Tag Archives: Book Smugglers

Announcing SpecFic ’12 Contributors

Posted on March 20 2013 by Justin | 10 Comments

Spec Fic 12 CoverSpeculative Fiction 2012: The Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary announced its lineup of contributors, Wednesday. Edited by bloggers Justin Landon (Staffer’s Book Review- US) and Jared Shurin (Pornokitsch – UK), SpecFic ’12 collects over fifty pieces from science fiction and fantasy’s top authors, bloggers and critics.

Author and podcasting sensation Mur Lafferty, whose newest novel The Shambling Guide to New York City is due out from Orbit Books this Spring, has agreed to write the foreword. “Lafferty’s writing career germinated online. She’s been a pioneer in the space and understands why the work in this book is so important. She’s the perfect person to put it into context,” said Landon.

Landon and Shurin also announced that they will pass the torch in 2013, establishing a precedent of rotating editors every year. The 2013 volume will be edited by Thea James and Ana Grilo of The Book Smugglers. Shurin commented, “We’re excited to see this move forward with Thea and Ana.… Read the rest

Smugglivus 2012–My Contribution

Posted on December 5 2012 by Justin | 1 Comment

Book Smugglers IconAna and Thea from the Book Smugglers contacted me a few months ago and asked me to write a post for their annual Smugglivus event. They ask their guest writers to

[look] back at their favorite reads of 2012, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2013.

But, since I’m not one for binary discussions I went off the reservation. They may not invite me back, but I took the opportunity to talk about something very important to me, both as a consumer and as a father. Namely, that the socially created false dichotomy of boy/girl media is tragic and dangerous.

When I wrapped the post up, sitting at around 1100 words, I knew I hadn’t done the topic justice. It requires several thousand more words and significantly more insightful examination of sales trends and publisher behavior. Nevertheless, I hope the point itself is sufficient. How can a book be any good when it ignores half of humanity?… Read the rest