Francesca T. Barbini's Blog, page 5

Horror Novel Submission Window Now Open!

Luna Press is now open to unsolicited original Horror novel submissions. Here are the window's dates: Horror Novels - Starting from today, we will remain open until Wednesday 31st of October 2018 at midnight, UK time.We are keen to see work that challenges preconceived, established notions of gender, race, sexuality, etc.You can find full guidelines on our submission page. Please read them before submitting.Don't forget our next submission window: Science Fiction Novels - Starting from Tuesday 1st of January to Sunday 6th of January 2019, we will be reading and evaluating your entries.Keep the coming!

Welcome Barbara Stevenson!

We are delighted to officially welcome Orkney writer Barbara Stevenson to the Luna Family!We first met Barbara through Beyond Realities, our short-story contest, back in 2014.Two of her surreal fantasy stories made the shortlist and were selected for both Vol I and Vol II of BR.Barbara's sharp humour and fantastical characters and locations always make for exciting adventures.This collection will feature brand new stories, as well as "Where the Ocean Meets the Sky" and "The One-armed Bandit", from Beyond Realities volumes I and II.Barbara says:"I fell I love with fairy tales/fantasy on my eighth birthday when I was given not one, but two copies (independently) of Oscar Wilde’s Happy Prince and Other Stories. I was captivated by characters such as The Selfish Giant, The Remarkable Rocket and The Devoted Friend. Conspicuously, they all died, but they died beautifully, leaving the glimmer of surreal magic behind.Since then I have been on the trail of that speck of lagniappe – the seasoning that adds a deeper, more colourful dimension, without the soppy sentimentality.The stories in the collection involve journeys or quests of one sort or another. I must thank Luna for allowing me to bring them together and I hope they will amuse as well as give rise to new inklings."Barbara Stevenson has a background in veterinary medicine and, subsequently, animals feature in many of her stories – some with outspoken things to say about humans. She studied creative writing as part of an Open University BA(Hons) degree and has had a novel and several short stories published. In 2014, her humorous sketch "Commonwealth Conundrum", about Martians trying to join the Commonwealth, was performed at the Tron Theatre, in Glasgow. In 2016, she won the Scottish Association of Writers’ Livingstone scholarship trophy and the Castles in the Air trophy for a short story in the fantasy genre. She lives in Orkney, where she finds inspiration for her writing.We'll keep you posted on the release date for this collection. WELCOME, BARBARA!

The Troutespond Series is in Pre-Order!

We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth Priest's YA series, Troutespond, is now in pre-order!The Troutespond Series is a work of Young Adult fantasy, working on the premise that if the supernatural did exist, inquisitive teenagers would be the first to notice and absolutely the worst people ever to interact with it.Luna Press acquired World English rights in 2018, from John Jarrold's Agency. We then teamed up with British artist Bede Rogerson, to create the super-colourful and super-fun covers for the trilogy.Concrete Faery will be out on the 6th of November, just in time to fill those Christmas stockings. The Changeling's Choice will be launched at Eastercon Ytterbium, and you are all invited to toast to Elizabeth's good health with us. Last but not least, Midsummer Dance will be released in time for the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Dublin Worldcon. A proper Fantasy tour!“The series is witty, frightening and wonderful,” said John Jarrold. “The characters leap from the page – funny, infuriating and fascinating. This is a major achievement, a living, breathing world.”Concrete Faery:When it comes to fantasy, the world is always bigger than you think it is... Even when you live in the smallest town in the deepest corner of the country where, by official records, nothing has happened since Vikings stopped pillaging nearby.Ally Guardian is convinced that the universe wanting anything to do with her is a cosmic joke. Until a strange man appears outside her window and tells her, “I can’t speak to you yet.” Things only get weirder when she is then implicated in a demonic attack on her history teacher and given the new girl, Alana Larbie, to look after as punishment.Alana seems to know an awful lot about demons, claiming they got her kicked out of her old school. Together with Ally’s oldest friend Tanya, and their one “normal” friend, Teb, they decide to investigate.The Changeling's Choice:Alana the Teenage Witch is trying to lead a normal life... fixing doors to the fairy world, fighting the monsters that emerge through them, handing in her A-Level coursework, casting spells, and trapping pixies. Her new best friends have their own problems too, with a doppelganger changeling in their midst.Another job is waiting for Alana, though. It’s all in a day’s work for the Piper’s protege.Midsummer Dance:Teb Nandi is having dreams about being an owl. Every time she wakes, she hears voices calling her name. Could this be goblins at work? And then there’s the Piper telling her to stop complaining and do her job - easy to say when you’re not Goddess of the Hunt.Prom night or Wild Hunt? Teb finds dealing with her constituents, and their idea of a good time, is a whole mess of weird. Never mind getting ready for a boring school dance and managing her date.Unfortunately, she asked for it...The Troutespond series can be pre-ordered through the usual channels and, of course, the Luna Press website. Remember you can only find the pre-order discount on our website. Plus, all our subscribers will receive an extra voucher in the 1st of October newsletter to knock that price down even further.Join us in the celebrations: Pre-order here!

