Thaneros Issue Eight

As of May 19, 2008 in Thaneros Online Magazine:

* The Coriolis Effect by Amanda Earl

Coming Next Week:

* Caveat Emptor by Angela Caperton

Coming Soon:

* The Woman on the L-Train by Spencer Wendleton
* Kindred Spirits by Hank Edwards

Despite this month's lack of reviews, Thaneros received its most hits ever this past week--1,812 unique reads in a seven day span. Go Van Michaels! Go us! It simply proves what I have always hoped to be true, that our fiction is our greatest strength.

Thaneros - Issue 7

As of May 12, 2008 at http://www.thaneros.com:

* The Truth in the Mirror by Van Michaels

Coming Next Week:

* The Coriolis Effect by Amanda Earl

Coming Soon:

* Caveat Emptor by Angela Caperton
* The Woman on the L-Train by Spencer Wendleton
* Kindred Spirits by Hank Edwards

Please note: Due to your humble editor's honeymoon, Thaneros will not be featuring artists or presenting reviews during the month of May. That said, we are always on the look out for artists working in the dark and erotic genres, as well as materials to review that capture the same beauty. If you think our readers would enjoy your work, please drop us a line at thaneros@shaw.ca.

Thaneros - Issue 6

As of May 4, 2008 at http://www.thaneros.com:

* Cat Dancing by Ralph Greco

Coming Next Week:

* The Truth in the Mirror by Van Michaels

Coming Soon:

* The Coriolis Effect by Amanda Earl
* Caveat Emptor by Angela Caperton
* The Woman on the L-Train by Spencer Wendleton
* Kindred Spirits by Hank Edwards

Please note: Due to your humble editor's honeymoon, Thaneros will not be featuring artists or presenting reviews during the month of May. That said, we are always on the look out for artists working in the dark and erotic genres, as well as materials to review that capture the same beauty. If you think our readers would enjoy your work, please drop us a line.

Thaneros - Issue Five

As of April 28, 2008:

* Blue, Part III by Michael O'Shaughnessy
* Rooted by Kate Vassar
* In House Reviews - Catacombs

Hope to see you at http://www.thaneros.com!

As always, Thaneros is in need of dark erotica, as well as reviews of both dark and erotic materials. By all means, stop by our submission guidelines or send us a message at thaneros@shaw.ca.

Thaneros - Issue Four

As of April 21, 2008:

* Blue, Part II by Michael O'Shaughnessy
* The Shadow in the Shower by S. R. Gruber
* Site Reviews: Evil Dread / Beautiful Agony / De-Animator
* In House Reviews - Uzumaki

Coming Next Week:

* Blue, Part III by Michael O'Shaughnessy
* Rooted by Kate Vassar

Coming Soon:

* Cat Dancing by Ralph Greco

See you at http://www.thaneros.com!

Thaneros Third Issue Up

This Week:
* Blue, Part I by Michael O'Shaughnessy
* The Art of Resurgere
* In House Reviews - The Deaths of Ian Stone

Coming Next Week:
* Blue, Part II by Michael O'Shaughnessy
* Shadow in the Shower by S. R. Gruber

Hope to see you there!

Ethan Thomas, Editor
Thaneros Online Magazine

Thaneros Update - Second Issue

The second issue of Thaneros is now up. Thaneros specializes in dark erotica, particularly erotica with a speculative element--in other words, kinky sci fi, fantasy, and horror.

In this issue, you'll find:
* "Eleanor's Lessons" by Gwynne Garfinkle
* Site Expose: Bloodymessygirls.com
* In House Reviews - The Mist / Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror

Thaneros publishes weekly. Subscribe or keep up to date by following this blog. Our submission guidelines can be found here, and we are now averaging 200 readers per day, with over 1,400 unique hits during our first week.

Thaneros Debut Issue!

The debut issue of Thaneros is now up. Thaneros specializes in dark erotica, particularly erotica with a speculative element--in other words, kinky sci fi, fantasy, and horror.

In this issue, you'll find:
* Heat of Battle by Van Michaels
* Fine Lines by Alexander
* The Art of Dan Skinner
* Feature Review - Nikolai - by Val Kovalin
* In House Reviews - Zombie Honeymoon / Perfume

Thaneros publishes weekly, and all updates will be noted in this blog. Submission guidelines can be found here.

Grab Bag!

