Weblogs/Writer's Blog:
This month sees the addition of UK fantasy author Jessica Rydill's writer's blog to this site.
Jessica Rydill's Writer's Blog
My own Weblog
This Month's Non-Fiction:
W.B. Vogel III's Theories in Chaos - Erebus Black (Opinion)
Press Releases:
Children of Dune Mini-Series DVD Released. Click here for more details.
Horror Anthology The Black Spiral edited by Richard D. Weber is released in October 2003. Click here for more details.
Neo-opsis is a new Canadian SF magazine. Click here for more details.
Competition News:
Younger US resident readers (13 and over) could win themselves several books including a copy of Christopher Paolini's debut ya fantasy novel Eragon. To qualify all you have to do is sign up to receive Paolini's newsletter and the Strange Lands newsletter from Random House before November 1, 2003 (http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/eragon/signup.htm). Five randonly selected will win a selection of titles. Full rules for the giveaway are at http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/eragon/rules.htm.
Author/Book News:
Big news from the Paul Collins and Michael Pryor created shared world fantasy series. The first two volumes in the series (Quentaris in Flames by Pryor and Swords of Quentaris have sold to Terra Fantastica for publication in Russia. Also it's been confirmed that a further six titles in the series will see print next year. These are to be written by Isobelle Carmody, John Heffernan, Margot Lanagan, Sean McMullen and, of course, Michael Pryor and Paul Collins. The series also has a newly revamped website at http://www.quentaris.com/.
On September 18th Jack Chalker suffered a heart attack. He was discovered by his ten year old son who quickly rang 911. He was admitted to Carroll County Hospital. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Similarly Gary A. Braunbeck was recently admitted to hospital having complained of chect pains. It is suspected he has had a mild heart attack and is now recovering - and learning to live with a no-nicotine, low-fat, low-salt lifestyle.
US fantasy author Megan Powell has moved house, so anyone who needs to send mail to her should email her first for a new address. She can be emailed through her website at http://www.meganpowell.net/.
Judi Rohrig has resigned her positions at Lone Wolf Publications (marketing director and LWPNewsletter editor), and Horror Writers Association (Postmistress) although she is remaining as a HWA Trustee. This is to allow her more time for her own writing.
BeWrite Books author and Associate Editor Anne Morgellyn has just signed a deal with BBC TV (UK) supply creative writing tips on a series of TV programmes.
Writer and Telos Publishing head David J. Howe has written a new Doctor Who spin-off drama. DAEMOS RISING is being produced by Reeltime Pictures and will be released in October 2003 on VHS & DVD. Miles Richardson stars as ex-UNIT operative Douglas Cavendish, with Beverley Cressman as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's daughter Kate.
Mark Sutton was recently featured in the Iowa newspaper Daily Nonpareil. The article can be found online by clicking here.
Film rights to Louise Cooper's nine book children's series CREATURES have been optioned by Granada Media Group.
UK Horror author Andrew Müller was recently a contestant on Mastermind on BBC TV (UK). He sat in the famous black chair on Monday August 18th and his specialised subject was English Castles. He came second in his heat and knows a lot more about castles than I do.
US-based British horror/crime writer Simon Wood is recovering from successful knee surgery.
US horror writer (and writer of the novel Eternal Night with shares its name with my site), Jessica Barone has moved her website. The new site can be found at http://jessicabarone.tripod.com/.
Fox Searchlight have optioned Tananarive Due's MY SOUL TO KEEP with Blair Underwood to star.
Movie rights to Jeff Strand's novel GRAVEROBBERS WANTED (NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY) have been bought by Local Talent Productions. Jeff will be writing the screenplay.
Stephen Laws's DARKFALL has been optioned by Dimension Films.
Film rights to M.T. Anderson's novel FEED, about a future in which technology governs every aspect of human life, have sold to Laura Bickford Productions and Emily Lansbury.
