What happens to a Sci-Fi or Fantasy story after it has been published—the remainder pile, a sporadic reprint, oblivion? Typically the afterlife of a tale consists of gathering dust until the writer’s heirs and assigns shred it for packing nick-knacks and other writerly impedimenta. Not quite the half-life of linoleum. And what of the loves, lives, hopes and aspirations of its citizens? Must they float forever in a shimmering noösphere playing whist and watching the flights of eidolons? Boring. Hence onetinleg.com. To misquote Walt Kelly’s Pogo: “We have seen the future and it’s not yet...” The call, dear reader, is yours.
Blue (as in an Early Frost)
was first published in
DF_underground,
The Dark Fiction Portal, Serenity J. Banks, editor-in-chief.
The Beewolf
was first published in
Kaleidotrope, Fred
Coppersmith, editor.
The Diplodocus Effect
was first published online in
Resident Aliens, Lyn Perry, editor.
The Tirewoman Gabriel
was first published online in
Necrology Shorts, John Ferguson, editor.
Cherokee Purple
was first published online in
Bewildering Stories December 2009, Bill Bowler, coordinating editor.
The Moose in the Noösphere
was first published in the November 2009
Nautilus Engine, Ron Warren editor.
The Last Teddy Bear
was first published in the July 2009
Noctober—dark speculative fiction with every new moon. Edited by Rebecca
Weybright.
Magnetic Betty
was first published in the February 2009 issue of
Nautilus Engine,
Ron Warren editor (buy the book)
The Francher
was first published in the March 2009 issue of
Aphelion, McCamy Taylor fiction editor
The Year They Invented Frozen Lemonade
was first published in the January 2008 issue of
The Harrow: Original Works of Fantasy and Horror, Michael Colangelo fiction
editor
The Missingest Man in America
is an excerpt from Midwife in the Tire Swing, a novel in progress.
Scope Virgin
was first published in the November/December 2007
Written Word Online
Magazine, Ace Masters, editor
McMuckle Makes a Minyan
was first published in the December 2007
Ranfurly Review, Colin Galbraith,
editor
Platterland
was first published in
On the Premises, the November 2007 issue, Tarl Roger Kudrick, editor
Daphne Longhandle’s Last Flight
was first published in
The Aputamkon Review II, Les Simon, editor
The Runaway Bungalow
was first published as a selection in SpecFicWorld’s
Featured Fiction, Doyle Eldon Wilmoth, Jr., editor
The Song of the Rice Barge Coolie
was first published in Aeon Speculative Fiction Eleven, Marti McKenna, editor
E Pluribus Human
was first published in
Coyote Wild, the Summer 2007 issue, Lori A. Basiewicz, editor
Dead Man in the Yard
was first published in
Nanobison,
Summer 2007: the “Dimensions of Love” issue.
A Pass on the Tabouli
was first published in the Hiss Quarterly, Spring 2006: the “Future Imperfect”
issue.
Boys’ Night Out
was first published in the Summer, 2005
On Spec―The Canadian Magazine
of the Fantastic.
I Want to Share Your Wheat
was first published in the September/October 2002 issue of Demensions―Doorways
to Science Fiction and Fantasy where it was voted 2002 Story of the Year. An
e-zine, Demensions went silent in 2003. It will be missed.
The Perfect Homburg
was first published in the March/April 2003 issue of Demensions―Doorways to
Science Fiction and Fantasy and was reprinted in
SpecFicWorld.com’s
“Dark Tales” anthology November, 2005.
An Unwarmed Fish
was first published in the Summer 2003 issue of Demensions―Doorways to Science
Fiction and Fantasy and reprinted in
SpecFicWorld’s E-macabre
#2 [2007].
The Ninepatch Variation
was first published in the January 2004 issue of
Ideomancer Speculative Fiction.
Chimaera Constant
was first published in the October 2008 issue of
Farrago’s Wainscot.
The Death of James A. Garfield
was first
published in A Fly
in Amber, July 2008
The Red Sneaker Zones
was first published in the Hiss Quarterly, the “Space to Grow” issue, Spring
2007.
