Gate of Souls Book Review live!

Hi All,

I just found out that The Chris Chat Reviews has posted a review of Gate of Souls, A Familiar's Tale Book One online. Great review! Go check it out!

Sincerely,

Joe :-)

Hi All,

I hope this announcement finds everyone well. Recently, Aberrant Dreams has hit a spot of bad luck with many different factors. Not too long ago, we were infected by a Trojan virus which occurred because our web host was compromised, and a text document containing numerous FTP passwords was stolen, our being among the list. Though I have fixed the problem, relapses have been occurring from time to time. Additionally, our email has been functional only intermitted at best, which has made direct communication very difficult. There have been many other issues to arise, but I won’t go into them here.

For all the headaches and frustrations this has caused, I apologize, and now make this announcement publically, in an effort, albeit a bit late in the game, to at least explain where things are with Aberrant Dreams.

Because of all of the problems we have been experiencing, I am in the process of re-designing the site from the ground up and moving to a new hest host. This should resolve the recurring virus attacks we have been experiencing. The new site design will also allow for easier updates and reduce the lag time between content additions. The re-launch of Aberrant Dreams will be in December 2009.

All of that being said, I am sure the first question that comes to mind is in regards to stories and poems already accepted and in queue for publication. For these cases, please feel free to send these along to other publications, and once things return to normal at Aberrant Dreams, I will contact the authors to inquire as to the continued availability of their works.

The only exceptions to this are for those stories to be included in the Aberrant Dreams I, The Awakening anthology. The work on the anthology is continuing, and though delayed several times due to various reasons, it is slated for late 2009 or early 2010 release. I will be in direct contact with those authors involved soon in regards to this with galleys, once the final proofread is completed, and additional details.

Again, I apologize for the frustrations, and I hope that all of you will continue to have patients with us as we get things back in order.

More details will be made available soon.

Sincerely,

Joe Dickerson
Aberrant Dreams

New Aberrant Dreams Content Available - April 2009, Part 1 of 2

Hi All,

New content is available on Aberrant Dreams.  For details see below:

Fiction

• Children of the Fire, by Melissa Mead
  
• Dione, by Jess Kaan (Translated by Sheryl Curtis)
  
• Gilding the Dandelion, by Marissa K. Lingen
  

Additional content to be posted over the course of the next week.

Sincerely,

Joe

Down but Not Out

Hi All,

Just wanted to take a moment to explain that the Aberrant Dreams site is down, but it is only a temporary thing!  Our web host has come under a virus attack that they seem to be unable to resolve.  The outage has lasted since Monday (2/23/2009) evening, so I truly hope it is nearing an end.

I will keep you posted as things change.

Sincerely,

Joe :-)

P.S.  Incidentially, our email is currently still working so if anyone has a question, feel free to drop me a line 

Aberrant Dreams Podcast Ep004: Nobodies and Somebodies

The fourth episode of the Aberrant Dreams Podcast is available for your listening pleasure.

For this episode, Nobodies and Somebodies, By Eugie Foster. Read by Cori Samuel.

You can find it at the following URL: AD Ep004: Nobodies and Somebodies

Sincerely,

Joe :-)

New Aberrant Dreams Content Available - October 2008 !

Greeting, new Aberrant Dreams content is now available online! Details can be found below.

*****New Fiction*****
Souling Night, By Kelly Dunn
The Girl Who Swallowed the Sky, By Jacqueline Bowen
Metal, By Larry Dunn
The Bloodstone Queen, Prequel to Gate of Souls, By Verna McKinnon

*****New Poetry*****
Family Ritual - Romania, 2004, By Jacqueline West
Hidden Spells, By Kurt Kirchmeier
Dr. Holt's House of Hormones, By Karen A. Romanko
The Creator of Tongues, By Kristine Ong Muslim

*****Movie Reviews*****
The Deaths of Ian Stone
Undead or Alive
Black Sheep

We hope you enjoy.

Sincerely,

Joe

Call for Editors !!

Aberrant Dreams is looking for four additional speculative fiction editors who would be willing to donate their time to help out and join our virtual family. There is at this time no funds from which to pull payment for these services, but that may change at a future date.

Again, this is a chance to work with us, help build a lasting literary institution, and to put your two cents in for the stories we select. What we will offer is that while you are working with us you will receive a contributor’s copy for the annual anthology, a brief bio for you will be included on the site.

For those interested, contact me at jdickerson@hd-image.com; the subject line should stated "FICTION EDITOR TRYOUT." I will administer tests to those that contact me.

