Author News and Book Reports

John Ringo, Kelly Link, and China Mieville bring sci-fi and fantasy down to earth
Three of the most talented, multiple award-winning, New York Times bestselling novelists emerging in the sci-fi and fantasy worlds today, with an introduction by Del Rey Books editor Chris Schluep came together at the 2009 BookExpo America book trade convention to talk about their craft, their influences, and their visions of the future. New York Times bestselling author John Ringo, whose work comes out in rapid-fire succession this year, including the launch of his new Troy Rising series, Live Free Or Die (Baen; February, 2010), the paperback release of Citizen (Baen; May, 2010), and Eye of the Storm (Baen; May, 2010), as well as at least three other titles this year at last count, decried the artificial distinctions in the sci-fi genre, calling his own work 'science and military' or military sci-fi. New York Times bestselling, award-winning author China Mieville introduced his newest book The City & the City (Del Rey Books; April, 2010) compared Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to distinguish different forms of sci-fi as being based on either 'realistic' (Verne) or 'impossible' (Wells) ideas, with his own work being in the Verne camp. Look for Mieville's next release, Kraken, also from Del Rey Books in June, 2010. On the other hand, award-winning, bestselling author and publisher Kelly Link, whose newest book, Pretty Monsters, originally released by Viking Juvenile in October of 2008, will soon be released in paperback (Speak; June, 2010), drew no bright line between sci-fi and fantasy. Next, Mieville pointed to Joan Aiken and Charlotte Bronte as among his biggest influences, while Kelly Link recalled reading Angela Carter and fairy tales for inspiration, and John Ringo cited Tom Clancy, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein for their influences on his work. Ringo, Mieville, and Link then discussed the impact and opportunities of e-publishing formats. Saying she was more focused on editing and publishing than writing, Link described her future projects, and Ringo rattled off a brief laundry list of future books he's working on before calling for an end to Digital Rights Management (DRM). Link, Mieville, and Ringo then had an animated discussion on the hottest topic in publishing today--e-arcs, re-mixes, and money that publishers are leaving on the table by not moving forward on new publishing models. Link closed the panel presentation with her thoughts on fantastic lit and the short story form.

Book and Author Headlines

Lily Renee enjoys the spotlight as the first woman in comic art: Lily Renee tells the story of how she broke the gender barrier in the 1940's to become the first woman in the world of comic artists.

Mitali Perkins takes the long way home to the land of 'Bamboo People': Bestselling children's author Mitali Perkins traces her journey through childhood from KolKata (Calcutta, India) to Queens, NY, and the west coast, where her family settled, through books and writing, before returning to her family's lost home in Burma, where she became inspired to write 'Bamboo People.'

Cory Doctorow scores points with booksellers and goes 'For the Win' at BEA 2010: Canadian blogger, journalist, and bestselling author brings his new novel and crusade to liberalize copyright laws to BookExpo America 2010, withbooksellers cheering him on 'For the Win.'

Sarah, Duchess of York, lends a 'helping hand' on touchy subjects for parents and children: Sarah, Duchess of York, Ferguson takes the stage at BEA 2010 to remind parents of the three C's--communication, compromise, and compassion.

Geoff Johns leads the Green Lantern team from 'Darkest Night' to 'Brightest Day': The mastermind behind the resurgence of the long-running Green Lantern comic books series brings his creative team to the first ever C2E2 convention in Chicago to discuss the dawning of 'Brightest Day' after 'Darkest Night.'

BEA 2010 brings out the stars of children's and young adult literature: The Duchess of York wasn't the only children's book author at this year's BookExpo America (BEA).

Kids authors flock to NY for a week of reading, writing, and a little arithmetic: The annual migration of book people to BookExpo America brings over 1,000 authors, including one of the largest gatherings of children's authors,together with booksellers, publishers, and distributors from all over the world to talk about books of all kinds and all formats.

Geoff Johns leads the Green Lantern to new universes in the Silver Age of comics: The creators, writers and illustrators of the Green Hornet celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hal Jordan and the Silver Age of comic books.

Grant Morrison brings Batman and Robin back from the future: The Scottish playwright and master of the universe of comic creator's Grant Morrison shocks and awes his fans at the 2008 New York Comic Con.

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