Chris Howard's Writing & Art

Lost Dogs and Fireplace Archeology

And I thought it was a damn good day already...now it's perfect.

One of several short stories--both fantasy and sf--I have sub'd all over the place, "Lost Dogs and Fireplace Archeology" is going to Fantasy Magazine!  So happy about this.  I received an official acceptance email this morning, contract to follow, but it's just so cool to see this on Sean Wallace's journal: http://oldcharliebrown.livejournal.com/268587.html

Here's Cat Rambo's post on the same, http://catrambo.livejournal.com/244878.html. 1400 emails to sort?  Hundreds of stories to wade through every month? Oh, the life of an editor. I don't think I could handle it. 

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Jeff Hayes

Have you checked out Jeff's work lately?  Jeff's a friend of mine, a Boston-area artist working in oils.  I get his blog fed through my reader, I see all the amazing work he's been doing, but I've been falling down on the job of linking and commenting. 

http://jeffhayesfinearts.blogspot.com/

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Juno Books hooks up with Simon & Schuster

Juno Books, publisher of Seaborn has struck a very nice deal with S&S imprint Pocket Books.

Copying this directly from the Juno Books blog:

POCKET BOOKS IN CO-PUBLISHING AGREEMENT WITH JUNO BOOKS
TO PUBLISH CONTEMPORARY FANTASY FICTION

New York, New York (January 19, 2009) – Louise Burke, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Pocket Books, has announced a new co-publishing agreement with Juno Books, best known for contemporary fantasy novels that emphasize strong female protagonists in richly imagined contexts. Juno will become an imprint of Pocket Books, publishing one title per month with the first release, AMAZON INK by Lori Devoti, slated for June 2009.

Juno Books began its publishing program in Fall 2006 and quickly became noted in the fantasy fiction genre for such breakout successes as Carole Nelson Douglas and Stacia Kane and garnering critical acclaim for many of their titles.

“Pocket Books and Juno Books are a great fit,” said Louise Burke. “We’ve seen great growth in this category, are delighted to now have a dedicated line, and look forward to helping to cultivate a wider audience for Juno’s terrific roster of authors.”

Juno Books Editor Paula Guran said: “I’m tremendously excited about the opportunity to help take Juno to the next level through our association with Pocket Books. Both Juno and fantasy readers in general will gain immensely by sales and marketing reach of Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster, while still getting the best of our editorial sensibility.”

Pocket Books Senior Editor Jennifer Heddle will work in concert with Juno Books Editor Paula Guran.

Sly Mongoose Review

Title: Sly Mongoose
Author: Tobias S. Buckell
Publisher:  Tor
Age: Teen and up.  Some language and violence, but very accessible. 
Get it: Amazon | B&N | Powell's | IndieBound (used to be Booksense)
More: Tobias Buckell Online

I'm already Tobias Buckell fan, and to set the general theme of this review, I'll start with what I said about Sly Mongoose at a little past the reading halfway point:  I thought Tobias Buckell already kicked ass with Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin, but now that I'm halfway through Sly Mongoose, I've found there is far more ass to be kicked--far more than I ever dreamed!

And now that I've finished reading Sly Mongoose, I'll say I like them all, but this story is my favorite so far.

Pressure is everywhere, a crushing atmosphere on the surface of Chilo, on the reader who feels the weight on the shoulders of Timas--and we know we'd cave with half of what this young xocoyotzin must bear.  Sly Mongoose comes racing through Chilo's atmosphere on a makeshift heat-shield and no parachute--and the story never slows down, jumps without warning to new tracks, characters--and readers--all headed one way and then we're broadsided.  Suddenly we're all plummeting into Chilo's toxic atmosphere, pressure's rising, and the plot opens, scattering characters.   

Some important points, things I noticed: New characters drop into the fray, even late in the story, but they didn't seem to slow things down.  Another point: Buckell pulls off an extraordinary couple chapter long flashback that doesn't lag, but kicks the plot into higher gear, letting readers in on what really happened--through Pepper's POV--aboard the Sheikh Professional.  We read the truth and know what nastiness is in store for an entire planet, while the citizens of Yatapek--the floating city in which he "lands"--and his Aeolian captors just hear Pepper's side of the story in those same chapters, not a lot to compel them to believe he's telling them everything or even the truth.  Come on, zombies from outer space?  That's the best you can come up with?       

Expect to move through Sly Mongoose at an incredible pace with the building pressure, floating cities, vaporizing heat, poisonous fumes, viral brain-killing weapons, planets burned of all life, a near-unstoppable swarming army, and not much standing in the way but one resourceful old soldier missing a couple limbs, a bulimic technician who works on Chilo's 800 degree surface, and a young woman with the voices of whole civilizations running through her senses and her mind.   Yeah, I was up to 4:00 in the morning reading and wondering how the hell they were going to pull it off.

