Showing posts with label Heroika. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heroika. Show all posts

Monday, September 2, 2024

Janet E. Morris - Memorial Tribute

 

Perseid Press recently announced the passing of author, editor, and publisher Janet E. Morris (JEM) in August 2024. A group of us who have known and written for her and published by her, decided to honor her memory and her legacy with this group memorial. 

Janet E Morris Memorial Tribute - Black Gate Article (link)

This ad-hoc remembrance has organically turned into a virtual shrine. This post initially has ~17 contributions, but collecting testimonials can be chaotic and more comments may be added. Janet and Chris Morris made a remarkable creative couple, and our deepest condolences extend to Chris.

S.E. Lindberg's Reflections

I will miss JEM’s love for elevating other storytellers’ craft and her uncanny ability to seamlessly blend myth,  fantasy, & history in her writing.

  • REVIEWS: We first met ~2013 as I moderated the Goodread’s Sword & Sorcery Group and she challenged a statement I made that Lovecraftian-Cosmic-Horror differed from elements of classical myths. She schooled me, her insights of ancient myths proved more expansive than my views. I was early into reviewing, so I read/reviewed (link) her Beyond Sanctuary book (Sacred Band series) and, beyond enjoying the story and feeling like I was living within the Baroque style cover, I was struck by not being able to discern between history, myth, and fantasy.

  • INTERVIEWS: This prompted me to go beyond reviewing books and start an interview series on “Art & Beauty in Fantasy Fiction” with Janet being the first up to bat (link) (I plan to repost that on Black Gate soon). She pushed people’s expectations of sexuality and the role of women in fantasy fiction since 1976, and having her perspective was eye-opening. That interview was Jan 2014, and the decade since I’ve interviewed 27 others (including Carol Berg, C.S. Friedman, Darrell Schweitzer, Anna Smith Spark, C. Dean Andersson…). Black Gate started broadcasting this series ~2018.

  • WRITING: As I was beginning to independently publish, she invited me to contribute to Perseid Press, and I’ve been honored to have over seven stories published across the Heroes in Hell and Heroika series (listing on Perseid Press site).

  • ROLE MODEL: as much as I am honored to have known JEM, learned from her and developed by role in the writing community, my experience is not unique. Testimonials from dozens of aspiring and veteran authors are being posted. Her legacy is admirable, and she serves as a beautiful role model.

  • A TOAST: Cheers, dear JEM. Thank you for sharing your passion and igniting mine. “Life to you and everlasting glory!”

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Milton Davis - Meeting a Role Model

 

I have a mission to meet the authors my stories share anthologies with ("selfie" tag), and for Perseid Presses' Heroika and Heroes in Hell Series, I've cornered a bunch in Chicago, Indianapolis, New Orlean, Norman OK, and now Atlanta!  Beth PattersonCharles GramlichJoe BonadonnaJack William FinleyTom Barzcak  ... and now Milton Davis!

Just ran into one of my inspirational role models for writing and publishing Milton Davis (in this case, I was in Atlanta for an American Chemical Society Green Chemistry convention...which is cool because Milton has been a formulation chemist for decades).

Grateful to chat about storytelling and chemistry. Grabbed an extra signature for Changa and the Heroika Dragon Eater anthology (we both have a story in that) and on Eda Blessed II, which I was honored to provide a cover blurb for. Thanks for your time, Milton!



Blurb on the back cover for Eda Blessed 2:
"Omari Ket is a rogue warrior, not a spy, but he is as suave, cunning, and as lethal as any Secret Agent Man. ‘Agency’ is a term for the capacity of a character to act independently, and Omari is an Agency onto himself: he reports to no one. Omari is a ladies’ man in a dog-eat-dog world. If you like a cut-throat, libertine, action-oriented protagonist, then you are ‘Eda Blessed.’"

