Updates
I love getting to know new people, especially people who are fascinating. Dale has been involved with film, science fiction, and been interested in radio. He's co-written multiple books on film making, has numerous book projects in the works, and seems to be constantly adding more and more projects to his diverse and vast list.
He's a genuinely nice guy and a talented writer. We are proud to present the Author Spotlight of Dale Newton, author of a story in Cifiscape Vol. II.
Cifiscape
How did you get into writing?
Dale: I started writing creatively in my early teens. I had an uncle who lived in Japan, and my brother and I arranged for him to buy each of us one of the early portable tape recorders being made there. I began writing little scripts for us to perform on audio recordings. This later blossomed into a fascination with radio dramas of the 1930s and 1940s. I remember doing historical re-enactments on audiotape for school history projects. About that time the first "portable" video equipment started appearing, and I began writing scripts for video productions at school.
Cifiscape
What’s your background with writing fiction?
Dale: I've been writing fictions from the very beginning, mostly in the form of radio, video, or film scripts. My bachelor's degree is in English Education, so I picked up some formal training along with exposure to lots of great literature during my coursework. I've taken a variety of writing classes since that time and have been a member of a couple of writing groups.
Cifiscape
Where did the idea for Wardrobe Malfunction come from?
Dale: The kernel of the idea has been kicking around in my head for half-dozen years. I saw a student at my daughter's high school wearing a separate sleeve with a t-shirt, and it occurred to me that would be a good way to carry personal electronics. I later used the idea in a treatment for an instructional video that was set in the future, but sadly the project never took place. When I started thinking how the Twin Cities would be different in the future, I remembered this idea and realized we'd have very different clothing if the growth in personal electronics is any indicator. The story grew from that seed of an idea. After I wrote the story, I ran across an article about a fellow who had designed a wearable television screen as a vest. It's hard to stay ahead of the future.
Cifiscape
I saw that you’ve co-written a bunch of books about filmmaking. Is that a particular interest of yours?
Dale: I've been making movies since I was 13 years old when I fell in love with the idea of creating a world in a movie. I've produced and worked on a number of independent movies.
Cifiscape
Is that something that you do on the side?
Dale: Making feature-length and short movies is an avocation. Making instructional, informational, and promotional videos is a big part of my vocation.
Cifiscape
Tell me about your film Resident Alien?
Dale: It's a feature-length science-fiction comedy romance that I wrote and produced. In the movie, a failed astrophysics student and the only tenant in the building he manages both witness a crashing UFO and are nearly incinerated by it. When a mysterious stranger, an unscrupulous UFO investigator, and a wily sheriff arrive, their lives are turned upside down. The story reveals the dangers and adventures that arise when you wish on a star -- and your dreams come true.
Cifiscape
Do you write a lot of short stories?
Dale: At age 14, I wrote my first science-fiction short story, and then audaciously mailed it off to Ben Bova – famed author and then editor of Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact magazine – to be considered for publication. It was politely, but roundly, rejected.
Decades later – after writing a half-dozen feature-length screenplays, a passel of press releases, numerous Sunday School Christmas programs, scores of video scripts, and a pair of books on independent filmmaking – I offered my second science-fiction short story, Wardrobe Malfunction, for inclusion in Cifiscape Volume II. Apparently, the intervening years did me some good.
Cifiscape
What else are you currently working on?
Dale: I'm editing the second draft of a book I've written on special effects for movies, and I have the outlines for a book on video production and a book on personal motivation sitting in my office and nagging me to get started on them.
Cifiscape
Any more short stories coming out?
Dale: I have some more in mind, but haven't put pencil to paper yet.
Cifiscape
Are you working on any full-length novels?
Dale: I have not yet done a full-length novel. I'd like to do more short stories as training ground before I tackle a novel. Besides, I'm busy revising a stage play for teenagers that I wrote with my younger daughter. I'm also working on a stage musical with my older daughter, Jen Newton, who is a music composer.
