At her heart, Susan M. Garret was a storyteller, “Officially, I’ve been writing fiction since I was eight years old,” she said in one of her biographies. “It all began with fan fiction–they didn’t make enough new episodes of my favorite Saturday morning cartoon and children’s shows and so I started writing my own.”

From there, her writing took off. She had been published hundreds of times in various fanzines, including works of non-fiction as well as original fiction and fan fiction. It’s in fan fiction circles where the name Susan M. Garret gained an iconic status; a guarantee that a first-rate yarn was in store for the reader, true to the original characters.

She developed quite a large fan base with her original works based on the worlds of The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne and Forever Knight. It was her reputation in the latter that led to her book deal with Berekely in the 1990s.

Aside from developing a fan base of her own, Susan was a die-hard fan herself, where her fan career began in earnest in 1976, when she was inducted as the first American female into the UK’s storied Doctor Who Appreciation Society. A life-long fan of the Doctor and his adventures in the TARDIS, she kept up with the series until the end.

A publisher of several fanzines through the years (see partial list below), she had a distinguished impact on fandom in general and was the co-creator of the satirical “Not The MediaWest*Con Program Book” with Ann Larimer, that was distributed at MediaWest for many years.

[media-credit id=1 align="alignleft" width="115"][/media-credit]

Between 1989 and 1992, she published The Handy Dandy Adzine Calendar and Address Guide for Fanzine Editors and Other Busy People, a bi-annual adzine for and about adzines that was distributed at fan conventions and via the mail.

She also was the creator of two publications regarding fan publishing: The Fantastically, Fundamentally Functional Guide to Fanzines for Readers & Contributors in 1989, and The Fantastically, Fundamentally Functional Guide to Fanzines for Editors & Publishers in 1990.

[media-credit name="SUSAN M. GARRETT (Source: SFF.net)" align="alignright" width="197"][/media-credit]

She had a particular impact in science fiction and fantasy TV fandom as it came of age in the 1990s.

She was a top BNF (big-name fan) among Doctor Who (1970s-80s), Forever Knight (1990s), and most recently The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (SAJV). It was her work in SAJV fandom that is still being felt today. She, along with a small team of dedicated fans, set up a multi-media network to save the show that had been cancelled by the SCIFI Channel – consisting of inter-linked websites,  PR campaigns to advertisers and DVD/video distributors, and very detail-oriented and precise attack plans and events at fan conventions made the industry and other fans stand up and take attention.

Although it was too late to save SAJV, others took notes and those same tactics were later used in other campaigns, including the successful effort after FOX cancelled the series Firefly, in which many tactics originally developed by SAJVers under the tutelage of Susan M. Garrett led to Universal movie studio making the feature film, Serenity.

By that time, Susan started devoting more of her time practicing her writing. Born and raised on the east coast, but always fascinated by the lure of Hollywood (she was an extra in a 1999 episode of Homicide: Life on the Street when it filmed in Baltimore) Susan jumped at the chance to switch coasts when the opportunity arose in 2002 to move to the Los Angeles-area and be room mates with fellow SAJVer and empty nester with a room to spare, Vicci Varner. There she lived and wrote in the foothills overlooking Los Angeles for the past 8 years.

But, after a routine medical procedure in April 2010 revealed that Susan M. Garrett had advanced Stage 3 colon/stomach cancer, she spent her last months fighting the disease in her adopted home; as usual, she lived at the Varner house as part of the family until the end – with the help and care of her long-time friend and room mate, Vicci Varner, and her brother, Shawn. Recently, she was transferred to the intensive care unit of Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills, where she spent her 49th birthday. Her battle with cancer ended three days later with her drifting off in her sleep, on Saturday, August 14, 2010.

