Smugglers Stash

Smugglers’ Stash and News

Hola compadres!

Another Sunday, another stash, another installment with some fabulous news to share!

Book Blog Covention

A couple of Sundays ago we reported that the first ever con for book bloggers, The Book Blogger Convention, will happen in New York on the 28th of May one day after the Book Expo America (May 25-27) and that Thea was going to attend both whilst Ana was going to stay home dying of envy.

Well folks, some things have changed and we have some further news to report! First of all, the BBC has affiliated with BEA and if you register for the former you are automatically registered to the latter. How great is that?

Second, there are going to be several interesting panels during the con like Professionalism/Ethics, Marketing, Author/Blogger Relationships, Building Community, Writing/Building Content, and Thea has been invited to be a panelist for the Marketing segment!

Finally, because she must be there to see this in person, Ana decided to throw caution to the wind and will be joining the hordes attenting both events! This will be grand, the second time ever the Smugglers get to meet in person. Needless to say, we are Super Excited.

So come on, join us! Registration for the con is still open and available for a discounted rate of $90 (until February 14). This includes your pass to BEA, so it’s quite a deal!

In Other News:

Locus Magazine in its February 2010 issue, published The 2009 Recommended Reading List with inputs from many professionals of Fantasy and Scifi genres. Amongst the listed, some of our own favorites such as the ubiquitous Ark by Stephen Baxter (which seems to be making most ‘top of’ lists); Drood by Dan Simmons, Liar by Justine Larbalestier and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. And of course, many, many others that we really want to read (what else is new?).

On that same vein (hee),The 2009 Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot has been released. The Stoker Awards are held each year by the Horror Writers Association in celebration of the best of the genre has to offer. And we are stocked to see Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Kaaron Warren’s Slights making the list! The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Slights were two of Thea’s Top 10 reads from 2009. You can read her review for The Forest of Hands and Teeth HERE, and the review for Slights HERE. Also, you can check out our interview with Carrie Ryan, her Smugglivus Guest Post, as well as Kaaron Warren’s guest post about her favorite horror reads of 2009. Congratulations, Carrie and Kaaron!

As you might be aware, the last season of Lost premiered last week with an episode that was mind-blowing and which already sent us into full Theorising Mode. We probably exchanged a hundred emails after we watched the episode discussing the implications of everything that happened to the future of the show. If you are rolling your eyes right now, well, it seems you are not alone. We were shocked, we say SHOCKED, to find out last week, that we, as Lost fans, are officially considered….annoying, Oh, the HORROR, by the non-fans of the show. This, according to this video from The Onion. (Seriously now, THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME. We lurves it. Thanks to Willaful for the heads up).

Current Giveaways:

Don’t forget that our Soul Screamers giveaway is still going! You have until February 15th to enter for a chance to win either both and (first winner) or (two additional winners). You can enter it here.

This Week on The Book Smugglers

We kick start the week with a Lisa McMann special. Thea reviews Fade and Gone books 2 and 3 in the Wake Trilogy and we will have a massive giveaway to celebrate the release of Gone.

On Tuesday, it’s another very special day here at the Book Smugglers. Thea reviews A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, one of the masters of Horror and one of her favourite authors since she was a child. And we are supremely proud to announce that her review will be followed by an interview with the author!

On Wednesday, Ana reviews A Tale of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox, third in her Demon Slayer UF series.

Thursday sees Ana reviewing Lex Trent Versus The Gods the first YA offering by writer Alex Bell. The review will be followed by an interview with the author.

Finally on Friday, Thea reviews the Fantasy novel Except the Queen by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder.

And that’s it from us today.

Enjoy your Sunday!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

14 Comments

  • Amy @ My Friend Amy
    February 7, 2010 at 1:19 am

    OH YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe I get to meet both of you!!!!!!!!!! This totally made my day, I am SO excited!!!! 🙂

  • Lenore
    February 7, 2010 at 2:33 am

    I am very excited to meet both you too!

  • Cindy
    February 7, 2010 at 5:43 am

    Wow ! Jane Yolen and Peter Straub on the same week ? Can’t wait to see your reviews !
    And congrats for the conventions!

  • Helen M.
    February 7, 2010 at 7:59 am

    I am so jealous that you are both going to the convention! It’s the second to last week of school and I just can’t go.

    It’s so funny; I picture the two of you in the same space doing the blog. It’s odd to think you haven’t seen a lot of each other in person!

  • Kristen
    February 7, 2010 at 9:26 am

    Wow, I didn’t know that signing up for the Book Blogger Convention meant you were automatically signed up for BEA. Going to this is sounding more and more tempting.

  • Hazel
    February 7, 2010 at 11:33 am

    Except the Queen. Damn, that is a good title. I was all, “oh, I am so over royalty in fantasy fiction” but I think I might have to add that to my teetering list.

  • Marie
    February 7, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    So excited about ‘Gone’ and ‘Except for the Queen”! Can’t wait!

    Good luck at the conventions!

  • katiebabs
    February 7, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    *sniff* no BEA or BBC for me since I will be on a boat in the middle of he Atlantic living it up.

    You better come back for 2011!

  • Ana
    February 7, 2010 at 2:01 pm

    Lenore and Amy: we are SO excited about meeting you guys too!! Yay!

    Cindy- thank you!

    Helen M- Isn’t it funny? We only ever met once! 🙁

    Kristen – Oh please, please! we would so love to mee you!!! 😀

    Hazel – I think that is an awesome title as well.

    Marie – thank you!

    KB – Let’s see about 2011 😈

  • Kristen
    February 7, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    I would love to meet you both too!

  • Neil Patrick
    February 8, 2010 at 3:44 am

    Great book collection ana

    cool 8)

  • Michelle
    February 8, 2010 at 4:08 am

    So.Very.Excited!

    I can’t wait to see Thea on the panel and am so glad Ana is going to be joining us for the day too 🙂

  • KMont
    February 8, 2010 at 11:23 am

    I’ve paid! I’m a-goin’! It’s official! Wohooo! Dayum, this thing’s not that far away. Can’t wait to see everyone there. 🙂

    Can’t wait to see what you think of Except the Queen, Thea. I hit a roadblock with it and haven’t been able to get back into it. It had such a good beginning, too.

  • Jessica Andersen
    February 8, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    Argh! I’ll be in deadline h*ll the last week of May and Can Not Go to BBC/BEA. (I’m going to keep repeating that to myself, because it’s sounding better and better with everything I’m hearing.) WTG on being included as a panelist, Thea!

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