Horror and Science Fiction Novel Submission Call

Luna Press will be open to unsolicited original Horror and Science Fiction novel submissions. Here are the two window dates: Horror Novels - Starting from Friday 26th of October to Wednesday 31st of October 2018, we will be reading and evaluating your entries. Science Fiction Novels - Starting from Tuesday 1st of January to Sunday 6th of January 2019, we will be reading and evaluating your entries.We are keen to see work that challenges preconceived, established notions of gender, race, sexuality, etc. You can find full guidelines on our submission page. Please read them before submitting!

Alistair Sims Joins the Luna Family

We are delighted to welcome Dr Alistair Sims into the family. He will be joining Academia Lunare with Four Rules: Defining Fantasy Literature. This paper is taken from his PhD thesis, Archeo Ficto, in which he examined fictional narrative in archaeology. The thesis was described as, "bold, brave and commendable” by Dr. Krisjan Ahronson of Bangor University, and an “original and inspiring work raising many important issues for the future of the discipline” by Dr. Staša Babić of the University of Belgrade. Alistair told us:"Four Rules: Defining Fantasy Literature, is the updated version of the first chapter of my PhD. Originally it was written with the need to define fantasy for my examination of fictional narratives in archaeology. Since rejoining the academic community in 2017, I felt it was time to update and put this chapter into the world. I believe that as multi-disciplinary work is becoming the norm in academia, this book should not only create a critical tool to define fantasy literature, but also one that can be applied to other genres – such as crime, horror or historical fiction. It is perhaps the angry bookseller inside me that has had enough of other booksellers (I mention no names, but everyone knows who they are) who merge the genre of fantasy with sci-fi and horror and, on many occasions, I find historical books, even crime novels, amongst the shelves. This book will not give an overarching definition, as personally I think the genre is so large that it is not possible to do so; nor does it give a definition for every period. However, it will give a definition for fantasy literature. As well as giving a compendium of the many different definitions that have been proposed for fantasy literature, this work charts the origin from mythos to the evolution of the genre from the enlightenment and Tolkien’s popularity. I hope that this book will help those needing to define a genre for whatever literary studies they are doing, but also be a fascinating read for anyone interested in fantasy literature."Alistair Sims is an independent bookseller and researcher. He gained his PhD in archaeology from Bangor University in 2014, examining fictional narrative in archaeology.During his PhD, Alistair worked on-site for two years, from 2011 to 2013, as writer-in-residence at the Meillionyndd excavation, creating fictional narratives. He was seminar leader for a short period in 2011, teaching 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students in heritage studies.During his graduation in July 2014, Alistair was in the process of starting the independent bookshop, Books on the Hill, situated in Clevedon, which also specialises in Fantasy literature. The bookshop opened in August the same year and has been running for over four years. Alistair is a regular attendee at fantasy conventions (FantasyCon, FollyCon, Edge-lit, BristolCon).His interests are multi-disciplinary, ranging from archaeology, history, science theory, literature theory and Celtic Studies, to fencing with twangy swords, non-twangy historical swords, books and more books, and the illusive Norwegian forest cat that he has yet to own.In 2017, Alistair got back on the academic horse and participated in the second European Celtic symposium with the paper: Celtic Obsession in Modern Fantasy, which is awaiting publication in the symposium’s proceedings. On the back of this, he is co-editing, with Dr. Dimitra Fimi, Celtic Obsession in Modern Fantasy Literature.Four Rules: Defining Fantasy Literature will be availabe later next year.