Milton and I share a few table-of-contents too:









Monday, March 16, 2020

Witness the Birth of Alchemical Warfare

Heroika: Skirmishers – Witness the Birth of Alchemical Warfare

With the release of Heroika: Skirmishers, each contributor ... and one of their characters... is being interviewed by the Library of Erana. Hear directly from the Apollonius of Tyana, read “The Naked Daemon” by S.E. Lindberg, and experience alchemical warfare. Click on the link for the full interview. Below are teasers for "The Naked Daemon"

With SE Lindberg:
  • How would you define a Skirmisher? Any soldier roaming ahead of the core army, usually shield-less and including heroic civilians caught behind enemy lines.
  • What about your story?: "The Naked Daemon" pits the mystic Apollonius of Tyana (deceased ~100 CE) against zealots who destroy what remains of the Alexandria Library. In life, his principles had been aligned with those of the pacifist gymnosophists (a.k.a. naked philosophers); hundreds of years past his death, Apollonius finds himself reborn as a daemon empowered with Hermes’s Emerald Tablet. He observes the Roman oppression over pagan scholars and is challenged with an urgent need to defend knowledge. Will Apollonius rationalize war by unleashing the power of alchemy to do harm? Will he become an angel or demon? How will alchemy transform?

Apollonius
 With Apollonius:
  • Tell us a bit about yourself. Many claim you are a miracle worker, rivaling your contemporary Jesus: “No need to compare one man, or woman, to any other. Misunderstood powers, used for good or ill, flow through we hierophants. In this respect, I am merely a conduit. A magos.”
  • You look at your hands. How do you view yourself? “As a bloody daemon, for certain.”
  • Are you an angel or devil? “In my life, I was angelic. Judgment awaits for what came next.”

 
Alexandria Library

More Interviews From Skirmishers!

This follows Sean Poage's interview. His story engaging, tragic war story in his "A Handful of Salt". Below is his forward... click on the link to learn more about him and the story through the eyes of Gocha, an elder warrior of the Zurah tribe of Taochi region:
"At the dawn of the fourth century, BC, Cyrus the Younger hired an army of ten thousand Greek mercenaries to challenge his brother for the throne of the Persian Empire. His Greeks were victorious, but he was slain and the Greeks were stranded deep inside the Persian Empire without supplies. Their only way home was to fight their way north through the mountains of eastern Turkey to the Black Sea, as described through the eyes of one of their leaders, Xenophon.
It is considered one of the greatest feats of military history and has often been recounted and reimagined, but never through the eyes of their adversaries, the Persians, or the ancestral tribes of eastern Turkey. One event, in particular, is haunting and tragic. Today we struggle to understand the mind-set of ancient cultures, often making the mistake of seeing their world through the filter of our own values. This story is an attempt to understand a heroic perspective alien to our own."

Thanks to Alex Butcher for the interview hosting, editing, and skirmishing.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Heroika: Skirmishers

HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS

by Janet E. Morris (Creator), Alex Butcher (Editor)

Perseid Press


Conflict is a constant. When force on force is inevitable only the intrepid need come forth. Summon the Skirmishers to their eternal purpose, to face a foe who must be opposed at all cost. Gird yourself and join the brotherhood of 'do or die.' Created by Janet Morris and edited by Alexandra Butcher, HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS is an anthology of desperate struggles in far flung time-scapes, the age old smell of battle and death. SKIRMISHERS --Tales for the bold among you!


CONTENTS:

HABIRU by Michael H. Hanson
A HANDFUL OF SALT by Sean Poage
THE NAKED DAEMON by S.E. Lindberg
SOULS OF A LION by Tom Barczak
NITHING by Travis Ludvigson
IN THE SEASON OF RUST by Charles Gramlich
BLACK QUILL by Cas Peace
OLD GOLD by A.L. Butcher
A LION IN KAMERUN By Ken Kiser
THE PATROL by William Hiles
LA PORTE EN ARRIERE by Beth W. Patterson
DURENDAL by Bruce Durham





Sunday, June 10, 2018

Beth W. Patterson and S.E. Lindberg, Fellow Couillons?

