by Rachel Beck | Nov 23, 2018 | Uncategorized
Award season is upon us!
It’s an exciting time as writers come out of the woodwork at the end of the year to list their completed works for consideration, and celebrate everything they accomplished. It’s also a time to reflect on everything that’s happened this year, before the demands of the new one take hold.
For me, it’s been a crazy year. The first two books of the Glitch Logs series are out in the world. I tabled at conventions, sat on panels, and learned a lot about AMS ads. I started reviewing for Dread Central, gave talks on writing, and played an unprecedented number of tabletop RPGs. I made so many new friends.
I learned a lot this year: about writing, about marketing, about people. As I was pulling together this post, one lesson stuck out to me. I met a lot of creators this year – artists, game designers, writers. For those at the beginning of their journey, there’s sometimes a lot of fear there. Will people like it? Will they judge me for it? Will anyone even know it exists? That fear is often paralyzing. It stops good creators from hitting the “publish” button, or telling people that their work exists. What I learned this year though is this: if you are too afraid to try for your own sake, then try for the sake of those around you.
Statistically, 81 percent of Americans say they want to write a book someday. Only a comparatively tiny number of them ever see that dream through. But if someone close to you publishes a work, you are much more likely to finish one yourself. Basically, if you prove it is possible for yourself, you’ve proved it’s possible to someone else too. It could be the nudge that other person needs to finally sit down and write someone’s favorite story.
What I’m saying is this: if you published something this year, and told someone about it, you’re a damn hero. I’m proud of you. I wish you many more victories in the coming year.
Speaking of victories, here are my award-eligible publications for this year. I hope you enjoy them. They were certainly a lot of fun to write. Enjoy!
Defrag
Genre: Science Fiction > Cyberpunk
Word Count: 20,730 words
Blurb: There are two kinds of Runners in Neosaka – those who believe in luck, and those who survive. Glitch, a hacker with more talent for computers than people, is one of the latter but when she is hired for a simple data-grab from the 189th floor of the Eyes in the Sky corporation, all her preparation can’t avert disaster. Caught between a deadly security force and a rival team of Runners, Glitch’s loyalty to her own puts her survival in jeopardy. Forced to ally with her enemies, she struggles to pull together the fragmented pieces of the job and make it out alive.
Hard Copy: http://www.glitchlogs.com/product/defrag/
Digital Copy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C8GGG3G/ref=series_dp_rw_ca_
Overclocked
Genre: Science Fiction > Cyberpunk
Word Count: 32,225 words
Blurb: Glitch escaped from Eyes in the Sky with blood on her shoes and a broken watch. It should have ended there, but mere hours later the faceless corporation that hired her is suddenly, inexplicably out for her blood. Driven deep into the underbelly of Neosaka, Glitch is caught up in a fight between the city’s gangs and a Runner relentlessly searching for answers. Haunted by the deaths of her crew and dogged by her past, Glitch will have to push her already-exhausted body and mind past their limits to survive and pay off her debts to the dead.
Hard Copy: http://www.glitchlogs.com/product/overclocked/
Digital Copy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C8FWFM2/ref=series_dp_rw_ca_2
Happy reading, everyone!
by Rachel Beck | Sep 6, 2018 | Uncategorized
A friend of mine and fellow writer, Matthew Edwards, recently brought the Nike controversy to my attention.
“Are you following the Nike stuff?” he DM’ed me. “Is there anything more cyberpunk than turning social protest into a marketing and advertising strategy?”
For those of you who, like me, were unaware of what’s going on, here’s the tl;dr. Nike released an ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, a football player famous for kneeling during the national anthem in peaceful protest of racial injustice in the United States. The ad showcases a series of inspirational stories of a diverse number of athletes. “It’s only crazy until you do it,” the ad concludes. Some people, including President Trump, took to Twitter to condemn the ad, and also to post pictures of them burning Nike shoes or chopping up Nike socks. Others have responded by expressing support for Nike and vowing to buy only that brand in the future. Still others are pointing out that the shoes being burned would be better off being donated to needy veterans, and the homeless. As of the writing of this blog post, it’s not clear whether Nike has actually made or lost any significant money since the ad broke.