"Echoes of Truth" Now in Pre-Order!

Academia Lunare is delighted to announce that Echoes of Truth: Christianity in the Lord of the Rings, by Michael C. Haldas, is now in pre-order!A collector's edition, with the splendid illustrations of artist Elaina Olga, is also available.In addition to being a professor, master of language and myth, and a loving husband and father, J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Christian. He saw the Gospel of Christianity as myth come true within human history and all great stories in the world as reflecting elements of this truth. His love of these, and his Christian faith, flowed into The Lord of the Rings, mingling to create a great work of beauty for all to enjoy.The Lord of the Rings can be read from many perspectives, offering a rich experience for both Christians and non-Christians alike. Echoes of Truth: Christianity in The Lord of the Rings explores the Gospel, Christian themes, and Biblical archetypes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s great masterpiece, with a strong focus on the author’s exacting language, along with commentary from his letters and interviews. Divided into two parts, the first half covers topics such as providence, spiritual reality, good and evil, life and death, love and friendship, sacrifice, pity, and temptation. Part two addresses Christian typology, explaining how characters, places and events in The Lord of the Rings are similar to certain types found in the Bible, and illuminates how this offers greater insight into the influences behind Tolkien’s sub-creation."Echoes of Truth: Christianity in the Lord of the Ringswas a true labour of love, honouringthe work and the man who created it."Michael C. Haldas"My hope is that my passion shines through the work I createand speaks to the heart of the individual."Elaina OlgaThe book is now in pre-order at a discounted price on our website. If you are a subscriber, you will also receive an extra discount in the newsletter on the 1st of September. Don't miss out!To The Store!

Once Upon A Time...

Allow me to introduce you to our new international member of the family: Italian artist and writer Valerio Vitantoni!Valerio's enchanting illustrated fairytale, Gelsomina & The Moon Yarn, combines Steampunk with a touch of Beatrix Potter flair, in his own fresh and unique style. A real gem for our younger Luna readers.Meet Gelsomina. Bored with mending socks and shorts, seamstress Gelsomina is eager for a challenge. When a foreign lady storms into the village onboard her vaporous contraption, Gelsomina knows her life is about to change, for the lady needs a very special dress. The only problem is, no one has ever heard of the special yarn she needs. Does it even exist?Meet Valerio.He lives and works in Italy where he has always been an artist, illustrating stories for friends or making portraits in pencil and coloured pastels. Since childhood he has always dreamed of illustrating fairytales - his inspirations are Maja Dusikova, Beatrix Potter and Jill Barklem.Passionate about European fairytales and legends, especially those of Central Europe, the Alps and Alto Adige, Valerio is interested in customs and traditions of the European nineteenth century, but also legendary historical figures such as the empress Elisabeth of Austria and King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He writes articles for his blog dedicated to this, called "The World of Sissi", and runs a historical group on Facebook, called "The Nineteenth Century of Sissi and Ludwig II". Recently he has published a book with Mursia publishing house in Milan, concerning Empress Sissi's visits to Trentino-Alto Adige.Here's what Valerio has to say about his work:"The idea of writing a fable in the style of those written by Beatrix Potter or Jill Barklem goes back a fair bit. I have always loved illustrated fairytales, a genre that is maybe not too fashionable today, but has always fascinated me; not surreal and abstract images, but close to reality, that narrate and show something known and certain, something that could infuse security and warm the heart. Although the two English illustrators' books show anthropomorphic animals, these are always very real, with characteristics of every human being and actions taking place in realistic homes and places, in an unspecified, yet recognisable time.When my mother gave me the first fairytales illustrated by Maja Dusikova, I decided to become an illustrator of children's books, following this style that I loved so much, but with a fresher and faster method, like in Potter and Barklem's books, and more akin to my own technique. Living in the Tuscia countryside, near Viterbo, I always loved walking through the woods, observing nature and imagining, right from childhood, imagining the possible stories of animals and birds that I met on the path.After a course of artistic studies at the Institute of Art in Terni, which allowed me to discover and learn the techniques of drawing which, as a kid, I had approached only for pleasure and without rules, I started to make illustrations and drawings in my spare time. In a period of such a profound work crisis, which also affected the artistic field, of course, my life took on different professional paths, but drawing has always been part of it. So, one day, between a portrait on commission and other small presents for friends, I first crafted a fable, in the style of Beatrix Potter, to give to a dear friend for his birthday, followed by few more a couple of years later. It was a simple story, inspired by my friend, that told of a little wood mouse entangled in a thousand mishaps and involved in various problems which, in the end, of course, are resolved with a quiet, happy ending.From here, I came across Luna Press Publishing, which led to me writing and illustrating this particular story. The idea of telling the tale of a little forest mouse wasn't born through chance or obligation - it was already inside of me, encompassing my passion for the Victorian era and also the nineteenth century.By necessity, we had to find an appropriate setting, a story that had to be married to the characteristics of the publishing house. Thus was born the fictional location of Foltobosco and a mouse who, living a quiet life among the roots of the trees in the countryside, finds herself catapulted into a very modern reality, in a city built entirely according to the modern Victorian style (steampunk), which she's completely unfamiliar with. She, who is ultimately a modest little mouse, a seamstress who makes laces according to the English tradition of Honiton, almost magically finds herself on the moon looking for something that cannot be found. It's sort of a metaphor for our lives because we must always strive to make our dreams come true ... even going to the moon!"Gelsomina & The Moon Yarn will be out on the 2nd of October, both in English and Italian (Gelsomina & Il Filato Lunare).Pre-Order them now!

