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Flick Bits: Game of Thrones DVD Sales Slash Record

Reuters reports through Yahoo AU that the DVD sales of Game of Thrones have crushed a previous sales record for HBO.  From the article in question: Season one DVD sales reached about 350,000 units in the first seven days following its March 6 release, the network said on Thursday. That pace ranks ahead of other popular HBO series including “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City” and “True Blood.” Cue a geek celebration of enormous magnitude.  There is something deeply satisfying about this news.  As a fan of the TV series (and, now, the books), I worry about things like ratings and sales.  There is so much story left to tell.  With so many TV shows coming and going, I’m always afraid that HBO will pull the plug after the second season, or the third, or, dare I think it, the season right before the final moments of George R. R. Martin’s enormous story!  That would be awful. But we’ve got good news.  Huge DVD sales.  Good job, geeks!  Now we just have to wait until April for Season Two…

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Episode 91 — Torture Cinema Meets Eclipse (Twilight)

http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow91seasonThree–TortureCinemaMeetsEclipse/Sandf–Episode91–TortureCinemaMeetsEclipse.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWe’re back with the second half of our drunken review of the second and third installments of the Twilight series.  This week, we review Eclipse, which is marginally better than the others.  Of course, that’s not saying much, now is it? We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 91 — Download (MP3) Intro and Torture Cinema Meets New Moon (0:00 – 1:00:58) Eclipse (IMDB) Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Blog Posts

Lit Bits: A. E. Rought Gets Two-Book Deal w/ Strange Chemistry

From Strange Chemistry: Strange Chemistry, the YA imprint of Angry Robot Books, is delighted to announce the signing of another wonderful author. A. E. Rought has been signed to Strange Chemistry in a two book deal with worldwide English rights negotiated between Amanda Rutter and Gina Panettieri, of the Talcott Notch Literary Agency. The first of these two books will be called Broken and will be published by Strange Chemistry in early 2013. About Broken Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all. A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry’s boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog. When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she’s intrigued despite herself. He’s an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely… familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel’s. The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there’s something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks’ estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows. About A. E. Rought Self-proclaimed nerd A.E. Rought spent most of her early life in libraries and bookstores. It’s no surprise that she turned to writing shortly after creative arts college. She has novels of varying genres, and different pennames, published since 2006. You can visit her at http://www.aerought.com and http://aerought.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AERought [@AERought]. Rought says: “When my agent told me Strange Chemistry was interested, I think I squealed out loud. Angry Robot has an amazing reputation, and to be welcomed into their YA imprint? Bliss. Nerdvana. I’m absolutely thrilled to be with Strange Chemistry and working with Amanda.” Amanda Rutter says: “As soon as I received the email from Gina detailing the premise of Broken, I knew that I had to read this book. I was thrilled to discover that the writing was just as good as promised and I have no doubt Broken will prove to be a massive hit!” That’s pretty awesome news, no?  Congrats to A. E. Rought!

Question of the Week

? of the Week: What is the right price for an ebook — to you? (Poll)

The ebook wars have been raging for a few years now, and the result has been a bit muddled.  Books have gone from floating around $9.99 to running anywhere from $14.99 to Free.  Things likely won’t stabilize anytime soon. That’s why we want to know what price for ebooks is right to you.  First, we should set some parameters: For the purposes of this poll, we are only considering *new* ebooks. For the purposes of this poll, we are only concerned with novels.  Short stories, novelettes, and novellas can wait for another day. Now for the poll: Feel free to leave a comment if you want to provide a specific price point, or a range that is not available above.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

Episode 89 — How to Placate Scifi and Fantasy Authors (Plus Some Silly) w/ Jason Sanford

http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/TheSkiffyAndFantyShow89seasonThree–HowToPlacateScifiAnd/Sandf–Episode89–HowToPlacateScifiAndFantasyAuthorsplusSomeSilly.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSJason Sanford returns for a free-form discussion on all kinds of random nonsense.  We cover the hype surrounding J. K. Rowling’s new adult novel, the abuse of Seanan McGuire by readers (and the stupid things publishers do that hurt authors), the power of science fiction, plus a few silly related topics (including an embarrassing moment for Duke, who lives in an alternate universe of plurals). We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 89 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 50:22) J. K. Rowling to Publish First Adult Novel (Because it’s not like she could sell another 50 Harry Potter sequels…) Don’t Blame the Writer When It’s Not the Writer’s Fault (or, Why You Should Read Before Being a Douche) Science Fiction:  A Mirror From the Future (Cognitively estranging your toaster since the 20s!) Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Question of the Week

? of the Week: SF/F Books That Made You Cry

This week, we really want to know about the SF/F books you’ve read that made you cry.  What about those books put tears in your eyes? The last book to make me cry was the 6th Harry Potter book, in part because I had fallen in love with Richard Harris’ portrayal of Dumbledore.  I cried from the moment of Dumbledore’s death until the end (a good 40 pages worth of crying) and my sister had to console me. What about you? (To be fair, this feature has never been a weekly thing.  So be it.)

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