Klein, the Clone
was first published as The Flags of All Nations Hors D’oeuvres Toothpick
Caper in the Winter, 2003 Fables―The Home for Folktale and Speculative Fiction
on the Internet.
A Special Providence
was first published in the May 2003 issue of
Quantum Muse.
The Prophet Harry
was first published online and is a conflation of chapters 1 and 5 of of
The Return of the Orange Virgin.
Tomcat
was first published in the May, 2003 issue of Demensions, Doorways to Science
Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Donna Thiel-Cook, and reprinted in a slightly
different version in SpecFicWorld’s
Featured Fiction for June, 2006, Doyle Eldon Wilmoth Jr. Editor.
A triumph of reverse Darwinism, Facelift
arrived after the fact, and was published (belatedly) in the February 2008
Aphelion thanks to the good graces of Robert Moriyama, Aphelion’s short
story editor. It was originally written as a website freebie to accompany the
Kenn Brown illustration which
now adorns the MP3 link for Song of the Rice Barge Coolie.
The illustration is copyright Kenn Brown and Mondolithic Studios and used by
permission. No unauthorized duplication or distribution without explicit permission
from the copyright holder.
The Artists
The original art for Magnetic Betty is the copyrighted work of Lee Suta and is used by permission. Lee has lofted a gallery of neat stuff from his creative archive; it’s well worth a look if you’re not a conspiracy theorist. On Facebook, where they’ll ask you to join to get a look.
The original photograph for the onetinleg.com logo, “They All Look at Another Side,” is the copyrighted work of the artist María de la Puente Bernardos and is used by permission.
The original photograph for the Lost in Willipaq print version title page, “Tribute―The Perfect Shot,” is copyright Garrit Pieper and is used by permission.
The original painting for the audio gallery and MP3 link of the 5th Libby the Quilter story Grasshopper Dreams is “Nutty About Lemurs,” copyright Ian D. Seniff and used with permission.
The original painting for the audio gallery and MP3 link of
E Pluribus Human, “Coming to Terms,” is copyright
Tina Blondell
and used with permission.
The original painting for the cover and MP3 link of
The Last Teddy Bear, “Teddy” is the work of the shamanistic and pagan
artist Ravenari
(Pia Van Ravestein) and used by permission.
The original for the download cover and MP3 link of Facelift, “Francie’s Song to the Birds” is the work of sculptor Elizabeth Ostrander and used by permission.
“Streets of Manhattan,” The original photograph for the MP3 link and title page of The Year They Invented Frozen Lemonade is the copyrighted work of the artist Demi Papas and is used by permission.
The original art for the cover and MP3 link of Daphne Longhandle’s Last Flight, “Flower Dragon,” is the work of artist and illustrator Kara Fraser and used by permission.
The original painting for the cover and MP3 link of Chimaera Constant, “Fotoplastikon” is the work of the surrealist artist Andrzej Troc and used by permission.
The original painting for the cover and MP3 link of The Moose in the Noösphere, “Moose” is the work of the artist Lora Bananca and used by permission.
The original painting for the cover and MP3 link of The Ninepatch Variation, “The Tower” is the work of the artist Viki Kennedy and used by permission.
The original photograph for the cover and MP3 link of The Tirewoman Gabriel, “Belen2” is the work of photographer and teacher Martin McRostie-Cornfoot and used by permission.
The digital painting, The Venus Furry—cover art for the forthcoming The Quilter Who Went to Hell, a compilation of Elizabeth Profitt Pease tales scheduled for print publication in 2011—is the work of Bobbie Jean Pentecost and used by permission.
The original painting for the cover and MP3 link of Scope Virgin, “Zen Crow” is the work of Canadian artist Sara Jane Sparks and used by permission.
The original digital painting for the cover and MP3 link of The Prophet Harry, “Night Terror” is the work of artist Nicole Cardiff and used by permission.
