Soon a return to the regular posting

The past couple of weeks have been a bit demanding at work and I was left without much space for posting. The developed project enters in its final phase and although that means a business trip for the rest of this week I believe I would be able to return to a more steady posting rhythm next week. I hope to see you again from next Monday on a more regular basis.

Video presentation + Book Launch - "NOS4R2" by Joe Hill

The family ties between Stephen King and Joe Hill lost their importance a long time ago and hold no relevance what so ever when it comes to the fiction written by Joe Hill. It is just a biographical detail and nothing more. It cannot be otherwise since Joe Hill is a very powerful writer, talented and brimming with imagination, and he proved that with the short stories collection “20^th Century Ghosts”, the novels “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Horns” and the graphic novels “Locke & Key”, “The Cape” and “Road Rage”. Last month a new novel signed by Joe Hill was released in the US by William Morrow as “NOS4A2” and in the UK by Gollancz as “NOS4R2”. “NOS4R2” is one of my most anticipated novels of 2013 and I am little jealous on those who will be able to attend a book launch such as the one that will take place in Edinburgh on May, 31^st. Especially when a signed copy could be involved.

Don't miss the opportunity to see horror writer Joe Hill at The Pleasance Theatre for the only Scottish launch of Joe Hill's new book NOS4R2.
He will be taking part in a Q&A (hosted by Jim Mcleod, the editor of Ginger Nuts of Horror) as well as taking questions from the audience. Joe will also be reading an extract from his new book and signing for fans. For those who can't make it we are taking pre-paid orders for signed copies.
Joe Hill is the author of novels Heart-Shaped Box, Horns and 20th Century Ghosts which were all well received by horror fiction fans. Horns is currently being made into a movie starting Daniel Radcliffe and his graphic novels The Cape, Road Rage and the award-winning Locke & Key have had fans enthralled. NOS4R2 has now secured Hill's place as top of his generation in the world of horror and supernatural fiction.
The event takes place on Friday 31st May 2013 at 6:30pm at the Pleasance Theatre.

NOS4R2
Summer. Massachusetts.
An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.
Anyone could be next.
We're going to Christmasland...

NOS4R2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of your seat while you read, and leaving the lights on while you sleep. Will your soul be safe? With this horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith will you enjoy Christmas ever again?

Booking is essential.
Tickets are £5 and are available from the front desk at Blackwell's on South Bridge or by telephone for credit card purchases on 0131 622 8218.
For more information or if you would like a signed copy please contact
Ellie Wixon on 0131 622 8229
or
ellie.wixon@blackwell.co.uk

I would have loved to take part on this event, but for the time being this is extremely difficult to achieve. Well, to lift my spirit I will feature this video presentation of “NOS4R2” made by Joe Hill himself.

2012 Shirley Jackson Awards nominees

One of the awards I enjoy following each year is the Shirley Jackson Awards. Ever since I discovered these awards I found its lists of nominees always fresh and provocative and every year the awards celebrate some of the most original titles I’ve got the chance to read. This year seems no different. With such interesting titles on the lists of nominees I am looking forward to see who the winners would be when they’ll be announce on 14^th July at the Shirley Jackson Awards ceremony held at Readercon 24, Conference of Imaginative Literature, in Burlington, Massachusetts.

NOVEL

“The Drowning Girl” by Caitlín R. Kiernan (ROC)

“The Devil in Silver” by Victor LaValle (Spiegel & Grau)

“Edge” by Koji Suzuki (Vertical, Inc.)

“Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn (Crown Publishers)

“Immobility” by Brian Evenson (Tor)

NOVELLA

“28 Teeth of Rage” by Ennis Drake (Omnium Gatherum Media)

“Delphine Dodd” by S.P. Miskowski (Omnium Gatherum Media)

“I'm Not Sam” by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee (Sinister Grin Press/Cemetery Dance Publications)

“The Indifference Engine” by Project Itoh (Haikasoru/VIZ Media LLC)

“Sky” by Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls, Twelfth Planet Press)

NOVELETTE

“The Crying Child” by Bruce McAllister (originally “The Bleeding Child”, Cemetery Dance #68)

“The House on Ashley Avenue” by Ian Rogers (Every House is Haunted, ChiZine Publications)

“Reeling for the Empire” by Karen Russell (Tin House, Winter 2012)

“Wild Acre” by Nathan Ballingrud (Visions, Fading Fast, Pendragon Press)

“The Wish Head” by Jeffrey Ford (Crackpot Palace, William Morrow)

SHORT FICTION

“Bajazzle” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press)

“How We Escaped Our Certain Fate” by Dan Chaon (21st Century Dead, St. Martin's)

“Little America” by Dan Chaon (Shadow Show: All New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury, William Morrow)

