Frank Ludlow, one of the team of editors for Ireland's leading science fiction and fantasy magazine Albedo One, recently asked me if I would like to join the team as a columnist.At first I was reluctant because of my busy days, but as he pointed out, I would essentially being doing what I already am doing with their magazine, writing reviews. Mostly I'll be focusing on sci fi reviews, as they were already covered in the fantasy and horror genres. How could I say no? So I said yes. To be part of one of the world's leading speculative fiction magazines, I couldn't turn that offer down.
So it is official, I'm with the Albedo One team now. So far my reviews have appeared in Issues 34 and 35, more reviews are scheduled for issue 36 and now there is some talk of me doing some interviews with leading sci fi authors! All very exciting.
I used to do a similar role with William Jones' Book of Dark Wisdom in the United States before the magazine came to an end, so I'm no stranger to review writing.
Conincidentally I came to the notice of both magazines through my fiction writing, through submitting tales to each. With Book of Dark Wisdom I had two stories published, "Solvent Hunger" and "Vanishing Curves" (which became my first professional story sale), and Albedo One it was "Black Water" which was shortlisted in their second year of the Aeon Award. Both editors liked almost everything I submitted to them even if they didn't publish the majority of it, and from there great working relationships developed. Where as the same stories submitted to other magazines hardly got a look at. Goes to show that what each of us likes in a short story can vary so much.
Because I wasn't a finalist in the Aeon Award "Black Water" couldn't be published in Albedo One. However it will appear in Issue 24 for Jupiter Magazine early next year. It remains one of my personnel favorites, a cyberpunk-style tale set in Dar-es-Salaam and Zanzibar.
