This episode starts out with us attending the book reading/launch of Ceriph #3 (it’s actually the fourth book but the first one was called issue zero) at Kinokuniya! 2 of our friends are in this issue! Magical Harkow and Schnoc from Nanowrimo!
Tag: book
Of Book Launches and Readings!
Two books, two different genres and two different places! You get the idea.
The first one is Wolf at the Door by one of our writer friends, Joyce. It’s an ebook so you can buy it only online here. She’s having a book launch/reading party this week too!
Location: The Garden Slug
Date and Time: 14 April, 7.30pm
You can check more details and the map on how to get there on her blog here and to RSVP to her too. It’s an URBAN FANTASY story of werewolves in Singapore, check the book out! TAKE THAT PEOPLE, we have genre writers here.
The next book event is BUBBLE G.U.M.!
That’s the poster that you are not going to see at the event at Ion. Hahahaha. ANYWAY, yes come to our reading/signing.
Location: Orchard Ion’s Prologue bookstore
Date and time: 19 April, 7pm
Ours is young adult science fiction. You can buy the book at the store itself or online here with shipping. It is also stocked at Books Actually! So yes, do come to either of the events and say hello… and buy.
SDS 2.23 – Party People
We had the kick off party in episode 17. This time is the Thank Goodness It’s Over party at the Earshot Cafe over at The Arts House.
SDS 2.17 – Misery Business
And so the 30th October was the kick off party for Nanowrimo in Singapore! It was at the multipurpose room of the national library. Most people ask why do Nanowrimo since you have to write at least 50k in 30 days well… That is pretty much the point! For others it’s a daunting task, to writers it is fun!
The line up!
Here’s the line up guys. (For the official poster of the event, click here.)
National Library, Multipurpose room (basement 1) at 6.30pm (till 8.30pm)
The theme: Superheroes (people are gonna dress to the theme so don’t get freaked out, you’re at the right place!)
Anyone can leave before 8.30pm but that’s the maximum time slot we can be there because the library would close soon after.
Who should come?
- Nanowrimo-ers
- Readers and writers
- Comic fans and geeks
First we’ll have the Nanowrimo kick off! Things start at 6.30pm and all and it’ll lead on towards the mini launching of Bubble G.U.M (because some of us Nanowrimo-ers wrote it)! The book is just $15 just for the launch. You guys will want to buy it there because when it gets stocked at Kino or any other store, they’ll put GST and everything on it which could get the book priced above $19 or something. (We’ll have our previous publication Happiness at the End of the World there at $15 too.)
After the mini launch, we would end the main Nanowrimo events but stay to talk to each other and have our cake while we discuss on the evening’s theme of graphic novels and of speculative fiction in it! They’re related since graphic novels ARE a graphic form of speculative fiction. Batman, Superman, Powergirl and much more! If you’re there just for the discussion, come around 7.20pm! Our main programme isn’t going to be that long, the kick off is more for people to know each other and what they’re writing and reading anyway!
Time to get sticky
Hey guys! BUBBLE G.U.M IS OUT! Or rather, it’s printed and ready to be shipped by the distributors. HOWEVER, it will take time before the stores will receive it but I’m able to get copies from the publisher themselves. Ah! What’s BUBBLE G.U.M? If you read the last pages of Happiness at the End of the World, you’d be able to see a preview of it.
Here’s a brief description of what the story is though:
It’s 2045 and Prix Chan is beginning her National Service. Her father, Pierre, believes she can handle it but her mother, Su, is hysterical at the thought of her daughter leaving the safety of Singapore’s Green Underwater Metropolis, the Bubble G.U.M., a self-sufficient city-state protected three miles beneath the waves by a dome of chewing gum.
Little does anyone know that in less than a week Prix will cause the biggest crisis to hit Singapore since the planet went into meltdown creating a world of water and a human civilisation on the brink of annihilation.
Yes, it’s science fiction about futuristic Singapore! It’s a young adult with elements of comedy and adventure in it too. A very interesting 6 person collaboration by the Happy Smiley Writers Group.
You guys get can it during the Nanowrimo Kick-Off on the 30th October, 6.30pm at the National Library or email me to “pre-order” it if you want to have a copy before the date or to make sure you do get a copy before then. Why pre-order? Because it’ll take time for the distributors to put it in the stores and I might just have limited stock in my hands when I get some stacks of them from the publisher.
It’s not up for online sale at Two Trees yet but it will be.
What’s the price? $18! It’s probably going to be more expensive in stores when they include GST though. (Un?)Fortunately, you can only get a special sale price of $15 if you go to the Nanowrimo Kick-Off! But hey, if you’re going to the kick-off, you’ll be able to meet the writers, get autographs, listen about writing, talk about geekery such as books and comics while having cake!
