SHATTERED BONES, CONCUSSED BRAINS: FU MANCHU WANTS YOU!

You’ve probably figured this out already, but we at Crime Factory are a bunch of enthusiastic guys. We have a bi-monthly schedule we’re pretty determined to keep for the foreseeable future, as long as we suffer no drop in the quality and frequency of content received. The only thing that will slow the zine down is a drought of material, and all we’re seeing at the moment is a flood of incredible work. When we re-launched, we hand-picked people who not only shared our enthusiasm, but also had the chops to back it up and wouldn’t leave us stranded. We also put out the call for new material and, as I mentioned recently at the CF blog, we’ve been amazed by the overall quality of what we’ve received. It has all happened with surprising ease thus far too. Let’s hope I haven’t just jinxed it, because we’re about to push our luck.

Not content with cracking out a bi-monthly zine, we’re about to step things up a notch. A project should be announced later in the year that we can’t believe we’ve actually pulled off (to be fair, it’s Keith who did most of the pulling off with this one. That sounds a bit…weird, but you get what I mean). Another has already been announced, specifically June’s Crime Factory 3 1/2 (following hot on the heels of May’s CF #3) an all-fiction supplement featuring some awesome stories we don’t want to hang on and hog to ourselves any more. Finally, right now, I can announce one of our upcoming, one-off specials.

The idea behind the specials is to apply the CF manifesto to other genres we love. The issues will not be throw-aways or novelties, they will be crafted with the same care that goes into the regular CF and will have the same quality of content. We want our contributors to have some extra fun and also stretch their creative and journalistic wings a little bit.

One of these specials will be Kung Fu Factory, and this is where I get to the whole point of this bloggery stuff.

Kung Fu Factory will be a very rare opportunity to write some pulp potentially very different from what you may normally crank out. Specifically, we are actively seeking stories that are martial arts or even just fight based.

It possibly sounds crazy, but hear me out. For those of you familiar with the work of Joe R. Lansdale (and if you’re not you really should be), please recall a particular couple of stories: The Pit and Master of Misery. Joe crafted two very distinct pieces of cross-genre work with these two stories, both of which are basically fight-based. The Pit is obviously a horror mash-up, Master of Misery is very much a martial arts piece, but they both contain those amazing Lansdale touches that make both stories quite distinctly his. If you haven’t read these works, do track them down and you’ll see what I mean. Then, we would like you to do the same for us.

The Kung Fu Factory special is seeking:

• Stories ranging from full-on martial arts fight-fests, to Fu Manchu-mastermind style stories, to boxer with a heart of gold stories, to stories about Luchadors or washed up MMA fighters or schoolyard bullies or ninjas, or all of the above crammed into the one story. If you have a tale with punches, kicks, nunchucks, a cracking plot and some memorable characters, bring it. We want it. If you work some crime into it somehow, you’ll be even more awesome. Cross-genre pollination will be held in high regard, however, if you want to write a historical piece featuring a 16^th century master of Wing Chun, or whatever, that would also be brilliant. Variety and originality are vital.
• 4,000 words is your absolute limit. Bolo Yeung will come to your house and give you a beat down if you go so much as one word over this. Sure he was born in 1938, but he’s Bolo Yeung. Yeah. That’s right. Best stay way under to be on the safe side.
• Unless you’ve been specifically invited, please follow the regular CF guidelines. i.e.: send a query/synopsis along with your details to crimefactoryzine@gmail.com with KUNG FU FACTORY in the subject line. Trust me; I’ll be getting back to you. We will have a limited number of spots available, so the sooner you get in, the better: even if you haven’t written the story yet, please register your interest so we can reserve a ringside seat for you should we like the cut of your jib. Please also spread the word and help us get this unique ass-kicker of an issue scheduled.
• DEADLINE FOR STORIES: AUGUST 15, 2010. See the Bolo stuff above should you blow it. Sonny Chiba might join him. Sure, he was born in 1939, but...ahhh, you get the idea.

On the design front, Liam and I are already working out how to make the CF specials distinct, yet still very much a CF product. We have some cool ideas for Kung Fu Factory, so your story will look sexy, trust me.

That’s it. Thanks for your attention. Thanks also for your support and enthusiasm for CF and for allowing us the opportunity to put this stuff together. Keith, Liam and I are having a blast. Quite clearly, we couldn’t do this without the stuff you give us to publish.

Right. Go roundhouse kick something to calm down from all this awesomeness and write us something.

Cheers,

Cameron Ashley.

Master of the Deadly Art of Beer Drinking.

(This post was brought to you by CRIMEFACTORY issue #2, Which you should download immediately, or we'll come and kidnap your puppy.)