Out of the Woodwork 143. October 2008
Fantastic Literature - setting the standards for out of print on-line bookselling.

Welcome to our newsletter, it contains up to the minute news and gossip as well as awards details and items requiring help from the collective consciousness. If you wish to contribute please do so! We welcome your thoughts, your news items and any gossip! We do love a bit of gossip here at Fantastic HQ

Thought you might appreciate these two genre clues from the Independent of the 23rd September, just after our last newsletter:

4/29 Ac. Eccentric American, a doctor, got up last stand at church (7,6)

1/11 Ac. Diabolically meaningful work of 4/39, whence eight other clues (6,10)

Think you know - answers at the foot of the newsletter. (Simon)

Terry Pratchett talked candidly to the Daily Mail on the 7th October 2008 about his dementia. "I'm slipping away a bit at a time... and all I can do is watch it happen. It was my typing and spelling that convinced me the diagnosis was right. They had gone haywire. Other problems I put down to my looming 60th birthday.

I thought no one else had noticed the fumbling with seat belts and the several attempts to get clothing on properly, but my wife and PA were worrying. We still have the occasional Clapham Junction days, now understood and dealt with.

I have written 47 novels in the past 25 years, but now I have to check the spelling of even quite simple words - they just blank on me at random." Full interview.

Blogcritics interview with some company called Fantastic Literature Ltd. I don't really know what to make of it! Also same interview at The Dark Phantom Review.

To celebrate the centenary of 'The Wind in the Willows' and its enduring appeal, the River & Rowing Museum is inviting submissions of new river-related stories for a young 21st century audience. We're hoping to find a 'Wind in the Willows' for our times. The competition is part of this year's Henley Literary Festival.

Judges are award-winning/acclaimed writers for children and young adults: Beverley Birch ('Rift'), S.I. Martin ('Jupiter Williams'), Paul Bryers ('Kobal' from 'The Mysteries of the Septogram'), and Sarah Mussi ('The Door of No Return' ).

Stories can be a maximum of 4,000 words.

Ist Prize: £500 + Real Writers (fiction consultancy) assessment.
Two other cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd selections. (Full details and entry form)

One for the collective consciousness: I've been idly trying to find a copy of a sci-fi/futuristic book I read back in the 1980s which I borrowed from the library at the time. Unfortunately I can't remember the title or the author! I thought the author was Michael Frayn, but having searched various booksellers and the library catalogue he appears to be a playwright and doesn't appear to have written anything like the book I remember, so I'm probably mistaken in this.

However, the bit I do remember is the story. It was set sometime in the future, I think in Britain. The population lived in a protected environment, in some type of pods, still on the earth, but they didn't go outside, received virtual 'visitors' by audio and visual transmissions of some sort, food down tubes from outside (? not sure about that bit) and were generally led to believe that the outside world was physically dangerous to them. I think there were some sort of service engineers they could call in the event of equipment breakdown.

The main character was female - a teenaged daughter in a 2 parent/2child family I think - she eventually left the 'pod' and ran away. I remember the descripton of the outside of the pods and the 'real' world that she first encountered of just being masses and masses of cables and conduits that 'fed' all the pods and kept the community alive and it being very dusty and dirty. I think she eventually found 'real' people who were living outside in the atmosphere as a completely separate community from the 'pod' people. I have a vague recollection of thinking that the community she eventually ended up in was in Wales, but I could be making that up.

I also remember ordering a copy for a friend at the time, it was quite a slim paperback and still in print in the late 80s, unfortunately my friend has long since lost the book!

Does this story ring any bells? Can you help?

And another:

All of the excitment in the financial world of late, apart from reminding me of that Chinese curse about interesting times, reminded me of a story I read a while back. America was threatened with a recession, and someone traced the origins back to an individual somewhere in the backwoods who decided not to buy a new car or something. He was then given the money for whatever he had decided he couldn't afford and the whole impending recession unravelled. I (and doubtless the erstwhile, self-styled Masters of the Universe) would be grateful if your erudite readers could point me in the direction of this story.

Thanks, and keep up the good work,

Kind regards,

David (can you help with this one?)

