Results tagged “fantasy”

On October 9th and 10th, the music of The Lord of The Rings came to Radio City. Live performances of the entire score of The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring by over 300 musicians to an immense projection of the film, it was nothing short of a spellbinding orchestral and cinematic experience. And, a wee bit late, here are my thoughts.

Howard Shore Fun Fact: Lord of The Rings composer Howard Shore was the first band leader on Saturday Night Live.

The Lead Up
I’m trying to recall the first time I heard about The Lord of The Rings at Radio City. It was some months ago, maybe as far back as New York Comic Con this past February, and it was from a fan. It was a die-hard Tolkien fan who told me about the event, although, if memory serves, he didn’t get it quite right. “A Lord of The Rings musical is coming to Radio City!” As the months passed, I heard about The Lord of The Rings at Radio City some more — from The New York Times and WNYC as well as The Onion, TheOneRing.net, and New York Comic Con. And, just as I first heard about the concerts from fans, it was the fans again — through TheOneRing.net and New York Comic Con — that I heard the drum beat most loudly leading into fall.

I should state now that, beyond the occasional posts on Suvudu, I’m responsible for the guests, panels, and special events at New York Comic Con as well as much of NYCC’s involvement with The Lord of The Rings. So, feel free to call “bias”, as there no doubt is one, but there’s also a new point of view of the entire LOTR concert experience. (I should state, too, that despite being involved with The Lord of The Rings at Radio City, I’ve never had a soft spot in my heart for fantasy. I’ve never been able to get excited by wizards, trolls, and elves, and even The Lord of The Rings is no exception.)

CAMI Music, the organizers of The Lord of The Rings Radio City concerts, knew the power, the meaning, and the reach of the LOTR name, but they also knew where to find its core, and as self-congratulatory as is sounds, it was smart decision for them to partner with New York Comic Con to speak directly to NYC’s greater geek community. We did a lot with The Lord of The Rings in the months leading up to the concerts including photo contests, art contests, promotions at The Brooklyn Book Festival, The New York Times Great Children’s Read, and The New York Anime Festival, outreach to other websites, and a total newyorkcomiccon.com takeover. One promotion and one event, though, stick out most in my memory.

“Christopher is perhaps the most mature, confident young writer I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I think his career will be long and successful, and I consider it a privilege to know him.” -Terry Brooks

Christopher Paolini. Eragon. Eldest. Brisingr.

Terry Brooks. Shannara. Landover. Word & Void.

What more do you need to say? They’re two of the hottest hands writing fantasy fiction today and are responsible for some of the hottest fantasy series’ since The Lord of the Rings. And tomorrow at 7pm EST (4pm PST), they’ll convene here, with you, to talk about all things fantasy.

Have you signed up for a reminder? It might be a good idea. Not only because it will enter you in to a drawing for a sweet prize pack containing a signed edition of Brisingr and a signed edition of World of Shannara (see the official rules here), but because this is one of those events you aren’t going to want to miss. I’ll give you the chance to sign up now, and then we’ll talk about what you might expect to see during the chat.

Okay, so here’s what we know about the chat. Christopher and Terry will open the chat by interviewing/speaking with one another. It’s a chance for them both to catch up and maybe ask a few questions of each other that they’re interested to know about. Then, we’ll move on to your questions.

Be sure to come by at the beginning of the chat and feel free to submit questions while Terry and Christopher are talking with each other, we’ll queue them up in the background so they’re ready to go later. Also, you never know if they’ll answer your question during that time, or perhaps give you additional insight that’ll reform your original question.

As for where the chat will take place, you can bookmark the official chat page we’ve created, hop on over to our front page on Suvudu.com where we will have an instance of the chat window, or sign up for an email reminder above, which should also include a link to the chat page. So there’s three ways to find the chat. Easy, right?

So sign up early, block out the time on your calendar (if you haven’t already), and grab a front row seat before the magic starts. I hope to see you there!

Thank you for your interest in this contest. Unfortunately the contest has ended. Keep your eyes on Suvudu for more contests, interviews, previews, and more!

In case you haven’t noticed, the excitement level around here for The Lord of the Rings at Radio City Music Hall (more details) is pretty high. Everything about this is wonderful: the movie scores by Howard Shore, the films by Peter Jackson (Fellowship of the Ring will be played during the concert, by the way), and, of course, the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. So we thought we’d take this opportunity to extend to you the chance to win some of the cool stuff that we get to enjoy every day!

