Archive for August, 2010

Moorehawke Artwork.

working on the promotional art for UK release.
working on the promotional art for UK release.

When Orbit asked would I do some limited edition artwork for the UK release of The Crowded Shadows I was more than happy to oblige. I always draw when working on a book. I draw the characters, I draw scenes from the story, sometimes I even do wee comic strips. It’s my way of blowing off steam when writing is stressing me out. So, as you can imagine, I’ve been drawing the Moorehawke characters for years at this stage, and I’ve a pretty clear picture in my head of how they look.

If you’re interested, I thought I might walk you through the process of doing a drawing? (more…)

Building The Wall of Night: An Interview with Helen Lowe

The Wall of Night quartet is Helen Lowe’s Orbit debut, and we’re so excited to welcome her to the Orbit family that we can’t wait any longer to introduce all of you to this New Zealand author, poet, blogger and radio interviewer with this getting-to-know-Helen-Lowe interview.

1. What’s the best thing about living in New Zealand?

Oh, that is such a hard question, because how do you ever see yourself objectively? But there’s still a lot of open space, compared to other countries I’ve visited, and I really like that—areas where you can drive for miles and not see another person, or a house. But because NZ is long and narrow, even really remote places are never that far away; for example, the location of Edoras, in The Lord of the Rings’ films, wouldn’t be more than a couple of hours drive from Christchurch, where I live. (more…)

Dueling Zombie Authors!

September 2010Over at Babel Clash, authors Mira Grant and Jesse Petersen are going head to head with two very different visions of the zombie apocalypse. The only thing they seem to agree on is that most of us are lunch.

Also, click back through the last few posts to see Nicole Peeler and Jaye Wells having way too much fun in public.

On Content, Execution, and the Future of Genre

I have been thinking very recently about a whole host of things.

This is usually trouble.

I’ve been thinking, as you can see below, about the Franzen issue, and the implications it holds for genre fans, or anyone who considers themselves outside of the mainstream literary spectrum.

I’ve also been thinking about this post by Niall Alexander, which caused a bit of a furor yesterday, as well as this post by Vagabondage press. It highlights an interesting conflict, a sort of very-uncoordinated Sharks and Jets street-rumble that just keeps on keepin’ on. (more…)

The Literature of Discovery?

Robert Jackson Bennett has some interesting thoughts on the role of genre in fiction over at his blog: here. What do you think? Is literary fiction innovative? Is genre limiting?

Is Mr. Shivers the best debut you’ll read this year? I can only answer the last one.

(… the answer is yes, by the way.)

Films of High Adventure

The inimitable Jesse Bullington and his friend (and writer) Molly Tanzer have been subjecting themselves to classic films of dubious merit for our entertainment for months now. This week, they take on a personal favorite (an assessment that bears some reflection on reading their analysis)– the classic Willow.

Anyhow, go check it out here.

Also, for some past highlights, I recommend the truly awful Ladyhawke.

It’s like if the Grossbarts reviewed movies. With less cursing.

Orbit Needs You!

Orbit UK is looking for an Editorial Assistant to join its publishing team based in London. You have until 6th September to apply. If interested, you can either:

a) Follow this link and follow instructions: http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/About/JobVacancies

b) Spend eternity wondering what might have been.

If you are ready to pursue a career in SFF publishing, we would love to hear from you.