While we were away RORing (and I am still planning a post on the retreat, honest!) the new issue of Locus came out – and I had forgotten that as it was February, that meant Recommended Reading List! Yee-haw!

Yes, I am a diehard Locus Recommended Reading List fangirl. It’s where I got my book recs from before the blogosphere inserted itself into my brain. Which is why it was so exciting for me to appear on there twice – under Collection for Love and Romanpunk, and Short Story for “The Patrician.” Heady stuff! The Collection recommendation is especially exciting, as I’ve never had a whole BOOK recommended by the Locus crew. And it really didn’t hurt to be poring over the list with fellow recommendee Margo Lanagan over our breakfast bowls…

I’m really excited and proud about how much positive response I have got from people about “The Patrician” – it’s a story that felt right when I was writing it, so it’s fantastic to see it mentioned several times in this issue of Locus, by reviewers whose opinions I greatly respect. The book as a whole has gone very well too – Alisa told me this week that she opened the last box of Love and Romanpunk! How exciting is that, for a small press title to be so close to selling out, less than a year after its release?

Jason Nahrung points out all the Aussies on the list. It’s lovely to see such a diverse range of Australian authors mentioned – that is, old favourites as well as new names. And lots of women! I was particularly excited to see Thoraiya Dyer and Jo Anderton on their for their work, so early in their careers – potential Campbell nominees, perhaps? But congratulations to everyone to made it, especially those of you who are friends. Cos, you know. I like my talented friends BEST OF ALL.

Thanks to Tehani, I have some more pics from the Reign of Beasts/Sea Hearts launch! She has made them available through Creative Commons, so feel free to grab them, but do credit the photographer!

Reign of Beasts and Sea Hearts look so pretty together!

Richard Harland, Rowena Cory Daniells, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Margo Lanagan

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Many bookloving folk in Hobart and from farther afield gathered last night to celebrate the double launch of two much-anticipated Australian fantasy novels: Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin) and Reign of Beasts: Creature Court Book Three by Tansy Rayner Roberts (HarperVoyager). Sea Hearts was launched by Richard Harland, and Reign of Beasts by Rowena Cory Daniells.

It was lovely to see so many family and friends gathered once again for what has become an annual tradition in recent years – long may it continue! – the launch of one of my books. Even more special was to share this with members of my writing group, who are normally scattered more widely across Australia when an event like this happens.

I began the Creature Court with ROR, who workshopped the first volume through a couple of early drafts, so it felt very appropriate to bring the trilogy to a close with many of them: Rowena Cory Daniells, Margo Lanagan, Dirk Flinthart and Richard Harland, in attendance. Sad of course that we couldn’t be joined by Marianne De Pierres, Trent Jamieson and Maxine McArthur! Their absence was felt.

The Hobart Bookshop put on an excellent launch, as they always do. I was delighted to welcome Tehani, new import to our shores, along with her family, and to finally meet Lian Tanner, another local writer whose path has never entirely crossed mine before.

And, of course, while books and launch speeches and wine are all terribly important things, the MOST important thing is that, yet again, my gorgeous daughters dressed for the occasion, as a lion and tiger respectively. Goodness only knows what I’ll do when I have a seamonster book to launch.

Thanks for coming, everyone who came!

Margo and I were both delighted to see our books hurled into the stratosphere with such panache, and of course those who weren’t able to make the event can assuage their disappointment by picking up copies in good (Australian and New Zealand only for now, sigh) bookshops.

Reason #1: Huntress
Reason #2: Power Girl

Two seasons down, four to go! (for now) I’ve been having great fun rewatching these episodes and commenting on them with David and Tehani (plus of course my offsider Raeli, now seven years old and firmly in the David Tennant camp after a year of being certain Matt Smith was her Doctor) because of the fresh perspective it comes from bouncing off each other.

You can find David’s report card and Tehani’s report card for this season on their websites.

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The GS Team: Alex, Alisa, Tansy and our Producer (AKA Gentlemen's Auxilary)

Yesterday Galactic Suburbia put up a Very Special podcast, announcing the honours list and winner of the inaugural Galactic Suburbia Award.

After much discussion, and wanting in particular to create something that wasn’t already out there in the multitudinous world of spec fic awards, we came up with this definition:

The Galactic Suburbia Award: for activism and/ or communication that advances the feminist conversation in the field of speculative fiction in 2011

We didn’t put links to the honours list and winner as show notes to the podcast, because we wanted our regular listeners to have at least SOME sense of anticipation as they listened, but now it’s well and truly out there, so here is the list:

Honours List

Carrie Goldman and her daughter Katie, for sharing their story about how Katie was bullied at school for liking Star Wars, and opening up a massive worldwide conversation about gender binaries and gender-related bullying among very young children.

Cheryl Morgan for Female Invisibility Bingo, associated blogging and podcasting, and basically fighting the good fight

Helen Merrick, for the Feminism article on the SF Encyclopedia

Jim C Hines for “Jane C Hines” and associated blogging, raising awareness of feminist issues in the SF/Fantasy publishing field.