Ian Whates for the Harvester Series

We are delighted to welcome the very talented Ian Whates to the Luna family! Ian will join the Harvester Series, alongside Paul Kane, Marie O'Regan, Stephen Bacon, Wole Talabi and Tim Major.Ian's collection will be titled "Wourism and Other Stories".The Harvester Series is an opportunity to create individual collections showcasing great stories from the past alongside some brand new ones, as well as bonus material, exclusive to this collection. A gathering of stories; a harvest.The older stories have featured in established genre magazines, such as Interzone, Black Static, etc., or in 'best of' collections. Some have been nominated, or won, genre awards, such as the NOMMO, BSFA and BFS. If you've discovered one of these authors years ago, you will recognise some of these familiar golden oldies; stories that have inspired and accompanied you on journeys.The new stories are, of course, unpublished; a testament to the incredible work these authors are doing to enrich the genre scene.The bonus material will include a personal touch from each of the authors, allowing you to know them better and welcoming you into their creative world. Ian had this to say about his collection:"Wourism and Other Stories is my first collection of short stories to be released in English since 2016’s Dark Travellings (I’ve had a collection, Torres de Babel, published in Spanish in the interim). Any writer likes to think their work evolves and improves with time – however experienced you are, you never stop learning – and with most of the stories in this one having been written during the past four years, I’d like to think it’s my best collection to date, certainly the most consistent.Not all the stories are recent, however; there are also a couple from earlier in my career that simply didn’t fit into previous collections, which contributes to the varied nature of the book. My first love has always been science fiction, and the majority of stories here would fall under that broadest of umbrellas in one way or another, though not all. There are also some darker tales that dip into horror, including one that draws on a scent that haunted my teen years – to this day I’ll never know whether this is something I encountered once that stayed with me or something I completely imagined, but I always knew there was a story in it somewhere. When I finally worked out what that story was, I was delighted to see it feature in John Joseph Adams’ Nightmare magazine.Two of the stories are standalone tales set in the same worlds as my novels, with Beth and Bones taking place in Thaiburley, City of a Hundred Rows, a century before the events depicted in City of Dreams and Nightmare, and Montpellier, featuring the Saflik, a criminal organisation first encountered in Pelquin’s Comet. Most, however, inhabit realities all their own.While some of the stories look to the distant future – Sane Day, a previously unpublished story set on an alien world with no human involvement at all, for example, and The Failsafe, which appeared in one of the best-selling Explorations series of anthologies –many examine the near future. Near future SF is often the trickiest to write, because the world can change so radically so swiftly (who among us predicted Donald Trump's presidency?), instantly rendering a story out-of-date, but it’s also the keenest tool for highlighting the implications of trends and developments that are evident today. This is something I attempt in my own fumbling fashion in the collection’s title story, Wourism (originally seen in Galaxy’s Edge), and also in a triptych of linked flash pieces: Trending (originally published by Daily Science Fiction), Browsing (which first appeared in the science journal, Nature), and Temporary Friends – the latter an unpublished piece written especially for this collection.After more than a decade of writing them, I still get a real kick every time I sell a short story. It means that an editor liked a given piece enough to splash some cash on it, and s/he would only do that if they felt confident their readers would enjoy it as well. At the end of the day, that’s all any writer can hope for."

