April’s newsletter features a book giveaway, programming reminders, an author spotlight on Robin LaFevers, and plenty of exciting book news!

Programming Reminders
The deadline to submit programming proposals to Sirens is May 10, 2013—just a month away! Whether you’re almost ready to submit, or still considering ideas, check out our annual series of programming how-to posts on our LiveJournal and our website. Next up is our brainstorming post—feel free to swap ideas and recruit co-presenters in the comment section.

Chat
On April 7 from 2-3 p.m. Eastern, we’re hosting a chat to talk about Sirens programming and the fantasy books we’re reading now. We’d love for you to join us!

If you’re looking for panelists or co-presenters, try our Facebook page, LiveJournal, or Sirens message boards.

If you have questions, email (programming at sirensconference.org).

Giveaway
We’re giving away one copy of Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers. To enter, leave a comment of at least two sentences on our blog telling us about your favorite unlikely ally (in fiction or life) by April 10, 2013. We’ll notify the winner by email.

Author Spotlight: Robin LaFevers
Dark Triumph, Robin LaFevers‘s second book in the His Fair Assassins series, was released April 2. In a starred review, Booklist called Robin “that wonderful sort of storyteller who so completely meshes events, descriptions, and characters that readers get lost in the world she’s concocted.” Grave Mercy, the first in her series of assassin nuns in medieval France, was called an “ambitious tapestry . . . [a] page-turner—with grace” in a Kirkus starred review. It was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, and a Booklist Editors’ Choice. Grave Mercy was recently announced as a 2013 RITA finalist in YA.

As R. L. LaFevers, Robin is also the author of several series for younger readers: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist; Lowthar’s Blade; and the Theodosia books. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos was a Junior Library Guild selection and a BookSense Summer Pick, and was nominated for the Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award.

Robin LaFevers joins Alaya Dawn Johnson, Ellen Kushner, and Guadalupe Garcia McCall as a guest of honor at Sirens. If you’re new to their works, see our Reading List for suggestions on where to start.

What We’re Excited About This Month

Kate Elliott asks, “Where Goeth Epic Fantasy?” on her blog and LiveJournal.

Laini Taylor is having a book trailer contest for Days of Blood and Starlight! Deadline is May 1.

Mary Robinette Kowal’s Without a Summer, the third Glamourist Histories book, was released April 2.

Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb (The Rain Wild Chronicles #4) is out on April 8.

“Guy Gavriel Kay’s new book River of Stars is out on April 2nd. It’s set about 400 years after his previous book, this time exploring the Northern Song dynasty before and after the fall of Kaifeng. One of the main characters was inspired by Li Qingzhao, arguably the most famous female Chinese poet, and her character is incredibly cool.” –CB

Mette Ivie Harrison’s latest, The Rose Throne, is out May 14. Check out her note on how ideas about gender and magic come into play in the book.

“Sleeping Beauties vs. Gonzo Girls” by Maria Tatar was featured in The New Yorker (we sense a heated roundtable discussion in this).

Malinda Lo’s Adaptation is a finalist in the Children’s/YA category for the 25th Annual Lambda Literary Awards.

Nalo Hopkinson is profiled in the Los Angeles Times.

The Shattered Mountain, a novella in the world of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, came out March 26.

Skyler White’s and Falling, Fly is on Barnes and Noble’s list of the 20 Best Paranormal Fantasy Novels of the Last Decade.

Meg Belviso and Kate Larking are writing for Fight Like a Girl: A Short Story Anthology.

Do you have exciting book or fantasy-related news for us? Send it to (help at sirensconference.org) by April 26 and we’ll include it in the next newsletter. (Really! We appreciate hearing about links we might have missed.)

Until next time, happy reading!

Questions? You can comment here or write to us at (help at sirensconference.org).