Redirecting...

Well, it's happened. Not only did Building Red: Mission Mars get a new web page and Facebook page, it now has a Google+ page and a new blog. The links are below:

Building Red: Mission Mars Website

Facebook Page

Google+ Link

New Blog on New Website




So from now on, those are the places you'll need to go for more information.

Thanks for checking in! T-two months.

Revision is a Dish for Editors, Too

Well, I've been outvoted. Here's the publisher's current version of the cover which is different than the one I posted last night. That's how it goes when you are answerable to a higher power. No worries, though. Revision is a dish for editors, too.

We now have a Facebook page and many of the writers are contributing pictures, sharing with friends, and throwing all sorts of awesome ideas on the table. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such talented and enthusiastic people.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Five months won't be long.

Five months until...

...we go to Mars!

Launching in Five...

It's been some time--and some work--since my last entry, but now that Building Red is finally coalescing, it's time to start putting names, pictures, and information up for the public to see and admire.

What is Building Red? It's a science fiction anthology of 19 near and not-so-near future stories about humanity's efforts to colonize Mars. Some stories start on Earth. Some are in space. Some begin on Mars itself. Each one is unique and each one explores various aspects of the human condition in a way only science fiction can.

We're currently deep into editing the pieces--a painful yet cathartic process--and I'm thrilled to be working with such hard-working and professional writers. 

Part of the reason I think the collection will be successful is that we have such a wide variety of people from a wide variety of homelands, beliefs, writing styles, and upbringings. Their myriad of experiences and will make this anthology one of the most unique you've ever read. In alphabetical order, I am pleased to announce the authors for Building Red: Carolyn Agee, Robyn Andrew, Cyn Bermudez, Scott Chaddon, William Cureton, Andrew Fraknoi, Mark Isherwood, Cyndy Edwards Lively, Laura K. Luttrell, Daniel Marcus, Nick Nafpliotis, Bethany Nuckolls, Kristin Procter, Jonathan Shipley, Kara Race-Moore, Chuck Regan, M. T. Reiten, Lloyd Vancil, and Dusty Wallace.

However, if you have a great interior, you really need a great exterior to match, right? Up top is one of the tentative front covers. It probably won't be the final design, but close enough for promotional use. I'm learning quickly that what I as an editor envision and what the publishers envision are often two different things. That doesn't mean we can't negotiate, but, in the end, they get the final say.




The design is by Mr. Randy McWilson, a friend of mine and author of a series of science fiction/time travel/conspiracy theory books. His first, Paradigm Rift is already out and a big hit. His second, Tradecraft will launch this spring.

One of the aspects about this project that I've loved is learning about our own current efforts to get to Mars. Mars One is one of the groups that has dedicated itself to getting to Mars as soon as possible. Their date? 2020! Five years from now! Can you imagine? They have a lot of barriers to overcome but persistence and brainpower can send you places...perhaps even Mars!

Next time I'll tease you with story titles, tell you a little about the authors, and more tidbits about the current efforts of groups aiming for the red planet.

Building Red: The Colonization of Mars is launching in paperback and ebook formats in August 2015. Five months and counting. Don't miss it!

Until next time...kick up a little dust and dream big.

Last couple of months!

We're down to the last couple of months before the submission deadline for Building Red: The Colonization of Mars! Slots are filling up fast but we still have room for a few more great stories.

As a quick reminder, here's the story prompt again:

"The year is 2050. Technology has finally progressed to the point humankind can begin colonizing Mars. Governments, corporations, and rich individuals are all sponsoring groups to tackle the task of surviving and thriving in a harsh and foreign atmosphere. It's a test of creativity, intelligence, and social skills; of genetic engineering, terraforming, and resources. The winners earn the right to incorporate their little corner of Mars as their own. It's a fool's adventure. It's an impossible dream. It's a risk that may cost everything, including lives. But adventures and dreams and risks are where stories begin."

Walrus Publishing is looking for your original, unpublished stories approximately 1,000-6,000 words long.  We prefer submission as a .doc, .docx, .txt, or shared via Google drive. Standard 1" margins, Times New Roman or equivalent font, double spaced, and all pages should have the title and page number in the heading.

Email your submission as an attachment or with a link to your shared Google Drive file to janetcannoneditor@gmail.com by November 1, 2014.

In the body of the email, include your name, contact info including address, phone number, and short (100 word) bio.

Send only one piece to be considered at a time. As some of you have discovered, if I like the piece but have some issues with it, I will ask for revisions and consider it again, but time is running out. I suggest having your piece workshopped or beta read by several people before sending it to me.

Any style is fine (serious, funny, macabre, etc.) as long as the piece fits the prompt and is science fiction. The only exceptions are no gratuitous violence or erotica.The vast majority of rejections are because the pieces are more fantasy than science fiction. Check your facts carefully!

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please inform me immediately if your piece is published elsewhere.

Any submission not conforming to these specifications may be rejected.

