International Speculative Fiction #4 Read online

  I started College in 2002 with no perspective on the future and no plan for my career as an artist, and that didn’t really change for three years. It was the most unproductive time of my life—I didn’t paint, draw or model as much as I should have—but it was an important transition to where I really wanted to go with my art.

  I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. I’ve always wanted to create new worlds, fantastic places, and amazing creatures, over which I had total control, and sculpture wasn’t helping me achieve that, so I started to look for inspiration in other media. The first time I had contact with concept art was while playing a videogame in 2005. It had the original art work in the menu and I immediately, instinctively knew that I could create this kind of art. I was completely astonished by the beauty of certain works of fantasy art, and so my adventure began. I graduated college with a degree in sculpture, but in my heart I wanted to paint the future and explore my own worlds.

  After college I moved to Madrid, Spain, and continued working as a sculptor, but my relationship with sculpture broke down completely and I gave up everything in order to pursue my dreams. I started learning Photoshop using tutorials in my spare time and I cared about almost nothing else. It soon paid off when I got my first job in the games industry as a 2D Graphic Artist at Ubisoft. I was ecstatic about the job, and I consider it to be a milestone in my career, but in reality it was just the beginning.

  I learned everything I could, from everybody, at any time, anywhere, and soon I got my first job as a Concept Artist. The projects we had and the people I met were amazing to me, and really pushed back my limits, which is something I’ve always loved. I worked as a Texture Artist on Tom Clancy’s HAWX (2009), as a 3D/2D Generalist on Red Steel 2 (2010), and as a Concept Artist for Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 (2010) and THI (cancelled).

  My quest for more pushed me to change studios, moving to Gameloft, where as a Concept Artist I was able to participate in several sci-fi and fantasy projects before moving to City Interactive Romania as a Senior Concept Artist, working with an incredible team of artists. It was the chance of a lifetime, and I was honored to be part of that amazing team. Unfortunately the project was eventually cancelled, but the knowledge we gained throughout our year of collaboration was fabulous.

  I then switched to the film industry, where new doors opened for me. I started to work as a Senior Concept Artist for Trixter Film Studio in Germany, where I got the chance to work on major feature films and 3D Animations, creating a huge variety of concept designs, mood paintings, illustrations, and color scripts.

  I am currently living back in Bucharest, where I started a new chapter of my career as an Art Director for Gameloft Romania. I am now creating more and more complex worlds and my ambitions continue to grow.

  I’ve done a lot of professional work done throughout my career, but I’ve always tried to separate the professional from the personal. Through my personal work I get away from everything, abolish everyday boundaries, and just explore and enjoy the universes I create. There are no boundaries to what your mind can create and I’m eagerly waiting to see where my mind will take me in the future.

  From the Portfolio of George Munteanu

  The images on the following 5 pages were supplied by George Munteanu from his personal portfolio. All copyrights belong to the artist.

  (To avoid long load-times on slower e-reading devices, each image has been included as a separate chapter.)

  About ISF

  International Speculative Fiction (“ISF”) is a free online magazine published every three months. It features speculative fiction by international authors, with special attention given to non-anglophone writers.

  ISF publishes three to four short stories per issue, along with one article and one interview. Our articles cover the speculative fiction scene in a variety of countries. We also regularly publish short stories and articles on our website.

  The current issue and all back issues of ISF are available for free on InternationalSF.wordpress.com.

  If you’re an author and would like to submit fiction or non-fiction for future issues of ISF, please see our submission guidelines (in this e-book or on our website) and start submitting!

  —Roberto Mendes, Editor In Chief

  How to Submit

  Fiction

  Length: Up to 7,500 words.

  Language: English, although we will also consider fiction previously published solely in another language.

  Nationality of the author: We will consider fiction from authors of any nationality, although we give preference to non-Anglophone writers.

  Type of document: Please send Word files (*.doc) using Arial 11-point font, single spaced.

  Essential Elements: A brief biography and picture of the author, and an abstract of the short story.

