http://forums.sfreader.com/blog.php/3142-Richard-H.-Fay en Thu, 17 May 2012 01:18:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.sfreader.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.sfreader.com/blog.php/3142-Richard-H.-Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/220-Vote-for-Me! Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:17:57 GMT Please consider voting for me and my works nominated in the P&E Readers Poll.

"Vengeance of the Alpe", published in the All Souls' Night 2010 issue of Hungur, has been nominated in the Horror Short Stories Category. Of course, this one could possibly fit just as easily in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Stories Category, since it has fantasy elements as well as elements of horror. At times, I like to write works that cross genre boundaries, just to cause confusion.

"Shroudeater", published in the Walpurgisnacht 2010 issue of Hungur, has been nominated in the Poems Category. This one is my 80-line verse inspired by alpine vampire lore. No sparkly emo vampires here; my shroud-eating vampire is quite monstrous and malign.

My article "Robert the Bruce", published in the July 2010 issue of Abandoned Towers, has been nominated in the Nonfiction Articles Category. To be quite honest, I would have chosen "The Alp and the Schrattl" to continue the pattern of alpine vampires, but The Bruce is a favourite historical figure of mine, so it's kind of nice to receive a little bit of recognition for my Bruce article.

My illustration "When Wizards Dream at Night", published in the on-line version of Abandoned Towers, has been nominated in the Artwork Category. This is a rather strange choice. I wouldn't consider it the best of my art published in 2010. Still, it's kind of a neat piece, and it's viewable on-line.

My cover-art for David C. Kopaska-Merkel's speculative poetry collection Brushfires has been nominated in the Book/e-Book Cover Category. This is the first time I will have something in that particular category. This was actually the first time my art appeared on a book cover.

I have also been nominated in the Artists Category. Strangely enough, I don't seem to have yet been nominated in the Poets Category. Perhaps someone out there could consider nominating me in the poets category, if you think my poetry worthy of nomination. Please?

Thanks! ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/220-Vote-for-Me! http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/210-Poleaxe-of-Edward-IV Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:28:48 GMT Image: http://pics.livejournal.com/rhfay/pic/0002xda3 My depiction of the richly decorated late medieval poleaxe attributed to Edward IV now...
My depiction of the richly decorated late medieval poleaxe attributed to Edward IV now appears on a couple of items (a tie and an iPhone case) in the Azure Lion Productions Zazzle Store.

I've actually spent quite a few hours getting a couple new images in the store, and getting my existing images on the newest Zazzle items. My wrist is sore from all the clicking and typing, and my eyes are strained from staring at the computer screen all day long and into part of the night.

I think it's time I finally call it a day. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/210-Poleaxe-of-Edward-IV http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/209-quot-Scottish-Thistle-quot-in-Zazzle-Store Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:43:51 GMT
My "Scottish Thistle" now appears on merchandise in the Azure Lion Productions Zazzle Store. According to legend, the plans of the Norwegian King Haakon IV to launch a decisive surprise attack on the Scots in 1263 came to naught when one of his men cried out in pain after stepping barefoot on a thistle. Thus alerted to the approaching enemy, Alexander III?s men defeated the Norse invaders. Whatever the historical truth may actually be, it was during the thirteenth century that the thistle became an important Scottish national symbol. Later, the prickly flower was adopted as a badge by James III and appeared on his silver coinage of 1474. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/209-quot-Scottish-Thistle-quot-in-Zazzle-Store http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/208-Horrorku-quot-Darkening-Sky-quot-in-TRAPEZE-MAGAZINE Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:53:01 GMT My horrorku "darkening sky" has been posted (December 2nd) in Trapeze Magazine. What swirls around in the stormy sky may be more than just clouds. That darkening may herald the arrival of something more evil than savage wind and torrential rain. That was the thought, anyway. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/208-Horrorku-quot-Darkening-Sky-quot-in-TRAPEZE-MAGAZINE http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/207-Art-on-Cover-of-UNDER-THE-ASH Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:51:21 GMT My art appears on the cover of Shelly Bryant's poetry collection Under the Ash, published by Sam's Dot Publishing. This time around, I was actually able to read the collection before I composed the cover art. I tried to incorporate imagery inspired by a few of Shelly's poems into the drawing. The piece that developed as a result has some pretty strange elements, and was rather disturbing to draw. I especially worried that the figure hanging from the tree with a serpent around its neck would be too much, but that was one of the strongest images stuck in my head after reading Shelly's work. I simply had to include it in the overall composition. This piece may not be as garishly bright and eye-catching as my cover art for Brushfires, but I think it's attention-grabbing just the same. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/207-Art-on-Cover-of-UNDER-THE-ASH http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/206-Reprint-Poem-to-Appear-in-THE-DARK-FICTION-SPOTLIGHT Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:45:49 GMT My dark speculative poem "The Collector", originally published in the Spring 2008 issue of DemonMinds and also published in the DemonMinds, Spring 2008 print edition, will be appearing in the January 2011 issue of The Dark Fiction Spotlight. The TDFS team actually called it an "incredible piece". It was something I wrote after watching the movie Jeepers Creepers. It was inspired by the movie, but I went in a bit of a different direction. Let me just say that my artistic side influenced my choice of direction.

