BULL SPEC

An apology to my contributors, readers, and advertisers on the lateness of issue #7.

2012-01-16T14:58:00.001-05:00

Well, there's really no hiding it, or "smoothing" it out this time. Issue #7 is no longer the "Winter 2011-12" issue; it's the "Spring 2012" issue. I want to offer (again) my apologies to my patient readers, my forgiving advertisers, and my contributors that their works, planned for 2011, are now coming in early 2012 instead. Additionally, an apology to the "2011 year in review" editors who essentially wasted their time considering these stories for 2011, some of which I also included in my yearly Pushcart Prize nominations, spots which should have gone to poems and essays and stories actually published in 2011. It is what it is. Issue #7 will be out as soon as we can finish it (which includes some rework on the cover; sorry JZ for yet another bother on that score) and we'll hope to have issue #8 out in May.

I thought I had learned my lesson with issue #4, which while it did come out in late (late!) December 2010, ended up creating a lot of confusion as the print copies didn't arrive until mid-January, for some reviewers late January. Apparently not. Well, we'll keep learning and keep trying, and thanks for sticking with us.

-Sam

Heading to illogicon, Jan 13-15!

2012-01-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time to pack up magazines and the crate that has become the traveling road show for "the year in local sf" and head to illogiCon, this weekend (Friday through Sunday, Jan 13-15) in Raleigh. I don't have any panels today, but I'm moderating an "Ethics in SF" panel tomorrow (Saturday) with Joe Haldeman, John Kessel, Kij Johnson, and Gray Rinehart, and two panels on Sunday: one on the year's best in sf, the other on local authors. I think I'm ready. Congrats to Warren Buff and company on putting together programming that ranges from the writerly (craft, publishing, career, etc.) to the readerly (readings, discussions) to other media (comics, films, games) to, well, all the rest of the craziness that is fandom, all the while keeping the con very affordable at $20 pre-registered, $30 at the door for the whole weekend, with single day registrations as well. I'm looking forward to seeing friends from far away (JM McDermott!) and further out in NC (Ada! Davey!) and an absolutely massive list of local writers, readers, fans, and friends. See you there?

Wake Forest author Michael Jasper is web serializing his novel A Sudden Outbreak of Magic!

2012-01-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

Starting with the Prologue today, Wake Forest author Michael Jasper (Gunning for the Buddha, A Gathering of Doorways, The Wannoshay Cycle, ...) is web serializing his novel A Sudden Outbreak of Magic:

photo by Andy Castro

"So here’s the story…

Kelley and her twin brother Jeroan just moved to Dubuque, Iowa. Their parents uprooted them from their home in Chicago after learning that Jeroan had gotten mixed up with a gang. As the only black girl in her grade, Kelley is not pleased about the move.

One cold morning in November, after trying (unsuccessfully) to keep Jeroan out of trouble again, she gets “infected” by magic after reading aloud from a small leatherbound book she finds.

She also blows up the family home at the same time.
Soon Kelley and Jeroan must face up to a power-hungry, centuries-old Sorcerer who wants to rid the world of what he calls “renegade” magic-users. Only Kelley’s new way of using magic will save their new city and their magically infected friends, though she may lose her brother in the process.

A novel for all ages about magic, growing up, and finding your place within those two very different realms."

Hugo etc. pandering, 2012 edition:

2012-01-05T16:43:00.002-05:00

First, the holiday book guide acts as a very good stand-in for repeating a lot of the book-related suggestions -- no, seriously, go there and look at the long list of books which were published by local and regional authors this year, and see if one or more of them doesn't remind you of one of your favorite reads this year, ranging from the Best Novel category (The Rift Walker, Out of the Waters, Pilgrim of the Sky, The Lost Gate, Miserere, Never Knew Another, Briarpatch, Germline, The Sworn, on and on...) or Best Related Work (here I might suggest Journal of a UFO Investigator, if it's not considered science fiction proper, or How to Write Magical Words or even The Fiasco Companion) or Best Graphic Story (TURF completed its mini-series last year, and there was the stand-alone Laddertop, as well as the first trade edition of the first several issues of The Order of Dagonet), along with checking out the editors and cover artists for those novels for the Best Editor - Long Form (David Hartwell for Out of the Waters, Lou Anders for The Rift Walker, and others) and Best Artist - Professional (such as Chris McGrath for The Rift Walker cover) categories.

In the Best Editor - Short Form category, Mark Van Name edited the urban fantasy anthology The Wild Side, and John Kessel (along with James Patrick Kelly, of course!) edited the anthology Kafkaesque. Additionally, Natania Barron and Jaym Gates edited the first Crossed Genres quarterly, which included Greenville author Ada Milenkovic Brown's execellent "Nadirah Sends Her Love". You can also see on that book guide the editors for some of the anthologies where local and regional authored Short Stories were published, such as Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (for The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities), Jonathan Strahan (for several anthologies which included local and regional authors), John Joseph Adams (for selecting Eric Gregory's "The Harrowers" for Lightspeed Magazine and its year one anthology) and Joe R. Lansdale, among others.

Second, some of the (not all, I'm sure I'm missing some here) outstanding fiction published by local and regional authors this year, not already listed on the holiday book guide, or available to peruse in the table of contents for Bull Spec issue #5 (Roger Williams's novelette "Mortal Passage" is not eligible, having been previously published online) and issue #6:

Greenville's Ada Milenkovic Brown, "Nadirah Sends Her Love", Crossed Genres
Asheville's Alexandra Duncan, "Rampion", F&SF (novella)
Jason Erik Lundberg, "Kopi Luwak", Red Dot Irreal
James Maxey, Burn Baby Burn (novel)
Mur Lafferty, "1963: The Argument Against Louis Pasteur", The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities
John Kessel, "Clean", Asimov's (novelette)
Mark L. Van Name, “The Long Dark Night of Diego Chan” in The Wild Side (novelette)
Richard Butner, "Through the Uprights", Electric Velocipede (very long, but still a short story)
Lewis Shiner, "A Box of Thunder", Strange Horizons
Kij Johnson: "Story Kit" in Eclipse Four; and "Bridging the Mist" in Asimov's (novella)
Gwendolyn Clare: "Perfect Lies" in Clarkesworld; "A Claw from the Western Paradise" in Triangulation: Last Contact; "Ashes on the Water" in Asimov's; and "Iron Oxide Red" in Daily Science Fiction
Dan Campbell, "Where Sea and Sky Kiss", Daily Science Fiction
Ryan Jones, "Return to Earth", Stupefying Stories
Rich Matrunick: “The Pale Farmer” in Every Day Fiction, May 3rd, 2011; “Stranded (with Pork Chop)”: Electric Spec, Volume 6, Issue 3; “From Alexandra to Amberglow” in Ray Gun Revival, Volume 2, Issue 8; “Prophecy Negotiations” in Space Squid, Issue 10; and “Other Sister” in Stupefying Stories
Joseph Giddings: "Lifestealer" in Ray Gun Revival; and "Goliath" in The Fringe Magazine
Peter Wood, "Future Imperfect" in Ray Gun Revival
M. David Blake, "When the Pupil is Ready", The Drink Tank #300
Gina Massel-Castater, "Careless of the Night", The Wild Side
Eric Gregory, "The Harrowers", Lightspeed Magazine
Natania Barron, "Pushing Paper in Hartleigh" in Subversion
Gray Rinehart: "The Tower" in Crossed Genres; and Therapeutic Mathematics and The Physics of Curve Balls in Analog
Stuart Jaffe, "Little Girl with Pink Ribbons", In an Iron Cage: The Magic of Steampunk
Erik Bundy, "The Turtle Wore Mascara", Electric Spec

Next, a quick rundown for The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: In their second year of eligibility: Local authors Monica Byrne, John Claude Bemis, Stephen Messer, and Gray Rinehart; and Bull Spec alumni David Steffen and Deborah Walker. In their first year of eligibility: Local authors M. David Blake, Teresa Frohock, Natania Barron, Mur Lafferty, Rebecca Gomez Farrell, Ada Milenkovic Brown, and TC McCarthy; and Bull Spec alumni Preston Grassmann.

Nearly lastly, all of the non-fiction contributors to Bull Spec, from Paul Kincaid to Richard Dansky and many others (see those tables of contents) are eligible in the Fan Writer category.

Lastly, Bull Spec is itself eligible in the Semiprozine category, along with many wonderful "not too big, but we pay you something" magazines.

(And if you are a local or regional writer or Bull Spec alumni and/or you know of something I missed, please post a comment! Thanks!)

Bull Spec local events e-mailing list: January 2012

2012-01-04T15:03:00.005-05:00

Vol 2. No. 1, January 4, 2012:

Welcome to the January 2012 events newsletter from Bull Spec! I hope a lot of you made it out to see Hillary Jordan, John Kessel, and Cassandra Clare last month, and there are a ton of new events, including one tomorrow night (JL Hilton at Tir Na Nog, Thursday) and another in two days (Marissa Meyer at Flylear Books, Friday) and several more in January, so look below and don't miss them. And don't forget mid-January's illogiCon which is bringing Joe Haldeman back to the Triangle, January 13-15!

