News and Blog Updates: June 22, 2008

Special Feature: No is no Special Feature for this week!
Sorry folks, I didn't receive any suggestions from local authors or artists, and I didn't have time to cook something up. If you are a local author or artist, and you have something you would like present as a special feature then drop me a line. Also, I am still looking for at least one assistant editor, so send me a message if you live in the Seattle area, and want to work on this and the Blogspot blog.


News Headlines:
*****
PNBA Announces Changes to Fall Trade Show
PNBA's Fall Trade Show in Portland will run Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 15-17, in 2008 rather than happening on the more traditional end-of-the-week pattern. The Trade Show, the largest of its kind held in the region, also moves to a new venue this year: the Portland Airport Holiday Inn and Convention Center.

According to PNBA director Thom Chambliss, the change of dates and venue should not impact attendance. Most booksellers, he said in a recent interview with Book Publishers Northwest (www.bpnw.org), prefer to come to a show during the week rather than over the weekend. PNBA is also trying to expand the show's audience by inviting librarians as well as booksellers to attend the education sessions and tour the trade show floor.

More information about PNBA's Fall Trade Show can be found at www.pnba.org.

*****
Are We Alone - New show not yet announced
Keep an eye on the Are We Alone site for news of the next episode. Until then you can listen to previous episodes at: http://radio.seti.org/ and be sure to check the Are We Alone Profile and Blog on MySpace.

*****
Alma Alexander - "Cybermage" available for preorder!
The third and final volume of the Worldweavers trilogy, "Cybermage", is available for pre-order here. They don't have a pic of the cover up yet, but you can go see a preview of that on my LiveJournal blog ( http://anghara.livejournal.com/ )!

*****
GIZMODO - 3,800-Piece Death Star Diorama Is Coolest Star Wars Lego Ever ( This is so cool, I am tempted to get a set just for myself! - Jim )


Headlines From SF News Sites:
Fruitless Recursion put up it's first posting. Check out this new site, io9 has news of Dollhouse and discovers the Magobot blog, Locus Online announces the Locus Awards Winners (and so do several other sites), Science Fiction Awards Watch posts that the Spectrum Awards is looking for judges, & check out The Website at the End of the Universe article "I'm a fan of the fanboys"

*****
Fruitless Recursion: Issue 0 - Russ and Kincaid, & Launch of Fruitless Recursion

*****
io9: The Circus Apes Of Science Are Mighty Healers Indeed [Found Footage], Hollywood Schemes To Destroy The Time Travel Genre [Rant], Dollhouse Is The Story Of Every Woman Today [Dollhouse], "Fiction Can Be A Mode of Social Change" in Cool New Anthology [Seeds Of Change], Robots Put The Moves On American Women in Swingin' 1952 [Retro Futurism], Mutant Chronicles: Where Ron Perlman Is Mankind's Holy Savior [Mutant Chronicles], Canada Needs (Space)Men. And Women. [Canadian Space Program], How Alternate Reality Helped Me Survive the Dentist [Mangobot], DIY = Dalek It Yourself [Dalek Lovers Of The World Unite], & Robot Finds Melting Ice on Mars [Mars Porn],

*****
Locus Online: Awards News: Locus Awards Winners ( "Michael Chabon, Terry Pratchett, China Miéville, Joe Hill, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Michael Swanwick, Barry N. Malzberg, Shaun Tan, and others win Locus Awards" )

*****
Pantechnicon.net: PanCast 10: Turn Left

*****
Science Fiction Awards Watch: Spectrum Awards Want Judges, 2008 Locus Awards, & Harvey Nominees Announced

*****
SciFi Scanner: Drew Barrymore Is No Sigourney Weaver... Or Is She?, & Get Smart Review - Spy Spoof Only Updates '60s Series to 1997 Relevance

*****
SF Signal: WINNERS: 2008 Locus Awards, TOC: Best American Fantasy 2008, Lemony Snicket - 12 Books in 120 Seconds, SF Tidbits for 6/21/08, Dark Haven, This Week's Free Tor Book: In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea, Friday YouTube: The Greatest American Hero, SF Tidbits for 6/20/08, & Tube Bits for 06/20/2007

