Yesterday, when I talked about The Heir of Night, The Wall of Night Book One making the shortlist for the international Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer  I omitted to mention one small but important fact—not only am I the only New Zealander on the shortlist, I am also the only Southern Hemisphere author in either the Legend or Morningstar categories.

But it’s a different story in the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Book Jacket. There are two Southern Hemisphere book covers/artists who have made it through to the final there—and best of all (from my point of view) the authors of the shortlisted books are both friends of mine so I can really rejoice in their success!

The Gemmell “Ravenheart” Award for Best Fantasy Book Jacket

Without further ado, the two Southern Hemisphere contenders for this award are (in alphabetical order by artist & book title :)):

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Aaron Briggs for the cover of Kim Falconer’s Journey By Night (Harper Voyager Australia)

Just for the record, Aaron Briggs is Kim’s son, so she also gets to be a proud Mum!

And in very recent news, Kim has had another book, Road To The Soul, shortlisted for the Norma K Hemming Award 2012 “for excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, sexuality, class and disability in the form of science fiction and fantasy or related artwork or media produced either in Australia or by Australian citizens.”

Very well done, Kim!

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Frank Victoria for the cover of Mary Victoria’s  Oracle’s Fire (Harper Voyager, Australia)

And Frank is not only the cover artist, but also the husband of Oracle’s Fire author, Mary Victoria. (Hmm–could I be detecting a trend here? 😉 )

Also in further recent good news, both Oracle’s Fire and its prequel, Samiha’s Song, are shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Award 2012 for Best Novel.

While Frank Victoria is in the running for the Sir Julius Vogel Award 2012 for Best Professional Artwork—an award category he won last year for the cover of Tymon’s Flight.

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Now comes the hard part—in terms of the Gemmell Ravenheart Award, we shall have to decide which cover to vote for!

A difficult decision—but one that I hope you will want to make for one of these two excellent covers!

 To vote: Click Here

Then click again in the circle above the name of the Artist – Book Title for the Cover you would like to win the Gemmell Ravenheart Award.

Easy-peasy: but I do hope you will take just a few seconds now and vote!

UK trade paperback

On April 9 I posted how thrilled I was to learn that The Heir of Night, The Wall of Night Book One, had made it through to the final shortlist for the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer.

Receiving this news was a very exciting moment because it’s very difficult for new authors to get their books to stand out—and making the shortlist meant that readers internationally had not only read The Heir of Night but voted for it as well. I know I thanked you then—but again now: thank you!

The Gemmell Awards were established to honor the legacy of heroic fantasy maestro, author David Gemmell, and to celebrate excellence in the fantasy genre. As a long time David Gemmell reader, I feel deeply honored that The Heir of Night is a finalist for the Morningstar Award.

UK/AU/NZ mass market paperback

But each round of the Gemmell Awards is reader voted—and voting is now open again to determine the winner of all three categories of award.

Once again, if The Heir of Night is to have any hope of winning the Morningstar Award then it does very much need your support—if you feel you can in good conscience give it.

But if you do feel you can, then:

To vote for The Heir of Night—Helen Lowe to win the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer, click HERE

— then click again in the circle immediately above ‘The Heir of Night—Helen Lowe’

And please do spread the word as well!

Again: thank you for any/all support you feel you can give!

Today’s editor on the Tuesday Poem Hub is Wellington poet and writer Alicia Ponder—and I am very honoured that Alicia has selected Fey as the feature poem on the Hub today.

To read Fey and Alicia’s commentary, please click Here.

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And because Fey was written as part of a sequence of poems I thought I’d re-post one of its companions, backwards, as my Tuesday Poem today:

backwards

tomorrow
I will throw burned toast
to birds that flutter down
from the dying tree
in one corner
of the yard

blackbird
flying backwards
as I step widdershins
around the old house
with its sagging porch
& broke-back roof

shade my eyes
toward the smudge
of hills—storm brewing
along the tops

© Helen Lowe

First published in Takahe 68, December 2009

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To read Fey and all the other poems featured by the international Tuesday Poets on their individual blogs—links are shown in the Hub sidebar—please click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.

UK/AUS/NZ

Well, it’s been a month—with The Gathering of the Lost published in the USA, Australia and New Zealand on 27 March and in the UK on 5 April, plus four weeks of associated Blog Tour.

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The Tour has been  a huge amount of fun, but may I say in the immortal phrasing of Willow from the Buffy TV series: “Tired now!”

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But here, to both recap and finally wrap up, is the complete list of Tour stops, each one with a link to the relevant guest blog post or interview:

• 

  USA

  27 Mar: (aka “Kick-off!”)
  

• SF Signal — Guest post ‘Celebrating Epic Fantasy and Publication of The Gathering of the Lost‘
  
• Orbit — Guest post ‘Celebrating The Gathering of the Lost And The Power of Environment.’

