The Sunburst Award, named for author Phyllis Gotlieb's first novel, is a juried prize celebrating Canadian literature of the fantastic. It has both an adult and young adult category. The winners of the Sunburst Award will be announced September 14, 2011 as part of Authors at Harbourfront Centre's weekly reading series. Jurors for 2011 are Julie Czerneda, Kate Freiman, Mark Leslie, Christopher Roden, and Alison Sinclair.

In the Adult category:

• Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay
• Watch, Robert J. Sawyer
• Chimerascope, Douglas Smith
• A Taint in the Blood, S.M. Stirling
• Stealing Home, Hayden Trenholm

In the Young Adult category:

• Shapeshifter, Holly Bennett
• Plain Kate, Erin Bow
• The Painted Boy, Charles de Lint
• Bookweirder, Paul Glennon
• Dust City, Robert Paul Weston

 

view cart

Honeyed Words$16.99 add to cart

I'm a sucker for Norse Mythology and Urban Fantasy. When I saw that J.A. Pitts' series starring blacksmith Sarah Beauhall fused the two together I became very interested indeed.

Black Blade Blues and its sequel, Honeyed Words both feature a fabulous cast of characters and a unique take on my favourite myth cycle, and I can't recommend the series highly enough. I was fortunate to meet J.A. Pitts at 2010's World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio and he was gracious enough to agree to answer some questions about his writing. Honeyed Words will be releasing July 5th, 2011.

more...

Vote! Help select the next chapter for On the Same Page. Which Manitoba book, by a Manitoba author, do you think should get the On the Same Page this year? From the short list below, select the title you'd like for Manitoba's biggest book club. The poll closes Saturday, September 10, 2011.

• Baldur's Song, by David Arnason
• Winnipeg 1912 by Jim Blanchard
• Le Soleil du Lac Qui Se Couche / The Setting Lake Sun by J. R. Léveillé
• Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell

You may vote by clicking here. In October, 2008, The Winnipeg Foundation launched On The Same Page. The Literacy for Life Fund supports family literacy programming across Manitoba. Gifts to the fund are permanently endowed and the income generated supports inter-generational literacy projects at community organizations and library branches throughout the province.

This morning, J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, announced the October launch of pottermore.com. Pottermore will offer an interactive reading experience for fans of the series, as well as Harry-Potter-related merchandise and ebooks. Fans will be able to visit Diagon Alley, get their own wand and be sorted into a house. Rowling has also promised additional information about various characters that fans will be able to access on the site - for example, the story of how Petunia and Vernon Dursley met, and what Professor McGonagall did before she came to teach at Hogwarts. Rowling says she's written about 18,000 new words on our favourite witches and wizards, and she's not even finished yet!

Registration begins on July 31st - Harry's birthday - and a million lucky registrants will be able to access the site early. Don't forget to submit your e-mail now so you can get a reminder when registration opens!

For more information, see J.K. Rowling's announcement and the Leaky Cauldron for all up-to-date news regarding Pottermore.