And here ends my preamble. Doug Adams, who quite literally wrote the book on the Lord of the Rings’ film scores, has come up with a few questions relating to the film score. Think you have what it takes to win? We’ll present you with his 10 questions, you answer them and send your answers in to us, and if you’ve answered correctly, you’ll be entered to win some sweet prizes.

And what are those prizes? I’m so glad you asked! Here’s how they break down:

Grand Prize:
• Lady Galadriel Sideshow Collectables statue (info)
• The Fellowship of the Ring boxed set soundtrack (info)
• The Two Towers boxed set soundtrack (info)
• The Return of the King boxed set soundtrack (info)
• Billy Boyd with BeeCake CD Soul Swimming (info).

Second Prize:
• The Fellowship of the Ring boxed set soundtrack
• The Two Towers boxed set soundtrack
• The Return of the King boxed set soundtrack
• Billy Boyd with BeeCake CD Soul Swimming

Third Prize:
• The Complete Guide to Middle-earth (info)
• Tolkien 4-copy Box Set (info)
• Tolkien Fantasy Tales 4-copy box set (info)
• Histories of Middle Earth 5-copy box set (info)
• Billy Boyd with BeeCake CD Soul Swimming

Fourth Prize:
• Billy Boyd with BeeCake CD Soul Swimming

So, be sure to read the legal and, if you’re ready, read on to take Doug Adams’ quiz.

Here’s what we know about Harry Connolly.

From his official Random House Author’s biography:

“Harry Connolly spent two years writing this debut novel. He has held a variety of jobs in the past, from customer service to landscaping to stay-at-home dad. He lives in Seattle.”

From having been able to read his book:

He’s one hell of a talented writer.

And that’s about it. Harry Connolly, while not actively attempting to live off the grid, has managed to become a man of mystery and intrigue. But not for much longer! Master editor Betsy Mitchell will be chatting with Harry Connolly next week about his life, his work, his influences, and about being a first-time novelist. It promises to be a great time.

Now, we’ve done a little further digging and found that even on his own website, Harry doesn’t really tell us his life’s story. BUT, he gives us more interesting information: Harry tells us about the things that didn’t kill him. His list includes:

• Daisy’s green dock light of hope
• Years as a fan of ‘70’s and ‘80’s heavy metal
• A Separate Peace

You can read his full list of items here: Harry’s personal bio.

As always, you have the option of sending in your questions early. To do so, just fire off an email to info@suvudu.

Do you want to be John Twelve Hawks? Here’s your chance.

Today marks a big day for John Twelve Hawks. And John Twelve Hawks. And, of course, John Twelve Hawks. All the John Twelve Hawks, actually, of which, you could be one.

Okay, let’s start with the publishing news. Today marks the publication of John Twelve Hawks’, The Golden City. The Golden City is the third and final book in the author’s The Forth Realm trilogy. It’s a pretty popular series of books written by one of the most interesting authors at work today, but it’s what John is doing to help promote this book that also bears mention. Or, what you’ll be doing, rather.

John Twelve Hawks is a man who is protective of his identity. Very protective. He rarely does interviews, he reportedly uses a satellite phone and vocal scrambler to communicate with his editor. For years his bio read simply, “John Twelve Hawks lives off the grid.” So as you can imagine, asking him to do a book tour is a bit of a non-starter. Except this time. This time, John is going on tour. And he’s going to do it vicariously through you.

John is asking for volunteers to come forward and be him for a book reading. You’ll want to get all the details on iamjohntwelvehawks.com, but the jist of it is this: you arrange for space at a bookstore, be upfront about the fact that you’ll be presenting in place of (or “as”) John Twelve Hawks (hereafter JTH), and use the site above to report back to John that you’ve secured a location. Do that and JTH will send you info on how to be him and will ask that you videotape the show for him to see. Do the show successfully and you’ll receive a signed edition of The Golden City.

While you’re at it, you can grab a PDF of Chapter 1 of The Golden City by heading over to the IAmJohnTwelveHawks.com site (the link is right under the book image).

So go forth and be John Twelve Hawks for a night! It may be your last chance to do so (legally) and be rewarded for it.