Cifiscape
Any other screenplays
Dale: There is an animated feature-length script that is awaiting a rewrite, and I have a short puppetry film I'd like to find time to produce. I think that's plenty of projects for now.
Cifiscape
Do you listen to music when writing or editing, and if so what do you listen to?
Dale: The majority of my creative writing is done while I'm traveling on mass transit, so the background soundtrack for my work is usually the rattles and rumbles of a bus. I could bring along portable music, but the white noise of Metro Transit is enough for me to concentrate. However, when I am typing at the computer, I use a play list of music that stimulates my mind. It's quite eclectic, everything from Handel's Water Music to Regina Spektor, with Yma Sumac, Queen, Django Reinhardt, Bach, Avril Lavigne, Apollo 100, African djembe music, the Aquabats, Jen Newton, Gustave Holst, the Veronicas, and songs from Broadway musicals to spice things up between. My new favorites are the bands Vampire Weekend and Fun.
Cifiscape
Does it change depending on whether you’re writing or editing?
Dale: I generally use the same music for both. I find that energetic music helps me retreat into my head so I can visualize and focus on my work.
When I'm doing creative writing, I just write or type as fast as I can to keep up with the movie that's playing in my head. Music helps me block out distractions and gives a forward push to the work. When I'm doing more mundane technical writing, the music helps keep me motivated and working at a good pace. It's like a treat I get to have as long as I work.
Cifiscape
Is it based on mood?
Dale: If I want strong emotional content to a scene, I'll sometimes select a CD or a song from my play list that fits the mood of it. It helps conjure up ideas in the desired mood.
Thank you for visiting for another edition of Author Spotlight. We'll be doing this every week. Keep coming back to read them all. Also, Cifiscape Vol. II will be out in mid-March, so look for more news as it gets closer and closer to being finished.
Today we are starting a feature called "Author Spotlight." This will be an ongoing interview series that will allow us to delve a little deeper into the lives of our authors. You'll get to know them a little better, and so will we.
We wanted to start with someone who is both unique and talented. He has a pretty fascinating life, and it was really good to get to know him a little bit. Today we are starting with Aaron M. Wilson.
Let's get to the questions
Cifiscape
Did you always want to be an author?
Aaron: An "author," no. I have always been a writer. My parents are finally getting around to cleaning out the junk room, where they’ve stored childhood mementos, to create a workout room. Instead of tossing everything, as I’ve suggested, I’ve been getting boxes of reviews, stories, and poems that I wrote as far back as kindergarten. Yikes!
Cifiscape
What did you go to school for?
Aaron: I earned my dual undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and Rhetoric and Discourse with a minor in Environmental Studies, from Beloit College in Beloit, WI. All of my writing instructors and mentors, including those at Hamline University, where I earned my MFA in Writing, suggested that we write what we know. Thus, I’m always expanding what I know. My writing is heavily slanted towards environmental activism, using what I’ve learned from my minor.
Cifiscape
I noticed that you write about bikes and bike mechanics in a number of your stories, is that a personal interest of yours?
Aaron: I love bikes and biking. When the weather is good, I bike everywhere. I used to bike to work more often that I do now: 23 miles round trip. I feel that bikes and bike mechanics make great characters, especially environmental activists. I just don’t see humanity being able to continue its love affair with the automobile. Bikes are the answer.
Cifiscape
Have you ever worked as a bike mechanic?
Aaron: I wish. I know the basics. I interviewed with a couple of places, but because of my education and natural affinity for sales and management, they wanted me out front with customers instead of in back with the grease. It is still a dream of mine. I would like to find a small town with a bike mechanic need and open my own shop.
Cifiscape
In What’s For Dinner? (from Cifiscape Vol. I) you talk about organic food, and environmental catastrophe, do you have an interest in environmentalism, living green, and/or organic food?
