Darkover Newsletter/Issues 31-40

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THE SECOND SERIES began after a three year hiatus.
In mid-1983, the newsletter had an estimated 800-1000 subscribers when it suspended publication, citing lack of funds. The reason for suspension may have been for lack of funds, but it was much more likely because Bradley's career had really taken off on the bigger stage with the publication and attention to the publication of The Mists of Avalon in January 1983.
In the Spring 1983 newsletter, Bradley herself also mentions her poor health and lack of energy: "I do not think I would have the strength to close this chapter in my life, whatever the toll it is taking on my failing health, the increasing age of which the only symptom is a chronic lowering of energy." Darkover Newsletter #27
In the 1985 book chapter, Fandom: Its Value to the Professional, Bradley wrote: "Just recently I have discovered that the level of fan publishing I have been doing in Darkover fandom has been draining energy I need for my professional work and commitments, and so I have, dissolved my personal involvement with Darkover fanzine publishing."
In 1986, MZB started the newsletter again, ignoring those two "lost" issues entirely when she wrote: "We are starting this second series with number 31 simply for the sake of convenience; we know we put out 28 newsletters, but this makes a nice round number." It sounds quite likely that these two lost issues never existed.
==Issue 31 (January 1986)==
Darkover Newsletter 31 Though 1985 is written on the front page, this issue was published in January 1986 and contains 12 pages.
* From the editorial: "At last, the second series of the Darkover Newsletter, Issue 31, resurrected as part of MZB Enterprises, soon to be MZB Enterprises, Inc." The newsletter has a copyright statement to "MZB Enterprises."
* Bradley has got much less patient and is much more grumpier upon her return; one of her responses to a fan in this issue causes Mercedes Lackey to defend Bradley threaten fans (hopefully tongue-in-cheek) who "hurt" Bradley with an axe.
* The first line of Letter from MZB: "It's a pleasure to welcome you back to the Newsletter—and before anyone asks, we are starting this second series with Number 31 simply for the sake of convenience; we know we put out 28 Newsletters, but this makes a nice round number." She adds later: "We'll try to come out about quarterly."
* There is a logic puzzle.
* There is a chronology of the Darkover books.
* A fan asks as part of a longer question: "What is the status of the Comli Lehtzi at this time?" Bradley replies, as part of a longer answer: "I'll probably write a book about it some day. Until then, people writing stories may make up whatever sounds good to them."
The editor writes: 
Bradley writes about her current books, both published and planned, and talks very briefly about them. Regarding "Red Sun of Darkover" : 
Two fans write in regarding their fan-created role-playing games. Bradley is polite and somewhat helpful to one of them, and very much not to the other. Bradley had this response to the second fan's very benign persona he sent to the newsletter: : 
A fan tells Bradley: We have sort of an unofficial Darkover discussion committee here in Port Orchard that meets at about six o'clock every Friday evening to bring up points of discussion, draw up maps of various Darkover places (oh, that reminds me, we have a sort of Darkover atlas here that is fairly complex and we would like to know if there is one on the market to compare ours with), and other Darkover concerns." Bradley puts the kibosh on that: 
A fan writes: "I am a member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism] , and of a fantasy Live role play organization called International Fantasy Gaming Society or I.F.G.S. for short (yes, Larry Niven knows and has given his blessings). Since I.F.G.S. deals with fantasy games, a number of Darkover fans in the organization have decided to develop a group of characters using the Darkover theme. Any help that the council can provide wold be greatly appreciated. We are interesting in costuming, language, mannerisms, religion, etc." The editor responds: 
==Issue 32 (March 1986)==
Darkover Newsletter 32 was published in March 1986 and contains 22 pages.
* Bradley is quite grumpy in this issue. At least one her responses to a fan in the previous issue causes Mercedes Lackey to defend Bradley from threatening fans who "hurt" Bradley with an axe (hopefully tongue-in-cheek).
