Very important: A Book Bomb for Ben

Read this (from the Facebook page):

When: April 10 at 12:00pm until April 11 at 12:00am in MDT



Ben Wolverton, age 16, was in a tragic long-boarding accident on Wednesday the 4th, 2013. He suffers from severe brain trauma, a cracked skull, broken pelvis and tail bone, burnt knees, bruised lungs, broken ear drums, road rash, pneumonia, and is currently in a coma. His family has no insurance.

Ben is the son of author David Farland, whose books have won multiple awards, and who is widely known as a mentor to many prominent authors, such as Brandon Sanderson, Stephenie Meyer, and Brandon Mull. Costs for Ben's treatment are expected to rise above $1,000,0000. To help raise money for Ben, we are having a book bomb (focused on Nightingale and Million Dollar Outlines) on behalf of Ben

You can learn more about Ben's condition, or simply donate to the Wolverton family here.

WHAT IS A BOOK BOMB?

A Book Bomb is an event where participants purchase a book on a specific day (in this case, Wednesday, April 10th) to support the author, or, in this case, a young person in serious need: Ben Wolverton.





WHAT BOOK SHOULD I PURCHASE?

David Farland’s young adult fantasy thriller NIGHTINGALE has won SEVEN awards, including the Grand Prize at the Hollywood Book Festival--beating out ALL books in ALL categories. It is available as a hardcover ($24.99), ebook ($7.99), audio book ($24.99), and enhanced novel for the iPad ($9.99).

You can purchase it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, on the Nightingale website, or, you can get the enhanced version complete with illustrations, interviews, animations, and its own soundtrack through iTunes.


WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Some people sing at night to drive back the darkness. Others sing to summon it. . . .

Bron Jones was abandoned at birth. Thrown into foster care, he was rejected by one family after another, until he met Olivia, a gifted and devoted high-school teacher who recognized him for what he really was--what her people call a "nightingale."

But Bron isn't ready to learn the truth. There are secrets that have been hidden from mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, secrets that should remain hidden. Some things are too dangerous to know. Bron's secret may be the most dangerous of all.


IS IT GOOD?

Authors such as James Dashner (The Maze Runner), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn), and Paul Genesse (Iron Dragon series) all PRAISED it. Nightingale has 4 and a half stars on Amazon. Read what other people are saying here. Or, purchase the novel and find out for yourself.


WHAT IF I ALREADY OWN NIGHTINGALE? OR I'M NOT INTERESTED IN IT?




If you are a writer, you may want to consider purchasing David Farland’s MILLION DOLLAR OUTLINES. It has been a bestseller on Amazon for over a month and is only $6.99.

As a bestselling author David Farland has taught dozens of writers who have gone on to staggering literary success, including such #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).

In Million Dollar Outlines, Dave teaches how to analyze an audience and outline a novel so that it can appeal to a wide readership, giving it the potential to become a bestseller. The secrets found in his unconventional approach will help you understand why so many of his authors go on to prominence.

Get it on Amazon, or on Barnes and Noble.

Read one of the 26 reviews here.


CAN I JUST DONATE MONEY?

You can donate money to Ben here.

(Or you could purchase a book as a gift for someone else.)


I WANT TO HELP BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!

The best way you can help is by spreading the word of Ben’s donation page, and/or this book bomb. Share it on facebook, twitter, pinterest, your blog—anywhere you can. Invite others to the event.


TELL ME MORE ABOUT BEN. WILL HE BE OKAY?

David Farland has been keeping everyone posted on Facebook. Subscribe or friend him to get up-to-date information. At the moment, Ben is stable and appears to be improving.


Thank you!
Ben and his family greatly appreciate your support, and so do all who love and care about them.



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Author List Released for 2013 Gen Con Writer’s Symposium

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Author List Released for 2013 Gen Con Writer’s Symposium

INDIANAPOLIS (April 2nd, 2013) – The Gen Con Writer’s Symposium recently released the list of participating authors for 2013, and it includes some of the greatest science fiction, fantasy, and media tie-in writers working today. More than fifty talented authors and experts will participate in the panels planned for this year’s Writer’s Symposium, including Guests of Honor Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon.

