Francesca T. Barbini's Blog, page 14

C4P: Cheryl Morgan - Tipping the Fantastic

Luna's first Call for Papers, 'Gender Identity and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction' will be released on Wednesday the 9th of August. Explore the ten brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we introduce you to Cheryl Morgana (UK). She is presenting the paper: "Tipping the Fantastic: How the Transgender Tipping Point has Influenced Speculative Fiction".Cheryl says:"Fantasy, and more particularly science fiction, has always been interested in changes of gender. For most readers it seems to be a remarkable, if not magical, thing. For trans people, however, it is a fact of life. It hasn’t escaped our notice that most fiction about us is written very much from the point of view of people fascinated by our apparent transformations. With trans people becoming more visible in the media, and Time magazine proclaiming a “Trans Tipping Point”, has speculative fiction kept pace with society, and if so how is it different now?"You can follow Cheryl on Twitter.Pre-order 'Gender Identity and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction' now!

Free Kindle Copy of "The Dagger of Fire"!

I have a little present for my younger readers: a FREE Kindle copy of "The Dagger of Fire", my very first SF book.  I was studying for my MA at Edinburgh Uni when I wrote this. It incorporates my love for Captain Harlock (for the anime lovers out there), my passion for medieval life in Italy, nutty characters, time travel and above all, the importance of friendship.  If you have a young one in the house -or a young one at heart!- please consider downloading this free Kindle copy :) The promotion will run for 5 days! Thank you!CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE KINDLE COPY!

C4P: Anna Milon & Bikini Armour

Luna's first Call for Papers, 'Gender Identity and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction' will be released on Wednesday the 9th of August. Explore the ten brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we introduce you to Anna Milon (Russia). She is presenting the paper: "Bikini Armour: Women Characters, Readers and Writers in Male Narratives".Anna says:"This essay owes its title to the blog www.bikiniarmourbattledamage.tumblr.com, whose writers poke fun at the unrealistic and often downright hazardous female ‘armour’ in various franchises. I have chosen the title for two reasons: firstly, to highlight hyper-sexualisation and the demand for physical prowess, the rock and hard place between which fantasy heroines are often caught; secondly, because, like the impractical armour, narratives that we female readers expect to protect us often turn against us.Fantasy, because of its setting in a remote past (albeit an imaginary one), and its roots in male-centred narratives, is often not expected to challenge gender inequality and lack of representation. Because ‘that’s just how things were back in the day’. And yet it is a genre exponentially growing in popularity. That and fantasy literature’s association with a young demographic: children and teenagers – forces an uncomfortable question of what exactly are we teaching our children.Drawing on a wide range of gender criticism of modern fantasy literature and conducting close reading comparisons between male-coded and female-coded protagonists, I shall navigate the temptations, as female reader and writer, of buying into the false security of the male epic and discuss whether there is such a thing as ‘the female gaze’."You can follow Anna on Twitter.Pre-order 'Gender Identity and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction' now!

Announcing the Release of our Call for Papers 2016!