[table id=4 /]

LINKS

Although she has left us, Susan M. Garrett lives on in cyberspace. Below are a few links about her and her works:

• Susan M. Garrett’s Homepage – with many links to her stories
• Susan M. Garrett profile on FanHistory.com – profile
• Susan M. Garrett page on SFF.net – profile
• Susan M. Garrett page on Fanlore.org – profile
• Goodreads – her suggestions in literature
• LiveJournal Blog – last updated shortly before her health problems began

Image via Wikipedia

Starting this Labor Day, PBS stations will start airing a slice of fandom with the one-hour documentary, Four Days at DragonCon. Filmed by Atlanta- based documentarians, Jack Walsh and Gordon Ray during the 2009 con, the film is set to debut 9 p.m. (ET) Aug. 28 on WPBA PBS 30 in Atlanta and then roll out nationwide to other PBS member stations in the following months.

Dubbed in the media as “Woodstock for nerds,”  ”the ultimate pop culture convention” and “the South’s sci-fi fantasy Mardi Gras,” this is no small regional sparsely-attended fan convention as Dragon*Con has grown to become the largest fan-run science fiction and fantasy convention in the world with tens of thousands of attendees taking up more Atlanta hotel space than the 1996 Summer Olympics (true, ComiCon is larger and gets more attention – but it is put on by a large corporation, not volunteer fans – and it shows.)

Below is a sneak preview of “Four Days at DragonCon”

Related articles by Zemanta

• James & Oliver Phelps To Attend Dragon*Con (hollywoodnews.com)
• Dragon*Con: The ultimate pop culture convention (chicagonow.com)

The following press release is published as a service to the readership:

New York, New York – August 12, 2010 – Syfy has announced additional casting for its previously announced pilot Alphas, inking actress Azita Ghanizada to co-star in the wry action-adventure project from writers Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk) and Michael Karnow, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions, which is the studio for the project. She joins previously announced cast members David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Malik Yoba, Warren Christie and Laura Mennell. Additionally, Callum Keith Rennie has been signed to guest star in the pilot.

Alphas is executive produced by Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun Television and will be directed by Jack Bender (director and executive producer of Lost). Production is underway in Toronto.

Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens whose brain anomalies imbue them with extraordinary mental and physical abilities. Taking the law into their own hands, the unlikely team, led by Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) investigates cases that suggest other Alpha activity to uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve. These gifted individuals must balance their quirky personalities and disparate backgrounds with their not always visible powers as they work to solve crimes, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy.

Azita Ghanizada plays Rachel who, from an early age, has been able to “hyper-intensify” her senses, one at a time – vision, hearing, taste, and smell. Her mother and father – who are conservative parents — thought she was cursed and discouraged this unique and amazing ability. Overly sensitive – literally – Rachel has always felt ashamed and rejected. With Dr. Rosen’s help and encouragement, she’s learning to appreciate her skill and grow increasingly confident and adventurous.

Ghanizada’s credits include appearances on the television series Castle, Ghost Whisperer, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, Psych, The Closer, Numbers and The Wedding Bells. She is represented by Joel King of Pakula/King & Associates and managed by Katie Mason of Luber/Roklin Entertainment.

Callum Keith Rennie plays Don Wilson, a Washington bureaucrat, and Lee Rosen’s superior and contact inside the Pentagon.

Rennie is no stranger to Syfy having portrayed Leoben, a Cylon on the critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galatica throughout its four season-run on the channel. Other roles include memorable arcs on 24 and Flash Forward, Lew Ashby on Californication, and he was featured on Syfy’s Emmy-winning miniseries smash Tin Man. He is managed by Elizabeth Hodgson at Hodgson Management Group and represented by Agency for the Performing Arts (APA).

About BermanBraun

BermanBraun is an independent media company whose three divisions – television, feature film and digital media – create and exploit entertainment content and advertising solutions throughout the world. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based Company, founded by principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in January 2007, has separate strategic global alliances with NBC and Microsoft to create and distribute creative content across all platforms. In February 2009, BermanBraun launched WONDERWALL – the primary celebrity destination on the MSN Network, ranking ahead of TMZ.com and People.com in traffic, with number one user engagement in the celebrity news space. In April 2010, partners BermanBraun, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) and MSN launched GLO, a lifestyle destination site. BermanBraun is currently producing THE CAPE for NBC’s 2010/2011 television season. They are also producing DECODED for the History Channel for Fall 2010. BermanBraun also produces SWORDS for The Discovery Channel and IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? on MTV.

