Interzone

And by 'popular demand', I mean that I asked if anyone was interested in doing it again this year, and ten or so people said they were, so we'll go ahead in the hope that another fourteen more will step out of the shadows to join the party.

What's in it for you? Well, if you're a reader, the opportunity to pick up on some stories and writers you might otherwise have overlooked, and to get in on the 'joys' of the season without putting on weight (I still prefer Advent Calendars that involve chocolate though). Other than that, well in previous years the exercise was successful at least in terms of driving traffic to other websites and getting feedback on our forums for the writers who participated.

Same rules and regulations as last year, more or less (I've upped the word limit to 2,000 and allowed podcasts, as we had both of those last year, and tweaked the wording in places):-

As before, I won't post stories on here, but each day from the 1^st to the 24^th of December, I'll do a link to a story on another website (or writer's blog), and another link to a dedicated thread on Interaction where, hopefully, people will be motivated to discuss the stories and provide feedback to any authors who happen to pass through. The 25^th, what with being Christmas Day and all, shouldn't 'belong' to any individual writer, so all contributors who so wish can submit a second piece of work and on that day I'll link to all of those (just like last year).

I can also make these posts 'global', so people who only look at the Interzone and Crimewave sections of the site get to join in the fun (whether they want to or not).

Criteria for linking to stories:-

• The story must be flash fiction, which for the purposes of this exercise I shall define as under 2,000 words
• The story must be H/SF/F/Crime (ish), cause those are the things we publish, and though not necessarily Christmas themed, that would be a definite plus
• The story must be viewable online, without having to download or access any password restricted area
• Yes, I will link to poetry as well, so the verse mongers needn't feel excluded, and also to podcasts
• Priority will be given to writers who have had work appear in any of TTA's publications, and second priority to regular posters on Interaction and after that any old Tom, Dick or Stephen King will be considered eligible, with the usual exception of known plagiarists, misogynists, homophobes, racists etc.

In the event that we don't get enough 'volunteers' to fill the 24 days, I'll use Google to come up with some appropriate links, though my idea of appropriate might not agree with yours. And people can, should they wish, be altruistic and nominate somebody else's work, though criteria above will apply for inclusion.

If you're interested in taking part in this, then please send an email to whitenoise@ttapress.com with 'Advent Calendar 2011' in the Subject line. In the body of the email, show a link to your work and also to any personal website, blog, or book you're currently trying to flog. You can also nominate a second work for the Christmas Day jamboree, either in this email or at some later date, and in the event that we get more than the required twenty four contributors any surplus 'bodies' will be allocated to the 25^th.

I'll acknowledge these emails, but that's all. Watch the dedicated thread on Interaction (link below) to check if and when your work will be linked to, and if your name doesn't appear on the list but you've had an acknowledgement from me, then assume you're being held back until Christmas Day. It's first come, first linked to, subject to the above proviso about priority being given to TTA old boys and girls, and all are welcome regardless of writing ability: I won't be making any decisions based on quality. This is strictly for fun.

Let the good times roll.