In browsing through articles on the story from news sources on both sides of the political aisle, I agreed with Matthew. The line between corporation and government, politics and profit is extremely blurry right now. We chatted back and forth about whether we thought the tactic would work. Would consumers go for the ad and buy Nike, in an effort to reward the company for backing what they believed to be important social and cultural issues? Would they identify it as a marketing scheme using social protest for profit? Surely people were becoming well-practiced at spotting brands using social issues to buy customer loyalty by now.
“The reason I think the Nike thing might work is that most millennials have been trained to the idea that they vote with their dollars more than at the voting booth,” I told Matthew. “So a lot of what I’m seeing is people deciding to support Nike right now because they want to reward that kind of behavior.”
The Nike situation is an example of how strange a world we’ve come to live in. Marketing shapes our culture and our way of life here in America. As a result, diversity in advertising is just as important as diversity in books, movies, career paths and so on. The Nike ad is just another brick building towards that goal. If I want Nike, and other giant corporations like it, to continue to this end, then it follows that I need to reward it in the only way companies can understand: increasing their bottom line.
This is, however, a dangerous proposition. A vote is a voice, and whenever we equate money to votes, so called “voting with our dollars”, we are necessarily reinforcing the idea that the rich have more of a right to be heard than the poor. Those without buying power have no voice at all. In the short term, it might serve the purposes of social reform to reward brands that fall in line with the change we as consumers would like to see. In the long term I worry that we are only reinforcing existing power structures that value money over humanity.
We have a pretty problem on our hands. If we want to see positive change, we must pay for it. If we pay for it, we reinforce the structure that values money over people, the very system we seek to unseat. If we do not pay for it, we do not see change. So we pay. And the dizzying circle continues.
I can see the problem, but I don’t have a solution.
by Rachel Beck | Aug 14, 2018 | Uncategorized
Today, Facebook reminded me that it’s been exactly three years since I quit my old cubicle job and started a new chapter of my life. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. In no particular order, three things I’ve learned in those three years:
1. Change often does not announce itself.
Sometimes you get the heads up that change is coming, like when you decide to move, or start applying for jobs. Often though, it comes without warning, for better or worse. Sometimes it’s the opportunity that catapults you into something new and exciting. Sometimes it’s an uninsured driver totalling your car.
The point is, just because something is happening right now, doesn’t mean it will continue to happen that way forever, no matter how much it feels that way. Case and point: four years ago, I jerked to attention in my cubicle because I suddenly realized I had been trying to work out if the fall from the overpass by my job would be enough to kill me. I felt trapped and could see no way out or forward. I was staring down the next forty years of my life and seeing nothing to look forward to. A year later I was out, and starting what has been to date the best chapter of my life.
2. Learn how to rest.
I’m still learning this one. There’s a lot big changes when you start working for yourself, but one thing stays the same: your boss is still riding you about that deadline. The biggest change is now you have to look at them in the bathroom mirror every day. It doesn’t matter how much you love what you do. If you do not take time to rest, you will burn out. I learned that the hard way. These days, I try and take evenings off, even if I still kind of feel like I “could” be working. Being disciplined about taking breaks means I have the stamina to stay in this game for the long haul.
3. Prioritize people.
In my experience, money come and goes. Sometimes you land a good gig, and sometimes you get hit by an unexpected medical bill. Sometimes both happen in the same week. In my experience, the people in my life are more reliable than any insurance company and a better investment of my time than nearly anything else. We get each other through the tough times. We give rides, cook meals, pool skill sets, consult, collaborate, refer work, and sit up waiting for each other in the emergency room. The list goes on. Maybe there is such a thing as a truly “self-made man” out there, but I haven’t met one yet. I didn’t get this far alone, and I don’t intend to change that now.
