Archive for Orbit US

Cover Launch: DEADLINE by Mira Grant

Look, I try not to play favorites in the Orbit-verse, but inside of this mild-mannered Creative Director is an excitable uber-geek fangirl, and I can’t help but have a few favorite series here to read as a fan, and I get really really excited when I know the manuscript is in-house for me to read and start working on the cover. This is also a lot of pressure in any series, because especially in the case that you think you did a good job on a cover to Book 1, you certainly want to keep the awesomeness going for Book 2…
(more…)

The Walking Dead 1.04 With Jesse Petersen

Jesse Petersen is the author of MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES and the forthcoming FLIP THIS ZOMBIE. Like many of us here at Orbit HQ, she’s also a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC. She’ll be offering recaps of each week’s episode here every Monday. This post will contain SPOILERS (also zombies). For previous recaps see 1.01 , 1.02, and 1.03

Hello Zombie Fans! 4th episode and since this season of “The Walking Dead” is short (6 total episodes) we’re rapidly coming to an exciting close. Hang on tight, I think it’s going to be a bumpy ride! So when last we left off Rick reunited with Lori and Carl (and, oh yeah, Shane). Everyone was happy for about ten seconds but then Rick felt bad that he’d left Dixon locked up on the roof, so he got a new band of heroes together and they headed back to Atlanta, only to find out that Dixon cut his own hand off to escape. Ew. But where is he? Oh, and apparently Shane told Lori that Rick was dead (which then inspired her to sleep with him). So she’s annoyed. Now we pick up in The Walking Dead 1.04: Vatos. (more…)

SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL by Jaye Wells (a.k.a. My first Photo Shoot)

Hello all. As some of you may have read in a earlier post, I’m the new junior designer here at Orbit Books/Yen Press. I’ve been immersed in the world of book cover design here and — three months into working for the Orbit art department I’ve already been invited to a photo shoot?! How cool is that? This is my first photo shoot ever if you don’t count that embarrassing yearbook photo that my college made me do… (more…)

Nano advice: Time Travel Edition

I’m back with more advice from the editor’s perspective for all you Nano people out there. So, this time I want us all to hop into the Orbit time machine. We have one of those. It’s how we know the future.

It’s December 1. You wrote like a madman all month long and now you have 50,000 words and a warm glow of satisfaction. You drank all the champagne and ate all the cupcakes and are ready to bask in the relaxing life of being an author.

So, what next?
(more…)

Cover Launch: THE EDINBURGH DEAD

Edinburgh Dead CoverThe Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley hits shelves August 2011. This project was exceptionally interesting for me. The book is a historical fantasy that takes place in 1827 Edinburgh, Scotland. It follows an officer of the recently formed city police who is on the trail of undead hounds, emptied graves, brutal murders, and a criminal underclass involved with the darkest of powers.

The photo illustration, by Larry Rostant, is a beautiful and haunting cinematic look into the story. We made the main character front and center with very specific details hinting at the plot without being campy or having to spoon feed the audience. (more…)

Space Monsters! The Interstellar Void! Coffee & Muffins!

US readers! From November 23 to December 7, the full text of Greg Bear’s HULL ZERO THREE will be available for free on the just-launched Starbucks Digital Network, in partnership with Yahoo! The novel will also be available in hardcover and ebook editions in bookstores.

The Starbucks Digital Network offers customers access to premium, free content on the in-store Wi-Fi network. Customers will be able to access the complete text of HULL ZERO THREE on their laptops, tablets, and many smart phones.

Stop by your local Starbucks, put in your order, have a seat, open your laptop, log on. You’ll find HULL ZERO THREE in the Bookish Reading Club on the network’s Entertainment channel.

WARNING: While reading, maintain a firm grip on your coffee at all times in case of unexpected gravitational anomalies.

HULL ZERO THREE is Science Fiction legend Greg Bear’s highly anticipated return to deep space. Publishers Weekly called it: “a beautifully written tale where nothing is as it seems,” and Locus Magazine says HULL ZERO THREE is “a testament of faith both in human beings and in something beyond them.”

The Walking Dead 1.03 with Jesse Petersen

Jesse Petersen is the author of MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES and the forthcoming FLIP THIS ZOMBIE. Like many of us here at Orbit HQ, she’s also a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC. She’ll be offering recaps of each week’s episode here every Monday. This post will contain SPOILERS (also zombies). For previous recaps see 1.01 and 1.02

Hello again, Undead Army! I’m so excited to watch this episode of “The Walking Dead” since I think the proverbial shit is about to hit the fan. If you don’t remember, when we last left off Rick had found some other survivors in Atlanta who helped him escape the zombie horde AND it turned out they were part of the very same band that his own wife, son and former partner are living with. Wife Lori is still getting it on with former partner Shane (and being a little bit unlikeable in the process) and Rick and the gang are heading back to camp even as we speak. Here we go: (more…)

Nano advice: Break the rules…

I’m back to talk about National Novel Writing Month some more. This time, instead of complaining on the internet about how mean everyone is—because that’s productive—I figured I’d take a shot at giving advice. This, of course means, that I will get to be the target of enraged tweeting and, with any luck, at least one table-thumping LiveJournal post.

Anyhow, as with last week, this is all with the caveat that any advice I have is targeted towards Fantasy and Science Fiction writers, because that’s what I know and that’s what I love, and this is the Orbit blog, so, frankly, you’re probably a SFF fan anyways. Also, this is all from the perspective of someone who hasn’t written anything longer than an editorial letter since college. So, advice from an editor. Not even advice, let’s say it’s some things you may want to think about if you have a moment between pounding out thousands upon thousands of words a day. (more…)

And the Winner Is…

And the winner is…….Bountiless! The contest really did come down to the wire between Bountiless and Breathless, but in the end, Boba Fett took the prize. And speaking of prize, we were SO impressed with the quality of the contestants, and the feverish commenting, that we decided to award the winner with a $100 gift certificate to Clockwork Couture, helmed by none other than expert panelist and Alexia model, Donna Ricci.

Mr. Fett, please contact me at lauren (dot) panepinto (at) hbgusa (dot) com and we’ll work out the details on the prize.

Of course, ’tis true that Boba Fett is a bit of a tough fit for the world of the Parasol Protectorate, but I think it can work if you think of it like this: If you forget that this is a reimagining of Boba Fett, and just take the costume fresh and just on Steampunk merit, it is absolutely a fine piece of craftsmanship and design. And a hell of a lot of manpower. And I think there is definitely room in the Parasol Protectorate for a helmeted bounty hunter.

And, you know, besides that, it’s freaking Boba Fett in Steampunk. That’s awesome.

You can find out more about the mysterious Mr. Fett at his facebook page. I hear he is available for parties!

Truth be told, all of our finalists — and really all of the contestants — embodied the best aspect of Steampunk: they had fun. I love Steampunk and other “retrofuturism” because you really can bring so much of yourself to it, and look awesome doing it. Your own background, look, culture, your own nerdy obsessions. And it takes chutzpah to dress up on a day not related to Halloween, even for a convention where a whole lot of other people are dressed up too. I applaud the entire Parasol Protectorate Class of 2010. And get working on your costumes again for next year!