Sime~Gen Perspectives Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2007

Contents:

*SIMECENTER
*JAQUELINE'S COPPERCON REPORT
*BORDERLANDS UPDATE
*NEW AUTHOR SPOTLIGHTS -- DIANA LAURENCE and ELIZABETH MOON
*NEW REVIEWS
*NEW AT KEYBOOKS
*NEW ITEMS FROM ARTISTS AND AUTHORS AT CAFE PRESS
*STARRED CROSS JEWELRY
*HELP WANTED
*PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
*AVAILABLE RELEASES
*SITES TO REMEMBER
*SUBSCRIPTION AND CONTACT INFORMATION
**COPYRIGHT NOTICE**

******SIMECENTER******

This month's story on SimeCenter is another in the series of 'real truth' historical vignettes. This one is called:

     Rebecca's Story (by Lois June Wickstrom & Jayge Carr)
     - more complex than we realized

The accompanying artwork is:

     Reflectory (by G.B. Chew)
     - whole worlds hidden in the light

Ben has been busy, and has several new and elegant web pages, including a Cafe Press shop. See all the links at http://www.simegen.com/simecenter/sponsors/GBChew/ .

These enjoyable works were donated in support of the Modest Needsg and their continuing assistance to survivors of devastating natural disasters.

When you donate to this worthy organization, be sure to tell them you were referred by SimeCenter .

Send your comments, questions, etc.--about the site, the stories and art...whatever--to the address below.

In Service to Unity,
Kaires Tevesu [If you write to me, mention 'SimeCenter' in the subject. This EMail address gets a lot of spam.]

******JAQUELINE'S COPPERCON REPORT

AT CopperCon, I spoke with the person who will be doing programming for the Westercon that will be here in Phoenix in 2009 (Las Vegas in 2008) in the green room. I may get some really interesting program items.

The children's program was Potter themed and the children found it exciting and interesting. This is a good sign for the future!

I did a 10 AM Sunday morning panel which was about having written a really good book, now what? 5 panelists, 4 groggy attendees. Three had not in fact completed the project they wanted to figure out how to market. None of those 3 could give a one-sentence summary of what their project is. One however did have a PITCH prepared and did have one volume of the planned series complete in rough draft. I think he's going to be successful.

When asked to explain their projects, the other 3 started enthusing about the background of their stories, not the story itself. The background of a story is what makes it different from every other story. What makes it commercially viable is the plot, the elements that make it the same as everything else on the market. The one man who was ahead of the others lead off with exactly "what" his story is -- how it's the same as other successful works, then sketched the conflict. That's why I think he's got it made.

An hour later, I did a much better attended panel on Star Trek -- and the NEW MOVIE. Couple of Sime~Gen fans in the audience, too. It was a lot of fun because we got to see a video of the Comic Con panel where the new Spock actor and Leonard Nimoy sat side by side. The new one (from Heros) is TALLER than Nimoy (this is amazing; I've stood next to Nimoy and he's not short!), but as slender (disappears when standing sideways skinny) as the young Spock he will portray. The new director promised the Comic Con audience to be very aware of the classic trek fans and their reasons for loving the show. They are looking for a way to insert a natural appearance for Nimoy, but not distort the script. All of them say they love the script because of the witty dialogue. We spent the rest of the hour discussing whether Kirk and Spock and McCoy can make the huge leap from being characters to being "roles" -- like King Lear, a role every actor lives to play. We expect to do this panel again after we see the movie.

I finally got to the dealer's room only because I had an autographing and the table was in the dealer's room -- the last autographing of the con. So I brought my Palm to read e-mail (they have a free hotel hotspot) and the book I'm currently reading for my column. I did get it booted up and connected -- no reading. People came with books; I signed, and talked and talked. I thought I was done, more came and talked and talked. I learned a great deal.

One of the used book dealers had sold an armload of my books -- and was selling other books very briskly. He said he was selling better than usual at this convention. He is from LA, so I'll see him again at LosCon over Thanksgiving. He's seeing an uptick in his business at cons. This is also good news -- young people are reading. He and his wife are spreading out to do many other cons this fall. They also have a brick-n-mortar store and sell on Amazon. Marty Massoglia -- Massoglia Books I think is the business name. Marty's books. There used to be about 5,000 booksellers in the USA (independent, new/used booksellers) -- now there are hundreds of thousands, maybe a million booksellers online through flea-markets like Amazon, ABE Books, and E-bay. I don't know if that's good or bad - but it's definitely a trend.

The bad news -- cons are still shrinking.

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******BORDERLANDS UPDATE

Another Part of the ongoing Borderlands saga is available. We have reached our 400th episode in this Part. This one is called "Dancing Around The Problem," and as you might expect with that title, the main arc is the Pollovics' ball, where Eulalia expects Pollovic to choose a wife, and Pollovic hopes to either escape or, if that's impossible, at least to bow gracefully to necessity. We'll see just how much success either of them has.

After that, we'll also see D'Zoll back in action at home, clearing up his backlog of work, including some ... interesting sessions with the Giant (though tiny) Killer Gen from Part 22. Meanwhile, Marvin the Mule will be looking into the possibility of changing his life.

We also have sidebars featuring a variety of old friends. And, for next time, if you all are very very good and send us lots of useful feedback, we will have something *very special* for you. http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/fans/bev/boom/index.html#part.23

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******SPOTLIGHT ON DIANA LAURENCE and ELIZABETH MOON

A Spotlights interview conducted by Wanda Maynard of author Diana Laurence has now been posted at http://www.simegen.com/writers/spotlights/paranormal/Laurence/ . She is an author of paranormal/vampire novels, and well worth the look.

