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Articles by Siobhan
Among Others is a Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel
by Siobhan
Fiction + Science Fiction and Fantasy / February 23, 2012
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced the finalists for this year's Nebula Awards, the Ray Bradbury Award, and the Andre Norton Award.
Congratulations to Tor Books' Jo Walton for being one of the finalists for Best Novel for her book, Among Others! The novel is already a big favourite among the staff here at Raincoast.
If you're in Toronto, you'll have a chance to meet Jo Walton at her event at Bakka Phoenix Books this Saturday, February 25th.
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View the full list of Nebula Award finalists on Tor.com.
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award awards sci-fi tor-forge
The Best Business Books of 2011
by Siobhan
Business & Careers / February 03, 2012
If you're looking for some good business reading, why not start with the best? Here are some business books that were highly praised in recent year-end review lists.
LeadershipNow.com Best Leadership Books of 2011 - See the full list
Lead with Purpose: Giving Your Organization a Reason to Believe in Itself, byJohn Baldoni (Amacom)
Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking In Your Organization, by Daniel Patrick Forrester (Palgrave Macmillan)
CEO Refresher.com Best Business Books of 2011 - See the full list
Make Your Own Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success, by Wayne Rogers with Josh Young (Amacom)
Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking In Your Organization, by Daniel Patrick Forrester (Palgrave Macmillan)
Slow Down, Sell Faster!: Understand Your Customer's Buying Process and Maximize Your Sales, by Kevin Davis (Amacom)
The Elements of Power: Lessons on Leadership and Influence, by Terry R. Bacon (Amacom)
Full Engagement!: Inspire, Motivate, and Bring Out the Best in Your People, by Brian Tracy (Amacom)
Selling to Anyone Over the Phone: Connect With Every Customer; Generate Better Leads, Close More Sales, by Renee P. Walkup and Sandra McKee (Amacom)
CIO Insights10 Best IT-Business Books of 2011 - See the full list
The Power of Convergence: Linking Business Strategies and Technology Decisions to Create Sustainable Success, by Faisal Hoque, Lawrence M. Walsh and Diana L. Mirakaj (Amacom)
CIO Insights 11 Best Business Books for CIOs in 2011 - See the full list
The Elements of Power: Lessons on Leadership and Influence, by Terry R. Bacon (Amacom)
The Axiom Business Book Awards - See the full list
Winning Bronze in the Career (Job Search, Career Advancement) Category:
What's Next?: Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job, by Kerry Hannon
Winning Silver in the Business Ethics Category:
Rebuilding Trust in the Workplace: Seven Steps to Renew Confidence, Commitment, and Energy, by Dennis Reina and Michelle Reina (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)
Winning Silver in the Advertising/Markting/PR/Event Planning Category:
The Experience Effect: Engage Your Customers with a Consistent and Memorable Brand Experience, by Jim Joseph (Amacom)
Winning Gold in the Women in Business Category:
Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction, by Marcia Reynolds (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)
ALA Booklist Top Ten Business Books of 2011 - See the full list
Make Your Own Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success, by Wayne Rogers with Josh Young (Amacom)
Poisoned Legacy: The Human Cost of BP's Rise to Power, by Mike Magner (St. Martin's Press)
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awards business
At the Movies…
by Siobhan
January 23, 2012
Can a movie adaptation ever be a good as the book? The debate rages on....
Meanwhile, we're quite pleased to see two of our books appearing on the big screen very soon. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and enjoy a good story without your popcorn-buttery fingers staining the book pages... 
The book: One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
(Available with the movie tie-in cover in paperback and mass market, as well as with the original cover in paperback and mass market.)
Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past.
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The movie: In theatres January 27, 2012. Starring Katherine Heigl.
The book: Big Miracle by Tom Rose
In small town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his ex-girlfriend - a Greenpeace volunteer - on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.
The movie: In theatres February 3, 2012. Starring Drew Barrymore, Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, Tim Blake Nelson, John Krasinski, and Vinessa Shaw.
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movie trailers movies
My Favourite Books of 2011: Siobhan (Marketing)
by Siobhan
Art & Photography + Craft + Food & Drink + Gift & Stationery / December 20, 2011
Yesterday Dan talked about his favourite book of 2011. I can't quite narrow it down to ONE, so instead I've picked one favourite book for each day of the week... plus a little something extra for Sunday. This is essentially my ideal week, in book format.
Monday. We all know what Mondays are like. The day you need a hit of inspiration. And a cup of coffee. This book will give you a double shot of the former (sorry, you'll have you grab your own latte.) Paper Cutting: Contemporary Artists, Timeless Craft is totally gorgeous and full of amazing work by talented artists working with paper.
