M.C.A. Hogarth is collecting funding to publish a "how-to" business book aimed at creative types (writers, artists, crafters, etc); the book features topics ranging from day jobs to time management to metrics (sample chapters) and is illustrated throughout by three cartoon jaguars, "Artist," "Business Manager" and "Marketer."

Four days into the campaign, the project is 43% funded; "perks" on offer include PDF and paper copies, cartoon sponsor page placements, and personal consultations.

Update (20 May): The project has been cancelled.

I can’t believe that nobody on Flayrah has mentioned Curtis Jobling’s Wereworld Young Adult books yet. Although only the first has been published in America in hardcover so far, they are up to Book 3 in Britain in Puffin UK paperbacks, with Book 4 due in June, and the next two announced for January and June 2013. The British edition of Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf was published in January 2011.

Werewolf novels have a spotty acceptance in Furry fandom, but the Wereworld series seems designed for us. Its shapeshifters are intelligent, not feral beasts, and live in the Seven Realms of Lyssia, each of which is ruled by a different Werelord: the Werefoxes, Wererats, and so on. The protagonist, sixteen-year-old Drew Ferran, is the last of the Werewolf dynasty of Lyssia, which has recently been “ethnically cleansed” of wolves by the Werelions led by tyrannical King Leopold.

This is a well-told but stereotypical “teenage farmboy in a mythical kingdom learns that he is really a disguised prince and raises a revolution to regain his throne from the cruel usurper who murdered his parents” adventure, with plenty of shapeshifting. Two of Drew’s first allies are the Wereboar Lord Hector and the Werefox Princess Gretchen.

NYC, The Penguin Group/Viking, September 2011, hardcover $16.99 ([ix +] 412 [+ 7] pages), Kindle $10.99. Map by the author.

Saudade, a Portuguese word, envelops the complex emotions found in loss, solitude, anticipation, and hope. In this volume of Allasso, this forlorn feeling lies prevalent in many characters’ minds. Some may feel it when losing a loved one; others feel it after exhilarating experiences. A few even feel it with completely imagined memories.

After all, this feeling of saudade pervades all of our lives. (publisher’s blurb)

Here is volume 2 of Allasso, the semiannual book/magazine ”dedicated to finding new experiences within anthropomorphic writing and art”. Volume 1 was a promising beginning. Volume 2 is larger; 127 pages versus 110. Is it better?

Woods Cross, UT, Pink Fox Publications/North Charleston, SC, CreateSpace, May 2012, trade paperback $7.99 (127 pages), Kindle $3.99.

Emmy Award-winning CBS Eye on the Bay correspondent Dave Stoelk came to San Jose in 2011 to do a story on "Other Conventions" in the Bay. Further Confusion topped their list.

We had a great time putting together the piece during the convention. Finally, 16 months later on May 2, the results. The piece followed the show's format, highlighting the fun and wacky side of our con with primary focus on the most obvious visual aspect, fursuits.

While I would have hoped for a bit more information as to why we exist and what we have done for the community, the segment portrays FurCon in a fun and positive light.

CBS News (different from Eye on the Bay) came to FurCon in 2010 and did a wonderful job in providing much of our mission critical information to the public.

Cheers and Chirrs! — Chairo (FurCon / AAE Director of Media and Public Relations)

Paddington Bear, the ursine star of numerous children's books, is set to make the transition to the big screen.

A film of Paddington has been on the drawing board since 2007. Originally, Warner Bros. was to be involved, but, on May 10, it was European production company StudioCanal who announced that they were teaming with Harry Potter producer David Heyman and director Paul King to make the movie. Like The Smurfs, Yogi Bear, and Garfield, the Paddington film will incorporate live-action footage and CGI.

Paddington was created by British author Michael Bond in 1958. The marmalade-eating, dufflecoat-wearing bear was found at Paddington station by the Browns, who took him into their family. Bond's stories chronicled Paddington's subsequent misadventures, and were adapted into a television series by the BBC in 1975.