*****
SFScope: Updates to Previously Published Articles (15-21 June 2008), Market Maven #3 now available, Juno Books temporarily closed to submissions, & Launch party and panel for Where Demented Wented: The Art and Comics of Rory Hayes

*****
The Website at the End of the Universe: I'm a fan of the fanboys


Selected Blog Updates:
Cynthia Leitich Smith has some "Cynsational News, Links & Giveaways", Fantagraphics Books is taking 15% off "Harvey Award nominees", there is poetry from Holly Cupala, Nicola Griffith took "The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test" and discovered she's a Balrog, & Yasmine Galenorn posts "Friday Wrap-Up, Dragon Wytch Giveaway, & Question of the Week "

*****
Alethea Kontis - "History is Written by the Victors"

*****
Boxcar Astronaut - "More Astronaut Training"

*****
Chuck Palahniuk - "SURVIVOR T-Shirts Return... With A Raffle!"

*****
Cynthia Leitich Smith - "Cynsational News, Links & Giveaways"

*****
Dark Horse Comics - "UPDATED: VIDEO: GERARD WAY UMBRELLA ACADEMY SIGNING & INTERVIEW"

*****
David Louis Edelman - "It’s Not Real... It’s 'MultiReal'"

*****
Erica Spindler - "The Weirdness Continues in Canada"

*****
Fantagraphics Books - "Harvey Award nominees: 15% off!"

*****
HARPER PERENNIAL - "Citizen Vince by Jess Walter"

*****
Holly Cupala - "Poetry Friday: Liquid Voices"

*****
Horror Library Blog-O-Rama - "Passion By AJ Brown"

*****
Iron Sky - "Star Trek of God and Men"

*****
Janet Lee Carey - "NEW NOVEL UNDERWAY"

*****
JAMES AND DADDY - "Update 22nd June 2008"

*****
Jodi Lee - "Midsummer Musing"

*****
Louise Bohmer - Lachesis Publishing - "Lachesis: Stone Masters A Vampire’s Reckoning -- Review", & "Lachesis Author News -- More June Releases: War Paint, and Kaitlyn Wolfe"

*****
Maria V. Snyder - "Today only - A chance to win!"

*****
Marianne De Pierres - "Supanova Sydney 2008 pt 2", & "Supanova Sydney 2008"

*****
Nicola Griffith - "uh-oh, I’m a Balrog"

*****
Planet Pride - "Saturn’s ""Dualing"" Aurorae ", "Yep, it’s ice! ", "Papers from the week ending 20 June 2008", "Large ’Planet X’ May Lurk Beyond Pluto", "New Instrument Could Reconstruct Planetary and Moon Origins", "Closing in on Extrasolar Earths", & "Frigid Future for Ocean in Saturn’s Moon"

*****
Robert J Sawyer's Blog - "Hugo deadline approaching; free copies of nominees", "Hardcore Nerdity", " Le Rollback? Oui, monsieur!", & " The Logic of Life"

*****
Robin Hobb - "Farseer Art"

*****
Sherrilyn Kenyon - "The Ash Video"

*****
Spectra Pulse - "Read the first three chapters of Havemercy for free (before it goes on sale)!"

*****
Tor Books - "New Twitter Account"

*****
TRIAD Publishing Group - SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR TRIAD

*****
Yasmine Galenorn - "Friday Wrap-Up, Dragon Wytch Giveaway, & Question of the Week "

North American Fantastic Festival Alliance Expands To Seven

The NORTH AMERICAN FANTASTIC FESTIVAL ALLIANCE (NAFFA) is pleased to announce the addition of 4 fantastic film festival partners to its organization; New York Asian Film Festival, Toronto After Dark, Danger After Dark in Philadelphia, and ScreamFest L.A. NAAFA was founded by Montreal’s Fantasia, Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest in Austin and Dead Channels: the San Francisco Festival of Fantastic Film.

NAFFA is comprised of professional North American festivals dedicated to presenting the best new independent and international fantasy, science fiction, horror, animation, exploitation, experimental and cult movies, as well as selected retrospective programs, with a dedication to quality and respect for the filmmaker’s work. The Alliance’s mission is to assist neophyte filmmakers in navigating the chaotic, and overwhelming, film festival submission process by providing useful information and invaluable networking opportunities.