Tuesday is when you really start to wake up for the week. And you'll need your wits about you when you grab your scissors and a fresh sheet of paper, then fold, pleat and crumple your way to creating the incredible shapes in Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form.
(P.S. If you're into paper folding, you'll love this documentary I recently saw on the Knowledge Network, Between the Folds.)
Wednesday is a funny day. Come on, hump day. Time for the brilliance and hilarity that is Hark! A Vagrant. If you don't already know Kate Beaton from her website, trust me, your life will be better once you do.
By Thursday, your work week is in full swing, and you can take on anything. You can even build a toaster... from scratch! As in, hey, let's dig up some precious metals out of the ground with my own two hands and make some wire, then figure out how to make plastic... Or at least you can read about a guy who really did this in The Toaster Project: Or a heroic attempt to build a simple electric appliance from scratch.
Friday is when you start to wind down, dream about the weekend that's oh-so-close.... a dream which involves owning a big old house in the country with chickens running around the yard, and your husband making you breakfast in bed, with poached eggs laid by your very own chickens. (Reality: let's just go out for brunch downtown.) Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes is full of lovely design and photos, stories about keeping chickens, and recipes for both cooking up eggs ... and chickens (sorry, chickens!)
A Saturday behind the pottery wheel is a good, good day. If you don't have clay or a kiln on hand, check out The Ceramics Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques.
Sunday is a perfect treat. Much like Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop. These are some of the cutest, most perfect looking cakes you'll ever see (and maybe even bake). The book's pages are also scalloped for an added dose of cuteness.
And last but not least, for a litttle extra on Sunday (cause you know everyone wants to extend the weekend just a little bit more), I'm also going to include my favourite non-book item from 2011. I am admittedly biased here, but hey, this is my list. Shoegazing Notecards were put together by the gorgeous and always inspiring UPPERCASE magazine, based on a photo story they did in their magazine: UPPERCASE asked readers to send in photos of their feet. I was lucky enough to have a couple of photos in the spread... and now UPPERCASE partnered with Chronicle to put 20 of those photos onto notecards. Mine's the one on the red carpet with all the brightly coloured shoes. A friend of mine also has her feet on one of the notecards, wearing her roller derby skates. Here's the spread from the magazine - the notecards are also super cute and designed with classic UPPERCASE style.
So, that's my week in books for 2011. Looking forward to 2012!
Naughty and Nice
by Siobhan
Fiction / December 19, 2011
The fire is roaring, you're curled up in a warm, wooly blanket with a cup of hot chocolate... what more could you need to heat things up this holiday season? Hmm, how about a Christmas romance!
Here are a couple of new romance novels from Sourcebooks that'll make you want to hang up mistletoe all round the house.
Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish
by Grace Burrowe, author of The Heir, Soldier and Virtuoso.
A luminous holiday tale of romance, passion, and dreams come true from rising star Grace Burrowes, whose award-winning Regency romances are capturing hearts worldwide.
All she wants is peace and anonymity… Lady Sophie Windham has maneuvered a few days to herself at the ducal mansion in London before she must join her family for Christmas in Kent. Suddenly trapped by a London snowstorm, she finds herself with an abandoned baby and only the assistance of a kind, handsome stranger standing between her and complete disaster.
But Sophie’s holiday is about to heat up… With his estate in ruins, Vim Charpentier sees little to feel festive about this Christmas. His growing attraction for Sophie Windham is the only thing that warms his spirits—but when Sophie’s brothers whisk her away, Vim’s most painful holiday memories are reawakened.
It seems Sophie’s been keeping secrets, and now it will take much more than a mistletoe kiss to make her deepest wishes come true…
Darn Good Cowboy Christmas
by Carolyn Brow, author of Red's Hot Cowboy and Love Drunk Cowboy and Honky Tonk Christmas.
Just in time for Christmas, a scorching-hot cowboy romance from a rising star author.
Carolyn Author of #1 bestselling Christmas romance in 2010 (Honky Tonk Christmas) creates a new installment in her sexy contemporary cowboy romance series that showcases her amazing Southern voice.
Born and raised in a traveling carnival, all Liz Hanson ever wanted for Christmas was a home that didn't have wheels. After she was old enough to date she added one more item: a sexy cowboy.
She'd about given up on Santa ever bringing either one when her father dies and leaves her an ugly house and twenty acres in Texas. Then rancher Raylen O'Donnell walks onto her property.
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christmas holiday romance
Red-Hot and Bone-Chilling: New Paranormal Romances
by Siobhan
October 21, 2011
Sorry, Twilight fans, paranormal romance is not just for teens.
Vampires, werewolves, demons… whichever tall, dark and (of course!) handsome creature strikes your fancy (sucks your blood, whatever), there's a book for you…
So this Halloween, why not curl up with a novel that's red-hot and bone-chilling at the same time? Here are some great new paranormal romances out this Fall...
