FIRST TRANSFER #6 8901

FROM THE SOSECTU'S DESK

by Marge Robbins, Sosectu in Chanel

Greetings fellow fans!

I'm writing this with very mixed emotions since it is the very last editorial I'll ever write as Head of the welcommittee. I resigned in November to take over the editorship of Zeor Forum. I will, at least for a while continue to edit this publication though.

Linda Whitten is now the new head of the Welcommittee. She is a very talented lady and I know she will do well.

Otherwise the Wel organization will be staying about the same. So, please feel free to contact any one of us if we can be of assistance to you. Now I'll yield the floor to Linda who will be writing the lead editorials from now on.

Linda speaks

Well here it is. Another New Year and another shift in the powers that be in Jacqueline's fandom. Hi everybody. I'm Linda Whitten and have the privilege of becoming the new head of the Wel. By request, the name of the Wel (as it will always be called for short) has changed.

The Sime/Gen Welcommittee just didn't cover all the bases, so to speak, of the wide variety of Jacqueline's universes. So, owing to the fact that I had to make a name change on short notice for the Fandom directory, we are currently called The alternate universes Welcommittee. This is by no means a permanent change. It was simply the best I could do with a certain charming lady's help on such short notice. (Yes, Jacqueline, I'm referring to you.)

Now, if there are no objections, I would be very happy to hold a little contest of sorts in finding a more suitable name for our wonderful fandom. The prize! Well, let me see ... for now, let's say it is the satisfaction that YOU had your suggestion chosen. And in the meantime I'll think of something more suitable besides boosting your ego for the winning title. The time-frame will be from the time you get this newsletter until May 31...Just prior to my moving to the First Transfer Editor's home in Iowa.

Don't forget, also, that the Wel is here to help you. That is one of our many functions. Without you, the fans, we wouldn't be here. And it goes without saying that Jacqueline appreciates your support as well.

Yours in Unity,

Linda Whitten

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Marge Robbins, (street address removed), Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 is taking over as editor and is in need of submissions.

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. It you would like to read for this project or receive the tapes, please SASE Karen.

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 price 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

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 Day weekend.

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

WELCOMMITTEE STAFF

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

Linda Whitten, (street address removed), Anaheim, CA 92805-3106 - Wel head/Roleplaying

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

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's 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 visibly 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 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 92805-3106

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

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NEW PLEDGES

Terrilyn Mcmanus - Chanel

Lori Goldfeder-Schultz - Chanel

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End of First Transfer # 6