About Universal Cable Productions

Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks. A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA’s Royal Pains, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs and Facing Kate, along with Syfy’s Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Caprica. The studio also produced both long-running series Monk and Battlestar Galactica. UCP is a division of NBC Universal.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.).

spring 2011 after first airing on BBC One in the UK starting in September 2010.

“We are thrilled that Syfy will be broadcasting the third series of Merlin. The upcoming season will add an exciting new twist to Merlin’s ongoing struggle to protect Prince Arthur, as well as thrilling audiences with bigger and bolder action sequences, stunning CGI monsters, mysterious villains and comic fun for all the family,” Merlin creator and executive producer, Johnny Capps said in a written statement.

Syfy citing ratings as a prime reason for the announcement. Merlin almost doubled Syfy’s Friday 10 p.m. timeslot overr the previous year. “The enchanting imagination of Merlin proved very popular with our audience and we’re delighted to bring the series back for a third season on Syfy,” Chris Regina, Syfy VP of programming, said.

Anna Paquin at DragonCon (Image via Wikipedia)

topping the list at $1.25 million an episode – outpacing the next-highest paid performer, Two and a Half Men, co-star Jon Cryer’s $550,000 per episode salary by almost a million dollars an episode.

Of the stars of genre TV, only four stars made TV Guide’s list, with Anna Paquin, of HBO’s Ture Blood, topping the list of returning stars at $75,000 per episode. Tied with her is Blair Underwood, star of the new NBC entry in genre TV, The Event. Next up is The Vampire Diary‘s Ian Somerhalder at $40,000 an episode. The last genre TV star is Selena Gomez, start of Disney Channel’s  veteran fantasy kid’s comedy, Wizards of Waverly Place.

[table id=3 /]

Related articles by Zemanta

• Top TV Salaries: Winfrey, Seacrest, Sheen, Laurie (reuters.com)
• Sheen, Winfrey & Laurie top TV pay list (hollywood.com)

Despite a few bright spots on cable and network TV – most notably Sunday night’s vampire melodramas True Blood on HBO and the much-better than expected The Gates on ABC, as well as Friday’s quirky fantasy series, Warehoue 13 and Haven on Syfy – genre TV fans are in the doldrums on the other 5 nights of the week.

One bright spot is that the new 2010 Fall TV season starts in a few short weeks. This is your guide to the debut dates of the returning genre TV programs (and a couple new shows, too).

[table id=2 /]

Related articles by Zemanta

• This December… ‘Tis the Season to Join Syfy for First Ever Holiday Themed Episodes of ‘Eureka’ & ‘Warehouse 13′ (tvbythenumbers.com)
• The State of Genre TV (tor.com)

