Hellbent: Has one of the best urban fantasy sidekicks

Hellbent: Has one of the best urban fantasy sidekicks:

Hellbent by Cherie Priest

…Cherie Priest introduced vampire thief Raylene Pendle in Bloodshot, along with Raylene’s charges, two street kids who were squatting in one of her warehouses; and Ian, a vampire who has been mysteriously blinded and can control the weather. We also met Raylene’s new sometimes-partner Adrian, an ex-Navy SEAL who is also a drag queen. Adrian/Sister Rose is one of the best urban fantasy sidekicks around. He’s tough, badass and really knows how to accessorize. This time, he’s willing to help Raylene because she might help him find his vampire sister… tiresome vampire politics and jockeying for influence reminds me too much of True Blood, but Hellbent was still an invigorating read with laugh-out-loud moments, and, at the end of the day, any urban fantasy heroine with a partner who can set a C4 charge, scale a building, and help her with her make-up is okay in my book. Read the rest.

Great Bookstores: Village Books in Bellingham, WA

Great Bookstores: Village Books in Bellingham, WA:
Alma Alexander wrote in to tell us about Village Books in Fairhaven, Bellingham, Washington:

“It’s a big and wonderful indie bookstore which has a lot of cool stuff, comfy armchairs scattered around the place for laid-back browsing, and lots of author events scheduled in their reading gallery.

This photo is one of me at one of my own readings there — I’ve had at least four over the last couple of years.

Chuck and Dee Robinson, the owners, are great book lovers, and friends of mine.”

Here’s a Video Tour of Village Books:

And here’s their SFF Section:



If you live in the area, be sure to join Village Books for their Steampunk Masquerade this Thursday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. They also have a Fantasy Book Club that meets the third Tuesday of every month at 7pm in the cafe upstairs. The September book is Warrior by Marie Brennan.

And be sure to check out Alma Alexander‘s new ebook (coming out later in trade paperback): 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens.

If you have a bookstore you’d like us to highlight, please contact Kat.

How to ride the trend wave in 2011

How to ride the trend wave in 2011:

The global financial crisis was a game changer in how we spend our money. Before November of 2008, advertising was all about “more, newer, and different” without looking at the substance or deeper significance of what was being sold. Tips and trends were about how to ride a tsunami. That it would inevitably crash and devastate lives was not part of the advertising conversation.
We were supposed to market our work to consumers with disposable income, who were assumedly seeking satisfaction by having more of what they had, or a newer version, or a different kind of it, or more of a newer thing… you get the picture. It was pretty shallow.
By the end of 2010, we can’t read any substantial forecast for 2011 that doesn’t mention values such as sustainability, simplicity, and the human connection. The very good news for artisans is that we no longer have to find a surfboard to ride the trend wave. This year we are the wave! The trend gurus are predicting that artisan, handmade goods made with sustainability and lasting quality by humans with a story to tell are It. All you have to do to market your work now is to show who you are and what you do. Make a cohesive statement in your presentation; your photos and shop copy, if you sell on Etsy.
Through ArtisansGalleryTeam, we are carefully selecting works from the pool of Etsy shops that are legitimately handmade in an artisan studio by those who bring individual vision and advanced skills to their works. Joining with others who are the real deal is going to make riding the wave easier.
Here are some trend reports worth noting:

I have been working in "ethical" for a long time, because I find humanitarian principles very important, and I hated big fashion's disregard for them. Having said that, I think the global economic crisis has made people re think how things are made, where they come from, and has led to an appreciation of small-scale, handcrafted, tangible, home-made etc.. The human stories behind the products are interesting, the big manufacturing model had become boring, impersonal & mechanical.
Ann McCreath from Kiko Romeo

Organic Waldorf Doll By SewnNatural
IMM Cologne believes that as a result of the financial crisis people are questioning what it is they need to live well. This is leading to the emergence of simplistic, formal or severe designs that combine the basic and old with the modern and the high-tech.
Interior Trends 2011 was recently released by IMM Cologne

Natural Gemstone Cluster by ThePeachTree

Whenever we feel as consumers that the time is right for paring down, we focus on simple designs and simple, warm colors. Plain metals and eco friendly materials: wood, bone, simple and soft semi- precious stones with Earth colors and a simple palette will prevail for 2011.
Lisa Jesse (Lisa Jesse has the #1 website on Google for trend prediction)

New Works In Ceramics, Great Christmas Gifts

New Works:

Love Birds Luminary
When snow falls deep and fat in January, i give myself time to experiment. I’m trying out some new glazes, and this one above, Rust, has some great possibilities. It has that organic woodland feel that I have been pursuing the last few years.

Birds Nest casserole
I also reformulated my cobalt blue glaze, made it more opaque, and lighter. Here it is on a casserole.

Bird Yunomi
And here it is on a tea bowl (yunomi),
under Flow (a glaze that creates fluid flowing).
Here’s another glaze I plan to use this year: Root Beer Brown

Bee Yunomi
I’m working on a few new designs, too. Today I made a few soap holders, which will have doves, ravens and owls. It’s important for me to take this time to work without a rigid schedule. Some days I've just read and not worked in the studio at all. It feels so luxurious! November and December were 80 hour work weeks so this is a nice balance.