Changes, The twelfth book the New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series, comes out April 6. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a review copy.

Changes takes on a darker turn in the urban fantasy series. From the first sentence of the story, Harry finds out a secret that has been kept from him for more than 8 years. This is the first of the titular changes that take place during the novel as we follow the intrepid wizard as he reconnects with beloved characters from the previous books. Even though this story is darker, Butcher keeps the book entertaining to read with his patented levity and prolific geek references. Harry’s life is monumentally changed and future sequels will be headed in a new direction. If you’ve been a fan of the Dresden series this one will not disappoint, and will make you wish April 2011 (when Side Jobs, the 13th novel, will be published) would come sooner rather than later.

Jim Butcher has been one of our favorite authors for years so we were delighted to have the opportunity to interview him for the podcast! You can hear him on Episode #56, our special Wednesday show this week! If that still isn’t enough, Jim Butcher is also going to be at the University of Washington’s Kane Hall on Wednesday April 7 at 8pm.

If you’re going to be at Norwescon this weekend be sure and check out Maxi’s Lounge! For the first time ever the Doubletree Hotel has set aside the 14th floor bar and lounge exclusively for the use of the convention on Friday and Saturday nights and there are even going to be specially created, science-fiction themed drinks! Friday night is hosted by Weird Tales magazine and Saturday is being hosted by the fan-produced series Star Trek: Phoenix. As with any bar, you must be recognizable as the person on your ID- no masks or feature-obscuring makeup and weapons, even peace-bonded ones, are not aloud. Both sponsors have evenings full of exciting activities and entertainment lined up for you, so take the first elevator you can get on all the way to the top and join us at Maxi’s Lounge for an evening you will never forget!

In other Norwescon news, we finally have details of our meetup at the con! We’ll be meeting Saturday afternoon at 12pm in the open gaming rotunda on the second floor between wings 4 and 5. Click on the map for a larger version. We’ll be hanging out and giving out a few prizes! Come say “hi”!

Local artists, authors, producers and editors take note – The Northwest Science Fiction Society has a new set of submission guidelines for their publication Westwind and they are looking for content! The NWSFS editors “prefer to focus on local talent for interviews, articles, and fiction [but] any submission from a writer of special interest to our readership will be duly considered”.

The full guidelines are under the fold and you can e-mail nwsfspublications@gmail.com for more information.

NWSFS Guidelines for Writers and Editors

• Format
  • Fiction and/or non-fiction submissions should be submitted to the editors in MS Office Word 2003 or better.
  • Non-fiction articles have a maximum limit of 2000 words. Fiction submissions have a maximum limit of 5000 words.
  • The editors require all submissions to be spell-checked. Said submissions will subsequently be proofread for punctuation and formatting only using the Chicago Manual of Style (14th ed) and a NWSFS publication-specific style guide as guidelines.
  • If a writer wants/needs additional editorial assistance, contacts can be provided.
• Content
  • While the NWSFS editors prefer to focus on local talent for interviews, articles, and fiction, any submission from a writer of special interest to our readership will be duly considered.
  • Content rating should be PG-13. Write for adults, but be mindful that many of our readers have families.
  • The editors will gladly accept fiction submissions set in an original universe of your own creation (i.e. no fan fiction).
  • The editors will not publish reviews of fan fiction. Fan fiction as the topic of analysis in an in-depth article about the phenomenon itself is the only acceptable manifestation of fan fiction permitted.
  • Reviews of any and all other media are welcome, including webcomics and video.
  • If NWSFS is requesting a web interview, a list of questions will be provided to you as well as contact information to reach your interviewer should you want to do so.
• Business
  • The editors freely admit that our budget is small and we are unable to pay you what you are worth. Please considering writing for us as a way to promote your work to a new readership, keep your current readership informed about your current projects, and get your name out there!
  • Once we receive your submission, we will contact you about whether your piece is accepted or rejected. If accepted, and after the editing process, you will be contacted again to let you know where your piece will appear (newsletter or weblog).
  • New submissions should be emailed to nwsfspublications@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name in the document itself – not just the email to us.

WESTWIND Guidelines for Artists

• Format
  • Art submissions should be submitted in .jpg, .tif, or .gif format only
  • Images should have a minimum side length of 500 pixels, and a dpi of 300.
  • Images with less than 1500 pixels per side will not be eligible for cover art.
• Content
  • While the NWSFS editors prefer to focus on local talent for content, any submission from an artist of special interest to our readership will be duly considered.
  • Content rating should be PG-13. Create for adults, but be mindful that many of our readers have families.
  • Images of any and all media are welcome, including photos, drawings, paintings, and comics.
• Business
  • The editors freely admit that our budget is small and we are unable to pay you what you are worth. Please considering submitting to us as a way to promote your work to a new viewership, keep your current viewership informed about your current projects, and get your name out there!
  • Once we receive your submission, we will contact you about whether your piece is accepted or rejected. If accepted, and after the editing process, you will be contacted again to let you know where your piece will appear (newsletter or weblog).
  • New submissions should be emailed to nwsfspublications@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name in the title of the image file itself – not just the email to us