TOP 10 BEST-PAID AUTHORS
1. JK Rowling - $300m (£170m) - currently - £5 every single second (BBC)
2. James Patterson - $50m (£28m)
3. Stephen King - $45m (£25m)
4. Tom Clancy - $35m (£20m)
5. Danielle Steel - $30m (£17m)
6. John Grisham - $25m (£14m)
6. Dean Koontz - $25m (£14m)
8. Ken Follett - $20m (£11m)
9. Janet Evanovich - $17m (£10m)
10. Nicholas Sparks - $16m (£9m)
Source: Forbes magazine

James Crumley dies : Popular crime writer whose low-life novels were infused with a rugged wit. The hard-hitting crime writer James Crumley wrote novels of a honed, rugged wit that were narrated by investigators as down-at-heel as their quarries. (Independent obituary)

Author Sir Salman Rushdie has been honoured by an Irish university with an award in memory of his greatest inspiration - writer James Joyce.

Accepting the James Joyce Award at University College Dublin, Sir Salman said he said he had learnt "a daring of language" from Joyce (Full BBC story)

CWA announce Ellis Peters Historical Award 2008 Shortlist.

The Ellis Peters Historical award is given each year to the best historical crime novel. The prize of £3,000 is sponsored by The Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Time Warner Books UK. The six books on the 2008 shortlist are:

Ariana Franklin, The Death Maze, Bantam Press
Philip Kerr, A Quiet Flame, Quercus
Andrew Martin, Death on a Branch Line, faber and faber
C J Sansom, Revelation, Macmillan
Andrew Taylor, Bleeding Heart Square, Michael Joseph
Laura Wilson, Stratton’s War, Orion

(CWA)

Jude Law will be Dr Watson to Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie's reworking of the super sleuth, the director has announced. Ritchie, whose last film RocknRolla topped the UK box office, announced the casting at a London press conference. Other stars confirmed include Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, Mark Strong as villain Blackwood, and Kelly Reilly as Watson's love interest Mary. Full BBC story

Variety reports that Kenneth Branagh is in talks to direct the new "Thor" movie

Kenneth Branagh is negotiating to direct "Thor," the next Marvel Comics property that will be turned into a live-action film by Marvel Studios. Pic will be released in 2010.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige's choice of Branagh is surprising, as Branagh hasn't really directed an action-heavy film since his debut on "Henry V," a bloody telling of the British king's conquest of France.

Branagh is the latest in a string of directors -- such as Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), Christopher Nolan (the Batman franchise) and Gavin Hood ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") -- with arthouse roots taking on big-budget comicbook fare. (Variety story in full)

New Award for 2009 - The David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy will be presented in 2009 for the best fantasy novel of 2008. The award will be given to a work written in the 'spirit' of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy. Voting opens on December 26th 2008. David Gemmell Legend Award

Steven Spielberg has acquired the rights to John Wyndham's sf shocker "Chocky". DreamWorks has acquired the dramatic rights to the science fiction novel "Chocky" from Pollinger Ltd., the U.K. agency that handles the literary estate of the late author John Wyndham. Steven Spielberg is said to be keen to make the adaptation his next directing project. Full Hollywood reporter story.
Press Release - 28th September 2008

After the Tardis - Russell T Davies profile. Independent 4/10/08.

Derek Gunn's Vampire Apocalypse trilogy - second book released.

The second book in the Vampire Apocalypse trilogy from Irish author Derek Gunn, has been released by KHP Industries under their Black Death Books imprint. Descent into Chaos follows A World Torn Asunder, Derek's debut novel (September 2006) which was widely praised on both sides of the Atlantic and is in development as a movie.

According to the author, the Vampire Apocalypse stories are set in the near future in a world grown insular after a brief war has left the world depleted of resources. Fuel is rationed, States close their borders, communities die and technology stagnates. It's not too improbable anymore either. As the world struggles to cope with such problems, the vampires come from the shadows and quietly begin to take over community after community. They offer power to those who will join them and death to those who don't. It doesn't take long and, after a brutal but brief war, they take control. They use a serum and Thralls to control the population, wall the cities off and breed humans as stock. The Thralls are humans who have been bitten but have not fully become vampires. They have enhanced speed and strength and guard the vampires during the day when they could be vulnerable.

Storm Front #1 shipping, a Dresden Halloween costume contest, and more…

ATLANTA, GA – October 1st, 2008 – October is a special month for The Dresden Files. Why you ask? Because Halloween happens to be the birthday of one Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden…i.e. everyone's favorite magic-wielding, hard-boiled detective, and star of the much beloved Dresden Files series of novels by author Jim Butcher.

