Archive for Orbit US

Cover Launch: EAT, SLAY, LOVE by Jesse Petersen

Ok, definitely winner for my favorite title this year is Eat, Slay, Love by Jesse Petersen, the third book in the Zombie Therapy series. These books are incredibly fun, and I think the covers do a good job of showing it. When I was designing the first two books, Married With Zombies and Flip This Zombie, I was definitely going for a bit of a spoof of self-help books rolled up in a Shaun of the Dead kind of aesthetic, while punking on chick lit a bit. The genius of this one tho, is all in the title. Come on, you can’t not laugh, just a little…

In other zombie-related news, Married With Zombies is up for a “Most Unique Cover” award at All Things Urban Fantasy’s 2010 Cover Awards. And Jesse Petersen has been doing great recaps of The Walking Dead on AMC every Monday after the show Sunday nights.

(more…)

The Walking Dead 1.05 With Jesse Petersen

Jesse Petersen is the author of MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES and the forthcoming FLIP THIS ZOMBIE. Like many of us here at Orbit HQ, she’s also a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC. She’ll be offering recaps of each week’s episode here every Monday. This post will contain SPOILERS (also zombies). For previous recaps see 1.01 , 1.02, , 1.03, and 1.04.

Hello zombie fans!

When last we left off Rick and some of the gang had gone back to Atlanta to get the guns and try to rescue Dixon. Instead they found Dixon’s severed hand and some vatos who turned out to be not so bad. Dixon stole their car, they had to walk back and zombies attacked the camp, killing a bunch of people. Also, I ate too much turkey and strained a muscle in my back (not related to the turkey eating, at least I don’t think). So here we go with…

The Walking Dead 1.05: Wildfire (more…)

A Book-Lover’s Easy Virtue

I am, I confess it here, a genre slut; I have loved many genres, and though I currently spend most of my days in the fabulous and exotic terrain of science fiction and fantasy fiction, I still occasionally sneak out and enter other genres.

Romance, for instance. I don’t claim to be well-read in the romance genre, but I will admit to having indulged, from time to time, in a passion for passion. The main object of my affection was Maeve Binchy – who writes Irish feel-good sagas about community life with lashings of romantic cliches. And who is also, by the way, one of the greatest storytellers of our age, up there with Stephen King. I’ve also read the Welsh novels of Iris Gower, the Regency romances of Georgette Heyer and the superbly evocative tales of Catherine Cookson, the great mistress of grit-lit plus, well, quite a few others that were dreadful but I enjoyed them anyway.

Crime was once my profession (as a writer and script editor for TV crime dramas) and also my hobby. I love bleak noir, locked room mysteries, nostalgic period detective stories, and modern police procedurals. My favourite crime writers are Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Rex Stout, Carl Hiaasen, Donald E. Westlake AND Richard Stark…and many more. Crime is a great genre; it gives us a chance to wallow in evil and still feel good about ourselves. Nowadays, I haven’t the time to read much new crime fiction (apart from the excellent Stieg Larssons) but evil-wallowing continues to be my favourite pastime, expressed in, ahem, other ways. (more…)

Welcome to Hull Zero Three…

Will you survive the ship?

Greg Bear is one of the most well-known and beloved writers in the genre and I am delighted to announce the publication of his latest novel, HULL ZERO THREE. Set in the darkest, coldest reaches of space, this is the story of one man who wakes up cold, alone, and confused on a starship that seems to be determined to kill him.

For a glimpse into the harrowing life of a resident of Ship, see our video record, carefully reconstructed in machinima for your edification:

(more…)

Cover Launch: DEADLINE by Mira Grant

Look, I try not to play favorites in the Orbit-verse, but inside of this mild-mannered Creative Director is an excitable uber-geek fangirl, and I can’t help but have a few favorite series here to read as a fan, and I get really really excited when I know the manuscript is in-house for me to read and start working on the cover. This is also a lot of pressure in any series, because especially in the case that you think you did a good job on a cover to Book 1, you certainly want to keep the awesomeness going for Book 2…
(more…)

The Walking Dead 1.04 With Jesse Petersen

Jesse Petersen is the author of MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES and the forthcoming FLIP THIS ZOMBIE. Like many of us here at Orbit HQ, she’s also a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC. She’ll be offering recaps of each week’s episode here every Monday. This post will contain SPOILERS (also zombies). For previous recaps see 1.01 , 1.02, and 1.03

Hello Zombie Fans! 4th episode and since this season of “The Walking Dead” is short (6 total episodes) we’re rapidly coming to an exciting close. Hang on tight, I think it’s going to be a bumpy ride! So when last we left off Rick reunited with Lori and Carl (and, oh yeah, Shane). Everyone was happy for about ten seconds but then Rick felt bad that he’d left Dixon locked up on the roof, so he got a new band of heroes together and they headed back to Atlanta, only to find out that Dixon cut his own hand off to escape. Ew. But where is he? Oh, and apparently Shane told Lori that Rick was dead (which then inspired her to sleep with him). So she’s annoyed. Now we pick up in The Walking Dead 1.04: Vatos. (more…)

SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL by Jaye Wells (a.k.a. My first Photo Shoot)

Hello all. As some of you may have read in a earlier post, I’m the new junior designer here at Orbit Books/Yen Press. I’ve been immersed in the world of book cover design here and — three months into working for the Orbit art department I’ve already been invited to a photo shoot?! How cool is that? This is my first photo shoot ever if you don’t count that embarrassing yearbook photo that my college made me do… (more…)

Nano advice: Time Travel Edition

I’m back with more advice from the editor’s perspective for all you Nano people out there. So, this time I want us all to hop into the Orbit time machine. We have one of those. It’s how we know the future.

It’s December 1. You wrote like a madman all month long and now you have 50,000 words and a warm glow of satisfaction. You drank all the champagne and ate all the cupcakes and are ready to bask in the relaxing life of being an author.

So, what next?
(more…)

Cover Launch: THE EDINBURGH DEAD

Edinburgh Dead CoverThe Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley hits shelves August 2011. This project was exceptionally interesting for me. The book is a historical fantasy that takes place in 1827 Edinburgh, Scotland. It follows an officer of the recently formed city police who is on the trail of undead hounds, emptied graves, brutal murders, and a criminal underclass involved with the darkest of powers.

The photo illustration, by Larry Rostant, is a beautiful and haunting cinematic look into the story. We made the main character front and center with very specific details hinting at the plot without being campy or having to spoon feed the audience. (more…)

Space Monsters! The Interstellar Void! Coffee & Muffins!

US readers! From November 23 to December 7, the full text of Greg Bear’s HULL ZERO THREE will be available for free on the just-launched Starbucks Digital Network, in partnership with Yahoo! The novel will also be available in hardcover and ebook editions in bookstores.

The Starbucks Digital Network offers customers access to premium, free content on the in-store Wi-Fi network. Customers will be able to access the complete text of HULL ZERO THREE on their laptops, tablets, and many smart phones.

Stop by your local Starbucks, put in your order, have a seat, open your laptop, log on. You’ll find HULL ZERO THREE in the Bookish Reading Club on the network’s Entertainment channel.

WARNING: While reading, maintain a firm grip on your coffee at all times in case of unexpected gravitational anomalies.

HULL ZERO THREE is Science Fiction legend Greg Bear’s highly anticipated return to deep space. Publishers Weekly called it: “a beautifully written tale where nothing is as it seems,” and Locus Magazine says HULL ZERO THREE is “a testament of faith both in human beings and in something beyond them.”