Astonishing Adventures Magazine – FREE Online Reading

I found an interesting online magazine while I was out cruising the web researching other ways of doing the publishing thing digitally–it can’t all be about the eBooks, can it? Anyway, this one impressed me.

Astonishing Adventures Magazine is an interactive ‘virtual’ publication uploaded to issuu.com. Issuu.com is an online clearinghouse for digital content from independent and corporate publishers. They’ve got a really bold display that utilizes Flash animation technology–very cool. (I checked and there’s a hard copy version of the magazine (Issue 7) for sale at Amazon too…) I was so impressed with the quality of the writing and artwork in this their Issue 7, that I tracked down the editor Katherine Tomlinson who kindly consented to answering a few of my questions.

1. When did Astonishing Adventures Magazine start publishing?

Our first issue came out in 2007. We’re a quarterly, so the winter issue (#8) of 2009 will be our second anniversary edition. (You won’t want to miss it. It will be a special double issue with work from novelists Brian Trent, Peter Mark May, Christine Pope and G. Wells Taylor included in the mix.)

2. How long have you been editing the AAM?

I’ve been onboard since the beginning. Publisher John Donald Carlucci and then-editor-in-chief Tim Gallagher recruited me via a Craig’s List ad. Most of the writers were already in place for that first issue but I contributed two non-fiction articles, a review of the “illustrated novel” Baltimore and an “appreciation” of Steve McQueen.

3. What kind of stories are we talking about?

Any kind of story that fits into the “Astonishing” or “Adventure” category is a story we want in the magazine. We’ve printed everything from westerns to science fiction to dark fantasy to war stories. There was even a story that would have been categorized as part of the “lonely hearts” genre. Our non-fiction articles are about pop culture, the creators of pulp fiction, comics, genre fiction, that sort of thing. We also showcase actors and actresses who have worked in genre film.

4. AAM’s ning tagline is “The greatest new adventure ePulp published.” What is ePulp?

EPulp is our term for neo-pulp, the genre fiction being created today for electronic distribution. ASTONISHING ADVENTURES MAGAZINE is available in both print and online versions at the moment but as of issue #9, our first issue in 2010, we will be all digital. JDC, our publisher, has ambitious plans to build in all sorts of interactivity and functionality into those online issues. Issue #9 is going to be awesome.

5. Where does AAM find its stories?

There’s this cave in Transylvania and inside the cave is a locked trunk. I have the key….

Actually, we’ve been really lucky there. We have a core of writers who contribute to every issue and who have been great about spreading the word. Cormac Brown, Bill Cunningham, Roger Alford and Michael Patrick Sullivan have brought their fans to us. JDC promotes the magazine on his MySpace Page and on Facebook and Twitter, so our renown spreads with each issue. I’ve been pretty pushy with my writer friends as well, urging them to get back to the computer to finish the stories I know they’ve been working on.

It’s hard to say “no” to me when I’m in full-on pesky mode. We’ve been lucky with our artwork as well. One of our cover artists, Joanne Renaud, has been really helpful in bringing in new artistic talent. Larry Nadolsky, who has a site called “Neo Pulp”  contacted us offering his services. A wonderful Los Angeles-based photographer named Susan Schader did the pictures for a mystery story we have running in the upcoming issue. I’m hoping she’ll work with us again.

6. Where can we get a copy?

The online version of the magazine with the full-color cover and black and white interior will be available from Amazon.com on September 15th. The free dowloadable version with the full-color cover and full-color interior will be available on our Astonishing Adventures Ning site (You’ll have to register first.) and at Astonishing Adventures Online.

7. What does it cost?

The downloads are free. The print copy costs $10.00. (It varies according to the number of pages) (Get yours at Amazon.com)

Thank you for your time, Katherine . You’ve  put together a fantastic magazine.

So, what are you all waiting for? Go get a copy, yah?

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