We are proud to announce the release of our very first Call for Papers: Gender Identity and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Over the course of 2016 we have received many interesting contributions and, as announced back in April, ten writers joined our family thanks to their great papers. When the call was announced, it had the tag line 'do we have a problem?' The variety of topics and approaches undertaken, allows us to take a deeper look into the current status of fantasy and SF in regards to identity and sexuality; as well as challenging your views, it will provide you with food for thoughts and a pulse on the market.Moreover, the papers do not simply revolve around the written words, but they deal with the issue in the publishing world at large, movies, TV, card games and even cosplay. The book will be out on the 9th of August, just as Worldcon 75 opens in Helsinki. We will be there of course, and so will be some of the authors. That is a great chance to get your copy and get it signed!In the course of the next weeks, we will give you more details on the individual papers, but for now, let me re-introduce you to our fabulous writers and the title of their individual papers. Here they are:Clockwise from the top left:Anna Milon (Russia), English Literature, current Education Officer of the Tolkien Society. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "Bikini Armour: Women Characters, Readers and Writers in Male Narratives"Cheryl Morgan (UK) SF critic and publisher, owner of Wizard’s Tower Press and Hugo Award winner. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "Tipping the Fantastic: How the Transgender Tipping Point has Influenced Speculative Fiction"Hazel Butler (UK) MA Celtic Archaeology, Academic Researcher (Gender identity and Iron Age archaeology). Fantasy Author and Copywriter. Presenting the paper: "Badass Bisexual Babes: Shameless Titillation or Empowered Characters Embracing their True Selves and Sexuality?"Alina Hadîmbu (Romania), MA in Comparative Literature and Cultural Anthropology. Writer. Presenting the paper: "Newly Added Female Characters to Blockbuster Franchises. Gender Balancing in Otherwise Male-Dominated Fictional Worlds or a Greater Purpose?"Juliet McKenna (UK) Greek and Roman history and literature. Fantasy Writer. Presenting the paper: "The Myth of Meritocracy and the Reality of the Leaky Pipe and Other Obstacles in Science Fiction & Fantasy"Rostislav Kůrka (Czech Republic/Finland) MA Theology. Researcher, Writer. Presenting the paper: "The Magical Way Forward? Recent Changes in Gender Representation in Magic: The Gathering Card Game"Lorianne Reuser (Canada) English Literature, Greek and Roman studies. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "Subversion, Sex and Violence: Rape as Narrative Tool In ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’"Jyrki Korpua (Finland), PHD in Literary studies and Lecturer. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "What about Tauriel? From Divine Mothers to Active Heroines - The Female Roles in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Legendarium and Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations"Kim Lakin-Smith (UK) MA in Journalism and Creative Writing, Fantasy and Science Fiction writer. Presenting the paper: "Doll Parts: Reflections of the Feminine Grotesque in Frances Hardinge’s Cuckoo Song and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline"A J Dalton (UK), PhD Creative Writing. Fantasy author with Gollancz. Presenting the paper: "Gender-identity and Sexuality in Current Sub-Genres of British Fantasy Literature: Do we Have a Problem?"And remember that our call for papers, 'The development of African Fantasy and Science Fiction' is open until 30th of November 2017. Pre-Order here!

Getting Steampunk Out Of London

As you might have guessed, Luna is preparing for a "steamy" summer ahead, "Steampunk" steamy, that is!Anthony Laken's 'One Cog Turning' will be released on July 15th, but it is not all. One the 1st of July we will reveal a new Steampunk adventure, because you can never have too much steam in your life!What these two projects have in common though, is that they take you on less travelled journey, through less usual settings. Victorian London is always considered the go-to place for Steampunk, but let's not forget the rest of the world. Anthony Laken and the authors of our other project, will take you there and show you how truly global Steampunk is.Kevin Steil, also known as the Airship Ambassador, has done much to further the understanding of Steampunk at a global level. In one of his earlier article, he discusses just that: 'Getting Steampunk out of London'. It's a delightful read that will inspire lovers and writers of Steampunk alike.Click on this linkand discover global steampunk!

Anthony Laken at Derby Edge-Lit 6

We are so very excited for the release of 'One Cog Turning', Anthony Laken's debut Steampunk novel!The launch venue will be Derby QUAD, in the centre of Derby, during Edge-Lit 6 one-day convention.Conventions are a very important part in the life of authors and publishers, because you get the chance to really meet everybody, socialise and realise how much hard work and passion goes into the 'writing' world in all its facets.  And let's not forget the volunteers who organise and run these type of events out of love, sometimes without due recognition.This particular one is organised by author/editor Alex Davies, who has also worked for Luna Press Publishing in the past. Alex says:"Edge-Lit is one of the UK's favourite science-fiction, fantasy and horror writing events returns for its latest installment, bringing together some of the UK's leading authors for a packed day of workshops, panels, readings, book launches, and much more besides! With a friendly atmosphere, a fantastic modern venue, an incredible array of booksellers and a huge amount of activity on the day, Edge-Lit is a great value day out and a must-attend for writers, readers or fans of genre fiction. And that's without even mentioning the now-legendary Edge-Lit raffle...Plus this year Edge-Lit will be hosting one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for fantasy fiction, the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy! With a roll of honour taking in authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, Mark Lawrence, Patrick Rothfuss and many more besides, be sure not to miss out on this wonderful prizegiving ceremony!" Luna Press will be there of course, in the dealers, and we will be hosting the launch of 'One Cog Turning'. Come and raise a glass with us and Anthony, on the 15th of July 2017.To mark the occasion, we're giving you the opportunity to win a free copy of the book. All you need to do is follow our or page and paste "Send me One Cog Turning!" on our wall! You have time until the 15th of June!The book is currently in pre-order, discounted at £9.99 until the launch, on the 15th of July. Please consider pre-ordering through us, so that our authors can benefit more.

One Cog Turning is in Pre-order!