Beth W. Patterson and S.E. Lindberg (one of these may be a "Couillon").

A family vacation to New Orleans brought me in close proximity to two authors: Charles Allen Gramlich and Beth W. Patterson (fellow Perseid Press "Hellion" and "Heroikan.")

This post focuses on meeting Beth in person, though the night was really about her fiancee Josh Paxton. He was releasing a CD that night as he performed in the Snug Harbor (album called Standard Deviation). Turns out, Josh has roots in Fairfield, OH...a stone's throw away from my home-base in West Chester. I missed hearing Beth's mastery of the bouzouki.  

Beth's Heroika #1: Dragon Eater story "La Bétaille" features Pichou, a young girl, in Cajun country battling snakes, gators, and a dragon! She has a sequel submitted for Heroika #2 which she again weaves a tale based on New Orleanian myths. She indicated that a "Couillon" may be involved. That's French for.... a vulgar word. She is a bit mischievous, so perhaps she was just calling me names :) . 

I have hopes for a submitted sequel to my H1: Dragon Eater's "Legacy of the Great Dragon" called "The Naked Daemon"; it follows the Emerald Tablet (alchemy's philosophers tone) from Ancient Egypt into the Hellenistic Age. Here's hoping for an awesome Heroika #2! 

Standard Deviation
  
Josh Paxton, Snug Harbor NOLA




Charles Allen Gramlich & SE Lindberg - The Beautiful and Repellent

Charles Gramlich the Beautiful (left) and S.E. Lindberg the Repellent (right)

A family vacation to New Orleans brought me in close proximity to two authors: Charles Gramlich (whose works I have reviewed, see links below) and Beth Patterson (fellow Perseid Press "Hellion" and "Heroikan.").

This post captures the Charles & S.E. selfie, the red corona/halo blessing the former. He has been writing adventure fiction for decades, and aims to publish in "every" genre. A sequel to Heroika #1: Dragon Eaters has been incubating for few years (#2 focused on Shieldless/Skirmishers), and if the gods are with us we both will have a contribution.

We discussed everything from  (a) Evolutionary Psychology which he teaches at Xavier University, to (b) GRR Martin's short story "The Sandkings" which inspired the first episode in the The Outer Limits in 1995 (I still have the VHS of that! eh gad, who would imagine that a weird-horror about ants would attract me?), to (c) Beauty in Weird Fiction (Yes, my favorite topic which I interview others on -link), since he recently published an article in WEIRD FICTION REVIEW #7 called "The Beautiful and the Repellent: The Erotic Allure of Death and the Other in the Writers of Weird Tales”. I just ordered my paperback copy, and after I read it... I'll be reconnecting with Charles to see if I can lure him into an interview.

Check out his Razored Zen blog: http://charlesgramlich.blogspot.com/.
__________________________

Links to SE Reviews of Charles Gramlich works:


Swords of Talera: Book One of the Talera CycleMage Maze DemonImage result for bitter steel gramlich amazonHarvest of War by [Gramlich, Charles]

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Latte with Tom Barczak - Norman Oklahoma 2015

S E Lindberg and Tom Barczak - 2015 Norman - Heroikan's drink lattes
This month I visited Norman OK for the third year in a row as I participate in a consortium on surfactants run by chemical engineering professors at Oklahoma University (IASR). Last year I took the opportunity to track down Tom Barczak whom I interviewed in 2014 and happens to live there. He has a similar poetic/dark style. Apart from our own endeavors (his Evarun and my Dyscrasia Fiction), our short stories appeared together in Heroika 1: Dragon Eaters this year, an anthology which many are proud of; here is a snippet of Ricky L. Brown's review via Amazing Stories Magazine:


Heroika 1: Dragon Eaters is an anthology of well-crafted work with a wide range of entertaining perspectives. Spanning across cultures, centuries, and even the dimensions of time and space, each contribution has its own distinct charm. In essence, this book is a colorful bouquet of bold stories about one of the darkest primal forces in mythological lore...  Published by Perseid Press and edited by Janet Morris, this collection is due to be released on May 25, 2015. There are seventeen tales in all. Though breaking each one down with literary criticism would take multiple reviews to cover thoroughly, it is advised to just pick up a copy and dive right in because odds are pretty good you'll find plenty to enjoy...