New Aberrant Dreams Content Available !

Greeting, new Aberrant Dreams content is now available online! Details can be found below.

*****New Fiction*****

B. A. C. Squared, By Kave Catheson
The Trouble with Witches, By Verna McKinnon
The Ides of February, By Bruce Holland Rogers and Jay Lake
A Hasty Decision, By Starra Andrews

*****New Poetry*****

Allison Gross Speaks of the Worm, By Gwynne Garfinkle
Beware the Werecanary!, By Bruce Boston
Boarding House, By K. J. Kirby

*****New Podcast*****

Episode 2: The Misfortunes of Bar Dan, By E. N. Wilson, Read by Jodi Krangle

We hope you enjoy.

Sincerely,

Joe

The Aberrant Dreams Podcast is Now Live!

The Aberrant dreams podcast is now live at the following URL:

http://www.hd-image.com/podcast

The first episode features Robert A. Madle's story, The Infinite Vision, which is read by me. Check it out!

Future planned episodes will include the following stories:

• The Misfortunes of Bar Dan, By E. N. Wilson
• Nobodies and Somebodies, By Eugie Foster
• Without Omens, By Rob Shelsky
• ...and many more!
  

Hope you enjoy the podcast, and I have to say that doing it was a lot of fun :-)

Sincerely,

Joe

New Aberrant Dreams Content Available

Greeting,

New Aberrant Dreams content is now available online! Details can be found below.

*****New Fiction*****

Mr. Templar, by Jason Sizemore

Things that Go..., by C. Vincent Pritt

I Found Love on Channel Three, by Bruce Golden

The Toy Car, by Luisa Maria Garcia Velasco


*****New Poetry*****

My Kids Went to Barbados, by F. J. Bergmann

Briar Witches, by Amal El-Mohtar and Jessica P. Wick

a 24th century reflection on emptiness, by Kit O'Connell

Table Manners, by Mary Cook


*****Departments*****

Myles Cabot Presents...An Interview with Michael Swanwick

Review of Alastair Reynolds' new novel, The Prefect.


We hope you enjoy.

Joe

New Aberrant Dreams Content on the Way!

Hi All,

I am in the process of updating the website for new content. It will happen in the next week or so (definitely before Christmas). And it will be one of our largest.

At least six stories (maybe more--haven't decided yet *shrugs*) and at least nine poems.

More details will be released as they arise. Thought y'all should know.

Joe :-)

Recent News from the Bookshelf

Greetings everyone! Wow, it has been a while since the last update of Aberrant Dreams. Well, that is about to change. I am currently working on a large, really large, content update that will be going up as soon as it is ready. Look for it over the next couple of weeks.

As to the reason for the delay, those who visit our forums will notice that there has been some landmark activity from us. Namely, we have released our first published novel, Gate of Souls, A Familiar's Tale, Book One, by Verna McKinnon. You can see the cover below:

This title is for sale in our store...

Skull on a Shelf $23.00

...as well as all of the following sites:

Barnes and Noble $28.76
Borders $35.95
Books A Million $25.16
Amazon $23.73

Up next, we are currently working on the first Aberrant Dreams Anthology as well as a new dark urban fantasy novel. Details on the new novel will be available as it arrises.

The last thing I need to mention is in regards to submissions for Aberrant Dreams. We are behind in responding because of the needed attention for other projects, but we are starting to make a little head way on them. For those waiting, please try to be patient as we trudge through them. I hope to get caught up soon.

Sincerely,

Joe

Accepting Submissions for Comic Collections

Lonny came up with a neat idea and I thought I would mention it here. HD-IMAGE has been in small press publishing for roughly three years, featuring mainly speculative fiction. However, we're looking to open our catalogue a little wider.

Within the next year, HD-IMAGE would like to add one or two comic collection titles to its catalogue. As a side note, we do list our publications with Ingram catalogue, which places us in the markets for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, etc.

Some things to consider:
-we are not accepting comicbook submissions, only collections (e.g., Calvin and Hobbes, The Farside Gallery, Get Fuzzy, etc.)
-advanced royalties are not being offered, but payment of royalties will meet the industry standard
-currently, only black-and-white/gray scale interior printing is being offered
-humor is a huge selling point
-collections containing graphic violence or pornographic material will not be accepted

If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Lonny Harper at comics@hd-image.com. In the email, please state your full name, how long you have been creating comics, the address of your website, and a short blurb about how you promote yourself. Also, attach one (1) .jpeg with an example of your work.