We are delighted to announce the official release of Anthony Laken's debut Steampunk adventure 'One Cog Turning'. The official release date is Saturday 15th of July 2017, and we will be hosting a book launch at Edge-Lit 6, in Derby. Anthony's first launch will coincide with the Gemmell Awards 2017 and he will be in very good company, sharing the venue with the likes of Joanne Harris, Stephen Baxter, Jeff Noon, Peter Newman, Stan Nicholls and Ken MacLeod, to name but a few of the authors who will be there on the day. What a start!To mark the occasion, we're giving you the opportunity to win a free copy of the book. All you need to do is follow our Twitter or Facebook page and paste "Send me One Cog Turning!" on our wall! You have time until the 15th of June!The book is currently in pre-order, discounted at £9.99 until the launch, on the 15th of July. Please consider pre-ordering through us, so that our authors can benefit more. (And on that note, you may want to read this article...)PRE ORDER NOW!

Why Do You Write?

One of the main reasons for failure lies in not knowing why we do something. As a high school teacher, I was always told that every lesson should start from within the world of the children - it had to be relevant to their lives, and they needed to understand why they were learning it.Adults are no different in that respect. In the course of our lives, we challenge ourselves to start new ventures, new hobbies or follow a dream. The reason we do something still has a bearing on what we keep up, and what we abandon mid-way. We may think we know 'why', but once we start, it soon becomes apparent if it's valid and rings true with us. Moreover, the particular reason that moves us forward influences the process; the 'how' we do something.As both author and publisher, I often hear about people's writing aspirations. For the majority, this path never starts ("I always wanted to be a writer"); for some it does, but it's abandoned half way through ("I don't have time right now"); and for some, it becomes part of everyday life (when you are clearly a daily-word-count addict, belonging to the elusive word-mile programme, as I call it).I can't coverallthe reasons for wanting to write, but I can definitely look at the main ones.So, why do you write?REASONS FOR WRITING1. Writing For pleasureI used to keep diaries, an 18-years habit to be precise. I knew about Anne Frank's diary and Laura Palmer's diary (yes, two very different things!) and like these girls, I appreciated the comfort and usefulness of writing things down. As a teen, I wrote short stories, mainly for a few friends (this was the pre-internet era, don't forget) or myself.Many people write for pleasure, and thanks to Blogs, a skilful writer can even manage a healthy notoriety without worrying about other aspects of publishing. If the thought of completing tax returns fills you with dread, if readers liking your musings satisfies you, and systematically sharing your own posts on other social media is all the marketing you can handle, then chances are you found your happy writing place.If this is you, then set up a blog or become a contributor to a website, there are many places that will allow you to do so. Take the SFFN, the Scifi Fantasy Network: it's run by volunteers, and it's a great platform for sharing your blog posts or writing brand new ones.2. Writing For RecognitionRecognition is perhaps the most common reason for wanting to be a writer. At one point or another, every writer has entertained the thought of their book becoming a bestseller and receiving worldwide attention. In a society which strives to achieve GIF-length fame, there is a lot to be said for wanting to be known for literary prowess.In fact, I would argue that this 'why' is even stronger than writing to make money, as it plays into the very human need for peer validation.For this reason, it can be a great motivation tool, yet at the same time a treacherous one.There is a fine line between wanting to be praised for our writing skills or a new idea  and seeking acceptance at all costs, between recognition and 'fame'. The risk is that we may lose our 'voice' as we try to comply with what is considered successful and acceptable in the eyes of others.You cannot reconcile your original inspiration with market's demands. To do so is to force your characters to look, act and say things to please others, as opposed to developing a life on their own.Another risk of writing for fame is that of chasing controversy in a contrived manner. The point of good writing is to challenge the readers, make them leave their comfort zone in a stimulating way. Controversy for its own sake becomes sensationalism, a cry for attention - the worst kind.Do you write to 'be famous'? Assuming you understand famous as in acclaimed or recognised, a good way to go about that is to bring writing in the thick of your life: practice, complete projects, explore your ideas and be true to yourself. Writing is a skill to hone and perfect, a gift that can transport readers to inwards and outwards journeys and make them forget where they are. If you can do that, people will take notice.3. Writing for MoneyWell... once maybe. These days the chances of making writing your means to pay a mortgage and survive the expenses of living are reserved for 5-10% of writers. Selling movie rights doesn't happen every day, let's face it, and sometimes seeing your book bringing in the cash is truly down to luck - I'm sure we can all think of at least one book which made it big, but for all the wrong reasons.Given the amount of competition out there (brought about by the digital revolution and the rise of self-published authors) and costs of publishing, advances and royalties are not enough to sustain a family; they may be able to pay a few bills or a holiday, but that's about it. Often is the spouse/partner who brings in a reliable income, allowing the writer to pursue their career.Although I don't believe that an author is only as good as their last book, there is an immense pressure to produce, simply to be in the limelight. These days advances are given mainly by traditional publishers, and you know how difficult it is to get a contract.  If you are able to pay bills, even the occasional one, with your royalties, it is very likely that you are in the right career, so keep it up.To a certain extent, the majority of writers wishes to make money out of their books. The question is, what happens if you don't? Do you care about writing enough, not to quit?There are of course other ways of making money with writing, including freelance journalism. If you write to make money, and it's not happening via books, or you are not fussed about what types of writing makes you money, perhaps you should consider diversifying.4. Writing for Life: the Word-Mile ClubThis is a multi-category zone. You write for yourself, for pleasure, for recognition, for the networking, the marketing, the retribution. You are committed and ready for business. Motivation is your middle name. The idea of having lunch with your tax inspector fills you with joy. Lack of fame or money would never stop you from making writing your career. Your bumper sticker says, "Writing is for life, not just for Christmas". You're in for the long run.You get no suggestions from me here. You have it sorted.So, have you found your answer? Ultimately you can be the most self-motivated person, but if you are writing for the wrong reason, it will not be enough: you'll either quit or stall. Be honest to yourself and to your readers. Life is short.

