On Oct. 5 Simon & Schuster, with great fanfare and much promotion, is planning to publish “Peter Pan in Scarlet,” the first “officially sanctioned” sequel to J. M. Barrie’s childhood classic.

“Peter Pan in Scarlet” takes place in 1926. The Lost Boys are the Old Boys, and they and Wendy Darling have grown up. Of course to return to Neverland they must become children again, and they do, with the aid of a new fairy, Fireflyer. But when the voyagers arrive in Neverland, they discover that it has been transformed, the land polluted, the trees autumnal.

Read the New York Times article here, and a Guardian Unlimited article about the leak here.

The Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, whose generous depictions of life in his own beloved corner of ancient Cairo led him to became the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, died at home today. He was 94.

Read the full article here.

It has taken more than 70 years, but Penguin has finally arrived in China. The British publisher announced yesterday that classics such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Oliver Twist, Crime and Punishment and Moby Dick would be translated into Mandarin and sold under its logo in the world’s fastest growing book market.

You can view the full article on Guardian Unlimited Books.

Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction is a monthly half-hour television series about the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. The show was started in 1989 and has run (almost) regularly ever since.

Each episode of Fast Forward features an in-depth interview with a professional writer, artist, editor, or filmmaker who has created work that can be described as SF, Fantasy, and/or Horror.

We are ever so slooowly adding previous Fast Forward interviews [in video format] to this site. We are also posting low bandwidth audio only versions so that folks with dial-up connections can get easier access.

The free archives include clips of interviews with a stunning selection of famous authors, including Terry Pratchett, Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman and many more. For some reason, the video clips weren’t available when I tried to view them, but the audio clips are working fine.

Link (via The Friends of English Magic)

Flurb is a new webzine of free short stories edited by Rudy Rucker, featuring pieces by authors such as John Shirley, Terry Bisson and Cory Doctorow, among others.

And then I had a revelation that, if all I want is a freakin’ Web publication of a piece, there’s no reason to go through the same painful “submission” (how apt a word) process that is standard for ink on paper zines. Why not do it myself?

You might think of this as the Cyberpunk issue, or maybe the California issue. I have further theme ideas for future issues. We’ll see what emerges.

Link (via BoingBoing)

We reported earlier that the judge had ordered them to keep the book, but it seems they’re going to appeal the decision:

The Miami-Dade County School District voted Tuesday to press ahead with its effort to remove a children’s book on life in Cuba from its school libraries.

The board voted 5-2 to appeal a federal judge’s temporary order barring the district from removing the children’s book, along with 23 others in the series.

Meh. You can view the full article here.

Stephen King, Doris Kearns Goodwin and former Vice President Al Gore were among the nominees announced Tuesday for the second annual Quills Awards — people’s choice prizes trying to catch on with the public.

You can go to quillsvote.com to cast your vote, or continue reading the AP article here.

As J.K. Rowling toils away somewhere in Scotland on the final edition of Harry Potter, Barnes & Noble has little to do but shuffle its feet and wait for something to stimulate growth. After all, B&N may be the best-run bookseller out there, but how much is that worth when the whole sector isn’t growing much these days?

Read the full story here.