* This issue contains a logic puzzle.
* Several fans comment on Bradley's recent lack of long novels and her focus on editing anthologies. Bradley responds: "I enjoy doing the anthologies, and it's much more fun than slogging away at a novel for a year or so."
* A fan asks: "I ask that I might get information on the Thendara Council from the Friends of Darkover. Some day (hopefully soon) I would enjoy becoming part of this organization. . . ." and Bradley responds: There is no "organization"of the Thendara Council. If you live in the area, sooner or later you get invited to parties or meetings here."
* Jean Lamb welcomes the newsletter back and gives a plug for Moon Phases.
* This issue has a two-page flyer for the newly-formed MZB Enterprises.
* A fan asks a question about Darkovan name usage, and Bradley responds: "As for protocol in naming, I don't know, because I am not always consistent in usage; I tend to line up a name the way it sounds best to me. Mea culpa, mea maximissa culpa (maxissima, I mean). Or sue me."
* The last page, announcements from Friends of Darkover, states the last Fantasy Worlds Festival was held in February 1986 and there were no current plans to do another. There was a curling iron in the lost and found there, and fans could write Elisabeth Waters of MZB Enterprises and arrange for its return.
* The staff line-up for the newly-formed MZB Enterprises: "For those of you who dislike writing to a faceless organization, our staff is as follows: Marion Zimmer Bradley, Elisabeth Waters (office manager and bookkeeper), Ann Sharp (newsletter editor), Patrick Breen (captive artist and gofer), and Kat Krischild (data base administrator)." There is no mention of Walter Breen.
The editor writes: 
Regarding back issues, the Friends of Darkover says they have escaped into the wild: 
Bradley writes that fans ask her questions about books, such as "When will you write a novel from the point of view of the catmen?" or Why don't you write a story of Dorilys when she wakes?" This is part of her response, one which touches on authorial intent, having an editor do things you don't like to your words, her impatience with fans' imagination, and her intense dislike of cats:
A fan takes Bradley to task: 
Bradley responds to the fan above: 
Misty Lackey responds to the whole affair and writes: 
A male fan writes and says he favorite characters are two women who are Free Amazons: "As a man, I can assure you that we suffer as much from the crippling effects of society as women do. Also, without free men, the free women are always going to be without genuine companionship from a male-female, female-male point of view." Bradley replies: 
A fan asks for a bit more of the male stuff: " While I have enjoyed the stories about the Renunciates, I have wondered if you have completely given up on the other types of characters that have so enlivened many a winter's night. Please, understand, I am not criticizing your work. To be sure, I will continue to buy and read every work on Darkover that you write. Yet, when I read an introduction you wrote in a recent collection of short stories about the Sisterhood, I wonder if you have given up on us male readers who so love this world you have made for us. Ms. Bradley, please understand me. I realize this is your creation, and it is not up to us, your public, to try to dictate where you should go in your writing, yet I miss the struggles of the Altons and the Hasturs. There are so many avenues not yet explored.": 
==Issue 33 (1986, likely June)==
Darkover Newsletter 33 was published in 1986 (no month given, probably June) and contains 16 pages.
* This issue includes a logic puzzle.
* The editor says "Darkover Newsletter" is "issued by the joint efforts of a small staff living within five blocks of each other in Berkeley."
* There is a long list of MZB items for sale, including many pamphlets such as "Why Did My Story Get Rejected," "What is a Short Story," and "Why Prayer is Not Answered" (The last one was also published in some form in a science fiction zine called "Orion" in Jan.-Feb. 1974.). See Links to Essays and Articles on MZB's Website.
* The back page is an ad for Moon Phases #7 and #8, and a submission request for #9.
The editor, Ann Sharp, writes a long, very detailed challenge, and practical writing guidelines as a way to generate fan contributions to the upcoming Darkover DAW Anthology: 
Bradley's Letter from MZB has this comment about men as a fiction topic: 
Also from Bradley's letter, much about her professional writing and career: 
A fan writes of RPGs and "a blank piece of paper: 
Nina Boal writes and introduces Moon Phases: 
==Issue 34 (September 1986)==
Darkover Newsletter 34 was published in September 1986 and contains 16 pages.
