Norilana Books

Proudly presenting the stellar lineup...

This is the Table of Contents for Lace and Blade 3 edited by Deborah J. Ross deborahjross:

LACE AND BLADE 3

Table of Contents

Kari Sperring, "Featherweight"
Sean McMullen, "Culverelle"
Sheila Finch, "Fortune's Stepchild"
Judith Tarr, "The Horned King"
Jay Lake & Shannon Page, "Embers"
Tanith Lee, "Question a Stone"
Dave Smeds, "A Swain of Kneaded Moonlight"
Rosemary Hawley Jarman, "Fire and Frost and Burning Rose"
K. D. Wentworth, "The Garden of Swords"
Diana L. Paxson, "Blue Velvet"
Samantha Henderson, "Outlander"
Carol Berg, "The Heart's Coda"


Also, I realize we did not have a reading period for this anthology, and for that I sincerely apologize to all of you, mea culpa. The editor and I had a mis-communication, and it ended up being an invitational volume this year.

Next year should be different!

Rich Horton reviews Lace and Blade 2 in the March issue of Locus.

"... But the book is well worth it for the high points, particularly the last two pieces. Tanith Lee's "Comfort and Despair" is a sly portrait of an apparently mismatched marriage enlivened by certain secrets, and Madeleine E. Robins's "Writ of Exception" is an unexpectedly romantic, yet practical, story about two women forced into marriage -- to each other -- by dynastic needs, and how they navigate the strictures of their culture.

You can read the complete review in the paper issue.

It's official, and now it can be said...

2008 Nebula Award® Ballot

SFWA is proud to announce the nominees for the 2009 Nebula Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2009 Nebula Awards® Weekend, April 24-26,2009 in Los Angeles, California. For more information on the awards and the Nebulas Weekend, please see http://www.nebulaawards.com/index.php/nebulaweekend

Novels

Little Brother - Doctorow, Cory (Tor, Apr08)
Powers - Le Guin, Ursula K. (Harcourt, Sep07)
Cauldron - McDevitt, Jack (Ace, Nov07)
Brasyl - McDonald, Ian (Pyr, May07)
Making Money - Pratchett, Terry (Harper, Sep07)
Superpowers - Schwartz, David J. (Three Rivers Press, Jun08)

Novellas

"The Spacetime Pool" - Asaro, Catherine (Analog, Mar08)
"Dark Heaven" - Benford, Gregory (Alien Crimes, ed. Mike Resnick, SFBC, Jan07)
"Dangerous Space" - Eskridge, Kelley (Dangerous Space, Aqueduct Press, Jun07)
"The Political Prisoner" - Finlay, Charles Coleman (F&SF, Aug08)
"The Duke in His Castle" - Nazarian, Vera (Norilana Books, Jun08)

Novelettes

"If Angels Fight" - Bowes, Richard (F&SF, Feb08)
"Dark Rooms" - Goldstein, Lisa (Asimov’s, Oct/Nov 07)
"Pride and Prometheus" - Kessel, John (F&SF, Jan08)
"Night Wind" - Rosenblum, Mary (Lace and Blade, ed. Deborah J. Ross, Norilana Books, Feb08)
"Baby Doll" - Sinisalo, Johanna (The SFWA European Hall of Fame, ed. James Morrow & Kathryn Morrow, Tor, Jun07 )
"Kaleidoscope" - Wentworth, K.D. (F&SF, May07)

Short Stories

"The Button Bin" - Allen, Mike (Helix: A Speculative Fiction Quarterly, Oct07)
"The Dreaming Wind" - Ford, Jeffrey (The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, Viking, Jul07)
"Trophy Wives" - Hoffman, Nina Kiriki (Fellowship Fantastic, ed. Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes, DAW Books, Jan08)
"26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss"- Johnson, Kij (Asimov’s, Jul08)
"The Tomb Wife"- Jones, Gwyneth (F&SF, Aug07)
"Don't Stop" - Kelly, James Patrick (Asimov’s, Jun07)
"The Ray Gun: A Love Story" - Garner, James Alan
"Mars: A Traveler's Guide" - Nestvold, Ruth