Dragon*Con is Proud to Announce the Addition of Scott Bakula, Brandon Routh, James and Oliver Phelps, and More!Dragon*Con may only be twenty-two days away, but we are far from done! Just a few of our exciting new guests and performers are: Scott Bakula best known for his portrayal of Sam Beckett in the series Quantum Leap for which he won a Golden Globe and four Emmy nominations, has gone on to play such memorable parts as Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek Enterprise and Stephen Bartowski on Chuck. He can currently be seen TNT’s series Men of a Certain Age. Former fashion model, Brandon Routh is best known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in Superman Returns. Currently, he can be seen portraying Daniel Shaw in seasons 3 and 4 of Chuck, and inScott Pilgram vs. the World as Todd Ingram an arrogant, narcissistic bass player that derives psychic powers from his vegan lifestyle. James and Oliver Phelps are identical twin English actors, best known for playing Fred and George Weasley, respectively, in the Harry Potter film series. Recently, they helped plant trees at the National Forest, in Leicestershire—ensuring the wood that makes the Harry Potter broomsticks would be around for the next generation of wizards! Don’t miss any of the late night action! Come rock out with WEEP featuring Doc Hammer,Pandora Celtica, Gavin Goszka, Ego Likeness, Leslie Fish, and join steam-punk madness with The Extraordinary Contraptions! More than forty other guests added just this week! For a complete listing of the 2010 guests and performers, visit the Dragon*Con Guest List today! Dragon*Con Joins the Madness at the High Museum of Art Madman or genius? Whatever you call him, Salvador Dalí was a master of the unexpected. From melting clocks to an éclair on Alice Cooper’s head, Dalí rebelled against convention like no one else. A purple velvet suit? He wore it. A crazy, twisty mustache? He sported it. A little black book that read like a who’s-who of 1970’s pop culture? He had one. Immerse yourself in Dalí’s world Labor Day weekend. Bring your Dragon*Con badge to the High September 2nd through the 5th and get $5.00 off an adult admission to see Dalí: The Late Work. Enter Dalí’s world now! Super Heroes, and Star Trek, and Steampunk, Oh My!Look up in the air… it’s a bird… it’s a plane… no! It’s a super hero changing history while boldly going where no one else has gone and breaking world records along the way! Last year, 903 of you came out and helped us make it into the Record Holder’s Republic book for the largest number of people dancing to Thriller! It was so much fun we decided to give it another THREE tries! And no, it is not for the record number of Stormtroopers we can fit into an elevator! Although… just kidding! For more information, vist us atworldrecords.dragoncon.org today! Forget to Book a Hotel Room? Afraid You Are Out of Luck?Don’t be! All of the fabulous overflow hotels below still have a few rooms left, but don’t procrastinate much longer, because they won’t last forever! Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel Midtown Atlanta Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown Regency Suites Hotel Twelve Hotel and Residences Limited Early Bird Autograph Tickets for the Amazing Stan Lee Announced A LIMITED NUMBER of Early Bird tickets will be offered for Stan Lee’s autograph. The early bird price for this special opportunity is $50.00 per autograph. Ticket will be available until they are sold out or until Sunday, August 29th at 11:59 pm PST. For more information, visit Desert Wind Comics. Dragon*Con Parties with Pop Icon Shag and the Cemetery Surfers at the Georgia Aquarium Dragon*Con invites you to celebrate the inaugural appearance of pop art icon Shag at this year’s show by joining us for a Shag-themed party at the Georgia Aquarium! There will be music by the Cemetery Surfers, limbo, and surprises as we swing the night away, Shag-style! Break out your best vintage loungewear and join us Saturday, September 4, 2010 starting at 9:00 pm at the Georgia Aquarium! Get your advance tickets to the Aquarium for only $17 at Georgia Aquarium Dragon*Con Night! Dragon*Con’s Got Talent!Thank you for your many, many colorful submissions for our newest event, Dragon*Con’s Got Talent! Dragon*Con’s Got Talent will take place on Monday, September 6, 2010 at 1:00 pm in the Centennial ballroom at the Hyatt Regency. We will have prizes…cash prizes! And not just for first place. We will have prizes in multiple categories. You do not want to miss this! Submissions are now closed! However, iIf you have a special talent and you think you could be the most talented con-goer out there, let us know by sending an email todctalent@dragoncon.org. For more information on these and all of the exciting guests, performers, games, and events at Dragon*Con, visit us today at www.dragoncon.org!

Related articles by Zemanta

• James & Oliver Phelps To Attend Dragon*Con (hollywoodnews.com)

Bryan Fuller (Image via Wikipedia)

Finally, someone is trying to bring back space opera to television, at least, according to Entertainment Weekly.

In “The Ausiello Files” TV section, EW columnist Andy Patrick reports that Syfy has hired Bryan Fuller to adapt John Chrisopher’s novel, The Lotus Caves into s script for a possible series.

Among SFTV fandom, Fuller is known both as the creator of Pushing Daiseis as well as the main writer for some of the best episodes of Heroes (or, when Heroes didn’t suck) and as the creator of cult classics, Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me.

PREMISE FOR THE NEW SHOW:

It’s set on a future Lunar colony where the colonists tumble upon the fact that intelligent aliens have set up shop on our moon in the caves for a very long time.

