I’ve been a publisher of sci-fi, fantasy, action adventure
for a year now and I’ve been
contemplating why. Of all the genre , sci-fi was not the acceptable
reading in our house. In fear of having
stunted mental growth, Mom had me read the great classics, autobiographies,
science… but my mind at 12 years old just could not fathom Aristotle, and at 16
and 17, The Great Gatsby and Henderson the Rain King made no sense –
idle rich just didn’t connect with me. But in between, there was The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. To my overly imaginative mind, that was what
I could sink myself into – other worlds, rich descriptions, fascinating
characters, villains that were really villains. Sci-fi was something that was
read late at night after the folks went to bed; it was read in a hurry because
sometimes my mom would show up in the middle of the night and demand I turn
over what I was reading. So I consumed books in a hurry, looking only for
characters that stood out, plots that were amazing, worlds that were definitely
“not here”. I remember those that stood out: Jules Verne, Asimov, Ray Bradbury,
but not the others. But they all impacted me - they all left whispers in my
ear, shadow worlds in my mind.
So when I was asked what I would do if I could (a casual
question thrown out in the lunchroom), the answer came out strong and positive:
“Publish and write current sci-fi, action and adventure. Oh, fantasy too.”
Wormhole Electric was born. Within six weeks friends, friends of friends, strangers,
answered the whispered call to participate in a “writing project”; authors, web
designers, editors… we’re not talking wannbes here, we’re talking about
talented people, people who know how to rub words together just like the
authors I read so many years ago; editors who know how to coach writers in just
the right way to get the best possible sequence of thoughts, ideas, words; designers who were willing to take what
others had done and present it in the best possible way as ebooks.
As an editor, I get the opportunity to read the latest
imaginative creations from the minds of talented, passionate writers; it’s my
job, I just have to read about interesting characters in extraordinary
circumstances. What more can I say? Someone has to do it…
I’ll be “in conversation” with Don B. from eastern Canada,
one of the Wormhole Electric editors.
Join us as we unfold this great adventure – comment! Add your voice to
this journey.
Carolyn Varvel
