Eugene Fischer

Tag: Asimov’s

Reading 2016: March

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The start of April was so busy, I forgot to ever post this.

  1. Hawkeye vol. 2 by Matt Fraction and David Aja – The conclusion to their run on the title. The deaf issue was really amazing, but it had been too long since I’d read the previous volume to remember some of the identities in Kate’s branch of the story, and I just muddled forward rather than going back to review. Not having ever been a Marvel reader or knowing there was precedent, I was legit surprised when Clint Barton was deafened.
  2. Miracleman: The Golden Age by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham – My first time reading Gaiman’s contribution to the title. He followed up the mythic grandeur of Moore’s conclusion in probably the only way that would work: by telling a series of small, human stories in a still-fresh utopia. It lets the story take a breath, builds room for new kinds of narrative consequence to form, which we perhaps see only the very beginning of in this volume. I look forward to seeing the arc completed.
  3. The Anatomy of Melancholy by Joey Comeau and Emily Horne – The Kickstarted best-of book for A Softer World, which I will miss. Every page made me want to claim the words as my own and pretend to be cleverer than I really am.
  4. Hugo and Nebula Award Winners from Asimov’s Science Fiction edited by Sheila Williams – I picked this out of my parents’ library to read after “The New Mother” was nominated for a Nebula. It has a lot of old favorites, like “Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler, “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson, and “Beggars in Spain” by Nancy Kress. I think my favorite story here that I hadn’t read before was “Barnacle Bill the Spacer” by Lucious Shepard.
  5. The New and Improved Romie Futch by Julia Elliott – I’d been looking forward to Elliott’s debut novel ever since I read her debut collection The Wilds last year, and it did not disappoint. It’s a story of artificial intelligence enhancement, in conversation with Flowers for Algernon and Camp Concentration, but with a southern gothic humor and occasional satirical edge that I found delightful. I nominated it for a Hugo award which it will certainly not win because it isn’t well-known enough within the genre. But on merits it deserves that kind of attention.

Asimov’s Readers’ Awards Finalist

I thrilled to be able to announce today that “The New Mother” is a finalist in the 30th annual Asimov’s Readers’ Awards, a list that includes many wonderful writers, and not a few friends. I notice that the April/May issue was a particularly strong one; in addition to my novella, two other stories from that issue made the list, one more than any other installment. I also get a superficial thrill out of seeing my name next to Greg Egan’s. It’s just a quirk of alphabetization, but it makes me happy.

Asimov’s has also put up .pdf files of most of the finalist, so you can read a lovely, magazine format version of “The New Mother” if that strikes your fancy, and load it on any .pdf friendly device. As ever, continual thanks to Sheila Williams for championing this story, and thanks to all of the Asimov’s readers who voted for it.

Start Reading “The New Mother” Online

as_logo_blThe fine people at Asimov’s have just posted a long, free excerpt of my novella on their site. And when I say long, I mean 8,500 words long. Long enough to meet pensive Tess Mendoza and her confident partner Judy. Long enough to learn about the strange new infectious condition moving through the population. Long enough to hear from scientists and administrators and religious fanatics. Plenty long enough to know if you like the story. So if you’re the clever sort who wants to try before you buy, I encourage you to click through and check out my work. If you enjoy it, be sure to note the “e-Asimov’s” link at the bottom for all the download options a person could want.

Asimov’s Cover Revealed

Asimov's Science Fiction – April-May 2015Contributor copies are landing in mailboxes and posters are going up for bookstores, so seems about time to show off the next Asimov’s cover. Behold its gorgeousness! This is the work of Gary Freeman (Flash site), who’s done many covers for the magazine over the years. I think this one is perfect; striking, creepy, and clearly informed by the text. I’m finding it unspeakably thrilling to have tossed words on paper out into the world and seen stunning art ripple back. (Is this is how my comics-writing friends feel all the time? I bet it is.) Five women, all different ages but with the same face. I’d go in to all the details that make this a wonderful illustration of my novella, but I don’t think I could do so without spoiling the story. So for now let it serve here the same beguiling purpose it will on shelves and newsstands. The issue goes on sale March 17.

UPDATE: It’s out now! Get it here!

Asimov’s Has It Covered

It’s not out yet, but it will be soon. My novella “The New Mother” will be in the very next issue of Asimov’s, which means details have started to drop. If you take a look at their Next Issue feature, you’ll notice it leads off with this:

Eugene Fischer’s cover story chronicles a pregnant reporter’s investigation of a mysterious illness that has the potential to cause massive society upheaval and which will certainly engender repercussions for “The New Mother.”

Ha! “Engender” indeed. This’ll be my first time being on the cover of, well, anything.