Three years down. Here’s to the next three.
by Rachel Beck | May 31, 2018 | Uncategorized
This post is part of the State of Cyberpunk blog series.
Adam Myhr can’t recall if it was the book Neuromancer by William Gibson or the video game by the same name that first introduced to him to cyberpunk. Either way, it was Shadowrun that ultimately sealed the deal for him, and drew him into the world of digital matrixes and men melded to machines.
Download Initializing
It was the tech-human fusion in cyberpunk that most appealed to Adam. In cyberpunk he saw a future where the common people didn’t have the power they should, the corporation had too much power, and the government was unable to intervene. It made sense then that people would turn to tech, even go so far as to embed it in their bodies to balance the scales, or at least give themselves a chance.
It made sense then, that Adam’s first foray into cyberpunk creation was digital.
“The first thing I created for cyberpunk was an AmigaBASIC game,” Adam recalled fondly. “I uploaded it just because, and it was horrible, but it was something I did out of the love of the genre.”
Fast forward thirty years, and Adam is now an author. His book, Download Initializing, focuses on AI and the singularity concept.
“As soon as I started working on it the entire world opened up to me,” Adam related. He wanted to explore a post-AI world, one where humanity had a brush with the power and danger of true AI, overcame it, and banned it. He wanted to explore what the world might look like with a fully functioning AI – what its goals would be and how society would react to it.
He found books to be the perfect medium for the story.
“There’s something about that near future cyberpunk that’s hard to get right in the details,” Adam explained. “In books, the reader’s imagination fills in the gaps.”
Double-Edged Technology
To Adam, cyberpunk is a genre that features dominant, oversized and power-hungry corporations, but he doesn’t quite qualify it as a dystopia.
“Most dystopias aren’t quite techy enough,” he pointed out. “Because if people had that tech, they’d do what Runners do – fight back.”
Tech then, for all of its dangers, is the tool that stops corporations from completely dominating and consuming society. It’s an interesting catch-22: technological advances are what give mega-corporations the power to surveil, manipulate, and even outright hunt the people they prey on, but those advances may also be the only weapon against them.
Adam doesn’t see cyberpunk as an optimistic genre, however.
“There’s a lot of hopelessness to it,” Adam observed. “People compare cyberpunk to noir stories because there isn’t a happily ever after, just an after.”
It’s a gritty world without perfect endings. At the end of the day, the best a protagonist can do is turn up their collar against the rain, and disappear into the night.
The Future’s Coming Faster
As he looks at cyberpunk as a genre to create in, Adam voiced the same rueful observation I’d heard from other creators: the future keeps getting closer.
“The interesting thing about cyberpunk as a science fiction, and also one of its limitations, is that it’s near-future science fiction,” Adam explained. “It can start to feel dated… The near future is in two years now, instead of ten or twenty.”
People are looking to cyberpunk to predict what’s going to happen next, but creators can hardly turn it out fast enough to keep from writing current events. That being said, Adam still believes the genre has a lot of value for us. It has an advantage over broader science fiction in looking to the future.
“Science fiction has always been about examining the problems of today by taking ourselves out of it and putting us in the far future,” Adam pointed out. “Humans are messy though, and cyberpunk keeps us in the equation.”
As he looks at the future of the genre, Adam wants to see cyberpunk continue to break out of literature into other genres.
“Movies have done ok but we’ll see” said Adam. “I’d like to see more cyberpunk games, and especially in VR…. Books are great and I love them, but other mediums can be easier to share and feel a lot more real to a lot of people.”
Whatever the future holds for cyberpunk, and its creators, the world won’t have to wait long for it. The future is closing with us too quickly.
To learn more about Adam, visit his websites at AdamMyhr.com and GreenGiraffePublishing.com. You can also follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/adam.myhr and Twitter .