Lastly... Wow. Issue #7 is still very late. It will be here in PDF "really soon now", and I'm very sorry to all concerned for the delay. I don't think it's possible for print copies of issue 7 to make it here in time for illogiCon, which is very frustrating and is a real setback. On a more positive note, many of the Kickstarter rewards have been delivered, and if you're looking for your T-shirt or a pendant I have them and am working my way through the list.

-Sam

JANUARY 2012

5 (Thursday), 7 pm to 9 pm: Release party for local author JL Hilton's Stellarnet Rebel at Raleigh's Tir Na Nog Irish Pub. From Carina Press: "A science fiction romantic thriller." More info including an excerpt: http://www.stellarnetrebel.com/

6 (Friday), 7 pm to 8 pm: Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books hosts Marissa Meyer for a reading and signing of her debut novel Cinder: "Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg." More info on the novel, and a prequel short story, here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/12/glitches

NEW: 11 (Wednesday), 12 pm: Local author James Maxey will be on WUNC's The State of Things to discuss his recent superhero novel Burn Baby Burn and forthcoming fantasy novel Greatshadow.

NEW-NEW: 13 (Friday), 7 pm: Durham author Stephen Messer joins Asheville author Allan Wolf to read and discuss their recent books: http://flyleafbooks.com/event/evening-nc-childrens-authors-allan-wolf-and-stephen-messer-ages-7

13-15: New local SF convention illogiCon (January 13-15, 2012) in Raleigh with literary guest of honor Joe Haldeman. More info: http://illogicon.com/ -- Get registered and tell the programming committee what you want to see!

17: Regional author new novel: Greensboro's Orson Scott Card's newest novel, Shadows in Flight, to be published by Tor Books. More info: http://us.macmillan.com/book.aspx?isbn=9780765332004

NEW: 28 (Saturday), 3 pm: B&N New Hope Commons hosts the book release party for local author Natania Barron's December 2011 debut novel Pilgrim of the Sky. "Steampunk attire optional!"

NEW: 28 (Saturday), 3 pm: Quail Ridge Books hosts Durham author Cate Tiernan for a reading and signing of her new YA novel Darkness Falls, Tiernan's next book in her Immortal Beloved series.

31 (Tuesday), 7 pm to 8 pm: Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books hosts Drew Magary for a reading and signing of his debut novel The Postmortal -- published by Penguin in August: "Imagine a near future where a cure for aging is discovered and-after much political and moral debate-made available to people worldwide. Immortality, however, comes with its own unique problems-including evil green people, government euthanasia programs, a disturbing new religious cult, and other horrors. Witty, eerie, and full of humanity,The Postmortal is an unforgettable thriller that envisions a pre-apocalyptic world so real that it is completely terrifying."

31: Local author book release: Solaris Books to publish the first book in a new fantasy series from Hillsborough author James Maxey, which starts with Greatshadow: http://www.solarisbooks.com/titles/title_details/greatshadow -- book #2, Hush, is due in July!

31: Regional author new novel: Charlotte's Gail Z. Martin's newest novel, The Dread, to be published by Orbit Books. Sequel to 2011's The Sworn and continuing her second series in her Chronicles of the Necromancer books. More info: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316192361.htm

FEBRUARY 2012

NEW: 1 (Wednesday), 7 pm: The Regulator Bookshop hosts Drew Magary for The Postmortal: "Drew Magary will read from and sign copies of his new novel The Postmortal, which imagines a world twenty minutes in the future wherein the cure for aging has been discovered. Magary explores the implications of such a discovery and the problems that may arise, including evil green people, euthanasia programs, a new religious cult. This story of a pre-apocalypse is a dark comedy that is by turns tragic and comic. Drew Magary is a blogger for Deadspin."

NEW: 4 (Saturday), 10 am: The Orange County Library in Hillsborough hosts Hillsborough author James Maxey for a class on: "Where Do You Get Your Ideas? (And What Do You Do Once You Have One?)"

NEW: 4 (Saturday), All Day: Carolina Games Summit at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, NC: speakers, exhibitors, tournaments, and more.

NEW-NEW: 7 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm: Quail Ridge Books hosts Greensboro author Orson Scott Card for a reading and signing of his new "Ender's Shadow" novel, Shadows in Flight.

NEW: 8 (Wednesday), 6 pm: The Orange County Library hosts a panel discussion on "Where do you get your ideas?", moderated by James Maxey, with panelists John Claude Bemis (Nine Pound Hammer), A. J. Mayhew (The Dry Grass of August), Ed & Janet Howle (The Long Road to Paris), and Natania Barron (Pilgrim of the Sky).

NEW: 10 (Friday), 7:30 pm: Launch party for James Maxey's Greatshadow (see above for book info) at Quail Ridge Books: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/james-maxey-dragon-fantasy-greatshadow

12: Regional author new novel: J. M. McDermott's When We Were Executioners, book #2 in his Dogsland Trilogy from Night Shade Books after Never Knew Another, to be released: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12804203-when-we-were-executioners

NEW-NEW: 15 (Wednesday), 7:30 pm: NCSU hosts Nebula Award-winning sf writer Karen Joy Fowler (author of Sarah Canary and the best-selling The Jane Austen Book Club) for a reading. The reading will probably be in the Thompson Theater on Dunn Avenue on the NCSU campus, where other recent readings have been. The reading is open to the general public and there is free parking in the parking deck next to the theater. More information and a confirmed location will be available closer to the event date.

24-26: Mysticon in Roanoke, Virginia with guests of honor author Sherrilyn Kenyon and actress Nicki Clyne (Cally Tyrol on SyFy’s Battlestar Gallactica)

MARCH 2012

1: Regional author new novel: South Carolina author T. C. McCarthy's Exogene, book #2 in his The Subterrene War series after 2011's Germline, to be released by Orbit Books: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11418025-exogene

1: Regional author new novel: J. M. McDermott's Maze to be published by Apex Books: http://jmmcdermott.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/welcome-to-the-maze-maze-is-coming-in-march-2012/

2-4: StellarCon (March 2-4, 2012) in High Point with literary guest of honor Patrick Rothfuss. More info: http://stellarcon.org/

21-25: “The Monstrous Fantastic”, the 33rd International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, FL with guests of honor China Miéville and Kelly Link.

23-25: MidSouthCon in Memphis, TN with guests of honor author Michael Stackpole, writer and editor Cat Rambo, and more.

27: Regional author new novel: Wilmington's David Macinnis Gill's Invisible Sun, sequel to his award-winning 2010 novel Black Hole Sun, to be published by Greenwillow Books.

APRIL 2012

3: Local author new novel: Baen to publish Pittsboro author David Drake's newest novel in his Lt. Leary RCN series, The Road of Danger. More info: http://baen.com/order_isbn.asp?isbn=9781451635158

10: Ex-local author new novel: Tor Books to publish Mary Robinette Kowal's Glamour in Glass, sequel to her debut novel Shades of Milk and Honey which she launched at ReConstruction in Raleigh in August, 2010.

13-15: RavenCon in Richmond, VA with guests of honor author Glen Cook and artist Matthew Stewart.

MAY 2012

1: Local author new novel: Baen to publish Raleigh author Mark L. Van Name's newest novel in his Jon & Lobo series, No Going Back. More info: http://www.baen.com/order_isbn.asp?isbn=9781451638103

17-20: Nebula Awards Weekend in Arlington, VA with toastmaster Walter Jon Williams.

22: Local author new novel: Hillsborough's John Claude Bemis's The Prince Who Fell From the Sky to be published by Random House Books for Young Readers.

JUNE 2012

1-3: ConCarolinas (June 1-3, 2012) in Charlotte with writer guest of honor Jack McDevitt. More info: http://www.concarolinas.org/

15-17: DeepSouthCon in Huntsville, AL with guest of honor author Lois McMaster Bujold, with Lou Anders, David Drake, David Weber, and Toni Weisskopf among other participants.

21-24: ConTemporal (June 21-24, 2012) in Chapel Hill with literary guest of honor Cherie Priest and comic book guests of honor Studio Foglio. More info: http://contemporal.org/

JULY 2012

17: Regional author new novel: Tor to publish Greensboro author Orson Scott Card's (along with Aaron Johnson) Earth Unaware: The First Formic War.

20-22: LibertyCon in Chattanooga, TN with literary guest of honor Brandon Sanderson, master of ceremonies Eric Flint, and a special lineup of 25th anniversary guests including Timothy Zahn, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle.

31: Local author new novel: Solaris Books to publish Hillsborough author James Maxey's Hush -- continuing his new fantasy series which begins with Greatshadow in January (see above).

AUGUST 2012

1: Local editor new anthology: Raleigh author and anthologist John Kessel's latest anthology (co-edited with James Patrick Kelly) to be released: Digital Rapture: The Singularity Anthology from Tachyon Publications.

14: Local author new collection: Raleigh author Kij Johnson's fiction collection At the Mouth of the River of Bees to be published by Small Beer Press.