Scripts

The Dark Knight - Nolan, Jonathan; Nolan, Christopher, Goyer, David S. (Warner Bros., Jul08)
WALL-E Screenplay - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter (Walt Disney June 2008)
The Shrine - Wright, Brad (Stargate Atlantis, Aug08)

Norton

Graceling - Cashore, Kristin (Harcourt, Oct08)
Lamplighter - Cornish, D.M. (Monster Blood Tattoo, Book 2, Putnam Juvenile, May08))
Savvy - Law, Ingrid (Dial, May08)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Pearson, Mary E. (Henry Holt and Company, Apr08)
Flora’s Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) - Wilce, Ysabeau S. (Harcourt, Sep08)

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Congratulations to all the nominees!

And congratulations especially to our very own Mary Rosenblum and her novelette "Night Wind" from the Norilana Books anthology Lace and Blade, her wonderful editor Deborah J. Ross (deborahjross), and our excellent Clockwork Phoenix editor Mike Allen (time_shark) with a short story from Helix! And yup, my own novella too... :-)

Wow, this is the first year Norilana Books is all over the Nebula Final ballot! :-)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Norilana Books is proud to present Lace and Blade 2, edited by Deborah J. Ross deborahjross, the delightful second volume in our annual series of swashbuckling romantic fantasy anthologies from the Leda imprint.

"Just in time for Valentine's Day... a charming second anthology brimming with romantic fantasy tales of swashbuckling ladies and daring gentlemen.... Readers will be left starry-eyed and hoping for the series to continue."
—Publishers Weekly

Lace and Blade 2, edited by Deborah J. Ross




In the spirit of classic period swashbucklers, Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and D'Artagnan, brimming with romantic courtly intrigue and dangerous liaisons, with cloak and dagger and perfumed handkerchiefs, the language of the fan and stolen glances, with the manners of Jane Austen and the sparkling rapier wit of Oscar Wilde, here are fantastic stories of adventure, derring-do, love, and glamorous yet subtle magic.

Don't hesitate another moment... step into a sophisticated other world where passion is a courtly mistress, mystery is moonlight on steel, and magic is the god of love.

En garde, mon amour!

Contributors in this volume:

Rosemary Hawley Jarman, Mary Rosenblum, Diana L. Paxson, Francesca Forrest, Robin Wayne Bailey, Daniel Fox, Sherwood Smith, Traci N. Castleberry, Pauline Zed, Elisabeth Waters, Tanith Lee, and Madeleine E. Robins.

Lace and Blade 2, edited by Deborah J. Ross
Leda
February 14, 2009
Trade Paperback
Retail Price:
$12.95 USD - £8.00 GBP
ISBN-13: 978-1-934648-99-5
ISBN-10: 1-934648-99-X
288 pages

Click for more information...

Order Your Copy:

- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Amazon UK
- Amazon CA
- Amazon FR
- Amazon DE
- Amazon JP

Norilana Books is a Los Angeles-based new independent publisher, owned and operated by Vera Nazarian since 2006. With over 220 books in print, Norilana Books specializes in beautifully packaged hardcover and trade paperback classics of world literature, quality fantasy, science fiction, romance and women's fiction, and young adult titles. For more information visit http://www.norilana.com/

Contact:

Vera Nazarian, Publisher
Norilana Books, P.O. Box 2188, Winnetka, CA 91396
service (at) norilana.com - http://www.norilana.com/
Catalog of Books in Print: http://www.norilana.com/norilana-catalog.htm
Blog: http://norilanabooks.livejournal.com/

Lace and Blade 2 edited by Deborah J. Ross deborahjross

Coming February 14, 2009, Valentine's Day, from Leda.

Click on images to see full-size... (Note, this is the ARC edition, not the final cover.)