In celebration of that, and in recognition of the warm reception to the first Dabel Brothers Dresden Files original comic book series written by Butcher, Welcome to the Jungle, we are excited to declare October as Dresden Files month at Dabel Brothers Publishing! We have quite a few Dresden things happening this month…

First off, The Dresden Files: Storm Front #1 ships last week in October. Storm Front adapts Jim Butcher's very first Dresden Files novel, and is written by Mark Powers (G.I. Joe, Drafted) with art by Ardian Syaf. Storm Front follows Harry through the investigation of a double murder committed by the use of black magic. Fan anticipation on this series has been high... Storm Front will be a two-part series, each series containing 4 issues, shipping monthly beginning in October.

Second, The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle hard cover graphic novel ships from Del Rey this month, in stores October 14th. Welcome to the Jungle has been a hit with the critics and fans alike…with the first three issues selling out almost immediately after release. Welcome to the Jungle has also been one of the highest pre-order graphic novels on Amazon.com over the last six months. Reserve your copy today from your local bookseller or comics shop.

Third, Dabel Brothers has a Dresden Files poster shipping in October. The poster art by Ardian Syaf is a scene from Storm Front which depicts Harry dangling from one wrist while trying to fight off giant scorpions, murderous toad demons, and insane ritualists…WHILE the house is burning down around his ears. Measuring 18" x 24", it'll be available from your local comics shop.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we are announcing a Dresden Files Halloween Costume Contest, the official rules of which are below.

DABEL BROTHERS DRESDEN FILES 2008 HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST Dabel Brothers Publishing is proud to announce the first ever Dresden Files Halloween Costume Contest!

The idea is simple: dress up as your favorite character from the Dresden Files, whether it's Harry, Murphy, Kincaid, Michael, Thomas, Susan, Johnny Marcone, Morgan, Ebenezar, or…well, you get the point.

Take a photo of yourself, or better yet, have someone else do that for you…and then submit them to us for consideration.

The photos must be e-mailed to: <dresdencontest@dabelbrothers.com> In the body of the e-mail please include your contact information, including name, address and phone number. IMPORTANT NOTE: You may submit 2 photos max, per entry. If you submit more than 2 photos, you will be disqualified. No duplicate entries please.

Of all the submissions, the best photos will be whittled down by the Dabel Bros. staff to ten finalists, and of those 10, Jim Butcher himself will help decide the winners. Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1ST PLACE

- Original piece of Ardian Syaf art from issue of Welcome to the Jungle mini series

- Set of all 10 Dresden Files novels signed by Jim Butcher

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle hard cover graphic novel signed by Jim Butcher

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Storm Front #1 signed by Jim Butcher

- Bob the skull mug

2ND PLACE

- Set of all 10 Dresden Files novels signed by Jim Butcher

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle hard cover graphic novel signed by Jim Butcher

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Storm Front #1 signed by Jim Butcher

- Bob the skull mug

3RD PLACE

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle hard cover graphic novel signed by Jim Butcher

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Storm Front #1 signed by Jim Butcher

- Bob the skull mug

CONSOLATION PRIZE/RUNNER UP

- Copy of The Dresden Files: Storm Front #1 signed by Jim Butcher

Additionally, 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners will have their photos published in the back of an upcoming issue of The Dresden Files: Storm Front comic book.

Dabel Brothers will award consolation prize of a copy of Storm Front #1 to as many runners up as they deem appropriate, at their own discretion.

Dabel Brothers will start taking submissions on Oct 1st and stop taking submissions on Oct 31st at midnight. On November 7th we will announce the winners on dabelbrothers.com.

Again, the address to e-mail photos to is: <dresdencontest@dabelbrothers.com> Maximum 2 photos per contestant entrance...any more than that and you will disqualified.

So get busy on those costumes and we look forward to seeing your photos!

Del Rey Books, was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. In 2004 it expanded by launching Del Rey Manga, which has grown to be a major force in the U.S. graphic-novel field.

More information about Del Rey Books can be found at http://www.delreybooks.com.

Dept of Smug Self satisfaction Cont:

Hi Guys!
"Fruiting Bodies" arrived today!
That was amazingly fast!
It's another wonderful book as usual!
and just in time for Halloween! :-)
Thanks, take care and enjoy the weekend.

Doug.

Of course you knew, 4/29 Ac. Ambrose Bierce and 1/11Ac Devils Dictionary

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