* There is a logic puzzle.
* This issue lists twelve upcoming cons Bradley will be attending, plus the note that Bradley may be making another trip to England with "Jamie George's group."
* Bradley has a note that John Shimwell "is the one to write to about Darkover dictionaries. To our knowledge, he's the person who's done the most work in this area."
* There is a letter from a fan in Norway who says it is terribly lonely there, and that Norway has no science ficiton/fantasy conventions, magazines or other fans. She writes: "I am very much looking forward to hearing from you, and honestly, it'll give me real pleasure to write "Thendara Council" on the envelope—almost as if the letter were going there!"
The Letter from MZB has a focus of Bradley's trip to England and Scotland: 
A fan wants to meet other fans and writes: 
Darkover for this fan is a focus of homeschooling: 
A fan wants some inter-generation fannish sharing: 
A fan is unhappy that a character has died: 
==Issue 35 (December 1986)==
Darkover Newsletter 35 was published in December 1986 and contains 12 pages.
* The editor, Ann Sharp, says several times that Elisabeth Waters is Bradley's "administrative assistant."
* A fan asks for hints on how to set up a Guildhouse in a culture that doesn't support the concept. In her case, it's Atlanta, Georgia.
* MZB Enterprises has a new listing in their line-up of items for sale: "Why I Accept Astrology" by Walter Breen: "A rational explanation by a professional astrologer and well-known technical writer."
* A fan writes at great length about feminism and its interpretation.
* The editor writes: "For future issues, we're looking for articles on readers' experiences with Darkovan-type projects -- a page or more, written clearly for the ordinary reader, not a fellow expert." Suggested subjects are Darkovan cooking, crafts, music, and founding a Guildhouse.
"And There's No Way to Stop It... is an article about the psychic problem the author encounters in her daily life; how to get rid of ESP. It is written by Elisabeth Waters. "If you really want to get rid of ESP, you can try living a totally mundane existence. Don't read about it, don't think about it, just concentrate on the material plane --things like your bills and your job. It may work, at least temporarily. Good luck." Waters explains two positive aspects of ESP—meal preparation help and as a bad fan mail radar: 
Bradley writes that 
Bradley talks about some important babies: 
A male fan encourages Bradley to keep writing despite the letters she gets from some men: 
Bradley writes that she has a new car: 
There is a logic puzzle in this issue, one which uses Bradley and and a hypothetical writing project with fans: 
==Issue 36 (March 1987)==
Darkover Newsletter 36 was published in March 1987 and contains 10 pages.
* The editor, Ann Sharp, writes "the way to increase your subscription number by ONE issue is to write us a letter for publication, whereupon you will get a free copy of the issue in which your letter appears, which extends your subscription by one copy. Or write us anyway. Letters for Relays are always welcome, especially when they raise new subjects for discussion. We would also like articles, and cartoons or small artwork, which I have NO talent for at all. " It is unclear if this is a new policy or one which has been in place all along. It is, however, the first time it's been mentioned in the newsletter.
* The editor writes a short tutorial on plot development and writing.
* The story by Elisabeth Waters mentioned in the last issue, "A Woman's Privilege," may have had a title change; Bradley now refers Water's first submitted novel as "ACILA... yes, it is about the characters from her story in SWORD AND SORCERESS 3."
* This issue includes a logic puzzle.
* A fan asks about copyright: "Is work appearing in the Newsletter filed for copyright, and, if so, do you file for first-time rights, or do I take care of that myself? Is original artwork returned upon use, or do you keep it? Do contributors get the Newsletter in exchange for work, or at a discount?" The editor replies: "1) We have a copyright notice at the bottom of the first page. All rights are reserved to the origianl artist (or writer). 2) We will certainly return your original artwork, if that is your preference. 3) Art contributors, like letter contributors, get a free copy of the issue their work appears in."