Cover jacket flat:

Lace and Blade 2 edited by Deborah J. Ross

Coming on Valentine's Day, 2009...

Editor Deborah J. Ross deborahjross posted the fantastic contributor lineup and TOC for the upcoming anthology Lace and Blade 2, coming on Valentine's Day, 2009 from Leda, the romantic fantasy imprint of Norilana Books.

More good news!

There will be a new Lace and Blade volume!

The reading period and guidelines for the anthology Lace and Blade 2 have been announced on SFF Net (until I get an official webpage up over the weekend).

To see what kind of stories the editor Deborah J. Ross is looking for, be sure to pick up the first volume.

Now, get your elegant romantic fantasy swashbuckler stories ready, and submit!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Norilana Books proudly presents the debut title of our new romantic fantasy imprint Leda...

Introducing Lace and Blade -- a new anthology series of elegant romantic fantasy, edited by Deborah J. Ross (deborahjross), premiering on Valentine's Day 2008.




In the spirit of classic period swashbucklers, Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and D'Artagnan, brimming with romantic courtly intrigue and dangerous liaisons, with cloak and dagger and perfumed handkerchiefs, the language of the fan and stolen glances, with the manners of Jane Austen and the sparkling rapier wit of Oscar Wilde, here are nine fantastic stories of adventure, derring-do, love, and glamorous yet subtle magic, by such stellar authors as Tanith Lee, Catherine Asaro, Diana L. Paxson, Madeleine E. Robins, Robin Wayne Bailey, Dave Smeds, Mary Rosenblum, Chaz Brenchley, and Sherwood Smith.

En garde, mon amour!

"Lace and Blade offers a banquet of adventure, intrigue and romance. There's something here to delight the palate of every reader's inner swashbuckler!"
— Jacqueline Carey

"A fun ride from beginning to end, with engaging characters and an interesting setting."
— S. M. Stirling

"Packed with compelling, entertaining, and engaging stories! Outstanding anthology with an intriguing theme."
— Jennifer Roberson, author of the Karavans and Sword-Dancer series

Lace and Blade
edited by Deborah J. Ross
Leda
February 14, 2008
Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-934169-91-9
ISBN-10: 1-934169-91-9
$11.95 USD - £8.00 GBP
308 pages

Click here for more information...

Order Your Copy:

- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Amazon UK
- Amazon CA
- Amazon FR
- Amazon DE
- Amazon JP

Deborah J. Ross began writing fantasy and science fiction in the early 1980s. As Deborah Wheeler, she wrote 2 science fiction novels, Jaydium and Northlight, as well as short stories in Asimov's, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sisters of the Night, Star Wars: Tales From Jabba's Palace, Realms of Fantasy, and almost all of the Sword and Sorceress and Darkover anthologies. Her most recent projects -- under her birth name, Ross -- include Darkover novels with the late Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Fall Of Neskaya (DAW 2001), Zandru's Forge (DAW 2003), A Flame in Hali (DAW 2004), and The Alton Gift (June 2007), and an original fantasy series, The Seven-Petaled Shield, based on her "Azkhantian tales." She lives in the redwood forests near Santa Cruz with her husband, writer Dave Trowbridge, two cats, and a German Shepherd Dog. In between writing, she has lived in France, worked as a medical assistant to a cardiologist, revived an elementary school library, and have been active in the women's martial arts network and local Quaker community. Lace and Blade is her first editing project.

Leda titles feature genre-blending fantasy of all flavors, from adventure to literary, from urban modern to ancient worlds and myth. The one unifying factor is the presence of powerful love stories with plenty of erotic tension and sizzle, and soaring emotional impact.

