Guest Post - John Forelli

John Forelli is 24 years old and lives in Philadelphia. He worked a stuffy corporate job out of college before quitting to write this novel. He enjoys drinking with friends at Fado and Tavern on Broad in Philly and boring them with existential ramblings. John's ideal day would be spent eating pizza and watching Game of Thrones down the Jersey Shore. Find out more at his website www.johnforelli.com/ and find him on Twitter @JOHNFORELLI" 

 http://www.amazon.com/Simulations-John-Forelli/dp/1508429332

John has dropped in to talk about simulations

Call for submissions

What if it was accepted that there really were ghosts? That mediums could actually talk to the dead. That your dearly departed continued to exist on a spiritual plane adjacent to ours and that at certain places, or in certain people they could manifest? 

What if those that disbelieved, that advanced a scientific explanation, are the kooks, freaks and loonies? 

What if neither model of reality were actually true and there was a third group, of conspiracy theorists, that were right?

But which conspiracy? Is it aliens? Are the government spiking the water supply with experimental drugs? Are the military testing new subsonic weapons?

Someone, somewhere knows the truth.

This is the set up for Sick City Syndrome -my second novel & if you're a writer I want your help. So I'm asking for submissions.  

Lauren Beukes got her writer friends to write blog posts, news articles and the like for one of her books to help with the worldbuilding and that's what I'm looking for.

I'd like news reports, blog posts, twitter conversations, other social networking, TV, radio, internet, academic article abstracts etc The novel will be set in the modern day, in "the City" (which will be closely modelled on Bristol of course) but there's no reason the articles need to be set in the modern day (but shouldn't be set in the future).

I'd like a mix from all three viewpoints, choose one and give me a maximum of 750 words.

If I use your piece (in any way - Some will be published on this website - http://petewsutton.com/sick-city-syndrome/, some will go in the book itself) you will be credited and I'll pay you 5p/word (upon publication) 

Send your pieces to BRSBKBLOG (at) Gmail.com by the 1st of June 2015.

The Kitschies

Last night was the award ceremony for the Kitschies & I was lucky to attend. The Kitschies celebrate  - well I'll let Glen Mehn point to what they celebrate:



There were almost 200 books submitted to the award and the judges this year included Adam Roberts & Frances Hardinge. There were drinks consumed and friends greeted, new and old. All in all an excellent night. Many congratulations to all the winners & everyone on the shortlists.

There are 5 awards -

Red Tentacle

The Red Tentacle is awarded annually to the novel containing speculative or fantastic elements that best fulfills the criteria of intelligent, progressive and entertaining.

The winner of the Kitschies Red Tentacle for 2014 was Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith (Electric Monkey). Judge Kim Curran said, “We loved all the shortlist, and Grasshopper Jungle was, in the end, the novel with the biggest chance to actually blow a young person’s mind.”

The rest of the shortlist included:

• Lagoon, by Nnedi Okorafor (Hodder & Stoughton)

• The Peripheral, by William Gibson (Viking)

• The Way Inn, by Will Wiles (4th Estate)

• The Race, by Nina Allan (NewCon Press)

• The Girl in the Road, by Monica Byrne (Blackfriars)

• Memory of Water, by Emmi Itäranta (HarperCollins)

• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers (Self-Published)

• The People in the Trees, by Hanya Yanagihara (Atlantic Books)

Golden Tentacle

The Golden Tentacle is awarded annually to the debut novel that best fits the criteria of progressive, intelligent and entertaining. The book must be the author’s first published work of novel-length fiction in any genre.

The Golden Tentacle went to Viper Wine, by Hermione Eyre (Jonathan Cape). The judges noted the audacity and craft of the novel.

The rest of the shortlist included:

• The Girl in the Road, by Monica Byrne (Blackfriars)
• Memory of Water, by Emmi Itäranta (HarperCollins)
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers (Self-Published)
• The People in the Trees, by Hanya Yanagihara (Atlantic Books)

The Inky Tentacle

The Inky Tentacle is awarded to the year’s finest cover art, as selected by a panel of visual arts experts from wide range of disciplines.