SEPTEMBER 2012

1: (Date TBD) Local author new novel: Raleigh authors Clay and Susan Griffith conclude their Vampire Empire series with book 3 (Title TBD) after 2010's The Greyfriar and 2011's The Rift Walker. From Pyr Books. More info: http://clayandsusangriffith.blogspot.com/

NOVEMBER 2012

NEW-NEW: 17-18: NC Comicon at the Durham Convention Center: http://nccomicon.com/

END

Regional author book release: Faith Hunter's Raven Cursed (Jane Yellowrock, Book 4)

2012-01-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

Faith Hunter's Raven Cursed is out today, the fourth book in her Jane Yellowrock series of novels:

A regional author with a regionally-set book? Indeed:

The vampires of Asheville, North Carolina, want to establish their own clan, but since they owe loyalty to the Master Vampire of New Orleans they must work out the terms with him. To come up with an equitable solution, he sends an envoy with the best bodyguard blood money can buy: Jane Yellowrock.

But when a group of local campers are attacked by something fanged, Jane goes from escort to investigator. Unless she wants to face a very angry mast vampire, she will have to work overtime to find the killer. It's a good thing she's worth every penny.

Out as a mass market paperback original from Roc, the book is also on various e-book platforms as well as in digital audiobook:

Narrated by Khristine Hvam for Audible Frontiers, the audiobook runs a bit over 15 hours.

Local author release day: Stellarnet Rebel by J. L. Hilton and Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan

2012-01-02T15:48:00.001-05:00

Congratulations are due to local author J.L. Hilton, whose debut novel, Stellarnet Rebel, is out today from Carina Press!

Welcome to Asteria, a corporate-owned, deep-space colony populated with refugees, criminals and obsessive online gamers. Genny O'Riordan has shifted in from Earth determined to find a story that will break her blog into the Stellarnet Top 100, and even better - expose the degradation of the colony's denizens.

Duin is an alien - a Glin - a hero of a past revolution against the Glin royal family, yet branded a terrorist. Duin speaks every day in the Asteria market, hoping to spur humans to aid his home world, which has been overtaken by the evil, buglike Tikati.

When Genny and Duin meet, what begins with a blog post becomes a dangerous web of passion and politics as they struggle to survive not only a war but the darker side of humanity...

In addition to being available on Google eBooks and therefore at our local IndieBound stores (here's direct links for The Regulator Bookshop, Quail Ridge Books, Flyleaf Books, and more) it's also on Nook, Sony, Apple iBookstore, and on the Kindle US (and Kindle UK) -- I don't see it on Kobo, anybody find it there? -- along with being available directly from the publisher, where you can find an excerpt and more information as well. And the book has a website of its own, with even more info.

And in addition to that, it's also out today in audiobook at Audible.com and (soon) in the iTunes Music Store. Narrator Gayle Hendrix has narrated books for Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, and on the St. Martin's Press/Audible Frontiers anthologies Strange Brew (Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, and more) and My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (Sherrilyn Kenyon, Harris, Butcher, and more). I couldn't be much more excited.

But wait! There's another local author book out today, that being Darkness Falls by Durham's Cate Tiernan, the second in her Immortal Beloved series which started in 2010:

Also out today in audiobook as Immortal Beloved #2: Darkness Falls, Narrated by Kelly Lintz for Hachette Audio:

These are the first of many, many local author releases this year, so don't wait! Pick your bookstore/audiobookstore and pick up your copies!

It's beginning to look a lot like an issue.

2011-12-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Same as last year's year-end issue, it looks like a very late December (say... 30? 31?) publication date for issue #7. About two months later than I'd have liked, but it's been worth the wait. Here are the cut-and-paste mostly unformatted contents:

Cover Art
Gearaffes Angi Shearstone

Fiction
# The Gearaffe Who Didn’t Tick D. K. Thompson illustrated by Angi Shearstone
# Fish Eyes Natania Barron illustrated by Brigid Ashwood
# Complications of the Flesh Jason Erik Lundberg illustrated by Jason Strutz
# Inseperables’ War Stephanie Ricker illustrated by Jason Strutz
# When Dreams Wake Jason K. Chapman illustrated by Indrapramit Das
# Friday Nite at the A&W J. P. Trostle illustrated by Gabriel Dunston

Poetry
# Letting Go Damon Shaw illustrated by Gabriel Dunston
# The Fall Queen Alexandra Seidel; One Hundred Years in the Wood Daniel A. Rabuzzi; increments lemuel harik; A Fembot’s Quantum Love Deborah Walker; Night Patrol Athena Andreadis; Laurels Mari Ness

Graphic Short
31 The Long Lives of Heroes

Jeremy Whitley and Jason Strutz

part 3 of 4

Interviews
# Into the Hinterlands David Drake and John Lambshead = Interview by Jeremy L. C. Jones; Essays by Toni Weisskopf, Mark L. Van Name, and John Lambshead
# The Children of the Sky Vernor Vinge = Review and Interview by Paul Kincaid
# The Master Trilogy C. S. Friedman = Review and Interview by Dan Campbell
# Circle Tide Rebecca K. Rowe = Review and Interview by C. D. Covington
# Panverse Three Dario Ciriello = Review and Interview by Rich Horton
# Zoo City Lauren Beukes = Interview by Preston Grassmann

Features
# Never Knew Another J. M. McDermott = Essay by John H. Stevens
# X-Minus One = Article by Peter Wood

Departments
# Happenings
# Reviews = The Clockwork Rocket Greg Egan by Paul Kincaid; The Goblin Corps Ari Marmell by Joseph Giddings; The Postmortal Drew Magary by J. P. Wickwire; The Rift Walker Clay and Susan Griffith by Natania Barron; Briarpatch Tim Pratt by Dustin Monk; Mr. Fox Helen Oyeyemi by Larry Nolen; Osama Lavie Tidhar by Paul Kincaid; The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow and Context Cory Doctorow by Nick Mamatas
62 Editorial

Whew.

Closed to fiction submissions until (at least) Friday, January 13

2011-12-09T00:18:00.001-05:00

If you e-mail a submission to submissions@bullspec.com effective now, you'll get the following auto reply:

Thank you for sending a story to Bull Spec, but we are currently closed to fiction submissions, as of 1 AM EST, Friday December 9, 2011. We may not have updated the website or notified Duotrope or Ralan's, etc. but as we need to focus on reading and responding to the stories we have, we are returning this one unread. We hope to re-open to fiction submissions on Friday, January 13, 2012, but may remain closed longer depending on our reading progress. Thanks again for considering Bull Spec with a story, and we hope to hear from you again in future.

If this is a query and it was erroneously detected as a story submission (for example, if it included an attachment) please e-mail submissions@bullspec.com without an attachment with your query; if all else fails, please contact sam@bullspec.com directly and I'll sort things out.

Sincerely,

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, Publisher
Natania Barron and Eric Gregory, Fiction Editors
Sarah Rogers, Associate Fiction Editor
Bull Spec

Whew! We have a lot of reading to do over the next month, and I can't thank Sarah enough for her coming aboard as one of our first readers. I also can't thank all of the writers enough for all the submissions we get to settle in and read -- I'm looking forward to it.

Bull Spec local events e-mailing list: December 2011

2011-12-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

Vol 1. No. 7, December 5, 2011:

Welcome to the December events newsletter from Bull Spec! I hope a lot of you made it out to see L.E. Modesitt, Jr. and Mary Doria Russell last month, and there are a ton of new events, including one tonight and several in early January, so look below and don't miss them. And there are several upcoming events to remind you of as well, from this Wednesday's John Kessel "Kafkaesque" event, to mid-January's illogiCon which is bringing Joe Haldeman back to the Triangle.

Meanwhile: Books! Books! Books! In your holiday shopping for yourself and friends and family, don't neglect to check out the absolutely massive list of books by local and regional authors which were published just this year: http://bullspec.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-local-and-regional-author-holiday.html

Lastly... Wow. Issue #7 is late. It will be here before the end of the year, and I'm very sorry to all concerned for the delay. Also: Kickstarter rewards are finally coming in, to get out to all of you who so generously sponsored Year 3 as soon as I can.

-Sam

UPDATE: There's already one "NEW-NEW" event that I missed -- look for "NEW-NEW" below!

