Mark Anthony Brennan sells short story to Bondage anthology

Mark Anthony Brennan sold his short story "Red Rain" to the Bondage anthology, which is to be released by Sam's Dot Publishing in early 2006.

Douglas Smith sells novelette, short story

Douglas Smith has sold a novelette, "Memories of the Dead Man," to On Spec, and a short story, "The Dancer at the Red Door," to the DAW anthology Under the Cover of Darkness (from Tekno Books, editors Julie Czerneda and Jana Paniccia).

A translation of Doug's novelette "Enlightenment" (InterZone #194) is up at the Italian webzine, Delos, with a very cool illustration by Luca Vergerio that, says Doug, "actually captures the key themes of the story (how often does that happen?)." Translations of other stories are upcoming in France, Hungary, Netherlands, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

Derryl Murphy sells story to anthology

Derryl Murphy has sold a short story, "Over the Darkened Landscape," for the anthology Mythspring, edited by Julie Czernada. Says Derryl, "This is the first in a projected series of stories about Mackenzie King, Psychic Detective."

Eileen Kernaghan novel earns publisher a Saskatchewan Book Award nomination

Thistledown Press has been shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award, for Publishing in Education, for Eileen Kernaghan's novel The Alchemist's Daughter.

The award is presented to the Saskatchewan publisher of the best book produced as an educational resource, based on its value to educators at primary, secondary or post secondary levels, literary or artistic value, the quality of editing, book design, production and content.

The other nominees are the Canadian Plains Research Center for The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, the Canadian Plains Research Center for Saskatchewan Premiers of the Twentieth Century, Gordon L. Barnhart, ed., the Canadian Plains Research Center for Letters Home, David E. Smith, ed., Hagios Press for Songs to Kill a Wîhtikow by Neal McLeod, and Nature Saskatchewan for Prairie Phoenix (Lilium philadelphicum): The Red Lily in Saskatchewan, by Bonnie J. Lawrence and Anna L. Leighton.

The awards will be presented at a gala evening in Regina on November 25.

Holly Phillips interview in Strange Horizons

There's an interview with Holly Phillips in Strange Horizons.

Matt Hughes sells another story to Postscripts

Matt Hughes has sold another story to Postscripts. Says Matt, "It's about my portly fraudster, Luff Imbry, and how he got started on his life of crime."

Karen Abrahamson sells story to Realms of Fantasy

Karen Abrahamson has sold her short story "Lady of Ashuelot" to Realms of Fantasy.

Ahmed A. Khan story in The Sword Review

Ahmed A. Khan's story "My Girl Cindy" has been published at The Sword Review.

Janine Cross novel out November 1 from ROC

New SF Canada member Janine Cross's fantasy novel, Touched by Venom, Book 1 in the Dragon Temple Saga, will be released November 1 by ROC.

From the book jacket:

Like her half-breed mother, young Zarq Darquel can't always hold her tongue as she should. A lowly peasant on a large dragon estate in Malacar, she goes unnoticed by the watchful eye of the Temple of the Dragon, despite her rebellious ways--until she accidentally captures the attention of an eccentric and dangerous dragonmaster and unleashes a storm of tragedy. Her clan is plunged into destitution, her beautiful sister, Waivia, sold into slavery, and her mother lost to madness.

Desperate to find Waivia, Zarq and her delirious mother flee through the underworld of their land--from the Zone of the Dead do a sanctuary for outcast dragons, through discovery and persecution. Consumed with the desire for revenge, Zarq develops a taste for the highly addictive venom drawn from the dragons she has been taught to revere, and sinks into a realm of bizarre magics. Here, influenced by the divine grace of dragon memories, Zarq glimpses possibilities of revenge and social revolution. But to achieve them, she must defy not just the sexual taboos and patriarchal conventions of her society, but the Emperor who rules her nation....

Publishers' Weekly is calling it "a bold debut... a grim but fascinating coming-of-age tale.... richly detailed, a well imagined world," and Jacqueline Carey (author of Kushiel's Dart) says: "Touched by Venom, the first volume in Janine Cross' Dragon Temple Saga, is a compelling and harrowing journey, set in a vividly rendered world alive with detail."

Photos from the SF Canada party at VCon

Honourary Canadians: Seattle writer Bruce Taylor (in the white hat), Bellingham journalist Jim Kling, Jim's wife Ivy, Bellingham writer Alma Alexander, her husband Deck.

Networking is important for writers. Here we see Rhea Rose networking Tesseracts contributor Casey Wolf, Allan Kelly networking Vancouver writer Colleen Anderson, and Seattle writer Bruce Taylor networking Edge publisher Brian Hades.

Lynda Williams, Matthew Claxton, Rick Sutcliffe.

SF Canadians: Matt Hughes, Diane Walton, Dave Duncan, Jennifer Taylor, Donna McMahon, Linda DeMeulemeester, Caro Soles, Alyx Dellamonica, Celu Amberstone, Paula Johanson.

Steven Mills sells novelette to Interzone

Steven Mills has sold his novelette "Blue Glass Pebbles" to Interzone.

Claude Lalumière story sells to SciFiction

Claude Lalumière reports Ellen Datlow has bought his story "Different Flesh" for SciFiction.

Joe Mahoney story up at The Sword Review

Joe Mahoney has a short story, "Moonstone," up at The Sword Review.

Joe also reports that the CBC labour dispute is over and he's back to work. He blogged the entire thing (as he puts it, "in lieu of writing fiction").

Joël Champetier novel now out in France

The French (as in "France") edition of Joël Champetier's fantasy novel Les Sources de la magie is out.