Right to the point, Buckell continues his course of great storytelling, with steady, beautifully unobtrusive  prose, bold and unpredictable plotting, characters that really stick in your head--that you fall for, strongly sympathize with, and would pay to hang out with in any Seattle coffee shop, or a good Akihabura tech buying spree.  I'm looking at you, Pepper.  Not the most sympathetic character around, but you're that across-the-board cool. 

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Books are here...well, there.

Right now, I'm here, not there.  Just got a call from Chloe--my daughter--who tells me there's a box of books of Seaborn on the front porch.  Seaborn won't be out on shelves for three weeks, but I have some now!  There will be pictures and a post when I get home!

Books!

I just received an email from Paula at Juno Books, the subject  was "Books!"  Yes, she has Seaborn in print, and she's going to send me a box.

We're back from Saratoga Springs

I'm totally wiped out, coming down with a cold.  I slept horribly the whole time we were out there, and dragged through the days like a zombie.  I did get some great pics though, which shows that even zombies can handle today's tech with little or no brain activity.

Before I get started:  Alice, you made all this happen!  We wouldn't have made it to Saratoga Springs without your perseverance, patience, low-sleep driving skills, scrupulous tile-bleaching, and tolerance of my bad behavior.  Thank you.

World Fantasy 2007 was simply amazing.  I didn't know what to expect.  This is a professional and "serious reader" conference with editors and agents and authors running around, lunching, doing business in the halls.  I hardly saw Paula Guran, had a five minute chat with her and Matt Cook (Blood Magic), and then she was gone, off presumably doing the things editors do at these kinds of get togethers.  When I did see her later, she looked too busy to stop and talk.

I took my daughter Chloe along with me on this one, and we had a good time tracking down her favorite authors, Scott Westerfeld, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Garth Nix, (some of mine, too), and getting them to sign books--which all were happy to do.

We sat in on quite a few panels, but I think these were the best:

• How a Book Cover is Chosen. Irene Gallo, Jacob Weisman, Tom Kidd, Lou Anders, John Picacio
• The Best Fantasy Worlds. Kathleen Woodbury, Delia Sherman, Joel Champetier, Charlaine Harris
• Ghosts and Revenants Down Under. Garth Nix, Jack Dann, Robert Hood, Kaaron Warren, Deborah Biancotti
• Reading: Young Adult Writers group reading. Holly Black, Cassie Clare, Sarah Beth Durst, Tiffany Trent.

I'll stop here to point out that Delia Sherman is amazing, and Charlaine Harris is hilarious, but even Charlaine couldn't compete with the Aussies.

The Australian authors were the funniest group there, ranging all over the fantastic map with Australian themes for stories, poisonous insects and snakes, isolation as a fundamental influencer in Australian lit, and they even broke out in song with Garth Nix leading several lines of Waltzing Mathilda. 

We hit the autograph session late Friday and got a few more pics.  I met Maria Lima, and Chloe scouted out the authors she wanted sigs from.

Fantasy Worlds, Book Covers

Australian authors, YA Reading

The main reception area / me and Lois McMaster Bujold in front of the Prime Books table.  (Wow!)

Jim Frenkel of Tor and Craig Shaw Gardner / Chloe with Sarah Beth Durst

Chloe getting (another) autograph from Bruce Coville, and then from Tamora Pierce.

Chloe with Holly Black, and a little later getting Cassandra Clare's autograph.

Chloe and Scott Westerfeld, and Garth Nix signing Sabriel for Chloe.

I am going to do my best to get to World Fantasy 2008 in Calgary.  Hope to see you there.

Seaborn cover art by Tim Lantz

See more of Tim Lantz's work at the gallery page at Juno Books.

I absolutely love it.  What do you think? 

See a little bit larger pic on Tim Lantz's dA page: http://archeon.deviantart.com/art/Seaborn-68259916

Seaborn by *archeon on deviantART

http://stygiandarkness.com

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My first quote for Seaborn!

This is from Adele Griffin, author of where I want to be (National Book Award Finalist):

"From the first page of Seaborn, you are immersed. Chris Howard navigates a wild ride through a brilliantly edgy and richly atmospheric alter-world. Here is a fresh, formidable spin on the fantasy genre, and Howard is a talent to watch out for. Seaborn will leave you spellbound." --Adele Griffin

Wow.

Holly Black Live at Readergirlz

The readergirlz will host a live chat with Holly Black author of Tithe, Valiant, Ironside, the Spiderwick Chronicles.  Cool cool stuff.  I've read Tithe and Valiant, and ashamed to say I haven't picked up Ironside yet. Here's the time:

Thursday, August 23rd at 7 PM Pacific / 10 PM Eastern