Photo by Michael Church
|
|
Photo by Michael Church |
I've enjoyed a life-long love affair with science fiction. I write believable people in extraordinary situations, balancing romance, humor, adventure and reasonable extrapolations of science in stories that I believe people will want to return to. Whether it's in the short stories of my "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess series" or in the novel "Was Once A Hero" a classic "Planet" tale of a crew of unlikely companions facing unknown dangers, my intent is to give the reader the sort of page turning, involving adventure that Andre Norton wrote and leaven it with the emotional complexity and ambiguity that CJ Cherryh brings to the field.
While the experiences of the SF universe are out of reach of
those unable to pay for a Russian rocket ride, I use my own
background to try for an underlying verity in my characters.
I've parachuted, flown in gliders, hang gliders and strapped
to the floor of military helicopters. I've been rated as an
expert shot and carry a black belt in the martial arts. I've
been paralyzed by fear, exhilarated by love and walked into
fights, both literal and metaphorical, that I knew I could
not win.
I have the great good fortune to be married to the
talented artist Schelly Keefer.
For novel length work I am represented by the Swetky Literary Agency. Magazine length material I handle directly. The Swetky Agency has the following novel series:
Alternate web site: http://www.sfreader.com/authors/edward-mcKeown/
Janrae Frank has accepted "Kudzu Jesus" for publication in the anthology "They're Not What They Seem: Tales of mimcry and horror" soon to be seen at www.daverana.com. This is the third Jeremy Leclerc Knight Templar story to see print and was inspired by this image taken by artist Schelly Keefer.
"Templar", the story of a modern day Knight Templar in Charlotte NC, will be published by Vampires2's print magazine in Feb 2008.
Speculation Nation is printing a rewrite of "New York Minute" in their debut issue in 2008.
AtomJack has published "CEO" Feb/2008
Residential Aliens has published "The People of Terra Firma" for Jan/2008
American Fiction will be publishing "Ed & Joey," a literary fiction piece, in its November 2007 issue.
Cats with Wings will publish "Mars needs Men" A "Lair" story in late 2007
Cats with Wings published the Lair Story, "Bone to Pick" in its inaugural issue, June 2007.
"Templar," the story of a modern day Knight Templar in Charlotte NC, will be published by Vampires2's print magazine in late 2007. (Note: This site is a little on the spicy side. You do need to be over 18 to use it.)
Lightning Strikes Twice! "Medi-evil." appears in The CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, volume 6 (issued in 2007), having received first place in the 2007 CrossTIME Short Science Fiction Contest. Now available at Amazon.com.
Raygun Revival has published "Final Exam" as their lead story in Issue 20 (pdf).
The Sword Review has published "Bedbugs" in Issue 19, available for sale at LuLu.com. There is a nice review at Tangent.
"Rewrite" appears at Barfing Frog (added there Oct. 2006).
"Beautiful Dreamer" appears in The CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, volume 5 (issued in 2006), having received first place in the 2006 CrossTIME Short Science Fiction Contest. Now available at Amazon.com.
"Beautiful Dreamer" appears in the trade paperback edition of Distant Passages: The Best from Double-Edged Publishing 2005 issued in 2006. Now available at lulu.com.
"Blood Sucking Gourmets from Outer Space" is being republished as the lead story of Vampires2's print magazine. (Note: This site is a little on the spicy side. You do need to be over 18 to use it.)
The Best of AstoundingTales.com, Volume 1, edited by Arthur Sánchez and Keith Graham, contains "Graduation Day." This anthology includes the finest work published by AstoundingTales.com in 200405.
Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine May/June 2005 contains "Al Clone Capone" (a "Lair" series story).
Goremet Quisine, edited by Nancy Jackson, January 2006, contains "Bone to Pick" (a "Lair" series story).
Charlotte Writers Club Annual Award Anthology contains the award winning "Work in Progress." Published Nov. 2004.
