ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Has Published!

Yesterday was the official publication date for ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. I’ve already written a little bit about this book’s history; after four years, I’m so so thrilled that Greg’s book is on bookshelves for all to read and enjoy!

In the lead-up to publication day, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED has had a number of exciting developments! It’s an ABA Indies Introduce selection for Fall/Summer 2017, an ABA Kids’ Indie Next selection for Autumn 2017, and named one of the most anticipated August 2017 YA releases by both B&N and PopCrush. Greg also made appearances at San Diego Comic Con (!!!) and Book Expo America.

Check out the amazing book trailer Greg put together!

 

Intrigued? You can also read an excerpt of ALL RIGHTS RESERVED over at The Boston Review. Because who doesn’t love sneak peeks?

I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite review quotes:

“Katsoulis paints a picture of a world that is one part 1984, one part The Hunger Games, and one part Minority Report. The subject matter couldn’t be more timely.” —Geek Dad

“Though she doesn’t speak, Speth has been given a distinctive and memorable voice by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. All Rights Reserved is both deeply troubling and utterly captivating; a must read for fans of the dystopic, and more specifically of M.T. Anderson’s Feed.”—Shelf Awareness

“Between the clever premise and the protagonist’s stand against a repressive society, Katsoulis’s work is timely and will appeal to fans of Dan Wells’s Bluescreen, M.T. Anderson’s Feed, Cecelia Ahern’s Flawed, or Scott Westerfeld’s ‘Uglies.’”—School Library Journal

“A chilling, unnerving, and timely debut novel about what it means to speak out, even in silence.”—Katharine McGee, New York Times bestselling author of The Thousandth Floor

Pick up a copy at your favorite retailer or library! :D

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Sale! All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis

In early April 2013, I became an full-time literary agent at JABberwocky Literary Agency. In late April 2013, I received a query from an author seeking representation for his YA dystopian manuscript. According to Everyone™, dystopians were extremely hard to sell, a feeling that hasn’t changed much in the intervening three years. But the concept was fresh and unique: in a world where words and gestures have all been copyrighted and you have to pay for the privilege of speaking. After working on some revisions with the author, I was honored to sign him and his amazing manuscript.

Which brings us to now:

I’m so, so excited to have found a home for both Greg and All Rights Reserved. He was one of my very first clients, All Rights Reserved is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you’ve finished, and I look forward to working with Greg on many more thought-provoking novels!

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Pre-Worldcon Summer Round Up

Several exciting things happened this summer (and they say publishing is slow in the summer, ha!) in book-land: three books by two different clients published, and one client had a cover reveal/excerpt appear on the B&N SFF Blog!

Firstly, three books published!

Kathleen Kimmel’s second novel in her Birch Hall romance series, A Gentleman’s Guide to Scandal, published in June. As is common for romance sequels two supporting characters from Kimmel’s debut, A Lady’s Guide to Ruin, get to star in a story of their very own! Gentleman’s Guide is Elinor Hargrove and Colin Spenser’s story, and has been called “Great fun from start to finish” (Kirkus), “a delightful, fresh voice in the genre” (Romantic Times in a 4-star review), along with “sizzling chemistry” and “a fearless heroine” (Publishers Weekly). For those who love second chances or enemies*-to-lovers tropes, be sure to take a look!

*more like bickering-to-lovers, but close enough!

K. Eason had not one, but two books publish this summer: her debut fantasy Enemy in June, and its sequel Outlaw in July. These are epic fantasy, in the vein of Kameron Hurley and N. K. Jemisin: dark but not too bleak, playing with gender roles, complete with complex magic systems and multi-layered politics, as well as a whole lot of action. It takes two of my favorite fantasy character types (assassins and outsiders/loners) and does so much with them. The female protagonist (Snowdenaelikk) is a half-breed assassin, which means she gets dumped on by almost every societal class, but she excels at what she does regardless. The male protagonist (Veiko) is outlawed from his (Scandinavian-esque) tribe for doing the wrong thing for the right reason. He and Snow make an unlikely partnership, pulls it all together flawlessly.