Much-deferred thanks to Natasha M. Speer, Ph.D. of the University of Maine at Orono for tutoring the author in the intricacies of the Fourier Transforms as they might apply to the lofting of Saturn-like rings of effluent as demonstrated in the story The Beewolf.
The cover image for the index page of the 2010 revisiting of The Return of the Orange Virgin is the work of Spanish artist Benito Gallego and is used by permission. See more of his work on his website.
The website cover image is Forgotten Places, the work of Bucharest photographer and architect Vlad Eftenie and is used by permission. See more of his work on his website.
The quote, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known,” is the handiwork of Carl Sagan, astronomer (1934-1996). Dr. Sagan is reported to have said: “They laughed at Einstein. They laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.”
And credit where credit is due: I lifted the idea of posting MP3 downloads of the tales of onetinleg.com from a Jim Kelly column in Asimov’s. James Patrick Kelly is a writer of surpassing skill, and his column On The Net is a must-read.
Music Credits
The author is indebted for the music that ornaments the tales of the Free Reads pages to Charlie Hunter [The Ninepatch Variation, Boys’ Night Out, The Perfect Homburg, A Special Providence, Platterland, McMuckle Makes a Minyan, The Runaway Bungalow and Klein, the Clone]; Logan, Salmonraptor, Ehma, DJ Rhode and Haeresis [Song of the Rice Barge Coolie and Magnetic Betty (Ehma)]; banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka [Scope Virgin]; The Hot Club of San Francisco [A Pass on the Tabouli]; the postclassicists Topology and Topology Music [Facelift, Platterland, McMuckle Makes a Minyan, Daphne Longhandle’s Last Flight, The Year They Invented Frozen Lemonade, The Runaway Bungalow, the symphonic rendition in Magnetic Betty, Cherokee Purple’s section breaks, and Mark Twain in Milan]; Ehma and Celestial Aeon Project’s “Aeon 3” [Mark Twain in Milan]; Logan, Flatlink, Salmonraptor and Haeresis [I Want to Share Your Wheat]; Bilou le Skankerfou, Da Capo, Woodwind and Friends, and Antonio Raffone [Dead Man in the Yard]; Flatlink and Haeresis [Platterland]; Flatlink and Xera [for McMuckle Makes a Minyan]; Grace Valhalla, Salmonraptor and Jampy [The Perfect Homburg]; Azurello, Topology and Topology Music, Celestial Aeon Project [The Francher, Daphne Longhandle’s Last Flight]; Suerte and The Serenata Chamber Musicians [The Runaway Bungalow]; La Mula [The Year They Invented Frozen Lemonade]; and Celestial Aeon Project, DOM The Bear, Raphael Badawi, DJ Rhode, Antonio Raffone and Barocco, for Suite Allegro Largo [Chimaera Constant]. Special thanks to Passamaquoddy flutist Rolfe Richter for the signature pieces of the spirit-priest in Chimaera Constant and The Red Sneaker Zones. The music is from Mr. Richter’s CD Dreamwalk and used by permission. Sergio Naddei’s Chamber Music bookends The Tirewoman Gabriel with incidental cues by Da Capo (Claude’s Music) and Eloy Terrero (Interpolar). Terry Snow’s Theme and Variations for Strings bookends The Diplodocus Effect with incidental cues by Topology. Two of Swords boasts bookending by the Gavotte from Ludwig Thuille’s Piano Sextet in B-flat major (the On Classical compilation), the incidental music is by Topology, and from Butterfly Tea’s “Magical Adventures” album, all licensed under a Creative Commons license. The Moose in the Noösphere features cuts from Nakie Nightfire, Lena Selyanina’s Piano Paintings, Tryad and Juice Connection. The Dolby Jenks theme (Magnetic Betty) is “Lords of the Sky” from Celestial Aeon Project’s “Aeon 3.”
More Music (and sound design) Credits
Thanks to the jolly consortium of audio wranglers at The Freesound Project for helping build the sound clusters for Mark Twain in Milan, The Beewolf, A Special Providence and The Diplodocus Effect, likewise Haeresis for the signature theme of Lady Ada Lovelace’s cat in the Mark Twain tale.
