2001 - 10/2001 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 02/12/15.

DALE KAGAN

SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS:

Lanterns over Demner

Spies by Night

CROSS GENRE

Cross Over (mystery / science fiction)

TEACHING AIDS (These books use science fiction scenarios to explain science concepts and have multiple contributors)

Star Contact (economics / religion / romance)

Star Conference (business / economics)

MISCELLANEOUS

Collected Papers of D Kagan

Did Shakespeare Write his Plays?

Heroes & Heroines in Science Fiction: How Does Your Favorite Character Measure Up?

Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Dale-Kagan/e/B007A17RJ4

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dale-a-kagan/48/61a/a26

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: October 13, 2001

Meeting Site: Yeager Residence. Paramus, New Jersey.

Official Attendance: 41.

Meeting Program: Talk by Science Fiction Writer.

Newsletter Account

The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2001 Philip J De Parto:

The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County met on Saturday, October 13, 2001 at the home of Robert Yeager and family in Paramus, New Jersey. A meeting at the Yeager home had long been an annual event of the Association, but the death of Robert's mother and water damage resulting from Hurricane Floyd had made the Yeager's unable to host a gathering for the past two years.

Robert was determined to make a definitive "Welcome Back" statement. In addition to the pretzels, chips, crackers and other snack food and beverages, he made arrangements with a local caterer. Those who attended were treated to mini pizzas, shish kababs, buffalo wings, dumplings and other finger foods.

The usual pre meeting activities were in place. One television was tuned in to the broadcast of ANDROMEDA and MUTANT X. Another played EIGHTH MAN, ASTRO BOY, and other old time anime standards brought in by Charles Garofalo. But the combination of people arriving late to an unfamiliar location and the distraction of the house decor kept attendance to a minimum.

A note of explanation is in order for those of you who have never been to the Yeager home. The domicile is filled with family heirlooms and acquired bric-a-brac including rare books, mother-of-pearl furniture, and suits of armor. Almost every room has been organized to a particular theme: nautical, Spanish, Chinese, etc. The effect is akin to walking into a museum.

The meeting was held in the basement, a Polynesian-themed room which has been remodeled since our last Yeager event a couple of years ago. The bamboo curtains which had divided the basement in two are gone so that it is now one big room. New additions included a pair of life sized hula dancers.

Our guest speaker for the evening was writer Dale Kagan, author of LANTERNS OVER DEMNER. Ms Kagan graciously agreed to fill in at the very last minute when our originally scheduled guest was unable to appear due to a medical emergency in the family.

An art show in Long Island a number of years ago was the impetus for her writing career. A number of paintings in the show inspired a sense of mystery and wonder that she wished to invoke in others. She began to write and edit fan fiction, and later took several sessions of a writing course taught by Pocket Books editor John Ordover. While she did not always agree with all the feedback she received there, she felt that the classes made her a better writer.

LANTERNS OVER DEMNER is a science fiction murder mystery set in the future on another world. In this timeline, the interstellar government has Special Forces Agents who possess extra sensory perception and paranormal abilities. She imagined a scenario in which sensitive could bounce their thoughts around an area or an object and reconstruct a sort of thought hologram of past events visible only to themselves.

When she submitted her manuscript for professional publication, she received a batch of rejection notices. One editor provided a critique which expressed reservations about the main character and the length of the novel. Ms Kagan went back and tightened up the characterization, but felt that doubling the length of the manuscript would result in a weaker novel.

She then turned to Xlibris Corporation, a print-on-demand imprint of Random House. They typeset her book, made it available through their distribution network, and offered a number of other services to her. The book is a trade paperback and can be ordered either through Amazon, B&N, Borders, or directly through the publisher at <http://wwwxlibris.com> or 1-888-7-XLIBRIS.

Much of Ms Kagan's talk was about the mechanics of havig a book published through Xlibris. She feels that she learned a lot about publishing from the experience, but may go a different route with her next book. After her talk, almost everyone went on a tour of the house conducted by Bob Yeager.