  Themes: We are looking for submissions of international speculative fiction in genres including, but not limited to, science fiction, fantasy and horror. Please consider this definition from Wikipedia to get an idea of what we’re after: “Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.”

  Submit to: [email protected] with the subject “Submission of Fiction to ISF”.

  Articles

  Length: Up to 7,500 words.

  Language: English, although we will also consider articles previously published solely in another language.

  Nationality of the author: All nationalities.

  Type of document: Please send Word files (*.doc) using Arial 11-point font, single spaced.

  Essential Elements: A brief biography and picture of the author, and an abstract of the article.

  Themes: We are looking exclusively for articles about international speculative fiction.

  Submit to: [email protected] with the subject “Submission of Article to ISF”.

  Meet the ISF Team

  Editor-In-Chief: Roberto Mendes (Portugal)

  Roberto Mendes is a trainee lawyer in Portugal who has a tremendous passion for speculative fiction. He created a Portuguese e-zine called Correio do Fantástico in 2008 and has edited two Portuguese magazines, Dagon and Conto Fantástico. He also edited Vollüspa, an anthology of Portuguese speculative fiction featuring fifteen authors.

  Fiction Editor: Ricardo Loureiro (Portugal)

  After a recent phone call I was left with the dreaded mission of writing a bio and, worse, picking a photo of myself.

  I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is the most boring stuff anyone could ask of me—up there with watching paint dry and grass grow—but it surely it’s not far off.

  Usually I put on my satirical hat and make something up along the lines of being someone who’s up to no good. Strangely, for this project, I felt that wasn’t the right approach and after a lot of brainstorming with myself I came up with a solution. Incredibly, I decided to play it safe and, for once, tell the truth—or at least as near to the truth as anyone will ever get from me. So, without further ado here it is.

  Born in the year of the Monkey, anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that of all the animals the monkey is the most like me: always swinging from tree to tree, always looking for another prank, making fun of everything and making a habit of taking everything in superficially as possible.

  Well, that describes me—as much as the iceberg we see above the waters describes the real iceberg beneath those same waters.

  Because, you see, being a cynical, satirical, incredibly nauseating son of a bitch is only a third of what I am. The other two thirds you’ll have to discover through my work and what better place to start than right here at ISF?

  Non-Fiction Editor: Nas Hedron (Canada/Brazil)

  Nas Hedron is a writer, editor, and artist. He is originally
from Canada, but now divides his time between his Canada and Brazil.

  He is the author of Luck and Death at the Edge of the World, The Virgin Birth of Sharks, and Felon and the Judas Kiss, among other works. His story Siren Songs in Deep Time appeared in issue 2 of ISF.

  Nas is also the editorial half of the team at IndieBookLauncher.com, which provides services to independent authors including editing, cover design, and e-book formatting. IndieBookLauncher.com provides copyediting for each issue of International Speculative Fiction (starting with #2), as well as its annual anthology.

  Nas’s blog, with links to his books and other projects, can be found at NassauHedron.com.

  Podcast Director: Joana Fernandes (Portugal)

  Joana Fernandes has always been passionate about literature and now uses her professional skills to help spread the work of as-yet-unknown authors. She studied journalism, worked for national radio, and is now Project Coordinator at a communication and events agency. She is at work on a very personal guide to Rio de Janeiro which will be released shortly.

  Interviewer: Cristian Tamaş (Romania)

  Cristian Tamaş is a Romanian essayist, translator, and SF fan who has been active in speculative fiction since the 1980’s.

  He is a founding member of the Romanian Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (SRSFF = Societatea Română de Science Fiction & Fantasy), and coordinates ProspectArt, the SRSFF’s SF club relaunched in April 2009 in Bucharest (Romania) and the annual Ion Hobana Colloquium. He is a member of the Ion Hobana and a SRSFF’s Jury Awards.

  He is also editor of Bella Proxima, a trilingual Croatian SF anthology (English-Croatian-Romanian), together with Antuza Genescu and Aleksandar Žiljak (Eagle Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012).

