Allegory: 10 Years and Counting:
The
What, When and WHY behind
one man's experiment in e-publishing
Ten years.
The first issue of Peridot Books — which, for those
who don't know, was Allegory's original name — appeared on the
Internet on June 1, 1998. I barely received enough stories to fill the
issue, and the look and feel of the site was amateurish and rather silly.
But, sayeth the wise man, "It's a start."
That was thirty-three issues ago. Since then, I've published
nearly three hundred stories from eleven countries, and the current
record for submissions received in a single month is just over a hundred
and seventy. Allegory is listed in the Writers Digest Novel and Short
Stories Markets, has received favorable reviews from pretty much every
public and private site that does that sort of thing, and was ranked
thirteenth in Writers Digest's "100 Best Places To Get Published
Online."
As a result of my efforts, I've been invited to speak
at genre conventions and writers conferences all over the country and,
ironically enough, am far better known as an editor/publisher than I
am as a writer. I cite the irony because it was the writing that got
me into this business in the first place. I wanted to get my name known,
to promote myself, and to get published. So I started an e-zine in the
hopes of getting noticed. And I did. As a direct result of Allegory
(then Peridot Books), I won first a book sale, then an agent, and then
a second book sale. Everything I'd wished for happened. Well, almost.
And yet, here I am, a man in his late forties with a full-time
job, a family and a struggling career as an author, devoting considerable
amounts of his spurious free time to reading submissions, doing paperwork,
writing checks and building web pages — all of which are needed
to keep Allegory coming out regularly every four months.
Why?
Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the attention.
I do. But it would equally dishonest, not to mention a bit cynical,
of me to say that was the only reason. Part of it is simple habit. I've
been doing this site for so long that I can't really imagine not doing
it. Part of it is dogged pride. I'm proud of Allegory, proud of what
it's accomplished, proud of what I hope it someday will accomplish.
But even that isn't all of it.
I carry a slip of paper in my wallet. It's yellowed now,
but still readable — a printout of an email that I received about
five years ago. I won't tell you the author's name because you might
know it and I won't wish to embarrass her. I'll simply convey its message:
Dear Ty,
I can't thank you enough of accepting my story for the next issue of
Peridot Books. I'd been just about ready to give up, having worked on
short fiction for years without a sale. Maybe, I thought, I'm just no
good! But then came your email, with its congratulations and words of
encouragement, and now I know I can keep going.
You made somebody's dream come true today.
And that, friends and fellows, is why I still do it and
why I'll continue to do it, even if (when) I finally sell another book,
and then another. We face an ever dwindling publishing world, with fewer
and fewer markets to which a hard-working author may peddle his wares.
But, for as long as I'm able to do it, Allegory will remain one of them.
Of course, at $15.00 a sale, that may not be saying too
much.
Oh well. As sayeth the wise man, "It's a start."
The
OTHER Writings of Ty Drago
-
OR -
When's
the Sequel Coming Out?
Ask at Your Peril!
In 2001, my first published novel The Franklin Affair
was released by Regency Press. Only five hundred copies were ever printed.
It tells the story of sixteen year old Henri Gruel, a young man living
in France during the winter of 1776, who becomes involved with visiting
patriot Benjamin Franklin. It's a "coming of age" tale —
full of intrigue, adventure and friendship. Sadly, it's out of print
now, though you can currently find it on Amazon for a whopping fifty
bucks, more than twice the cover price! Weird.
My second novel, Phobos, is a science fiction/mystery
cross-over, published by Tor in 2003/2004. When I wrote it, I wanted
to take some of the most beloved mystery clichés: the assortment
of suspects; the clever detective who outwits and unmasks the killer;
even that wonderful moment when he deliberately turns out the lights
so that the villain can make his (or her) move, and wrap them up in
a science fiction story. The book, I'm happy to say, was a critical
success. Publisher's Weekly called it a "strong contender for SF
debut of the year.” Unfortunately, the sales didn't match the
reviews.
I was halfway through the sequel, dubbed Red Queen, when
my editor at Tor informed me that they wouldn't be buying the next book.
It was perhaps the darkest day in my writing career, and a setback from
which — after almost five years — I've yet to recover. Sucks,
don't it?
But what really sucks though, is when well-meaning fans
come up to me at conventions or conferences, praise one or the other
of these two books, and eagerly ask me my why I haven't yet written
a sequel!
Then I have to hurt them.
The fact is: I've never stopped writing. Just ask my agent,
or my wife. Since Phobos, I've finished a total of six novels. And,
out of a desire to satisfy my small (very small) plethora of fans —
and, of course, out of a shameless desire to self-promote, I'm listing
each of these works below. They're in no particular order and, as you
will see, I'm not glued to a specific genre.
Angelfire
This is a retelling of the Orpheus tale. It's the story of the angel
Aeros, an assistant gatekeeper, whose wife Lira is sent on a routine
mission to Earth in mortal form — only to be damned to Hell on
a technicality. Heartbroken, Aeros seeks out the Archangel Gabriel,
a self-imposed hermit and prophet of Celestial doom and, together, the
two of them hatch a desperate plan: to sneak into Hell, rescue Lira,
and bring her home.
Zephyr's Wake
New York reporter Ashley Wills goes in search of a mysterious "Good
Samaritan" who keeps appearing at disaster sites with exactly the
tools he needs to rescue those in danger. What she finds isn't the crackpot
she expects, but instead a handsome, wandering hero with a bizarre companion
— an unseen entity called the "Zephyr," which seem able
to bend coincidence to suit its benevolent purposes. This is a romantic
fantasy with a very unusual matchmaker.
