted Antho - Robots and Time
Sorry Lavie, I was sure all the rejections went out last week. Revolution time didn't make the cut, sorry to say - but I will have other anthos coming later. |
| Glad you're feeling better, Robert. |
| Robert, did you get my e-mail query about "Revolution Time"? Can you let me know if you have it?
Thanks! |
| Hi guys - been busy. The Time antho was under supported so I combined it with the Robot one and now have a great mix of stories. Haven't done the page layouts and counts yet, so a couple of surprise buys might be up for some previously rejected stories.
Publishing is a bitch, but I love it. Jack McDevitt's collection has just come out www.altair-australia.com/altair/sitn.html and it is a great collection. Robert - who has been ill (bi-polar) but on the mend |
| Hey, Robert--
Any status report on the "An Alternative Time" antho? |
| Yeah, how are you, Robert? Publishing going OK for you? *waves* |
| Hi, Robert, how've you been? |
| Writer's net has its problems and in my many trips there I have found most of the posts unhelpful to new writers - The warning I posted in based on my experience and is only on my site.
Contests are contests - like them or hate them. Robert |
| The way I saw it, someone had a grudge against Robert from a previous head-butting, and was joined in a pile-on by those objecting to his contest. Sad, but not uncommon on WN. |
| Hello
I hope that you're still reading this and it's not too late to make these comments: I've just found the site that these posts have been talking about - the Altair warning about Writer's News (which I figured out was just a way to get your name online by paying). I typed this into google: 'altair writer's net' and it was the third one listed in the results. I don't know what they did to you, but I would like to know why they were treating your efforts so badly, and so personally. The thing that most people (those in the US I anyway) dislike about contests is that they don't want to pay to enter them, whereas in this country (the UK), we expect to pay a fee to enter the contests, and suspect those that don't, because they usually want you to buy a copy of the winning entry / collection afterwards instead. this is especially true of poetry and short stories. An anonymous person who can't leave their name because they want to enter the Altair contest themselves. |
| HELP
I now have a small publishing concern; small press POD with some major selling names. But in order to get these book on Amazon I have to set up a US office (Which I don't have money for - small press remember) but perhaps one of you kind people - who I know of course, might be able to help out. I need to keep a small stock in the US for Amazon supply and also have US payment systems. A challenge indeed - email me at altair97 (at) tpg.com.au Thanks guys Robert Hey, maybe you Kent? |
| www.altair-australia.com
www.altair-australia.com/altair that's what I use Robert |
| Thanks for the summary, Robert. Being penniless, AND novelless, I won't be enterin, but FWIW, I think you have a right to run a contest if you damn well please. If people don't like it, they don't have to participate. Knowing you from the RM for so long, I'm confident you're one 'o' the good ones, so whoever wins will be very happy with the outcome, and those who don't (I predict) will find no cause for complaint.
Good luck with it! But I'd still love to see your web site. I'll keep trying. Maybe all the cyber-electrons were flowing against mine the first few tries... |
| I had a look this morning and things work, mostly - still got a couple of links that don't work properly.
This in a nut shell Terry. I decided (rightly or wrongly) to run a contest to find the best book in the world to take to market - regardless of genre. I don't get massive submissions so getting good material is pretty hit and miss. So, I thought a contest would garner more active submissions, increase the pool from which I will sellect that all wonderful book. There is an entry fee for the book contest (I couldn't get slush readers for free and I am quite busy with active clients to just stop and read a larger than normal slush pile) So the person';s whose book is chosen for world wide representation will get $1000 contract signing fee. Now, this was a risky venture to undertake; no everyone likes contests, but on reading many world writing magazines there certainly are a lot being run and most have little more than a small cash payoff. I though this would be different, well, unusual, but I haver certainly copped a lot of chest beating and berating over it. I am not sure where contest rate on the scam alert, but I am now committed to it -once that first submission arrived I could not back out, there can be quite a legal challenge made for contest cancellations. Robert |
| I'm not at all convinced I'd know what to do with whatever "tracert" gave me anyway, ET. I don't read Computer. Thanks for the thought, anyway. |
| I've had no problem getting to his site, ever. Maybe it's a US problem of something. You might want to try 'tracert www.altair-australia.com' from a command prompt window, to see where communication stops. (I'm not sure all Windows versions have 'tracert', but won't hurt to try.) |
| Rob, I've tried several times to get your Altair web site with the URLs you've given (as in the Agent Scam topic), but I always get "page not found" or somesuch. What am I doing wrong? I copy-and-paste the URLs you've posted directly into the URL window. I'd love to see your web site but I can't get there from here! Waaah! |
| Ugh. If it's any consolation, you aren't the only agent/writer who’s been attacked like that for posting on WN. There are some major wackos out there, and WN seems to attract more than its share. Very sorry it happened to you. |
| That is truly bizarre, Robert.
