Category: works forthcoming

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New Releases from Five Rivers Publishing

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SFC member Lorina Stephens shares some news about new releases from Five Rivers Publishing:

May 1 saw the release of Michael Skeet’s debut fantasy, A Poisoned Prayer.

En garde! Paris, in the 1680s. Dashing swordsmen compete for the favours of licentious women, and magic—God’s Blessing—is strong enough that prayers really are answered.

Into the City of Light comes Lise de Trouvaille, a young noblewoman of modest means and no apparent Blessing, searching for an advantageous marriage. But the first eligible man she meets—during a werewolf attack, no less—is exactly the wrong person…

You can read an interview with Michael on the Five Rivers site or visit the book’s page to order.

 

Coming on June 1, a new YA fantasy release from Ann Marston, Diamonds in Black Sand.

Iain dreams of sailing beyond the treacherous Barrier Reefs to the tumultuous Wildesea, to become an Outsider like his father before him. But he is bound in service to his uncle Durstan for raising him after the death of his parents, and may not go until he has paid back the time he owes.

The new King of Celyddon bans the magic that keeps the Out-ships safe on the demanding Wildesea where Iain longs to be, and makes outlaws of those who work that magic. Neither the ships nor the men and women who sail them are allowed in the Realm. Iain has no means of escaping his bondage.

He is almost resigned to his fate and trying to make the best of it when he himself develops some of that banned magic, and becomes an Outlaw on the run from the authorities.

You can read an interview with Ann on the Five Rivers site or visit the book’s page here.

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The Leopard by K.V. Johansen Published June 2014

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TheLeopard-Marakand1Released June 10, 2014

K.V. Johansen‘s latest novel, The Leopard, has been published by Pyr.

The Leopard was chosen for Kirkus Review‘s Best Speculative Fiction Reads for June, and io9.com’s Most Astounding Must-Read Science Fiction And Fantasy Books In June.

Ahjvar, the assassin known as the Leopard, wants only to die, to end the curse that binds him to a life of horror. Although he has no reason to trust the goddess Catairanach or her messenger Deyandara, fugitive heir to a murdered tribal queen, desperation leads him to accept her bargain: if he kills the mad prophet known as the Voice of Marakand, Catairanach will free him of his curse. Accompanying him on his mission is the one person he has let close to him in a lifetime of death, a runaway slave named Ghu. Ahj knows Ghu is far from the half-wit others think him, but in Marakand, the great city where the caravan roads of east and west meet, both will need to face the deepest secrets of their souls, if either is to survive the undying enemies who hunt them and find a way through the darkness that damns the Leopard.

To Marakand, too, come a Northron wanderer and her demon verrbjarn lover, carrying the obsidian sword Lakkariss, a weapon forged by the Old Great Gods to bring their justice to the seven devils who escaped the cold hells so long before.

Review: “…the work highlights Johansen’s strengths. A surprising number of characters and plot threads are deftly interwoven…” – Publishers Weekly

Review: “An involving and deftly written novel of escape and capture, love and loss, and battles both mental and physical…. Johansen’s writing style is assured and elegant, subtle and powerful…”– ForeWord Reviews

For more about the Marakand series and the author, see K.V. Johansen’s website at www.kvj.ca

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Third Person Press Launches Indiegogo Campaign

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Grey Area front cover July112013Third Person Press, a small, independent press based on Cape Breton Island, NS, has recently launched an Indiegogo campaign in support of its upcoming release, Grey Area: 13 Ghost Stories. SFC member Sherry D. Ramsey is one-third of the press’s editorial staff, and explains the signficiance of the campaign:

The benefit of crowd-funding platforms, like Indiegogo campaigns, is that they provide up-front funding so that small, independent creators can avoid heavy debt loads and reliance on funding avenues that may dry up in the future.

Third Person Press’s mission is to find, nurture, publish, promote and pay regional writers of speculative fiction. We think we’re filling a niche in a way that lets new and established voices share their stories with a wider audience.

The Grey Area campaign includes perks such as laminated bookmarks, spooky post cards (“ghost cards”), print and/or ebook copies of Grey Area and the other titles from Third Person Press, limited-edition handmade jewelry, and original artwork. Special rewards for writers include online writing courses, editing services, and cover art. All perks are transferable; supporters can double their good karma by donating and giving the perks to someone else as a gift. Everyone will receive an acknowledgement of thanks with their name listed on the Third Person Press website and Facebook page as well as having the satisfaction of having encouraged and literally supported regional SFF writers.

The campaign runs until September 15th. All the details and the campaign video are on the main page here: http://igg.me/at/grey-area/x/1156437

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The Galaxy Project

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SF Canada member, Susan Forest, was co-winner, along with Robert Walton of California, of The Galaxy Project, a novella contest with judges Robert Silverberg, David Drake and Barry Malzberg. Susan’s novella, “Lucy” is a story about difficulties terraforming a planet that already has a full ecosystem, when colonists manage to bring only a partial ecosystem from Earth.The winning novellas will be out in November, 2011 on Kindle for $1.99.

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Two Sales to Analog

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Susan Forest has recently sold two short stories to Analog Science Fiction and Fact. “Turning It Off” is a humourous short story that looks at the implications of wearing a personal shield to protect oneself from minor cuts and scrapes–with interesting consequences when the device is turned off. “The Most Invasive Species” is a novelette that explores the potentially tragic consequences of cultural interference when two sentient species meet. Watch for them in upcoming issues of Analog!

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H.A. Hargreaves Work to be Published by Five Rivers

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H.A. Hargreaves is one of Canada’s remarkable, one might even say legendary, speculative fiction writers. He is a retired professor of English, formerly at the University of Alberta (Edmonton), and was twice nominated (1982 and 1983) for the Lifetime Contributions category in the Prix Auroras. His collection of short stories, North by 2000, in its time received wide critical acclaim from both peers and periodicals.

Today Five Rivers is pleased to announce the rebirth of that remarkable collection of short stories by Hargreaves. This new edition, entitled North by 2000+, will feature not only all the quintessentially Canadian stories of the first edition, but five additional published short works, along with a foreword from the author, and an introduction by Dr. Robert Runte.

Cover design has been awarded to Jeff Minkevics.

North by 2000+ is scheduled for release by Five Rivers early in 2012, and will be available in print and digital formats worldwide.