The Kitschies

The Kitschies Awards Announced at Seven Dials Club

Yesterday was a fabulous, memorable day for me because I met with David Pomerico, my editor at 47North, for the first time. David flew over from New York to attend The Kitschies Awards ceremony because my novel was a finalist for The Kitschies Golden Tentacle for Debut Novel. It was a fun evening event, held at the atmospheric Seven Dials Club in Covent Garden. And over a tipple of Kraken Rum (official sponsor for the event) I met many lovely people from the UK world of science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction. My book didn’t win but I was thrilled to be in the mix! I’d like to thank the organizers Jared Shurin, Anne C Perry and the judges who read 234 entries from over 50 publishers and imprints. Read more

Shortlisted for The Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award (Debut)…!

Screen Shot 2014-01-24 at 13.22.23The Kitschies, it has to be said, are pretty cool awards for ‘speculative and fantastic’ fiction. They were launched just five years ago by Jared Shurin and Anne C Perry founders of Pornokitsch. I’ve followed The Kitschies since they began. So I’m absolutely thrilled that my dystopian story, A Calculated Life, is a finalist for the Golden Tentacle Award for debut novels. I’m in fabulous company and I can’t wait to meet the other finalists – for the Red, Golden and Inky Tentacles – at the awards ceremony (12 February) at London’s Seven Dials Club. There’s an impressive line-up for the Red Tentacle including Thomas Pynchon’s Bleeding Edge.

Jared Shurin told Allison Flood in The Guardian yesterday: Read more

A Calculated Life is Nominated for Philip K Dick Award

Yesterday afternoon I received the astonishing news that my first novel is one of seven nominated works for the Philip K. Dick Award.

I’m a long time fan of Philip K. Dick’s writing and I’ve enjoyed so many screen adaptations of his work. I’m sure many people have started reading science fiction as a result of seeing, for example, Blade Runner, Minority Report, The Adjustment Bureau, Total Recall.

Screen Shot 2014-01-11 at 11.12.25Seven novels have reached the shortlist. Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you to the judges! A Calculated Life is 47North’s first book to receive a nomination for a major award so I expect there’s a bit of celebrating on the other side of the pond.

The winner and any special citations will be announced on Friday 18 April at Norwescon 37 in Seattle. I had already booked to attend! So I’m hoping to meet the other nominees as well as the judges and award administrators. And I’ll be meeting face-to-face for the first time with the 47North team including my editor David Pomerico.

Here is the list of nominees:

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Anne Charnock

Signed Copies Competition and Free eBooks at LondonCalling

I’m starting the New Year with an excellent promotion courtesy of online culture magazine LondonCalling. Register with the LondonCalling website and you will receive a free A Calculated Life eBook at the end of the promotion on 19th January. And you’ll have the chance to win a signed copy of the paperback.

Here’s the Special Offers page on LondonCalling.

Last week, Tom Hunter interviewed me for LondonCalling and asked me some great questions about journalism, art and the creative impulse. I really enjoyed the interview and here it is if you’ve not come across it as yet. Read more

New Year Update and a Bunch of Recommended Reads

Happy New Year! While you’re all chilling on New Year’s Day I thought I’d offer some book recommendations based on my recent reading. What’s surprising is that I’ve not read a single eBook over the past month – only print copies. Here’s a fab selection including three novels from the Man Booker 2013 shortlist and some old favourites. I can recommend them all:

Here's a pile of books I loved reading in December.

Here’s a pile of books I loved reading in December.

In-Flight Entertainment, short stories by Helen Simpson (several stories touching on issues around climate change);

The Testament of Mary, short story by Colm Toibin (Booker shortlisted. A reading highlight of my year); Read more

Guest Post: Laurel Saville on Her Writing Process

As part of the Writing Process Blog Tour, which I took part in recently, I’m delighted to host Laurel Saville who talks here today about her own approach to writing. So here goes:

What am I working on?

I am currently writing a novel set in the Adirondack mountains of Upstate NY, near where I used to live and spent plenty of hours hiking. Like Henry and Rachel, it involves the clashes of family, class and culture, but this book is contemporary, not historical. It also explores some of the different ways people have of relating to our natural world, and involves a commune and a kidnapped child.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? Read more

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Audiobook Released, eBook Promotion in US and UK

There’s so much happening for A Calculated Life this month but I’ll be brief. The Audiobook narrated by Susan Duerden is released today so keep it in mind if you’ve any long tedious car journeys coming up. Read more

My Writing Process: A Blog Tour!

richardepreston

Steampunker Richard Ellis Preston Jr

I am taking part in The Writing Process Blog Tour, which is a fun way to introduce you to writers from far afield. Each author will offer brief insights into their writing processes and, in turn, they will introduce you to three more authors. I was invited to participate by Richard Ellis Preston Jr, steampunk author of the Romulus Buckle adventures. (In an earlier post, I persuaded Richard that my home city of Manchester is the steampunk capital of the world). Read more

A Conversation With Epic Fantasy Author Mark T Barnes

Australian author Mark T Barnes has recently released The Obsidian Heart, second in his Echoes of Empire Trilogy, and I’m delighted to introduce you to this breakthrough author in epic fantasy. He has just arrived back in Sydney after speaking at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. Mark and I are both published by 47North and in our little chat, here, we compare notes on world-building, opening scenes and short versus long form fiction.
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Catch Up: 10 Blogposts Since Release Of A Calculated Life

It’s four weeks since 47North released a new edition of A Calculated Life and I thought I’d mark the occasion by doing a round-up of all the recent guest posts and reviews I’ve written. It’s been manic, but a great deal of fun. I really appreciate the massive amount of support I’ve received from other 47North authors and the good wishes from readers. Those all-important reviews are coming in and it’s pretty encouraging so far. Read more