FIRST TRANSFER #5 8806

FROM THE SOSECTU'S DESK

by Marge Robbins, Sosectu in Chanel

Greetings fellow fans!

Welcome to our fandom for those of you who are receiving this for the First Time. We are glad you have joined us and hope that you will find this newsletter useful.

The Sime/Gen Welcommittee has as its motto: WE stand so that no one has to stand alone. If there is anything I or anyone on my staff can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Should you ever lose touch with us for any reason and PO Box 290 Monsey, NY 10952 does not respond, we can always be reached through Jacqueline Lichtenberg in care of any of her publishers.

In reading the copy for the last issue of this publication, I see that the big announcement then was the Litman move. Karen Litman, editor of COMPANION IN ZEOR and her husband had just bought a house and were moving. Now, another of our editors Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer, editor of AMBROV ZEOR is also moving. She is leaving Cape Cod, where she has lived for some time, to join her father in North Carolina. You will find address information in the zine listings. I wonder if there is a trend here? I myself moved across town just six months ago.

On other fronts, Jacqueline has half-finished the first draft of DREAMSPY, a companion volume to THOSE OF MY BLOOD, her vampire novel. BLOOD is due to be released in December. It will be the lead SF title for the month at St. Martin's Press. Jacqueline has asked for our help in making sure that it does well. See her suggestions in Jacqueline's Corner.

Householding Chanel and Householding Takear are sponsoring a joint pledge ceremony and Faith Day celebration at Darkover Grand Council Thanksgiving weekend. We invite all S/G fans to join us. For more information contact me or Sectuib Takear, aka Linda Whitten. We would love to see you there.

There has been a change in the roleplaying department. Linda Whitten is taking over in that area. She is currently working on a computer listing of personas and backgrounds. If you are interested in being a part of that, please contact her.

The cartoons on these pages were done by Donell Meadows. O.P. is a precocious octopus who has been plaguing the Sectuib in Alger (Donell) for over a year now. His antics seem to have no end.

And finally, this newsletter is in desperate need of submissions, short news items on anything you think would be of interest to other S/F fen, puzzles, games, artwork are all welcome. And a note to all Heads of Householdings; when you accept a new pledge please let me know so we can announce it in First Transfer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ZEOR FORUM #6 is available from Katie Filipowicz. Sase her for information. Her address is (street address removed), Spring Valley, NY 10977

COMPANION IN ZEOR #9 is available from Karen Litman. Her address is (street address removed), Pleasantville, NJ 08232

AMBROV ZEOR #16 is available from Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer. (street address removed), Swansboro, NC 28584. Kerry also has some back issues of CZ & ZF, all issues of AZ, POSTSYNDROME, a one shot zine on sexuality in the S/G universe, and a very lovely S/G Songbook.

HOUSEHOLDING CHANEL INQUIRER #1 is available from Marge Robbins. See address in Wel listings.

Karen Litman is in charge of the taping project. This involves putting S/G books and zines on tape for the blind and print handicapped. She has recently expanded this to include Jean Lorrah's Savage Empire series. If you would like to read for this project or receive the tapes, please SASE Karen.

Jacqueline will be leading a Writers' workshop entitled USING THE TAROT FOR CHARACTERIZATION AND PLOT DEVELOPMENT at Ecumenicon I July 29-31 1988 Arlington VA. For more info, SASE the Welcommittee.

Judy Segal has taken over editorship of the ST Welcommittee Directory. Her address is P.O. Box 414, Pawling NY 12564. Congratulations Judy.

The ST Wel has a very nice newsletter available for a SASE from Mary Manchester, (street address removed), Rochester, NY 14620. You can send info for their newsletter to Shirley S. Maiewski, (street address removed), Hatfield, MA 01038

Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer has available a limited number of copies of GEEP, the book of stories and poetry recently published containing material by members of N3F (National Fantasy Fan Federation). The cover prices is $10, but by special arrangement Kerry can offer them to S/G fans for $6 (including postage). Kerry has a story in the book and will autograph your copy if you wish.