This is one of the aspects of online communities that I find truly repugnant: the anonymous snipe. Sure, I realize that there are concerns about libel that might seen to justify anonymity, but everyone's entitled to have and state an opinion. If you want to push it beyond mere opnion and represent it as reality, then you have the obligation to either have your facts in order to back it up, or keep you mouth shut. Instead we have "mystery guests" and the like, posting without signing, making all kinds of claims. I'm not for censorship, but If I ran the net, there'd be a requirement to sign one's posts or be limited to a read-only status. Grrrr. Lawrence |
| After having the privacy of some clients interupted by malicious emails from writers from Writer's net I have removed my client list from the site.
Writer's cry for openness in agencies, but byb behaving in an irresponsible manner I have had no choice but to remove this privilege from them. Robert |
| Egad, Rob, that's awful! I was going to say, "we love you, keep coming here," but that's a given--losing money because of some nefarious jerk is another thing entirely. Hope that court thing works out in your favor.
But I am glad to see you back here on the RM. |
| I've actually added a small warnings list to the front of my site as a service to writers: My experience with WN covered 18 months all up, with two nasty stays where one headed to the courts - but posters on that site have no identifiers, making chances for any case damn difficult.
This site cost me a $400 000 book because someone has contacted some of my clients from the client list. This has me reconsidering having a client list on-line. Robert |
| After 3 weeks on writers.net I have to confess a bitter taste in my mouth from the guys over there. I kind of feel a bit battered. After trying to offer industry advice and some writing advice I ended up hounded and abused - even having my agency ridiculed and my writing ability compared to that of a child.
A tough 3 weeks, but I've given up on those folks. writers.net is definitely not a place to go if you are after writing advice or writer support. Bad news indeed. I've got a headache now. Robert N Stephenson |
| Spent the day making some friend and making some new enemies.
What a life. Robert |
| Check out The Rhesus Factor www.altair-australia.com/altair
Nothing can prepare you for this book. Robert |
| The books are paperback print on demand - though I will probably be doing some numbers first up. Cover art for the Robot books has been done by Par Oloffsson (bloody brilliant) and I am still negotiating with work on the other.
No e-versions available, these were not negotiated with any of the authors. Robert |
| What formmat will these book take? Hardbound? TPB? Will there e-book versions? |
| I have two other writers books coming out later this year:
Jack McDevitt's firs ever short story collection and Sean Williams new collection 'Light Bodies Falling' plus a reprint of Tony Shillitoes Andrakis Trilogy ( I have beren a bit busy of late Robert |
| Hi Terry
www.altair-australia.com/altair had a lot of problems. for mystery guest www.altair-australia.com Robert N Stephenson |
| Hey Rob--I just tried the URL for your book that you gave in the Ego topic, looks like the site's down again, leastways I get the "page cannot be displayed" notice. Dang. |
| Please provide me with your address so that I can mail you a proposal.
Thank You, Fredric Neuman, MD Fredric Neuman, MD |
| Wish to exchange stamps
http://photos.yahoo.com/renzweb www.galleriasynagogue.com Ms Balquis |
| Great news, Robert. Go get 'em! Justin |
| Harper Collins wants a look! Now I gotta get that final draft finnished - they gave me 3 mths.
HBO - not a word. Their losds. Robert Robert Stephenson |
| Fingers crossed. Good luck, Robert. Justin |
| Just made a pitch to HBO for my unpub;lished book. 'I Speak, They Die' Fingers crossed. It was meant to be for Palomar but they fell over.