“The Magician's Apprentice” by Tamsyn Muir (Weird Tales #359)

“A Natural History of Autumn” by Jeffrey Ford (Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July/August 2012)

“Two Houses” by Kelly Link (Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury, William Morrow)

SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION

“Crackpot Palace” by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow)

“Errantry” by Elizabeth Hand (Small Beer Press)

“The Pottawatomie Giant and Other Stories” by Andy Duncan (PS Publishing)

“Remember Why You Fear Me” by Robert Shearman (ChiZine Publications)

“The Woman Who Married a Cloud” by Jonathan Carroll (Subterranean Press)

“Windeye” by Brian Evenson (Coffee House Press)

EDITED ANTHOLOGY

“21st Century Dead” edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin’s)

“Black Wings II” edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publishing)

“Exotic Gothic 4: Postscripts #28/29” edited by Danel Olson (PS Publishing)

“Night Shadows” edited by Greg Herren and J. M. Redmann (Bold Strokes Books)

“Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury” edited by Sam Weller and Mort Castle (William Morrow)

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

"Cleopatra's Needle", a new novella by Carole Lanham published this year

After the debut collection of short stories, “The Whisper Jar”, Carole Lanham has her first novel, “The Reading Lessons”, coming out this month from Immortal Ink Publishing. However, more good news are coming from Carole Lanham with the announced release of a new novella. Morrigan Books, the publisher of her debut collection “The Whisper Jar”, will publish this year Carole Lanham’s novella “Cleopatra’s Needle”, first in e-book format, followed by a paperback edition and a special hardback with extra artwork. There is no information yet on the release date or who the artist drawing the cover and the extra artwork of the hardback edition will be, only that “Cleopatra’s Needle” is a story of Welsh superstition, love, murder and tempting red-haired witches. Until we find out more and Carole Lanham’s novella is published Morrigan Books gives us a taste of “Cleopatra’s Needle” with a small excerpt – which I took the liberty to reproduce here – and offers the chance to one lucky winner to receive a personalized, signed copy of the hardback edition when it is released. To enter the competition you can leave a comment on the announcement post or at the Witch Awareness Month Facebook page entry.

15 April 1896

We’re taking turns doing it. Every afternoon, we sit in the wash house and try our hand at calling him with our minds. Practice is vital, according to Bethan. Well, it goes without saying, she got her turn first. Sure enough, five minutes later, he appeared at the door, broom in hand, smiling sheepishly. Most of the time, he acts grumpy about that time we tied him to the chair but when Bethan called him, he behaved as though all was forgiven. ‘Do you want another kiss?’ Bethan asked. ‘Yes please,’ he said then shook his head, as if to clear it, and scurried away. We laughed to see him so rattled. 

When it was my turn, I pictured him kissing me like he did that day in the kitchen.  I remembered the feel of his lips on mine and how hard he was breathing when he opened his mouth. It took longer for me to summon him and when he finally came, he looked hesitant. I closed my eyes and thought of what I’d most like him to do. Boy leaned forward and ran his tongue slowly along the seam of my lips. ‘M-mm,’ he said. Then he ran away.

Bethan pronounced it a failure because I wasn’t able to hold him there, but I don’t care. He didn’t put his tongue on her. Gwendraith made him touch her breast yesterday before he ran off but that only made her giggle. It wasn’t good like when he kissed me.

2013 Ditmar Awards

The past week-end, in a ceremony held at the Conflux Natcon, the 52^nd Australian National Science Fiction Convention, at Ridges Capital Hill in Barton, Canberra, the winners of the 2013 Ditmar Awards were announced:

NOVEL: “Sea Hearts” by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)

NOVELLA OR NOVELETTE: “Sky” by Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls / Twelfth Planet Press)

SHORT STORY: “The Wisdom of Ants” by Thoraiya Dyer (Clarkesworld Magazine, December 2012)

COLLECTED WORKS: “Through Splintered Walls” by Kaaron Warren (Twelfth Planet Press)

ARTWORK: Kathleen Jennings for the cover art of “Midnight and Moonshine” by Lisa L. Hannet and Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)

FAN WRITER: Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work including reviews in “Not If You Were The Last Short Story On Earth”

FAN ARTIST: Kathleen Jennings, for body of work including “The Dalek Game” and “The Tamsyn Webb Sketchbook”

FAN PUBLICATION: “The Writer and the Critic”, hosted by Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond

NEW TALENT: David McDonald

WILLIAM ATHELING JR. AWARD FOR CRITICISM OR REVIEW: Tansy Rayner Roberts, for “Historically Authentic Sexism in Fantasy. Let’s Unpack That.” (Tor.com)

With the same occasion the following awards were also presented:

NORMA K. HEMMING AWARD: “Sea Hearts” by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)

PETER MCNAMARA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Nick Stathopoulos

A. BERTRAM CHANDLER AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Russell B Farr

Congratulations to all the winners!

