Congratulations to Nicola Manning (Canada) and Carol Carter (Alabama) who were both randomly selected to win a SIGNED ADVANCED READING COPY of Ekaterina Sedia’s new book, “The Alchemy of Stone”!!! “The Alchemy of Stone” will be released by Prime Books in July 2008 and a review from Fantasy Book Critic is forthcoming…
Congratulations also to Karin Schnabel (UK), Alison Ferguson-French (UK) and Anna Helm (UK) who were all randomly selected to win a SET (UK Version) of Sergei Lukyanenko’s World of Watches series including copies of “Night Watch”, “Day Watch” and “The Twilight Watch”, all thanks to Arrow Books!!!In news, just a couple of press releases:
PRESS RELEASE: Podcasting pioneer, Christof Laputka, and director Nobi Nakanishi, announced recently the launch of the audio drama Podcast series, The Leviathan Chronicles. Inspired by a darker breed of sci-fi, The Chronicles track Macallan Orsel, a young genetic scientist in present-day New York City who discovers that she is descended from powerful immortals living secretly among us. With The Chronicles, Laputka is bringing podcasting to another level by merging vanguard web technology with the artistry and wonder of old-fashioned radio shows.The Chronicles is an episodic science fiction drama that can be listened to via its website or downloaded for an iPod. The Chronicles will span 50 episodes, divided into two seasons of 25 episodes each. Each episode is approximately 30-40 minutes long and a new episode is released every 10 days.
The Leviathan Chronicles achieves an ambitious original storyline and aural experience unlike anything presently heard online. The cast includes over 40 voice actors, cutting-edge sound effects and an original musical score. Similar to television shows like Lost and Battlestar Galactica, The Chronicles roots its mythology in realism and mystery. The website is meant to propel the listener into the dark and mysterious “soundscape” as well as serve as a base for subscribers to chat on the forum and gather news and information concerning The Chronicles.
The interactive website www.leviathanchronicles.com also enhances the element of participation by hiding Easter Eggs that unlock hidden content relevant to the storyline.
About the writer and creator: Christof Laputka was born and raised in New York City. While science fiction is a first love, Laputka is also an aspiring travel writer and has blogged about his recent journey around the world on his website, To Boldly Go. He is also finishing a comedic novel called “The Underwear Incident”, describing his crazy years on Wall Street.
PRESS RELEASE — NATASHA RHODES + HANNU RAJANIEMI JOINS JJLA:
Natasha Rhodes is the British-born author of two supernatural thrillers for Solaris Books—Dante’s Girl and The Last Angel—and a number of film novelizations including the smash-hit Blade: Trinity and Final Destination I & II. She has also written several original movie-based tie-in novels such as A Nightmare On Elm Street: Perchance To Dream and Final Destination: Dead Reckoning. Natasha lives in Los Angeles and works at a rock club on Sunset Strip, photographing metal bands and trying to write in between dodging flying bottles, topless stagedivers and excitable club managers.“There are a great many authors writing supernatural thrillers today,” said John Jarrold (Ian Cameron Esslemont, Stephen Hunt). “But Natasha’s characters really do jump off the page and her vampires and werewolves feel as real as the humans—you expect to meet one. I’m really looking forward to seeing where she goes next.”
Hannu Rajaniemi is a Scottish-based Finnish writer. His short fiction has been featured in Finnish magazines, the anthology Nova Scotia, and two Best of the Year SF anthologies, and he has also written articles for scientific journals and is currently writing a novel. Hannu has a PhD in string theory and is the co-founder of ThinkTank Mathematics Limited, a technology consultancy.“I think it’s very important to work with the best young writers, and Hannu certainly fits the bill,” said John Jarrold. “His stories are dark and wonderful, and his writing and imagination are outstanding.”
UPDATE: Hannu just sold his story, "His Master's Voice", to Interzone, which will appear in issue 218. Andy Cox, IZ editor, says it might even be "a work of genius", and Jetse de Vries, also of IZ, calls Hannu "incredibly talented".
Hey Robert,
ReplyDeleteDo you have some kind of understanding with John Jarrold? Seems strange that you repeatedly post about new authors that he has become the agent for but you never do that with other agents. What gives?
P.S. Any chance at all of someone not in the US ever winning a giveaway? Because sofar it's 99% won by Americans. I understand the posting costs are lower when sending within the USA, but if that is the reason then just say North American Residents only for every giveaway. Seriously, all draws are won by Americans.
Calibander, well I converse regularly with John and he usually updates me with his latest press releases and signings. Plus, he's very helpful in hooking me up with his clients for book reviews, interviews, etc. So it's a way to return the favor :) Of course, I would do the same for other agents, but John is really the only agent I know :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as giveaways, out of the five winners today, only ONE was from the US ;) Still, I know what you're saying and it has nothing to do with postage. For the majority of my giveaways it is the publishers that ship out the books, which is why I have certain restrictions. As far as the disparity, I think it's because of Fantasy Book Critic's audience. The number of people who enter the giveaways from North America is significantly higher than those outside of North America. For instance, the "Tigerheart" giveaway was restricted to U.S. Residents only and received well over a 1000 entries. The Sergei Lukyanenko giveaway meanwhile, was only open to residents outside of North America, yet it barely cracked 200 entries. So because of that massive disparity, I think that's why you see a lot more North American winners. That doesn't mean someone out of the US won't ever win though :) It's just that the odds aren't too good...
Yeah! Thanks so much for the win. I'm really looking forward to reading this book! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCalibandar
ReplyDeleteI'm a natural-born networker, so I try to get the info spread as widely as possible! I did the same when I was a publisher (but it's much easier now, with the spread of the internet and specialist SFF review and news blogs). I think all publishing pros should be in touch with blogs like Robert's all the time, to let readers know about upcoming books, interesting writers and so forth. Information wants to be free...
Robert
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you received so many entries for a giveaway. 1,000 entries is far more than I ever would have thought. That is imnpressive and does totally explain my question.
John,
Well I agree, I am always interested in what new writers are coming out. I check Robert's site daily for news.
Calibander, glad that answered your question :)
ReplyDeleteNicola, you're more than welcome and enjoy the books!