  He has interviewed David Brin, Juliet Marillier, Prof. Rachel Haywood Ferreira (Division Head of the International Fantastic division of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, Iowa State University, USA; research focus: Latin American science fiction), Prof. Arielle Saiber (Bowdoin College, USA; research focus: italian science fiction), Mariano Martín Rodríguez (SF scholar, Spain), Alexandre Babeanu (Prix Solaris awarded Canadian SF author), Ugo Bellagamba (French SF author awarded with Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire & Prix Rosny ), and Judit Lörinczy, a Hungarian SF author and artist.

  Editor of the Official Facebook Page: Alexandra Rolo (Portugal)

  Alexandra Rolo is a history student, bookworm, and blogger (as Pantapuff), who also writes poetry and short fiction. She was a founder of the Portuguese webzine Nanozine and is the author of several books of poetry. She manages a number of Facebook accounts and collaborates on several blogs in addition to her own.

  Head Designer: Rafael Mendes (Portugal)

  Rafael Mendes is a digital arts student and freelance digital artist in Portugal. He is passionate about design, 3D modeling, and cinematography. He has contributed to Dagon magazine, Vollüspa (an anthology of Portuguese speculative fiction), and Conto Fantástico Magazine, among others.

  Head Designer: João Paulo Sinal (Portugal)

  João Paulo Sinal is a communication design student and a corporal in the Portuguese Air Force. He is fascinated by new technologies, is involved in photography and digital painting, and is self-taught with respect to the relevant software and hardware.

  Magazine Designer: Ana Ferreira (Portugal)

  Ana Ferreira (also known on the internet as Adeselna Davies), is a teacher of Portuguese, English, and German. She started in the magazine business as a slush reader for the Portuguese webzine Nanozine, but eventually took over the design department and is now preparing an edition dedicated to Steampunk.

  Besides designing, Ana writes (mostly short) fiction as a hobby and maintains a tradition of starting stories but refusing to finish them. Her blog Illusionary Pleasure is dedicated to reviews of Portuguese books of every genre. She takes inspiration from Swiss lesbian writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach, as well from Pre-Raphaelite artists and German expressionists.

  Ana Raquel (Portugal)

  Ana Raquel (also known as Tomoyo on the internet) has a degree in education and now studies communication science. Her first contact with the magazine world was through Waribashi, a Portuguese e-zine about Japanese culture for which she wrote and which she helped administer. She is a dedicated reader, especially of the fantastic and of historical romance.

  The ISF Consultant Panel

  Ellen Datlow

  Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for over thirty years. She was fiction editor at OMNI Magazine and SCIFICTION and has edited more than fifty anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year, Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror, Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy, Blood and Other Cravings, Supernatural Noir, Teeth: Vampire Tales, and After: Dystopian and Post-apocalyptic Tales (the latter two young adult anthologies with Terri Windling).

  She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, and multiple Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention, for “outstanding contribution to the genre” and was honored with the Life Achievement Award given by the Horror Writers Association in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career.

  She lives in New York. She maintains a web site at Datlow.com and a LiveJournal blog. You can also find her on twitter.

  Paul Di Filippo

  Paul Di Filippo began reading science fiction at the age of five, when he encountered his first Mighty Mouse comic. He published his first story in 1977, and has since been responsible for thirty books under his byline. He hopes to keep at this game for some time yet. His tastes in fantastika are omnivorous.

  About IndieBookLauncher.com

  IndieBookLauncher.com helps authors navigate the e-publishing process from start to finish. Founded in 2012 as a partnership between editor and indie author Nas Hedron and graphic designer Saul Bottcher, we offer professional editing, cover design, and e-book production services at affordable rates.

  We’re excited to work with International Speculative Fiction to help them promote the work of non-anglophone authors to a wider audience. This Anthology e-book was copyedited and produced by IndieBookLauncher.com, and we can do the same for you!

  Visit us at www.IndieBookLauncher.com.