Meisha Merlin, Sept 2003: "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess." Appeared in: Lowport edited by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
Clocktower Books, Sept 2003: "Geeks from the Stratosphere" available for sale on Fictionwise.
Clocktower Books, July 2003: "Into the Robot Harem" available for sale on Fictionwise.
Fantasy Readers (pdf), April 2003: "Bloodsucking Gourmets from Outer Space."
Planet Magazine, Dec 2002: "People?"
Planet Magazine, June 2002: "New York Minute."
Planet Magazine, Dec 2001: "Open Twenty-Four Hours."
Millennium Magazine, Nov 2000: "Everyone Thinks He's Human."
Captains Log #9: "Ghostlight-One"
International Artist is publishing my article Zoltan Szabo's Life in 2007.
The Pastel Journal has purchased "The Art of the Critique Group-Schelly Keefer methods for establishing and running a critique group" for late 2007.
The Bulletin of SFWA, Winter 2007 issue: "Mr President we have a first contact situation." (pdf)
The Bulletin of SFWA, Fall 2005 issue: "What do we do with Flores Man?"
Charlotte Writers Club Annual Award Anthology 2005 will contain the award winning "Zoltan Szabo RememberedA life in Art."
Watercolor Magazine: Fall 2003 issue, "The Light in the Darkness".
Pastel Journal: Nov 2002 issue, "The Art Techniques of Schelly Keefer" nonfiction.
Independence Blvd: "A Quick Medium: A biography of the Artist Zoltan Szabo" Jan, 2000.
Ed has sold his first screenplay! A health film disguised as an SF thriller, Last Clean Chance.
The story line: The Mecklenburg County Health Department's most recent hit production is an 8 minute science fantasy thriller entitled Last Clean Chance. Set in a bio-research lab, the movie stars two sisters who have lost their parents in a tragic accident. One of the sisters has been secretly working on a biological weapon based upon a mystery animal flu virus. A doomsday scenario is set in motion when the virus is leaked into the lab space occupied by Dr. Joanie Schell. Lisa, her younger sister and an intern at the lab, is called upon to save her sister and the planet by getting herself into the restricted area without setting off an irradiation protocol that will kill everything except the virus. Along the way, Lisa must wash the bio-weapon off her hands by using proper hand washing techniques. Tailored for young viewers, the movie teaches a valuable skill and reminds us of the number one way to prevent the spread of disease. Written by Ed McKeown and Gary Black, Directed by Frank McGough, and featuring Joe Travis as Director of Photography, the movie was shot in high definition (HDV), a first for the Department.
About a year ago I was contacted by a visionary fellow named, Michael Hanson. He was making the rounds of small press writers and publishers, recruiting talent for a shared anthology called "The Sha' Daa." Mike's concept was that an apocalyptic event occurs every 10,000 years when the forces of evil break across the dimensions to Earth. The next Sha' Daa' is due to break out only a few years into our future. Mike came up with about twenty scenarios for writers to pick from to do stories. It was in his mind that the battle to come would be fought in odd places, by unlikely heroes, and run the gamut from true horror to comedy. It sounded fascinating and I signed on, picking a theme of unionized sewer workers battling demons in the underside of New York City.
Cover by Lee Kuruganti
A group of us began the Sha' Daa" journey together. Not all of us made it. One died, another battled serious illness, one's computer flamed and took the work and their heart out of the project. One withdrew rather than be edited. Some of us did double duty and picked up an additional story and added to the growing epic. Lee Kuruganti graced us with her wonderful artwork and the book began to come alive.
Eventually we ended up with a quarter million words of Sha' Daa stories. We were in trouble. We'd not figured on the hardihood of our writers. Usually in such projects people talk big but don't produce. Our Sha Daaists fought on, with writer after writer producing fine work, sometimes far in excess of the requested word count. I had been helping Mike behind the scenes on some of the editing when he realized that the mass of stories needed a more determined edit. To my surprise and great pleasure, Mike asked me to undertake it. I lost track of the hours I then invested in working the Sha' Daa". I was guided by one basic principle, "Help the author tell THEIR story." It was a humbling and somewhat disturbing prospect for an author to take other people's words in hand, for all that I have been in critique groups for years and led one. I reached back into that experience, remembering how my groups were always my first defense against bad writing. I quickly realized that no matter what I did we did not have one book on our hands but two and so was born, Sha' Daa" II "Beachheads." Lee created another wonderful cover for us.