DECEMBER 2011

1: Local author new edition : Wake Forest's Michael Jasper's 2006 novel Heart's Revenge is now available in e-book from his own UnWrecked Press. More info: http://michaeljasper.net/novels/hearts-revenge/

NEW: 5 (Monday -- TONIGHT!) at 7 pm: Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books hosts Hillary Jordan for a reading and signing of her near-future dystopian sf novel When She Woke -- a revisiting of the themes of The Scarlet Letter which sees convicted felons modified to have their entire skin color changed to match their crimes: red for murder, etc. More info: http://flyleafbooks.com/event/hillary-mantel-reads-signs-her-new-novel-when-she-woke -- and a Facebook event link here: http://www.facebook.com/events/318696298159235/

7 (Wednesday) at 7:30 pm: Quail Ridge Books: John Kessel and Ruth Gross for "An Evening with Franz Kafka and Friends", including Kessel's newest anthology, Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka -- http://tachyonpublications.com/book/Kafkaesque.html -- and a Facebook event link here: http://www.facebook.com/events/246822225374328/

9 (Friday) at 7:00 pm: Quail Ridge Books: Cassandra Clare brings her latest, Clockwork Prince. In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting.Clockwork Prince is the sequel to Clockwork Angel, and part of theInfernal Devices trilogy. For ages 12 and up. Cassandra Clare is best known for her hugely popular Mortal Instruments series. SIGNING LINE TICKET EVENT - receive a signing line ticket with the purchase of any of Cassandra Clare's books. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/cassandra-clare-ya-novel-clockwork-prince

13: Local author new novel: Natania Barron, Pilgrim of the Sky from Candlemark & Gleam. "A novel that might be best described as mythpunk. With elements of fantasy, science fiction, Romantic poetry, steampunk, and multiverse theory, well, it isn’t exactly the sort of book that finds a comfortable little niche to sit in." More info: http://pilgrimofthesky.com/

NEW-NEW: 17 (Saturday), 4 pm to 7 pm: Chapel Hill Comics hosts the opening reception for their Kids' Art Show -- "As seen on Wired.com's Geek Dad!" at: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/12/north-carolina-kids-art-exhibit/

31 (Saturday), 9 pm to late: Downtown Pittsboro's Davenport and Winkleperry host The Clockwork Ball: A Steampunk Masquerade to usher in the New Year: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179760945440352

JANUARY 2012

2: Local author new novel: JL Hilton: Stellarnet Rebel from Carina Press: "A science fiction romantic thriller." More info including an excerpt: http://www.stellarnetrebel.com/

2: Local author new novel: Durham's Cate Tiernan's next book in her Immortal Beloved series, Darkness Falls, to be published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

3: Local author new edition: The David Drake onmibus Voyage Across the Stars collects his Hammer’s Slammers novels Cross the Stars and Voyage. From Baen. More info: http://www.baen.com/order_isbn.asp?isbn=9781451637717

NEW: 5 (Thursday), 7 pm to 9 pm: Release party for local author JL Hilton's Stellarnet Rebel (see above) at Raleigh's Tir Na Nog.

NEW: 6 (Friday), 7 pm to 8 pm: Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books hosts Marissa Meyer for a reading and signing of her debut novel Cinder: "Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg." More info on the novel, and a prequel short story, here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/12/glitches

13-15: New local SF convention illogiCon (January 13-15, 2012) in Raleigh with literary guest of honor Joe Haldeman. More info: http://illogicon.com/ -- Get registered and tell the programming committee what you want to see!

17: Regional author new novel: Greensboro's Orson Scott Card's newest novel, Shadows in Flight, to be published by Tor Books. More info: http://us.macmillan.com/book.aspx?isbn=9780765332004

NEW-NEW: 28 (Saturday), 3 pm: B&N New Hope Commons hosts the book release party for local author Natania Barron's December 2011 debut novel Pilgrim of the Sky (see above). "Steampunk attire optional!"

NEW-NEW: 28 (Saturday), 3 pm: Quail Ridge Books hosts Durham author Cate Tiernan for a reading and signing of her new YA novel Darkness Falls (see above).

NEW: 31 (Tuesday), 7 pm to 8 pm: Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books hosts Drew Magary for a reading and signing of his debut novel The Postmortal -- published by Penguin in August: "Imagine a near future where a cure for aging is discovered and-after much political and moral debate-made available to people worldwide. Immortality, however, comes with its own unique problems-including evil green people, government euthanasia programs, a disturbing new religious cult, and other horrors. Witty, eerie, and full of humanity,The Postmortal is an unforgettable thriller that envisions a pre-apocalyptic world so real that it is completely terrifying."

FEBRUARY 2012

NEW-NEW: 10 (Friday), 7:30 pm: Launch party for James Maxey's Greatshadow (see above for book info) at Quail Ridge Books: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/james-maxey-dragon-fantasy-greatshadow

12: Regional author new novel: J. M. McDermott's When We Were Executioners, book #2 in his Dogsland Trilogy from Night Shade Books after Never Knew Another, to be released: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12804203-when-we-were-executioners

MARCH 2012

2-4: StellarCon (March 2-4, 2012) in High Point with literary guest of honor Patrick Rothfuss. More info: http://stellarcon.org/

27: Regional author new novel: Wilmington's David Macinnis Gill's Invisible Sun, sequel to his award-winning 2010 novel Black Hole Sun, to be published by Greenwillow Books.

APRIL 2012

3: Local author new novel: Baen to publish Pittsboro author David Drake's newest novel in his Lt. Leary RCN series, The Road of Danger. More info: http://baen.com/order_isbn.asp?isbn=9781451635158

10: Ex-local author new novel: Tor Books to publish Mary Robinette Kowal's Glamour in Glass, sequel to her debut novel Shades of Milk and Honey which she launched at ReConstruction in Raleigh in August, 2010.

MAY 2012

1: Local author new novel: Baen to publish Raleigh author Mark L. Van Name's newest novel in his Jon & Lobo series, No Going Back. More info: http://www.baen.com/order_isbn.asp?isbn=9781451638103

22: Local author new novel: Hillsborough's John Claude Bemis's The Prince Who Fell From the Sky to be published by Random House Books for Young Readers.

JUNE 2012

1-3: ConCarolinas (June 1-3, 2012) in Charlotte with writer guest of honor Jack McDevitt. More info: http://www.concarolinas.org/

31: Local author new novel: Solaris Books to publish Hillsborough author James Maxey's Hush -- continuing his new fantasy series which begins with Greatshadow in January (see above).

AUGUST 2012

1: Local editor new anthology: Raleigh author and anthologist John Kessel's latest anthology (co-edited with James Patrick Kelly) to be released: Digital Rapture: The Singularity Anthology from Tachyon Publications.

14: Local author new collection: Raleigh author Kij Johnson's fiction collection At the Mouth of the River of Bees to be published by Small Beer Press.

SEPTEMBER 2012

1: (Date TBD) Local author new novel: Raleigh authors Clay and Susan Griffith conclude their Vampire Empire series with book 3 (Title TBD) after 2010's The Greyfriar and 2011's The Rift Walker. From Pyr Books. More info: http://clayandsusangriffith.blogspot.com/

OCTOBER 2012

30: Regional author new novel: Greensboro author Orson Scott Card continues his Pathfinder (Simon Pulse, November 2010) series for young readers with Ruins.

END

Ending the radio silence with some burst broadcasts:

2011-12-02T13:04:00.001-05:00

It's been nearly a month: no Bull Spec #7; no December newsletter; hardly anybody has gotten their Kickstarter gear in hand yet; etc. So, some bursts into the static:

Yup, issue #7 is late. Still at least a week before it will be in a printable state. Very sorry to everyone concerned, not the least of which Candlemark & Gleam and Pyr, whose advertisements help make the issue possible, and whom I told it would be out mid last month. Still, some good news: Bull Spec has a real, legitimate designer now: Gabriel Dunston. His layouts are crisp and much more inventive than mine, though retaining the overall 2-column design and readability. The cover is coming along in most excellent fashion, with Angi Shearstone's illustration of D. K. Thompson's story, with Jeremy Zerfoss coming in to put the final cover design together. Thanks to new reviews editor Alex Ward, the reviews and interviews are being copy edited into shape. I'm quite proud of the stories in what is my next-to-last issue as fiction editor.
The December newsletter is coming soon. There's a new event just around the corner, Hillary Jordan reads & signs her new novel When She Woke at Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books on Monday, December 5th at 7 pm. Also, there'll be a full list of the local and regional author books I know about coming in 2012. A few January events are still to be finalized, but I'll give you what info I have.
I did get all the Kickstarter "surveys" out and have been gathering them in, ordering books as needed, and I think now that we have a final pendant count we will get those underway. T-shirts to be ordered ASAP now that pretty much everybody has gotten back to me on size and style.
Natania Barron's Pilgrim of the Sky is *in stock* at both Amazon.com and BN.com -- that probably means that you can order it from pretty much any bookstore you'd like to, though it's not in the IndieBound website catalog so it might be more of a special order.
On the front of "getting some things done, cutting some things for later" I was going to finally put together a post covering the several writing (and reading) groups I know about, but I think that will wait for January.
A couple of really nice Bull Spec news bits: SF Site reviews issue #6 very favorably and SF Signal's year-end mind meld mentions M. David Blake's "Absinthe Fish" as a story "which perfectly fulfills my criteria for "mind-blowing fiction."
When I get around to it, I'll be closing Bull Spec to fiction submissions for the rest of the year.

Whew. OK. Onward and forward, etc.

2011 local and regional author holiday book buying guide.

2011-11-09T10:14:00.004-05:00

As the nights get colder and you look for a book to curl up with, or for a gift for the readers (or those darned fools who should be reading!) in your life, there are hundreds and hundreds of choices. Well, here, I'll narrow this down to local and regional authors in (primarily, I promise!) science fiction and fantasy, presented along a few categories. Enjoy! (And if this isn't quite enough, there's always last year's list...)

