Introduction
OK, here's the first Yule Chronicle. And as it's for such a festive time there are a couple of bonus stories in this issue. The first of which is the winner in a recent horror short story competition organised by JustBooks (more details top of the news section.
The second of the extra stories is Michael J. Arruda's story 'He Came Upon a Midnight Clear'. This story just had to be included in the December issue - just read it, you'll know why.
I have discovered what a reading period is all about. We opened the doors for fiction submissions throughout October, and received far more than we expected, so much so that it took 'til the end of November to make the selection of stories to include in future Chronicles and to contact the authors. If I missed anyone or took a long time in replying, you have my apologies here - next time I will be more organised.
Well this will be the last Chronicle of the year and all that remains is to wish you happy celebrations whether it be Christmas, Hannukah or Eid.
Author/Book News:
The recent JustSpooks horror short story competition (run by JustBooks) was won by UK author Maxine Wesson with her story 'DIYary'. This story is presented as part of this issue of the Chronicle. Click here to read the story. The competition was judged by Tony Maturano, author of the novel 'Nimbus'.
There is a live-action film version of C.S. Lewis's 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. Walden Media has optioned the Chronicles of Narnia books and hopes to bring the film version of the first book to the screen in 2004 in conjunction with New Line and Warner Brothers.
T.H. White's Arthurian saga 'The Once and Future King' is being adapted into a film script by Kenneth Lonergan for Warner Brothers. The four books in the Saga (The Sword in the Stone, The Queen of Air and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight, The Candle in the Wind) have previous been the inspiration for the 1963 Disney animated film (based on the first book) and the stage musical and film Camelot.
A new website dedicated to author Steven Shrewsbury's character Majestic Agent Dack Shannon has recently appeared on the internet. Found at http://www.dackshannon.com/ the site features a serial story featuring Shrewsbury's majestic agencts; short stories and audio files of short stories read by the author and others; an interview with a majestic agent; and soon the site will also feature trivia questions.
News on a couple of film adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories. His time travel story 'A Sound of Thunder' is set to begin production in Spring 2002 in Mexico. It will be without the original director Renny Harlin after a disagreement over the story. Peter Hyams is rumoured to be taking over the directorial duties. Also Frank Darabont (director of The Green Mile) has confirmed that he is writing a screenplay of Fahrenheit 451, having taken over the project from Mel Gibson.
It looks as though a film version of Richard Matheson's classic vampire story may actually get made. Will Smith is considering starring in this Warner Brothers film to be directed by Michael Bay.
Production of the Sci-Fi Channel's adaptation of Frank Herbert's 'Children of Dune' is set to begin in Prague in April 2002, with the series expected to air during 2003. As with 'Dune' this is being adapted by John Harrison.
Ron Shusett (screenwriter of upcoming Spielberg film 'Minoroty Report' adapted form the short story by Philip K. Dick has optioned movie rights to an unpublished novella by authors R. Ellis Frazier and Geoffrey Ross. The novella, entitled 'RH1658' is being adapted as 'Clone Rebels' by Shusett together with John Chadwell and Ian Rabin>.
J.K. Rowling recently arranged a charity screening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone raising 40,000 GBP (56,000 USD) for the UK's single parent families. Speaking at the National Council for One Parent Families in London (Nov. 2001) she attacked the UK government's record on supporting single parents saying "We are a wealthy nation, yet we have one of the worst records of child poverty in the industrialized world. It is a scandal."
John Nickle's children's fantasy book 'The Ant Bully' has been optioned by Universal Pictures for development as an animated feature.
Filming has commenced on The Sci Fi Channel's Telmovie adaptation of Philip José Farmer's novel 'Riverworld'. Shooting is taking place in New Zealand. It is directed by Kari Skogland, script by Stuart Hazeldine and it stars Brad Johnson, Emily Lloyd and Cameron Daddo. There is a possibility that this will serve as the pilot for a Riverworld TV Series.
Robert J. Sawyer has been announced as the Keynote Speaker at the 12th Annual Canadian Conference on Intelligent Systems. The Conference will be held on May 30th-31st, 2002 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lawrence Thornton's supernatural horror book, 'Imagining Argentina' is being developed into a Myriad Pictures film starring Emma Thompson and Antonio Banderas and directed by Christopher Hampton. Thornton will be writing the screen adaptation himself. Filming will start in Spain in March 2002.
Arthur C. Clarke announced via a videotape address to the audience of a gala dinner in his honour (held in the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles) that he will likely never leave his home in Sri Lanka again. The author who is suffering from post-polio syndrome is now wheelchair bound.
In a recent KPCC-FM radio interview, Screen writer Robert B. Weide announced he was working on a screenplay adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's novel The Sirens of Titan (1959). Weide previously adapted another of Vonnegut's novels, Mother Night, into the 1996 film starring Nick Nolte. He is currently directing a Vonnegut's 1970 stageplay 'Happy Birthday, Wanda Jane' at the Elephant Theater, Santa Monica, CA which runs until December 9, 2001.
You can read the first chapter of William Meikle's second novel on his website at http://www.willie.meikle.btinternet.co.uk. The book is titled 'Watchers of the Wall', book one of 'The 45'. It has sold to Spectral Visions (an imprint of Barclay Books who released Meikle's first novel 'Island Life' in October. His second novel is expected in the summer of 2002. Samples of both books can be found on this site also (see below).
