Votary Authors

We are now recruiting stories for the 2nd Okal Rel Universe Anthology, published under the Fandom Press, Shared Universe imprint of Windstorm Creative. The theme of the 2nd anthology is "Personal Combat in the Okal Rel Universe". A good place to start the review of background materials on the ORU website is the article on Sword Law. Technical advisor for this issue is John Preet, a martial arts instructor. Virginia O'Dine is editor.

Stories should be in the range of 3,000 to 6,000 words, set in the Okal Rel Universe and approved by origin author Lynda Williams as compatible. Interested authors may contact Lynda at lynda@okalrel.org to get acquainted and discuss possibilities. Writers may be added to the "friends of the Okal Rel Universe" mailing list as a consequence of such discussions, if they seem like good prospects. The best way to decide if you are a compatible writer is to become familiar with published ORU works both in print and on the web. (A google search for "Okal Rel" or "Lynda Williams" is one way to get started with that project, or see the "books" section of the ORU website. If you can't buy the books, visit your local library to request they order them or get them in by interlibrary loan. There are also a few stories on the web and extensive background materials. The themes of the Okal Rel Universe article may also help writers writers decide whether or not they are interested in "playing" by Lynda's rules..)

The deadline for submissions is the end of March, 2006. For more details, contact virginia@okalrel.org for a writer's guidelines package.

There is no entry fee for this contest.

Please contact Virginia for a Contest Package, which will include further details, guidelines for writing within the Okal Rel Universe, and excerpts from published works. There is no charge for the package.

Authors working with the "friends of the ORU" group are also working on novellas, featuring their characters.

Fan Fiction / Fan Art

The Okal Rel Universe thrives on the creative expression of its readers, writers and enthusiasts. Explore the ORU website for examples, including the "Reality Skimming" blog, or visit our gallery of graphics. Donated art work inspired by the ORU is proudly displayed on the website, and used in promotion. Fan fiction is invited by Windstorm Creative, and they would like to know about it so they can include links on their Fandom Press pages for votary authors and origin author books. (e.g. see buttons on the bottom of the page for Mekan'stan.)

Art has been donated by both origin authors, in the past, and by artist Yukari Yamamoto, the cover artist for Kath.

Fan fiction, though welcome (we'd like to read it!), is not accepted canon until and unless approved by Lynda as compatible with the established ORU featured in the Edge novels and the Windstorm Creative publications. Fan fiction can become cannon and fan writers can become votary authors. But if you wish to "free associate", write alternative histories, or generally do your own thing, fan fiction is the playground of first resort. If it is good fan fic, we will be proud to point at it from the ORU site as well as the Fandom Press site, and it may be a great way to get acquainted and let us see how you write.. But it won't be canon.

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The Okal Rel Universe is a fictional setting created by author Lynda Williams. The Courtesan Prince, novel #1 of the series, is published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy. Mekan'stan and Kath, are novellas featuring some of the same characters, published by Windstorm Creative. The First Anthology of stories set in the ORU, written by votary authors, is forthcoming in 2005.