(A brief aside for a local book-buying hint: I've largely given Goodreads links for the books here. Use the "online stores" dropdown to select IndieBound, and then use IndieBound's buttons to find it in a local store by zip code or city. And one more thing: there are a lot of Kindle and other e-books that I didn't list -- Wake Forest author Michael Jasper and Hertford, NC author David Niall Wilson, among others, I am so looking at you -- this list is really meant to be a "stuff I can pick up or at least order in a local bookstore by a local author, wrap up, and give to someone" list, with exceptions for a couple of digital-only audiobooks.)

YOUNG READERS:

Hillsborough: John Claude Bemis's The White City (Random House Books for Young Readers, August) concludes his The Clockwork Dark trilogy, which began with 2009's The Nine Pound Hammer and continued with 2010's The Wolf Tree. Audiobooks (both boxed CD sets and giftable Audible.com downloads) for all 3 books are also available. Additionally, a paperback edition of The Wolf Tree came out this year
Durham: Stephen Messer's The Death of Yorik Mortwell (Random House Books for Young Readers, September) is his second standalone book for young readers after last year's Windblowne. This one is a quirky ghost story, illustrated by Gris Grimly. Additionally, a paperback edition of Windblowne came out this year
Charlotte: A. J. Hartley's Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact (Razorbill, October) introduces 11-year-old Darwen Arkwright, a boy who has just moved from England to Atlanta. R.L. Stine calls it "Fantastic, surprising fun!" and it received a positive review from the NY Journal of Books

FANTASY:

Pittsboro: David Drake's Out of the Waters (Tor, July) is the second novel in his Books of the Elements tetralogy, which began with last year's The Legions of Fire which was released in mass market paperback earlier this year
Raleigh: Clay and Susan Griffith's The Rift Walker (Pyr, September) is the second novel in their Vampire Empire trilogy, which began with last year's The Greyfriar
Chapel Hill: Natania Barron's Pilgrim of the Sky (Candlemark & Gleam, December) is her debut novel, which Cherie Priest calls "... a lush, dreamy fable - both vintage gothic, and modern mystery ... lovingly laced with magic and darkness from start to finish." Pre-orders are being handled through a Kickstarter campaign as well as via B&N -- though I'm sure other local bookstores can figure out how to get the book to you
Durham: Mur Lafferty's 5-book Afterlife series (Heaven, Hell, Earth, Wasteland, and War), originally released as podcasted audiobooks, were published in beautiful matching hardcover editions
Raleigh: Lewis Shiner's 1994 World Fantasy Award-winning novel Glimpses was released in digital audio format at Audible.com
Kelly Gay's The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Pocket Books, August) is book 3 in her Charlie Madigan urban fantasy series
Lisa Shearin's Con & Conjure (Ace, February/March) is book 5 in her Raine Benares urban fantasy series
Greensboro: Orson Scott Card's The Lost Gate (Tor, January) begins a new series called The Mither Mages -- also available in digital audio from Blackstone Audio
Charlotte: Gail Z. Martin's The Sworn (Orbit, January/February) begins her second series, The Fallen Kings Cycle, in the same world as her previous, picking up after the events of her Chronicles of the Necromancer -- also available in CD, MP3-CD, and digital audio from Tantor Media
NC: Teresa Frohock's Miserere: An Autumn Tale (Night Shade Books, July) is her debut fantasy novel, and begins a trilogy
Georgia: J.M. McDermott's Never Knew Another (Night Shade Books, January) began his Dogsland Trilogy; additionally, a new paperback edition of his first novel Last Dragon was published by Apex early this year
ex-NC: Tim Pratt's Briarpatch (ChiZine Publications, September)
ex-NC: Tim Akers's Dead of Veridon (Solaris Books, May)

SCIENCE FICTION:

Chapel Hill: Rebecca Rowe's Circle Tide (EDGE, August) is a "loose prequel" to her previous novel Forbidden Cargo
Pittsboro: David Drake's Into the Hinterlands (Wake Forest-based Baen Books, September, co-written with John Lambshead) begins a new space opera series plotted against the life of George Washington.
Pittsboro: David Drake's Hammer's Slammers series came to digital audio at Audible.com in April, narrated superbly by Stefan Rudnicki: At Any Price & Rolling Hot, The Sharp End, Counting the Cost & The Warrior, and Paying the Piper
Raleigh: Mark L. Van Name's 2010 novel Children No More was released in mass market paperback by Wake Forest-based Baen Books
High Point: Robin Parrish's Corridor (December) will be released in paperback and e-book by StoneHouse Ink -- a little more information here
South Carolina: T.C. McCarthy's Germline (Orbit, July) was released as an original mass market paperback, and is also available in audio from Blackstone Audio

FICTION:

Durham: David Halperin's Journal of a UFO Investigator (Viking, February) is not "properly" science fiction, but it was a novel I very much enjoyed and which freely borrows and uses science fictional techniques and elements -- also available in audio from Blackstone Audio
Raleigh: Lewis Shiner's Dark Tangos (Subterranean Press, August) is a taut thriller set against Argentinian tangos and intrigue and last I saw, both The Regulator and Quail Ridge Books (which each hosted book signings) had signed copies in stock. Additionally,with new paperback editions of Say Goodbye and Slam this year, all of Shiner's previous novels are back in print in a "definitive edition" 6-book series. Some of these, including his first novel Frontera and later books Glimpses and Deserted Cities of the Heart, are speculative fiction novels, for those whose tastes are a little more exclusive, and the last of the six, Black & White, follows the construction of the Durham Freeway

COLLECTIONS:

Hillsborough: James Maxey's There Is No Wheel (NC-based Spolight Publishing)
Greensboro: Edmund Schubert's The Trouble with Eating Clouds (NC-based Spolight Publishing)
ex-Raleigh: Jason Erik Lundberg's Red Dot Irreal

ANTHOLOGIES:

Raleigh: Mark L. Van Name's The Wild Side (Wake Forest-based Baen Books) is an anthology of original urban fantasy stories "with an erotic edge", including a story from local writer Gina Massel-Castater
Raleigh: John Kessel's Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka (Tachyon Publications, co-edited by James Patrick Kelly) -- there's a great chance to pick up a personalized/signed copy at a December 7th event at Quail Ridge Books
Pittsboro: David Drake's story "Than Curse the Darkness" was reprinted in The Book of Cthulhu (Night Shade Books, September)
Durham: Mur Lafferty's story "1963: The Argument Against Louis Pasteur" is in the Ann and Jeff VanderMeer-edited anthology The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities (HarperVoyager, July), along with microfiction from Winston-Salem's Nadine Wilson and art from Greeville's Scott Eagle
Durham: Richard Dansky is one of the contributors to Night-Mantled: The Best of Wily Writers, Volume 1
Raleigh: Kij Johnson's story "Story Kit" is in the Jonathan Strahan-edited original science fiction and fantasy anthology Eclipse 4 (Night Shade Books, May, which also includes ex-local Andy Duncan's "Slow as a Bullet"); her 2010 story "Names For Water" appears in the Strahan-edited The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 5 (Night Shade Books, March, which also includes Raleigh author John Kessel's 2010 story "Iteration"); and her 2009 story "Spar" appears in the Kevin J. Anderson-edited anthology Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 (Tor Books, May)
Raleigh: Eric Gregory's story "The Harrowers" is in the John Joseph Adams-edited anthology Lightspeed: Year One (Prime, November 15)
Raleigh: Lewis Shiner's 1988 story "Love in Vain" appears in the Joe R. Lansdale-edited anthology Crucified Dreams (Tachyon Publications, February); and his story "The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato" is in the 1987 George R.R. Martin-edited anthology Wild Cards I, which was just released in audiobook format by Brilliance Audio, accompanying an updated 2010 print edition from Tor Books
Durham: Richard Dansky's story "The Man Who Built Haunted Houses" is in Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror (Flames Rising Press, October)
Greenville: Ada Milenkovic Brown's story "Nadirah Sends Her Love" is in Crossed Genres Quarterly #1 (January, edited by Natania Barron and Jaym Gates) and she has another story in the forthcoming anthology River: The Anthology (Dark Quest Books)

NON-FICTION:

How to Write Magical Words: A Writer's Companion includes essays from regional authors Edmund Schubert, A.J. Hartley, Stuart Jaffe, and Mistey Massey
1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art includes a contribution from local jeweler and writer J.L. Hilton
Hillsborough: Global Climate Change by Orrin H. Pilkey and Keith C. Pilkey, Duke University Press.

GRAPHIC NOVELS and COMICS:

Firetower Studios released a trade paperback collecting the first several issues of the ongoing The Order of Dagonet by Jeremy Whitley (story) and Jason Strutz (art)
Tommy Lee Edwards's TURF (Image Comics, story by Jonathan Ross) was released in hardcover, collecting the entire miniseires -- also available in a special limited edition alternate binding at Ultimate Comics
Angi Shearstone's BloodDreams is "Vampire Punk" praised by Warren Ellis -- check it out online or in local comic stores
Jeremy Whitley's Princeless is a subversive take on the archetypal "fair princess waiting in a dragon-guarded tower for rescue from a handsome prince" story -- from Action Labs, with issue #2 just released
Greensboro: Orson Scott Card and Emily Janice Card's Laddertop, Volume 1 (Tor Books, September, art by Honoel A. Ibardolaza) -- also available in a digital audio adaptation narrated by Stefan Rudnicki

ROLE PLAYING GAMES:

Bully Pulpit Games released the Fiasco Companion supplement to their GM-less storytelling game Fiasco -- the game is praised by Wil Wheaton as: “Fiasco was one of the greatest storytelling RPGs I’ve ever played. I highly recommend it.”