Elizabeth Moon has won the 2007 Heinlein Award. To honor the occasion, an interview conducted by Midge Baker has been posted in the Science Fiction section of Author Spotlights. You may read the interview in full at http://www.simegen.com/writers/spotlights/science/emoon/ .

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******NEW REVIEWS

These reviews are a sample of this month's new postings. Our Reviews department is continuously posting new reviews. Find a list at http://www.simegen.com/reviews/ . Use our domain Google Search box on http://www.simegen.com to find books by a particular author, or to find a particular title.

SHOOT HIM IF HE RUNS by Stuart Woods

NOW & THEN by Robert B. Parkerl

KISS ME DEADLY by Michele Hauf

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS by Marc Abdallah

THE DOWRY BRIDE by Shobhan Bantwal

BETRAYED by P. C. Cast and Kristen Cast

UNDER ENEMY COLORS by S. Thomas Russell

DAVE BARRY'S HISTORY OF THE MILLENIUM (SO FAR) by Dave Barry

IN THE BEGINNING by F. D. Davis

BOOK OF THE DEAD by Patricia Cornwell

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****** NEW AT KEYBOOKS

Our Keybooks Bookstore provides items of direct interest to writers and readers. Many writers work to the sound of Classical Music -- and many readers read to that background music. So we provide selections chosen for you by professional writers. The CLASSICAL MUSIC shelf at Keybooks has been recently updated. Go check it out. (click on "music" at the top of the page).

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******NEW ITEMS FROM ARTISTS AND AUTHORS AT CAFE PRESS

A SIME~GEN postage stamp is now available to order on cafe press. It can be used just as you would use a a regular postage stamp. Be the first on YOUR block to have them! We've got a new page for Cafe Press items from our artists and authors. Now you can get t-shirts, greeting cards, clocks, mugs, and other great stuff with work from your favorite artists. You can even buy books about Nessie, the Orange Forest Rabbit and The Reluctant Spy that aren't available anywhere else.

Http://simegen.com/marketplace/cafepress/ is a direct link to all our items and merchandise stores. Use of this page will give the domain extra income. If there is an item that you wish to see that isn't offered, just write Lois at lois@lochness-monster.com and she'll get it ready for you to order.

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*******STARRED CROSS JEWELRY

Think about magnificent, hand-crafted Starred-Cross Jewelry for your holiday giving:

The image comes in four designs:
- silver & enamel brooch *
- silver & gold brooch
- silver & gold outline pendant
- small silver pin
(The first three are 1-1/2" square; the pin is about half that size.)

* Enamel can be almost any color - think Householding colors! How do you describe the color you want? Try http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colornames.asp .

Follow the link to the artist's own page for ordering.

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******HELP WANTED

The spotlights section of Simegen.com currently needs interviewers, spotlight posting personnel, an assistant spotlights gatemaster, and a keygifts store manager. We are also requesting an Assistant Reviews Co-coordinator - duties include covering when other staff are unable to perform tasks. We are almost finished revamping our reviews section and expect activity to be at a constant high level. We're looking for a versatile quick learner able to put in some time daily. Pluses are: A good command of the English language (syntax, grammar, punctuation, in that order), some computer experience or ability to learn, and an interest in books. Direct all inquiries to simegen@simegen.com. Individuals to take over, or assist with the SIMECENTER Site -- It isn't at all hard, but a bit time-consuming...and very rewarding ("meeting" these marvelous authors and artists, if only via EMail and their websites). Please write me, Kaires Tevesu, if you are interested.

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******PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

We have had to withdraw the entire Sime~Gen project from Meisha Merlin for a wide range of reasons. They missed several deadlines for publication of TO KISS OR TO KILL and showed no signs of intention to get it out any time in the foreseeable future. That stalled everything else. It was very disappointing. So we are now actively in search of another publisher. THE UNITY TRILOGY should continue to be available for some time -- they have the right to dispose of all stock in the Meisha Merlin warehouse.

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******AVAILABLE RELEASES

~ the Omnibus reprint of Jean Lorrah's SAVAGE EMPIRE: DARK MOON RISING -- is #1 in the reprint program.

~ Trade Paperback edition of DREAMSPY from BenBella Books and you can order on Amazon and some other places.

Read the comments here .

~ SAVAGE EMPIRE: PROPHECIES is #2 in Jean Lorrah's and Winston Howlett's omnibus reprint of the Savage Empire series.

Still Available in Trade Paperback, SIME~GEN: THE UNITY TRILOGY .

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***** Sites to Remember *****

Author spotlights

Chats

Romance articles

Reviews of books by Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Reviews

Shopping

Sound files of Jacqueline Lichtenberg pronouncing Sime~Gen vocabulary words can be found at http://www.simegen.com/jl/nivetsoundfiles/index.html.

To sign up for classes, go to http://www.simegen.com/school/SchoolForms.html.

To volunteer, go to http://www.simegen.com/agreements/helpwanted.html for the latest openings.

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*Please Note all material posted on Official Virtual Tecton is copyright © by Sime~Gen Inc. and all rights are reserved. To get your Sime~Gen(tm) material sanctioned for web posting or to get permission to repost from official materials, e-mail ambrovzeor@aol.comor contact simegen@simegen.com. Sime~Gen (tm) is the trademark of a fictional universe copyright © by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986 and Sime~Gen Inc. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.