Loose-leaf Links #75

Loose-leaf Links is a feature where I gather together the interesting bits and pieces on sci-fi, fantasy and romance I’ve come across and share them with you over tea. Today’s tea is Imperial Spice by Adore Tea. This blend of cinnamon, cloves and orange is one I’m turning to more frequently as the weather cools.

Awards News

Awards season continues, with the announcement of the 2018 Australian Romance Readers Awards winners.

Shortlists for the 2018 Sara Douglass Book Series Award and the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards were also announced.

And the longlists for the 2019 Inky Awards were released. Judges should be announced soon and will convene to determine the shortlists.

Community and Conventions

After the release of the Nebula Awards, there was some concern that several of the nominees were the result of a slate put forward by a community of self-published authors. Cora Buhlert has an extensive round-up of the controversy. For Sri Lankan author and Nebula finalist Yudhanjaya Wijeratne it made a rude introduction to US SFF. He shares his thoughts in a couple of posts.

The executive editors of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction have apologised for republishing several stories without having obtained the rights to do so.

Venerable sci-fi author and founding member of the Book View Cafe Vonda N. McIntyre has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

On Equity

The Ripped Bodice have published their 2018 report on the state of racial diversity in romance publishing. It does not look good.

Over at Tor.com, Emily Asher-Perrin talks about how she “sees” books while she’s reading. I found this tied in with an interesting post from Lynn O’Connacht on reading with aphantasia.

Lynn is also over at the Book Smugglers with a guest post that takes an in-depth (and, at times, statistical) look at asexual representation in mainstream speculative fiction.

Some of the books Lynn mentions overlaps with Gin Jenny’s YA column for Lady Business, which focuses this month on YA books without sex or romance.

And back at the Book Smugglers, Stephanie Burgis talks about her influences and inspirations for Thornbound, and how sometimes it’s not enough to be the first woman.

For Writers

Kat Clay has some tips for writers on setting up email newsletters.

Over on Tor.com, April Henry discusses how sometimes experience is the best research.

For Readers

A-Spec April is hosting a readathon next month themed around ace and aro characters.

Wyrd and Wonder is a fantasy readathon running for the month of May. I’m thinking about signing up for this one, myself.

The team behind The Starlit Wood have announced a new anthology forthcoming. Called The Mythic Dream, it will focus on retellings of myths and legends. It is set to be published in August with an impressive line-up of authors.

Kathleen Jennings talks about updating the map she drew for Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air, evolving it to reflect changes in the series.

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