Interested in Adam’s work? Get your own copy of Download Initializing for FREE through Friday, June 15 by clicking on the link below:
Give it a read, let him know what you think, and be sure to leave a review!
by Rachel Beck | May 15, 2018 | Uncategorized
Films and television shows like Max Headroom, Aeon Flux, and Blade Runner were game-designer Kira Magrann’s first introduction to cyberpunk. She loved the aesthetic of the cyberpunk – the tall, brooding buildings, the glow of neon, and the slow moving shots. She also loved the complexity of the characters in the stories.
“The characters were really emo and having all these identity crises,” said Kira. “When I was younger, I didn’t quite get it, but as I got older, I realized it was me with my queer identity and being a woman.”
Kira went on to explore her experience, and the experiences with others in the games she creates. Her works focus on games where social prowess is emphasized instead of just physical aptitude. They give space to explore people without power trying to navigate social power dynamics.
Aesthetics Speak
The aesthetics of cyberpunk are visually arresting, to say the least, but Kira noted that it’s more than just pretty neon reflected in the rain.
“Style is really important to cyberpunk,” she pointed out. “It’s not just mirror shades … It’s a cultural and global understanding of style.”
While cyberpunk does have a distinctive look, it is also one of the most fashion-permissive genres out there. Street-samurai, Victorian-punk, and hard-boiled detective are all looks that coexist on the streets on the rainy streets of cyberpunk cities. It’s a genre which celebrates asserting your identity through how you present yourself visually. Kira also noted that style is not something restricted to a person’s personal dress code. It is present in the language of the media, street slang, and the architecture of the buildings that populate a cyber-city’s skyline. Decoding the language of style in cyberpunk requires both an understanding of style-past and style-future, but the payoff is worth it. Style is as much a commentary on the culture it exists in as it is on the person who assembled it.
A Social Science Fiction
Kira believes that cyberpunk is relevant to our culture today especially because of its social commentary.
“The other big element I love [about cyberpunk] is the people,” she said. “The ‘high tech low lives.’ Normal people full of flaws.”
Kira observed that people tend to connect deeply with the characters of cyberpunk.
“I tend to appreciate characters who are sensitive,” she added. “People with high empathy who are aware of their surroundings. It’s basically a superpower.”
Cyberpunk in particular focuses on how humanity will react to tech of the future. It looks at what is possible for people, not just what we ought to fear. It makes cultural observations about how people relate to each other.
“It’s a great social science fiction,” Kira concluded.
Looking Forward
Kira has a few ideas about what she would like to see in the future of cyberpunk as it develops as a genre.
“First, I would basically cast Janelle Monae in everything,” she quipped.
She also wants to see stories about people for whom personal technology has been life-changing. She’s looking for narratives that that explore how people can alter their bodies with tech to reflect their identity. She’s also interested in the meta-social conversation.
“I think cyberpunk should talk about access, and class,” Kira stated. “How does tech help oppressed classes, and how does it also oppress them?”
Whatever the future may hold, it’s sure to be filled with a huge diversity of people, and cyberpunk is a great lens to peer through as we look forward to it.
If you would like to learn more about Kira’s work, visit her website at https://kira-magrann-xf7x.squarespace.com/ or follow her on twitter at @Kiranansi. You can also check out her YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2ETkGmK.
Kira is a tabletop roleplaying game designer, queer cyborg, and snake mom living in Columbus, Ohio. She currently has a Patreon where she designs experimental games, a YouTube channel where she talks about game design, and she blogs a few times a month at Gnome Stew. With the support of her patrons she recently released a game about Lesbisnakes in wintertime titled A Cozy Den.
by Rachel Beck | May 10, 2018 | Uncategorized
This post is part of the State of Cyberpunk series.
I met Garrett Calcaterra at Fog Con, a writer’s convention he was paneling at and where I was working a table in the vendor’s hall. He’d just gotten out of the panel, but he graciously agreed to do an on-the-spot interview with me. Here’s what he had to say about cyberpunk.
The Human Touch
The dystopian elements of the works of Philip K. Dick and Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash were what first drew Garrett into the world of cyberpunk. He liked that they weren’t simply remakes of 1984.
“It’s a world of our own making,” Garrett explained, one that was both descriptive and exploratory.