But a final caveat – this is just a production deal. It’s for a pilot script and series treatment. There is no guarantee that this show willa ctually make it on the air.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Exclusive: Syfy Picks Up Season 3 of Merlin (seattlepi.com)
• Holiday Special Casting News for ‘Warehouse 13′ and ‘Eureka’ (tvsquad.com)

THIS DECEMBER… ‘TIS THE SEASON TO JOIN SYFY FOR FIRST EVER HOLIDAY-THEMED EPISODES OF HIT SERIES WAREHOUSE 13 AND EUREKA

Judd Hirsch (Taxi) and Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) Guest Star on Warehouse 13

and Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live) and Matt Frewer Visit Eureka

New York, New York – August 11, 2010 – This December Syfy fans no longer have to imagine what the holidays would be like in their favorite government hideaway or quaint town of geniuses. For the first time, two of Syfy’s most popular original scripted series will debut special stand-alone holiday episodes featuring both new and familiar guest stars (exact premiere dates are TBA).

On Warehouse 13, as the Warehouse team prepares to celebrate the holidays in snowy South Dakota, Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) are called upon to hunt down a malevolent Santa Claus. Meanwhile, in time for Hanukkah, Artie and his estranged father, Isadore Weisfelt reunite after 30 years.  Award-winning actor Judd Hirsch returns to television guest starring as Artie’s father. Paul Blackthorne also guest stars as a harried work-a-holic who becomes terrorized by a strange series of robberies committed by a thief dressed as “jolly old Saint Nick!”

Judd Hirsch has been nominated for an Oscar for Ordinary People and honored with an Emmy for the revered comedy Taxi. He has also received a Golden Globe (Dear John) and two Tony Awards (I’m Not Rappaport, Conversations with My Father). Paul Blackthorne previously portrayed the wizard P.I. Harry Dresden on the Syfy series Dresden Files, appeared on Lipstick Jungle with Brooke Shields and can currently be seen on The Gates. Executive Producer and Showrunner Jack Kenny will direct the December holiday episode.

On Eureka, as the Global Dynamics employees celebrate the season at the company holiday party, staff member Dr. Noah Drummer (Chris Parnell) nearly absconds with a volatile experiment. The halls get seriously decked when Dr. Drummer’s unstable hydrogen crystal starts to grow at a frightening rate. Carter (Colin Ferguson) and Henry (Joe Morton) attempt to deal with the potentially explosive crystal, but before long the true scope of the problem is revealed, and it will take more than tinsel and carolers to save Christmas and Eureka. Former series regular Matt Frewer also returns as Taggert.

Chris Parnell appeared as a regular cast member on ten seasons of Saturday Night Live and was featured in the show’s breakout digital short Lazy Sunday. He is a recurring guest star on 30 Rock as Dr. Spacemen.

Warehouse 13 follows two Secret Service agents who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and preternatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Agents Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself. Scagliotti plays Claudia, Artie’s apprentice.

Eureka seems like any other cozy, Pacific Northwest town, but is actually a secret community of geniuses assembled by the government to conduct top-secret research. What they’ve unwittingly created is a place where anything imaginable can happen… and does.  Eureka stars Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton and James Callis. The series also stars, Erica Cerra (“Jo Lupo”), Neil Grayston (“Douglas Fargo”), Niall Matter (“Zane Donovan”) and features Jordon Hinson (“Zoe Carter”). Returning special guest stars include Jaime Ray Newman (“Dr. Tess Fontana”) and Matt Frewer (“Taggart”). Co-creator Jaime Paglia and Bruce Miller are Executive Producers.

Both shows are produced by Universal Cable Productions.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

You can email at the address (e-mails to meredithxyz at googlemail dot com) where well-wishes will reach Diana.

A prolific writer and Hugo winner, among her better-known works are:

• Howls Moving Castle
• Fire and Hemlock
• Archer’s Goon
• A Sudden Wild Magic
• The Tough Guide to Fantasyland

Related articles by Zemanta

• Send Diana Wynne Jones well-wishes (tor.com)
• Best YA titles (thinkingsofalili.blogspot.com)