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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nancy
Kress's "Beggars in Spain" Available as Ebook at Fictionwise.com;
Streaming Audio Interview with the Author Online Now
Critically
Acclaimed, Multi-Award Winning Short Story Released as Ebook
July
10, 2000 -- Chatham, NJ -- Fictionwise.com announced today that
the Hugo and Nebula® Award winning novella, "Beggars in Spain"
by Nancy Kress, is now available in eBook formats for Palm Pilots,
Rocket eBook Readers, and Adobe Acrobat for personal computers. Fictionwise.com also announced the release
of a new interview with Ms. Kress, which can be heard (via RealPlayer)
or read at: /kressinterview.htm
"Beggars
in Spain" is widely recognized as one of the most important
science fiction novellas of the last decade," commented Stephen
Pendergrast, co-publisher at Fictionwise.com. "It is one of the essential stories that explores the ramifications
of genetic engineering, a topic of growing importance in the 21st
century.”
"Beggars
in Spain" won both the Hugo and Nebula® Awards in 1992.
Kress presents a compelling story, not of far-flung alien
cultures and space battles, but of the social ramifications of genetic
manipulation that will ultimately set human against human. In the
year 2008, thanks to an amazing scientific breakthrough, a rich
financier compels scientists to produce the perfect child: Leisha,
a genetically modified girl who is beautiful, unusually intelligent,
and, most importantly, will never require sleep. She, and others
like her, are soon known as “The Sleepless” and are the objects
of envy and scorn.
Nancy
Kress commented: "I'm delighted to have my short fiction represented
on Fictionwise, especially in the company of these wonderful writers."
A
23-minute audio interview with Nancy Kress is available on Fictionwise.com
now at /kressinterview.htm.
In the interview, Kress discusses the start of her career, how she
sold her first short story, genetics, writing, and other topics.
For people who lack sound cards on their computers or who are hard
of hearing, a complete transcript of the interview will also be
available by July 12th.
"I
was very surprised at some of her answers to my questions, "
noted Stephen Pendergrast, who conducted the interview. "More
than once I was caught off-guard by her responses, as is evident
in the audio interview. I must say I was charmed by her wit—interviewing
an author of Nancy Kress’s stature was a great pleasure. We think
her many fans will find it very interesting."
"Beggars
in Spain" is a monumental asset to Fictionwise.com's growing
list of award-winning short stories," said Scott Pendergrast,
co-publisher. "For
Nancy Kress's many fans, we've bundled four of her genetics-related
short stories, including: "Beggars in Spain, " "Evolution,
" "Margin of Error, " and "Dancing on Air. "
Kress is widely known for her genetics science fiction stories,
and is one of the most popular short story authors today in the
science fiction genre.
The
novella was so popular it spawned a trilogy of novels, including
a novel-length version of the original novella. The novella was included in four major science
fiction anthologies, including the prestigious "The Year's
Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection" edited by Gardner
Dozois, and "The Science Fiction Century" edited by David
G. Hartwell. Critics have acclaimed both the short story
and novel versions of "Beggars in Spain."
Fictionwise.com
launched on June 1st with the goal of being the short
fiction eBook leader. The
website now features over 140 short story eBooks, all by popular
and/or award winning authors, including: Damon Knight, Robert Silverberg,
James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, David Langford, Mary Soon Lee,
Barry Malzberg, Tom Purdom, Mike Resnick, and Michael Swanwick.
In many cases, Fictionwise has the largest collection of
individual eBook stories by these authors, and the website now has
over 40 major award winning or award nominated eBook stories online. New stories are being added weekly.
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