VANTAGE POINT NEWS

Jan. 1985

Jacqueline Lichtenberg

PO Box 290

Spring Valley, NY 10952

Debbie Lichtenberg

Endorsed Books

PO Box 290

Spring Valley, NY 10952

SASE means SEND A SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE. If can't get USA stamps, buy postal reply coupons at your post office and send TWO. TO GET THE NEXT VANTAGE POINT NEWS SASE Endorsed Books and put VPN on the outside of the SASE. Mark any SASE with what you want returned in it.

In 1984, I spent nearly a third of the year on the road -- 5 weeks of that at Jean's working on ZELEROD'S DOOM, 5 more weeks because my mother died, the rest at cons. I plan fewer con trips in '85 to catch up, and to help Gail through "moving away to college," and catching up on my work.

WORD FROM AUSTRALIA: Janet Boyd says Jean's and my books are available at the Galaxy Bookshop in Sydney. Others tell us that some warehouse has dumped my books into remainder channels in Australia and they can no longer be ordered from local suppliers. I don't plan to go to AussieconII, but I'd really like to know if book availability in Australia falls off. Endorsed Books will continue to accept orders from Australia.

For a chronological list of my '84-5 publications, SASE Endorsed Books and ask for Publication Schedule 845.

Jean Lorrah's EMPIRE BOOKS carries all our collaborations plus all Jean's own books. She now has copies of her new STAR TREK novel for Pocket, VULCAN ACADEMY MURDERS. For an order form SASE Jean at PO Box 625, Murray KY 42071. (She has two more SAVAGE EMPIRE novels on the way and is incubating a sequel to VULCAN ACADEMY MURDERS. Jean's books are not mentioned in RECOMMENDED READING because I assume you've all read them or wouldn't miss them. Consider them all recommended.)

AMBROV KEON, Jean Lorrah's first solo Sime/Gen (sold to DAW as a pb original), the prequel to HOUSE OF ZEOR, has been scheduled for winter '85-6. DAW's policy is to do one S/G a year.

RENSIME, DAW Dec. '84, cover price $2.95 / $4.25 from Endorsed Books -- carries Katie Filipowicz's update of the S/G chronology in the back of the book. Debate on the cover art rages, but it is DAW's second lead for Dec. and should be available wherever DAW books are sold.

Volume II of the Book of the First Lifewave, CITY OF A MILLION LEGENDS. (not a S/G, but the sequel to MOLT BROTHER) has been scheduled for Feb. '85 with a reprint of MB out in Jan. We're now accepting SASES for COML. Vol. III of the Book of the First Lifewave, LAST PERSUADERS, is under contract.

Berkley plans to reprint their 4 S/G books, HoZ in June '85, Unto in Oct. '85, FCh Feb. '86, and Trinrose summer '86, but prices have not been announced. I don't even know if they'll get new covers, but MOLT BROTHER didn't get new art, just new overprinting.

CURRENT WORK: Jean & I have just finished the rewrite of ZELEROD'S DOOM, and I'm about to start on the third book in my trilogy for the revived Popular Library's new QUESTAR line of SF. Look for the publicity in major media and watch for this new imprint's debut in April '84. My trilogy is set in a new universe based on a cross between Dr. Who and Andre Norton's STAR RANGERS, and is called the DUSHAU TRILOGY: DUSHAU, FARFETCH, OUTREACH. Book I, DUSHAU is scheduled for May '85, and FARFETCH has been scheduled for Sept. '85 (we are accepting SASES for notification of price and exact publication date on those two.) If I finish the third book in time, Questar will publish it probably early '86. DUSHAU involves a love story between a nearly immortal nonhuman male and a human woman as they struggle to found a colony.

ZELEROD'S DOOM by Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah, an original DAW book, the sequel to HOUSE OF ZEOR. It picks up 16 years after HoZ and is still only half the story we've wanted to tell all these years, so there should still be a sequel to it, SHEN THE TECTON. It is in final rewrite now and hasn't yet been accepted by DAW. Endorsed Books, however, is accepting SASES for addresses that will be good in 1987 only!