When I was a kid, my father used to take my older sister and me to “the green striped store” once a week and give us each a dollar to buy comic books. I can remember getting to buy five each (which should date me!). Oddly enough I don’t remember the ones I used to buy, probably because I read them to shreds and they ended up, after a suitably long time under my bed, in the garbage. But I remember the ones my sister had. She was OCD about keeping them looking new, organizing them, and keeping them away from me. She had more success in the first two tasks than she had in the last.

Even battered and torn, her comic collection is worth a pretty penny — but if I hadn’t been her little sister, she’d probably be independently wealthy by now. So all those people she’s helped keep healthy (she’s a doctor) owe me one.

She had the X-Men before they were cool and all of the issues where the old X-Men were captured and Prof. X had to bring in the new ones — you know, like Wolverine and the Banshee. She had The Amazing Spiderman, Sheena Queen of the Jungle, The Claws of the Cat, and a dozen others. Most importantly for you and me, she collected a comic called Werewolf by Night.

And that’s where I came by my love of werewolves; that’s why I write about them.

Judging by all the questions we’ve received about when Karen’s new book was coming out, it’s fair to say this one is worthy of being titled “hotly anticipated.” The fourth novel in the Fever series, Dreamfever finds Mac captive among the shades and seemingly powerless against her vicious tormentor, Lord Master. It will take the intervention of Jericho Barrons to free her. But a new invitation tempts her .  .  . In more ways than one.

So…wouldn’t it be cool if you could read a sample for free? Yeah, we thought so too, so our friends up at Delacorte Press sent us a PDF sample that you are free to take and read. And here’s your link: Download the exclusive free excerpt here.

Oh and if you haven’t started this series yet, you can download the first book, Darkfever out of our free library! How ‘bout them apples, eh?

The World Fantasy Awards nominees have been announced and this year’s list includes two stand-out titles from Del Rey and one title from Knopf.

“It is a world like our own in every respect … save one. In the 1950s, random acts of possession begin to occur. Ordinary men, women, and children are the targets of entities that seem to spring from the depths of the collective unconscious, pop-cultural avatars some call demons. There’s the Truth, implacable avenger of falsehood. The Captain, brave and self-sacrificing soldier. The Little Angel, whose kiss brings death, whether desired or not. And a string of others, ranging from the bizarre to the benign to the horrific.”

TENDER MORSELS, Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin; Knopf) is deceiving. Technically it’s listed as a kids’ book, but don’t let that fool you. This is a complex story that will engage readers of all ages. And that’s why you see it here, also nominated for Best Novel. From the book’s description:

“Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?”

How good is this book? Even the book’s description ended up being prophetic:

“From Del Rey Books and award-winning editor Ellen Datlow, two of the most respected names in science fiction and fantasy, comes a collection of fifteen all-new short stories, plus a science fiction novella, that could count as a virtual “best of the year” anthology. Here you will find slyly twisted alternate histories, fractured fairy tales, topical science fiction, and edgy urban fantasy.”

For the full list of nominees follows below.

We told you about this contest before and now we’re telling you one last time: you only have a couple more weeks to enter to win an 8 gig iPod Touch and signed audiobooks from the good folks at Listening Library. There’s still time!

What is it? It’s Listening Library’s Fantasy Road Trip Contest and it’s perfect for long trips (to other states and countries) or small trips (to the grocery store or a walk around the block). So, really, you could all make use of these prizes.

And as if that weren’t enough, it’s easy to enter! Hear what Libba Bray has to say about the contest:

From Listening Library:

#1. Have fun and be creative! The more you use your imagination, the better—songs, animation, sock puppets, whatever inspires you!

#2. Take on the challenge.
For your video to be eligible, you must find a way to include these things:

• a reference to Florida
• a reference to audiobooks
• a clip of dialogue from the audio you’ve chosen (we’ve made these clips for you, you can download them below to use in your video)

Try to stump us—find an inventive way to use these elements in your entries (it doesn’t have to be a literal translation). The contest video has them too, did you find them?

