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FULL BLOODED blog tour

The cover for FULL BLOODED by Amanda Carlson - the start of a new urban fantasy shifter series perfect for fans of Rachel Vincent, Kelley Armstrong, Cassandra Clare and Patricia BriggsThe start of a simply irresistible new urban fantasy series, FULL BLOODED (UK | US | ANZ) by Amanda Carlson, is released today in the UK, and worldwide within a week!

If you’re into shifters, paranormal girls who know how to kick some ass, sexy supernatural men and all the good things that come along with them, then this book is for you. (Check out an extract here to confirm!)

To celebrate the release, Amanda is doing a mega-epic blog tour, visiting every corner of the interwebs. So you’re likely to see her stopping by at a pixel near you . . .

Check out all of the dates she’s already done below, as well as what’s still to come!

August 23: Goldilox and the Three Weres

August 26: Review at Literary Escapism

August 27: Between Dreams and Reality

(more…)

Publishers Weekly on Joe Abercrombie’s RED COUNTRY

RED COUNTRY cover

Joe Abercrombie’s newest epic fantasy, RED COUNTRY, comes out this October. Publishers Weekly gave this “gripping and violent stand-alone military fantasy” a starred review, and said, “Terrific fight scenes, compelling characters (some familiar, some new), and sardonic, vivid prose show Abercrombie at the top of his game.”

If you can’t wait until October, you can read an excerpt of RED COUNTRY on Joe Abercrombie’s website.

 

Hugo Awards

The winners of this year’s Hugo Awards were announced last night at Chicon 7. Congratulations to all the winners, especially Orbit author Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant), who as part of SF Squeecast won a Hugo Award for Best Fancast! Mira Grant is the author of the Newsflesh Trilogy, including Deadline (US | UK | ANZ), which was one of the Hugo Award nominees for Best Novel.

You can read the full list of winners here.

DNA, climate change and free drinks . . . Ken MacLeod on the hidden life of an SF writer

There’s more to being a writer than writing (and reading and research and self-promotion and whatever that leaves over for, you know, life).

There’s also all the other jobs that being a writer qualifies you for, such as reviewing books and teaching creative writing. Being a science fiction writer gives you expertise on all that and on science, technology, and the future.

If that’s what people think, who am I to tell them otherwise?

Actually, most of the time I can hold my head up – though do hold my hands up about one or two occasions when I’ve been asked for a media comment on some scientific breakthrough about which I know next to nothing. (‘So, Ken, what do faster-than-light neutrinos mean for the Scottish off-shore wind-farm industry?’)

One area where I’m fairly sure I’ve delivered the goods is in public engagement with science. Some time ago one of my former tutors at Glasgow University asked me to give a guest lecture on SF and the public understanding of science, and invited me back to give the same lecture several years in a row. I’ve since delivered variants of the lecture in far too many venues. When it achieved peer-reviewed publication in the SF studies journal Extrapolation, its work on this planet was done.

In 2009 I was one of two writers in residence at the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum, based at Edinburgh University. Part of a network of research institutions set up to look at the social aspects of the new life sciences and their associated technologies and industries, the Forum specialises in connecting social science research to policy-makers, the media, and civil society. It’s sponsored numerous events at the Edinburgh Book Festival, and supported creative residencies – last year it was a playwright, this year it’s a photographer and a documentary film-maker. In 2009 it was me and Pippa Goldschmidt – a terrific new writer (look out for her forthcoming novel, Wider Than the Sky) and former astronomer who as a civil servant once held the official job title ‘Controller of Outer Space’. Together, we fought crime…

Two of our initiatives I’m particularly proud of are: The Human Genre Project, a website of poems and short stories inspired by genomics; and The Social Sessions, a series of public events that included Ian Rankin and Lyn Anderson talking about crime and DNA, science journalists and social scientists discussing ‘Climategate’, and poets on science as an inspiration for poetry. The sessions came out of a wild notion that Scottish writers and journalists could be lured to relaxed, open-ended, informal discussions that offered free wine. ‘Hmm … it’s a crazy idea, but it might just work!’

Working with social scientists taught me a great deal, such as not to say ‘Social scientists and, uh, actual scientists …’

Especially not in conversations with social scientists.

Some of what I learned – and a lot I made up – is in my novel Intrusion. Along the way I also did some work with science communications people, which (via yet another outing for my SF-and-science lecture) got me an unexpected but welcome commission: to write what may be my most widely-read work to date: the script for an online informational comic about stem cell medicine, Hope Beyond Hype.

After the Edinburgh launch event for Intrusion at Pulp Fiction back in April, I was told a big secret, which I found hard to keep (but did). A few days ago it was officially out in the open: I’ve been appointed Writer in Residence at Edinburgh Napier University, with the job of mentoring students on the MA in Creative Writing course.