There is a one-page article by Bradley called "Guidelines Four Moons of Darkover." In it is much practical advice on how to submit a story to her professional anthology which includes ideas and her own gaps, and using her characters or creating original characters. It also, for the second time in this newsletter (the first being the discussion in Darkovans Invade Boskone!), brings up the issue of copyright and fanzines as a potential problem: 
A fan proposes an idea for a fic, but doesn't want to "tread on the hem of [Bradley's] garment": 
For the first time in this newsletter, Bradley plugs something for Mercedes Lackey: 
The subject of women establishing their own guild houses has been a recurring topic in the newsletter, and there seem to be more and more letters about this idea. One of them: 
An early acafan from Rutgers School of Law, asks some questions in a somewhat tone-deaf way. She wants to know more about Darkover fiction, and she brings up copyright, which seems to have become a hot topic: 
Bradley writes: 
==Issue 37 (June 1987)==
Darkover Newsletter 37 was published in 1987 (no month given, but Bradley's letter is dated June) and contains 18 pages.
* The editor recommends the books of Elizabeth Peters and plugs The Friends of Elizabeth Peters Newsletter put out by Mary Morman. And the books of Charlotte MacLeod and plugs that newsletter, The Friends of Charlotte MacLeod Newsletter put out by Anne Weissman.
* There is a long letter from a fan in the Netherlands which criticizes the Darkover books for their attitudes toward cold weather. The fan tells Bradley that it must be because Bradley lives in California and doesn't have a realistic view of how people deal with actual winter weather.
* There is a long letter in the form of a story by Kerwin Kerr.
* There is a logic puzzle and again, "Guidelines Four Moons of Darkover," the latter by Bradley.
Bradley's Letter from MZB is one totally focused on comments about her health: 
Some fans discuss the government subsidizing Guildhouses in real life. Other fans discuss how these actual Guildhouses would function: 
One fan's letter is an example of how Bradley's books profoundly affected some people: 
A fan who says she is a "political prisoner" asks other fans for help and money: 
Copyright is being discussed again, and by this fanzine editor's remarks, the subject has probably been percolating among fans: 
==Issue 38 (1987, unknown month)==
Darkover Newsletter 38 has mostly unknown content, though it does include a long letter about guild houses by Deborah Wheeler (who went on to write the Darkover books after Bradley's death).
The entire letter was reprinted in issue #59 where Ann Sharp discussed the reality of guild houses and their success in our culture and time. Sharp, and Bradley, wrote in issue #59 that they didn't know of any guild houses that worked for more than a very short time. Sharp wrote that the best letter they ever received was by Deborah Wheeler in "Darkover Newsletter" #38.
Excerpts from the letter by Deborah Wheeler are included below.
==Issue 39 (December 1987)==
Darkover Newsletter 39 was published in December 1987 and contains 18 pages.
* Bradley's Letter from MZB describes in great detail travels she had to various conventions and writing classes she was teaching. She runs into Claire Gabriel, and they, plus Jacqueline Lichtenberg share a meal, something that was one of the highlights of the trip. Bradley also describes a trip to Denmark. And a trip to Darkovercon where she had Thanksgiving dinner.
* Bradley writes: "I use CompuServe and can be reached that way."
* A fan asks who this person, "AS," is, the one who makes comments after some letters. AS says she is Ann Sharp.
* This issue contains a logic puzzle.