Sale: “The New Mother” to Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine

It’s been a while since my last one of these announcements. Part of that is because I decided to take a break from submitting stories while I was in grad school, so I could focus entirely on being a student of writing. But grad school is well behind me now, and I’ve begun tentatively sending out my work again. Just as I was back in 2009, I’ve been fortunate to find an appreciative reader in Asimov’s editor Sheila Williams.

“The New Mother” was the heart of my masters thesis. It’s a novella about reproductive rights and motherhood in an alternate present where the spread of a new infectious condition throws established notions about them into question. I spent more time on  it than on any other piece of fiction I’ve yet written, taking it through revision after revision as I learned new things at Iowa. It’s been in my head and on my hard drive, in one form or another, for three years now. I’m thrilled that people are finally going to get to read it.

“Adrift” Reaches Stores

The April/May double issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, containing my story “Adrift,” is now in stores.  This is what the cover looks like, complete with a list of other people I am totally stoked to be sharing a table of contents with!

Look mom and dad!  Finally!  My name, up in ink!

Behind the Scenes at Asimov’s on the Sofanauts

People interested in the ongoing discussion about the future of short fiction may be interested in the most recent episode of The Sofanauts.  The Sofanauts is usually a show about current events in the SF field, but this week’s episode is a special with writers Jeff Vandermeer and Jeremy Tolbert and Asimov’s editors Sheila Williams and Brian Bieniowski, discussing the state of Asimov’s in particular and the print markets for short SF in general. Among the interesting things on the program is an explanation for why the seemingly precipitous decline in subscriber numbers over the last couple of decades, commented on by Warren Ellis and others, is a misleading artifact of a changed marketing model.  (I’d actually like even more detail on what the old model was and how it contributed to inflated numbers.)  Also, Sheila informs that subscriber numbers have risen 10% in the last year, lead by electronic subscriptions through the Kindle. Jeff and Jeremy take Brian and Sheila to task for the state of Asimov’s internet presence, and Sheila reveals some behind-the-scenes information about the contraints that come with being part of a larger organization.  A very interesting 90 minutes for people following the “are the magazines doomed or aren’t they?” debate.

A Lot of Good News

To begin, other people’s good news:

  • First, and long run most important, Mary Anne had a baby!  Howdy, Anandan.  Welcome to the world.
  • Paul Berger sold one of his Clarion stories, “Small Burdens” to Strange Horizons.  It should be showing up next year in the Spring, and it is a marvelous piece of work.
  • Meghan McCarron also sold a story to Strange Horizons.  It will also be showing up next Spring, and is titled “WE HEART VAMPIRES!!!!!!”  My personal connection to Meghan is tenuous–I met her at WisCon and was probably creepily excited to do so.  But every one of her stories I’ve read has blown me away, so this leaps onto my list of eagerly anticipated works.
  • Sarah Miller put in the legwork to compile a list of Clarion ’08 publications.  It’s still incomplete, but we’re tallying in email, and it seems that in the slightly more than a year since we disbanded, we’ve sold 25 stories, 10 of which were written at Clarion, and 7 of which are to pro markets.  This counts as meta good news, in a “lots of my friends are doing awesome things” kinda way.

And now, my own good news.

  • I got a job.  After stringing together two consecutive months without losing a day to debilitating intestinal pain, it was time to stop living entirely off my parents.  I will be teaching the GRE for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.  This is part time work, and how much work is available depends on student demand.  I’ll find out how much of my costs this will reliably cover after I finish training.  I may end up needing another job in tandem, but after being on my back for most of a year, this is an awfully heartening development.
  • Another heartening development — I sold a story to Asimov’s!  It’s a hard-SF story titled “Adrift,” (I never was able to think up a better title for it than my working title.  It’s kind of boring, but whatever.) and I haven’t yet been told when it will run.  But when it does it will be my first publication that I can point at in a bookstore.  I’m pretty excited about that.
  • My website is working again. Hello website.

Things Are Different

The world today is a subtly changed place, full of mystery and curiosities.  The tide of popular opinion waxes on strange shores:

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Long familiar things have mutated into nearly unrecognizable forms:

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But the most important change of the day?  That would be this:

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What?  You don’t see it?  Understandable.  Look closer:

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My friend and former roomie Ferrett‘s first pro sale, “Camera Obscured,” hit the stands today.  I got to see the first draft of this story at Clarion, and was thrilled for him when it was bought by Asimov’s only a few months later.  This makes Ferrett the first Clarion ’08er to crack one of the so-called “big three.”  Asimov’s was the one my parents subscribed to when I was a kid, and thus retains a special, nostalgia-tinged place in my affections.  Holding a copy of it that has a friend’s story inside is pretty exciting for me.  Way to go, Ferrett!