'Portrayals of South Africans in Popular Entertainment: Bad Accented Baddies, Prawns and Black Panther' By Robert S Malan.

Luna's second Call for Papers, 'The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction' will be released on Tuesday the 7th of August 2018. Explore the five brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we introduce you to Robert S Malan (South Africa). He is presenting the paper: "Portrayals of South Africans in Popular Entertainment: Bad Accented Baddies, Prawns and Black Panther".Robert says:"A lot has happened in a relatively short period for South Africa, since it became a Republic in 1961, independent from British rule. It has been especially interesting to note the changing perception of South Africans in popular entertainment, from the lows of international sanctions as a consequence of apartheid, to when this shameful period was officially ended, by way of Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990 and election as President in 1994. Even after this, however, portrayals tended to be a little one-note. The purpose of this paper is to examine these depictions of South Africans internationally during the apartheid years, and how this evolved in the wake of the science fiction movie District 9 and its follow-up, Chappie. Expanding on from that, we’ll examine how illustrative these movies were of South Africa as a multi-racial country and, beyond that, representations of Africans in the wider entertainment industry. For this, we’ll look at how the recent Black Panther movie marks a breakthrough moment for Africa."As always, you will be able to pre-order at a discount through the Luna website, and if you are subscribed to our newsletter, you will also get the special extra discount voucher on the 1st of July.

'Scientists in Nigerian Science Fiction' By Polina Levontin.

Luna's second Call for Papers, 'The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction' will be released on Tuesday the 7th of August 2018. Explore the five brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we introduce you to Polina Levontin (Russia). She is presenting the paper: "Scientists in Nigerian Science Fiction".Polina says:"Science fiction is a recent genre classification in Nigerian literature. The standard references such as The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (2003) or Palgrave Histories of Literature: The history of science fiction (2005) are yet to mention Nigerian writers. Currently, there is only a limited body of work available in English, but it has been growing steadily since 2000. African literature tends to be analysed from the perspectives of race and ethnicity, (post)colonialism and globalisation. However, I am more interested in the role that science-fiction could play in the conversation about science and scientists. Canonical works from North American and European authors have been considered in this way, but to my knowledge little has been done to interrogate the narratives around science in Nigerian literature. This study examines representations of scientists in Nigerian science fiction in relation to discourses on gender, science and technology. There is sufficient evidence for the idea that fictional representations and public opinion of science are linked, and that studying representations of scientists is relevant to the task of understanding public perceptions. These linkages are not yet well understood however, and care must be taken in proposing social implications of fictional representations without further research. The evidence points to a complex relationship which is mediated by journalists and policy makers, and is contingent on individually held values. The relationship between Nigerian science fiction and the Nigerian public’s attitudes to science is even more uncertain, because domestic markets are nascent and the majority of readers of Nigerian science fiction are in the Global North. Although it would be premature to draw conclusions about the Nigerian public’s attitudes to science based on these texts, this study identifies socially relevant hypotheses that could be explored in further research.."As always, you will be able to pre-order at a discount through the Luna website, and if you are subscribed to our newsletter, you will also get the special extra discount voucher on the 1st of July.