#3. Post your entry on YouTube.
The Fantasy Road Trip Contest is now open for entries! To post your entry, you’ll need to post it as a video response to the contest video on YouTube here. Posting video responses is easy, it’s just like posting a comment, but you will need a YouTube account. You can go straight to the YouTube page by clicking the previous link or the “Enter your videos here!” button at the top of the page. Please note when posting your video to CLEARLY state the author’s name in the title of your video so we’ll know which category you’re entering, and TAG your videos with the author name and “Fantasy Road Trip Contest.” And don’t forget to share your videos with your friends! Ask them to favorite your video if they like it—lots of favorites just might help you when it comes time for judging…

#4. The fine print…
Ok, everyone, here’s the 411: to enter you must be between the ages of 13-18 and a legal resident of the United States. The contest will open for entries June 1-August 17, 2009. Winners will be selected and notified by August 31, 2009 by YouTube message. One winner will be chosen for each author category (the participating authors will choose the winning video for their category) and will receive: 1 8GB iPod touch and a collection of audiobooks signed by the author. Videos less than 30 seconds or greater than 5 minutes in length or containing profanity or inappropriate content will be disqualified.

Please remember, we here at Suvudu aren’t running this contest, so you’ll have to head over to the Listening Library site and play by their rules. Don’t worry though, they’re good people.

Good luck, everyone!

Zombies are HUGE. The roaming hoards are shuffling through Comic-Con and across everyone’s bookshelves. One of the most talked about authors in our booths this year has been S.G. Browne, author of Breathers, which spins a slightly different take on the idea of a Zombie. What’s his take? That zombies are human, too. Kinda. There’s really no better way to explain the book than to listen to the author. So if you’re looking for a humorous horrific take on Zombies and zombie rights, then you need to check out S.G. Browne.

S.G. took some time out from his busy schedule to talk to us about his book and the other goings on and here is what he said:

What is the book and why should we run out to buy it?

Diana Rowland, author of the exciting new urban fantasy Mark of the Demon. Diana’s new to the Del Rey family and new to Comic-Con in general, but that hasn’t stopped her work from generating some serious buzz around the convention center. Diana found some time to talk to us about her work, one of her more interesting jobs (she has worked in a morgue) and her time here at Comic-Con; here is what she said.

Quick - What’s the book and why should we all rush out to buy it?

I asked Diana to give a quick pitch about the book and why we should all run out to the stores right now to buy it!

On top of it being the 40th convention (though not the 40th convention under this name, as CCI explains here), there are other events and anniversaries being celebrated at Comic-Con this year. What to know what’s going on? Here’s a short list for you:

Special Day Themes

Friday, July 24 - Star Wars Day

You may not have realized it (though you probably did), but we’re fans of George Lucas’s space epic. So you must know that Star Wars day is pretty near and dear to our cybernetic internal fluid pressure regulators hearts. But this isn’t just about us and our feelings. The fans have supported the Star Wars franchise through thick and thin. Well, Friday is your day Star Wars Nation! Come early and bring your costumes. The Force will be strong at Comic-Con this year.

Star Wars Day features 8 Star Wars themed features. They are:

• 10:00-11:00 Star Wars Day: Hasbro Room 7AB
• 11:00-12:00 Star Wars Day: The Clone Wars: Building the Universe Room 7AB
• 12:00-1:00 Star Wars Day: The Clone Wars: Behind the Mic! Voice actors from the series speak. Room 7AB
• 1:00-2:00 Star Wars Day: Behind the Scenes: The Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic Room 7AB
• 2:00-3:00 Star Wars Day: Fate of the Jedi Room 7AB
• 3:00-4:00 Star Wars Day: Collectibles Update Room 7AB
• 5:15-6:15 Lucasfilm: Star Wars Spectacular - Get all the latest news from the Star Wars universe—including some of Lucasfilm’s most tightly guarded secrets—in an all-new show format! Hosted by G4’s Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira. Hall H
• 8:30-10:00 Star Wars Fan Movie Awards Ballroom 20

Saturday, July 25 - Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Day (Unofficial)

This isn’t an official day—The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund sponsors events throughout Comic-Con—but Saturday has CBLDF events, making it the most CBLDF day on the Comic-Con roster. Those events are:

• 12:00-1:00 CBLDF Master Sessions: The Heroic Figure with Dave Gibbons
• 1:00-2:00 CBLDF Master Sessions: The Art of the Panel with Jeff Smith
• 7:15-9:15 CBLDF Benefit Auction

To learn more about the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and why you should care (and you should), click here: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Sunday, July 26 - Kids’ Day

I don’t know when the tradition began, but it’s as ingrained now as apples in apple pie. The final day of Comic-Con is always kid-centric. While any day at Comic-Con could be considered a family-friendly day, the folks in planning make sure there’s plenty for everyone in the family to see and do on this one in particular. From panels discussing kids and YA graphic novels and recommendations to kids graphic art workshops, Sunday is the official day to bring the youngin’s along.