Participating authors include:
Saladin Ahmed, Lou Anders, Brad Beaulieu, Donald J. Bingle, Dylan Birtolo, Maurice Broaddus, Jennifer Brozek, Richard Lee Byers, Wesley Chu, Lawrence C. Connolly, Larry Correia, Larry Dixon, Maxwell Alexander Drake, Erin M. Evans, Dave Farland, Matt Forbeck, Jaym Gates, Paul Genesse, Geoffrey Girard, Jerry Gordon, Dave Gross, Sarah Hans, John Helfers, Jim C. Hines, William H. Horner III, Kerrie L. Hughes, Howard Andrew Jones, Gary Kloster, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Kristoff, Mercedes Lackey, James Lowder, Scott Lynch, Ari Marmell, Robert Mosher, Daniel Myers, Chris Pierson, Patrick Rothfuss, Jason Sanford, Ken Scholes, Erik Scott de Bie, Lucy A. Snyder, Mike Stackpole, George Strayton, James L. Sutter, Kelly Swails, Marc Tassin, Howard Tayler, Monica Valentinelli, Elizabeth Vaughan, Gregory A. Wilson

This collection of talented writers includes New York Times bestsellers, USA Today bestsellers, and winners of numerous prestigious literary awards. This year alone, Writer’s Symposium panelists received eight nominations for the coveted Hugo and Nebula awards.

“We’re extremely excited,” said Marc Tassin, the Gen Con Literary Coordinator and the Symposium organizer. “The list of authors that have signed on to participate this year is quite incredible. This year’s Symposium is an unprecedented opportunity for both experienced and beginning writers to learn from some of the greatest writing talents out there today.”

"Having participated in numerous writing seminars both in and out of genre over the years, I am stunned by both the caliber of the participants and sheer size of the Gencon writers symposium," said Lou Anders, Hugo award-winning Editorial Director of Pyr books. "I'm not sure anyone quite realizes that this symposium has quietly built itself into one of the largest and most impressive writing symposiums in the field. Anyone with an interest in writing science fiction and fantasy literature, whether media tie-in or not, should definitely have this on their radar."

A full event list for the Symposium is scheduled for release later this month. Tickets to Gen Con are available at www.gencon.com .

For more information, please contact Marc Tassin (contact@genconwriters.com).
About the Writer’s Symposium: The Gen Con Writer’s Symposium is one of the largest writing conferences in the world. Established in 1995, it offers more than 110 hours of events for both new and experienced authors. The Symposium features more than fifty authors and has served as a springboard for the careers of many accomplished writers. The Symposium will be held August 15th to 18th, 2013, in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of the annual Gen Con gaming convention. For more information on the Symposium, visit www.genconwriters.com .

About Gen Con: Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. It was acquired in 2002 by former CEO and founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison, who owns the company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. www.gencon.com

The Burning Bridge is the second book in John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series, following the adventures of a young boy named Will who is apprenticed to the most famous ranger in his kingdom. My son and my nephew both love this series, and it's easy to see why. They are fun, fast-paced, heartfelt, light adventure tales of heroism in a low-magic world. The Burning Bridge doesn't seem to pack as much in as the previous novel, The Ruins of Gorlan,did but there were moments of genuine tension and the ending I did not see coming. Flanagan's tendency to hop in and out of the heads of minor characters still drives me nuts, but not so much that I'm not in for more. I'm looking forward to starting The Icebound Landsoon. Recommended to middle readers and those adults who want a series they can share with their kids.

2013 Hugo Award Nominees

Lone Star Con 3, the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention, has announced the 2103 Hugo Award Nominees. I am honored beyond words to be nominated in the category of Best Editor Long Form for the seventh consecutive year in a row (every year the category has existed). It's a privilege to be able to work every day with such amazing writers and artists, and I am deeply grateful that readers care as much about the books Pyr produces as I do. Thank you.

The Hugo Award® is the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. The Hugos are awarded each year by the World Science Fiction Society, at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). This year, the LoneStarCon 3 ceremony will take place on Sunday, September 1, 2013 and will be hosted by my friend and Toastmaster, Paul Cornell.