Also pitched the actual book to Harper Collins Australia and hope to pitch it to Random House New York tonight. Its hot! The subject of the book just so happens to be something the US government is only just now considering in action against Australia. I wrote it two years ago and left it. Nothing ever goes to waste. Robert N Stephenson Robert |
| Robert, thank you for stopping by that other forum to post some support. You might want to revisit it to see my own addition since I spoke to you as well as others. Again, thank you, friend. Dave Kuzminski |
| Bantam asked for a look see at my book. Fingers crossed. I know Anne is as busy as hell over there and I'm not holding out hope for anything shorter than 3 months. But at least she asked.
Robert Robert Stephenson |
| Congratulations, Rob!!! Way to go! Do another little dance, for me. And be sure to let us know when it comes out so we can buy it! Terry |
| Congrats, Robert! I hope that it goes all the way.
Best, Jim Jim Van Pelt |
| Congrats Rob! Best of luck to you, and your book. MWA |
| Just got 3rd place in the annual New Century Writer Awards LLC. Got $500 and just maybe a little foot up to getting it published.
I'm dancing today, just dancing. Robert Robert |
| Anyone know the deal with Stephen King's agent. My research shows it's Ralph Vicinanza, but it looks like Ralph only handles foreign rights for King. Does King have a main agent that handles his domestic stuff? I can't figure it out. My agent just quit the firm, and my new novel Seeing Red just got requested, read, and kicked back by two other major agents, saying it was great but should be represented by King's agent because it was right up his alley. Case anyone has any inside info, point King's agent to the download of the first 21 chapters at http://brett.arquettes.com/sr.html
In the mean time, I'll do some more poking around. Thanks in advance for any info you have ... Brett Arquette Author Deadly Perversions & Seeing Red Brett Arquette |
| I'm a happy chappy today. Got a call mout of the blue fora job offer, from the Australian College of Journalism. The needed a new Creative Writing tutor. I said yes of course. I start on Jan 20.
Robert Stephenson |
| Rob: I just happened to pop in here, and I've got to say that based on the brief description -- I'd pay GOOD money to have a glimpse at that short story you wrote. In fact, I'd run down to the bank for an Aussie dollar wire transfer -- first thing Monday morning!! LOL A starship powered by masturbation...now why didn't *this* romance writer in all her "infinite wisdom" ever think of that ?? :-)
Best regards, Helen Helen |
| What a drag: Had editing jobs right through Christmas (I edit for Editavenue.com when I'm not hell bent on writing, selling other author's work etc)
Anyway, have just partly completed editing a vampire novel - bit of a drag but I have now given it some kind of chance, I think. Completed editing a Romance novel a woman wants to sell publish, or partnership publish. Some people chose a path and will not be veered from it. Oh well, she is going through a good company who will at least market her book. Money's flowing the wrong way though. Completed a short story of my own called the male sex drive. Its about a star ship powered by masterbation... the mind does boggle I hope to do some work on my own stuff later today, but first I have a YA book to finish editing. Monday I'm back to work in the Agency (Though I don't think I've actually really stopped) and it's back to getting my guys into print and getting good money. I've got some great books for sale, some I feel are much better than the crap actually on the shelves, but it is tough getting those unknowns read - hell it's tough getting my published authors read. Have a good 2003 guys. Robert |
| Just got a copy of the very slow to publish mag, Potato Monkey with my story Talisman gracing the pages. Funny enough the story is about a potato who is a bit of a monkey's uncle.
Robert Well the viewing gave me a smile in what has been a very bad business year. Robert Stephenson |
| Merry Christmas down under, Robert! I hope I get a chance to lift a pint or two with you again. Jim Van Pelt |
| It's Christams eve here in Oz so I will take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and holy Christmas and a fruitful New Year.
