Creative Corner--Holiday edition!

'Tis the season for book promotions, holiday studio open-houses, and more! Here's what some of our Creatives have been up to!

"Scintillating Starts" Contest closes December 1

Sponsored by the 20-year-old site Writer Advice, this contest closes soon, and it might be of interest to some of our local writers. 

Submit up to 1,000 words of any unpublished novel, memoir, or other long prose work's opening paragraphs. An entry fee of $15 gives you a chance to see your work win and be showcased, receive constructive comments, share in the prize money, and gain a contest-win credit for your CV or cover letter.

Coordinator B. Lynn Goodwin explains it this way: "Working on a novel, a memoir, or other long prose? Drafting something for NaNoWriMo? Grab and hold us with your opening paragraphs. We’ll read from works in progress as well as finished manuscripts in Writer Advice’s Scintillating Starts Contest. Submit up to 1000 words of any unpublished memoir, novel, or creative nonfiction by 12-01-16."

More details and a "Submit" link are available on the Writer Advice opening page. Email here with questions. 

Announcements from Writers

Robin Wayne Bailey 

“Black Dust,” a story by Robin Wayne Bailey is included in the new anthology, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress 31, edited by Elisabeth Waters. It is available in trade paperback and three standard e-formats.

For over two decades, the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, best-selling and beloved author, discovered and nurtured a new generation of authors. Volume 31 includes stories by Pauline J. Alama, Marian Allen, Robin Wayne Bailey, Lorie Calkins, Steve Chapman, Suzan Harden, Rose Hill, Melissa Mead, Catherine Mintz, Michael H. Payne, Deborah J. Ross, L.S. Patton, Jonathan Shipley, Dave Smeds, Laura Davy, Pam L. Wallace, and Julia H. West.

James K. Burk

You have two ways to enjoy FREE stuff when you order Burk's latest anthology, Mirror, Mirror and Other Reflections, from Amazon. The Kindle version is free with Kindle Unlimited, and free shipping applies with other qualifying offers. 

What's it about? "Fall into the looking glass," the description suggests: Here’s a collection of eerie tales of suspense that will captivate the reader from the very first story. 

Creative friend and Honorary KaCSFFS Member Rob Chilson wrote of the collection, “Smooth entertainment from a born story-teller. Burk’s works are a pleasure to read. He gives you believable people in unbelievable circumstances. This creates an assured tone that tells you to relax, he knows what he’s doing. And you do relax, until he brings out the dentist’s drill. For a good time, read on!” 

K.B. Shaw
KaXFEN may remember K.B. Shaw as the first author featured on our KaCSFFS Reviewers' Reading Circle series last September. Just in time for Christmas, he has a new offer available, via Amazon. His YA novel From the Shadows is available on the Kindle for 99 cents and as a paperback for $9.99. 

What's the story? Set in a peaceful future where a giant corporation has created computers with an AI (artificial intelligence) at their core, a technological innovation threatens to disrupt the world's economy. Two precocious teens find their lives entangled with those of a technology reporter and a former child prodigy in a race toward their destiny--oblivious to the dangers that lie ahead. 

From the Shadows has received high praise from reviewers. Now you (and/or a YA reader of your choice) can enjoy it at a discount.

The Reviewers' Reading Circle returns in January, featuring
P.R. Adams' Momentary Stasis

In December, the KaCSFFS Reviewers' Reading Circle will formally announce that Momentary Stasis by P.R. Adams is our January-March 2017 selection. It is the first in the Rimes Trilogy, a military science fiction series. At the follow-up March meeting, Adams will appear for a live interview via Skype or FaceTime.

As with previous selections, Momentary Stasis will be available for free to all dues-paid KaCSFFS members as a reviewer's copy, in your choice of PDF and two e-book formats. If you download it, that means you are willing to consider writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or other venues, including (Please!) The KaCSFFS Blog!

The KaCSFFS Reviewers' Reading Circle is actively seeking a new author to feature, ideally to announce at the March 2017 meeting. We'd like to continue to offer new selections at roughly quarterly or bimonthly intervals after that. What is the Reviewers' Reading Circle? Watch for a Page Tab on the Blog with more details, or scroll back to the October and September meeting posts about the authors we featured then.