NAFFA’s official website, www.FantasticAlliance.org, aims to provide emerging and established imaginative artists with access to an Alliance of acclaimed festivals that actively support the discovery and promotion of thrillingly unique independent film from all over the world. NAFFA is recognized by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation: www.melies.org

The following is a list of upcoming events of partners of the NAFFA

New York Asian Film Festival
June 20 – July 6, 2008
www.subwaycinema.com

Fantasia
July 3 – 21, 2008
Montreal, Canada
www.fantasiafest.com

Fantastic Fest
September 18-25, 2008
Austin, TX
www.fantasticfest.com

Dead Channels
October 2-5, 2008
San Francisco, CA
www.deadchannels.com

ScreamFest LA
October 10-19, 2008
Los Angeles, CA
www.screamfestla.com

Toronto After Dark
October 17 – 24, 2008
Toronto, Canada
www.torontoafterdark.com

Danger After Dark
March 26 – April 7, 2009
Philadelphia, PA
www.phillyfests.com

Find more information about NAAFA, events and festivals, visit: www.FantasticAlliance.org
Press Contact: Lewis Tice - naafa (dot) press (at) gmail (dot) com

News and Blog Updates: June 19, 2008

Special Feature (repost):
Sylvia Engdahl: "The New Mythology of the Space Age"
About a year ago I stated that I would write a review of the material for an online course entitled "The New Mythology of the Space Age" that Sylvia Engdahl taugh through Connected Education in the Spring of 1995. Well, one thing led to another and I forgot. Then Sylvia's press release for her recent IPPY Award came in, and BAM!, I suddenly remembered I dropped the ball. Instead of pounding out a quickly and poorly written review, I feel it's best if I just post the link to the material, and let the material speak for it's self. I am sure you will agree that this is well worth the read:

• "The New Mythology of the Space Age" - http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/space/myth01.htm

Be sure to check out the rest of Sylvia's site because there is a lot of incredible stuff there:

• http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/
• http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/space.htm

And don't forget about her blog on Blogspot. Enjoy! ~ Jim


News Worth Reposting:
*****
The Edge of Propinguity - Volume 30: June, 2008, is now online, so go ahead and take a look over the Edge.

*****
Are We Alone - Current Show: June16, 2008 Get Your Boson
What happens when particles collide? The answer may tell us the dark secrets of the cosmos. At least, that's the hope for the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator. When it fires up this summer, colliding protons may produce the elusive Higgs Boson - the so-called God particle - and reveal the building blocks of the universe.
We talk to the Director of CERN, home of this massive device, about what happens when they throw the big switch. Also, what if black holes happen? Find out how these weird gravity pits are created, and whether they're actually two-way streets that allow information to escape after all. Also, plans are already underway for the next particle accelerator, and playing with fire: a new fusion reactor in France. Guests:

• Robert Aymar - Director General of CERN in Geneva, Switzerland
• Barry Barish - Physicist Emeritus, California Institute of Technology and Director of the International Linear Collider Global Design Effort
• Norbert Holtkamp - Principle Deputy Director General of ITER and physicist at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Simon Steel - Astronomer, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

You can listen to this and other episodes at: http://radio.seti.org/ and be sure to check the Are We Alone Profile and Blog on MySpace.

*****
NASA Lunar Rovers and more at Moses Lake WA. - Here a great video clip of some NASA action in Moses Lake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnFtt8lqBc


Headlines From SF News Sites:
*****
Apex Book Company: Pardon our mess, Orgy of Souls now available!, & Hidden stash of Apex Digest issue 12 found

*****
Clarkesworld Magazine and Wyrm Publishing: Hmmm... What's on Yonder Truck? (Something big has arrived!)

*****
Fruitless Recursion: New site discussing works of criticism and non-fiction relating to the SF, Fantasy and Horror genres.