Oblivion Trailer 3

Trying hard not to get my hopes up too high on this one, but damn...

Artesia Afield: The Second Book of Dooms

Mark Smylie's Artesia graphic novels are excellent military fantasy, perfect for fans of George RR Martin, Steven Erikson, Glen Cook, or Joe Abercrombie. The second volume, Artesia: Afield - The Second Book Of Dooms, is a rich, complex, challenging story, as detailed as Mark's artwork, that pushes the boundaries of narrative in comics. The world-building and invented culture is on a par with the best of prose fantasy. And Artesia is a tremendous heroine. Not light reading, but highly recommended.


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Fair Coin nominated for Andre Norton Award

The 2012 Nebula Awards Nominees have been announced, and with them, the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. We are delighted to report that E.C. Myers' youth adult novel, Fair Coin, has made that list!



Congratulations to E.C. And to all the Nebula and Norton nominees.

Hell's Pawns

Pathfinder Tales: Hell's Pawns by Dave Gross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dave Gross is garnering quite a reputation for his Pathfinder Tales novels staring half-elven aristocrat Varian Jeggare and his devilish bodyguard Radovan, a sort of hybrid of Holmes & Watson and Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser. Hell's Pawns is an early tale, set before the novel Prince of Wolves, unique in that it is narrated by Radovan. The story (a long novella or short novel in length) takes place in Cheliax, a nation that forged a pack with a devil, and sees Jeggare and Radovan drawn into investigating a series of noble murders. Dave has a good eye for detail, really bringing the people and places of Cheliax to believable life. And I was delighted to see a nod to a favorite 1970s espionage film in the plot. A good introduction to a pair of characters making an impact on the current fantasy field.



View all my reviews



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Beck Reimagines David Bowie's "Sound and Vision"

Beck and 160 musicians "reimagines" David Bowie's "Sound and Vision." The results made me gasp.

What Makes a Hero?

A Great TedEd video from Matthew Winkler, summarizing Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. Well worth your four and a half minutes.

Podcast: James Enge on Adventures in SciFi Publishing

James Enge, author of A Guile of Dragons (A Tournament of Shadows, Book 1), is a guest of Adventures in SciFi Publishing as part of an indepth, two part interview. Here is Part One and Part Two (and the episodes are available for download on iTunes).


They discuss Jack Vance, writing political fiction without pushing political agendas, how his University colleagues view his novels, writing “Philosophical romance shot through with elements of horror and morbidity,” the potentially negative impact of higher education on imagination, writing for popular appeal and much more.

The Reward

The Reward, a graduation film from Denmark's The Animation Workshop.




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16 years

So I can find this when I need it. So you can find this when you need it.


And this.

The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design

One of the most interesting "how to" books that I have read in a while is the Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design, by Wolfgang Baur and including essays from such Role Playing Game Design superstars as Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Michael A. Stackpole, Keith Baker and others. The word "complete" is no misnomer, as this tome contains over forty essays, some original to the volume and others drawn from three previous volumes of game design advice.

The book covers everything from rule creation and setting creation, to campaign design, to understanding your audience, right down to how to craft a pitch for a publisher and how to handle rejection. It is valuable both for creating game systems from scratch or for writing inside existing properties. Michael A. Stackpole's essay "Designing Magic Systems" is priceless, likewise Rob Heinsoo's "Seize the Hook". But despite all the luminaries in the volume, it is Wolfgang Baur's own essays that stand out for me as the most useful, applicable advice of the book.

In fact, Baur's "The Process of Creative Thought" is worth the price of the entire collection alone. In the essay, Baur attempts to "systematize and demystify creative thought for the engineering and technical professions." His result, breaking creativity into the stages of 1. Defining the Problem, 2. Borrowing Ideas, 3. Combining and Connecting the Borrowed Ideas, 4. Incubation, 5. Judging the Work, and 6. Enhancing not only articulates processes that I have used for decades but provides a structure to writing collaborations that is invaluable to any team product. This is an essay that, like much of the Guide, has applications outside game design for any creative endeavor. Likewise his essay on "Using and Abusing Misdirection." And I wish all writers would read "The Three Audiences."

