So here it is May already. The month started off with two great holidays that are not recognized as national holidays but should be, Free Comic Book Day (The first Saturday of May) and Star Wars day (May the 4th) falling on the same day. My family had a fun day of it hanging out at Mile High Comics and meeting Chris Claremont of X-men fame. He had some interesting insight into some of the comics he had worked on. My boys went as Dr.

Nominees cheerfully copied from John Scalzi's blog.

Best Novel (1,113 ballots)

• 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
• Blackout by Mira Grant (Orbit)
• Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
• Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas by John Scalzi (Tor)
• Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

Best Novella (587 ballots)

So now I see this Director of DASFA gig is a learning experience. Why was I not told of this when I was tricked into volunteering? Somehow things do not always go as planned making it so there are times we need to work on the fly to keep things going. There is actual work involved in doing this director thing.

At our February meeting our guest for the night, Kronda Seibert, was a no show. As it turns out she had been given the correct date but somehow got it in her mind the meeting was week later. A simple mistake that we have all made at times, so it is easily forgiven.

Interested in some fantasy ebooks? Don't want to wrestle with DRM? Want to donate to charity?

Want to set your own price?

Check out The Story Bundle website for an offer to buy eight fantasy novels:

• The Book of Deacon - Books 1 & 2 by Joseph Lallo
• The Second Coming by David H. Burton
• The Duchess of the Shallows by Neil McGarry and Daniel Ravipinto
• Sword and Chant by Blair MacGregor
• The Tormay Trilogy - Books 1 & 2 by Christopher Bunn
• Strange Places by Jefferson Smith

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announces the nominees for the 2012 Nebula Awards (presented 2013), nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Novel

Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)
Ironskin, Tina Connolly (Tor)
The Killing Moon, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Drowning Girl, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Roc)
Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Greetings one and all. As the new Grand High Director Potentate Supreme of DASFA for Life or until I step down or am voted out, my understanding is that I am expected to write a little article every month for your entertainment. As this is the first of these articles for me to write, I shall start off by thanking you all for allowing me this chance. This position will help me to recruit forces to combat and soon destroy the infidels.

Many details at http://revelatormagazine.com/from-the-vaults/brattleboro-days-yuggoth-ni...

Gene Wolfe has been chosen as the next recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award this year, although a lot of better verbiage about it is seen on Scalzi's Blog: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/12/13/gene-wolfe-chosen-as-sfwa-grand-ma...

This month Bruce and Sandy will again be hosting the hallowed-in-tradition DASFA Christmas Orgy. Yes, it’s that time of year again already…

The November Dead Dog at our place was fun and a number of folks showed up. Then the December Alternate was a Yuletide celebration at the Cup & Eagle (otherwise known as Mishalak Manor). There were sugarplums and baked yams, hot toddies and a goodly crowd … fun times!

Here's a fun blog to read! Each entry is a bad book cover, some of them really bad, with a bit of commentary, sometimes from the author.

http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/

Such winners as:

and

Check it out!