*****
io9: Doctor Who Was Never About Showing Mercy [Doctor Who], Shroomin' At The Center Of The Earth [Journey To The Center Of The Earth], Get the Story Blueprint for Pixar's John Carter of Mars -- Free Online! [John Carter Of Mars], It’s a Car! It’s a Plane! It’s the 1952 Fulton Airphibian! [Retro Futurism], Learn About Future Terror And Space Elevators [The Mirrored Heavens],
Career in Creatures: A Stan Winston Art Retrospective [Stan Winston], The Abandoned Spacecraft City of San Zhr [Architecture], Let's Take Sigourney Weaver To School [Classic Scifi], RIP Janet Dietrich, One of the “Mercury 13” Women Astronaut Trainees [Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees], Awesome Free Stuff On The Internet [Free Stuff On The Internet], & Ridley Scott Admits Little Orphan Annie Inspired Blade Runner [Blade Runner]

*****
Locus Online: Monitor: New in Paperback: June

*****
Science Fiction Awards Watch: Chesley Nominations Deadline, Another Award for Shaun Tan, Telegraph All-Time Top Fifty, & SMOFs Act on Hugo Voting Costs,

*****
SciFi Scanner: Now, Wait a Minute - Nerdgassing About Science Fiction Movies, Daily Scan: 06.20.08 - Dr. Who's K9 Gets His Own Series; Spike Lee to Time Travel, SciFi Dept - Bringing SciFi to Broadway... as Musicals, L Is for Lovebot, & Scientists Question Superhero Powers

*****
SF Novelists: Incubation, & The Process of Finishing Up a Book

*****
SF Signal: At The Trailer Park: Dark Knight, Death Race, Benjamin Buttons, AFI Names Top Genre Films, Fruitless Recursion, a New SF Criticism Site (as listed above), TOC: Nebula Awards Showcase 2009, SF Tidbits for 6/19/08, Mind Meld: Now It's Your Turn, & SF Tidbits for 6/18/08

*****
SFScope: Jonathan Strahan's Eclipse 2 finalized, Anticipation announces 2009 Hugo Award base design competition, John Joseph Adams seeking reprint dystopian stories for new anthology, PS Publishing Robert T. Jeschonek Collection, Campaign to expand release of Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train, Byzarium's June/July 2008 issue now available, Jia Gayles joins The Knight Agency, & StarShipSofa goes video with Michael Moorcock interview

*****
StarShipSofa: Aural Delights No 29 Allen Steel (SFScope says there's a video here, but I couldn't find it in the short time I looked for it. Let me know if you find it)


Selected Blog Updates:
*****
Alethea Kontis - "Flying Dutchwoman"

*****
Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest - "Cool interview with Wrath James White", "Mo*Con III - No Convention For Old Men", & "Apex Editors - Gill Ainsworth"

*****
Are We A Blog? - Indiana Jones and E.T.

*****
Bret Jordan - "CEMETERY MOON"

*****
NEW LISTING - Burrard Inlet Fan Fellowship - BIFFnews: BIFF Remembers Ruthie, Battlestar GalactiBIFF, & BIFF has lost a friend

*****
Cynthia Leitich Smith - "Author Interview: Brian James on Zombie Blondes", "Book Trailer: How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle", "The Brown Bookshelf Forum Features Chat with Agent Jennifer Carlson Today", & "Author Feature: Kersten Hamilton on Writing for the Mainstream and Christian Youth Markets"

*****
Dark Horse Comics - "New Items Shipping from Dark Horse - 6/18/2008", & "VIDEO: GERARD WAY UMBRELLA ACADEMY SIGNING"

*****
David Louis Edelman - "On Self-Promotion"

*****
Di Francis - "funnies"

*****
Fantagraphics Books - "Now in stock: Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko & Dennis the Menace V. 1 Softcover", "Fantagraphics & Merge Records Present..", & "Fantagraphics & Desert Island celebrate the life and art of RORY HAYES"

*****
Grendels Den Design Studio - "Midwest Haunters Convention"

*****
HARPER PERENNIAL - "John Cheever"

*****
Holly Cupala - "Prom Party with Laurie Halse Anderson!"

*****
Horror Library Blog-O-Rama - "Padrone the Time Lord and a Twisted Gemini - by Fran Friel"

*****
Karina L. Fabian - "Novel Journey: Writing Live and Let Fly"

*****
Lois McMaster Bujold - "Horizon street date"

*****
Louise Bohmer - Lachesis Publishing - "Support Clive Barker and the Midnight Meat Train!"

*****
Maria V. Snyder - "Winners and Updates!"

*****
Marianne De Pierres - "MDP ’hidden talent’ uncovered"

*****
Michael G. Munz - "Writing Update (and Mass Effect)"

*****
Nicola Griffith - "website updates and new interview"

*****
Nomadic Delirium Press - "Moving sale"

*****
NEW LISTING- Pacfic Science Center: AstroInfo: The Podcast, Nature Explore Workshop For Educators, Two Great Films Open, Members: Paper-less Passes, Free 'Panda' Passes!, & Magic Ticket = Summer Fun + Discovery!