BR-FLit 2017: The Winners!

The shorter the medium, the harder it gets. Any writer can tell you that. And that is why it's even sweeter when you are a winner in a flash fiction contest.Luna Press Publishing is proud to introduce you to the five winners of the BR-FLit contest 2017. Here they are in alphabetical order:Samantha Dordoy - The Night Nurse (Dark Fantasy)Hannah Froggatt - Long Live King Blood (Dark Fantasy)Bill Gardiner - Open Eyes (Science Fiction)Donna Louise Greenwood - Monster (Dark Fantasy)Zania Muma - Dream Time (Fantasy)Congratulations to our winners! The stories are now published on the Lunawebsite, and the winners will share the cash prize made up of the entry fees for the contest.We also have a few Honourable Mentions. Alongside the five winning stories, five more made the shortlist. These stories struck a chord with the judges, and although they were not selected, we took great pleasure in reading them. Here they are:Sarah Dixon - Windholme (Dark Fantasy)Pauline E Dungate - Pooped (Fantasy)Esther Johnson - Echo (Fantasy)Barbara Stevenson - Fantasy Football (Fantasy)Aidan Swain - The Blood Smile (Dark Fantasy)We want to thank all the other participants for challenging themselves with BR-FLit 2017. Every piece you write improves you as an author, and if this was your first time with flash-fiction, well done. Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy but, as always, perseverance is the key. Don't be discouraged!BR-FLit 2018 will open again on the 1st of January 2018. Start writing!

Call for Papers 2017: 'The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction'

We are delighted to announce Luna Press’ Call For Papers 2017. The theme of the collection is: "The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction”.We would like to invite writers with a relevant connection or expertise to African Fantasy and Science Fiction, to explore the theme from an angle of their choosing, and submit their initial abstracts for consideration asap.Here is some food for thought, though it should not restrict your own ideas:The socio-political impact of a particular African country on the development of Fantasy and/or SF.How African religion or culture (from country/countries of your choosing) has affected the development of Fantasy and SF across the African continent.The current consideration given to African Fantasy and SF around the world.The evolution of African Fantasy & SF through different media in the last decade and what it points to.African perceptions of indigenous Fantasy and SF.African people residing outside of the continent: the change of identity in the pursuit of worldwide acceptance. Examples of existing Fantasy and SF reflecting this eventuality.The impact of large scale African historical events on the evolution of Fantasy or SF in and/or outside Africa.Diversity in the evolution of Fantasy and SF within the African continent.Is the West resisting the recent advancement and success of African writers?Is there an issue with gender imbalance or favouritism within the African community of Fantasy and SF writers?The treatment of sexual minorities and/or sexuality in African Fantasy and SF.Do not fear if this is your first non-fiction work or if you don’t have a PhD: if you love research you need a chance to start somewhere. Get in touch if you have any questions.You will find all the details on theAcademia Lunare page. Go ahead and check it out!