I’ve never read a Glen Cook novel. I’m not a fan of the man’s attitude in interviews. But damn! I cannot get enough to the covers for his collections!
Anyone know the name of the artist?
I wasn’t enamoured by the UK cover art for Robin Hobb’s Dragon Keeper, and I’m not sure I like the NA version any better.
Is it me, or does that dragon look like something out of the CG cutscenes of a late-90’s computer RPG? Blah. I don’t mind the girl or the landscape so much…
The UK wing of Tor Books, along with SciFi magazine, announced a while ago that they were searching for the next great writer via a contest they were calling War of the Words. The concept was easy: submit your manuscript (80-150k words) and cross your fingers.
The rub? It was only open to aspiring writers who reside in the UK.
Luckily, they’ve come around and just recently opened the contest to everyone around the world (who… erm, have an English-language manuscript, I suppose).
Due to very popular demand, SciFiNow and Tor UK open competition, now sponsored by Play.com, to international applicants.
Aspiring writers from outside of the UK are now eligible to apply to leading consumer specialist magazine SciFiNow and SF imprint Tor UK’s competition to find the new voice in science fiction and fantasy.
Writers must submit a full synopsis of their novel, along with the first three chapters, by 20th August 2009. The judging panel is comprised of members of SciFiNow magazine and Tor UK, and a shortlist of six entries will be announced before the overall winner is revealed in SciFiNow issue 35, on sale 25 November 2009.
The rules and regulations:
1. The winner will receive a publishing contract with Macmillan Publishers Limited for publication in 2010 dependent on publishing schedules. For the purposes of this competition we will pay the winning author a 20% royalty on net receipts but there will be no advance (i.e. an advance payment against future sales). Our contract is non-negotiable and we acquire world rights, with rights revenue split 50/50. We also reserve the option to publish the author’s second novel. The final book is intended to be published in the United Kingdom. Publication will be subject to the winner’s acceptance in writing of those terms and conditions and compliance with them.
2. All entrants must have a full length novel (being between 80,000 and 150,000 words long) completed and available upon request by the close of competition on 20 August 2009.
3. Entrants who have had a full-length novel previously published by a trade publisher anywhere in the world will not be eligible, (so you will not be excluded by virtue of having any previously self-published work). Additionally this competition is not open to employees or their immediate families of the Promoters and any companies within the Imagine Publishing Ltd. group of companies or the Macmillan Publishers Limited group of companies.
4. To be eligible, initial entries must comprise of a full synopsis and the first three chapters of a novel set in the fantasy or science fiction genre. There must be a novel completed and available for review by 20 August 2009 should the judging panel request to see the full novel. Entrants will not be put forward to the shortlist without a full novel. The synopsis and first three chapters should be double spaced and emailed to: [email protected] to be received by SciFi Now Magazine at Imagine Publishing Limited on or before the closing date of 20 August 2009 17:30 GMT.
You can find the rest of the rules and regulations HERE.
With the August 20th, 2009 deadline, there’s only a bit of time left before entries are due, so get those manuscripts polished and send them off! My own manuscript won’t be ready by then, but to all those who do enter, best of luck!
A short story set in the same universe as Buckell’s totally awesome Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin and Sly Mongoose?
Yes, please.
Tiago would normally have taken his cut of the picked pockets and stopped right here at the Seaside Plaza. On the very edge, past the vendors on the cobblestone sea walk, Tiago would sit with his legs over the rocky sea wall and look out over the harbor.
Today he only detoured through the plaza to throw the crowd in between him and the woman chasing him.
He’d gotten a brief glimpse of her before the running started: tall, dark eyes, dark skin, dark leather jacket and microfibre pants, careful dreadlocks pulled back into a pony tail.
She was fast in the crowd. She wasn’t dodging around legs, using the ebb and flow of the masses to see open routes like Tiago. No, people who got in her way were just… thrown out of the way.
Too strong. She was some sort of soldier, Tiago thought, refocusing ahead.
He might have gotten himself into a bit of a situation.
Rumours and news have been pouring in about casting for HBO‘s upcoming pilot for their adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and finally some of those have been confirmed. In short, things are looking very good.
From Martin’s blog:
Yes, the rumors you’ve been seeing all over the web the last few days are true. Another huge piece has fallen into place for the HBO pilot of A GAME OF THRONES — we have signed Sean Bean to play the part of Lord Eddard Stark.
For the movie fans out there, Sean Bean needs no introduction. I mean, what the hell, he was Boromir and he was Sharpe, he was terrific in both roles, and in a hundred other parts besides. I can’t imagine a better Ned. The deal took some doing, so my fingers have been crossed for a month now (and boy, that made it hard to type), but now it’s done, and I’m thrilled.
Seriously? Could they have done a better job. Bean – who you probably know as Boromir from The Lord of the Rings movies – is a perfect fit for Ned Stark. A great blend of quiet nobility and powerful charisma, Bean gives me confidence that one of the most distinct and important characters from A Game of Thrones will be locked down for a great performance.
For King Robert I Baratheon, we’ve got Mark Addy, a veteran British actor of stage and screen that many of you may remember from his fine turn in A KNIGHT’S TALE.
Seems a little goofy and short to play Robert, but I’ll reserve judgment until I see how he looks in costume. Robert needs to be big, raucous and powerful, and I’m curious to see if Addy can pull it off.
The roles of Joffrey Baratheon, the crown prince, and Viserys Targaryen, the beggar king, have also been filled… by Jack Gleeson and Harry Lloyd, respectively. Sorry, I haven’t been able to find pictures of them on the internet yet, though I’m sure they are out there somewhere. I’ve seen readings by both Gleeson and Lloyd, and both should be terrific.
And last, but certainly not least, the role of the bastard Jon Snow will be played by a young actor named Kit Harington. You probably haven’t heard of him yet… but you will, we’re confident. David and Dan can’t say enough about his talent and intensity.
Looks boyishly handsome enough, beyond that it’s hard to really have an opinion about the casting. I’m glad they went with a relative unknown for this role.
Of course, there’s a lot more roles still to fill, including some very crucial ones like the Lannister twins, the Stark children, and Daenerys Targaryen, so the search will continue for awhile. But we’ve begun, and so far I couldn’t be happier. October is right around the corner
It’s nice also to know that they’ve been managing to fill a lot of the major roles, though I’m curious to see how they go about casting Jaime and Cersei, who are sure to be some of the toughest to cast, considering their role in the plot and the fact that they’re twins.
Though I’m trying to stay only cautiously optimistic about the adaptation, it’s hard not to get a little excited when seeing someone like Bean cast in a central role. Martin’s excitement is also a good sign, though I suppose it’s his job to get people excited about the show.
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