I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and went on to Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After a not-short-enough stint in the “real world”, including a miserable corporate gig that resulted in nothing more useful than understanding the Six Sigma jokes on 30 Rock, I went back to school at University of Texas- Pan American for my MFA in Creative Writing. There, I met my DFR co-editor, Sarah, who after our first class together, wrapped her arms around me, and told me I was her new best friend and I would never be rid of her. This has proven to be true.
Things that make me automatically reject a story:
- It’s about a put upon middle-aged guy whose life would be great if it wasn’t for his harpy wife and pesky children.
- Killing a child character solely to add shock and horror.
- Have a character raped solely to add shock and horror.
- It’s a retelling of an old story, but you’ve brought nothing new to it other than maybe changing the setting.
Here are some people and things I like: Neil Gaiman, Sir Terry Pratchett, Octavia Butler, Futurama, Lolita, Douglas Adams, Something*Positive, Girls With Slingshots, Questionable Content, Girl Genius, Ellen Datlow, and, quite often, the stories at Strange Horizons. I don’t want to just see more of the same, I want to find the next addition to this list.
Devilfish Review 