Aaron: Yes, I don’t want to be one of those parents that has to answer their child’s question, “What were you thinking? Why is the earth such a mess? And why didn’t you do anything about it?” I want to respect the needs of future generations. The myth around organic foods is that they are healthier for you. That is marketing hype. The purpose of organic agriculture is to respect and replenish the earth, attempting to work with natural systems rather than against those systems. We need to respect natural systems or risk a societal collapse. However, in order to respect those systems and honor mother earth, we should eat as low to the ground as possible: vegetables, or as Michael Pollen puts it, “Mostly Plants.”
Cifiscape
What was your inspiration behind
The Skin Scholarship?
Aaron: Thanks for asking. The recession, mostly. However, I work in higher education as an adjunct instructor, and I see what students have to do in order to pay for school. Tuition is too high. Combine student’s plight over rising costs of education with the predatory sex trade, bingo, you’ve got
The Skin Scholarship. However, in this instance, I think that reality is worse. There are amateur porn sites that pay college students to create sex videos, and those sites pay well.
Cifiscape
How is it being a dad and an author?
Aaron: Nora is now four-months old. As the full-time (or as we call it, day-time) care provider, I do not have time to write. Thus, I am taking a writing hiatus. Once I came to the conclusion that Nora is my priority, my life became simpler. When she is older and a more independent nap-taker, I’ll resume a more regular writing regiment.
Cifiscape
Do you ever think about what your daughter will think of your writing when she’s grown up?
Aaron: I think that it is a parental fallacy to expect children to take an interest or appreciate their creative work. I hope that she likes it. However, I write for me first and adults second. So, it might be awhile before she sees any of it.
Cifiscape
Does that change the subject matter that you would talk about in your stories?
Aaron: No. I don’t write for her. I might write something for her in the future. I’m not going to put limitations on my creativity, but I do everything else for other people. Writing is for me.
Cifiscape
Are you working on anything new?
Aaron: Yes. I’ve put my novel on hold. The plan is to write several linked stories to create a novel in the world of
The Skin Scholarship. I’ve finished the first section that follows the downfall of Jonah (the main character in
The Skin Scholarship), and I’m on to the second character's story.
Cifiscape
Any more short stories coming out?
Aaron:
The Bike Mechanic is still in serial with eFiction Magazine. Right now, that is all that I have in the cooker.
Cifiscape
Do you listen to music when writing or editing, and if so what do you listen to?
I listen to
The Crystal Method. I listen to them exclusively. I own all of their work, and I owe most of what I’ve written to their trance educing rhythms and club mixes.
Today is an awesome day for us here at Cifiscape. We are announcing another story to our anthology that wasn't going to be part of it until a matter of weeks ago. This contributor had a show in Minneapolis a few weeks ago, which we attended, and we loved it so much we asked him if he would be willing to share some of his work with us to put in the forthcoming Vol. II.
His work is graphic, brutal, grotesque, beautiful, tragic, wonderful, and all together original. We love his style and we cannot wait to share his work with you.
So on this day, in the beginning of February we are happy to announce that
John Beckmann will be joining Cifiscape Vol. II.
You can keep up with on him at his
website and at the
Stampede Press Facebook page
Ladies and gentlemen I would like to thank you for coming back regularly to keep up witht he author announcements, it means a lot to us that you all have been interested in the news, and today we are happy to announcement the final author for Cifiscape Vol. II. Don't worry, though this will not be the end of regular updates. We will begin releasing synopses of the stories to get you excited about the stories and we will begin the Author Spotlight feature soon as well, so, lots to look forward to.
Today, though, we are happy to announce another new comer to Cifiscape, his story is charming, unique and funny. It's an amusing venture into the world of the future without any of the distopia you might imagine for our future, in fact, his story makes it seem like the future is going to have a lot of the same problems that we face today.
Today we are happy to announce that
Dale Newton will be joining us in the upcoming Volume. He takes a fanastical world and grounds it in the reality of something that we can all relate to (
David Oppegaard would be proud).