Now we are engaged in the hard part, marketing these two completed anthologies. I have every confidence that Mike's apocalyptic vision will find a publisher through these efforts and that the Sha' Daa," a combined vision of the following wonderful writers, will fill bookshelves everywhere: Mike Hanson, Arthur Sanchez, Nancy Jackson, Edward McKeown, Lee Kurganti, Deborah Koren, Wilson G Marsh, Jamie Schmidt, Duncan MacMaster, Adrienne Ray, Robert Adams, Tricia Ulaub, T. Anthony Truax, Terri Von Reiman, Robin Matheson and the late James Wasserman.
Any interested publisher please feel free to contact my agent, Faye Swetky about the project.
It's a Threepeat! I am having some trouble believing it myself but for the third year in a row I just pulled first place in the 2008 CrossTIME Short Science Fiction Contest for the "The Robot Not Taken" a Lair Story. http://www.crossquarter.com/
- 2008 CrossTIME First Place in the Short Science Fiction Contest for the "The Robot Not Taken"
- 2007 Honorable mention "Writers of the Future" for "The Robot Not Taken" a "Lair" Story
- 2007 Crosstime SF Contest First Place for "Medi-evil"
- 2006 Crosstime SF Contest First Place for "Beautiful Dreamer"
- 2004 Editor's Choice Award for Graduation Day Volume 1 Issue 3 December 1, 2004
- 2004 Charlotte Writers Club, Third place "Zoltan Szabo, A life in Art" Nonfiction
- 2003 Charlotte Writers Club Honorable Mention, "Work in Progress"
- 2003 Finalist in the North Carolina Elizabeth Simpson Literary contest, "Dimensions"
- 2003 Fantasy Readers Hall of Fame, "Bloodsucking Gourmets from Outer Space"
- 2003 Charlotte Writers Club, Honorable Mention for "The People"
- 2002 Writer's Digest Short Story Contest Honorable Mention for "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess."
- 2001 Finalist in the North Carolina Elizabeth Simpson Literary contest for "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess."
- 2000 First prize in the Canadian X the Unknown contest for "New York Minute"
- 2000 Runner up in the same: "Open Twenty-Four Hours."
2006 Charlotte Observer: "Science Fantasy Thriller Last Clean Chance Released".
2002 Charlotte Observer People Section: "Artist and writer couple succeed."
Edward McKeown is one of the most consistently imaginative and fun writers I have encountered in the SF small press. His stories are often wildly funny as well as a bit spicy&and a plot as exciting and suspenseful as anything produced for Law and Order.
Daniel Blackstone, SFreader.com/Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine
Warning to fans of Lee and Miller's Liaden: this anthology isn't focused on that universe's Low Ports, much as readers might like to see them at center stage for once. Rather, these stories are about the low ports of many worlds, comprising a sort of universe of scruffy towns like Mos Eisley on Tattoine in Star Wars, particularly the back streets and dreary cantinas of such places.
As in almost any anthology, the content's quality varies. But the idea behind the whole enterprise is to tell the stories of folks who usually play small parts in the background; that is, when authors don't neglect them entirely. Despite the PC flavor that such a theme generates, the 20 authors involved here produce a number of original settings and some high-quality characterizations. Pay particular attention to the contributions of eluki bes shahar (aka Rosemary Edghill), Edward McKeown, Jody Lynn Nye, Laura J. Underwood, and in one of his relatively rare appearances at shorter-than-novel length, L. E. Modesitt.