US-based, UK Ex-Pat writer Simon Wood has confirmed that he has sold his second book. Barclay Books have picked up the rights to 'We All Fall Down'. His first book has a confirmed release date of April 2002.
Publishing News:
AOL Time Warner has terminated it's iPublish subsidiary company. SFWA president Norman Spinrad was told the news in a meeting on December 4, 2001 with the CEO, Editor-in-Chief and SF Editor. This follows much criticism from the SFWA of the contract requirements of iPublish.
Betsy Mitchell is to take over as Vice President, Editor-in-Chief of Del Rey Books from January 2, 2002. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Warner Books' F/SF imprint Aspect, and was previously associate publisher of the Bantam Spectra line where she edited the Star Wars books, and authors including William Gibson and Dan Simmons.
The Infinite Matrix Web Magazine (http://www.infinitematrix.net/) has relaunched thanks to a money form an anonymous donor. The current issue features contributions from Bruce Sterling, Terry Bisson, Richard Kadrey, David Langford, Simon Ings and Kathleen Ann Goonan.
Every year Dark Delicacies (http://www.darkdel.com) holda a charity event. This year they have compiled an illustrated anthology of horror stories edited by Gomez & Morticia Howison called 'The Altruistic Alphabet'. In this book horror writers are teamed up with illustrators such as Jack Ketchum with Michel Gagne; Peter Straub with Brad Canby; Whitley Strieber with Jhonen Vasquez; Karen Taylor with Russ Jones; Todd McIntosh with Clive Barker.
The proceeds, this year, go to the Shriners Hospitals for Children (providing free medical care for children with orthopaedic disabilities or burns). A signing event (December 2nd) launched the event at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA.
There is an auction on their website of some of the original artwork with the money also going to the charity. The book is $19.95 with a $4.00 US Shipping fee. It can be ordered via darkdel@darkdel.com or a US toll-free number (888)darkdel. There are more details on their website.
Obituary News:
Terry Hughes, publisher of 1970's fanzine Mota, 1979 TAFF winner and well known US SF fan died on November 14, 2001 from complications following a year long fight with brain cancer. He was 51.
The funeral of SF/F artist Josh Kirby took place on November 6, 2001. There was an informal 'humanist' service with eulogies and examples of Kirby's favourite music (including Monty Python's 'The Galaxy Song'). Together with family and friends the funeral was attended by Comic Fantasy author Terry Pratchett, whose book covers usually featured Josh Kirby's artwork.
Award News:
Christopher Priest was presented the Prix Utopia 2001 (French SF Lifetime Achievement Award) at the Utopiales 2001 Convention, held in Nantes, France early in November. In previous years this award has been given to Brian Aldiss, Frederik Pohl and Jack Vance.
The following fan awards were presented at NovaCon 31.
Fanzine - Head (ed. Doug Bell & Christina Lake)
Fan Writer - Alison Freebairn
Fan Artist - Dave Hicks
The Fourth annual Rotsler Memorial Fanzine Artist Award was presented to Brad Foster at LosCon 28 over the Thanksgiving Weekend. The award honoring the best of fan art is given in memory of Wiliam Rotsler, a fan artist of some considerable reknown. The award consists of a plaque and a 300 USD in cash.
Olaf Stapledon's son John received the first Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award on Monday November 5, 2001. It was presented to him by John Clute at a gathering of the SF Foundation at the Sydney Jones Library, University of Liverpool.
Author Interviews:Hertzan Chimera (Mike Philbin) - sf
John Deakins - sf
Linda Shillabeer - f
This Month's Short Fiction:
Michael J. Arruda's He Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Horror)
Brian A. Hopkins's Lost Things (Fantasy)
Paul Kane's Visiting Hour (Horror)
John B. Rosenman's Daniel, My Son (Horror)
Maxine Wesson's DIYary (Horror)
This Month's Sample Chapters:
William Meikle's Island Life
William Meikle's Watchers of the Wall
Linda Shillabeer's The Mist of Doom
Author Resource:
Gila Queen's Guide to Markets.
New Reviews Added:
K.G. McAbee - Journey to Malmillard (f)
Noel K. Hannan - Shenanigans (sf)
Paul Collins - Cyberskin (sf)
Angelique Armae - Come the Night (h)
John B. Ford - Dark Shadows on the Moon (h)
Gene Wolfe - Seven American Nights (sf)
Clifford Simak - Shakespeare's Planet (sf)
Michael Moorcock - Behold the Man (sf)
New Bibliographies Added
Hasso Wolfe Wuerslin Main Bibliography
Adrian Rogers Main Bibliography
Gary Moreau Main Bibliography
Robert Bloch Main Bibliography
Anthologies Edited by Robert Bloch
Paula L. Fleming Short Story Guide
William Meikle Main Bibliography
David Price Short Story Guide
Karen Koehler Main Bibliography
Tony Marturano Main Bibliography
Linda Shillabeer Main Bibliography
Leah Rewolinski Main Bibliography
Updated Bibliographies
Robin Hobb Main Bibliography
Terry Pratchett Main Bibliography
Rie Sheridan Short Story Guide
Selina Rosen Main Bibliography
Martin Scott Main Bibliography
Laurell K. Hamilton Main Bibliography
China Mieville Main Bibliography
Ray Bradbury Main Bibliography
Steven Shrewsbury Short Story Guide
Simon Wood Main Bibliography