A SECRET PLACE is a new zine devoted to the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST universe. For more information contact MKASHEF ENTERPRISES, P.O. Box 368, Poway, CA 92064

Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY MAGAZINE will be making its debut in June, with quarterly issues thereafter. SASE MZB Enterprises P.O. Box 72, Berkeley, CA 94701

Jacqueline Lichtenberg's con appearances

SHORE LEAVE Hunt Valley MD July 8-10

ECUMENICON Arlington VA July 29-31

Worldcon '88, New Orleans Sept 1-5

DARKOVER GRAND COUNCIL XI Thanksgiving weekend, Hunt Valley MD. (Jacqueline will be in attendance at the Tecton Faith Day celebration mentioned earlier. Don't miss this one)

For more information on these cons SASE the Wel.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM JEAN LORRAH

TRUST LIKE THE SOUL, a Blake's 7 fan novel by Jean will be available this SPRING. For details SASE Jean at Empire Books, P.O. Box 625, Murray, KY 42071-0625

RING OF DECEIT, a ST fan novel by Susan Moore & edited by Jean, is scheduled to make its appearance at Mediawestcon Memorial on Day weekend.

For a complete listing of works available by Jean, SASE her for the Empire Books newsletter.

Con appearances

Mediawestcon Memorial Day weekend

Tetracon One Aug 12-14

Worldcon '88 Sept 1-5

For more details, SASE the S/G Wel.

WELCOMMITTEE STAFF

Marjorie Robbins, (street address removed), Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 - Wel Head

Linda Whitten, (street address removed), Anaheim, CA 92805 - Roleplaying Dept

Mark Kadey, (street address removed), Oshawa, Ontario L1J-5X8 Canada - Contact Letters

Joan Panichella, (street address removed), Avenel NJ 07001 - Contact Letters

Donell Meadows, (street address removed), Birmingham, AL 35222 - Contact Letters

PUZZLE PAGE

Word Scramble answers

channel, Valleroy, Householding, Starred-Cross, Naztehr, Sectuib, Companion, Runzi, Deproda, transfer

WORD SEARCH by Marge Robbins

(Sosectu's note: Honesty prompts me to add that this is computer generated.)

C O M P A N I O N G

P H Q F Y S O S U E

R I A L I T E V I N

E Q E N P L E D G E

A S G A N K E O N N

B I U T C E S O S T

Z D R Z N F L U G R

X E I E N E J A H A

G G O H T E C T O N

P M R R O N O D N W

CHANNEL

COMPANION

DONOR

ENTRAN

GEN

GULF

HAJENE

KEON

NAZTEHR

NEED

NIVET

PLEDGE

RIALITE

RIOR

SECTUIB

SELYN

SOSECTU

SOSU

TECTON

ZEOR

JACQUELINE'S CORNER

DREAMSPY

BY

JACQUELINE LICHTENBERG

(Editor's note: The second half of this article will be in HCI#2. It is a good description of DREAMSPY'S Plot.)

As yet, very few have read THOSE OF MY BLOOD. It is in production at St. Martin's Press and having a very hard time of it. The cover has had to be redone and the copyediting had to be undone and redone. The Editorial Department is superb, but THOSE OF MY BLOOD is taking the short end of the stick everywhere else. However, another novel, DREAMSPY, has already been bought by St. Martin's Press and I have two more novels in mind which I'm going to tell you about now.

But first, I must note that there are Sime/Gen fans who have not discovered that what they like about Sime/Gen is in fact the vampire themes, and so they have concluded that THOSE OF MY BLOOD isn't worth getting excited about. I certainly hope I can convince them that they are wrong because a lot depends on the success of that one book in its hardcover edition.

Most people who have picked up a vampire novel and hated it would automatically shy away from what I have called my vampire love story. They would assume that I have written a horror novel emphasizing psychopathology in an unhealthy relationship as most other vampire novels do. Most scholars assume that the essence of the vampire is a kind of S&M or Dominance game in sexuality. I firmly believe that the success of the vampire novel stems from the horror/evil theme, the hero being helpless before overwhelming destruction, the most he/she can hope for being a draw. I left both of these elements out of my vampire novel because I disagree with both scholars and publishers.