• 29 March: Big Idea on John Scalzi’s Whatever (US & international) — Guest post on ‘The Gathering of the Lost & Friendship’

• 30 March: Trent Jamieson — Guest post “Romance vs Reality: War & Conflict in Epic Fantasy and ‘The Gathering of the Lost’”

• 1 April: Supernatural Underground – “R is for Romance in “The Gathering of the Lost” 

• 2 April:
  
• Civilian Reader – An interview with Stefan Fergus
• Galactic Chat – A podcast interview with Sean Wright

• 5 April: Gillian Polack (AU) Guest post on “Historical Influences on THE WALL OF NIGHT Series and The Gathering of the Lost “

• 7 April: Chronicles of the Tree (NZ) – An interview with Mary Victoria

• 9 April:ismellsheep (US)  – An interview with Sharon Stogner & Katie Dalton

• 11 April: Orbit – I interview fellow author, Ian Irvine

• 13 April: The Shared Desk (Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris)  – Guest post on ‘Love of Adventure: The Crossover Between Steampunk Tales & Epic Stories”

• 16 April: Kim Falconer interviews Malian of Night on the Supernatural Underground

•  18 April: Orbit – I am interviewed by Ian Irvine
  

• 19 April: ‘She Writes the Night’ – an interview with John R. Fultz

•  21 April: Mur Lafferty – Guest post on ‘Writing Strong Women in FSF & The Wall of Night Series’

• 24 April: Kate Elliott – Guest post on  ‘Building Fantastic Worlds—“It’s A Mystery”’

So there you have it—the complete Tour. I think, given all that, we may safely say that The Gathering of the Lost is well and truly launched!

I hope you’ve had fun with it—I know I have. 🙂

I have been too busy to do much reading lately—and a great deal too busy to report back to you on what I have been reading. I hope though, that with the first flurry of The Gathering of the Lost’s release period over, things will now get back to a more usual pace—and more “Just Arrived” and “What I’m Reading” posts will appear on the blog.

So I am delighted to tell you that a proof copy of  Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue has just arrived on my TBR table—and there is a very good chance I may even be able to bring you an interview with the author, which would be fun.

Bitterblue is the third novel in the Cashore series that began with Graceling—a novel that won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award For Children’s/YA literature in 2009. The second novel in the series, Fire, was a prequel to Graceling chronologically but this is definitely a sequel—picking up on the character of Bitterblue from the first book and pursuing her story.

Here’s what the backcover says:

“Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run the country on her behalf since her father, King Leck, died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all who committed terrible acts during Leck’s reign and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea’s past has become shrouded in mystery, and it’s only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle—curious, disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past.

Whatever that past holds.

Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart…”

I appreciate Cashore’s storytelling approach, a combination of romance, adventure, and independent young women protagonists. Given the serious themes, I am looking forward to what she does with Bitterblue’s story.

And watch this space in terms of a possible interview. 😉

USA

In the past month since the launch of The Gathering of the Lost in the USA, Australia and New Zealand on 27 March, I been able to share a few early reviews, here, again here, and just yesterday, here.

But it’s always nice to get some early reader feedback, too, so here’s a sample of comments I’ve received either through the blog or my website:

“Have just finished it and it rocked… Already excited by Daughter of the Blood. Just about to sit down and re read it to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Also its … raining so what better thing to do in front of an open fire than read a great book.” ~ Emer, Ireland

I just finished “The Gathering of the Lost”. It is possibly the best sequel I have ever read…  ~ Ed, New Zealand

UK/AUS/NZ

“I have to tell you, I really liked Heir of Night, but I LOVED The Gathering of the Lost… honestly, fabulous.” ~ Katherine, USA

“Gathering” arrived in the mail last week… I found I couldn’t put it down and ended up with bloodshot eyes, a smile on my face, and a feeling I needed to read it all over again right away as I had missed so much from only one reading. Thanks so much for a great series – still my favourite.” ~ John, Australia

“The writing is like poetry, each word perfectly chosen. Don’t ever stop.” ~ Georgette, USA

“Am the worlds most fussy reader, found heir of night series last week and finished book 2 this Easter… Looking forward to number 3” ~ Dave, New Zealand

“I have finished Gathering and it’s a terrific read.” ~ Jacqui, New Zealand

“The Gathering of the Lost…is such an enjoyable read. Congratulations.” ~Noel, Ireland

“Bought Kindle version. Read it allll!!!!!!! … Really looking forward to the next installment” ~ Tricia, West Indies

“Just finished reading “The Gathering of the Lost”. The Heir of Night is a good book and this one is even better.” ~ Or, Israel

So there you have it: what at least some of the readers are saying. I can only say “Thank you. I am so glad you’ve all enjoyed it.”

