April 22, 2016

Podcast: “Ancestor” Episode 2, by Scott Sigler

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

After that completely daft beginning, you’re probably getting real curious to see why this wacko Chinese genetic engineer is allowed to walk around without a strait jacket on. And you would be right to wonder. If we left you hanging last week, it’s because we didn’t mention something pretty important at the end of the blurb, so here’s the whole thing for you to, ahem, chew on: There’s just one problem: these ancestors turn out not to be the docile herd animals Colding’s team envisioned. Instead, Colding’s work has given birth to something big, something evil. ……AND IT’S VERY, VERY HUNGRY! Scott goes on: Galina Porischova has a clandestine meeting with Paul Fischer. She wants to blow the whistle on Genada’s research. We begin to see exactly how far Genada is willing to go to…

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April 19, 2016

50 Ways to Sell Your Writing — #1 (Traditional Book Deal)

Posted by Jason Brick in News

Traditional Book Deal (Agented) Part one of multi-blog series by Jason Brick on how many ways there are for writers of all stripes to make a living doing what they love. Check out #3 over at brickcommajason.com This is what most people think of when they think “published writer.” You write a book. Then you find an agent to represent your book. Then the agent finds a publisher to print and distribute the book. A couple years later, you have a book out. Most books you buy at Barnes and Noble were published this way. Most names you know as published authors got their work out this way. It’s the most familiar model, and the one served by most writers’ conferences. The market for this is huge, and well-serviced. But it’s a competitive field growing…

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April 16, 2016

Podcast: “Ancestor” by Scott Sigler

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

Scott Sigler is The Man of Podcasting. We can thank Scott because it was he who really got it all started, podcasting novels. His first was “Earthcore,” which is as memorable as when it first came out in 2005. He has been prolific ever since. Today we introduce “Ancestor,” podcast first in 2010. Here’s Scott’s introduction: Every five minutes, a transplant candidate dies while waiting for a heart, a liver, or a kidney. Imagine a technology that could provide those life saving organs for a nominal fee…..and imagine what a company would do to monopolize that technology. On a remote island in the Canadian Arctic, P.J. Colding leads a team of scientists who have discovered this holy grail of medicine. By reverse engineering the genomes of thousands of mammals, Colding’s team has dialed back the…

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April 13, 2016

“Why We Write” An editorial by Lloyd Prentice

Posted by Mike Rochester in Guest Posts, News

Why We Write Words flit in and out of our awareness like fish in shoals— many so drab we scarcely pay attention; others teach us or guide us, imbue memory and behavior like computer code. Some few— some few inspire us, change us in subtle and striking ways, play on our minds and emotions like a maestro on a concert grand. These words, by and large, are invisible to the eye. They slip through and resonate, indeed explode, at the deepest levels of our being. Words that matter are the product of disciplined study and practice— hard won. At best— an art. Words that matter are most often composed in solitude over lonely hours. Every serious writer I’d venture yearns to tame the ineffable, express the inexpressible with elegance and beauty. Writers of non-fiction weave…

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April 8, 2016

Lew Holzman – Digital Art

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Editor’s Note: When Lew Holzman emailed us with a few images for us to consider for the Fictional Café, we were instantly struck by the imagination and diversity that we saw in his work. Some are photographs overlaid with other images, creating a haunting effect, while others seem to be more like collages cut and pasted together electronically. We won’t peek too far behind the curtain, but hopefully you get a sense of the magic that Lew’s creative mind can perform with our modern technology. If you like what you see here, check out his personal page and his Fotographers group, where you will find other artists’ work as well. * * * Body “Walkin on Substrates” “The New City” “Plastic Surgery #2” “City at Night, Lumicta VII” “Bermuda Rectangles” …

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April 6, 2016

Patrick Flynn’s Thinking Man’s Poetry

Posted by Mike Rochester in Member Writing & Art

Angels, Pearls and Mannequins “Neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet…” Matthew 7:6 Each New Year I stop by family graves asking for ease, as if anything they could do would put me on track, and then I drive south: there, a half-moon, slightly less really, was a half-buck short of a dollar. I thought today would become warmer and make up the difference. There, I would hammock under heaven: arms stretched back behind my head, gazing at clouds moving across the face of a broken moon on a black Formica sky. When I needed truth you were honest: but there’s distance between us. Everyday you slip more new clothes over pearl-dusted mannequins in window displays. You may have forgotten I…

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April 3, 2016

“Suburban Legends” by Joan Connor

Posted by Mike Rochester in Member Writing & Art

THWAP. “Catsup,” Hershel yells. “Is that really too much to ask?” The plate smacks the wallpaper, the meatloaf sticking, the plate crashing to the floor. “Meshuggina,” Judith says. ‘Two year olds, I know two year olds more flexible.” Her chair shrieks like a leaf rake on a blackboard as she shoves backward and thumps out of the kitchen. “What? After all I do and do and do for you, catsup I don’t get,” he calls after the wife. “Had too much onion anyway. You call that meatloaf? Heartburn loaf.” He stares at the slab of meatloaf slithering down the foil paper. Foil paper, Judith put up foil paper. “What, you think this is Florida?’ She walked out on him when he asked; she’s getting expert at it, this walking out. Silver foil. Shlock. Got no…

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April 2, 2016

April Submissions

Posted by Mike Rochester in News

It’s April. The human- and wild-life are coming out of hibernation, the trees are starting to stretch their limbs and baseball’s opening day is here. Those who believe in omens (and care to wager on them), take note of the photo above, taken in my backyard recently. The Cardinals and Blue Jays are two of the six teams that play on opening day. They also happen to be contenders to win their divisions and could possibly meet in the World Series in October. Do you believe in omens? How about urban legends? Well this month we’ve got a short story from Joan Connor entitled “Suburban Legends.” Whatever you’re thinking it’s about, you’re wrong. I’ll wager on that. Stick around and find out how Joan spins a yarn into a cautionary tale. Next, we have the…

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April 1, 2016

New Contest! Design our Fictional Café Merch Logo!

Posted by Mike Rochester in News

Those of you who dropped by the cafe yesterday or earlier today may know we just wrapped up our 100th member contest. Well, we’re excited to announce some new Fictional Café swag on the way. But we need your help, Coffee Club members! We are looking for a fun, eye-catching logo design that we can use for our new FC stickers, mugs and other merch. Here are the contest specs: This contest is open only to Coffee Club members. If you’re reading this and are not yet a member, you can join here for free! All designs must include some play on the “café” theme (see featured image above for an example). Bonus points if you can incorporate “Fresh Java,” the name of our digest email, in the design. All designs must be a high-quality…

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March 31, 2016

100th Member Contest Winners!

Posted by Mike Rochester in News

Hello Fictional Café patrons and Coffee Club members! You may recall that back in 2015 we ran a 100th member contest. At long last, we are happy to announce our TWO winners (they signed up on the same day, so what the heck!). Congratulations to Karen Huff and Erica Nazzaro!! You’ve won a Fictional Café baseball hat and a Fictional Café sticker. We’ve gotten such a great influx of new readers, we have actually reached (and surpassed) 150 members as well, so we are also going to give that lucky person, Judy Katz-Levine, a hat and sticker as well! Congrats to all our winners and if you didn’t win this time, stay tuned. Right around the corner we have another contest that we are super-excited about! -Your Baristas

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