YOUR PREFERENCE: NEW CHOICES: Three fans have come up with novels I'd like to try to sell. Kerry Schaefer has a Frevven novel (SEE AZ #13), Andrea Alton has a Genrunner Novel (see PARTNERS in CZ #8 for the intro to the main characters), and Lin Bordwell has one set just before Digen's time called STARRED CROSS PATROL involving a strain of unusually empathic Gens who become rescue vigilantes for out-Territory changeover victims (it includes a love story with a Tecton channel.) Along with these, Jean is incubating COMPANIONS the sequel to CHANNEL'S DESTINY, and I want to write the sequel to COMPANIONS, THE FARRIS CHANNEL, about the founding of the House of Zeor. At DAW's one-a-year policy this takes us a good bit into the '90's. The vote I'd like to see now is RANK THESE FIVE PROPOSED NOVELS, IN YOUR ORDER OF PREFERENCE or tell me which ones you don't want to spend time on.

The previous poll indicated a clear preference for filling in the early books before going on with the space travel era, and all of the above books are in timezones you preferred. Considering DAW's policy, it may be late into the 90's before we get to the sequel to TRINROSE and to the interstellar era (in which I can write books that don't center on the fight against The Kill.)

RECOMMENDED BOOKS: I put out an informal news sheet recommending books that have impressed S/G readers. I run this on odd sheets of paper between printouts, so it's a rapidly changing item. Anyone interested, either keep in touch with me, or send an occasional SASE labeled RECOMMENDED READING, or recommend your latest favorite for the rest of us.

REVIEWS: My agent gets reviews from SFC, Locus, PW, the New York Newspapers, and a few major fanzines. If you run across any other reviews of mine or Jean Lorrah's work (good or bad) please do send them to us.

SIME/GEN WELCOMMITTEE. Rayna Daughtry has resigned as head of the Welcommittee, and Beth Ann Wempe ((street address removed), Redlands, CA 92373) has ably taken over and I want to thank her very much. With the upcoming surge in titles available, it's likely that S/G Wel will be drowning in work so anyone who wants to volunteer to help (and acquire a few of some of the most wonderful friends available) please write directly to Beth Ann. If you're new to sf fandom, Beth Ann can help you find 'zines and cons and other people with your same interests, for S/G fen tend to have a wealth of other interests in common.

SONGS: The S/G songbook is now available from Kerry Schaefer, who is also the creator of Frevven, the nearsighted disjunct channel who wants to pledge Zeor featured in Ambrov Zeor #13. Slowly, more songs are collecting, so there may be a Songbook II. (you will be able to buy just the additional songsheets if you already have Book I). The Songbook I is $3.00 from Kerry Schaefer, POB 39, South Yarmouth, MA 02664. SASE her if you're interested in the second songbook, and another SASE if you'd like a tape of S/G songs. Some fen are interested in trying to produce a tape. Kerry has invented her own sf universe and is writing novels about a trisexual species.

KERRY SCHAEFER: now has the back issue stock of AZ and is filling orders from her home--so for fast service, order BACK ISSUES of AZ from Kerry. Kerry is also doing the letter column for AZ now, and LoCs may go directly to her if they don't require my answers.

POST SYNDROME: Kerry Schaefer is ALSO doing a special one-shot 'zine on S/G sexuality using much of the controversial material Katie's Zeor Forum had no space for. She intends to deal with many issues our general readers found objectionable. She wants to hear from anyone willing to be on a letter comment robin or who has a topic to discuss. And she's collecting SASES from anyone interested in buying a copy of this letterzine - which will be called POSTSYNDROME.

AZ LETTERCOL EDITOR & COPYRIGHT AUTHORITY: KERRY SCHAEFER also holds both these positions. If you are planning to publish a newsletter or 'zine involving any of my universes, or if you want to get a free copy of AZ for a letter-of-comment (LoC), write Kerry, address above.

AMBROV ZEOR: the combined reprint of issues 1, 2 & 3 is now being printed (at last!). AZ #14 with another Kerry Schaefer Frevven story is next.

ALSO ON TAPE: Much of the S/G fanzine material has been taped for the blind and handicapped readers. For info. SASE Terry Terlau, (street address removed), Lexington, KY 40504. She'll send information on how many cassettes to send for copies of the fanzines.

REGISTRAR OF HOUSEHOLDINGS: Register your Householding with Pat Munson-Siter, (street address removed), Ellsworth AFB, SD 57706. This is a listing of fan-invented householdings (used by fans in writing stories, or sometimes as an activity group name) using as much authentic s/g heraldry as possible. If you suddenly can't reach her at this address, send for another Vantage Point News to get her new address. ATTENTION ALL REGISTERED HOUSEHOLDINGS: Pat is culling the list of Households. All registered Houses should contact her immediately to stay registered.

