With the literary success of Infinite Space, Infinite God and in anticipation of its success in sales, Karina and Robert Fabian, in conjunction with Twilight Times Books, are taking a leap of faith by compiling Infinite Space, Infinite God II.

Submissions extended to June 30.

ISIG II will again feature the best of science fiction with a Catholic world view.  The guidelines are similar to ISIG I. 

1.  Stories should be 3,000-10,000 words.  We'd like 12-15 stories, plus introductions, so we're looking for variety of lengths.

2.  Science Fiction stories only.  We're not looking for fantasy.  While we're glad to look at the usual plot conventions of SF--time travel, faster-than-light travel, etc.--we do not want Star Trek-type technobabble where real science is available.  In all cases, the science should be believable within the story's universe; projections of current science are encouraged.  Do not break the laws of physics without a reasonable explanation, or we'll have to call the logic police. (NOTE: After some discussion, we've decided not to accept alternate history. While a wonderful and entertaining arm of sci-fi, it doesn't really fit the theme of the anthology.)

3.  Catholic stories only.  You don’t need to be Catholic, but your stories do!  Characters and/or settings must be genuinely Catholic.  Catholic theology and practices must conform to the Magesterium--or have an incredibly good reason to veer!  (We'll be tougher about it this time.) This is especially true for any doctrine that is ex cathedra.  This does not mean all your characters need to be saints or even Catholic, but that the Church itself is portrayed with the same steadfast morals and doctrine that it has maintained throughout history.  Please research any questions:  check with a reputable Catholic site online, the Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic priest or deacon.  Don't rely on what you remember the nuns telling you in grade school back in 1972.

4.  No re-runs.  Please read Infinite Space, Infinite God to avoid repeating a story idea/treatment.  (You can purchase ISIG at www.twilighttimesbooks.com, www.amazon.com, or from your favorite bookstore; ask your library to order it (Baker and Taylor and Ingrams distribute it), or at least read the synopsis of stories at http://isigsf.com.)

5.  Tell a good story.  Write well.  'Nuff said.

Here are some of the things we rejected for ISIG I or are wary of for ISIG II:

--Lectures disguised as stories.  Purpose Number One of ISIG is to entertain.
--Long sermon/discussion sandwiched between a plot.  This includes political as well as religious diatribes.  We want to reach a wide audience and while we hope some folks will be touched by the stories, we're not out to evangelize with them.
--Jesus is cloned.  Not against it per se, but no one yet has made it work, story-wise.
--Generic Christian with a crucifix.  No nuns praying someone will "accept Jesus as his personal savior." 
--Telling, not showing.  This goes for faith characteristics as well as plot. 
--Deus ex machina or Deus ex Deum.  If you're going to use a miracle of technology or a regular miracle to resolve your plot complications (as opposed to being part of your plot complications…), you'd better write a really compelling story!
--Black-and-white absolutes.  Catholics are good; others are bad.  The world has gone to hell--except for the Church.  Evil scientists versus good believers. We're trying to break those stereotypes.
--Apocalyptic fiction.  Please make sure you know the Catholic understanding of Revelation.
--Re-runs.  Please read Infinite Space, Infinite God to avoid repeating a story idea/treatment.  (ISIG authors:  You are welcome to use the same characters or universe as your former stories.)

5.  No reprints.

6.  You may submit more than one story.

How to submit:  Send stories to Karina at karina@fabianspace.com.  Send it as a Word or .rtf attachment.  Type ISIG II in the subject line.

Format:  House Style for Twilight Times
            Title should be in 24-point type and centered.
Author's name should be ten lines below the title 18-point type and centered.
            Chapter Headings should be in 14-point type, bold and centered.
            Body text should be Times New 12-point type and single-spaced. Only one space between sentences, not two spaces.
            Do not create a table of contents.
            Set margins to 1.25 inches - top, bottom, left and right.
            Do not use five spaces for indentation - this causes uneven lines when the text is formatted to full justification. If you use tabs in some chapters and five spaces in others, then this also causes uneven lines when the text is formatted to full justification.
            Tabs should be set at .3 and not .5. Please ensure that your tabs are consistent throughout.
            Do not use indent. The indent option will throw the asterisks separating scenes and the chapter headings off center.             Paragraph format - select first line indention, single spacing, left justification.
            No line breaks between paragraphs. No blank lines between paragraphs.
            Insert a hard page break at the end of the text on the last page of each chapter, before the beginning of the next chapter.
            No headers/footers, no page numbers and no hidden values.
            Denote scene breaks with a triple asterisk, centered on page.
            In general, a double-dash is preferred to an em-dash (required for Fictionwise).
            Some of our books have spaces around the double-dashes so feel free to keep the spaces around the double-dash for now. Instead of an ellipsis (or em-dash) at the end of a sentence in quotes, I prefer ellipsis followed by a period, even if it is not a complete sentence. No spaces within the ellipsis marks. More tips on the use of an ellipsis.
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/perEllip.html
            Use plain text for thoughts when a tag is used.
Example: I am working on a million-dollar best seller, he thought.   Do not place quotation marks around thoughts. For direct thoughts without a tag, use Italic type, not underlines. Example: I wonder who will buy the movie rights to my new book.
            Use hyphenation sparingly. Better yet, try to avoid using it at all.

Compensation:  We will pay $50 per story and a copy of the book per author.  You will be allowed to purchase the anthology for a reduced price for promotions or to sell on your own if you so choose.
            In addition, your bio and website will be on the ISIG website.  You'll also be invited to share news of any promotional events, contribute an interview to the site and take part in other promotional opportunities that can help your publicity overall.

If you are accepted:  We are considering including a Study Guide and Research Appendix.  If so, we'll be asking for a bibliography of any books, articles, etc. you used in your research and a few questions about the religious, moral and scientific issues raised in your story.  You do not need to send those in with your submission, but keep notes so you'll be ready to create and submit them if you are accepted.