Read 'Til You Drop

FANTASTIC COMPANIONS, the anthology that contains my story "The Darkbeast", recently won the "Silver Medal for Science Fiction & Fantasy Book of the Year" as awarded by ForeWord Magazine, a literary magazine that looks for excellence within independent and small publishers.

FANTASTIC COMPANIONS was edited by Julie Czerneda and published by Canadian publisher Fitzhenry and Whiteside.  The anthology is appropriate for young adult audiences; its stories focus on the fantastic animal- or other- companions of humans.  I was honored to work with Julie on the anthology, and I was impressed by the quality of everyone's stories.

Mindy, wishing she had more time to write short stories...

Harlequin is the unfortunate owner of some cheesy "popular" notions - people think that the company is only about bodice-ripping Fabio look-alikes, doltish women who perpetuate their own emotional turmoil, etc.

But Harlequin publishes far more than those out-moded stereotypes of romance. They publish Red Dress books (such as GIRL'S GUIDE). In fact they have more than a dozen lines of books with a variety of emphases, including Kimani (African American), Next (older women), Spice (erotica), Steeple Hill (Christian), etc., etc., etc.

As a company, Harlequin has embraced the notion of "good works". They support charities that combat illiteracy and domestic violence. They also have created the Harlequin More Than Words Award, recognizing ordinary women who are working to better their communities.

Each Harlequin More Than Words award recipient will be honored by:

· $10,000 to advance the work of her associated charity

· National recognition and promotion at www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com

· An all-expenses-paid trip to the award ceremony for her and a friend

· A novella inspired by her life and work, written by one of Harlequin’s most acclaimed authors

For more details - and to make your own nomination - please visit www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com (alas, a non-Firefox-friendly site.)

FANTASTIC COMPANIONS, the fantasy anthology that contains my story "The Darkbeast", has been nominated for the Prix Aurora Award, in the category "Best Other (English)." For those unfamiliar with the Aurora, it's Canada's version of the Hugo, where Canadian readers nominate and vote on Canadian work.  (FANTASTIC COMPANIONS is eligible because the editor, Julie Czerneda, is Canadian.) 

Great news! This morning, I found out that the anthology, FANTASTIC COMPANIONS, has been nominated for a "best SF" award by Foreward Magazine, a publication that specializes in book reviews. My short story, "The Darkbeast" is in FANTASTIC COMPANIONS, along with many other incredible short stories and an introduction by Kristen Britain, all edited by Julie Czerneda.

The award will be presented at Book Expo America - yet another reason for me to attend the event in May!

Mindy, totally thrilled to see this great anthology receiving recognition.