Monthly Archives: January 2009

Sierra Preps for Mythcon

Posted on by

Diana Glyer and James A. Owen

James A. Owen autographing Sierra and friend with their favorite books

Diana will be Scholar GoH at Mythcon 40, which takes place July 17-20 on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

By happy coincidence, she was able to meet Mythcon’s Author GoH, James A. Owen, when he did a signing of his new book The Indigo King at nearby Vroman’s Bookstore on January 19.

Owen is well-known as the artist and writer of the independent comic book Starchild, and of the young adult fantasy Here, There Be Dragons, first novel in the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.

Diana got Owen to autograph her copy of The Search for the Red Dragon, second in the series, which he did with a flourish – adding below his name a beautifully-sketched dragon’s head, in red ink.

Sierra went on that adventure with her mother and as you can see, she found a little friend willing to compare notes with her about their favorite books.

Jeeves Looking for a Good Read

Posted on by

Terry Jeeves’ daughter, Sandra Hastie, says her dad welcomes any reading matter, certainly letters and fanzines. His current address is:

Queen Margaret’s nursing home, 19 Filey Rd, Scarborough, North Yorks, YO11 2SE, UK

[Via Sheryl Birkhead, with thanks to Andrew Porter.]

Update 1/27/2008: Dave Rowe adds:

“Please write if you can but apart from that, please send him any fnz, magazines or books that he might enjoy so that he doesn’t get bored. His favourite SF was Astounding/Analog from the forties to the seventies and just before he moved into Queen Margaret’s he was reading a Philip K. Dick collection. His interests include films, art, astronomy, astronautics, planes (especially World War II) and science in general. Terry did such a lot for fandom. Please continue to let him know he’s not forgotten.”

Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

Posted on by

The 2009 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest is accepting entries until April 1. See rules and specifications at the site.

Judging will be done by Baen Books senior editor Hank Davis and Jim Baen’s Universe editors Eric Flint and Mike Resnick.

The Grand Prize winner will be published in Jim Baen’s Universe, its author paid the going rate, given a specially-designed award, receive free entry into the 2009 International Space Development Conference, a year’s membership in the National Space Society ($45 level) and a prize package containing various Baen Books, Jim Baen’s Universe and National Space Society merchandise. Lesser prizes will be awarded for the stories placing second and third.

[Thanks to David Klaus for the story.]

Recycling Disneyland

Posted on by

10 Things I Miss About Disneyland by Rick VanderKnyff triggers some great memories of all the days I spent in the park as a kid. It’s interesting to see how some rides have been updated, and shocking that a one particular exhibit has vanished.

And meanwhile this summer, a once-defunct ride has been resurrected with a brand-new movie tie-in, as the old Submarine Voyage (1959-1998), initially inspired by a historic 1958 voyage under the Arctic ice cap (remember that, kids?), came back this summer as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

And on this list of things the author misses, what’s Number One? Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln began as a 1964 World’s Fair attraction before coming to the park; the main show was an Audio-Animatronic Lincoln speechifying before a closed curtain, which dramatically opened near the end of the show to reveal a replica of the Capitol building.

It was combined years ago with a salute to Walt Disney, but has been offline since the space was remodeled as an exhibit for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. The writer of “10 Things I Miss About Disneyland” thinks it may come back with some surprising twists.

(P.S. I’m surprised the Wikipedia’s lengthy article about Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” fails to mention that it inspired Ray Bradbury’s famous “Downwind From Gettysburg”, in turn, a short story, play and TV production.)

Vertlieb’s Ackerman Tribute

Posted on by

Vertlieb brothers and Ackerman

Steve Vertlieb has penned an exceptionally fine tribute to his friend and mentor, Forrest J Ackerman. It contains many good anecdotes and, above all, memories of a life-changing day in 1964:

It was as though the “Book People” in Ray Bradbury’s visionary tale of Fahrenheit 451 had discovered others like themselves and had settled into a new reality in which “monsters” were not only okay, but loving and respectable. Frankenstein and Dracula were, in sweet actuality, soft spoken actors bringing culture and artistry to their profession, while The Wolfman and The Mummy brought simplicity to the screen in their portrayal of very normal human insecurity and fear.

We learned that day that being “different” was being special. It was a healthy education, presided over by the gentle writer and film fan seated at the head of the class. We grew to know him as Uncle Forry for he was, indeed, the kindly uncle we had never known; generous, giving, and able to visualize hitherto unknown worlds that sparkled radiantly within our young imaginations.

[Thanks to Bjo Trimble and Steve Vertlieb for the link.]

Arisia Conreport in PW

Posted on by

Who knew that Publishers Weekly Genreville blogger Rose Fox helps run a con? Well, I guess plenty of people knew she runs Arisia’s green room — and now so do I.

Fox’s January 20 installment “On the Road: Arisia 2009, and Fannish Collectivism” explores the con’s unique dealers’ set-up. Rather than using the typical setup of a ballroom filled with tables, at Arisia they set aside a floor of sleeping rooms where dealers are allowed to sell their wares. (Dennis McCunney explains in a comment that this arrangement emphatically is the exception, not the rule.) Fox notes:

One of the dealer rooms was rented by a group called Hot Chicks with Books: several female writers who pooled their money and time to create a little temporary collective bookshop selling their work. A couple of the participants have said it was extremely successful and they look forward to doing it again next year and perhaps at other cons.

[Thanks to Francis Hamit for the link.]

Two Actresses Pass Away

Posted on by

Susanna Foster, who starred opposite Claude Rains in the 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera, died January 17th. She was 84.

English actress Kathleen Byron, 88, died on January 18. Her best-known performance was in Black Narcissus (1947). Her first role was in the fantasy romance A Matter of Life and Death (1946) as a humorless angel clad in military uniform, taking down information about the dead soldiers before sending them on to a Heavenly tribunal. She also appeared in the horror films Night of the Eagle (1962), Craze (1973), and as Mrs. Ryan in Saving Private Ryan (1998).

[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the stories.]

Joy V. Smith in Magistria

Posted on by

In Joy V. Smith’s “Seedlings,” her plant mages fight with magic and their sentient plant companions. It’s one of fourteen fantasy stories included in Magistria: The Realm of the Sorcerer, a shared world anthology.

The other contributors are Lawrence Barker, Andrew C. Ferguson, Jack Hillman, Ben Peek, Christopher Sloan, Robert Bee, Robert Burke Richardson, Joshua Reynolds, Jack Mackenzie, Robert J. Santa, K. A. Patterson, Lillian Csernica, and G. W. Thomas. Thomas also edited the anthology.

This is a reprint, brought out by a new publisher Ricasso Press. Magistria: Shards of the Goddess is upcoming.

Alan Hunter Is Okay

Posted on by

Andrew Porter writes: “When neither I nor Steve Jones received Christmas cards from Alan Hunter, who’d been sending us cards for several decades, we grew concerned. So when Pete Weston said he planned to be in Bournemouth, UK, I asked that he drop in on or phone Alan to find out if he was okay. Peter has now written to say:

…I visited Alan Hunter today.  He’s 85 but still fully on the ball and we had a long chat about past times.  He also dug out some old photos for me (six of them completely new) from the three London cons, 1951, 1952, 1953, and probably 1957 as well, though he wasn’t sure.  I doubt if he’ll respond to Prolapse – he’s been out of touch too long – but I shall certainly call in again next time I’m down here.

I also phoned Alan today, and had to let it ring a long time before he answered. But he’s fine, just not as fast on his feet as he used to be. His son Chris does have a computer, but I don’t know what his e-mail (if any) is.