Never Been Bit by Lydia Dare
"Wickedly sensual! You'll wish you had your own vampyre to make your heart race." —Love Romance Passion, on It Happened One Bite
Also by Lydia Dare:
Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom
"Fireworks explode in this passionate novel by the inventive Wisdom, who incorporates a veritable potpourri of paranormal characters into this fast-paced tale. Humor, danger and steamy sex make for an exciting read. Maggie and Declan burn up the pages." —RT Book Reviews
Also by Linda Wisdom:
Mr. Darcy's Bite by Mary Lydon Simonsen
Having read Mr. Darcy Vampyre, by Amanda Grange and come away with a less than stellar opinion, I was super nervous at reading another Pride and Prejudice fan fiction novel that infused some type of supernatural beings within the plot. Fortunately, Simonsen has made this idea work with Mr. Darcy’s Bite, which seriously impressed me. Unlike another popular vampire work, Twilight, where werewolves appear because of vampires, Simonsen provides an actual realistic explanation for it. The novel is written with fabulous Gothic undertones, creating a dark and spooky reading atmosphere that grips you from cover to cover. The ending was my favorite part! So much so, that I immediately emailed Mary and asked her to write a sequel! [...]
For those of you who are nervous about dipping your toes into the paranormal fan fiction world, may I highly suggest that you start your journey with Mr. Darcy’s Bite? Not only does it top my JAFF list, but it’s pretty high up on my paranormal reading list as well. You won’t be disappointed! —AustenProse.com
New Fall Books for Fashion Week
by Siobhan
Fashion & Textiles / October 20, 2011
With Toronto Fashion Week wrapping up, and Vancouver Fashion Week coming up soon (November 1-6) I thought it might be a good time to show you some of this Fall's new books on Fashion... plus a few notebooks, notecards and even a fashion card game!
These are great reads for both fashion designers -- whether aspiring or established -- and fashionistas alike. Click on the covers below for more info on each one.
New Books for Fashion Inspiration
New Books for Fashion Education
New Books and Accessories for Fashion Fun
Those are the new books (and more!) for Fall, but there were also some fashionable gems that came out earlier this year.
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Bone-Chilling Books to Put You in the Halloween Spirit
by Siobhan
Art & Photography + Fiction + Humour / October 13, 2011
It's time to put all the warmth and coziness of Thanksgiving behind us, and embrace the cold, dark... Hallowen is just around the corner.
Here are few books to get you into the Halloween spirit ... and awaken the spirits... Mmwhahaha!
Plain Fear: Forsaken
by Leanna Ellis
Sourcebooks
A vampire novel set in an Amish community, Plain Fear: Forsaken is a haunting and heartbreaking story. When passions stir and secrets are revealed, Hannah must choose between light and dark, between the one she has always loved and the new possibility of love. But it's more than a choice of passion; it's a decision that will determine the fate of her soul.
"Forsaken exemplifies the ultimate literary juxtaposition of good and evil, and is made all the more powerful by Ellis's ability to paint a vivid and realistic picture Amish life."
—Linda Castillo, New York Times bestselling author
Dead of Night: A Zombie Novel
by Jonathan Maberry
St. Martin's Press
New York Times bestselling author of Patient Zero, Jonathan Maberry returns with another creepy tale... A prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots in the grave. But all drugs have unforeseen side-effects. Before he could be buried, the killer wakes up. Hungry. Infected. Contagious. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang... but a bite.
Read an excerpt from the novel online.
"An intriguingly fresh slant on the zombie genre."
—John A. Russo
The Monster's Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes
Edited by Christopher Golden
St. Martin's Griffin
An all original anthology from some of todays hottest supernatural writers, featuring stories of monster's from the monster's point of view. With contributions by Lauren Groff, Chelsea Cain, Simon R. Green, Sharyn McCrumb, Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, and many others.
Read a Q&A with some of the contributors on ForcesOfGeek.com
Dead Inside: Do Not Enter
Notes from the Zombie Apocalypse
A Lost Zombies Book
Post Secret meets World War Z in this chilling vision of the fallout following a global zombie pandemic. A gradual mutation of a virulent strain of "super flu" gives rise to millions of the undead, who quickly overwhelm treatment facilities and swarm cities around the world, leaving survivors on their own against a legion of the infected. This chilling story is told through the scraps of paper, scrawled signs, and cryptic markers left by survivors as they struggle to stay alive and find those they've lost in a world overrun by zombies...