Enemy skyrocketed to the #1 slot in multiple Amazon Kindle categories, including sword & sorcery and dark fantasy, and stayed in the top 100 in the Kindle store for just over a month. With hundreds of 4- and 5-star reviews at Goodreads and Amazon, it’s easy to see why readers have taken to Eason’s work so quickly.

Secondly, cover art!

The B&N SFF Blog had the honor of presenting the fantastic cover of K. C. Alexander’s “nanopunk” thriller, Necrotech! They also have an excerpt up, so go check it out in advance of its September publication date. The many amazing quotes K. C. has already received from SFF powerhouse authors makes it difficult to add anything new, so suffice it to say, Necrotech is a really fun, fast-paced read with a really kick-ass, take-no-prisoners heroine.

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A Story and an Excerpt

The Things by Peter Watts is a 2011 Hugo Award Nominee, 2010 BSFA Award Finalist, 2010 Shirley Jackson Award Winner, 2011 Finalist: the Locus Award for Best Short Story, 2011 Theodore Sturgeon Award Nominee. I’ve not seen John Carpenter’s The Thing, the movie Watts’ story is based on, but I found Watts’ story captivating nonetheless. It’s available for free over at Clarkesworld Magazine.

Something else that’s currently available: an excerpt from The Siren Depths, the third book in Martha Wells‘ Raksura series. I read and enjoyed the first two books, The Cloud Roads and The Serpent Sea earlier this year. The Siren Depths is one book I’ll be looking forward to this December!

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Hugo 2012 Award Nominations

The Hugo Awards nominees have been announced! The winners will be announced this year at Chicon 7: the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), held in Chicago this year, August 30-September 3, 2012.

Congratulations to all of the nominees!

Best Novel

• Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor)
• A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin (Bantam Spectra)
• Deadline by Mira Grant (Orbit)
• Embassytown by China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey)
• Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)

Best Novella

• Countdown by Mira Grant (Orbit)
• “The Ice Owl” by Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, 11-12/11)
• “Kiss Me Twice” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, 6/11)
• “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s, 9-10/11)
• “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” by Ken Liu (Panverse Three)
• Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld)

Best Novelette

• “The Copenhagen Interpretation” by Paul Cornell (Asimov’s, 7/11)
• “Fields of Gold” by Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse Four)
• “Ray of Light” by Brad R. Torgersen (Analog, 12/11)
• “Six Months, Three Days” by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com)
• “What We Found” by Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, 9-10/11)

Best Short Story

• “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld, 4/11)
• “The Homecoming” by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s, 4-5/11)
• “Movement” by Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s, 3/11)
• “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, 3-4/11)
• “Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue” by John Scalzi (Tor.com)

Best Related Work

• The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Third Edition edited by John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls, and Graham Sleight (Gollancz)
• Jar Jar Binks Must Die… and Other Observations about Science Fiction Movies by Daniel M. Kimmel (Fantastic Books)
• The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature by Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers (Abrams Image)
• Wicked Girls by Seanan McGuire
• Writing Excuses, Season 6 by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Jordan Sanderson

Best Graphic Story (339 ballots)

• Digger by Ursula Vernon (Sofawolf Press)
• Fables Vol 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
• Locke & Key Volume 4, Keys to the Kingdom written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
• Schlock Mercenary: Force Multiplication written and illustrated by Howard Tayler, colors by Travis Walton (The Tayler Corporation)
• The Unwritten (Volume 4): Leviathan created by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. Written by Mike Carey, illustrated by Peter Gross (Vertigo)

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)

• Captain America: The First Avenger, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephan McFeely, directed by Joe Johnston (Marvel)
• Game of Thrones (Season 1), created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss; written by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, and George R. R. Martin; directed by Brian Kirk, Daniel
• Minahan, Tim van Patten, and Alan Taylor (HBO)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner Bros.)
• Hugo, screenplay by John Logan; directed by Martin Scorsese (Paramount)
• Source Code, screenplay by Ben Ripley; directed by Duncan Jones (Vendome Pictures)

Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)