Robert Silverberg's The Book of Skulls has been optioned by Paramount to be directed by William Friedkin.
Publisher News:
PS Publishing are launching a new genre magazine form Spring 2004. Currently entitled 'Postscripts' they have already bought the first story for the premiere issue (Ramsey Campbell's 'Direct Line'). The magazine will be digest sized and will retail for £5 GBP or $8 USD. In addition to the standard edition each issue will also be released as a limited edition hardcover of 100 signed by all contributors. This limited edition will only be available directly from PS Publishing throughtheir website.
UK horror publisher, Black Hill Books have just launched a new website. The new cyberhome is http://www.blackhillbooks.co.uk/. They alse have a second website for their regular Great Scribblers writing contests which you can find at http://www.greatscribblers.com/
Del Rey Books announced (at the recent Comic Con in San Diego, CA) that they would shortly begin publication of a line of manga titles in association with Kodansha, the leading Manga publisher in Japan. The frst four titles will be seen in Spring 2004.
Scholastic recently reported a sales increase of nearly $170Million. This rise can be accounted for almost entirely by the 11 million sales of the fifth Harry Potter novel and the associated increased sales of the first four books of the series.
Stories Sold:
Details of all short story sales we've heard of recently...here.
Book Deals:
Details of all short story sales we've heard of recently...here.
Market News:
Details of all open markets we've heard of recently...here.
Award News:
The 2003 Hugo Awards were announced at TorCon3. For the winners ...click here.
The 2003 Rhysling Awards for Best Speculative Poetry have been announced. For the winners ...click here.
The 2003 SESFA (Southeastern Science Fiction Achievement Award) Awards Nominations have been announced. For the nominees ...click here.
The 2003 SFRA (Science Fiction Research Association) Awards Winners have been announced. For the nominees ...click here.
The 2003 Winners of the Prix Aurora (for the best in Canadian SF) have been announced. For the details ...click here.
The 2003 Winners of the Golden Duck Awards have been announced. For the details ...click here.
The 2003 Winners of the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards have been announced. For the details ...click here.
The 2003 Winners of the Chesley Awards (sf/f art) have been announced. For the details ...click here.
The 2003 winner of the Clarke-Bradbury International Science Fiction Competition is Lavie Tidhar for the story "Temporal Spider, Spatial Webs"
The winners for the Sidewise awards have been announced. Martin J. Gidron (for The Severed Wing/Livingston Press) and Harry Turtledove (for Ruled Britannia/Roc) tied for the Long Form Award, whilst William Sanders won the short form for his story "Empire" (Alternate Generals II ed. Harry Turtledove, Baen).
Margaret Atwood, the sf-denier extraordinarie is shortlisted for the Booker Prize with her latest non-sf (????) novel Oryx and Crake. She is also shortlisted for the Canadian Giller Prize.
The 2003 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award has been given to Edgar Pangborn.
Michael Flynn and Heinlein's widow Virginia were the first recipients of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.
Terry Pratchett (Novel for Night Watch) received the 2003 Prometheus Awards for Libertarian science fiction and fantasy. Robert Heinlein was indicted into the Hall of Fame for "Requiem".