Table of contents - "The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2012" edited by Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene

One of the year’s best collections I enjoyed reading in the past two years is “The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror”. The anthologies edited by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene and released by Ticonderoga Publications are not only an opportunity to discover the best of what the speculative fiction of Australia and New Zealand has to offer, but also to admire a collection of quality and high-standard fiction. Although limited to only two countries in its selection to name “The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror” a local collection would be an injustice, especially since writers such as Kaaron Warren, Angela Slatter, Lisa L. Hannett or Margo Lanagan are renown throughout the world. Of course, there are other extremely talented writers whose reputations went beyond the boundaries of Australia, such as Deborah Biancotti, Felicity Dowker, Kirstyn McDermott, Stephanie Campisi, Andrew J. McKiernan and Jason Nahrung, just to name a few who are also my personal favorites. Some of these authors are present in the new edition of “The Year’s Nest Australian Fantasy & Horror” too, edition that features 34 fantastic stories and poems selected by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene from those first published in 2012 by the New Zealand’s and Australia’s finest writers. “The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2012” will be released by Ticonderoga Publications in July 2013 in hardcover, ebook and trade editions and has a wonderful cover made by Yaroslav Gerzhedovich. Here is the full table of contents in the alphabetical order by author.

“Tied To The Waste” by Joanne Anderton (Tales Of Talisman)

“The Cook of Pearl House, A Malay Sailor by the Name of Maurice” by R.J. Astruc (Dark Edifice 2)

“Comfort Ghost” by Lee Battersby (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 56)

“Tiny Lives” by Alan Baxter (Daily Science Fiction)

“A Moveable Feast” by Jenny Blackford (Bloodstones)

“The Witch's Wardrobe” by Eddy Burger (Dark Edifice 3)

 “The Stone Witch” by Isobelle Carmody (Under My Hat)

“Beautiful” by Jay Caselberg (The Washington Pastime)

“The Fall” by Stephen Dedman (Exotic Gothic 4, Postscripts)

“To Wish On A Clockwork Heart” by Felicity Dowker (Bread And Circuses)

“Nightside Eye” by Terry Dowling (Cemetary Dance)

“Population Management” by Tom Dullemond (Danse Macabre)

“Sleeping Beauty” by Thoraiya Dyer (Epilogue)

“Hungry Man” by Will Elliott (The Apex Book Of World SF)

“Pigroot Flat” by Jason Fischer (Midnight Echo 8)

“The Bull In Winter” by Dirk Flinthart (Bloodstones)

 “Sweet Subtleties” by Lisa L. Hannett (Clarkesworld)

“Bella Beaufort Goes To War” by Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter (Midnight And Moonshine)

“Stalemate” by Narrelle M. Harris (Showtime)

“Kindling” by Kathleen Jennings (Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear)

“Saturday Night at the Milkbar” by Gary Kemble (Midnight Echo 7)

“Crow And Caper, Caper And Crow” by Margo Lanagan (Under My Hat)

“You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet” by Martin Livings (Living With The Dead)

“A Small Bad Thing” by Penelope Love (Bloodstones)

“Torch Song” by Andrew J. McKiernan (From Stage Door Shadows)

“Anvil Of The Sun” by Karen Maric (Aurealis)

“Oracle's Tower” by Faith Mudge (To Spin A Darker Stair)

“The Black Star Killer” by Nicole Murphy (Damnation And Dames)

 “The Last Boat To Eden” by Jason Nahrung (Surviving The End)

 “What Books Survive” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (Epilogue)

“Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” by Angela Slatter (This Is Horror Webzine)

“The Dog Who Wished He'd Never Heard Of Lovecraft” by Anna Tambour (Lovecraft Zine)

“The Loquacious Cadaver” by Kyla Ward (The Lion And The Aardvark: Aesop's Modern Fables)

“River Of Memory” by Kaaron Warren (Zombies Vs. Robots)

2012 Australian Shadows Awards

The past Friday the winners of 2012 Australian Shadows Awards have been announced. The awards are organized by the Australian Horror Writers Association and recognize “the stories and collections that best typify the horror genre, delivering a sense of creeping dread’, leaving the reader with chills and a reluctance to turn out the light.”

NOVEL – “Perfections” by Kirstyn McDermott (Xoum Publishing)

LONG FICTION – “Sky” by Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls / Twelfth Planet Press)

SHORT FICTION – “Birthday Suit” by Martin Livings (Living with the Dead / Dark Prints Press)

EDITED PUBLICATION – “Surviving the End” edited by Craig Bezant (Dark Prints Press)

COLLECTION – “Through Splintered Walls” by Kaaron Warren (Twelfth Planet Press)

Congratulations to all the winners!