Monthly Archives: July 2012

Betting on a Blip

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Redshirts made the New York Times hardcover fiction list for June 24, but unfortunately stayed there only one week, exiting as suddenly as one of its namesakes on Star Trek.

I decided to check after scanning the Locus Bestsellers for July 2012 list, expecting Redshirts to be in there somewhere. No, it’s too early. I learned from an endnote that Locus’ July list is based on the April 2012 data period.

How big of a splash in the marketplace must a book make to top the Locus bestseller list? George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons has been the bestselling hardcover for 10 straight months. Someday that will change. Does Redshirts have that much pop? We’ll find out when Locus gets the June 2012 data.

BSFS To Host Writing Workshops

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The Baltimore Science Fiction Society will launch a new series of day-long sf/fantasy writing workshops in August, with Brenda Clough and Jonathan Maberry each leading one of the scheduled sessions.

The series begins August 25 at BSFS headquarters at 10 a.m., Brenda Clough instructing. Clough, a widely-published author, received Hugo and Nebula nominations for her 2002 novella “May Be Some Time.” She is currently an instructor at the Writers Center in Bethesda, MD.

The second workshop will be on Saturday, January 26, taught by Jonathan Maberry. The New York Times bestselling novelist and Bram Stoker Award winner has written sf, mystery, and horror fiction and worked on Marvel Comics including Black Panther, Captain America, and Wolverine.

The workshop’s cost for each participant is $25, lunch included. Attendance is limited to 15 people. Contact [email protected] for more information.

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society is a 501(c)(3) literary organization focusing on science fiction, fantasy, and related genres.

The full press release follows the jump.

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Westercon Forgets to Shrink

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Westercon 65 chair Bobbie DuFault announced last weekend that the con, held this year in Seattle, drew 800 attendees and sold about 1000 memberships says Kevin Standlee.

That’s an improvement over last year’s Westercon in San Jose which reported 639 attendees and 826 total members, and the 2010 Westercon in Pasadena that attracted just 600 warm bodies and hosted an ominous panel discussion about whether the convention series ought to be shut down for lack of support.

Thriller Flash Mob at Comic-Con

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A Thriller Flash Mob performance is slated for July 14 in San Diego’s Gas Lamp District. It starts at 6 p.m. on 5th Ave. (where the Gas Lamp District sign is.) The theme is “Hawaiian Zombies.”

Check the CStarProductionz site for more information. Here is a video of the group rehearsing before last year’s Thriller performance at the SD County Fair [YouTube].

Thriller flash mob at SD County Fair in 2011.

Mystery & Imagination Birthday Bash

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Two writers celebrating their birthdays on the 22nd at Mystery & Imagination Bookshop in Glendale – what could be more numerologically significant?

George Clayton Johnson will be 83. Earl Hamner Jr. is turning 89.

They have in common is that both wrote for Twilight Zone.

Johnson also wrote the first aired Star Trek episode, co-authored the novel Logan’s Run, and the script for the original Ocean’s 11.

Hamner wrote for and produced The Waltons and Falcon Crest.

See you July 22, 1-4 p.m., at Mystery and Imagination, 238 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]

Comic-Con Fan Struck By Auto, Killed

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Twilight fan Gisela Gagliardi, part of a group camping out in advance of the opening of the San Diego Comic-Con, died as a result of stumbling into a moving Subaru Outback as she ran through a busy crosswalk on Tuesday morning, July 10.

The 53-year-old resident of Kingston, NY was taken unconscious to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead. The driver was questioned by police but not charged, because he had the green light.

Responding to an online petition, Twilight distributors Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment said Gagliardi “will be respectfully remembered this Thursday in Hall H”, where Comic-Con holds many of its major Hollywood-themed events, holds 6000 people.

Fans have been making black ribbons to wear in memory of the accident victim. Also, an online site has been established to raise money for Gagliardi’s funeral expenses.

[Thanks to Martin Morse Wooster for the story.]

Hunt Valley Inn Goes Independent

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Maryland’s Hunt Valley Inn, site of the annual Balticon, is no longer affiliated with Marriott. As of July 1 it has gone independent. Balticon, which has contracts to use the facility through Balticon 50 in 2016, will not be affected.

The hotel’s new website is: www.huntvalleyinn.com. Marriott Points can no longer be earned or applied there.

Some commenters at Tripadvisor.com claim Marriott dropped the hotel due to customer complaints about conditions there.

[Thanks to Michael J. Walsh for the story.]