Author Interviews:
Paul Collins (sf/f)
Shawn P. Cormier (f)
Matt Dinniman (f)
Sue Lange (sf)
L. Marie Wood (h)
Obituary:
This Month's Short Fiction:
Hugh McCracken - The Box
Megan Powell - Cloistered
Milt Thomas - The River Rat
This Month's Sample Chapters:
Matt Dinniman's The Shivered Sky (df)
Christopher Paolini's Eragon (f/ya)
Jeff Strand's Mandibles (Com/H)
Author Resource:
New Reviews Added:
Ed. Keith Brooke & Nick Gevers Infinity Plus Two (sf/ss)
Terry Brooks's Sometimes the Magic Works (bio)
A.J. Butcher's Spy High: The Chaos Connection (sf/ya)
A.J. Butcher's Spy High: The Frankenstein Factory (sf/ya)
Ramsey Campbell's The Influence (h)
Shawn P. Cormier's Nomadin (f)
David & Leigh Eddings's The Elder Gods (f)
Ed Gorman - The Silver Scream (h)
Rob Grant - Incompetence (sf/com)
Robert A. Heinlein - Friday (sf)
James Herbert - '48 (h)
James Herbert - Sepulchre (h)
Robert Holdstock - The Iron Grail (f)
Karen Koehler - The Maiden: Out of the Ashes (sf)
Dean Koontz - Shadowfires (h)
Graham Masterton - Tengu (h)
John B. Rosenman - Beyond Those Distant Stars (sf)
Tony Ruggiero - Mind Trap (sf)
Harry Shannon - Night of the Werewolf (h)
Kenji Siratori - Blood Electric (sf/cyberpunk)
Peter Straub - Pork Pie Hat (non-genre)
John Tigges - Unto the Altar (h)
New Galleries Added
Children of Dune TV Mini-Series Gallery
New Bibliographies Added
Ashok K. Banker Main Bibliography (f)
Stephanie Bedwell-Grime Main Bibliography (sf/f/h)
A.J. Butcher Main Bibliography (sf/ya)
Ray Clark Short Story Guide (h)
Allan Cole Main Bibliography (sf/f)
Shawn P. Cormier Main Bibliography (f)
C.K. Crigger Main Bibliography (f)
Matt Dinniman Main Bibliography (df)
Anthologies Edited by Deron J. Douglas (f)
Rob Grant Main Bibliography (sf/com)
Elizabeth Hand Main Bibliography (sf/f/tv)
David A. Hardy Main Bibliography (sf)
Marcus Herniman Main Bibliography (f)
Anthologies Edited by Walt Hicks (h)
Jack Ketchum Main Bibliography (h)
Karl Kofoed Main Bibliography (sf)
Jean Lorrah Main Bibliography (sf)
Biff Mitchell Main Bibliography (sf/f/com)
L.E. Modesitt Jr. Main Bibliography (sf/f)
Christopher Paolini Main Bibliography (f/ya)
Mickey Zucker Reichert Main Bibliography (f)
Morven Westfield Main Bibliography (h)
Anthologies Edited by Richard D. Weber (h)
Anthologies Edited by L. Marie Wood (h)
Updated Bibliographies
Kristen Britain Main Bibliography (f)
Peter David Main Bibliography (sf/f/tv)
Chris Bunch Main Bibliography (sf/f)
John B. Rosenman Main Bibliography (sf/f/h)
Dan Simmons Main Bibliography (sf/f/h/crime)
New Links Added
Books Received
Kristen Britain - First Rider's Call (Earthlight (Simon & Schuster))
Terry Brooks - High Druid of Shannara: Jarka Ruus (f) (Earthlight (Simon & Schuster))
Terry Brooks - Sometimes The Magic Works (bio) (Earthlight (Simon & Schuster))
Matt Dinniman - The Shivered Sky (sf) (Silver Lake Publishing)
Deron J. Douglas - From Within the Mist (sf) (Double Dragon Publishing)
Marcus Herniman - The Fall of Lautun (f) (Earthlight (Simon & Schuster))
Karen Koehler - Slayer: Stigmata (Black Death Books (KHP Industries))
Karl Kofoed - Deep Ice (BeWrite Books)
Shawn P. Madison - The Guarder Factor (NovelBooks, Inc.)
John B. Rosenman - Beyond Those Distant Stars (NovelBooks, Inc)
Rie Sheridan - Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered (com/h) (Echelon Press Dollar Download)
Jeff Strand - Mandibles (Mundania Press)
Harry Turtledove - Rulers of the Darkness (f) (Earthlight (Simon & Schuster))
Staci Layne Wilson - Dark Lullaby (h) (Amber Quill)