ARISIA and the UNCONVENTIONAL Launch

Hi folks!

I haven't been posting with my regular frequency in the past few months, since I've been in the editing cave, catching up with all of the work from the fall that got pushed back by family health issues.

But now... I'm baaaack!

This past weekend included the launch events for UnCONventional, the first Spencer Hill Press anthology.

We had the first reading and the launch party at Arisia, which is kind of like having a birthday party in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

There was a cake...

The cake was all kinds of awesome, both beautiful and delicious.

There were authors, that intrepid band known as the UnCONtributors...

The UnCONtributors (left to right):

 Top: Kimberley Long-Ewing, Rich Storrs (ed.),  Kate Kaynak (me), Trisha Wooldridge (ed.), Anthony Francis

Ira Nayman, the most awesome use of fondant ever (the cake, not Ira), Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg, Marie Romero (ed.)
Front: Jennifer Allis Provost, Vikki Ciaffone, Melina Gunnett

The reading was the most fun and animated I've ever attended...

Gordon Dupuis, reading from "A Comic End."

And there was even a surprise* cameo at the party by the Green Fairy:

*The surprise was that she wandered into the party not knowing she'd had anything to do with the book.

The Green Fairy was at Arisia last year, and she was part of the inspiration for this book, since I began to wonder about her connection to the Green Room... and whether the whole event might just be a cover for something.

I'm still all a-giddy over how well this book has been received. Trish and I have been thrilled to work with such a talented collection of writers. It has been an all-around wonderful experience.

Oh, and please keep an eye out for the call for submissions for the next anthology: coming soon!

UNCON is here!

The first copies of UnCONventional, our new anthology, are now in my office and in our distributor's warehouse.

Yes, I *did* make a fort out of the boxes.

Anyhoo, we're all kinds of excited about this book. Check it out:

It's about to get weird... okay, weirder in here. 

Alien ascensions in hotel ballrooms.

Mermaids on cruise ships.

Werewolves in dog shows.

Steampunk fairy time travelers.

A teenage superhero hitching a ride with a supervillain.

Comic books that absorb their readers. 

Magical filk... and much more.

With stories by: LJ Berger, Vikki Ciaffone, Daniel Cohen, Gordon Dupuis, Anthony G. Francis, Jr., Justine Graykin, Randy O. Green, Melina Gunnett, Kate Kaynak, Danielle M. LeFevre,  Kimberley Long-Ewing, Lauren Marrero, Will Morton, LS Murphy, Ira Nayman, KT Pinto, Jennifer Allis Provost, Patricia Puckett, Keshia Swaim, Sherry Thompson, Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg, and Trisha Wooldridge 

Pre-order through: 

Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/UnCONventional-Kate-Kaynak/dp/1937053008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315697667&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unconventional-kate-kaynak/1030781900?ean=9781937053000&itm=1&usri=unconventional%2bkaynak

Book Depository (free international shipping): 
http://www.bookdepository.com/Unconventional-Kate-Kaynak/9781937053000


And I had to share a picture of this awesome lightsaber candlestick:

 

Cover Reveal!

                                             Cover by Gary McCluskey

This is the cover for the forthcoming anthology! Want your story in it? There's still time to submit it.

Call for Submissions for UnCONventional 
(a short story anthology)

We're looking for stories that take place at fantasy/sci-fi conventions or other gatherings in which the convention/conference itself is just the cover for something supernatural or fantastic. Imagine time travelers using a steampunk con to cover their attempt to open a portal to return to their own times, werewolves holding a beauty pageant at a dog show, or vampires holding a treaty summit at Dragon*Con. 

Suggested Length: 3,000-7,000 words. Up to 10,000 words is possible, but it will be a HARD sell. 

Due Date: July 1st, 2011 

Editors: Kate Kaynak and Trisha Wooldridge 

Submission Guidelines: Please email your submissions to us at: editor@SpencerHillPress.com. 
Put your story into the BODY of the email (no attachments, please!) and put "UnCONventional" in your subject line along with the title of your story. 

Legalese: We can only accept previously unpublished stories. Please do not used licensed characters or any trademarked or copyright-protected material without written permission in advance of submission (This is NOT the place for fanfic). Contributor compensation will include a $10 advance paid upon publication, a contributor copy of the paper version, a royalty percentage split between all contributors, and, of course, bragging rights. Stories should be appropriate for adult and teen readers (age 14 and up); please, no explicit sex or graphic violence!



Don't forget to enter the Spring Writing Contest. What's your awesome line?