Sorry, this contest has ended, but thank you for your interest! Be sure to stop by and read about fantasy, science fiction, and comics-related news, opinions, and creator’s columns.

And here it is, the final entry in our Fantasy Road Trip to Comic-Con contest. And what a way to close with a bang, eh? We’re going to give you the opportunity to win an unabridged set of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle novels, Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr. And how do you enter?

Glad you asked. Here’s how:

Send us an email by July 17 to info@suvudu with your answer to the following:

If you could have a flying dragon like Saphira for one day, where would you go and what would you do?

As ever, you’ll want to make sure you read the legal fine print. And that’s it. Good Luck!

While you’re pondering the question, why not listen to a few samples from the audiobooks? Use the widget below to take an audio test drive.

(These are in no particular order)

1. Tithe by Holly Black

Instead of vampires, we’ve got faeries in Holly Black’s Tithe, a gripping tale of sixteen-year-old Kaye, whose journey into the fey world begins when she rescues knight Roiben. As she explores the Seelie and Unseelie faerie courts, she finds out more than she ever bargained for. I know, I know, there will be cliffhangers galore in this post. Don’t want to ruin any of the fun for you guys.

Tithe also has a sequel, Ironside. For more info, check out Holly Black’s website.

While waiting for the last installment in the Twilight Saga to come out, I happened across the first in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments trilogy, CITY OF BONES. I’d seen the books around and been attracted to the flashy covers (I like shiny objects, what can I say? It’s an elemental thing.) so I finally sat down and read it.

And proceeded not to get up for the next three hours (I’m a fast reader and I do not skim, no matter what any of my friends tell you!). Clare has a way of never letting the action stop so that you HAVE to keep reading. At one point, I was literally trying to read it while brushing my teeth. This was not a successful venture, as you may have guessed.

The books revolve around Clary, a teenager living in a New York City where demon hunters exist. She’s pulled into the world when her mother is kidnapped and it turns out Clary has a much closer connection to the Shadowhunter (those who kill demons) world than she previously thought.

Suffice to say that you will enjoy this entire trilogy if you liked Twilight. There’s some forbidden romance with vampires and werewolves and other supernatural beings thrown in the mix as well.

Links:
The Mortal Instruments website

“Where do you get your ideas?” is one of the most common questions asked of writers.

Ideas are everywhere. My ideas come from current and historical events, myths, science and nature, pop culture and the mundane. Writers are patient observers. We sit like dogs beneath a picnic table, waiting for crumbs of inspiration to fall. When we snag something particularly tasty or useful (a phrase, a gesture, an expression) we run with it.

I consider myself a quilter, more so than a creator. I’m not starting from scratch, weaving masterpieces from the air. I collect, trim to fit, design and craft something new from scraps and leftovers. The most enduring themes, locales, images and characters spring from the most unlikely sources.

“Ice Song” has been lauded for its originality, but I simply used existing elements to develop a new world. For example, the “Sigue” was inspired by the faux-punk band Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Ostara, a small fishing village on my fictional Sigue, is named for a Wiccan holiday. A pagan variation of Easter, Ostara celebrates rebirth and reawakening.

Sidra was the name of Terri Hatcher’s character in a Seinfeld episode (“They’re real and they’re spectacular!”).

Sorykah became a Trader, not because she can trade genders, but because it sounds like ‘traitor’ and I imagine that people close to her feel betrayed by her mutability.

Matuk the Collector’s white marble manor was cobbled together from my favorite fairy tales—Bluebeard, with his dead wives and love of blood sport, Rapunzel’s impenetrable tower and every crumbling castle ever inhabited by a foul-tempered ogre.

Dunya the dog-faced girl must have come from a William Wegman image, because I can see her so clearly.

Sorykah’s insult to Chen, “You are as shallow as topsoil!” is merely the product of a silly high school joke. Top soil, tee hee.

Fantasy gives me the freedom to corrupt facts. Reality no longer depends on the actual, only what is plausible. My creations can be as strange or lovely as I like, as long as they are stitched together with tender care. Then they will endure the ages, their beauty unfading, until they too are cut apart and recycled.