Bless you all Robert N Stephenson altair-australia.com Oh, don't email Ralph even if youy do get the email address, it is highly unlikely he will respond. Robert Stephenson |
| For Patrice: I've not been able to find an email address for this agency. Best I can do is a phone:
212-924-7090 and a street address: 303 West 18th Street New York NY 10011 (This address does not match the one given on the Preditors and Editors website, but it is in our Reference USA directory, and in the link from the Spectrum Literary Agency.) The principals I've been able to identify are: Ralph Vicinanza Christopher Lotts Christopher Schelling For what it is worth, this agency only handles translation rights to Williamson's books. Williamson's other agency, Spectrum Literary Agency, does not accept queries except those sent through the mail. Don't know if Vicinanza has a similar policy, but it wouldn't hurt to try them out with a letter first. Best regards, Gregory Koster Gregory Koster |
| Hi
I want to publish a book of Jack Williamson and I m looking for the e-mail of his literary agent (Ralph Vicinanza Agency in NY). Please, can you help? Truly yours Patrice Granet patrice |
| Sold a story to the new Australia Anthology Future Shores due out from Wakefield Press at Easter.
more in self promotion. Rob Robert Stephenson |
| Just resubbed to Absolute Magnatude magazine after two years and Dreams of Decadence. Warren sent me spme bonuss to look over as well. Shit there good looking magazines these days. The DNA crowd have done a bang up job of their publications.
Give em the vote at the Hugos or just buy some copies. The fiction's top rate as well. Glad I spent the huge amount it costs to sub from Australia US$75 a year Robert Cheaper for you guys who live locally, so there's nothing to complain about. Robert Stephenson |
| Still working on the 30 day novel, but I doubt I'd do it in that time, but if I do it in 60 I will still be impressed.
Also, I am glad I helped someone over the years I have been editing. Sometimes I have sat back and wondered, why the hell do I do it? Because I love it of course, why else. Rob Robert Stephenson |
| Ahem, sorry. Some things seem funny at 2am that really aren't come daylight ;)
Here's a serious remark. Do you realise it's thanks to you that I still aspire to be a published writer? It's probably been, what, 6 or 7 years since 16-year-old me submitted a story to Altair. Reading over it now, it's pretty obvious why it didn't make the cut, but if you hadn't been so gosh-darned nice about it, I might have given up (and saved me a lot of bother, too ;)) So if you're overworked, lost the plot, deals falling through, horse you backed came last in the Melbourne Cup (I told them it wasn't my fault, they were the ones who got the wrong impression that a vet can pick a good horse), pat yourself on the back for encouraging the next generation :) Then get back to that 30-day novel ;) Thoraiya Thoraiya |
| Sure. The meaning of life for $100 :} Thoraiya |
| Just put this in so I don't frop off the loop again.
Any questions you want to pay me for? Rob Robert Stephenson |
| Hi guys, just a quick note that I found this book on the web (ebook) www.easywaytowrite.com/at.cgi?a=214093 and it is fantastic. I am currently trying out the claim of the 30 day novel. This guy really works the writer and helps them create the right attitude to do what he claims - the first half of the book is about attitude building and is excellent.
Anyway, I thought I'd let you know. Check it out if you are in the duldrums with the writing game or just need to kick up the bum I needed. Robert N Stephenson Cross posted - never know where to put these things. Robert N Stephenson |
| Hi Tom,
usually about 8 weeks with me, maybe 12 depending on how mucg stuffs come in : and I get heaps. So query after 8 - 12 weeks Now this is an open formum Tom but to satify you. You sent me the sample on June 6, it is now July 23, about 6 weeks. I have the material in front of me now - and I meant right this minute. Now all I can say here is that I actually like your writing, but you will have to read my email to know my opinions etc. Rob Never answered a query this way before - could be benificial? Robert Stephenson |
| Hi Tom,
Robert Stephenson |
| Hi Tom,
Robert Stephenson |
| Mr. Stephenson,
At what point would you consider it proper for a writer to question an agent about 1. Did you receive the sample(s) you requested? 2. when should I start looking for your response? tom Tom Horner |
| There are supposedly seven basic plot lines, and five general plots, but I always go with Billy.