And perhaps, looking at the locales: “Wow, they’re reading my book, there”—as well as here! 😉

Two more reviews have come in.

USA

UK/AUS/NZ

The Gathering of the Lost was reviewed by Vanda Symon for Afternoons with Jim Mora on Radio New Zealand yesterday.

To listen to the podcast, click here.

The review of Gathering is approximately 5.50 minutes in, but the initial review of policewoman Liz William’s “Five Foot and Fearless”, about her time in the Armed Defenders’ Squad, is also well worth a listen.

And Vanda Symon’s own new novel The Faceless is being launched today in Dunedin!

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USA

UK/AU/NZ

Meanwhile  “Burning Bright” (Australia) has reviewed The Heir of Night. To read the review, click here.

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The last stop on the Blog Tour is still “Building Fantastic Worlds: ‘It’s a Mystery,'” my guest post on Kate Elliott’s I Make Up Worlds blog. There are some great comments and a joint Helen Lowe/Kate Elliott book giveaway happening so be sure to head on over and check it out here. 😉

It’s not quite all over yet though, because right now I’m participating in another Mind Meld on SF Signal. Titled “Great Genre Reads for Teenage Girls,” the specific topic is: “What genre books would you recommend to young teenage girls that read at an advanced level?”

What indeed? Fellow authors Mari Ness, Juliet Marillier and Stina Leicht join me in addressing the topic and there are some very interesting books on our respective lists.

My contribution begins as follows:

Stina Leicht’s “Of Blood and Honey”

“In terms of looking at books I would personally recommend to young teenage girls (i. e. 13-15) that read at an advanced level, I am going to be swayed by the kind of books I liked at a similar age. (I was also one of those advanced readers.) I also intend using similar selection criteria, the primary one being: is it a good story that will entertain while having some ‘meat’ on it in terms of use of language and the intellectual and emotional ‘grunt’ of the story being told. (At that age, I never picked up a book because I read the back cover blurb and thought: “oh my, this seems worthy.” I always started reading because I thought: “this sounds like a really interesting story.”)

…”

To read the full Mind Meld and all the authors’ contributions, click Here

UK/AUS/NZ

Well, we began the journey together a month ago, with publication of the Blog Tour Schedule on 26 March.

Now today is the last stop on the official Tour—but I’m finishing in grand style with a guest post with fellow epic fantasy author, Kate Elliott, on her home site I Make Up Worlds. (What a great blog name!)

The post is titled “Building Fantastic Worlds: ‘It’s A Mystery'” and begins:

USA

“Over the past few weeks, at various stops on The Gathering of the Lost blog tour, I have discussed a number of facets of the story, including environment, war, romance, history, adventure and writing strong women characters. Yet all these aspects could equally well apply to any writing genre, from contemporary realism to crime to historical fiction. The element that really distinguishes FSF, especially when a story departs from this-world-as-we-know-it, is world building.

But how do compelling and intriguing worlds come about—the ones where arguably the world is as much a character as any of the personalities that appear within the story …”

To read the full post, click here.

But there is more—because this is the final stop on the Tour there is another joint giveaway to finish up in style. Full details are on Kate’s blog but basically there are two books sets available to be won:

• Set 1: A copy of  The Heir of Night and a copy (your choice) of either of Kate’s Spirit Gate (Crossroads 1) or Cold Magic (Spiritwalker 1); and

• Set 2: A copy of  The Gathering of the Lost and a copy (your choice) of either of Kate’s Shadow Gate (Crossroads 2) or Cold Fire (Spiritwalker 2)

And all you have to do to enter the draw is post a comment: easy peasy!

But regardless of whether you comment, I hope you enjoy the post. 🙂

Autumn

Aaaah, autumn,
the dying season of the year,
when shadows turn to grape,
chilled by the first, faint curl of mist
around the edges of the days,
foreshortened into clear, green twilights
as night shifts from summer’s deep velvet
to frosty black, the stars glow colder,
more distant, the leaves turn
gold, bronze, crimson, scarlet,
bravura counterpoint to cooling days –
then fall, in deep, rustling drifts
beneath austere branches, the earth
dark beneath their shadow, filled
with pale secrets, bulbs lying in
wait for spring’s warm ambush
to burst out upon the world again,
while far above their blind heads
smoke smudges the evening air,
breath hanging in the stillness
as feet stamp crisply, briskly,
knowing winter is almost here.

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(c) Helen Lowe

Commended, Yellow Moon Nature Poetry Competition (August 2005)
Published Yellow Moon 18 (Australia), Summer 2006

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Well, it’s autumn here—so what better than an autumn poem!

Of course, now that A Game of Thrones has taken over the world via the small screen, I realise I should have written “winter is coming” rather than “winter is almost here.” 😉

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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.