OTHER:

Oh, I don't know, how about: a subscription to Bull Spec makes a great gift -- you can even do something creative like start with issue 5, to have issues 5-7 on hand for the holidays and issue 8 coming in February... Or just stuff a stocking with issue #7, available to pre-order now, or a brand-new subscription to last the whole year, starting with the imminently forthcoming issue #7...

Local events flyer for Winter 2011.

2011-11-04T15:04:00.001-04:00

To accompany the full events newsletter, here's an easy one-page sheet to download, print, post, and hand around, covering November and December events:

Bull Spec local events e-mailing list: November 2011

2011-11-02T17:26:00.001-04:00

Vol. 1, No. 6, November 1, 2011:

Welcome to the November events and announcements newsletter from Bull Spec! This time, a bit late instead of early. But there's plenty to talk about this month, starting with NC Comicon this weekend and continuing through author events, new books, and more author events in November and December. A couple of things which I'd hoped to have ready for this newsletter but aren't quite there are: 1. the second Bull Spec teen writing contest will begin soon 2. I will get a local author holiday gift guide together fairly soon as well, covering the books published this year by local authors. Look for details in the near future on the blog. Also, very (very) soon (I hope!) Bull Spec #7 will be published. One of these weeks...

Lastly, I cannot fail to mention that -- thanks to all of you -- the Bull Spec Year 3 Kickstarter was a great, great success. We raised over $2000, and I've finally got the ball rolling on getting the rewards into your supporting hands. Thank you, yet again.

-Sam

Update: 1-page PDF flyer available here.

NOVEMBER

1: Local author book release: John Kessel’s next anthology for Tachyon, Kafkaesque, collects “Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka”, including stories from JG Ballard, Terry Bisson, Borges, Paul Di Filippo, Jeffrey Ford, and more. Event on December 7 at Quail Ridge Books (see below). More info: http://tachyonpublications.com/book/Kafkaesque.html

1: The Kickstarter "pre-order" campaign for local author Natania Barron's debut novel Pilgrim of the Sky kicked off and is already off to a great start: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/candlemarkandgleam/print-release-of-pilgrim-of-the-sky?ref=live

5-6 (Saturday and Sunday): NC Comicon at the Morrisville Outlet Mall. A big lineup of artists and writers, a well-stocked dealer room, and more. A recent spot on NBC 17 is worth watching: http://nccomicon.com/?p=640 and there's a Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151473324943296

NEW: 9 (Wednesday), 7:30 pm: Quail Ridge Books hosts L.E. Modesitt, Jr. for a reading and signing for Scholar, his newest fantasy novel: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=273997142640391

15 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm: Raleigh's Quail Ridge Books hosts Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow, to present her latest novel Doc, a retelling of the life of "Doc" Holliday: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/mary-doria-russell-sparrow-author-doc

NEW-NEW: 18 (Friday), 6 to 8 pm: Gerry Canavan presents "Shipwrecked Passengers on a Doomed Planet" as part of Duke Univsity's Literature Grad Student Colloquium. "I’m presenting from chapter three of my dissertation, on ecology and apocalypse in 1970s and post-1970s science fiction[.]" More info: http://gerrycanavan.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/111811-shipwrecked-passengers-on-a-doomed-planet/

NEW: 26 (Saturday), 9 pm to late: The Gaslight Ball: A Steampunk Party at downtown Pittsboro's Davenport & Winkleperry: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233637586690915

NEW: 29 (Saturday), 9 pm to midnight: The Blotter Magazine is celebrating its 100^th issue with a Barbecue Bash from 9 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Pinhook, 117 W. Main St., Durham, NC. Storm Front, http://www.stormfrontlive.com, and The Gonzo Symphonic Presents (http://www.facebook.com/#!/thegonzosymphonicpresents) will perform. The public is invited. "The Blotter Magazine, www.blotterrag.com, exists to nurture underground, outsider literature and art, and to provide it to a wide audience. Our mission is to encourage and support new writers and artists. We hope to see you there."

DECEMBER

7 (Wednesday) at 7:30 pm: Quail Ridge Books: John Kessel and Ruth Gross for "An Evening with Franz Kafka and Friends", including Kessel's newest anthology, Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka -- http://tachyonpublications.com/book/Kafkaesque.html

9 (Friday) at 7:00 pm: Quail Ridge Books: Cassandra Clare brings us her latest, Clockwork Prince. In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting.Clockwork Prince is the sequel to Clockwork Angel, and part of theInfernal Devices trilogy. For ages 12 and up. Cassandra Clare is best known for her hugely popular Mortal Instruments series. SIGNING LINE TICKET EVENT - receive a signing line ticket with the purchase of any of Cassandra Clare's books. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/cassandra-clare-ya-novel-clockwork-prince

13: Local author new novel: Natania Barron, Pilgrim of the Sky from Candlemark & Gleam. "A novel that might be best described as mythpunk. With elements of fantasy, science fiction, Romantic poetry, steampunk, and multiverse theory, well, it isn’t exactly the sort of book that finds a comfortable little niche to sit in." More info: http://pilgrimofthesky.com/

NEW: 31 (Saturday), 9 pm to late: Downtown Pittsboro's Davenport and Winkleperry host The Clockwork Ball: A Steampunk Masquerade to usher in the New Year: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179760945440352

JANUARY 2012

2: Local author new novel: JL Hilton: Stellarnet Rebel from Carina Press, early 2012. "A science fiction romantic thriller." More info: http://jlhilton.com/stellarnet-rebel/

13-15: New local SF convention illogiCon (January 13-15, 2012) in Raleigh with literary guest of honor Joe Haldeman. More info: http://illogicon.com/

31: Local author book release: Solaris Books to publish the first book in a new fantasy series from Hillsborough author James Maxey, which starts with Greatshadow: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11511696-greatshadow

MARCH 2012

2-4: StellarCon (March 2-4, 2012) in High Point with literary guest of honor Patrick Rothfuss. More info: http://stellarcon.org/

JUNE 2012

1-3: ConCarolinas (June 1-3, 2012) in Charlotte with writer guest of honor Jack McDevitt. More info: http://www.concarolinas.org/

21-24: ConTemporal (June 21-24, 2012) in Raleigh with literary guest of honor Cherie Priest. More info: http://contemporal.org/

END

Quail Ridge Books gets ready for a run of events.

2011-10-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

The November events newsletter is just about ready, but I wanted to give a little bit of space to Quail Ridge Books this evening, as they're hosting a run of sf events in November and into December.

First up is a recently-added event for L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s SCHOLAR on Wednesday, November 9 at 7:30 pm:

Then, while Doc does not fall under the rubric of speculative fiction, Mary Doria Russell, author of the spectacular science fiction novel The Sparrow, is reading on Tuesday, November 15, at 7:30 pm:

This might be the first "sighting in the wild" for Kafkaesque, an anthology of Kafka-inspired short stories edited by John Kessel and James Patrick Kelly. Ruth Gross joins NCSU's Prof. Kessel for an event on Wednesday, December 7, at 7:30 pm:

Lastly, Cassandra Clare comes on Friday, December 9, at 7:00 pm:

Whew. Anyway, these events (and more) will go out in tomorrow's newsletter, but since I was recently in the store and all these events and books were just staring me in the face...

Speaking of -- I didn't get these next few posted for a couple of mid-September events at QRB, but, hey, better late than never. (And some of these stacks of books are still waiting, signed, for you.)

Fantasy novel from a Connecticut 13 year old with Crohn's Disease.

2011-10-28T09:35:00.005-04:00

http://www.sarah-story.com/sarahs-writing/

Chronicles a bit of the struggles of a young girl with Crohn's Disease, and talks about her short fantasy novel which was self-published in Nook, Kindle, and (free) ePub form. It's not the greatest story ever told (contemporary fantasy, Ash, Rayne, the council and its Head) but it's probably a good step up from my efforts at that age :) (if I were foolish enough to read what I have safely boxed away in my closet, I suppose a comparison could be made, but really, nobody wants that).

(Like the recent Marine Expeditionary vs. Rome thing, "it came from reddit".)

Update: It looks like I'm going to be sending a books/etc. "care package" from the Triangle area, so if you have some middle grade books or something you want to send, get ahold of me.

Closing to poetry submissions until (at least) January.

2011-10-27T13:59:00.003-04:00

Hey all. Still open for fiction until (planned) December 1, but we're now closed to poetry submissions until (at least) January. I've updated the guidelines page to reflect this. We've got a full slate of poetry through issue 8 and more, along with some fun things which Dan hasn't announced. Also, if anyone has a poetry submission pending, that they should hear from Dan within 2 weeks. So: get writing! No need to rush. We'll be here when you're ready. -Sam

Bull Spec contributors at World Fantasy Conference 2011

2011-10-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

The 2011 World Fantasy Conference program is out, along with day-by-day event listings. As San Diego is a bit of a walk from Durham, once again I'll live vicariously through poking through the program and filtering for Bull Spec contributors.