KEEPER'S TOWER: Keeper's Tower, as most of you know, was the name under which I was keeping the register of Darkovan Councils. Keeper's Tower is disbanded. The organization of Darkover fan activities is slowly being dissolved. For further information, SASE FRIENDS OF DARKOVER, POB 72, BERKELEY, CA 94701.

KRAITH COLLECTED: (Kraith is my fanzine series of STAR TREK stories) Carol Lynn has now married Richard Green, but she is not going to change her name. Her NEW ADDRESS FOR ALL KRAITH MAIL is (street address removed), Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230. SASE there for current availability of Kraith Collected (they are still being reprinted regularly as demand indicates). Debbie Goldstein now lives in Nashville, TN, near enough to Jean Lorrah to visit occasionally. Mary Ann Drach is still working on the next major Kraith story - (by the way, if I ever do a professional ST novel, it won't resemble Kraith.)

UNDERSTANDING KRAITH: this dictionary of Kraith terms is a good introduction to the Kraith Series. $1.00 plus postage from Judy Segal, (street address removed), Pawling, NY 12564. Judy keeps the STAR TREK DIRECTORY for STWelcommittee. SASE her for more info. She's also written a STW booklet for new writers called PROTOCOLS. Excellent for the new writer.

SIME/GEN CONCORDANCE: Katie Filipowicz is concentrating on learning programming. She's begun putting the S/G Concordance onto our database, but only just begun!

ZEOR FORUM #5 is now available (100pp! $3.75). SASE Katie for an order form or further information on the concordance, at (street address removed), Spring Valley, NY 10977. She announced in ZF #5 that ZF #6 would have to go offset, but now she realizes that even so, she doesn't have TIME to edit it. So ZEOR FORUM is now seeking a new editor. Volunteers may contact Katie or me - be careful what you volunteer for - you may get it!

RATHOR RESEARCH: This is a division we've just formed to make the power of this computer available to you. Katie has acquired the fancy, professional level astrology calculation program and will soon be able to take orders for astrological charts as well as biorhythm charts. We can now provide basic information to the curious who would like to know what their charts look like, or to the semi-professional who wants charts in several House Systems and different methods of calculation. We can do comparison charts to determine compatibility between two people, and progressions to show how your personality matures with age. We will soon have separate order forms available for amateur and professional services. Send a SASE, labeled amateur or professional, to Katie Filipowicz, Rathor Research, (street address removed), Spring Valley, NY 10977.

KAREN LITMAN has by dint of heroic effort on her part plus incredible sacrifices on Bruce's (her husband) part COMPANION IN ZEOR #8 AVAILABLE!!! (see YOUR PREFERENCE above for why you should order it) Karen's now accepting contributions for CZ #9. SASE Karen Litman, (street address removed), Somers Pt., NJ 08244.

ESOTERICON II. MZB and I have been invited back to this con for Jan. '85, Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday Weekend. The con is devoted to serious study of real-world occult disciplines, with workshops, seminars, and panels. The Sheraton Heights Hotel, 650 Terrace Ave, Hasbrouk Hts., NJ 07604. For Info. SASE me at Ambrov Zeor, POB 290, Monsey, NY 10952 AND PUT ESOTERICON ON THE OUTSIDE OF ENVELOPE.

CONFERENCE ON THE FANTASTIC (Swanncon), is in Beaumont TX, Mar. 13-17, '85. Jean & I will be there.

I DO NOT INTEND TO GO TO AUSTRALIA for the 1985 Worldcon, and have not yet made plans to go to the Nasfic in Austin, TX.

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: Jean Lorrah had great success at the JESSE STUART CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP for '83, with the new 4 day format. Her university is considering an '85 edition in early June '85, and run over a weekend. Low tuition and cheap dorm room & board make this workshop the bargain of the year. Those interested, SASE Jean Lorrah, PO Box 625, Murray, KY 42071.

SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS OF AMERICA SPEAKERS BUREAU: If you know a group that wants to hire an sf writer to lecture, teach, read a latest work, or just speak, contact me at the PO Box 290 address. I head the SFWA Speaker's Bureau.

WORLDCON #44, will be in Atlanta, Georgia, Aug. 28 - Sept. 1,'86. For info: CONFEDERATION 2500 N. Atlanta St. #1986, Smyrna, GA, 30080 (tel: 404-GET-DXIE). Rates are already past $35.

TO GET THE NEXT VANTAGE POINT NEWS: send a SASE Endorsed Books address and mark it VPN.

Live Long and Prosper,

Jacqueline Lichtenberg