At the end of August, I headed to Austin for ArmadilloCon. One of the must-see panels for book lovers was the annual “What You Should Have Read” panel, which included reviewers, a bookseller and an editor talking about the year’s must-read books. Editor Anne Sowards of Ace and Roc books mentioned some recent or upcoming books from her list. There’s a new series that Anne said is like the work of Jim Butcher. K.A. Stewart‘s A DEVIL IN THE DETAILS is a fun, quick read about a champion who helps people win their souls back after selling them. The publisher is also re-releasing Patricia Briggs‘s first book, MASQUES, which has been out of print for a while. Then in November, the sequel, WOLFSBANE, will be released. This marks a return to traditional fantasy for Briggs, who is currently known for her urban fantasy. One release that really excited Anne was the recent re-release of one of her childhood favorites, ARIEL, by Steven R. Boyett. Its long-awaited sequel, ELEGY BEACH will be released in paperback in October. She called these “gritty and realistic” apocalyptic fantasies. Martin Wagner of SFReviews.net said there were two essential books this year. One was UNDER HEAVEN…

Fresh Fiction always seems to be changing and our blog is going in a new direction. We’ve asked several authors and readers to contribute over then next few months. So, please stop by and check us out. If you’re interested in being a guest, please contact us at info @ freshfiction.com Jasper Fforde Originally uploaded by freshfiction At last, we have our THURSDAY NEXT signed!Now, to our field trip… Austin — north west — confusing directions (Google Maps does its best, but it would really help if the streets actually had their names up!) WHERE is MOPAC? but we found the Barnes & Noble eventually and arrived only five minutes late for Jasper Fforde on Friday night. It was hot and steamy, outside and in the store, especially up in the alcove where Jasper was talking about THURSDAY NEXT First Among Sequels to a crowd of about 150. I know, I counted to 150 then got bored. It wasn’t as if I could actually see him being stuck in the walled off video/music section with the usual assortment of “small children” wandering through complete with skateboards obstructing the view. (What WERE they looking for?) The center section of the alcove,…