Shout-Out: Licence Expired: The Unauthorized James Bond + Book Launch

In Paris, James Bond meets his match over appetizers and cocktails—with an aperitif of industrial espionage and chilly sadism. Off the coast of Australia, he learns about a whole new level of betrayal under the scorching light of a ball of thunder. In Siberia, he dreams of endless carnage while his fate is decided by one of his most cunning enemies and perhaps the greatest of his many loves.

And in Canada, James Bond finds freedom.

In January 2015, the world’s most famous secret agent entered the public domain in Canada—one of the few remaining countries in the world that subscribe to the Berne Convention and allow copyright to extend not 70 but just 50 years past the death of the work’s creator. Licence Expired: The Unauthorized James Bond, lives in this shadow space of copyright law: a collection of 19 new, exciting, transformative James Bond stories by a diverse crew of 21st-century authors.

Collected herein are new stories about Secret Agent 007, as the late Ian Fleming imagined and described him: a psychically wounded veteran of the Second World War and soldier of the Cold War, who treated his accumulated injuries with sex, alcohol, nicotine, and adrenaline. He was a good lover but a terrible prospect.

He was James Bond.

And in Licence Expired, James Bond is back.

Licence Expired is a collection of 19 short stories edited by Madeline Ashby and David Nickle.  And if you're in the Toronto area, ChiDunnit and ChiZine Publications are having a launch party for the book tomorrow.  From their facebook page:

ChiDunnit and ChiZine Publications are thrilled to invite you to the launch party for LICENCE EXPIRED: THE UNAUTHORIZED JAMES BOND at 7:30pm on Tuesday, November 17 at Pravda Vodka House (44 Wellington St. East). Costumes and Bond-themed dress is highly encouraged, and there will be prizes for the best costumes.

Come try our signature Bond cocktail, and don't forget to ask for your martini shaken, not stirred. And yes, there will be food.

Editors and authors will be there for readings and book signings.

Prizes and surpises are coming from our generous friends at Grand Touring Automobiles (Aston-Martin), Surmesur, Doll Factory by Damzels, BMB Image Consulting, B's Truly Couture Cupcakes, DJ Wondah (Gorilla Beats), Bakka-Phoenix Books, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, and Bicycle Playing Cards. Thank you to all our sponsors!

Ebook Launch: CyberStorm by Matthew Mather

Matthew Mather, author of the Atopia Chronicles, and contributor to the PhutureNews website, is launching his next book CyberStorm tomorrow, Friday March 15th.  He'll be posting on his facebook author page during the launch.  From his press release:

"I will report on all the mayhem hour-by-hour and how sales go on the first few days. I will also be sharing how I do press releases, tips and tricks that have worked for me...and will do this live as I do it all, and will report on how it all works."

The official release date is the 16th, at which point the book will be available on Amazon and other platforms for $4.99.  But if you buy it either today or tomorrow, you can get it at Amazon for the special pre-release price of 99 cents. :)

About the book:

Sometimes the worst storms aren't caused by Mother Nature, and sometimes the worst nightmares aren't in the ones in our heads...

Mike Mitchell is an average New Yorker thrust into extraordinary circumstances, suddenly finding himself in a desperate struggle to keep his family alive as the cyber and physical worlds collide over New York.

CyberStorm is a non-stop, pulse-racing thrill ride into the near-future for a new generation of techno-thriller fans. It is an exploration of the human condition as the cyberworld collides with our own.

Unique - And Literal - Book Launch

Kevin McGill, author of Nikolas & Company: The Merman and the Moon Forgotten, launched his book into space, as part of his book launch on April 20th.

And took a video of it.



He's having a contest to win a Kindle Fire - all you have to do is guess how far away from the launch site the book landed.  Learn more about the book here.

Robert J. Sawyer's Canadian Book Tour for WWW: Wonder

Robert J. Sawyer has announced the dates for his upcoming book tour to promote book three of his WWW trilogy, Wonder.  The book is out in Canada on March 29th, in the US on April 5th and the UK on May 19th.   Ebook and audio (via Audible) editions will both be out in April.

The dates for his book tour are:

Toronto: Tuesday, March 29
Saskatoon: Thursday, March 31
Calgary: Sunday, April 3
Edmonton: Monday, April 4
Vancouver: Tuesday, April 5
Ottawa: Saturday, April 30
Waterloo: Tuesday, May 3
Winnipeg: Thursday, May 19

 You can find details about the tour events here.  He's also busy with conventions in Canada the US, and even Japan, so check to see if he's coming to a con near you.

ChiZine Publication's Book Launch at SF Contario

I knew I could only attend one day of SF Contario (due to the WBB's 30th Anniversary sale - remember 20% off ends today!), so I picked Friday, so I could attend ChiZine Publication's book launch. ChiZine has published several short story collections and a few novels - all of high quality - over the last year, and I wanted to see what was to come.

Co-owner Sandra Katsuri ran the prize draw and introduced the readers. She was assisted by 'cigarette girl' and managing Editor Helen Marshall. In total, 4 books were given away, and 3 authors read from their new books: Gord Zajac from Major Karnage, Craig Davidson from Sarah Court, and Gord Zajec from Robert Boyczuk's Nexus: Ascension. Thankfully I videotaped the last one (the first reading of the launch) because Zajec did a fun interpretive reading, with voices and motions. Considering it wasn't prepared in advance (Boyczuk simply turned the floor over to him) it was a wonderful performance. And here it is: (Please be advised there is some adult language.)



If you "like 'em weird", here are their upcoming titles for Spring 2011:

Napier's Bones by Derryl Murphy
Every Shallow Cut by Tom Piccirilli
The Door to Lost Pages by Claude Lalumiere
Eutopia by David Nickle
The Fecund's Melancholy Daughter by Brent Hayward
A Rope of Thorns by Gemma Files
Isles of the Forsaken by Carolyn Ives Gilman
Imaginarium 2011 Edited by Sandra Kasturi and Halli Villegas

Jim Hines Book Giveaway

Jim Hines, author of the Goblin series (Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero and Goblin War) and the Princess series (Step-Sister Scheme and Mermaid's Madness) is hosting a book giveaway to launch his new book, Red Hood's Revenge.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Red Hood's Revenge, and loved it. His writing keeps getting better and his kick-ass princesses are great fun to read. Look for my review in June, and head over to his site for a chance to win one of his novels.