I like to get my previously published pieces back out there every so often. I figure, the more times a work is published, the more potential readers it has. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/206-Reprint-Poem-to-Appear-in-THE-DARK-FICTION-SPOTLIGHT http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/205-Tain-t-Always-Easy-Bein-Unique Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:00:13 GMT I have been told that I have a rather unique artistic style. When you compare my works to other works currently out there, it does indeed appear to... I have been told that I have a rather unique artistic style. When you compare my works to other works currently out there, it does indeed appear to be true; I seem to have a fairly unique style.

However, I've come to the conclusion that unique isn't always the best when it comes to trying to sell art to publications. Sometimes, I think my uniqueness backfires. I may produce works too different from "the norm" for the tastes of some editors. In at least one instance, I had an editor say that he dug my art, but my style wasn't right for his publication.

My art is heavily influenced by medieval illuminations and woodcuts, as well as the works of a number of illustrators of years past. Even with these influences guiding me down the artistic path, I still try to go my own way. Also, colour is often important in my works, and I may use it boldly at times, but when it comes right down to it, the line is still the thing. Apparently, for some, those lines can become "too busy". I actually consider my drawings to be less busy than some of the works of past illustrators like Arthur Rackham (his "The Leviathan" is a study in busy lines), but my penchant for busy, active lines might not always work in today's markets.

I know art is a very subjective thing, but I get very frustrated when pieces I think are among my strongest yet ("Kamal Del and the Dark Elemental", for example) see repeated rejections. It makes me think being unique isn't always easy. Van Gogh was unique, and saw little success, and less appreciation, in his lifetime. I really don't want that happening to me. Not that I think I'm an artist of Van Gogh's caliber, but at times I definitely feel under-appreciated in my own lifetime. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/205-Tain-t-Always-Easy-Bein-Unique http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/204-Poem-and-Illustration-Accepted-for-Publication-in-COVER-OF-DARKNESS Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:46:29 GMT A dark speculative poem and an illustration of mine have both been accepted for publication in the May 2011 Sam's Dot Publishing anthology Cover of Darkness. However, it appears that the poem and illustration will not be appearing together. Apparently, they will be in the same issue, just not side-by-side.

If that works for the editor, it works for me.

Yay, an acceptance again after a long string of rejections from various publications! I was hoping I would finally have some good news regarding some of my submissions out there. Maybe this will be the start of a new trend, one that involves consecutive acceptances rather than several rejections in a row. One can always hope. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/204-Poem-and-Illustration-Accepted-for-Publication-in-COVER-OF-DARKNESS http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/203-Horrorku-in-MICROCOSMS Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:42:18 GMT My horrorku "musty ebon tome" has been posted (November 23rd) in the tweet-length speculative poetry publication Microcosms. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/203-Horrorku-in-MICROCOSMS http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/202-Rejection-3 Sun, 21 Nov 2010 23:17:45 GMT That wizardly story I keep going on about has been rejected by pro-venue number three. It has been dutifully sent to pro-venue number four, although... That wizardly story I keep going on about has been rejected by pro-venue number three. It has been dutifully sent to pro-venue number four, although I'm going to run out of potential pro-venues soon.

Alas, it looks like this one won't see publication in the pros. However, that should come as no surprise. With this story, I wrote what I wanted to write, instead of writing for my potential markets. It was probably a mistake, but I often go my own way in spite of it all.