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor
by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga
Thomas Dunne Books
Also available as an audiobook
Following in the footsteps of the New York Times bestselling graphic novels and the record-breaking new TV show, this debut novel in a trilogy of original Walking Dead books chronicles the back story of the comic book series greatest villain, The Governor.
Listed to a preview of the audio edition online.
"The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor is a book that's meant for both fans of the comics and fans of the show… Kirkman's mark is all over the book. It takes great advantage of the literary medium in a way that most tie-in books would not.” —TVOvermind.com
Chasing Ghosts, Texas Style
On the Road with Everyday Paranormal
by Brad Klinge, Barry Klinge and Kathy Passero
Thomas Dunne Books
Part high-adventure tale, part autobiography, this page-turner recounts the eerie experiences that convinced brothers Brad and Barry Klinge, founders of Everyday Paranormal and stars of the TV series Ghost Lab on Discovery Channel, that ghosts really do walk among us Brad and Barry Klinge have been investigating paranormal occurrences for the last twenty years, and in Chasing Ghosts, Texas Style , they divulge some of their most exciting ghost encounters and analyze the science behind their paranormal hunts.
"In this enjoyable read, sure to entertain even skeptics, the Klinge brothers recount how they first became interested in ghosts, what led them to start their company, and why they decided to make scientific experimentation the hallmark of their practice." —Publishers Weekly
Here's a clip of the brothers' typical antics on the show:
And now that your jaw is clenched and your fingernails are firmly embedded in your chair... I'll finish this list with a few books that are slightly less terrifying...
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Ace Your Zombie Exam!
The Official Ph.Z. Study Guide
by David Murphy
Sourcebooks
The #1 way to get your official PhZ diploma!
Humans, Zombies, we're not that different. We're all hungry for a better life or post-life. That's why the living and living dead alike are turning more frequently to education in order to improve their station, pursuing the highly coveted PhZ. No enrollment necessary — you need only this book and that high-performance noggin of yours.
Day of the Dead
by Kitty Williams and Stevie Mack
Gibbs Smith
The Day of the Dead Celebration is the most important holiday of the year in Mexico and parts of the American Southwest, a joyful time when families remember their dead. Day of the Dead provides a colorful look at the iconic folk art and family traditions that play a vital role in the event, which happens across the country from October 31 through November 2.
The Book of Skulls
by Faye Dowling
Laurence King
The Book of Skulls presents a cool visual guide to the skull, charting its rebirth through music and street fashion to become today's ultimate anti-establishment icon. From Black Sabbath to Cypress Hill, skater punk graffiti to Gothic tattoos, from high-couture to Hello Kitty and Dali to Damien Hirst, this book is the ultimate collection of cool and iconic skull motifs. Drawing together artwork from music, fashion, street art and graphic design The Book of Skulls is a celebration of one of today's most iconic cultural symbols.
Mental Illness Awareness Week
by Siobhan
Health & Wellness + Psychology & Self-Help / October 07, 2011
It's Mental Illness Awareness Week, and I'd like to take this occasion to thank one of our publishers who works day-in and day-out to make a positive impact in this field: New Harbinger Publications.
For over 30 years, New Harbinger has been publishing books on all kinds of topics in psychology, health and personal growth. Whether the books are created for individuals to use on their own, for family members looking for guidance, or for professionals to use with clients, New Harbinger's books are written by experienced professionals and specialists, who can offer solid advice and coping stragegies.
Thanks, New Harbinger. You're making a difference.
You can find out more about New Harbinger, and download their latest catalogues, here.
If you're a mental health professional, sign up for New Harbinger's specialized eNewsletter or browse the resources on their website.
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health mental health
Put on your Goggles, It’s Steampunk Week
by Siobhan
Fiction / October 06, 2011
In case your clockwork robot didn't alert you to the fact, it's Steampunk Week over on Tor.com. They are revelling in all things futuristic-Victorian, including reviewing some great books inspired by the style.
Also be sure to read the post on "Canadian Steampunk, Our Historical Inspiration" written by Countessa Lenora, the Canadian Queen of Steampunk.
Here are a few Steampunk novels to get your gears in motion...
The Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest
"Dreadnought offers plenty of fun: fast-paced battle scenes, thundering locomotives and the gem of the book, its heroine. Vivid, believable and endearingly stubborn, she’s an enjoyable companion for those taking the time to read a book which challenges the notion that steampunk must assume Victorian attitudes with its goggles and corsets."
—Seattle Times
Jackelian series by Stephen Hunt
"Steampunk fantasy and SF with a Victorian-era feel… A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure."
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars) on The Kingdom Beyond The Waves
All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen
"This debut literary steampunk novel fits well on the shelf with Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, with broad crossover appeal to fans of sf, historical romance, and young adult fiction." —Library Journal
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fiction steam punk steampunk