"The only true plot in fiction, is the human heart in conflict with itself." William Fualkner. Yeah, baby. That works for me! Nick Nick Pollotta |
| Plus he wrote Infinity Beach and Deepsix, two science fiction books that I really enjoyed. Fredrick Obermeyer |
| I would love to meet Jack McDevitt. He sounds like a really nice guy. Fredrick Obermeyer |
| Robert, having just emerged from a long blocked period myself, I sympathize greatly. What occasionally works to bring me out of such a spell -- when I remember to make use of it -- is to compel myself to sit at the !@#$%^&* computer and fictionalize something that recently happened to me.
As for a plot, anything that occurred in your life that got your juices flowing is raw material for a story. In my most recent case, it was an office encounter with a beautiful young woman that provoked the envy -- and the ire -- of several younger colleagues. Writing that out as a story was simultaneously therapeutic and immensely helpful at relieving my writer's block. But, if you need a detailed plot idea to chew over, here's one you might want to revolve a few times: Imagine that sex change operations become increasingly commonplace, as in John Varley's fiction. Imagine further that human longevity advances considerably by use of hormone and nanotechnological means. No one has yet addressed the possibility that these two trends might clash with one another -- that a body kept in a state of anabolism by technological means might reject its sex change and begin to revert to what's programmed by its chromosomes. If there were romantic relationships where one partner had undergone a sex change -- and of course there would be -- they would be massively destabilized by such a reversion, especially if it couldn't be corrected until it had run its course, which might take years! But how much more poignant would it be for "her" to start to revert to a "him," and to go through agonies over what it would do to her marriage, when all the while her husband is secretly overjoyed at the prospect! Let me know what you think. Freedom, Wealth, and Peace, Francis W. Porretto Visit the Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com |
| Thanks Terry, there's something here and it's not a wood block. I musta missed the earlier post, sorry
Rob Robert Stephenson |
| All I can do is reiterate the one I left on the Story Ideas topic, Robert:
There's an old, old house on the outskirts of a small prairie town. The grounds around it have overgrown with weeds, tree-of-heavens, grapevines, and trees, so you can hardly see it. If you get through the vegetation, and stand on tip-toe, you can see through the filthy windows that the dining room table is all set: tablecloth, china, crystal, silverware...and the drapes, rugs, candle sconces, old paintings, all in a thick coating of dust, sifting gently through the weathering siding into the empty rooms since 1959, when the last person locked the door and walked away. That last person is still alive, living with a son out on a farmstead a few miles away. But he won't go in the house, and he won't sell it to anyone, or let anyone else in. "I won't sell it until I die," he told the mayor when that worthy asked if the town couldn't buy the place--to tear down and replace with a modern cottage for the city park superintendent. "Ain't nobody going to own that place while I'm alive except me." No one knows why he's left the place empty like that. No one knows why he won't go back. The kicker: This is a true situation. =========== Dunno if that'll help, but maybe it'll jog *something* loose...just hope it's not your dinner. |
| I need help guys. I stuck for a decent plot for story, I know there are probably one five real plots, according to Hienlein but do you think I can find one : I don't have writers block, it's called plotter's block, now there's a new term for you.
Plotter's Block Character Block Scene Block Ice Block you name it I got a block of it somewhere, usually next to the chocolate block, the city block and the soapm block. But I usually avoiud that last one pretty much these days. So help the blockless and clueless writer who has plotter's block. Robert 'Off his block" Stephenson " Robert Stephenson |
| For Rob: THe Sage has it right. This is terrific news. More, once you get going with these authors, others will follow. Just be sure to budget money for the stretch limo and the cigars.
Best regards, Gregory Koster Gregory Koster |
| Wow, that's REALLY impressive! Way to go, Robert! Say hi to Jack McDevitt if you talk to him. I met him at WillyCon and he's a MAJOR decent fella. Fun, too.
Who are the others? Maybe we can pelt you with stories... Congratulations on living your dream. You've worked hard for it, and you deserve it!! |
| Well I've got my little agent dream happening:
As a sub agent for Ralph Vicinanza Agency in NY I get to sell the works of Robert J Sawyer, Nancy Kress, Jack McDevitt and Steven Gould plus some others I haven't heard of before. For a small, one man agency like mine it is good to have some super high quality material to try and peddle. Oh well, it's made me happy for the next month anyway, or until someone down in OZ says, Yeah, we'll take it. Robert Stephenson www.altair-australia.com Robert |