THURSDAY:

9 pm: Pacific 1: Out From Under the Bed: Monster as Protagonist - Nick Mamatas (story, "Oh, Harvard Square!" in issue #4)

FRIDAY:

1 pm: Pacific 6/7: Reading - Cat Rambo (story, "The Coffeemaker's Passion" in issue #5)

2 pm: Pacific 1: The Successful Misfit as a Theme in Fantasy - Erin Hoffman (story, "City of Shadow and Glass", issue #4), Mark L. Van Name (interviewee and excerpt for Children No More, issue #4)

SATURDAY:

10 am: Pacific 4/5: Reading - Tim Pratt (story, "Hell's Lottery" in issue #5)

11 am: Pacific 1: Here There Be Krakens: Monsters of the Deep - David Drake (interviewee and excerpt for The Legions of Fire in issue #3; interviewee in forthcoming issue #7)

2 pm: Pacific 2/3: The Year in Fantasy - Jonathan Strahan (interviewee in issue #5)

8 pm: Pacific 1: Out of the Broom Closet: Integrating Magicians and Fantastic Creatures into Society - Rebecca Rowe (participant, issue #4 launch reading)

9 pm: Pacific 6/7: Open Poetry Reading (2 hrs.) – Emcee Rose Lemberg (poem, "Beastwoman's Snarled Rune", issue #4)

SUNDAY:

1 pm: What do eight (8!) nominees -- Lou Anders, Lauren Beukes, Kij Johnson, Nick Mamatas, Jonathan Strahan, Charles Tan, Lavie Tidhar, and Jeff VanderMeer -- have in common? They've all been contributors to Bull Spec. Best of luck to all the nominees!

PS: And WFC attendees, check your bookbag for a flyer with a free download code for Bull Spec #6 from Weightless Books!

Breaking event news: Quail Ridge Books to host L.E. Modesitt Jr. for SCHOLAR on Wednesday, Nov 9 at 7:30 pm

2011-10-20T13:16:00.001-04:00

Quail Ridge Books event manager Rene Martin let me know that L.E. Modesitt Jr. will be coming to town for a reading of Scholar, the latest in his Imager Portfolio series, on Wednesday, November 9th at 7:30 PM:

Bio from the Macmillan website: L. E. Modesitt, Jr., is the bestselling author of the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce, Corean Chronicles, and the Imager Portfolio. His science fiction includes Adiamante, the Ecolitan novels, the Forever Hero Trilogy, and Archform: Beauty. Besides a writer, Modesitt has been a U.S. Navy pilot, a director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer. He lives in Cedar City, Utah.

This is the first of four events of note at Quail Ridge Books in the next month and a half:

Tuesday Nov 15th, 7:30 pm: Mary Doria Russell (author of The Sparrow) for a reading of Doc (on Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp)
Wednesday Dec 7th, 7:30 pm: John Kessel and Ruth V. Gross to discuss Franz Kafka and Kessel's new anthology Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka
Friday Dec 9th, 7:30 pm: Cassandra Clare with the latest in her YA series Infernal Devices, Clockwork Prince

All four of these events are now updated on the October events calendar as well. Happy reading!

Last minute call for advertisers for issue 7.

2011-10-18T17:12:00.000-04:00

Well, this is pretty much a cut and paste job from a few months ago, but: Still haven't sold the back cover ($250) or both front inside cover ($150) and back inside cover ($100) for issue 7. Full color, 8.5x11. Publication date November 8, on newsstands until late January. Final art due October 31. Contact sam@bullspec.com for details. Previous back covers have included Pyr, Tor, Solaris, and ConTemporal. Also have black and white full page space at $50. Thanks! Front inside cover runs opposite the table of contents, back inside cover runs opposite editorial.

More info: full page is really 8.75 x 11.125, with outside 0.125 the bleed area, and the next 0.125 not a good spot for important text or line art (machine cut might cut into the trim).

And yes, there's an advertiser copy. Two for the back cover spot.

Some 'new-new' updates to the newsletter and some other fun bits.

2011-10-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

One of the first things which always happens when I send out the monthly events newsletter is: I immediately learn of several things coming up which I didn't include in the newsletter. For the events, I did go back and add them to the October newsletter -- search for "NEW-NEW".

OCTOBER

7 (Friday), 7 pm: Hillsborough author John Claude Bemis reads from The White City, the last book in his The Clockwork Dark trilogy from Random House Books for Young Readers, at The Regulator Bookshop: http://www.regulatorbookshop.com/event/john-claude-bemis

10 (Monday), 7-8 pm: Join author Mark Van Name as he talks about “Characters and Setting” in your writing as part of the Wake County library's "Readers to Writers Workshop" series. This one at the West Regional Library: http://www.wakegov.com/images/Library/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D96406577

18 (Tuesday), 7-8 pm: Continuing the Wake County "Readers to Writers" writing workshops, Mark Van Name talks "Plot & Conflict" at the Eva Perry Regional Library: http://www.wakegov.com/images/Library/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D96373397

19 (Wednesday), 6:30 pm: Clay and Susan Griffith talk "Plot & Conflict" as part of the Wake County "Readers to Writers" writing workshop series, at the Cameron Village Regional Library: http://www.wakegov.com/images/Library/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D96392404

NOVEMBER

26 (Saturday), 9 pm to midnight: The Blotter Magazine is celebrating its 100^th issue with a Barbecue Bash from 9 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Pinhook, 117 W. Main St., Durham, NC. Storm Front, http://www.stormfrontlive.com, and The Gonzo Symphonic Presents,http://www.facebook.com/#!/thegonzosymphonicpresents, will perform. The public is invited. The Blotter Magazine, www.blotterrag.com, exists to nurture underground, outsider literature and art, and to provide it to a wide audience. Our mission is to encourage and support new writers and artists. We hope to see you there.

And, along with those event updates, a couple more fun bits along the way today:

1. John Claude Bemis posted the wraparound cover for his next book, The Prince Who Fell from the Sky:

2. Stephen Messer's just-out book for young readers, The Death of Yorik Mortwell, got a nice review at Libary Journal.

Three bits of local author news.

2011-10-04T16:37:00.001-04:00

Three bits of local author news, in order of when I heard about them: Dan Campbell, Michael Jasper, and Richard Dansky.

Dan Campbell's short story "Where Sea and Sky Kiss" was published this morning at Daily Science Fiction. Sent to e-mail subscribers, it will later be posted online, and finally be part of their monthly Kindle edition. I had a chance to read it and if you're a fan of Dan's, well, you won't be disappointed at all. I don't want to give anything away, and I don't have time to figure out "spoiler" tags, but for me there was a melancholy, beautiful echo of a Kaolin Fire poem that Dan and I both liked in there, and I hope you guys check out DSF if you aren't already subscribed. (It's free, by the way -- and newly SFWA approved -- so what are you waiting for?)
Michael Jasper's webcomic In Maps & Legends reaches its conclusion with Issue 9 tomorrow: "What started with an off-the-cuff tweet over two years ago will conclude -- nearly 200 pages later -- with a digital bang this Wednesday." There's a free issue #1 preview if you want to get started.
Richard Dansky is interviewed by Tracy S. Morris -- and even gives Bull Spec a name drop. Thanks, man! Update: and one of Richard's short stories was just announced in the table of contents for the anthology Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror as well.

Whew! And something I don't think I've mentioned here yet is that Firetower Studios has recently started a veritable stampede of webcomics, from Jason Strutz's Faerie Sisters to Ennui of the Dead to Werewolf DA to... well, you get the idea.

Spec Poetry News: The Moment of Change

2011-10-04T16:06:00.006-04:00

Rose Lemberg has announced the Table of Contents for The Moment of Change: An Anthology of Feminist Speculative Poetry, and it will include three poems and three poets who appeared (or soon will appear) in Bull Spec!

Athena Andreadis' poem "Spacetime Geodesics" was in the most recent Bull Spec, issue 6, while "Night Patrol" is forthcoming in issue 7.

Sofia Samatar's "The Year of Disasters" will appear in issue 8.

Lisa Bradley's poems in The Moment of Change, "The Haunted Girl" and "In Defiance Of Sleek-Armed Androids" were originally published, respectively, in Goblin Fruit and Fantastique Unfettered. But two other poems of hers appeared in Bull Spec issues 4 and 5.

I am terribly impatient to read The Moment of Change (it will be out next year). The selection of poets looks fantastic!

Congratulations and many thanks to Rose Lemberg and all of the writers whose work makes up The Moment of Change!

As of late last night, this is what you'll get if you submit a story:

2011-10-02T13:55:00.000-04:00

Thanks for sending a story to Bull Spec! We are indeed open and reading submissions as of October 1, and yours has been received and tagged into the submissions process. Where it goes from here is: a first reader (right now: me) will take a look, and decide whether it looks like something that the fiction editors, Natania Barron and Eric Gregory, should consider. You may hear directly back from a first reader via a form letter in the case of a rejection, or you'll be notified when and if the story is forwarded on for further consideration.