I have read a great many books on creativity and writing across the years and very few of them offer much of lasting value. The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design sets in a place of honor amid this very select list. I highly recommend it not only to game designers but to anyone involved in any creative narrative undertaking. And look, Baur has just come out with the Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding. I don't see how I can resist the urge to start into that soon.

Fearsome Journeys

One half of the Swords & Dark Magic team has a new (and ongoing) anthology series featuring stories of military fantasy and swords & sorcery. This May, Jonathan Strahan debuts The Fearsome Journeys: The New Solaris Book of Fantasy. The authors appearing in the launch volume include Trudi Canavan, Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Abraham, Kate Elliott, Saladin Ahmed, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch, Catherynne M. Valente, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner & Ysabeau Wilce, Jeffrey Ford, Robert Redick and KJ Parker.

As an enormous fan of swords & sorcery, as well as many of the authors in the inaugural volume, I'll be rooting for this to succeed. Meanwhile, I see that Amazon has the trade paperback of Swords & Dark Magic up for only $6.40 at the moment, if you were tempted to try it out and hadn't done so yet.

Some Rather Big News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2013

CONTACT:
Jill Maxick
jmaxick@prometheusbooks.com
800-853-7545

PROMETHEUS BOOKS ENTERS SALES AND DISTRIBUTION
AGREEMENT WITH RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHER SERVICES

(Amherst, NY)—Prometheus Books announced today a multiyear sales and distribution partnership with Random House Publisher Services (RHPS), a division of Random House, Inc. Prometheus, a leading independent publisher of a wide breadth of categories, including science, critical thinking, history, psychology, true crime, mystery, and science fiction/fantasy, will begin its partnership with RHPS, effective April 1, 2013.

Prometheus’s spring launch will include a diverse mix of about forty titles, ranging from popular science to philosophy to crime fiction. RHPS will provide exclusive sales and distribution for all physical and digital titles in the United States and internationally.

“Prometheus Books has been self-distributed for our entire existence, nearly forty-four years,” says Jonathan Kurtz, Prometheus Books president. “Over the years distributors have expressed interest in representing our line, but we knew we’d only make that change if the partner could truly offer us significantly more than we’ve achieved on our own. Aligning our press with the services and resources of the world’s largest general-interest trade-book publisher is the kind of move forward we simply cannot pass up. We are invigorated by the possibilities this relationship opens to us.”

Jeff Abraham, president of RHPS, says, “We have been in conversations with Prometheus for some time now as we have admired how they’ve expanded upon their truly smart and engaging lists, season over season. Their successes over the last four decades and continued growth potential across numerous genres marry well with our expertise and deep customer relationships in both the print and digital markets. We will be a committed sales and distribution partner with Prometheus.”

Over its lifetime, Prometheus Books has produced numerous bestsellers, including God: The Failed Hypothesis by Victor J. Stenger; What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite by David DiSalvo; George H. Smith’s Atheism: The Case Against God; Cracking Cases by Henry C. Lee; Why I Am Not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq; Neil deGrasse Tyson’s The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and, through its Pyr imprint, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Other high-profile titles include Young Thurgood: The Making of a Supreme Court Justice; 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True; and, under its new Seventh Street Books™ imprint, The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel.

About Prometheus Books

Founded in 1969, Prometheus Books is an independent press that publishes an average of 110 new nonfiction and genre fiction titles each year. A leading publisher in popular science, philosophy, and critical thinking, the Prometheus Books core catalog consists of provocative and progressive nonfiction for the intelligent lay reader. The house publishes under three additional imprints: Pyr®, a quality science fiction and fantasy brand; Humanity Books, for scholarly works; and Seventh Street Books™, a mystery, thriller, and crime fiction imprint launched in October 2012. http://www.prometheusbooks.com

About Random House Publisher Services

Random House Publisher Services, a division of Random House Inc., is the book industry’s leading provider of sales and distribution services to premium third-party publishers. Its wide range of service offerings includes sales, warehousing, physical and digital distribution, credit and collection, marketing, and information technology. In addition to Prometheus Books, its portfolio of clients includes National Geographic Society, Beacon Press, DC Comics, Rizzoli, Melville House, New York Review Books, Candlewick Press, and many others. http://www.rhpublisherservices.com/

Aadu Pambe

Thanks to Joel Shepherd for cluing me in to Avial. Here is there song "Aadu Pambe". Putting it here so I don't lose it. And to share with you.