You can keep up with Dale at his
website.
PASA and Onyx Neon Press would like to cordially invite you to the first skills workshop of the spring semester: Making A Book
Humphrey Offices room 175, Friday January 27th, 3:00-4:30
Refreshments will be provided by PASA
Perhaps you want to publish your travel narrative, a master piece, or an organizational report. Regardless of your content, this workshop will walk you through the basics of publishing you or your communities writing, tricks for designing it, and allow you to turn your work into a professionally bound book available on amazon, and other on-line book sellers. Come here from Author Aaron Wilson and Editors of Onyx Neon about the process of getting writing into print.
Please RSVP at:
http://www.facebook.com/events/149538631826565/
Warm Regards,
Kit
If you read the previous volume of
Cifiscape you'll know that one of the most memorable stories was about a man who had a shit job, where he found a dead body at work (spoilers!), and you'll also know that it was pitch perfect, and fabulously written.
The author we are announcing today is tremendously talented in both his creativity and his execution. His dry wit and attention to detail makes him stand out in a collection of talented writers such as we have. Today we are proud to announce that
Max Hrabal will be joining Cifiscape again with a story in the upcoming Volume. His story is excellent and we cannot wait for you to read it.
It's probably not what you're thinking, but we are happy to announce that yet another author from the previous volume of Cifiscape will be making an appearance in Vol. II. This author, or rather this artist, gave Vol. I a little comic relief and challenged us by making us see that we don't know what the future of the Twin Cities will hold, and by forcing us to look at our current use of technology in a humorous, yet poignant light.
In Vol. II he does it again, and we are so happy to have him back, shedding light on current and future issues.
That's right,
Bob Lipski, creator of Uptown Girl, and author of numerous books involving the character, as well as Ill Communication from Vol. I will be returning for Vol. II. We are tremendously excited to have him back and we cannot wait for you to read Bob's new comic, really and truly, it's wonderful.
You can keep up with Bob on his
website as well as his blog.
blog.
Behind schedule and ebooks
Hey everybody we just wanted to apologize for suddenly dropping off the face of the planet this past week. We were hard at work on the cover and book designer as well as getting author questions written when suddenly the computer of our designer (that's me) blew up. So, we're a little behind schedule, but over all everything is coming together. Hopefully we'll have the cover and book finished by the end of January, so that we can get it to you no later than March (obviously we'd love to have it to you sooner).
We would like to go ahead and announce that Cifiscape vol I and II will both be available on the Kindle and Nook a little bit after Cifiscape Vol II is released (delay only because we believe in quality of production). So, have no fear, my nerdy friends you will be able to enjoy all 9 stories of Cifiscape Vol II and all 7 of Cifiscape Vol I in all their glory on your favorite handle held ereader.
At this exact moment we're working on getting those author announcements up, so that you can all geek out about who is going to be in this next volume.
Also in the coming weeks you will be able to begin to read synopses of the stories in both volume I as well as volume II so you'll begin to understand why we're so excited about this upcoming volume. Because, seriously folks this one's even better than the last one.
Thank you for your patience, we're working on getting back on track, and hopefully making up for lost time.
You guys are the best, have a wonderful day,
Jeffrey
The saga continues
We are announcing an author today who is a real treat for us. He was previsouly featured in Cifiscape Volume I and when we saw that he submitted a story for this volume we flipped our $&^#, seriously, we love this author. Some authors struggles with dialogue, some authors struggle with plot or character development, he struggles with neither. His gift is for the scene, though. If you recall his story from volume one it was a mere ten pages but you were able to see the scene in front of you, it was like watching photographs come to life, which makes sense considering his profession.
Brian D. Garrity has been a photographer for a number of years, and is all the more talented for it. He is able to craft a scene and show characters as people, even if they are the most ridiculous or down-to-earth people you can imagine, it matters not, Brian can make a character sound like a real person. His story for Volume II is a continuation of the world which he so eloquently showed off in Volume I. This one has a larger narrative, but reading it is like watching a movie play out before your eyes. It's really good $^*& and we simply cannot wait for you to read it.
