Book News: October 12th, 2012

Here’s my roundup of book news (and other fun stuff) around the web for the week! Sometimes I add stuff throughout the day on Friday, so be sure you check back over the weekend too!

Interviews and more:

• The Ego, The Id, and Sookie Stackhouse (via Smart Pop Books)
• At Crime Fiction Lover I talked about my 5 favorite fictional detective
• Want a teaser of Portlandtown by Rob DeBorde? Here ya go!
• At SF Signal, Lavie Tidhar talks about the top 5 movies that influenced his new book Osama
• Criminal Element is honoring Bouchercon honorees with a giveaway (Ends 10/16)
• io9 has Ten Tips for Generating Killer Science Fiction Ideas (and Charlie Jane Anders should know)
• JRR Tolkien’s previously unpublished “The Fall of Arthur” is coming next year and Galleycat has the scoop
• Chelsea at Vampire Book Club is giving away a copy of Kresley Cole’s Poison Princess
• The LA Times explains Amazon’s new author rankings
• Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey is on sale for $2.99 for a limited time (digital)
• io9 has a list of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels to Cheer You the Frak Up (via Charlie Jane Anders)
• Did you miss the wonderful Classics in September feature at Crime Fiction Lover? No worries, here’s a recap!
• Emma Newman, Chris F. Holm, Gini Koch, Helen Lowe, Chaz Brenchley, Laura Resnick, Matt Forbeck, Jo Anderton, Maurice Broaddus, and many more on Holding Out for a Hero on SF Signal’s Mind Meld
• John DeNardo (of SF Signal) says that October is the Perfect Month for Zombies, Vampires, and Ghosts (it totally is)-via Kirkus
• Steampunk Week is winding down at Tor.com, but you can still read about Victorian Sex: Four Kinks Your Great-Grandparents Didn’t Want You to Know About and the art of Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy
• You can WIN Hounded by Kevin Hearne, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, Control Point by Myke Cole, and Star Wars: Allegiance by Timothy Zahn at The Ranting Dragon!

News:

• A reminder for crime authors: Get your submissions into Criminal Element’s Malfeasance Occasional
• Crimespree Magazine has the 2012 Shamus Award winners list!
• Galleycat has the 2012 National Book Award finalists
• All you writers! NaNoWriMo starts in November, so put your writing pants on!
• Poisoned Pen Press is seeking submissions for their new YA  imprint, The Poisoned Pencil (via Galleycat)
• Alan Dean Foster will write novelization of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek sequel (via Galleycat)

Excerpts and such:

• Read The Contrary Gardener by Christopher Rowe at Night Shade Books
• Read an excerpt of Dracula Cha Cha Cha by Kim Newman at Criminal Element
• Stephen Blackmoore, author of one of my faves, City of the Lost, has some great free fiction for you to get you in the mood for Halloween!
• Read an excerpt of Magic for a Price by Devon Monk
• How about some free Edgar Allan Poe ebooks for Halloween?

Fun stuff (some book-related, some not):

• The Half Price Books blog has The Great, the Gross, and the Gruesome (from Gruesome Facts)
• How about 10 Essential Books for Book Nerds? (via Flavorwire)
• 15 Scathing Early Reviews of Classic Novels (via Flavorwire)
• Not book related, but still fun: Monster University
• io9 has an exclusive first look at the movie poster for John Dies at the end
• Watch the book trailer for RED RAIN by RL Stine
• 11 Disturbing Cakes That Look Like Body Parts (via Mentalfloss)
• 11 Library Tattoos We Love (via Mentalfloss)
• Bizarre Looking Libraries From Around the World (via Flavorwire)
• Flavorwire continues its countdown of 50 Essential Horror Films

Also, the October Scare-a-Thon is in full swing, so be sure to check out what we’ve got going so far,and keep an eye out for spotlights on more horror authors and Bram Stoker Award winners in the coming days!