It’s totally more worth it to pre-order one and collect it at the event itself. What’s my email? Check my about page, heh. Or ok. It’s sarah @ seriouslysarah.com
Chronicles of a Daywalker – Blood on the Moon
When I saw “Blood on the Moon” by S.M. De Silva, I thought, “Oooh, a vampire story. This looks interesting” for the last local vampire book I read was pretty fun. (You can read preview chapters of Blood on the Moon on their website, by the way.) Plus, I like to support genre fiction especially local ones here since there isn’t too many!
And then I read it and huh.
Before I start this review, I want to make sure that all of you know that this is entirely my opinion and that seriously, it is just mine and I might not be the target audience for this book.
Heck, I’m not exactly sure who the target audience for this book is for either.
But all of you get it? This is just mine and by now, you lot might know what sort of stories I like so consider this as a disclaimer of sorts. For even if you read my review and then read the book, you might think, “What the heck is Sarah talking about? This is gorgeous!”. So take this review with a pinch or a truckload of salt enough to give you high blood pressure.
And so I begin.
Continue reading Chronicles of a Daywalker – Blood on the Moon
And I Prefer Moroccan Mint Tea
Hello people, if you’ve read Soulless and Changeless by Gail Carriger, this might make sense to you.
My friends haven’t all read Blameless yet so I am resorting to post my SQUEE here. This will have spoilers after the more cut. However, for those who are going to read this, I have prepared you a menu. I have not included what the werewolves and vampires are eating for obvious reasons.
If Alexia is not smacking things with her parasol, she surely is eating!
Blameless: The Menu
Chapter 1
Kippers, soft boiled eggs, fried eggs, sausages, scones, toast with a choice of butter or marmalade and barley water
Chapter 3 and 4
Toast and tea
Chapter 5
Large leaf Assam tea* (Favourite of Alexia’s)
Chapter 6
Bland food cooked over steam engine – Porridge?
Raw vegetables (crudités) such as carrots, red bell peppers, asparagus spears and celery sticks, meat pâté, nutty digestive biscuits served with weak tea
Chapter 8
Croissants, basket of kumquats served with Earl Grey tea,
For lunch: Roasted winter vegetables, fruit, cold poultry, fluffy crispy bread such as sliced baguettes, flaky pastry served with tea and milk.
Chapter 10
Sliced melon, apple, ciabatta bread, hard sharp cheese served with coffee. Honey and milk available* (preference of Madame Lefoux’s for her coffee)
Chapter 11
Pesto, cantaloupe and prosciutto ham.
Chapter 13
Apples, bruschetta and hard boiled eggs with pesto
Chapter 15
Pesto spaghetti pasta
And now onwards to where I squee.
Submission call for Steampunk short stories!
Hello everyone! Remember Happiness at the End of the World? If you don’t, it’s the science fiction anthology we came out with next year. This time we’re opening submissions for steampunk short stories!
Here’s the short details:
Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy (an imprint of Two Trees) and The Happy Smiley Writers Group are calling for submissions for the second in their sci-fi short story anthology series. Following on the success of their first anthology, Happiness at the end of the World, Happy Smiley and Friends are going Steampunk.
Steampunk Short Story Guidelines:
1) Theme is science fiction steampunk with a happy ending.
2) Word length between 2000 and a firm 6000 words.
3) Deadline for submissions is 31st October.
4) Open to any age, any nationality but must be resident in Singapore. (Singaporeans studying overseas are eligible.)
5) Mail submissions to steampunk@twotrees.com.sg
6) For more details go to http://twotrees.com.sg/steampunk.html
Continue reading Submission call for Steampunk short stories!
Online Book Store Battle!
Hello everyone! This is an updated review of online book stores compared to back then when I wrote Open Trolley is my alternate universe Amazon! If you read the comments there, things got a bit heated up from the various stores telling me that they’ve got offers and whatnot and other people’s experiences with them. (The comments ARE very informative by the way.)
Now you need to know one thing from that era of me using Open Trolley, Acma Mall didn’t give free shipping to Singapore. That post was in August 2009 and then they had the free shipping later. That includes the existence of Book Depository to us Singaporeans even if the about page says it had been founded in 2004. It was just then, no one here really used BD to tell us it isn’t dodgy and all that.
I would like to quote George Stevens who had used all three before I get on with my review. This is one comment that’s very useful from that older post:
OK- tried all 3 of the stores above- here’s the results- all orders were for books shown as “in-stockâ€-
OpenTrolley- order placed January 6th, available for pickup January 15th- 7 working days. Paid $0.50 to pick them up at Plaza Singapura.
Acma Mall- order placed January 10th, delivered January 26th to my house- 12 working days. 40% off of best sellers and free shipping made this the best price, but the longest delivery.
Book Depository- order placed January 17th, delivered January 26th to my house. Overall good prices and best delivery time (6 working days), even though they are not local. Will probably continue to use them in the future.
I think both of the “local†bookstores are just a website who then order in bulk from overseas, thus the long lead times.
Right. So there you go. It’s pretty much the same timeline for me too. I’ve ordered from OT, AM and lately BD.