'Tis also the Season for Art Open Houses and new prints!
Deb Pellicano
Dec. 4, 2-10 p.m.
The Twelfth Annual (well, almost) Home Studio Art Show is coming soon! Wonderful art by Ladyelf (Debbi Pellicano), great food and drink, mingling, Holiday Cheer, and just a generally good time for everyone. 

Artwork will be for viewing and for sale at 201 SE Topaz Drive, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063. Call 816-522-6197 if you need directions. Please RSVP! Hope to see you there!

Randal Spangler
Dec. 3 & 4 and 10 & 11.  
Randal Spangler will be hosting his Annual Christmas Open House at his home at 610 St. Andrew's Drive, Kansas City, MO 64145.  Come enjoy the season with cookies, coffee, Christmas music and a beautiful Christmas tree! 

There will be new artwork, older pieces and some originals.  Look for his marked down pieces that are "travel-worn."  Saturdays open 10a-5p, Sundays 11a-4p. Park on the street or in the driveway.

Lucy A. Synk
Dec. 10 (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) 
If you're in the Chicago area, check out the St. Giles Family Mass Community's Holiday Gift and Art Fair at McDonough Hall, 1101 Columbian (2nd floor), in Oak Park, IL. Longtime fantasy artist and former Kansas Citian Lucy A. Synk will be one of 16 artists participating, along with two Fair Trade organizations, Harambee and North Central College Alternative Trade Project (a portion of all sales benefit these organizations). Admission is free.

Keith Russell
Kansas City artist Keith Russell has announced the availability of two new prints.

Arterial Trees (above, copyright 2016 Keith Russell). 8 x 10" prints are $24.00 each, 11 x 14" prints are $40.00 each, via his Synthetic Sky Studios.

The other new print is Becoming (In) Human (at L, also copyright 2016 Keith Russell), acrylics on panel. Prints are the same price: 8 x 10" $24.00, 11 x 14" $40.00, also from Synthetic Sky Studios.

Xenofera Kickstarter campaign is funded!
In the October edition of Creative Corner we shared the announcement from ConQuesT artist Jeff Porter that he and his partner Liz Gattra were launching a Kickstarter campaign for their new strategic science fictional card game Xenofera. They are delighted to announce that the campaign was funded. Pre-orders are now open, via the website, and run through Dec. 31, 2016. Production on the game should be finished and available for purchase this spring.

IMAGES: The "Scintillating Starts" title is from Writer Advice website. The cover for Sword and Sorceress 31 is courtesy of the MZB Works website. The cover image for Mirror, Mirror (art by Brad Foster) is courtesy of publisher Yard Dog Press. The cover art for From the Shadows is courtesy of iPulpFiction. The Momentary Stasis cover is courtesy of the author, P.R. Adams. The Deb Pellicano artwork is courtesy of Dennis Young, via Facebook. Randal Spangler's image The Reading Tree is courtesy of his website. Lucy A. Synk's image Checking it Twice is courtesy of the gallery on her website. The images of Keith Russell's two new prints were provided by the artist. Jeff Porter's "party animals" art is courtesy of the Xenofera Facebook Page. Many thanks to all!

Creative Corner Returns!

Here's what creative friends of KaCSFFS are doing!

Creative Corner, originally conceived by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, is a monthly feature to keep KaXFEN and friends of KaCSFFS informed about what the creative people in our circle of members and friends are doing professionally. 

Aaron Hollingsworth has released his "Supernatural Sequel to Romeo and Juliet," The Apothecary of Mantua, in e-book, paperback, and audible formats, available via Amazon. 

Dora Furlong has launched the e-publication of her SF novella, One of Our Own, in Kindle format, available on Amazon. Dora also recently attended GlitchCon in Springdale, Arkansas, as a guest and panelist. 

Holly Messinger recently received Advanced Review Copies of her gothic western novel, The Curse of Jacob Tracy from Thomas Dunne Books. Release date is December 1, 2015, in hardback, e-book, and audio formats. Reviewers interested in obtaining an ARC should contact Holly, or Thomas Dunne Books.

Fantasy artist Lucy A. Synk recently landed a new job working as an illustrator At T. S. Shure in Chicago, a maker of toys, games, and books.

Lucy may soon be creating illustrated toys such as this Dinosaur Tin Play Set, for T. S. Shure.

Keith Russell's That Certain Inner Radiance.

Keith Russell has three original paintings on exhibit at Noir Arts & Oddities, 1609 W 39th St., Kansas City, MO 64111 (816.533.4589), open each week Wed.-Sat. His artwork also can be found at Synthetic Sky Studios.

