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A new Fairy Tale Rant went live today…in which Princess Alethea debuted her New Blue Hair!

Check it out (and hear about “The Brave Little Tailor”) — enjoy and share!

I am so excited that my short story “The Monster & Mrs. Blake” is a Featured Story on Wattpad this week!

This story is suitable for all ages, would make a great PIXAR movie, and was originally meant to be read aloud as a podcast, so I highly encourage you to read it aloud to your children. Preferably before they go to bed tonight.

Click here, or on the cover illustration at the right to read the story (for free!) on Wattpad.

As always, PLEASE ENJOY AND SHARE!

And yes, my memory of this Far Side comic was indeed one of the inspirations for the story:

Over at the Waterworld Mermaids today, I discuss my present issue with Reality.

I do encourage you to pop on by. I could really use the advice.

Click here to read “The Harsh Light of Day.”

Episode 21: In Which Princess Alethea Rants about the Grimms’ fairy tale “Sweetheart Roland”…a title which is annoying in itself, since this fairy tale isn’t even *about* Roland. It’s about the girl who loves him.

9. You travel a lot for appearances and cons – how do you organise your life to fit in writing, relaxing, family, all the other stuff?

HAHAHAHAHAHA YOU SAID “ORGANIZE” HAHAHAHAHAHA

*snort*

(Click here to read the reat of the interview!)

The official Press Release:

2013 Nebula Awards Nominees Announced

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America are pleased to announce the 2013 Nebula Awards nominees (presented 2014), the nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and the nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Best Novel
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Marian Wood)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (Morrow; Headline Review)
Fire with Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)
Hild, Nicola Griffith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Red: First Light, Linda Nagata (Mythic Island)
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar (Small Beer)
The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker (Harper)
 
Best Novella
‘‘Wakulla Springs,’’ Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages (Tor.com 10/2/13)
‘‘The Weight of the Sunrise,’’ Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)
‘‘Annabel Lee,” Nancy Kress (New Under the Sun)
‘‘Burning Girls,’’ Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com 6/19/13)
‘‘Trial of the Century,’’ Lawrence M. Schoen (lawrencemschoen.com, 8/13; World Jumping)
Six-Gun Snow White, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Best Novelette
‘‘Paranormal Romance,’’ Christopher Barzak (Lightspeed 6/13)
‘‘The Waiting Stars,’’ Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky)
‘‘They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass,’’ Alaya Dawn Johnson(Asimov’s 1/13)
‘‘Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters,’’ Henry Lien (Asimov’s 12/13)
‘‘The Litigation Master and the Monkey King,’’ Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/13)
‘‘In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind,’’ Sarah Pinsker (Strange Horizons 7/1 – 7/8/13)

Best Short Story
‘‘The Sounds of Old Earth,’’ Matthew Kressel (Lightspeed 1/13)
‘‘Selkie Stories Are for Losers,’’ Sofia Samatar (Strange Horizons 1/7/13
‘‘Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer,’’ Kenneth Schneyer (Clockwork Phoenix 4)
‘‘If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,’’ Rachel Swirsky (Apex 3/13)
‘‘Alive, Alive Oh,’’ Sylvia Spruck Wrigley (Lightspeed 6/13)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
Doctor Who: ‘‘The Day of the Doctor’’ (Nick Hurran, director; Steven Moffat, writer) (BBC Wales)
Europa Report (Sebastián Cordero, director; Philip Gelatt, writer) (Start Motion Pictures)
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, director; Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, writers) (Warner Bros.)
Her (Spike Jonze, director; Spike Jonze, writer) (Warner Bros.)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence, director; Simon Beaufoy & Michael deBruyn, writers) (Lionsgate)
Pacific Rim (Guillermo del Toro, director; Travis Beacham & Guillermo del Toro, writers) (Warner Bros.)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)
When We Wake, Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin; Little, Brown)
Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)
The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
Hero, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
September Girls, Bennett Madison (Harper Teen)
A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine)

Damon Knight Grand Master Award: Samuel R. Delany
Special Guest: Frank M. Robinson

About the Nebula Awards

The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA. Voting will open to SFWA Active members on March 1, and close on March 30.  More information is available from http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/how-to-vote/.

 About the Nebula Awards Weekend

The 49^th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend will be held May 15-18th, 2014, in San Jose at the San Jose Marriott. The Awards Ceremony will be hosted by Toastmaster Ellen Klages. Borderland Books will host the mass autograph session from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 16th at the San Jose Marriott. This autograph session is open to the public and books by the authors in attendance will be available for purchase. Attending memberships, and more information about the Nebula Awards Weekend, are available at http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/. Membership rates increase on March 1. The Weekend is open to non-SFWA members.

About SFWA

Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world.

Since its inception, SFWA® has grown in numbers and influence until it is now widely recognized as one of the most effective non-profit writers’ organizations in existence, boasting a membership of approximately 2,000 science fiction and fantasy writers as well as artists, editors and allied professionals.  Each year the organization presents the prestigious Nebula Awards® for the year’s best literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.

Media: For information on obtaining press passes, interviews with nominees, or questions about the event itself, please contact SFWA’s Communications Manager, Jaym Gates, at communications@sfwa.org.

#sfwa

Interesting data point: This week’s fairy tale rant video is 9 minutes long as opposed to the typical 5 minutes. I still keep the rant to about 5 minutes, but then there is a brief explanation of how my short story “Blood From Stone” incorporates both this fairy tale as well as the historical real-life of serial killer Gilles de Rais.

Most of my fairy tale videos have 60-100 views. This video has TWELVE.

Looks like size does matter. Even on YouTube.

As always, share and enjoy! xox

ENCHANTED is sponsoring the World Book Night Twitter feed today!

If you’re on Twitter, tell @WBNAmerica your favorite fairy tale, using the hashtag #WBNLoves — and thank you for the love!

xox

It’s Monday!

Happy New Fairy Tale Rant Day!

As always please watch, enjoy, share, and click on all the ads.

xox

The great thing about Snow Days isn’t just how much *you* get done, it’s how much *other people* get done when removed from the distraction of their pesky day jobs.

And…VOILA! My Fast Forward TV Interview is now live. (And the links in Monday’s Fairy Tale Rant have been updated to reflect this.)

Enjoy! xox