I'm depending on the Sime/Gen readership to prove my point. And it doesn't have to cost you money, all you have to do is inquire at your local book stores about THOSE OF MY BLOOD due out on Oct. 31, 1988 from St. Martin's Press (editor note: that has been moved back to December), 416 pages (at least) and $19.95 cover price. ($22.50 from me.) Every time this summer that you do go by the store, stop in and ask if they're going to carry the book. In September or October, put in a reserve on the book at your local library and a suggestion in the suggestion box. If they don't have such a system, then ask to see the librarian in charge of ordering and request the book. (then you get to read it for free.)

If they need more, ask them to check the reviews of my previous books in the New York Times and to check 1987 BOOKS IN PRINT under my name.

If you're a member of a book club, write and ask for THOSE OF MY BLOOD to be done by your club.

The reason I'm asking this of all of you is that St. Martin's Press intends to sacrifice the hardcover of BLOOD as they have all their previous hardcovers in the SF line (which is the line BLOOD is being published by.) They do not intend to sell any copies. They are doing the hc only to get reviews they can print on the cover of the paperback. As a result of this policy their paperbacks are not getting distributed at all. (check your chain stores and department store racks and you'll see what I mean. St. Martin's is doing at least one SF title a month already. Where are the books?)

Check your local bookstores and note that all the Del Rey, Tor, Bantam, Spectra, etc. etc. SF is there in hardcover, but the only St. Martin's hc's on the shelves are non-sf. St. Martin's SF is the line THOSE OF MY BLOOD will be distributed by, and therefore the only hope is that arm of S/G fans who will be pulling that book through (ahem!) channels. If we can pull through these channels just 200 copies more than the other titles in the line, it will show up visible on the computers and BLOOD will be a success.

If that does not happen, DREAMSPY will be treated even more poorly, and there will be no hope for sale of the other two novels I have in mind.

What does this have to do with Sime/Gen? As I noted in the latest VANTAGE POINT NEWS (SASE me for a copy) this hiatus is normal for the life of any series and in fact I'm somewhat glad it comes now. We are in the process of having the rights to the books reverted so they can be resold as a package to a single publisher and eventually come out as a matched set. This may take ten years, or, if THOSE OF MY BLOOD is a great success, it may take considerably fewer than that - because people who like BLOOD will love S/G and create a demand.

(meanwhile, S/G fandom is not languishing. If the books revert and become unavailable, then we can publish editions of our own. This isn't Star Trek. We OWN this stuff.)

HOUSEHOLDING NEWS

(Editor's note: S/G fans tend to organize into little sub-groups called Householdings, patterned after Zeor and the other Houses in the novels. They are, in essence, mini-fan clubs.)

Mark Kadey has taken over the Householding registry. Contact him to register your Householding or to obtain the complete listing. His address is in the Wel listing. For space reasons, I'm on only listing Householdings that are currently accepting new pledges.

If anyone has Householding news they wish announced, please let me know and I will put it in this column.

HOUSEHOLDING TAKEAR

SECTUIB LINDA WHITTEN

(street address removed) ANAHEIM, CA 92805

HOUSEHOLDING KAMALI

SECTUIB MARK KADEY

(street address removed) OSHAWA ONT L1J-5X8 CANADA

HOUSEHOLDING GLEN EYRIE

SOSECTU DANA DICKENS

(street address removed) ARAVADA CA 80003

HOUSEHOLDING TURAN

SOSECTU JULIE HINES

(street address removed) LOUISVILLE, KY 40206

HOUSEHOLDING CHANEL

SOSECTU MARGE ROBBINS

(street address removed) CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52403

HOUSEHOLDING LARIEN

SECTUIB DONNA BANZHOFF

(street address removed) EL CAJON CA 92020

NEW PLEDGES

JAMES BRYSON - CHANEL

End of First Transfer # 5