*****
Paul S. Kemp - "Another Shadowrealm Snippet", & "Shadowrealm Update"

*****
Robert J Sawyer's Blog - "SMOFcast interviews RJS", "Flashforward at Audible.com", "The Rochester Connection", and many more entries!

*****
Scott Nicholson - "salem’s Lot"

*****
Tor.com - "In the Midnight Hour", & "In the Garden of Iden"

*****
TREI Literary Magazine - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE...TREI IS GOING TO ROCK THIS INDUSTRY OFF ITS EAR!

*****
w1n5t0n - "Recommended Readings"

*****
Willie Meikle - "Pro short story sale"

*****
Yasmine Galenorn -"Litha’s coming!", & "Dentist, Book Releases, Tru-Blood, and Witchy Chicks"

News and Blog Updates: June 18, 2008

Special Feature (repost):
Sylvia Engdahl: "The New Mythology of the Space Age"
About a year ago I stated that I would write a review of the material for an online course entitled "The New Mythology of the Space Age" that Sylvia Engdahl taugh through Connected Education in the Spring of 1995. Well, one thing led to another and I forgot. Then Sylvia's press release for her recent IPPY Award came in, and BAM!, I suddenly remembered I dropped the ball. Instead of pounding out a quickly and poorly written review, I feel it's best if I just post the link to the material, and let the material speak for it's self. I am sure you will agree that this is well worth the read:

• "The New Mythology of the Space Age" - http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/space/myth01.htm

Be sure to check out the rest of Sylvia's site because there is a lot of incredible stuff there:

• http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/
• http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/space.htm

And don't forget about her blog on Blogspot. Enjoy! ~ Jim


News Headlines:
*****
NOTICE - Upcoming Steamcon Meeting: Thursday, June 19 at 6:30 P.M. at the Capitol Hill branch of the Public Library, 425 Harvard Ave. E. Seattle WA

*****
The Edge of Propinguity - Volume 30: June, 2008, is now online, so go ahead and take a look over the Edge.

*****
Are We Alone - Current Show: June16, 2008 Get Your Boson
What happens when particles collide? The answer may tell us the dark secrets of the cosmos. At least, that's the hope for the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator. When it fires up this summer, colliding protons may produce the elusive Higgs Boson - the so-called God particle - and reveal the building blocks of the universe.
We talk to the Director of CERN, home of this massive device, about what happens when they throw the big switch. Also, what if black holes happen? Find out how these weird gravity pits are created, and whether they're actually two-way streets that allow information to escape after all. Also, plans are already underway for the next particle accelerator, and playing with fire: a new fusion reactor in France. Guests:

• Robert Aymar - Director General of CERN in Geneva, Switzerland
• Barry Barish - Physicist Emeritus, California Institute of Technology and Director of the International Linear Collider Global Design Effort
• Norbert Holtkamp - Principle Deputy Director General of ITER and physicist at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Simon Steel - Astronomer, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

You can listen to this and other episodes at: http://radio.seti.org/ and be sure to check the Are We Alone Profile and Blog on MySpace.

*****
Are We A Blog? - Indy science: all it's cracked-the-whip up to be?


News Worth Reposting:
*****
NASA Lunar Rovers and more at Moses Lake WA. - Here a great video clip of some NASA action in Moses Lake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnFtt8lqBc

*****
Nomadic Delirium Press - Moving Sale!
"Nomadic Delirium Press will be moving it's offices in the middle of July, and we really don't want to lug all of these books with us, so to lighten the load, we're offering special discounts on all of our titles until we get into the new digs. Simply go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/moving.htm for all of the details."