The Inky Tentacle for cover art went to Tigerman, cover by Glenn O’Neill (William Heinemann)

The rest of the shortlist included:

• The Ghost of the Mary Celeste, design by Steve Marking, lettering by Kimberly Glyder (Weidenfeld and Nicolson)
• A Man Lies Dreaming, cover by Ben Summers (Hodder and Stoughton)
• Through the Woods, cover by Emily Carroll and Sonja Chaghatzbanian (Faber and Faber)
• The Book of Strange New Things, cover by Rafaela Romaya and Yehring Tong (Canongate)

The Invisible Tentacle

The Invisible Tentacle is for progressive, intelligent and entertaining fiction that is natively digital.

The first-ever Invisible Tentacle went to Kentucky Route Zero, Act III, by Cardboard Computer.

The rest of the shortlist included:

• echovirus12, created/curated by Jeff Noon @jeffnoon, Ed @3dgriffiths, James Knight @badbadpoet, violet sprite @gadgetgreen, Richard Biddle @littledeaths68, Mina Polen @polen, Uel Aramchek @ThePatanoiac, Graham Walsh @t_i_s_u, Vapour Vox @Wrong_Triangle
• 80 Days, by Inkle Studios
• Sailor’s Dream, by Simogo

The Black Tentacle

The Black Tentacle is a special achievement award. It is handed out at the discretion of The Kitschies’ board, which is comprised of editors, authors, marketers and entrepreneurs.

The Black tentacle was won by Sarah Macintyre who sported a trademark hat as you can see in the photograph of Glen!

The award seems to go from strength to strength, looking forward to the 2015 runners already!

Review of Dark Star by Oliver Langmead

This is a debut from Langmead and wow what a debut. Dark Star combines hard boiled noir with sci fi in an epic poem. The Dark Star of the title burns black and the people of the city of Vox rely on 3 Hearts for power and to bring light. Virgil and Dante are cops out to find the killer of Vivian North whose body turns up shining brightly with un-natural light. They think it’s related to Prometheus, a street drug of liquid light, that Virgil himself is in thrall to but they are pulled ever further into a case that has deep and lasting ramifications for Vox and the world.

In school they try to teach you how to cope

With the constant dark, to tell you to find light

And avoid being immersed in blackness

They fairly know what it does to a man

This is an unusual book, being, as it is, poetry, but that shouldn’t put you off, it is a remarkable read, and an easy one. Virgil is a hero for bringing in a serial killer, but he is scarred, both in body and deep inside by the experience. Dante is a cop with grit. The dark city is an eerie backdrop, filled with ghosts (literally) and shadow, a compelling setting richly invoked by the writing. There is a deft worldbuilding at work in here and a riveting story. Unsung Stories (the publisher of this and The Beauty - which I previously reviewed) are rapidly becoming a small press to watch.

Overall - Down these shadowed streets a flawed knight must seek to bring the light

Candyfloss Guitar - Review

Stephen Marriott is a writer from Bristol, although he no longer lives here, so we at the Book Blog looked forward to this book's release. We managed to snag a copy ahead of the launch tonight - https://www.facebook.com/events/1550874145152856

"Candyfloss Guitar is a story about taking the first steps on a journey towards shrouded dreams and searching for meaning."

Eduardo is a candyfloss seller who laments the death of his wife and despairs that his son, Diego, will ever make anything of himself. When he hears Diego playing guitar in a bar he offers him a choice - go to work on a farm or make something from his dream of creating music. Eduardo gives his son his guitar and sets him on his way. Through a chance meeting Diego's footsteps take him on the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James), a major Christian pilgrimage route. Of course the journey changes him through the people he meets.

This book can be read in an hour or so, it has a very engaging style and a cast of very memorable characters. Well worth checking out. I'd like to read more by Marriott.

Overall - It's a short book with a big heart.