Frieda Murray, Booklist
It's hard to get a handle on the kinds of stories you'll find in Low Port by simply reading the title. Depending on your tastes, this could be a double-edged sword. What you won't find in Low Port are stories about the larger-than-life characters that seem to populate so much of today's popular fiction. What you will find, however, are stories about the characters that normally get only a passing mention or the unlikely heroes that get completely overlooked. "That said, the stories in this anthology run the gamut. From Edward McKeown's futurized crime noir tale, "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess," to Patrice Sarath's tale of four adventuresome kids, "More to Glory,"
Overall, this anthology is entertaining and has some thought-provoking stories that will keep readers on board in order to see what kind of odd scenario or character they will encounter next. Recommended for readers of any genre who appreciate a well-told story.
Jason Brannon,SpecFicWorld.
The 'low port' may be the lower decks of the space ship, the kitchen or the dungeon of a castle, the homeless of society, or even an orphan. They can be the lowest on the rung, but it doesn't always mean they are the lowest of the low or the bottom of the barrel. Everyone has their pride and their dreams and that is what I find most admirable about this anthology. "Digger Don't Take No Requests" by John D. Teehan is the story of a panhandler on the Moon with his eyes set on the stars. Ru Emerson's "Find a Pin" is the story of a homeless girl and her mother living on the edge. Chris Szego's tale of "Angel's Kitchen" is one of a strange meeting place. "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess" by Edward McKeown is a charming tale of aliens and sex. Other stories are by Jody Lynn Nye, Lee Martindale, Laura J. Underwood, and Sharon Lee.
This is an unusual and interesting group of stories by authors old and new, authors tried and true. Be sure to check out these stories. It may be about the lower level characters, but it is high-level adventure.
Barry Hunter, Baryon Magazine 91
The fans of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden UniverseŽ are many and widespread and, apparently, include not a few authors. The writing team has brought together this time not an adventure of the aristocratic families of Clan Korval, Clan Mizel and the other high-powered families of that universe, but the people who normally go unnoticed. It would be a mistake to call them "average"there are thieves and addicts and agents and biomeds and saviours. The characters of Low Port are the beings that keep the world going while royalty dances among the stars. And the stories of these survivors have a flavour that is uniquely their own.
All is not gloom and despair in these well-chosen stories, however. A wry humour radiates from the garbled world in Joe Murphy's "Zappa for Bardog," with a lead character that is lovable, if untouchable, and a refusal to give up among the rebellious beings. An edgier wit peeks through the dangerous prose in "Gonna Boogie with Granny Time"a contribution from Sharon Lee herself that earns its position in this irresistible anthology. And, title aside, "Lair of the Lesbian Love Goddess" shows off Edward McKeown's sly and clever mastery of the joke left unsaid.
Lisa Dumond, Black Gate Magazine, MEviews
Twenty years ago, when Ron Howard directed Splash, I remember thinking that this was what Disney should be doing, if they were still in touch with their audience. Witty entertainment for their fans, but brought up to date. They didn't, and Howard did, with enormous success. The classic Planet Stories of S/F have suffered similar abandonment, but without a rescuer, until now. Edward McKeown's Was Once A Hero combines adventure and romance with the dark humor and human complexities absent from a more black-and-white age. Robert Fenaday and Shasti Rainhell are real people. They make mistakes, they hurt, they stumble in the dark emotionally, and they save the world. They are flawed, wounded heroes, and they make you realize, as you hungrily turn each page, that the best fiction contains excitement and passion; and the best aspect of life is the possibility of personal redemption. Was Once a Hero provides both.
Tim McLoughlin, author of Heart of the Old Country and Editor of Brooklyn Noir
This Science Fiction and Fantasy
Writers of America Net Ring site |
|
[ Previous 5 Sites | Skip Previous | Previous | Next | Skip Next | Next 5 Sites | Random Site | List Sites ] |
 |
SFWA provides free home pages for its members. |
| Page maintained by webmaster@sfwa.org 7728 hits since July 2004. |
|
