Some Knife-related news and other lovely things that have cropped up in the past few weeks:
First, the end of February brought me a new LJ friend, who drew this lovely piece of fan art and captured the Knife in my head so perfectly that when I first saw it I cried with happiness. It also came with a beautiful review of the book -- thank you,
cirtholien!
***
Early in March I learned that Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter has been
shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year award. It also made the
Ontario Library Association’s Best Bets For Children, which is a list of ten books selected on the basis of their literary/artistic merit, as well as their appeal for children. I'm thrilled and honoured to be on both these lists!
***
Then, from March 23-25, Spell Hunter was the first-ever mass market title to be featured on the
Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. When I signed up for the tour I wasn't sure how well Knife's story would be received or how many would be interested even in reading it -- but I have to say I was blown away by the number and quality of the reviews and the depth and insight that many of the reviewers brought to the book. Even though a couple of participants had misgivings about the content or felt the story was less meaningful than they'd hoped, they always expressed themselves graciously and there were some terrific discussions in comments. Here are some highlights:
Rebecca LuElla Miller's opening post on
why books like Spell Hunter are worthwhile and also her excellent
review;
My fellow Blue Boarder
Sally Apokedak talking about
Weaving in Worldview and how to handle spiritual truth without preaching;
Fred Warren's shrewd, humorous
series of posts.
Thanks to all the CSFF bloggers who read Spell Hunter and took the time to post about it!
***
And lastly, look at what showed up in my mailbox today! It's the complete and unabridged audio book version of Knife, as read by Emma Parish, from Oakhill Audio in the UK! I can't wait to sit down and give it a proper listen...
***
And tomorrow, I look forward to telling you all how much I adored and enjoyed "The Eleventh Hour", also known as the first episode of the new season of Doctor Who. Though I suppose I've just told you what I thought of it already... but rest assured, I have much more rabbiting on to do about the new Doctor, the new companion, and the story than that!