My immediate predecessor in this post was the great Dr Who writer Rob Shearman. The course leaders Sam Kelly and David Bishop know all there is to know about SF and about the ways of SF writers. It’s a wonderful opportunity and terrifying responsibility, and I’m looking forward to it.

September Events: Brent Weeks is touring!

In September, Brent Weeks is going on tour! You can find more details and book signing etiquette (US, UK to follow soon) on Brent’s blog. Below, click through to RSVP on Facebook for each of his US events.

Tuesday, September 11: Powell’s, Beaverton (near Portland), OR, 7 PM
Wednesday, September 12: University Bookstore, Seattle, WA, 7 PM
Thursday, September 13: Borderlands, San Francisco, CA, 7 PM
Friday, September 14: Tattered Cover, Denver, CO, 7:30 PM
Saturday, September 15: Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA, 2 PM
Sunday, September 16: Barnes & Noble, Santa Monica, CA, 2 PM
Monday, September 17: Book People, Austin, TX, 7 PM
Tuesday, September 18: A Real Bookstore, Fairview (near Dallas), TX, 7 PM
Wednesday, September 19: Barnes & Noble, Orlando, FL, 7 PM
Thursday, September 20: Barnes & Noble, Atlanta, GA, 7 PM
Friday, September 21: Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC, 7 PM
Saturday, September 22: Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH, 7 PM

We’re also pleased to announce additional tour stops in the UK. Below are the full details on Brent’s UK tour.

Tuesday 25th September: Waterstones Birmingham New Street, 7pm
Wednesday 26th September: Waterstones Bristol Galleries, 1pm
Wednesday 26th September: Forbidden Planet London, 6pm
Thursday 27th September: Waterstones Milton Keynes, 12noon
Thursday 27th September: Waterstones Nottingham Bridlesmith, 7pm
Friday 28th September: Waterstones Leeds, 12.30pm
Friday 28th September: Waterstones Manchester Deansgate, 6pm
Saturday 29th September: FantasyCon Brighton, all day
Tuesday 2nd October: Waterstones Edinburgh West End, 6pm

Also, if you’re going to be at either Dragon*Con or Worldcon over Labor Day weekend, keep an eye out for the several Orbit authors who will be attending each convention!

Hungry For His Love? How To Tell If That Supernatural Hottie Is Into You.

In honour of the sizzling new urban fantasy, FULL BLOODED (UK | US | ANZ) by Amanda Carlson – out this September – we’ve put together a fun Friday quiz for you. If you, just like Jessica McClain, are new to being a werewolf and to the supernatural world, you might need just a few handy tips on how to read the signs when dating a shifter . . .

To celebrate the release of Amanda Carlson's Full Blooded, a werewolf urban fantasy novel, try this quiz on "How to tell if that supernatural hottie's in you"
(Click on the quiz to see a larger version.)

So how did you do? Check your results here!

For more steamy supernatural action, check out FULL BLOODED (UK | US | ANZ) by Amanda Carlson, out in September (you can already read the action-packed opening chapter online here). If you think you just can’t wait for it to come out, the fantastic prequel novella BLOODED, is already available.

The Iron Wyrm Affair: Can you Deduce like a Detective?

Bannon and Clare stand ready to solve another mystery!THE IRON WYRM AFFAIR (UK | US | ANZ) is a steampunk fantasy about what happens when all the geniuses of Londinium are targeted by a vicious killer. The sorceress Emma Bannon and one of the last remaining such geniuses, Archibald Clare, must struggle to solve the mystery and stay alive!

Archie’s unnatural deductive faculties are why he’s in danger – and of course Emma’s not too bad at solving mysteries herself! Can you deduce like a Victorian detective? Read on to try your skills . . .

Question: Although those on a mission for the crown have little time for frivolous parlour games, there’s no harm in keeping one’s deductive faculties sharp. Bannon and Clare have decided to test each other over the dessert course . . . Emma tells Archibald about an American gentleman and his son who were involved in an industrial accident in one of Londinium’s clockhorse factories. The man was killed, but the son lived and was rushed to St. Thomas’s Hospital. The head surgeon glanced at the boy and confessed, “I cannot operate upon this patient – he is my son!” How could this be?

Highlight the space below to reveal the answer:
Archie tells Emma that the doctor was the young gentleman’s mother.

Question: Archibald tells Emma about a Grecquean island where those from the North side of the island always lie, and those from the South always tell the truth.  Archie was sampling the cuisine at a local restaurant when three men approached him. The first man told Archie that himself and his compatriots were from the North. The second man said ‘only one of us is from the South’. The third man said nothing at all. Archibald asks Emma which of the men were from the North.

Highlight the space below to reveal the answer:
Emma knows that only the second man was from the South, but scolds Archie for the frankly preposterous nature of his riddle.

