[ExI] Sideways Flagrant Self-Promotion

[Damien Broderick]

At 01:48 PM 6/6/2009 +0200, Stefano wrote:

>I do not really believe you could ever write fiction *entirely*
>off-topic. :-)

This list has certainly contributed to my writing, especially in THE 
SPIKE, THE LAST MORTAL GENERATION and YEAR MILLION. But sometimes 
even more directly: a few years ago, occasional ExI poster David 
Lubkin solicited a story from me for STROON, his proposed tribute 
anthology for the brilliant sf writer "Cordwainer Smith" (actually 
the late Colonel Dr. Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, psywar expert and 
godson of Sun Yet Sen), author of the astonishing Instrumentality of 
Mankind stories. I eventually wrote a long story, "The Ruined Queen 
of Harvest World," but Mr. Lubkin adamantly declined to respond to my 
emails or even to my piteous calls for his attention on this list, 
and via other extropes who know him. Robert Silverberg, another 
invitee, had the same rather dismaying experience. But wait, there's 
an up-side to this doleful tale:

I sent the story to the editor of the notable online site Tor.com, 
who pays *extremely* well for short science fiction stories. He 
bought it, for a lot more money than I think Mr. Lubkin would have 
offered, had he offered any. An extropic outcome! The story will be 
up on Tor.com in mid-summer, I'm told.

Damien Broderick