Julia Rios, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond for Episode 11 of the Outer Alliance podcast (The Writer and the Critic special episode)

L. Timmel Duchamp – for continuing to raise issues of importance on the Ambling Down the Aqueduct blog and various Aqueduct Press projects

Michelle Lee for the blog post “A 7-year-old girl responds to DC Comics’ sexed-up reboot of Starfire”

Winner

Nicola Griffith – for the Russ Pledge, and associated blogging

The winner will receive a Deepings Doll hand-painted figurine of a suffragette with a Galactic Suburbia placard, hand-painted by Jilli Roberts of Pendlerook Designs. (Tansy’s very talented mother!) Each Deepings Doll is individual, so the one each winner will receive (we do plan to make this an annual tradition) will be unique.

If you have ideas for our Honours list for 2012, please email us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com or tweet @galacticsuburbs

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It’s been lovely to see such a positive response from our honourees and winner. Already, Nicola Griffith, Cheryl Morgan and Timmi Duchamp have posted the award details on their blogs with gracious commentary. We at Galactic Suburbia had a great time chewing over what our award should be, and what we wanted to celebrate in the SF community.

The Science Fiction Translation Awards are running a fundraiser, accepting donations now towards the running of their awards, which aim to promote and celebrate great science fiction translated into English, and to provide a substantial cash prize to the original author as well as translator.

It’s a great cause, and there are a bunch of great book prizes up for grabs for a few lucky donors. I’ve contributed a complete Creature Court trilogy (feels so GOOD to be able to offer that!) and it’s in some very good company.

Speaking of the Creature Court trilogy, Sean the Blogonaut wrote a lovely review of Book 2: The Shattered City: “Action, blood and lust and a little bit of dressmaking. If you enjoy well written action, political intrigue, anime like transformation of characters into monstrous beasts and well written sex scenes give the whole series a go.”

I’ve been enjoying Tor.com’s current theme of military SF – I don’t think of myself of a fan of that particular subgenre, and yet I am familiar with so many of the works they discuss! I guess that means something. I liked this post about Starbuck and gender in Battlestar Galactica. Ahh, Battlestar Galactica. You got it so right, before you got it so wrong…

Speaking of military SF, over at i09 Jen Heddle makes a compelling argument that they should have brought Robotech back already. Hell, yes they should! Want me to write it?

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I write so few shorts these days that a sale becomes a very big deal to me, and this one’s exciting because it’s even rarer: “Prosperine When It Sizzles,” the second of my La Duchess and M. Pepin genderbendy mystery stories from the New Ceres shared universe (first published in TPP antho New Ceres Nights) has been picked up by “Beyond Binary,” an anthology of genderqueer SF edited by Brit Mandelo and published by Lethe Press.

AND ISN’T IT PRETTY?

I can’t quite believe I’m sharing a table of contents with Nalo Hopkinson, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman. Wheeee!

Exciting news!

The Hobart Bookshop are pleased to spread the news that Margo Lanagan will now be joining us on February 2nd for a launch of her new book, Sea Hearts.

Margo and Tansy Rayner Roberts will share the evening, making it a very exciting double launch — don’t miss it!

Thursday February 2nd
5:30pm
The Hobart Bookshop

Rowena Cory Daniells will launch Reign of Beasts by Tansy Rayner Roberts.

This is the final book in The Creature Court trilogy, a fantasy series featuring flappers, shapechangers and bloodthirsty court politics.

Richard Harland will launch Margo Lanagan’s Sea Hearts — an an extraordinary tale of desire and revenge, of loyalty, heartache and human weakness, and of the unforeseen consequences of all-consuming love.

If you’re in the southern Tasmania region next week, please come along to the Hobart Bookshop for much book-related merriment!

OUTLAND
Premieres Wednesday, 8 February 2012, 9:30pm | ABC1

Starring Christine Anu, Ben Gerrard, Paul Ireland, Adam Richard and Toby Truslove and created by John Richards and Adam Richard.

I’ve been keen on seeing Outland for some time, mostly because I love listening to John Richards on Boxcutters, and his occasional tales of the behind the scenes stories from making a sitcom for the ABC have been hilarious and fascinating.

Also, it’s a comedy series about a group of gay science fiction fans, and those don’t come along every day!

But the more I hear about it, mostly while John flits from podcast to podcast promoting the show, the more it sounds a bit good. On the recent episode of Shooting the Poo, a podcast I have only recently brought myself to listen to, because I hate the title that much, John talks in depth about the show, particularly about the role of the director, art department, etc. in making it more clever and more geeky than the original script even called for. It’s wall to wall anecdotes about Dalek costumes, sex toys and Kylie Minogue outfits.

Most interesting to me is that the guys on the podcast have seen some or all of the show’s episodes, and so are able to discuss it on all kinds of levels, though they avoid spoilers to the best of their ability.

I find it really intriguing that despite the fact that (or in some ways, because) all five protagonists of the show are gay, the focus of it is not in fact about being gay at all, because it doesn’t have to be – it’s about five people who are out about their sexuality, but in the closet (to varying degrees) about being science fiction fans.

Anyone who has concerns that either gayness or science fiction fannitude might be treated lightly or offensively in the show could definitely benefit from checking out that podcast, which discusses all kinds of fan reaction to the publicity stills/trailer as well as the deeper responses to the actual show itself, and how hard they have all worked to make this a good-spirited show that doesn’t mock from the outside.

I for one am looking forward to it – and it’s been a long time since I could say that about an Australian comedy series!