Question: Emma regales Archibald with the details of her visit to a charming country estate while investigating its owner for crimes against Queen Victrix. Although the owner was not at home, as Emma was returning to her carriage a vicious guard dog lunged at her. Although it could not reach her as its chain was attached to a tree, it followed her every move, growling horribly, and had access to both of her carriage doors. Although her bodyguard Mikal was keen to shoot it for threatening his mistress, Emma sternly told him to put away his pistol as she could see a way back to her carriage without the use of force or magic. What did she do?

Highlight the space below to reveal the answer:
Archibald guessed correctly that Emma led the dog around its tree until the chain had been shortened enough that she could reach her carriage.

Question: Inspired by Emma’s canine riddle, Archie tells her about the time a hired hansom was conveying him through the streets of Londinium. The hansom came to a street painted entirely black. The gas lamps were broken, no doubt by flashboys, and neither Archie nor the coachman were carrying lanterns. Nevertheless, the coachman managed to swerve in time to avoid the entirely black dog that ran out on the road in front of them. How could he have seen the dog in time?

Highlight the space below to reveal the answer:
Happily for the dog, Emma concludes, it was daylight.

 How did you do? Share some of your favourite riddles with us in the comments . . .

Wallpapers: THE BLINDING KNIFE by Brent Weeks

Only two weeks to go before the big release of THE BLINDING KNIFE (UK | US | AUS) by Brent Weeks! Gavin, Kip, Karris, and all of your favorites are gearing up for the next adventure. If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy, be sure and do so through your favorite retailer.

Meanwhile, show your true colors as a fan of the Lightbringer series with these striking wallpapers.

iPad | iPhone/iPod | 1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 | 1920 x 1200 | Facebook cover image

In other Brent Weeks news, the book tour kicks-off on the 11th in Beaverton, Oregon. Visit the Brent Weeks Facebook page to see if he’ll be coming to a town near you.

Staffer’s Book Reviews posted a spoiler-free review of THE BLINDING KNIFE yesterday saying, “It isn’t only the best book he’s written; I consider it one of the best epic fantasies I’ve read.” Click to read the full review.

Comic Book Therapy also posted an interview with Brent earlier today. As a warning to those of you who have not read THE BLACK PRISM yet there will be spoilers here.

 

 

FULL BLOODED – urban fantasy doesn’t get much hotter . . .

This year’s hottest new urban fantasy will be released this September, and excitement is already building on the interwebs! It’s from debut author Amanda Carlson, and is called FULL BLOODED (UK | US | ANZ), book one of the Jessica McClain novels.

Jessica’s the only female in an all-male werewolf race – and unlucky for her, it seems her very existence might spell out the doom of the werewolf race. It certainly ain’t easy being a girl sometimes . . .

The urban fantasy/ shifter novel Hot Blooded by the debut author Amanda Carlson, endorsed by Faith HunterThe urban fantasy/ shifter novel Full Blooded by the debut author Amanda Carlson, endorsed by Karen Chance

Shown above are the shiny, shiny covers for FULL BLOODED and HOT BLOODED (out next April). They should give you a glimpse of the sexy excitement and adventure in store.

But if you just can’t wait until September to read book 1, don’t forget that you can get your hands on a piece of shifter Jessica McClain already! There is a novella available called BLOODED which gives an insight into her world, and it in fact acts as a great prequel to FULL BLOODED. (more…)

Cover launch! FADE TO BLACK by Francis Knight

Today we can unveil the cover for one of the most exciting debut fantasy novels you’re going to see next year.

Presenting: FADE TO BLACK by the estimable Francis Knight, to be released worldwide by Orbit in February 2013.

We’d like to welcome you all to the fantasy world of Mahala. It’s a towering city that rises up from the deep, dark depths of a valley.

Mahala is built up in layers, not across – with streets piled upon streets, and buildings balancing precariously upon buildings. It’s a city that the Ministry rules from its lofty perch at the sunlit summit, and where the forsaken lurk in the shadowy depths of the Pit.

This compelling tale follows the story of Rojan Dizon – a bounty hunter who’s grown up in the shadows of Mahala. Everyone knows he’s a rogue, a womaniser, a shirker of all responsibility. But what they don’t know is that he’s also a pain-mage: someone able to draw magic from his own and other people’s pain. Rojan’s not keen on using his abilities, but when his niece is abducted and taken to the dark depths of the Pit, he’ll be forced to unleash his powers to find her.

We jumped at the chance to publish Fade to Black – because the world that Francis has created just blew us away. It’s both awe-inspiring and vertigo-inducing, and Rojan’s tale makes the story just un-damn-put-downable. Think of the murky atmosphere of Sin City, filled with the action and pace of Brent Weeks or Scott Lynch.

I could go on about it for days, but all you have to know is this: FADE TO BLACK is the fantasy debut to look out for next spring. So remember one and all: That season, black is most definitely back!