I don’t believe that I have ever written about the Curiosities Column in "Fantasy and Science Fiction" magazine. If you are not familiar with "Fantasy and Science Fiction", you should take a look next time you are at a magazine stand. The magazine has a long held reputation for publishing new Science Fiction. They have a “Curiosities” page which is written by different people almost every issue. 

I contacted them when I was getting ready to print NEQUA. I wrote a one page overview of NEQUA, which appeared in 2013, in the July - August issue. I got some good contacts out of that article.

Since I am now getting ready to reprint “The Moon is Inhabited” by “Columba” who was born Annabell Krebs, and married a Culverwell. I contacted "Fantasy and Science Fiction" again and they said it was O.K to submit a Curiosities Column on “Columba” and her writing. I just received notification that the page on Columba will appear in the 2017 May –June issue.   

It was really an up hill battle to reconstruct Annabell’s life. To start I only had the name “Columba” which appeared on the front cover of her book "The Moon is Inhabited". There wasn't any information in the book, so finding information on her was the proverbal needle in the haystack. With Columba I was not sure what haystack to start looking in and for awhile I didn’t know if there even was a Columba needle to find.  Maybe it was just a big prank. I tried author lists, science fiction lists, and the National Archives. I tried “Chronicling America, the National Endowment for the Humanities website, which has digitized thousands of newspapers. There was nothing on “Columba”.

One day I was trying to find prices for some art work that my wife owns. As a fluke I typed in Columba and three drawings came up which were attributed to “Columba" Krebs. There was a very close resemblance between the people in the drawings and the illustrations, which are found in my copy of “The Moon is Inhabited”. The name Krebs led to Culverwell, her married name and the National Archives listed an Annabell Krebs Culverwell. It was all down hill from there. Four months had passed since I first started looking for Columba. 

May the NEW YEAR bring you something NEW! 

May the NEW YEAR find you Healthy and Happy!

May you have NO trouble dropping the negative thoughts, 

feelings and ideas from the past!         I'm trying. 

Started working on my income tax so I can take the stuff to the accountant in a few weeks.The reality of a second year of book sales as reflected in dollars and cents stared accusingly up at me from the final totals. It became the cause of some reflection, it has not been a successful year. I am still working on “my platform” which reminds me that I need to buy another issue of Writers Digest to find out what to try next.

Book sales have been real interesting.  I tend to imagine who and why might be interested in reading the message in NEQUA.  The tax figures show I am about 99% wrong in my assumptions.

I’ve placed notes on a bunch of Facebook pages of organizations that I have joined. Most of them are groups with an interest in politics , Science Fiction or books.

I’ve sent review copies to feminist publications, science fiction magazines, and several miscellaneous magazines.  This endeavor has been a complete failure.

I personally contacted the public libraries in the Kansas city area. Mid-continent Library system was very precise. It costs to much to accept a self published book and they are not interested in being an archive for books with a historical background.

Kansas City Public Library took a copy for their archives.

I emailed a list of professors and libraries at academic institutions that have departments with specific emphasis in feminism, mid-west American history, political history, or science fiction as literature.  I’ve had some sales generated from this list which requires constant upgrading and additions. The copies seem to find their way to archives in the individual institutions.

I sent emails to a list of Kansas Public Libraries and public education institutions, which provided some very sporadic sales. 

The questions from buyers are  very revealing.  "Is this a YA book? Young Adult? Is it part of a series? Is it real science fiction?" "When you say,  “It presents a social system” do you mean like Socialism or Commu...IS this a subversive book?" "No, It is a book of imagination and IDEAS."    IDEAS ??

The look on one face reminded me of Cheech and Chong   "IDEAS?" “We don’t need NO stinking IDEAS.”

Over all there seems to be NO readership. Instead of being treated like a book, NEQUA is treated as an anomaly, not as a book to read. Well that is not  really a surprise. With NO sex, and NO violence why would anyone of today be interested. 

So with all that depressing information I must say that I am still glad I found NEQUA or it found me. I especially have enjoyed learning HOW to get something into print. The lack of success has not slowed me up from my next project which was written and illustrated by a woman named COLUMBA.