The plan is to operate on a cyclical reading period basis of being open for two months, give or take based on the number of stories we need, and in the third month closing for submissions to make sure we don't hold onto stories longer than necessary.

Again, thanks for trusting Bull Spec with a story, I hope we can do a much better job of getting back to you sooner and more clearly than I have been able to manage up to now. It's good to be open!

-Sam

Sincerely,

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
Publisher, Bull Spec

Bull Spec local events e-mailing list: October 2011

2011-09-30T08:13:00.002-04:00

Vol. 1, No. 5, October 1, 2011:

Welcome to the October events and announcements newsletter from Bull Spec, this time just a day early for two last-minute September 30 reminders. The first is Durham author Stephen Messer's event tonight at 7 PM at Durham's Regulator Bookshop, to launch his new book for young readers, The Death of Yorik Mortwell. The second is the Bull Spec Year 3 Kickstarter fundraiser campaign, which ends today at 5 PM: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/830202652/bull-spec-year-three

Still up for grabs are signed book sets from local authors David Drake, Lewis Shiner, Mur Lafferty, and James Maxey, along with story critiques from Kij Johnson, original artwork from previous issues of Bull Spec, and more. Thanks to the amazing support so far, we've broken the $2,000 barrier, and I can't thank everybody enough for their support and for spreading the word about the campaign.

There's also a huge list of NEW events, from events for writers to finalized book release dates, to a slate of new readings and panels, some of which are this first weekend in October. Enjoy!

-Sam

SEPTEMBER

30 (Friday) 7:00 pm Durham author Stephen Messer will read from and sign copies of his new children’s novel, The Death of Yorik Mortwell, a mock-Gothic tale about Yorick, son of the Gamekeeper at Ravenby Manor, who meets an untimely demise. The ghostly Yorick haunts the manor and discovers many otherworldly creatures that inhabit the grounds, and that he has a part to play in saving not only his still-living orphan sister but also the manor and everyone in it. Messer is the author of a previous children’s novel Windblowne. More info: http://www.regulatorbookshop.com/event/stephen-messer-0

OCTOBER

NEW: Oct 1 (Sat), 2-4 pm: Chapel Hill Comics is proud to announce a signing with CreatureBox (Dave Guertin and Greg Baldwin). We’ll have copies of Spider Island: I ♥ New York, which features an 8-page Spider-Kitty story with art by CreatureBox. It’s got fantastic art, and it’s just four bucks! We’ll also have copies of the Ratchet and Clank paperback collection, since CreatureBox illustrated the covers for the series! http://www.chapelhillcomics.com/content/?p=1428

NEW: 1: The Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest will open to entries starting on Oct. 1st: http://www.williamledbetter.com/contest.htm

NEW: 2 (Sunday), 2-4 pm: John Kessel will be on a panel discussion of "The Writing Process" with the noted writers Sharon Ewell Foster, Lewis Shiner and Anna Jean Mayhew, moderated by D.G. Martin of NC Bookwatch. The panel will be from 2-4 pm at the North Regional library of the Wake County Library system, on Harps Mill Road off Falls of the Neuse Road in Raleigh. Free and open to the public.

NEW: 4 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm: John Kessel will be giving a reading at Louisburg College in Louisburg, NC. The reading will be at 7:30 in Norris Theater on the Louisburg campus. Free and open to the public.

NEW: 5 (Wednesday), 7:00 p.m. -- The Winston-Salem Writers presents Teresa Frohock, author of Miserere: An Autumn Tale, at the Forsyth County Public Library, 660 West Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC. This event is open to the public.

NEW-NEW: 7 (Friday), 7 pm: Hillsborough author John Claude Bemis reads from The White City, the last book in his The Clockwork Dark trilogy from Random House Books for Young Readers, at The Regulator Bookshop: http://www.regulatorbookshop.com/event/john-claude-bemis

NEW: 8 (Saturday), 10 am: James Maxey: “How to get past the first chapter and finish your novel,” at the Orange County Main Library on Saturday October 8 at 10am.

NEW-NEW: 10 (Monday), 7-8 pm: Join author Mark Van Name as he talks about “Characters and Setting” in your writing as part of the Wake County library's "Readers to Writers Workshop" series. This one at the West Regional Library: http://www.wakegov.com/images/Library/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D96406577

NEW 15 Pittsboro by Gaslight https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174427262623261

18 (Tuesday), 7 pm: Regulator Bookshop: Durham author Stephen Messer will be part of a two children's authors in one (though I would argue he is a middle grade / young reader author to be specific!) for his September 27th published book The Death of Yorik Mortwell: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/stephen-messer-kathleen-churchyard-two-childrens-authors-one-program

NEW-NEW: 18 (Tuesday), 7-8 pm: Continuing the Wake County "Readers to Writers" writing workshops, Mark Van Name talks "Plot & Conflict" at the Eva Perry Regional Library: http://www.wakegov.com/images/Library/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D96373397

NEW-NEW: 19 (Wednesday), 6:30 pm: Clay and Susan Griffith talk "Plot & Conflict" as part of the Wake County "Readers to Writers" writing workshop series, at the Cameron Village Regional Library: http://www.wakegov.com/images/Library/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D96392404

NEW: Oct 22 (Saturday), 5-7 pm: Chapel Hill Comics is proud to announce that we will host a signing party for The Zombie Hunters Book One on Saturday, October 22nd from 5pm until 7pm. Come by and pick up the first collection of this zombieriffic webcomic and get in the mood for a spooky Halloween! Have your book or poster signed by creator Jenny Romanchuk and talk to her about creating, publishing, and marketing a successful webcomic! http://www.chapelhillcomics.com/content/?p=1465

NOVEMBER

5-6 (Saturday and Sunday): NC Comicon at the Morrisville Outlet Mall.

NEW-NEW: 9 (Wednesday), 7:30 pm: Raleigh's Quail Ridge Books hosts L.E. Modesitt, Jr. for a reading of his upcoming novel Scholar (Tor, Imager Portfolio series).

15 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm: Raleigh's Quail Ridge Books hosts Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow, to present her latest novel Doc, a retelling of the life of "Doc" Holliday.

NEW-NEW: 26 (Saturday), 9 pm to midnight: The Blotter Magazine is celebrating its 100^th issue with a Barbecue Bash from 9 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Pinhook, 117 W. Main St., Durham, NC. Storm Front, http://www.stormfrontlive.com, and The Gonzo Symphonic Presents,http://www.facebook.com/#!/thegonzosymphonicpresents, will perform. The public is invited. The Blotter Magazine, www.blotterrag.com, exists to nurture underground, outsider literature and art, and to provide it to a wide audience. Our mission is to encourage and support new writers and artists. We hope to see you there.

DECEMBER

NEW: 7 (Wednesday) at 7:30 pm: Quail Ridge Books: John Kessel and Ruth Gross for "An Evening with Franz Kafka and Friends", including Kessel's newest anthology, Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka -- http://tachyonpublications.com/book/Kafkaesque.html

NEW: 9 (Friday) at 7:00 pm: Quail Ridge Books: Cassandra Clare brings us her latest, Clockwork Prince. In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting.Clockwork Prince is the sequel to Clockwork Angel, and part of theInfernal Devices trilogy. For ages 12 and up. Cassandra Clare is best known for her hugely popular Mortal Instruments series. SIGNING LINE TICKET EVENT - receive a signing line ticket with the purchase of any of Cassandra Clare's books. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/cassandra-clare-ya-novel-clockwork-prince

UPDATED: 13: Local author new novel: Natania Barron, Pilgrim of the Sky from Candlemark & Gleam, Late 2011. "A novel that might be best described as mythpunk. With elements of fantasy, science fiction, Romantic poetry, steampunk, and multiverse theory, well, it isn’t exactly the sort of book that finds a comfortable little niche to sit in." More info: http://pilgrimofthesky.com/

NEW-NEW: 31 (Saturday) 9 pm to 1 am: Pittsboro's Davenport and Winkleperry hosts a New Year's Eve Clockwork Cabaret Steampunk Masquerade: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179760945440352

JANUARY 2012

UPDATED: 2: Local author new novel: JL Hilton: Stellarnet Rebel from Carina Press, early 2012. "A science fiction romantic thriller." More info: http://jlhilton.com/stellarnet-rebel/

13-15: New local SF convention illogiCon (January 13-15, 2012) in Raleigh with literary guest of honor Joe Haldeman. More info: http://illogicon.com/

31: Local author book release: Solaris Books to publish the first book in a new fantasy series from Hillsborough author James Maxey, which starts with Greatshadow.

MARCH 2012

2-4: StellarCon (March 2-4, 2012) in High Point with literary guest of honor Patrick Rothfuss. More info: http://stellarcon.org/

JUNE 2012

1-3: ConCarolinas (June 1-3, 2012) in Charlotte with writer guest of honor Jack McDevitt. More info: http://www.concarolinas.org/

21-24: ConTemporal (June 21-24, 2012) in Raleigh with literary guest of honor Cherie Priest. More info: http://contemporal.org/

END