Took the family on a fun weekend trip to Seattle by Amtrak. This is the view from my train window.
“The Android Who Became a Human Who Became an Android” Reprinted in Russian Magazine “If”
My science fiction story with a rather long title, “The Android Who Became a Human Who Became an Android,” has been reprinted in the Russian magazine, Esli, which roughly translates as “If” in English. It was originally published in Analog in September 2010.
I got my contributor copy in the mail over the weekend, mailed all the way from Moscow, and it’s a sweet looking magazine. First time I’ve been printed in Russian, as far as I know. Only problem? I can’t read a word of it. They even translated my name! The only way I was able to tell which story was mine was the copyright notice at the end of the story, which was in English. Another weird moment in being a writer.
By the way, you can now buy this story individually to read in electronic format at Amazon, B&N, or, at Smashwords.com. It’s a longish tale, nearly short novel length, so it’s a good deal for only 99 cents. Here’s the blurb and the cover:
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The Android Who Became a Human Who Became an Android
by Scott William Carter
It ain’t easy being a private investigator in a galaxy that spans thousand of worlds – especially when you make the mistake of putting your heart on the line. When an old flame of Dexter Duff’s shows up out of the blue, claiming her rich husband is missing, Duff has mixed feelings about getting involved. She’s willing to pay top dollar, though, and like usual, Duff is broke. The case turns even stranger when it turns out her husband, who was once an android, became a human for her sake through a costly and risky procedure – and then went back to being an android when she seemed happier with him the way he was before. Then he vanished without a trace.
Readers of this story may want to check out “The Bear Who Sang Opera,” another story featuring Dexter Duff, as well as other stories set in Carter’s Unity Worlds universe.
Available Now in Electronic Format: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords
Dispatches from the Frontlines of Fatherhood: One-Upsmanship
The scene: Dinner. My five-year-old, as usual, is complaining about what we’re feeding him.
Me: I’m tired of the whining. Someone made you a nice dinner, so the least you can do is eat it. If you don’t, maybe I’ll write a book about you. I’ll call it Calvin the Little Engine Who Couldn’t. What do you think about that?
Calvin: If you do that, if you do that – I’ll – I’ll take the napkins and throw them at your face.
Me: Yeah, but I can get that book published and have it appear in every school library in America. Millions of kids will know who you are. So you shouldn’t try to one-up me. I’ve got the advantage.
Calvin (thinking about it): Then I’ll spank your bottom ten times.
Cover of Wooden Bones
Good news and bad news. The good news is that it looks like you can now pre-order my fantasy, Wooden Bones, from Amazon. It’s published by the same folks who brought you my first novel, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, and it’s aimed at 9-12 year-olds. (Of course, I’m hoping adults will enjoy it just as much as kids — think Neil Gaiman’s Coraline,which is similar in tone and feel.) The pitch line? Becoming a real boy was just the beginning . . . It’s the untold story of Pinocchio, who, after he becomes a real boy, discovers he has the power to bring puppets to life himself.
The bad news is that publication date is not until August 7, 2012, so you’ll have a bit of a wait. There’s no description of the book up yet either; that will follow before too long.
I can, however, now safely post the cover here, since the publisher has posted it on Amazon and elsewhere. I’m very happy with it. It really captures the right mood for the story.