Headlines From SF News Sites:
*****
British Fantasy Society News: R.I.P Stan Winston 1946 - 2008

*****
io9: White-Leather-Clad Gene Vincent Takes Girls on a “Spaceship to Mars" in 1961 [Retro Futurism], Most Science Fiction Books Are Torture, Author Warns [Robert J. Sawyer], How Much Science Do You Need To Know To Write Science Fiction? [Jo Walton], Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion Car to be Displayed in New York [Retro Futurism], Dystopian Science Fiction Can Save The World, According To You [Dystopian Science Fiction], A Grand Tour of Our Nuclear World [A Nuclear Family Vacation], & See Serenity on the Big Screen and Fight for Lady Power [Serenity]
(You can find more information at the CanStopTheSerenity site: http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/)

*****
Locus Online: Monitor: This Week's Bestsellers, Feature: Yesterday's Tomorrows: Algis Budrys, Monitor: New Books: second week June, & Monitor: Other Magazines, second week June

*****
Pantechnicon.net: WhoPanCast 9 - Midnight

*****
Science Fiction Awards Watch: Million Writers Award Finalists, & Aurealis Award Changes

*****
SciFi Scanner: Daily Scan: 06.18.08 - Len Wiseman to Direct Gears of War; Reviews of Space Vulture, Site of the Week - SpaceWesterns, Daily Scan: 06.17.08 - Stan Winston, RIP; Robert Downey Jr Signs Up for Cowboys and Aliens, & Daily Scan: 6.15.08 - Jericho's Fans Keep at It; the Backstory Behind Hulk's Script

*****
SF Novelists: Giving it all away, & The writer at play

*****
SF Signal: ApolloCon 2008, REVIEW: The Crystal Cosmos by Rhys Hughes, SF Tidbits for 6/17/08, REVIEW: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan, SF Tidbits for 6/16/08, & TOC: Eclipse 2

*****
SF Site: Off On A Tangent: Short Fiction Reviews -- a column by Dave Truesdale, Nexus Graphica: a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams, New Arrivals: compiled by Neil Walsh,
Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams, The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, The Secret of Sinharat by Leigh Brackett, The Other Side of Magik by Michael Lingaard, New Audiobooks: compiled by Susan Dunman, The Lion Hunter and The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth E. Wein, Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks, Singularity's Ring by Paul Melko, & Dark Integers and Other Stories by Greg Egan

*****
SFScope: Win Neil Gaiman and Gris Grimley's The Dangerous Alphabet, Ellen Datlow resells two vampire anthologies for B&N omnibus, Joshua Bilmes sells audio rights for Buckell, Green, and Moon, Terry Goodkind sells two in Canada, Camille DeAngelis sells magical second novel to Shaye Areheart, SpaceWesterns poetry contest announced, Subterranean offers chance to appear in Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Special effects artist Stan Winston dies, Dog photo contest for Nancy Kress's Dogs, Joshua Bilmes reports foreign sales for Buckell, Harris, Huff, Moon, and Richardson, Brandon Sanderson sells a bunch of audio and a Dreamworks option, Arthur A. Levine named publisher at Scholastic, & This week's free book and wallpapers from Tor


Selected Blog Updates:
*****
Alethea Kontis - "Tuesday Morning Never Looked So Good"

*****
Alex Bledsoe - "Finally...a real blog"

*****
Bret Jordan - "TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS..."

*****
Cynthia Leitich Smith - "Book Trailer: Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith", & "Executive Director Interview: Deborah Pope on the Erza Jack Keats Foundation"

*****
Daniel Braum - "Come Walk to Mars with me..."

*****
Dark Horse Comics - "HELLBOY CONTEST"

*****
Erica Spindler - "Eerie Coincidence"

*****
Geralyn Beauchamp - "Look Ma! I’m This Month’s Featured Author!"

*****
Harry Shannon - "Dead and Gone Trailer"

*****
Horror Library Blog-O-Rama - "Like, Go Organic, Man! - by Dan Naden"

*****
"Jeremy C. Shipp" - Interviewed in Neonbeam Issue 5

*****
Kevin J Anderson - "SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR THE PAPERBACK OF 'LAST DAYS OF KRYPTON'"

*****
Kung Fu Grindhouse - "Shut it!"

*****
Louise Bohmer - Lachesis Publishing - "Updates -- from my writer side, and Lach author news"

*****
Marianne De Pierres - "Gen Con seminars"

*****
Paul S. Kemp - "Pop Culture and Teaching"

*****
Planet Pride - "Some recent papers in Astronomy & Astrophysics.", "Evolution of Migrating Planets Undergoing Gas Accretion", "Rare Asteroid Studied by Hawaiian Scientists", "Structure Along the Edge", "Veil Lifts on Titan’s Great Secrets", & "Three ‘Super-Earths,’ One Star "