* A fan who had officially changed her name to a complicated Darkovan name eleven years ago writes about the fun and difficulties she has had with it with friends, the dry cleaners, and the IRS. She writes that it used to be fun to explain the inevitable questions regarding its origins, but "over the years I've gotten pretty tired of people's reactions, which range form bored incomprehension to retreat from a rabid feminist. Generally, I end up feeling like a particular insect and have even apologetically passed it off as youthful whimsy, which is a small self-betrayal. I now usually just say, 'It's gaelic,' and then all I have to do is explain what 'gaelic' is." She goes on to say the name makes people think she is Indian, African or Middle Eastern, which when traveling in Asia, was an advantage. She wonders, however, about the name being a disadvantage. "When I send out resumes, apply for grants, or in any way correspond with official strangers, I must consider what automatic judgements are being passed... I don't reccomend the name for inscure or paranoid people."
Elisabeth Waters chimes in regarding name changes and the troubles she's had in changing hers to its current state. She also mentions the troubles Bradley has: 
A fan comments about what Bradley's books mean to her: 
A fan writes about her mixed emotions to having one of her stories published in the DAW Darkover Anthologies: 
==Issue 40 (March 1988)==
Darkover Newsletter 40 was published in March 1988 and contains 22 pages.
* This issue has guidelines for the new Friends of Darkover anthology, "Domains of Darkover." "... Feel free to invent your own characters or use mind... but no Free Amazons with passionate love affairs or accepting slavery a la John Norman... you cannot bring Jaelle back to life, and Dorilys of 'Stormqueen' is off limits."
* The editor explains how to write a story that won't get rejected.
* A fan asks about further issues of Starstone and Bradley replies: "Starstone folded some years ago." Bradley suggests he find Contes de Cotton IV and Moon Phases.
* Bradley's Letter from MZB discusses sex and science fiction: how its role has changed over the years, how she views certain writers' and their books (most of which she takes issue with) which deal with sex, and when sent a copy of Sheri Tepper's 'The Gate to Women's Country' took a dim view of it due to the title. "...I almost didn't read it; I thought, 'Oh, my God, another piece of wimmintrash' and was on the edge of throwing it out of the house. I read the first chapter and -- well, I was hooked." Bradley goes on to write: "At my age all science fiction begins to seem all alike to me, so when I actually read anything which sticks in my mind for more than forty minutes or so it takes to read it, it's unusual."
* Elisabeth Waters is working on a computer genealogy project (using ROOTS II) to compile a family tree for Darkovan families.
* A fan says the seventh issue of Weyrdly Towering "the quarterly newsletter of Darriel Council, Gar Hold (Pern)" is about to be published, subscriptions are $8 a year.
* There are a lot more letters from fans in this issue looking for pen pals.
* A fan writes: "I am eagerly awaiting "Four Moons" and "Return to Darkover." I hope Marion's health allows completion suon. I muse say, her travel schedule would exhaust most of her readers!" Elisabeth Waters replies: "Marion hasn't started writing Return to Darkover yet, so it won't be ready for three or four years. She's working on The Forest House, a mainstream novel on Roman Britain, and plans another work-through of Heirs of Hammerfell. EW."
* Some of the Darkover books were recorded by fans for other fans who had vision challenges: "I would like to give you some information in case any other visually impaired readers should inquire about the Darkover books in a format they wish to read. Many of the Darkover books have been recorded by The Volunteers of Vacaville. They have several of them listed in their catalogue."
* A fan writes about her puzzlement of the "rape fantasy" in fiction: "I always thought it was strictly a masculine porno fantasy until I perceived it, watered down, as one of the romance novel plots."
* There is a Darkovan joke by Jean Lamb entitled "An Ill-Humored Fable."
* This issue includes a logic puzzle.
* "Notes from Under the Desk" by Elisabeth Waters is her new column. In it, she gives updates on what's going on with Bradley and her businesses.
From "Notes from Under the Desk"—announcement of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine: 
From "Notes from Under the Desk" there is a rare mention of Walter Breen: 
From "Notes from Under the Desk": 
A fan praises Bradley, comments on Bradley's "feminist attitude," and has entwined being a fan with writing a fic: 
==References==
Category:Darkover Zines
Category:1986 Zines
Category:1987 Zines
Category:1988 Zines