MojoWriter.com

My friend Bill and I started up an online SF publication several years ago, called Dark Energy, mainly because we wanted to learn the editing side of the business.

Speaking for myself, the education has been extremely valuable.  I’ve been able to apply it directly to my professional life, as editing is pretty much what I do for a living now — albeit in a corporate environment.

But as we all learn, we grow, and sadly I came to the conclusion that I’ve moved past our dear old SF publication.  I don’t have the time to devote to it, and neither does Bill.  Our attempt to use a junior editor didn’t really help.  And so this morning I pulled the plug on the website.

I’d thought briefly about selling it, or passing it on to others to continue running, but finally decided I am very proud to have built what we built and would hate to see someone else wrecking it.  For a small publication with a non-existent budget, we upheld extremely high standards and chose only the best of the best that landed in our slush pile.  There was no publishing friends because they were our friends, and there was no publishing of our own works.  Though at least a few of those who we did publish became our friends, and one even joined our writer’s group.  (Denny, we miss you.)

One of the stories we published, Jesus Christ Lord of Hosts Meets L.A. County by Holly Day, remains one of my favorite all time stories anywhere.

I went ahead and paid for the domain name for another year, and so the stories we published will remain there for everyone to read until June 2009.

I’m focusing my energies back toward writing, and also toward podcasting which — thanks to Melanie Fletcher — is my current creative obsession:  Don’t Quit Your Day Job: The Podcast

Bill still edits another publication we started, Quantum Kiss, which specializes in Romantic Speculative Fiction.

A waiter walked up to the table
Wearing a suit jacket that was far too small—
There was no way he could button it, and the
Sleeves came halfway up to his elbows
He sported a overlarge red bow tie
Black curly hair with oil in it, and
A large, obviously fake mustache
Which curled in waxed spirals at the ends.

“May I take your order, please?” he asked.

Before we could answer
A nude woman holding a pomegranate, with a
Bayoneted rifle slung over her shoulder
And flanked by two huge yellow and black tigers
Complained that she had been stung by a bee
And wanted her money back.

We sat for eleven minutes waiting
Then realized that ants were eating the silverware.

This is an excerpt from the show “Don’t Quit Your Day Job”