Works I Edited and Art Directed in 2012

Here, for your enjoyment and edification, is a list of all the Pyr novels published in 2012 for which I served as editorial director, editor, and art director. Also included is a list of each work's respective cover artist. Please don't forget to carefully consider illustration and illustrators when you are voting in the various awards and best of the year polls. Our illustrators are an incredible and unique asset of science fiction and fantasy publishing and we should celebrate them. ASFA members please also consider these works when it comes time to nominate for the Chesley Awards.

January

Mark Hodder, (Burton & Swinburne in) Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon
Art by Jon Sullivan


Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Boneyards
Art by Dave Seeley

• 2012 Endeavor Award, winner

February

Ian McDonald, The Dervish House(trade paperback after hardcover)
Art by Stephan Martiniere

• 2011 John W. Campbell Memorial Award winner for Best Novel
• 2011 Hugo Award for Best Novel, nominee

Ari Marmell, Thief's Covenant (A Widdershins Adventure)
Art by Jason Chan


March

Jon Sprunk, Shadow's Master
Art by Michael Komarck


Mark Chadbourn, Jack of Ravens (Kingdom of the Serpent, Book 1)
Art by John Picacio


EC Myers, Fair Coin
Art by Sam Weber


April

Mark Chadbourn, Burning Man (Kingdom of the Serpent, Book 2)
Art by John Picacio


Ken MacLeod, The Night Sessions
Art by Stephan Martiniere


Erin Hoffman, Lance of Earth and Sky (The Chaos Knight, Book Two)
Art by Dehong He


May

Mark Chadbourn, Destroyer of Worlds (Kingdom of the Serpent, Book 3)
Art by John Picacio


John Kessel & James Patrick Kelly, Nebula Awards Showcase 2012
Art by Michael Whelan


June

Ari Marmell, False Covenant (A Widdershins Adventure)
Art by Jason Chan


Sean Williams, The Devoured Earth (Books of the Cataclysm: Four)
(ebook only)
Art by Greg Bridges

July

Philippa Ballantine, Hunter and Fox (A Shifted World Novel)
Art by Cynthia Sheppard


David Freer, Cuttlefish
Art by Paul Young


August

K.D. McEntire, Reaper
Art by Sam Weber


James Enge, A Guile of Dragons (A Tournament of Shadows, Book 1)
Art by Steve Stone


September

Clay and Susan Griffith, The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire, Book 3)
Art by Chris McGrath

• 2012 RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards, steampunk nominee

Sam Sykes, The Skybound Sea (The Aeons' Gate, Book 3)
Art by Paul Young


Ian McDonald, Be My Enemy
Art by John Picacio


October

E.C. Myers, Quantum Coin
Art by Sam Weber


Tim Lebbon, London Eye (Toxic City Book One)
Art by Steve Stone

• In development by Alex Proyas for ABC Studios

November

Brenda Cooper, The Creative Fire (Book One of Ruby's Song)
Art by John Picacio


Tom Lloyd, The Dusk Watchman (The Twilight Reign, Book Five)
Art by Todd Lockwood

 
Allen Steele, Apollo's Outcasts
Art by Paul Young


Paul Crilley, SThe Lazarus Machine: A Tweed & Nightingale Adventure
Art by Cliff Nielsen



December

Mike Resnick, The Doctor and the Rough Rider (Weird West Tales)
Art by J. Seamas Gallagher


David Freer, The Steam Mole
Art by Paul Young


Mark Hodder, A Red Sun Also Rises
Art by Lee Moyer


And that's it. Quite a year if I do say so myself.