Short Films, they’re pretty sweet right? I’ve always been a fan of short stories, so perhaps my love of short films is a natural extension of my admiration for concise storytelling*. After finding the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival, it got me thinking about some of my favorite shorts. I have far too many to list here and, like my reading habits, they flow across nearly ever genre you can imagine. But, I thought it might be fun to give you a glimpse at a few of them.

One of the best things about all the video sites out there is the ability for independent filmmakers to present their work in a venue where hundreds and possibly thousands of eyes can find it. The films you’ll find below are produced by independent filmmakers (which means that I resisted my urge to throw a few Pixar shorts at you).

If you’re hungry for more later, then I strongly suggest you head over to Indy Mogul. You can view their webshow, which provides previews of various short films grouped around a particular theme, and then head over to their blog page where you can view each featured short film in its entirety. If you enjoy short films, then prepare to lose a lot of time and productivity to that site.

Want to see a few of my favorite short films floating around the internet?

Some shorts I love

The Aviatrix

A story about a woman coping with a cancer diagnosis and escaping into a world of comic book super heroes of her own creation. Anne draws The Aviatrix and we’re treated to scenes of the character in action as she imagines them. The Aviatrix hero scenes are stylized-reminiscences of 50’s and 60’s hero movies and provide a brilliant counter-weight to the drama of Anne’s very real sickness and struggle. This is also an incredibly well shot short.

But wait, there’s more, including a few comedies and a zombie-infested love story. Follow me after the jump and bring your popcorn.

Er…short films, that is. Okay, here’s a video to give you a better idea of what I’m yammering about, followed by some details.

Sweet, eh? So here’s a little more detail. For the fifth year running, Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (that’s the full name of the entity, and it sounds like the kind of place to which I must visit lest I be accused of being Bizzaro Kyle) is partnering with the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) to present the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival.

This is one of those instances where Seattle trumps New York, I’m afraid. Sure, we have lots of other film festivals in this tiny hamlet by the seaside, but, like a cranky kid lusting after the top shelf in a toy story, I WANT THIS ONE!

Of course, the festival doesn’t open until January 30, 2010, so I have time (and so do you) to buy my tickets and devise a way for my hindquarters to be squarely planted in Seattle seats come festival time. But that’s for us attendees. You filmmakers out there are probably wondering about submitting entries to the festival, right? Well, below is what I found.

From Science Fiction Museum:

From June 1 through September 15, 2009, the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF) will accept short film submissions, up to 15 minutes in length, that have been produced after 2005 for entry into the competition. Multiple submissions will be accepted according to the rules and regulations. Submissions will be judged based on originality, quality, artistic merit, innovation, voice, style and narrative.

SFFSFF is accepting animated or live-action submissions in science fiction (examples: futuristic stories, space adventure, technological speculation, social experiments, utopia and dystopia) and fantasy (examples: sword and sorcery, folklore, urban fantasy, magic, mythic adventure). The festival welcomes submissions that step outside the boundaries of reality and inspire a sense of wonder. The festival will not accept horror submissions. Submissions are accepted through Without a Box.

There are more detail on the event over at the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame’s website: Film Festival Details. Be sure to check out that site. And not just for this festival, but for all the other cool things going on there as well.

Any teens out there who want an 8GB iPod Touch and Signed Audiobooks? Unfortunately we’re not just handing them out, but you can enter Listening Library’s Fantasy Road Trip Contest to win the gear!

C’mon, we’ve all done it. We read a book and the characters are just so appealing that we imagine ourselves interacting with them. Perhaps it’s fighting your way through an army of zombie androids, perhaps it’s sampling an alien meal, or perhaps it’s embarking on a road trip. This last one (or heck, all of them if you can manage it), is the basis of Listening Library’s new Fantasy Road Trip Contest. Listening Library is sponsoring an online video contest for teens this summer asking them to make videos about the fantasy series of Libba Bray, Tamora Pierce and/or Rick Riordan, imagining themselves on a road trip with a character from the books.

And the rules? After the jump you’ll see what Listening Library says you have to do to enter for a chance to win. It’s only three steps, so go ahead and give it a whirl. Or, if you’d prefer, you can just skip over to Listening Library’s contest page for all the details on rules, prizes, and much more: Listening Library’s Fantasy Road Trip Contest