A Special Providence, re-recorded in 2010, boasts the
contributions of Charlie Hunter;
Kneel Mason―(Scenes
from) The Mid Lands;
George
Dragon―Time Machine;
Jeremie―Manouche Party
à Saint Martin. For The Beewolf,
Juice Connection [As
Last Year’s Snow, original soundtrack―Brane
Driving]; Weightless’s
“Filmusik”
(Märchenwald, also incidental music for “The Last Teddy Bear”);
Speedsound―Psytrance
Products Vol.01; esgi
[Echoes in Time]―There
Is No End. The Last Teddy Bear, in addition
to
Märchenwald, uses cuts by
Olivier Gabriel Humbert (Le Phare), Antonio Gervasoni’s
The Portrait of Dorian Gray, and “Footsteps” and “An Empty Stage” from
Lena
Selyanina’s Piano Paintings.
Cherokee Purple—a ramble inspired by the author’s
days in the South Carolina border country—is a reminiscence often uncomfortably
close to reality, with music by
Skip James,
Johnny HooDoo
(Internet Archive) and
Steven Rachlin’s
blues harmonica (Internet Archive). The Missingest Man
in America (The Miracles and Death of Judge Joseph Force Crater and
His Questionable Resurrection) features gypsy jazz by
Latché Swing, a quartet from
Rouen, France. Blue (as in an Early Frost) uses
music drops by
Armolithae,
Topology, Zero-project’s “Fairytale”
album (Moon Waltz), Butterfly Tea’s “The
HEAVENz BUTTERFLIEz” album, Weightless, their “Filmmusik”
album, and Terry Snow’s “Theme
and Variations for Strings.” The Prophet Harry:
Butterfly Tea (A Simple Life),
Bilou le Skankerfou (La valse du oni),
Da Capo’s Claude’s Music album (Invention #1.),
Zeropage’s
“Ambiphonic”, and MasqueradE from
Celestial Aeon Peoject’s “Aeon 3.” The music
cues for The Death of James A. Garfield include
Cesar Swing (Jeremie);
Limpy Waltz and Sunday in Hell from
Juice Connection’s “As
Last Year’s Snow;”
Butterfly Tea
(A Cat’s Life from “The
HEAVENz BUTTERFLIEz”); and
Jampy’s
album “Nghzk!”
Lastly, a grateful nod to Bill McVicar and
WQDY 92.7 FM in
Calais, Maine (USA) and Chris Gay at
Sound Expressions,
Lake Utopia, New Brunswick (Canada) for making their audio facilities available.
Podcasting
The
symbol means a story is an mp3 audio file. The onetinleg.com story downloads
are “broadcast quality.” That is, good enough for radio (or MP3
codec). To preview the latest tale before
subscribing just click “stream” on the Free Reads page. For a higher-fi opt
for the broadband download links here. How do you subscribe
to this podcast? Copy the URL in the box below into your preferred podcasting
software (e.g. Feedreader, Juice, Ziepod, etc.). You will automatically receive
fresh onetinleg.com podcasts each time they’re published.
http://www.onetinleg.com/onetinlegRSS.xml
With the onset of late middle age Rob Hunter is the sole support of a 1999 Ford Escort and the despair of his young wife. He does dishes, mows the lawn and keeps their Downeast Maine cottage spotless by moving as little as possible. In a former life he was a newspaper copy boy, railroad telegraph operator, recording engineer and film editor. He spent the 70s and 80s as a Top-40 disc jockey.
Rob's wife, Bonnie, is the secretary at a nearby rural elementary school. She is a gifted quilter who beguiled her new husband with the kaleidoscope of patchwork geometry.
The nearest town to the Hunters that anybody is likely to have ever heard of—because of Stephen King’s The Langoliers—is Bangor, Maine where there are real parking meters and a traffic light. They drive down every six months or so to watch the light change and see the trains come in.
contact Rob Hunter
All content on this website, unless otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons License












