Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 3, 1993 TAG: 9311030406
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Saplak was a winner in the annual Writers of the Future contest in which they were judges, and he got to meet them when he went to California for his award.
His winning story, ``Lady's Portrait, Executed in Archaic Colors,'' is one of those appearing in the ninth ``Writers of the Future'' paperback (Bridge Publications, $5.99) available in bookstores.
Saplak will sign copies of this story and others he has published from noon until 4 p.m. Saturday at Books, Strings & Things in Blacksburg and again a week later, Nov. 13, during the same hours at the Roanoke BS&T store.
Saplak's story involves a hospital nurse who finds herself drawn to an artist living near her apartment, and eventually posing for him. In a series of scenes delineated by a different archaic color, the reader learns that the man is something quite different from an artist.
``That was an odd story, but it was fun to write,'' he said. ``You've got to write to please readers who want a good story.''
Rather than science-fiction, the story is a combination of fantasy and horror.
``There are a lot of people who get hung up on those labels,'' Saplak said. ``I feel that a lot of the principles of good writing apply across the board.''
Saplak began writing stories for fun in grade school while growing up in West Virginia. By the time he was in his teens, he had started submitting them to magazines.
``Part of it was probably overconfidence,'' he said. ``It got discouraging. It takes a long time to learn and, the time that you are learning, you're not making any money out of it.''
But he has now published professionally, in the ``Writers of the Future'' and several other anthologies, and in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
He has had a story accepted for Tomorrow, a science-fiction magazine, and had the opening story, ``Dropscout Becomes Matrix,'' in the first issue of Expanse, a new s-f magazine.
He teaches such subjects as freshman composition, business communication and technical writing part time at New River Community College in Dublin.
After graduating from West Virginia University with a degree in psychology, Saplak held a variety of jobs until he joined the Navy in 1984. He spent six years in the service, a lot of it aboard an aircraft carrier circling the world, and the last few years as an instructor at Virginia Tech.
By then, he had married his wife, Karen, who works with C&P Telephone at Pulaski, and they had a daughter, Charlene, now 5. ``I was no longer so eager to go globe-trotting,'' he said.
He left the Navy and entered the graduate program in English at Radford University.
His daughter has revived his interest in some of the age-old stories like those by the Brothers Grimm.
``Little kids love stories, and they love to hear stories,'' he said. ``Because of that, I've developed a big interest in folklore and fairy tales.''
In fact, he has found Charlene to be a good first critic of some of his work. And they are batting story ideas back and forth for work that, if published, will carry both their names as collaborators.
``She's already started telling stories to her schoolmates,'' Saplak said.
The contest to seek out new writers was started in 1984 by writer L. Ron Hubbard, and carried on in his name since his death.
The Writers of the Future as well as Hubbard's Illustrators of the Future contests seek entries not only for publication but for prizes ranging from $500 to $1,000, as well as an annual $4,000 grand prize.
Further information on the contests is available by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to P.O. Box 1630, Los Angeles, Calif. 90078.
by CNB