In the Legacy of the Great Dragon by S.E. Lindberg, readers will discover another use for the dragons in getting one’s sight back, but here we cross the fine line between man and god, and see how the twisted significance of the word “legacy” can define both... 

Forged by Tom Barczak is a fairytale adventure with good versus evil, eventually allowing readers to discover the hidden magic of dragons that lies in the soul of a young girl and how “love” works its magic in unexpected ways..."

I highly recommend Tom's work. As I reviewed Veil of the Dragon, his style is poetic, and it is timely to note that this prose can now be heard thanks to the beautiful narration by Neil Hellegers. Check out the audible sample on Audible: 




Friday, July 3, 2015

Blackgate raves about Heroika: Dragon Eaters

Blackgate raves about Heroika: Dragon Eaters!



Tuesday, June 16th, 2015 | Posted by Fletcher Vredenburgh
"I’m happy to report that with all that buildup, it’s a terrific bunch of stories... 
The stories, and there are seventeen of them, are presented chronologically — well, the ones set in the real world anyway. Those set in more fantastical settings are fit in among the medieval ones. In the earliest tales dragons stand toe-to-toe with the gods. Slowly, they lose that stature and become mere monsters. Deadly, true, but no longer forces of raw, elemental chaos. Eventually they’re regarded only as mythical. In the future, scientific explanations have to be found for their existence.... 
I’m excited to see so many stories, so many of them quite good, together in on place. I’m a fan of anthologies and there aren’t enough of them for my tastes. We've all read that fantasy readers only want long novels and that not enough people buy anthologies. Janet Morris has done a great job and is to be commended for taking a chance and getting this out before the public."


17 dragons, hunted by separate authors across as many centuries.  Here's what Fletcher says about my contribution:

“Legacy of the Great Dragon” by S.E. Lindberg moves forward into ancient Egypt, as Thoth, physician of the gods, helps Horus to find power to avenge the death of his father, Osiris, at the hands of Set. This is a wild piece, with a cosmically huge dragon and gods fighting inside of it. 

Heroika 1: Dragon Eaters edited by Janet Morris


Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Heroika Roundtable - hosted by author Terry Ervin

Roundtable Discussion with 4 Dragon Hunters (link)

Terry W. Ervin II is an Ohio-based author (like myself) who writes fantasy and science fiction and is an English teacher by day. He recently hosted four of the 17 authors (a.k.a. dragon hunters) from Heroika: Dragon Eaters. A paperback giveaway is in progress via Goodreads (see below). For now, please join the discussion and learn more about the art of killing serpents!

4-of-17 Dragon Hunters:

A. L. Butcher is the British author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles series and several short stories in the fantasy and fantasy romance genre. She is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet and a dreamer. When she is grounded in the real world she likes science, natural history, history and monkeys. Her work has been described as ‘dark and gritty’.


Mark Finn is a fantasy and science fiction, essayist, and playwright. He is recognized as an authority on the Texas author Robert E. Howard and has written extensively on that subject.In 2007 he was nominated for World Fantasy Special Award: Professional.



Seth (S.E.) Lindberg lives near Cincinnati, Ohio working as a microscopist by day. Two decades of practicing chemistry, combined with a passion for the Sword & Sorcery genre, spurs him to write graphic adventure fictionalizing the alchemical humors.  

He co-moderates a Goodreads- Sword & Sorcery Group and invites you to participate.  


Cas Peace is a fantasy and non-fiction writer from the UK. She’s also a singer/songwriter, horse-riding instructor, cactus grower, and dog lover.












Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dragon Eaters by Janet E. Morris

Dragon Eaters

by Janet E. Morris

Giveaway ends July 21, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

Friday, June 19, 2015

Free Paperbacks of Heroika Dragon Eaters!

Enter to win Free Paperbacks of Heroika!

Dragon Eaters by Janet E. Morris     

Dragon Eaters

by Janet E. Morris

Giveaway ends July 21, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.          

“It simply isn’t an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.” – J.R.R. Tolkien


Enter to win Free Paperbacks of Heroika, 

and learn the Art of Dragon Killing!


Dragons have been eating humans for centuries. Now you can join the heroes throughout history stalking their legendary foe. A literary feast for the bloody-minded. In Janet Morris' anthology on the art of dragon killing, seventeen writers bring you so close to dragons you can smell their fetid breath. Tales for the bold among you.

HEROIKA 1: DRAGON EATERS, an anthology of heroic fiction featuring original stories by Janet E. Morris, Chris Morris, S.E. Lindberg, Walter Rhein, Cas Peace, Jack William Finley, A.L. Butcher, Travis Ludvigson, Tom Barczak, J.P. Wilder, Joe Bonadonna, Milton Davis, M. Harold Page, William Hiles, Beth W. Patterson, Bruce Durham, Mark Finn.


About the editor: Best selling author Janet E. Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. She has contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created, orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little Helliad, with Chris Morris.

Enter to win Free Paperbacks of Heroika!



Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Dragon Killing in Newcastle


That's me in Newcastle, UK on a business trip, recently. While roaming the city, I stumbled across this moving monument to those who died fighting for justice and peace -- namely WWI and WWII. It was timely to see St. George kill a dragon, since the release of Heroika: Dragon Eaters' release  coincided with Memorial Day USA (May 25th 2015).  It is now available in ePub and Paperback from most online retailers.


My short story Legacy of the Great Dragon appears in HEROIKA -- DRAGON EATERS  along with sixteen more tales of dragon hunting/consumption, each with a varied milieu & style (from an awesome set of authors). Each took a perspective from a different century and local, so the recipe's are varied.

HEROIKA -- DRAGON EATERS is an anthology of heroic fiction edited by Janet E. Morris, and featuring original stories by: Seth (S.E.) LindbergJack William FinleyTravis LudvigsonTom BarczakJp WilderJoe BonadonnaMilton DavisAlex ButcherWill HilesM Harold PageWalter RheinCas Peace Bruce DurhamMark Finn.


Wednesday, April 15, 2015

S.E. Lindberg Interviewed by AL Butcher

Alex Butcher (a.k.a A L or Alexandra), authors fantasy fiction for adults. She kindly interviewed me this February, which is my official first interview! 



I am trying to corner AL Butcher for a counter-interview, to get her take on Beauty In Weird Fictionshe has an interesting milieu regarding Magic-Elf-Eroticism that would be great to learn more about.  

Actually, our stories will appear together this May in HEROIKA -- DRAGON EATERS (pre-order link). Check out this anthology of Heroes hunting their legendary foe across centuries!



HEROIKA -- DRAGON EATERS is an anthology of heroic fiction 
Edited by Janet E. Morris, featuring original stories by:


Heroes throughout history stalk their legendary foe: the Father of Alchemy entombs his own magic; dragons must not kill dragons; even a patron saint struggles when confronted by the mighty Wyght Worm; Hunting dragons, getting there is half the battle; mankind’s fate lies in a man, a child, and a dragon; holy warriors write their legend in the blood of dragons; the love of the innocent meets a dragon’s heart; one dragon hunter finds out the truth about feeding on dragon’s blood; one woman and two wolverines seek a dragon’s egg; cross the water and stop a new plague of dragons before it’s too late; bounty hunters pit their dirigible against a dragon and a flying castle; seven enemies unite to kill an ancient legend; In the bayou stews more than storm and alligators; remnants of the human race face their ultimate challenge in the bleak Arctic; when dinosaurs return, a squad of Rangers goes from dragon hunters to hunted.