*****
Portland Steampunk Society - "Dance practice for regency society ball"

*****
Robert J Sawyer's Blog - "Earth to Alphasmart: Isn't it time for something new?", & "BookExpo Canada"

*****
Sherrilyn Kenyon - "Dark-Hunter Sweepstakes", & "Bad Travel Karma"

*****
Shroud Magazine - "Help us reach 100 new readers in 24 hours.."

*****
Spokane Comicon - "2009 Special Guest of Honor and updates"

*****
Steve Anderson Design - "Can’t Stop the Serenity Charity Poster"

*****
Tor Books - "Tor Books announces new Halo novel!"

*****
Writer's Market UK - "Talking Point: Judging Books"

*****
Yasmine Galenorn - "Okay, this makes me really, really ticked... ", "Update On Luna & Release Date is Nearing", "If You Are Entering My Dragon Wytch Countdown Giveaways--Please READ", & "Chintz ’n China Giveaway--Dragon Wytch Countdown"

News and Blog Updates: June 15, 2008

Special Feature
Sylvia Engdahl: "The New Mythology of the Space Age"
About a year ago I stated that I would write a review of the material for an online course entitled "The New Mythology of the Space Age" that Sylvia Engdahl taugh through Connected Education in the Spring of 1995. Well, one thing led to another and I forgot. Then Sylvia's press release for her recent IPPY Award came in, and BAM!, I suddenly remembered I dropped the ball. Instead of pounding out a quickly and poorly written review, I feel it's best if I just post the link to the material, and let the material speak for it's self. I am sure you will agree that this is well worth the read:

• "The New Mythology of the Space Age" - http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/space/myth01.htm

Be sure to check out the rest of Sylvia's site because there is a lot of incredible stuff there:

• http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/
• http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/space.htm

And don't forget about her blog on Blogspot. Enjoy! ~ Jim


News Headlines:
*****
Are We Alone - Current Show: June16, 2008 Get Your Boson

What happens when particles collide? The answer may tell us the dark secrets of the cosmos. At least, that's the hope for the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator. When it fires up this summer, colliding protons may produce the elusive Higgs Boson - the so-called God particle - and reveal the building blocks of the universe.
We talk to the Director of CERN, home of this massive device, about what happens when they throw the big switch. Also, what if black holes happen? Find out how these weird gravity pits are created, and whether they're actually two-way streets that allow information to escape after all. Also, plans are already underway for the next particle accelerator, and playing with fire: a new fusion reactor in France. Guests:

• Robert Aymar - Director General of CERN in Geneva, Switzerland
• Barry Barish - Physicist Emeritus, California Institute of Technology and Director of the International Linear Collider Global Design Effort
• Norbert Holtkamp - Principle Deputy Director General of ITER and physicist at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Simon Steel - Astronomer, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

You can listen to this and other episodes at: http://radio.seti.org/ and be sure to check the Are We Alone Profile and Blog on MySpace.

*****
Are We A Blog? - "I don't keep a Top 40 list of..." (click the link to find out)

*****
NASA Lunar Rovers and more at Moses Lake WA. - Here a great video clip of some NASA action in Moses Lake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnFtt8lqBc

*****
The Edge of Propinguity - The next issue should be out shortly, so watch their site for Volume 30: June, 2008

*****
Nomadic Delirium Press - Moving Sale!
"Nomadic Delirium Press will be moving it's offices in the middle of July, and we really don't want to lug all of these books with us, so to lighten the load, we're offering special discounts on all of our titles until we get into the new digs. Simply go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/moving.htm for all of the details."