Subject One - A Little Preening and a Lot of Nail Chewing:

Our short story, "A Certain Understanding," is slated for publication in Best Gay Bondage Erotica 2008, due to hit the shelves in late June of this year. Richard Labonté was a real treat to work with--quick, efficient, and understanding when it came to changing our pen name. We are extremely impressed, and very excited. Now if Tease Publishing will only accept Silenus for its Dark Tarot line... Keep your fingers crossed! We're supposed to hear by Thursday. At this point, compulsive e-mail checking is wearing out our keyboards.

Subject Two - Where Sex and Darkness Collide:

Thaneros Online Magazine continues apace. The base site is now designed, contributors up to May 1st have been paid, and galleys are under construction. Woot! Authors to look out for include Van Michaels, Alexander, Gwynne Garfinkle, Terry Hickman, S.R. Gruber, and Kate Vassar. Expect artist features and a host of reviews, as well--just a few extra goodies to keep you on your toes. Expect us to be promoting the hell out of ourselves at World Fantasy Con, too!

Subject Three - The Matter of Fanfic:

Ethan X. Thomas is a writing team made of two individuals, both of whom come from different literary backgrounds. One of us--and we won't mention who, cough, cough, cough--used to sneer at fanfic. It seemed like a complete and utter waste of time to labor over something with no hope of ever being paid for it, even if the only pay ever seen was an editor's harsh but hopefully well-intentioned criticism. Then that same individual--cough, cough, cough--fell and fell hard for a certain movie universe and spent far too much time on the internet reading naughty little stories about what its inhabitants liked to do to each other. By twist of fate, those slash fics brought the two halves of Ethan X. Thomas together both romantically and professionally. And, yes, it did become professional, after a fair amount of flailing about and finding out how we worked together without the constant pressure of worrying if a piece would sell. We weren't necessarily ready to start sending things out, as we had this one idea that just wouldn't leave us alone, but the constant upheaval on our once favorite journaling service convinced us fandom wouldn't be fun there for much longer. We decided it was time to move on, to move into the world of 'real writing' again, so we took our brainchild with us.

The first step in pulling off a fanfic adaptation is the complete and utter removal of all source material. This might sound impossible, and sometimes it is. Some stories simply cannot stand without their original canon. It is in a writer's best interest to leave these tales as is.

Other times, however, the removal process can only strengthen a story. Too often in fanfic, authors rely heavily on what the readers already know. This can be effective, especially if you want to turn the table on canon in some way and give it an unpredictable twist, but does not work so well within the confines of original fiction. For original works, writers must always assume that the readers know nothing and then show (not tell) them exactly as much as they need. This promotes lean, well-planned writing, something all authors should strive to produce.

On the other hand, the removal process demands creativity as well. Authors simply cannot hack out the canon elements and expect their tales to function as well as they did before. Cut a holodeck from a story and it must be replaced by something just as awe inspiring, something perfectly suited to the new world that has been created. Above that, in drawing up this new conveyor of illusions, a writer is forced to ask what the real purpose of the holodeck was in his or her fanfic. Was it used to deceive? To grant a heart's desire? By examining such motives, authors can tighten up and refine their work, another plus for the final piece, one making it far more likely to be published.

Of course, fanfic adaptations also cause early baldness, as writers will spend a fair amount of time tearing their hair out. But bald is beautiful, right?

Call for Submissions and Reviews

Thaneros, set to debut March 31st, needs additional reviews.

Reviews should be no longer than 250 words, and should focus on current (or if not current, readily available) books, magazines, movies, comics, manga, and games of a dark/horror or erotic nature. If the material is both dark and erotic, all the better.

Although Thaneros is a paying fiction market, we cannot compensate for reviews at this time. However, we will provide a full byline, allow for bio space, et cetera. Hosting banner ads can be arranged upon request.

Of course, we are always on the look out for erotica set in both mainstream and speculative genres, all of it with a dark twist. How you define dark is up to you. That said, Thaneros does not want:

- Rape or abuse, or sex without a plot.
- Gore or violence for their own sake.
- Gratuitous character death; we want 'little deaths' not snuff.
- Racist or homophobic fiction.
- Sex with minors.
- Bestiality, though werewolf sex is acceptable.
- Scat.
- Clichés.
- Poetry.

Please visit our submission guidelines on site for more information, or drop us a line.

Thanks!