• “The Doctor’s Wife” (Doctor Who), written by Neil Gaiman; directed by Richard Clark (BBC Wales)
• “The Drink Tank’s Hugo Acceptance Speech,” Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon (Renovation)
• “The Girl Who Waited” (Doctor Who), written by Tom MacRae; directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
• “A Good Man Goes to War” (Doctor Who), written by Steven Moffat; directed by Peter Hoar (BBC Wales)
• “Remedial Chaos Theory” (Community), written by Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna; directed by Jeff Melman (NBC)

Best Editor (Short Form)

• John Joseph Adams
• Neil Clarke
• Stanley Schmidt
• Jonathan Strahan
• Sheila Williams

Best Editor (Long Form)

• Lou Anders
• Liz Gorinsky
• Anne Lesley Groell
• Patrick Nielsen Hayden
• Betsy Wollheim

Best Professional Artist

• Dan dos Santos
• Bob Eggleton
• Michael Komarck
• Stephan Martiniere
• John Picacio

Best Semiprozine

• Apex Magazine edited by Catherynne M. Valente, Lynne M. Thomas, and Jason Sizemore
• Interzone edited by Andy Cox
• Lightspeed edited by John Joseph Adams
• Locus edited by Liza Groen Trombi, Kirsten Gong-Wong, et al.
• New York Review of Science Fiction edited by David G. Hartwell, Kevin J. Maroney, Kris Dikeman, and Avram Grumer

Best Fanzine

• Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
• The Drink Tank edited by James Bacon and Christopher J Garcia
• File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
• Journey Planet edited by James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, et al.
• SF Signal edited by John DeNardo

Best Fan Writer

• James Bacon
• Claire Brialey
• Christopher J Garcia
• Jim C. Hines
• Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist

• Brad W. Foster
• Randall Munroe
• Spring Schoenhuth
• Maurine Starkey
• Steve Stiles
• Taral Wayne

Best Fancast

• The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe
• Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts (presenters) and Andrew Finch (producer)
• SF Signal Podcast, John DeNardo and JP Frantz, produced by Patrick Hester
• SF Squeecast, Lynne M. Thomas, Seanan McGuire, Paul Cornell, Elizabeth Bear, and Catherynne M. Valente
• StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Note: This is not a Hugo Award. It’s for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2010 or 2011 (2-year eligibility), sponsored by Dell Magazines

• Mur Lafferty
• Stina Leicht
• Karen Lord *
• Brad R. Torgersen *
• E. Lily Yu

*2nd year of eligibility

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Nebula 2011 Award Nominations

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced the 2011 Nebula Award Nominees (presented in 2012), as well as the nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book. The winners will be announced at the SFWA 47th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, May 17-May 20, 2012, in Arlington, VA.

The nominees are:

Novel

• God’s War, Kameron Hurley (Night Shade)
• The Kingdom of Gods, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Firebird, Jack McDevitt (Ace)
• Embassytown, China Miéville (Del Rey)
• Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, Genevieve Valentine (Prime)
• Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)

Novella

• “With Unclean Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Analog, 11/11)
• “The Ice Owl,” Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 11-12/11)
• “The Man Who Bridged the Mist,” Kij Johnson (Asimov’s, 10-11/11)
• “Kiss Me Twice,” Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, 6/11)
• “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” Ken Liu (Panverse Three)
• “Silently and Very Fast,” Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld Magazine, 10/11)

Novelette

• “Fields of Gold,” Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse 4, Night Shade Books)
• “Ray of Light,” Brad R. Torgersen (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, 12/11)
• “Sauerkraut Station,” Ferrett Steinmetz (Giganotosaurus, 11/11)
• “Six Months, Three Days,” Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com, June 2011)
• “The Migratory Pattern of Dancers,” Katherine Sparrow (Giganotosaurus, July 2011)
• “The Old Equations,” Jake Kerr (Lightspeed Magazine, July 2011)
• “What We Found,” Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September/October 2011)