Response time will vary depending on submissions, but is generally two to six weeks.

Feel free to see more about us at HD-IMAGE. Please note that the site does require a Flash player.

July 2007 Content Added

Four new stories have been added to the site.

1. Little Red Caplets, by S. P. Somtow
2. Living with a Shoulder Monster, by Eugie Foster
3. Lisa's Requiem, by Joshua Thays
4. Amalalaq's Journey, by Lawrence Barker

Five new poems have been added to the site.
1. Armin Meiwes, by S. P. Somtow
2. Grim Faced Hero, by Michael D. Turner
3. An Offering Of Lust, A Sacrifice Of Flesh, by Mikal Trimm
4. The Reaper, by Greg Schwartz
5. Jeffery Dahmer, by S. P. Somtow

What are you doing hanging around here? Go check them out.

We hope you enjoy!

Poetry Submissions Re-Open

Great news everyone! Aberrant Dreams is once again accepting speculative fiction poetry submissions.

The Store Is Now Online!

Great news, everyone! The HD-Image store, Skull on a Shelf, is now online for everyone to use. There is still a need for minor tweaking throughout, but the merchandise that is on the store is available for purchase. Go check it out!

You can find it at the following link:

http://www.hd-image.com/store

Those interested in preordering Aberrant Dreams I, the Awakening can do so by going here.

Thanks again for the suppport with everything, and for the great assortment of names for the store. Now the job falls to Lonny, Ernie, and me to fill it with stuff people will want to buy :-)

Joe :-)

May 2007 Content Added

Three new stories have been added to the site.

1. Dreamcatching, by James Lafond Sutter
2. To Grow the Road, by Wm. Michael Mott
3. The Great God Awto, by Clark Ashton Smith

What are you doing hanging around here? Go check them out.

We hope you enjoy!

Aberrant Dreams I, the Awakening Normal Version Front Cover

All right guys and gals, below you'll see the final version of the front cover for normal hardcover and paperback version of the first anthology. Click on the image to see a slightly bigger/cleaner version.

Joe :-)

Writer's Challenge Winning Entries

Hi all,

I thought it time to now post some details about the winning entries for the Writer’s Challenge. We had many excellent entries.

To recap, once again, we posted several pieces of artwork and asked our readers to devise a story synopsis or outline and then choose from a list of pro-authors to actually write the given stories. The winning entries will be included in the yearly Aberrant Dreams anthology released later this year.

I now present the winners. Please congratulate them as appropriate.

Winner 1
Entry by: Stephen Eley
Author Selected: S. P. Somtow
Picture: Into the Light,, by Bill Corbett

Winner 2
Entry by: Byron Merritt
Author Selected: John C. Snider
Picture: Black Widow, by Bill Corbett

Winner 3
Entry by: Lea Schizas
Author Selected: Christina Barber
Picture: Sense of Beauty, by Liiga Smilshkalne

Winner 4
Entry by: Susan Jones
Author Selected: Chesya Burke
Picture: RCH04, by Ryan Church

Winner 5
Entry by: Tina Sena
Author Selected: Ian Watson
Picture: Firefly, by Michael Leadingham

Winner 6
Entry by: Bill Spencer
Author Selected: Alastair Reynalds
Picture: Nomad, by David Deen

Winner 7
Entry by: Angel Nauck
Author Selected: Rob Shelsky
Picture: Archangel, by Melissa Gay

Winner 8
Entry by: Melissa Brown
Author Selected: Jana G. Oliver
Picture: Astronomer, by Melissa Gay

Winner 9
Entry by: Leslie Bailey and Jerry Whitley
Author Selected: Howard V. Hendrix
Picture: Balloon Battle, by Ryan Church

Winner 10
Entry by: Debbie Kennison
Author Selected: Mary Rosenblum
Picture: The Red Sea, by Camille Kuo

As you can see, we have quite an interesting line-up.

Joe :-)

New Editors Selected--Please Welcome...

Okay, all those involved have been contacted, and I can now announce all of our new editors. Now, without further ado, please help welcome the new members of Aberrant Dreams.

Colleen Anderson
Sharon Black
Angelyne Bosch
Kave Catheson
Sara King
Richard Raucci
Marcie Tentchoff

Of particular note, with the addition of Marcie Tentchoff, Aberrant Dreams will once again start accepting poetry submissions. Expect to see more information about this in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to everyone who tried out for the positions.

Joe :-)