Publishers Weekly has announced that Night Shade Books is in sale negotiations with Skyhorse Publishing and Start Publishing to sell its assets, including titles under contract. The press has had financial difficulties for several years, and recently let editor Ross Lockhart go. Several of their authors have also left the company. At the same time, SFWA, which has been working with Night Shade Books for several years, including a probationary period, has announced the press will be delisted as a qualifying market.
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Mslexia Women’s Novel Competition is open to unpublished women novelists writing in any genre. To enter the competition, entrants should send up to 5,000 words – which must be the first, 5,000 words of the novel. The winner will receive a prize of £5,000 and the top twelve entrants will be invited to meet literary agents and editors at a special networking event in London. All entries, along with a £25 entry fee, must be received by September 23. This year’s judges include Kirsty Lang, Val McDermid, and Charlotte Robertson.
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A memorial service and Irish wake have been planned for jan howard finder. WombatCon will take place on June 1 at the Holiday Inn in Albany, NY, located at 205 Wolf Road. Friends of finder’s, who was nicknamed Wombat, are welcome to attend with a special rate of $99 for Friday and/or Saturday night.
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The shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award has been released. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony held in partnership SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival on May 1. This year’s prize is a commemorative book end and £2013. This year’s jury includes Juliet E McKenna, Ruth O’Reilly, Nickianne Moody, Liz Williams, and Robert Grant.
- Nod, by Adrian Barnes
- Dark Eden, by Chris Beckett
- Angelmaker, by Nick Harkaway
- The Dog Stars, by Peter Heller
- Intrusion, by Ken MacLeod
- 2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson
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Fan Larry Tucker, who has been in a nursing home since his stroke two years ago, was admitted to the hospital on March 31. Tucker created the fannish film FAANS and has chaired, toastmastered, and guested at Confusion.
Actor Milo O’Shea (b.1926) died on April 2. O’Shea’s best known genre appearance was in the film Barbarella, in which he portrayed Durand Durand. O’Shea also appeared in the films Theatre of Blood and The Purple Rose of Cairo and episodes of Journey to the Unknown, Out of the Unknown, and Out of This World. Outside of genre films, he may have been best known for portraying Leopold Bloom in Ulysses.
Iain M. Banks has announced that he has been diagnosed with late-stage gall bladder cancer and states that he is unlikely to live for more than a year. Originally diagnosed with jaundice, later tests revealed the extent of his illness. Banks has married his long-time companion Adele and has announced the cancellation of all future engagements. The author of The Wasp Factory, Feersum Endjinn, and the Culture series, Banks has been announced as the Guest of Honor for the 2014 Worldcon in London. Banks and Loncon have stated that his attendance is unlikely at the convention.
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Fan Mark Evans (b.1951) died on April 2. Evans was active in Columbus fandom for several years, active in the early MARCONS, co-chairing the convention from 1978-1983. He was also involved in the Worldcon bid for Cincinnati in 1988 and one of the Columbus Worldcon bids. In more recent years, he was involved with running Context.
Jane Henson (b.1934, Jane Nebel) died on April 2 of cancer. Henson met Jim Henson in college and the two married in 1959. She helped him create the Muppets and collaborated with him on shows, traveling exhibits, and finding talent. She and Henson separated in 1986, but she continued to support his work and in 1992, she founded the Jim Henson Legacy to preserve his artistic contributions.
Jan van’t Ent received the Doc Weir Award at Eastercon the weekend of March 29-31. The Doc Weir Award is voted on by the convention’s attending membership. The award is given to someone who has made some form of contribution to fandom that deserves a little public recognition. The winner receives a certificate and a silver cup, although the winner must return it at the end of the year with his/her name engraved on it.
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