As a long-time author, Garrett appreciates the laboratory-like nature of writing as a medium.
“Writing is a way to balance the entertainment with the explorative aspect of stories,” he said. “Especially science fiction… It’s fun to explore the what-ifs.”
Garrett also pointed out that such writing is an experiment that takes humanity into account as a variable. Writing science fiction, be it cyberpunk or any of the other subgenres, requires that readers consider the problem of tech on a social level. To tell a story, we must necessarily look through the eyes of a protagonist, usually a human one. It naturally draws the attention to how technology affects interactions between people, and society as a whole.
“It lets us test things out at a very human level,” said Garrett.
Digital Impact
Cyberpunk in particular plays with that intersection of tech and human relationship in its digital worlds. Garrett believes this is one of the keys elements of the genre as a whole. It’s not enough to assert that these digital and virtual realities exist in the cyberpunk future – their impact must be felt on a societal level.
It’s that digital impact in particular that makes cyberpunk so highly relevant today, Garrett pointed out. The deep interconnectedness brought about through the internet is bringing us quickly into a cyberworld.
People are looking to the genre because they want to know what the ramifications might be. There are an abundance of questions to explore when it comes to any new piece of technology. What are the dangers? How should we think about and deal with surveillance? Who owns the means of production in a digital age, and how are they using that power? The effects of social conditioning through ads alone is still something researchers are working to understand, and the average person scrolls through more a day than ever before in history.
Society has certainly entered a cyber era but, Garrett added, “Whether the punk is still there is debatable.”
Cyberpunk, Not Dystopia
Garrett sees the present age as an exciting time for cyberpunk because the millennial generation has reached a point where they’re ready to tell their own stories.
“They’re the first native generation to the cyberworld,” said Garrett. “What stories will they tell now that the tech is already available to us?”
Just as science-fiction-past has helped to create the tech of the present, Garrett
predicts the new generation of cyberpunk will be formative to our future. He also thinks that this is an opportunity for a fundamental change in the genre as a whole.
Garrett said he hopes to see cyberpunk move away from its dystopian tendencies. Instead, he hopes new authors will not only work to predict new tech, but also to look at the productive ways that tech could be put to use.
“We want tales of warning, like tales of Asimov and his AI,” he pointed out. “But we also want to see cyberpunk move into a direction where we say, ‘how could we make our lives better?’ How could our tech make the underserved lives’ better? Can we turn this world into something closer to a Utopia?”
Garrett’s vision for the future raises the interesting question of whether or not a story is still cyberpunk if it does away with its classic, dystopian elements. It’s an idea that deserves an article in its own right, possibly several. It is, unfortunately, beyond the purview of this write-up, so instead I’ll simply close with this thought: I find the discussion of who’s in and who’s out of a genre’s clubhouse to be generally unproductive. In this case though, I might make an exception.
If cyberpunk is writing the future, then whether or not that future must be fundamentally dystopian is a question not of genre, but of what we believe about the world, ourselves, and our ability to change, before it’s too late.
Thoughts? Leave ‘em in the comments section below, or catch up with me on Twitter at @rachelthebeck.
If you’d like to learn more about Garrett’s work, or his other writings, visit his website at https://www.garrettcalcaterra.com/home or follow him on Twitter at @GCalcaterra .
Garrett Calcaterra is author of the epic fantasy series The Dreamwielder Chronicles. His other books include Dreamrush, The Roads to Baldairn Motte, and Umbral Visions. His short work has appeared in numerous anthologies, speculative-fiction magazines, and literary journals, including Confrontation, Writers’ Journal, Black Gate, Wet Ink, Membrane SF, Arkham Tales, and Fracas: a collection of short friction.
Garrett works as a freelance copywriter in San Francisco and previously taught creative writing at Chapman University and the Orange County School of the Arts. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in applied science from Pacific University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Chapman University. When not writing, he enjoys playing guitar in his band Wheel House, drinking craft beer, and enjoying life with his wife and daughter.