Headlines From SF News Sites:
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British Fantasy Society News: British Fantasy Society 2008 Awards Showcase

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io9: Our Endangered Space Shuttle Glides, As Seen From Space [Space Shuttle], Blinky Light Combination Lock Keeps Aliens out of Your Quarters [Design], Find Out The Secrets Of Shepherd Book [Serenity], The Award-Winning Spacesuit that NASA Will Use on the Moon [Sci Fashion], Tears And Mutilations In New Stargate DVD Movie [Stargate: Continuum], A Fleet of Atomic-Electric Space Ships Embark For Mars, 1957 [Retro Futurism], & New Official Doctor Who FAQ Includes Shocking Revelations [Morning Spoilers],

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Locus Online: Algis Budrys update: "The Independent has published an obituary by John Clute" , Feature: Yesterday's Tomorrows: Eight Contemporary Classics, & more Algis Budrys updates

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Pantechnicon.net: WhoPanCast 8: The Wasp & The Unicorn, Silence in the Library and The Forest of the Dead

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Science Fiction Awards Watch: Queen Honours Doctor Who Writer

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SciFi Scanner: Masters of SciFi - An Interview With Incredible Hulk Screenwriter Zak Penn, & The Incredible Hulk Review -- A Stark Contrast to Iron Man

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SF Novelists: Getting Things Write

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SF Signal: SF Tidbits for 6/15/08, Saturday Cinema: Roadents and Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show, SF Tidbits for 6/14/08, Tube Bits for 06/14/2008, This Week's Free Tor Book: In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker, Friday YouTube: The Ending of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, & SF Tidbits for 6/13/08

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SFScope: Updates to Previously Published Articles (8-14 June 2008), Publications Received: June 2008, Howard Waldrop Hospitalized, Paul Jessup signs with FinePrint Literary Management, Janna Silverstein sells to Denise Little's Sword Play, Circlet Press launching new series of e-book erotic sf/f anthologies, & Brimstone Press launches Black magazine

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StarShipSofa: StarShipSofa No 93 Second Editorial mp3
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The Website at the End of the Universe: Battlestar Galactica appeals to both the high and the lowbrow


Selected Blog Updates:
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Alethea Kontis - "Live from Mo*Con"

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Are We Alone? - "Get Your Boson - New Episode"

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BELL CON 2008 - "Bell-Con Exclusive Comic By Ben Hansen"

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Boxcar Astronaut - "Spin Cycle!"

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Bret Jordan - "Knock, Knock...Who’s There? Death..."

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Cornelia - "Long Swords, Hot Heroes, & Warrior Women"

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Cynthia Leitich Smith - "Immortal: Love Stories with Bite", & "YA Book & Writer News; The Juliet Club Giveaway"

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Dark Horse Comics - "Hellboy Animated DVD 2 Pk W/ Figure Ltd Ed"

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Donna Barr: All Things Barr - "Crash and Bounce"

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Echelon Press, LLC - "Are you a Green Reader?"

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Fran Friel - "Happy Father’s Day!...and a little Cleggage", & "A Chrispy Review and Nashville Paneling"

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HARPER PERENNIAL - "Willy Vlautin and Chuck Palahniuk"

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Heather S. Ingemar - "Prophet’s Choice now on Fictionwise!"

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Horror Library Blog-O-Rama - "Happy Father’s Day!...and a little Cleggage - by Fran Friel", & "Old School and Competition, What A Combo By AJ Brown"

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JAMES AND DADDY - "Update 15th June 2008"

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Janet Lee Carey - "DRAGON’S KEEP PAPERBACK IS OUT"

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Jeff Carlson - "Rave review of PLAGUE YEAR", & "new Jeff Carlson short story !"

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"Jeremy C. Shipp, Dark Fiction Writer " - My Grandmother passed away today

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Marianne De Pierres - "MDP is a Hidden Talent", & "Suite 101"

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Paul S. Kemp - "Worlds of Their Own Table of Contents"

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Planet Pride - "Icy Oasis", "Comet Boattini Sails Towards the Sun", "Crossing the Interplanetary Dateline", & "June 2008 PDS Release"Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Robert J Sawyer's Blog - "Eulogy for Bill Dial", "BookExpo Canada", "Bill Dial, R.I.P."

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Sylvia Engdahl's "Toward Tomorrow" Blog - Semifinalist for the IPPY Award!

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Willie Meikle - "Short Script Available Audio", & "story at Well Told Tales"

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Yasmine Galenorn - "Dragon Wytch Countdown: Six Questions With Menolly", "Dragon Wytch Excerpt", "Dragon Wytch Countdown Giveaway 2", "I’ll be on the Raven Radio Blog Talk Radio Show...", & "Another great review of Dragon Wytch!"