Norilana Books is a Los Angeles-based new independent publisher, owned and operated by Vera Nazarian since 2006. With over 130 books in print, Norilana Books specializes in beautifully packaged hardcover and trade paperback classics of world literature, quality fantasy, science fiction, romance and women's fiction, and young adult titles. For more information visit http://www.norilana.com/

Contact:

Deborah J. Ross, Editor
http://www.sff.net/people/deborahjross/contact.html

Vera Nazarian, Publisher
Norilana Books, P.O. Box 2188, Winnetka, CA 91396
service (at) norilana.com - http://www.norilana.com/
Catalog of Books in Print: http://www.norilana.com/norilana-catalog.htm
Blog: http://norilanabooks.livejournal.com/

Looks like today's a day for many reviews popping up. :-)

Paul Abbamondi reviews Lace and Blade -- our first review of this anthology, I believe -- on his blog Wistful Writings:

http://wistfulwritings.blogspot.com/2008/02/books-in-2008-5.html

ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR ELEGANT ROMANTIC FANTASY? FOR CLASSY SWASHBUCKLERS?

Get ready!

Enter a world where passion is a courtly mistress, mystery is moonlight on steel, and magic is the god of love.

En garde, mon amour!

Introducing... Lace and Blade edited by Deborah J. Ross

Coming on Valentine's Day 2008, the debut title from our romantic fantasy imprint Leda!

Click on image to see full-size...

Trade paperback:

And here is...

*drumroll*



Lace and Blade

Table of Contents

Introduction, by Deborah J. Ross
Virtue and the Archangel, by Madeline E. Robins
The Crossroads, by Diana L. Paxson
Touch of Moonlight, by Robin Wayne Bailey
Lace-Maker, Blade-Taker, Grave-Breaker, Priest, by Tanith Lee
The Beheaded Queen, by Dave Smeds
The Topaz Desert, by Catherine Asaro
Night Wind, by Mary Rosenblum
In the Night Street Baths, by Chaz Brenchley
Rule of Engagement, by Sherwood Smith
Editor's Note, by Deborah J. Ross

Coming on Valentine's Day
February 14, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 2007 marks the first anniversary of Norilana Books. It’s amazing that we've been in business for one year already, and our catalog has nearly 100 titles!

To mark this occasion, Norilana Books is proud to introduce a new imprint.

Leda -- our new Romantic Fantasy imprint.

Leda titles will feature genre-blending fantasy of all flavors, from adventure to literary, from urban modern to ancient worlds and myth, but the one unifying factor will be the presence of powerful love stories with plenty of erotic tension and sizzle, and soaring emotional impact.

http://www.norilana.com/norilana-leda.htm

The lead title of this exciting new imprint, debuting on Valentine's Day, 2008 is:

Lace and Blade edited by Deborah J. Ross

Lace and Blade is a new annual anthology series of sexy, elegant, swashbuckling romantic fantasy, where the sparkling wit of Oscar Wilde meets the manners of Jane Austen, the exotic sensual flair of Tanith Lee, and the deadly sharp blade of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and D'Artagnan. The first-year author lineup is a stellar example of some of the best talent working in the industry today. More on this exciting series will be announced soon.

Lace and Blade cover image

Norilana Books is holding a logo contest.

Based on the story of Zeus and Leda in which the god Zeus disguised in the shape of a swan, comes to visit a young beautiful woman, we need a swan logo to represent the new imprint. Think: elegant, romantic, distinctive. And yes, it can (but doesn't have to) integrate the words "Leda."

The creator of the winning logo gets a FREE BOOK -- any Norilana Books title, any edition, of your choice.

The contest is open now, and will stay open until we get the right logo. Submit your image designs to: service (at) norilana.com

Norilana Books is a Los Angeles-based new independent publisher, owned and operated by Vera Nazarian since 2006. With over 90 books in print, Norilana Books specializes in beautifully packaged hardcover and trade paperback classics of world literature, quality fantasy, science fiction, romance and women's fiction, and young adult titles. For more information visit http://www.norilana.com/

Contact:

Vera Nazarian, Publisher
Norilana Books, P.O. Box 2188, Winnetka, CA 91396
service (at) norilana.com - http://www.norilana.com/
Catalog of Books in Print: http://www.norilana.com/norilana-catalog.htm
Blog: http://norilanabooks.livejournal.com/