Short Story

• “Her Husband’s Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine, October 2011)
• “Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son,” Tom Crosshill (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011)
• “Movement,” Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2011)
• “Shipbirth,” Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2011)
• “The Axiom of Choice,” David W. Goldman (New Haven Review, Winter 2011)
• “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees,” E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld Magazine, April 2011)
• “The Paper Menagerie,” Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March/April 2011)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

• Attack the Block, Joe Cornish (writer/director) (Optimum Releasing; Screen Gems)
• Captain America: The First Avenger, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (writers), Joe Johnston (director) (Paramount)
• Doctor Who: “The Doctor’s Wife,” Neil Gaiman (writer), Richard Clark (director) (BBC Wales)
• Hugo, John Logan (writer), Martin Scorsese (director) (Paramount)
• Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (writer/director) (Sony)
• Source Code, Ben Ripley (writer), Duncan Jones (director) (Summit)
• The Adjustment Bureau, George Nolfi (writer/director) (Universal)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction andFantasy Book

• Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (Viking Juvenile)
• Chime, Franny Billingsley (Dial Books; Bloomsbury)
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Laini Taylor (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Hodder & Stoughton)
• Everybody Sees the Ants, A.S. King (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• The Boy at the End of the World, Greg van Eekhout (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
• The Freedom Maze, Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House)
• The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Rae Carson (Greenwillow Books)
• Ultraviolet, R.J. Anderson (Orchard Books; Carolrhoda Lab)

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Reading Round-up

I’ve been a busy little reader! Here’s a quick run-down of the stories I’ve read in the last week or two:

• Talyn and Hawkspar by Holly Lisle

I really liked Talyn. It had a unique take on magic use with an interesting plot twist. Hawkspar, while interesting, was average in comparison to Talyn. The “dream style” foreshadowing she used with great success in Talyn appeared overused and tired in Hawkspar. You don’t have to read them in order, as they do stand on their own, but Talyn sets up some fairly major background concepts for the universe of Korre.

Synopses: Talyn, a military mage, is ultimately the only person who can protect her country from a peace gone wrong, negotiated by deceitful diplomats. 15 years later, Hawkspar continues to set right the wrongs committed by those same diplomats.

• The Furies of Caulderon, Academ’s Fury, Cursor’s Fury, Captain’s Fury by Jim Butcher (Codex Alera series)

I read and loved Jim Butcher’s other series, The Dresden Files. When I noticed that he had other books, I immediately picked them up. The Codex Alera series is completely different in writing style and tone than The Dresden Files. It’s refreshing to see an author who is that flexible with his writing styles. One negative about the series, though I ultimately liked it, is that the story didn’t really become compelling for me until book two.

Synopsis: In a world where everyone has a personal elemental to perform magic, Tavi has none. Through cunning and intelligence (and not magic), he helps save the kingdom from ruin, invasion, and rebellion.

• The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

As much as I hate to say it, The Shadow Queen is a cookie-cutter Black Jewels universe novel. I loved the original trilogy (Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of Darkness) and the first stand-alone novel (The Invisible Ring), but The Shadow Queen left me unsatisfied. It felt like it would have been better suited as a short story. The novel focused on (kind-of-mostly) the main characters Cassidy, Gray, and Theran, who are trying to find a Queen who isn’t a torturing crazy-person to heal the country from the torturing crazy-person Queens’ abuses. I expected to learn more about the universe and what made this specific country and conflict unique within the context of the other novels. Unfortunately, the main plot combined elements Bishop has used in the universe’s other novels; the main characters’ plot is mostly window dressing for Daemon to make a reappearance.

The Shadow Queen also focused on the heroes from the original trilogy: Daemon, whose fragile sanity is threatened when his wife kinda-sorta-not-even-a-little-bit acts like the torturing crazy-person Queens who tortured him for most of his life; Saetan (his father), whose sanity is threatened when he is reminded of when he was denied paternity rights to his son because the mother was a torturing crazy-person Queen; and Lucivar (Daemon’s brother) brings them all through it with insubordination and shocking language. But this story was supposed to be about Cassidy-Gray-Theran, right? In my opinion, Bishop should have written two separate stories to properly do each one justice. I think each story has merit, but the way they were published was not kind to either of them.

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