Oh well, I can always try the semi-pros, and then "fan-zines" after that. It will just be sad to see a story that's so close to my heart be relegated to the "minor leagues" of genre publication, but dem's da breaks! That's the way it goes!

Am I being a bit defeatist before I've even tried all potential pro-venues? No, I'm just being realistic. I knew going in that this piece's chances in the pros were pretty slim, practically non-existent.

It would be much harder to take, and quite the blow to my self-confidence, if this piece never sees publication at all! I would rather see it in the semi-pros or fan-zines than let it languish in the trunk-of-doom. I simply refuse to do that to my piece of wizardly fiction. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/202-Rejection-3 http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/199-quot-Consequence-of-Taking-Too-Much-quot-On-Line-at-APHELION Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:42:59 GMT My dark speculative cinquain "Consequence of Taking Too Much", which originally appeared in the October 2008 issue of Macabre Cadaver, now appears in the November 2010 issue of the web-zine Aphelion. I think there is a little bit of interesting word play in this piece, but I could be seeing too much in my own poem.

Check it out and see for yourselves. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/199-quot-Consequence-of-Taking-Too-Much-quot-On-Line-at-APHELION http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/198-Handsome-Cover Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:40:52 GMT My cover art for David C. Kopaska-Merkel's poetry collection Brushfires is handsome, or so says the poet himself:
Brushfires cover
I wish I could take all the credit, but I just did the art. Credit must certainly go to the Sam's Dot Publishing cover designer as well. That font used for the title does a fine job of complimenting my art. Still, I do think that the art itself is very eye-catching.

Brushfires is available at the Genre Mall. David also mentions on the Dreams and Nightmares blog that he has signed copies available. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/198-Handsome-Cover http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/197-Rejection-2 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:53:27 GMT Remember that wizardly fantasy story I mentioned in my previous post "Let the Rejections Begin"? Well, the story has been rejected by pro-venue number two, which came as no great surprise. I figured its chances of getting accepted for publication at this particular venue were practically nil. The story in question has been dutifully sent to pro-venue number three. Will it receive rejection number three, or is the third time a charm? I can't even begin to guess its chances at this third venue. It might all depend on if the editor thinks the story is poetic, or if he thinks it's overwritten. I simply never know how others will judge my work.

There are at least a couple more pro-markets I can try after this one, if the story gets rejected again. Then it will be time to start trying the semi-pros. Alas, this one may not be right for the pros. At least I will have tried. ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/197-Rejection-2 http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/196-About-Writing-Adjectives-and-Cooking... Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:15:00 GMT This may be contrary to the prevailing notion in the realm of writing, but I feel that writing without adjectives is like cooking without spices.... This may be contrary to the prevailing notion in the realm of writing, but I feel that writing without adjectives is like cooking without spices. Alright, I may be able to buy into the idea that adjectives can be overused; I certainly can't eat overly spicy foods. I have to take extreme care when using peppercorns in any dish; too many peppercorns can definitely be a bad thing! However, I think adjectives spice up writing, give it that little bit of extra flavour. I would never make my special pumpkin pie without adding in all the spices (double what the recipe calls for). I would never write my poems or stories without adding in a hearty dose of adjectives when and where I feel they are necessary to add flavour to the tale I'm telling.

Too many times I've received feedback claiming I've overused adjectives. I'm almost starting to think today's writers and editors hate adjectives almost as much as they hate adverbs. What the heck are you left with, then? "See Dick run. See Jane run. See Spot run." Riveting writing, there! ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/196-About-Writing-Adjectives-and-Cooking... http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/195-Horrorku-quot-empty-ballroom-quot-in-TRAPEZE-MAGAZINE Sat, 06 Nov 2010 18:29:56 GMT My horrorku "empty ballroom" has been posted in the tweet-length speculative fiction and poetry e-zine Trapeze Magazine. In this piece, I was inspired by the idea of ghostly sounds. Ghosts may be heard and not seen. In a haunted ballroom, you may just hear the swishing of old-fashioned shirts as long-dead souls continue to dance for all eternity. Or, maybe it's merely spectral sounds imprinted on the ether, simply a residue of past fetes.

Please consider rating my little ghostly poem on the Trapeze site, and maybe even leave a comment. Thanks! ]]> Richard H. Fay http://forums.sfreader.com/entry.php/195-Horrorku-quot-empty-ballroom-quot-in-TRAPEZE-MAGAZINE