Just a note to let anyone coming across my site that two advance readers copies of my next novel, Wonders of the Invisible World, are being given away at Goodreads. Click the link below to enter to win the book ahead of its release date, September 8th, 2015. You have until August 14th to enter.
Giveaway ends August 14, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Dear Readers (specifically, dear book review bloggers),
As a lead-up to the release of my first full-length collection of short stories, I’ll be giving away an advance review PDF copy to book bloggers who promise to write an honest review of the book in the months prior to the release date.
Before and Afterlives will release on March 18, 2013. I’d love to give away enough advance review copies that would enable a book review per week between the months of January and late March. If you review books regularly, and aren’t back-logged, and would be able to read and write a review of the collection within that period of time, please contact me at christopherbarzak AT gmail DOT com.
I’m excited for this collection to appear. Here are the two initial blurbs from the authors Jeffrey Ford and M. Rickert:
“Although Christopher Barzak is now better known as a novelist, I’ve always been an admirer of his short stories. His new collection, Before and Afterlives, will make you one too. This generous offering of his best work displays impressive range, depth of feeling, a sharp sense of humor, and a fantastic imagination both lyrical and dark.”
-Jeffrey Ford, author of Crackpot Palace and The Physiognomy
“How to conjure souls? Resurrect the past? Speak to the dead? Christopher Barzak has a talent for ghosts. In a world composed of more than its material aspects, Barzak seems to know that the things unsaid are what haunt us most. He offers his considerable gift of story as a talisman. Before and Afterlives is a generous contribution to the art of being human.”
-M. Rickert, author of Map of Dreams and Holiday
I’d love to have reviewers join into the conversation about the book as it gets nearer to launch date. So please send me an email with a link to your book blog to join in.
Thanks very much, and feel free to link to this post in your own networks.
After thirteen years of absence in the world, Bordertown–that awesome shared world of punk rock and elves that surfaced in the 80s and 90s–is coming back. It’s coming back on May 24th, to be exact, and those of us writer types who were invited to play in the new anthology have been holding contests leading up to the big event. And it is a big event. The book is big, and it’s beautiful, chock full of poems and stories and even a graphic story to boot. You won’t want to miss it.
For my contest, I’m asking readers of my blog to watch this book trailer for Welcome to Bordertown, and to maybe do a little research (for those who are unfamiliar with the Borderlands) to get acquainted with the place. Then, come back here and answer this one question in the comments of my blog:
How would you get to Bordertown?
It’s an important question, because Bordertown is a magical place, and all magical places have to be gotten to by particular paths. Wendy and Peter go to Neverland by flying on a celestial road called the High Way. Dorothy goes to the Emerald Kingdom by following the Yellow Brick Road. Alice tumbles down the Rabbit Hole to Wonderland. In Bordertown lore, it’s said that anyone wishing hard enough to be there will find a way. So what’s your way, if you wanted it bad enough? How would you get to Bordertown?
I’ll be picking one of the answers on May 24th, and will announce the winner here on my blog. The prize? This really cool Bordertown pendant fashioned by artist Mia Nutick:
So who’s first? By hook or by crook, I expect to see some fancy travel plans.
(Don’t forget to leave your name and email address in the info for comments.)
Another new story is up in the Interfictions online Annex. This week, “Stonefield” by Mark Rich.
Days at the drafting table had provided such neat mental constructions – perfect lines and angles within which he could situate himself, to feel measured and squared… he must have slipped away from sensing the roundness and fullness of the world.
Last week I posted an excerpt from the introduction to Interfictions 2 here, and a link to the whole deal. But we also now have two of our Annex stories live online. Have you checked them out yet? The first one is Genevieve Valentine’s “To Set Before the King” and this week’s addition is F. Brett Cox’s “Nylon Seam” which comes along with a song written and sung by Brett, who is also totally rockin’ the guitar as well. A blend of music and story. I love stuff like that. If you’ve got a free moment, and work is slow and boring anyway, or the kids are in bed, etc, take a swing over to the Interstitial Arts Foundation website for all the free content that is going to keep appearing over the next few weeks until the second volume of Interfictions itself appears in November. I just looked over the copyedits for the book this past week, by the way, and was reminded of how kick-ass the table of contents is. I can’t wait to re-read the book, and wait till you see the full cover. Sweet, sweet stuff.
Damn, I love making books.
Just a heads up. Very soon this fall the second volume of Interfictions, which I co-edited with Delia Sherman, will be appearing. And even sooner than the book is released, we’ll be releasing a new story in the Interfictions Online Annex every week until the book appears.
I very much hope that readers like what Delia and I have gathered for their reading pleasures in this second volume. More to come, but until then, the launch dates for Annex stories are as follows:
On Sept. 15th we’re launching the Interfictions Online Annex, with 1 new, online-only, story/week until the book publication November 3rd:
Sept. 15: Genevieve Valentine, “To Set Before the King”
Sept. 22: F. Brett Cox, “Nylon Seam”
Sept. 29: Kelly Barnhill, “Four Very True Tales”
Oct. 6: Ronald Pasquariello, “The Chipper Dialogues”
Oct. 13: March Rich, “Stonefield”
Oct. 20: Kelly Cogswell, “For the Love of Carrots”
Oct. 27: Chris Kammerud, “Some Things About Love, Magic, and Hair”
Nov. 3: Eilis O’Neal, “Quiz”
A few weeks back I was inspired to have a book giveaway and today another review from that giveaway has appeared. An excerpt:
Is this a sad novel, given that a few of the stories focus on suicide and many on death? In some ways, yes. It’s even deeper than that, though, as it shows us how many people from all different walks of life can feel the exact same thing without realizing it. That’s where the title comes in; all these people share love without knowing. I can’t say it made me sad, though. It made me thoughtful and it astonished me with its power.
I’m crazy happy that the book, despite much of the content being related to loss and absence, did not make this reader feel sad or depressed because of it. That’s what I was really hoping for.
I just noticed that Colleen over at The Swivet has a second giveaway going for One for Sorrow, so if anyone wanted to get a free copy, there’s still a chance. The rules this time are a little different, though. Check it out.
Christopher Barzak 