If your piece is accepted, you will receive $25 upon publication of the finished anthology (Spring 2015) five free copies of the anthology, and a 50% discount on copies you purchase.

Right now my response time is a little more than a month. I apologize for the wait, but sometimes day jobs get in the way of our passions! Feel free to e-mail if you are afraid your piece has gotten lost, but likely it has not.

Here's looking forward to Building Red with you!

Story Resources

I'm excited I've already received so many stories for Building Red-The Colonization of Mars anthology! Some of the stories are funny, some serious, but one thing I want to emphasize: this is a science fiction anthology, not a fantasy anthology. Science fiction is based on science facts and extrapolation of what science could be in the future. That is one of the big reasons I'm having to either reject or ask for re-writes on stories. So for those of you who aren't familiar with life on Mars, here are a few resources you might check out to help fine-tune those stories.

I would suggest you read the specifics on these websites to get more detailed information, however, here are the highlights: Mars has longer days, has dangerous dust storms, no liquid water, has two moons, is extremely cold, has no atmosphere (therefore humans are subject to high levels of solar radiation! This is a big one people forget about.), and no oxygen, has several man-made craft flying in orbit around it, has a weaker gravitational pull than Earth, a lower air pressure, it only takes about a year (depending on technology and cycle of the orbits) to get to Mars.

1. Window to the Universe: http://www.windows2universe.org/kids_space/lifeonmars.html
2. NASA's Mars website: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-mars-k4.html#.U63d_vldXeI
3. Physics.org: http://www.physics.org/featuredetail.asp?id=69
4. Space.com: http://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html
5. Discovery Channel: http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/5-hurdles-conquer-before-colonizing-mars.htm

Here's a group who plans on going to Mars in 2018! http://www.mars-one.com/

If your story is well-written and compelling, I'm likely to ask for a re-write rather than reject it, so don't feel this is meant to intimidate anyone. I merely want to help you write the best science fiction story possible.

Keep sending more stories!

Submission Guidelines

Walrus Publishing, an independent press from St. Louis, Missouri, is now accepting submissions for our sci/fi anthology, Building Red-The Colonization of Mars. If you wish to be considered for this anthology, your story must be written with this prompt in mind:

"The year is 2050. Technology has finally progressed to the point humankind can begin colonization of Mars. Governments, corporations, and rich individuals are all sponsoring groups to tackle the task of surviving and thriving in a harsh and foreign atmosphere. It's a test of creativity, intelligence, and social skills; of genetic engineering, terraforming, and resources. The winners earn the right to incorporate their little corner of Mars as their own. It's a fool's adventure. It's an impossible dream. It's a risk that may cost everything, including lives. But adventures and dreams and risks are where stories begin."

Submissions should be your original, unpublished story approximately 1,000-6,000 words long. No gratuitous violence or erotica, please. Document should be typed in a .doc, .docx, or .txt format. You can also share it with us using Google Drive. Standard 1” margins, Times New Roman or equivalent font, double spaced, and all pages should have the title and the page number in the heading. 

Submissions should be e-mailed as an attachment to or shared via Google Drive with janetcannoneditor@gmail.com by November 1, 2014. In the body of the e-mail, include your name, contact information including phone number, and short (100 word) bio. Send only one piece to be considered at a time. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please alert us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

Any submission not conforming to these specifications will not be accepted.

Contributing authors will receive $25, five copies of the finished anthology, and receive a 50% discount on purchasing the finished anthology scheduled for release Spring of 2015.

Please allow three months response time. You will notified whether your piece has been accepted or whether we feel it isn’t a good fit for this anthology. 

We're looking forward to Building Red with you!

Building Red: An Anthology

This is the beginning of a venture I've been wanting to tackle for a long time: an anthology. When the opportunity to work with Walrus Publishing came about, even though I'm insanely busy with everything else in my life, I had to take it. Just like those crazy folks who will one day step on Mars, you have to follow your dreams when they present themselves.

So here's what I'm looking for: themes along the lines of genetic engineering, terraforming, and resources. New information is pouring out of media resources daily, so please research before writing and sending your piece. If it doesn't fit with current science, or if you can't logically project a futuristic outcome of a current science, then the piece won't fit for this anthology.

Your writing also has to be well-edited and well-written. Just because it has solid science behind the settings, if your characters have no voice and your plot is thin, your piece won't make the cut. If you have a critique group or several trusted friends--who happen to know a thing or two about grammar--have them read your piece with a critical eye before sending it our way. You'll have a better chance of acceptance, guaranteed!

We'll take submissions through the summer and fall then send out contracts to the authors we would like to join our crew. Then we'll go through the editing and revision process--hopefully not too painful--and the plan is to publish both in e-book and softcover format spring of 2015 just in time to launch for the Missouri Writers' Guild State Conference. If any of our authors are Missouri writers, it would be awesome to have them there to sign copies!

So there's our sandbox. We've dug the foundation. We've secured the posts. We've filled it with sand and setup the toys. It's now up to you what to do with the contents. GO YE THEREFORE AND WRITE!