Go check out Brian's
photographs and
buy his book about a group of River Rats on the Mississipi river in the 70s:
Still Waters Run Deep
A new author to our crew
The author we are announcing today is new to us here at Cifiscape. He was one of the last story submissions that we received and definitely stood out because of his unique perspective not only compared to our other authors, but also in general. His story definitely follows the original idea of looking for the optimism in the world, trying to find to the good in the strange. We loved what he had to say, and we would loved the way he had to say it.
Today we are happy to announce that
Doug Donley will be joining us in the second volume of Cifiscape. His story will challenge and cause you to think, while at the same time entertain you. He's a talented guy and we couldn't be happier to have him on board for Volume II.
You can keep up with him at his church's
website.
Biggest announcement yet/an old friend returns
Today's Author announcement is a big deal because this author is remarkable, not only is his writing style unique and accessible, but he is also gifted with the most rare gifts when it comes to being a writer: creativity.
His ability to craft new and original worlds would be impressive if it wasn't completely blown out of the water by his ability to make us believe in these worlds. We have been keeping up with his career since his involvement in the first volume of Cifiscape and we are happy to say that he has only grown as a writer over the past year.
Today, on the eve of the Eve of Christmas, and in the midst of the Hanukkah season, that
Aaron M. Wilson will have a story in Volume II. When we first read his story for Volume II about alternate endings and chock-full of Dickens references we couldn't help, but fall in love with the dystopian reality.
Keep up with him on his
blog and
twitter.
The next announcement will be on Wednesday, and then another big announcement on Friday!
We are also beginning a series called "Author Spotlight" where we will be asking the authors in depth questions about their work, their inspirations, what kind of music they listen to when writing versus editing, and more. So look for that starting before the new year.
Preparing to announce
We are a little less than an hour away from the biggest announcement we've made so far! We're announcing an author who is familiar to this project. Who will it be?
Check back at 5 PM to find out
Author Announcement #3
We're here again today to announce the third story for Cifiscape Vol. 2. Our author today is a talented and original lover of science fiction. He teaches science fiction at The Loft and is an amazingly gifted and original writer
Today we are proud to announce that
David Oppegaard will have a story in the next Cifiscape. Keep up with him at
http://www.davidoppegaard.com as well as on his
Twitter
Look for our next announcement on Friday!
Author Announcement #2
Today we are announcing the second author who will be in Cifiscape Vol. 2. Well...actually, we're announcing the second and third authors and we couldn't be happier. These two authors are talented, seriously, seriously talented. I cannot say enough nice things about these two authors. Between the their raw imagination and their ability to convey their scenes we cannot wait to show you what they have in store for you.
Today we are proud to announce that
Erica Lindquist and Aron Christen will have a story in the next Cifiscape. We couldn't be more excited. Keep up with them at
http://www.looseleafstories.com as well as their
Twitter
To everyone who has been following the progress made on Cifiscape Vol. 2 we'd like to thank you for your continued belief in this project.
Today we have the most joyous news we can possibly imagine: today we unveil our new website AND we're announcing our first author for our next volume. Truly this is a good day for us here at Cifiscape.
There is more work to be done on the website, so don't fret, it will continue to grow and get more and more interactive over the next month or so. For now we just want to have a landing pad for everything Cifiscape related. So take a moment, poke around and let us know what you think. (you can email us at
cifiscape@gmail.com if you'd like to ask any questions).
On to the big news for today, though. Today we're beginning to announce the authors for volume 2. This first author's talent is in his ability to write gritty and visceral dramatic scenes while still making it easy for us as readers to follow. We love his story and we're truly excited to have him in Volume 2.
The first author to be announced for Volume 2 is none other than
Jonathan Hansen. (you can keep up with what he's up to and what he's interested in at his
blog