Quantum
World-renowned physicist, Professor Reed Finch, is lured from his Princeton
home to a remote Arizona research station. There he is introduced to
a shocking project to shrink a craft to sub-atomic size for the purposes
of capturing and retrieving electrons as a new source of limitless power.
But when Reed becomes stranded in the strange "nanospace"
between atoms, he discovers something even more shocking — and
the world will never be the same. This one, as you can imagine, is hard
science fiction.
Chivalry – Book One
The first in a trilogy, Chivalry tells the tale of Dana McTavish, a
Philadelphia prostitute whose life is saved by a stranger named Owen
Glendower, a handsome Welshman who soon takes to calling her "milady.”
As romance blossoms, it soon becomes evident that each of these people
is more than they seem. For Dana has power she is only barely aware
of, power that is coveted by a dark and ancient evil. And Owen —
tall, strong, capable and supremely heroic — will do anything
he must to save her. Urban fantasy.
The Runaways
This young adult fantasy begins when twelve-year-old Will Ritter steps
out of his house on an ordinary day to discover that many of the adults
around him have somehow turned into hideous monsters. Terrified, he
is rescued by a classmate, who escorts him secretly to the lair of the
Runaways, a rag-tag army of children who have all fled from their homes.
Led by a charismatic and courageous seventeen-year-old street youth
named Tom Jefferson, the Runaways are dedicated to two things: staying
alive; and fighting the invasion that only they know about.
Dragon Derbies
Set in a world where dragon racing is the sport of kings, young Andy
Drago is one of the best there is. It doesn’t hurt, of course,
that his dragon Sid is one of the rare "primes" — dragons
born with high intelligence and the ability to speak. It's a secret
that Andy and his friends jealously guard, until one of his fellow racers
is suddenly abducted and it's up to Sid and himself to affect her rescue.
My first attempt at middle grade fiction.
There. That's the list, and it's far from complete. I
have two more works-in-progress that are currently occupying my attention,
with further ideas waiting in the wings. I'm also looking into a Facebook
page that would allow me to post further details and — maybe —
sample chapters of some of these books.
I suppose it's possible that I might finally give up this
often heartbreaking struggle. Eventually, I may "face reality"
and satisfy myself with the modest success I've already enjoyed. Someday,
I may get too old to tell a good story, or too lazy to write it down.
Someday.
But not today.
Keep writing!
Original
Fiction
These
stories may be viewed:
(1)
By clicking on the title and displaying the text in a browser window;
(2)
Or by clicking the "Download as PDF" button and viewing the
text in Adobe Reader (you will need a browser "plug-in" for
this);
(3)
or by right-clicking on the "Download as PDF" button and saving
the PDF file to your local drive. You may then view the file using Adobe
Reader.
If
you don't have Adobe Reader, you can get it free by clicking below.
"The
New Jacket"
by Mary J. Daley
Donna suffers from a dark addiction - to the new jacket
that hangs in the local shop window. For, in this glimpse of the future,
jackets are a bit more than merely fetching outerwear.
"Cataclysm"
by Patricia Denehy
Are you a cat person? What if that cat was a strange
stray that
came into your home, took over your life, and
kept you prisoner. How far would you go to save yourself?
"Shadowself"
by Ty Drago
Liam Reece is a man afraid of his own shadow, and with
good reason. His shadow is after him, and
he's running for his life.
"The
Magenta Equations"
by J Alan Erwine
In a future where space travel often means madness,
one scientist
learns an incredible truth, and may just pay for that
knowledge with this life.
"The
Loaner Son"
by Mike Fincher
On a typical day in a typical home, a little boy named
Johnnie is about to discover the tragic truth about his
birth, his life, and his destiny.
"The
Sparrow "
by Patrick Hurley
A mysterious shipwreck, a missing crew and a captain's
log all tell a horrific tale of undead terror.
"The
Widow and the Stranger"
by Erin Kinch
A story of romance between a lonely shopkeeper and
her mysterious customer. Life is short for some, long for others,
but ever-changing.
"Icarus
Breathes Fire"
by Erynn Aiello
Your classic "a boy and his dragon story"
- and
how, even as we grow up, our best friends can
remain the ones from our youth.
"The
Way Home"
by Gary Cuba
An astronaut on a solitary trek amongst the planets
is
befriended by the impossible apparition of a dog, who
might just be more than she seems.
Honorable
Mentions
Allegory deals with submissions in
the way that, as far as I know, remains fairly unique in the publishign
world. Each story is individually reviewed and, if considered publishable,
is placed in our "Maybe" pile. At the end of each submission
period, these "Maybes" are reviewed, and the best eight chosen
to appear in the next issue. This final cut is made on the basis of
issue balance, and does NOT reflect the overall quality of these stories.
That said, here - in no particular order - are the "Maybes"
who just missed publication in Allegory. Each one is
a fine tale that we would have been proud to publish. Remember these
names, friends and fellows. You'll be hearing from them in the future.
I guarantee it!
"The Coffee Experience" by
Kaydeon Moore
"The Shot Heard Round The World" by Heather
Albano Jackson
"Oracle" by Robert T. Meadows
"The Nigerian Princess and the Nerd" by Larry
Hodges
"The End of the World" by Sabrina West
"Red" by Alan Delaney
"The Fruits of Piracy" by Stephen Thompson
"Remember" by Lindsey Duncan
"The Wishing Fountain" by Carol D. Green
"Rendezvous" by Donna M. Recktenwalt
"Necessary Death" by Jonathan Schlosser
"The Problem of Meat" by Matthew Kressel
"Lethe and Love" by Michelle Muenzler
"Big Muddy" by Kevin Doyle
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