Bradley Denton has four new backlist books that have appeared in new versions. His novels Blackburn and Lunatics, and also his story collection, One Day Closer to Death, were released as Macmillan e-books, in all the usual e-book formats from all the usual e-book outlets. They have covers from earlier editions.

Macmillan recently released three of Bradley Denton's titles as e-books.

Also recently released as a new Dreamscape Audiobook is Denton's novel Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede, with a new cover by Mitch Bentley, read by Kirby Heyborne. This novel also is available as an e-book from Manybooks.

Recently released as a Dreamscape Audiobook, with a new Mitch Bentley cover.

And speaking of Mitch Bentley, he has several new things in the works.  He will be Artist Guest of Honor at Fencon in late September, and also appear as a panelist at Archon the weekend after that. 

Two of the new trade paperbacks with Bentley covers, from Sky Warrior Books.

Bentley also has announced several new book covers from Sky Warrior Books. These include the recently released Gate of Souls: Book One of a Familar's Tale by Verna McKinnon (as both trade paperback and e-book).

M.H. Bonham's Prophecy of Swords and sequel Runestone of Tiewas with Bentley covers.

Also, in time for Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, WA, August 19-23, 2015, Sky Warrior will release three M.H. Bonham trade paperback titles: Samurai Son, Prophecy of Swords, and its sequel Runestone of Tiewas, with Bentley covers. 

Watch in September for announcements about upcoming Yard Dog Press titles with new Bentley covers. 

Sarah Clemens has announced she will be exhibiting three new originals at the Sasquan Worldcon. Each is unique in its own way.

Sarah Clemens's new original Busted! features a frame that opens to reveal the painting.

Sarah Clemens's Frost is painted on zebra marble. 

Sarah Clemens's Blue Crested Dragon is painted on a palm fossil.

Science fiction poetry by Karin Frank,
illustrations by Jan S. Gephardt

A Meeting of Minds, a trade paperback of science fiction poetry by Karin Frank, illustrated throughout by Jan S. Gephardt, is now available via WolfWeyr.

And finally, Susan Satterfield reminds everyone in advance to mark their calendars for the 2015 MCC-Longview Literary Festival, to be held on the campus of Longview Community College in Lee's Summit, MO on October 23. Organizers are still seeking local and regional authors who would like to participate in panels, readings, and/or by having a table for selling your work. If you are interested, please contact Susan. 

These are the notifications we've received so far this month. Please support the talents of KaCSFFS's circle of creative people!

Who's in our "Circle of Creative People"?
The stated purpose of KaCSFFS (which is promoting and educating about our favorite genre) gives us a lot of reasons to help encourage the careers of the creative folk among us. 

Our "Circle" includes:
Creative KaCSFFS Members--authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and others--who work in the SF, Fantasy, Speculative, Horror, Paranormal, or related genres, are definitely in the "Creative Circle"! 

We also include creative people working in our genres who live our region (Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Iowa, primarily), even if you don't belong to our club. 

Participants in ConQuesT also count. If you've been on programming, offered creative work in our Dealers' Room, or exhibited artwork in the ConQuesT Art Show, you're part of our circle, too, and we want to help promote your work.

Do you count as one (or more) of these? If so, we want to hear about your "career milestones," such as conventions attended, awards won, stories sold, major works finished, readings, exhibitions, book-signings, e-publications, book launches, and the like. 

IMAGES: 
Many thanks to Amazon.com for the cover photos for The Apothecary of Mantua and One of Our Own. 
The photo of The Curse of Jacob Tracy Advance Reader Copies is by Holly Messinger, and was obtained with her permission via her Facebook Page. 
The "Dinosaur Tin Play Set" is courtesy of T.S.Shure. 
The image of Keith Russell's painting, That Certain Inner Radiance is from the index page of his Synthetic Sky Studios website. 
The cover artwork for Bradley Denton's new e-book and audiobook releases are courtesy of the author. 
One of the Mitch Bentley cover images is courtesy of Bentley's Atomic Fly Studios Facebook Page: Gate of Souls Book One. The three M. H. Bonham cover images are courtesy of the artist, and used with his express permission.
The images of Sarah Clemens's three new originals are courtesy of the artist and used with her express permission. 
The cover for A Meeting of Minds is from WolfWeyr.
We are grateful for the use of all of these images.