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Welcome to The Genre Traveler! Please sign up using the form to the right so that you'll get all the latest updates to the site. You also might want to sign up for the RSS feed, which you can do via email or your favorite RSS Reader. I heard about this from The North Orange County Harry Potter Meetup Group:

Scholastic has announced that seven lucky U.S. Harry Potter fans, under the age of 21, will be selected in a sweepstakes and flown to London to join J.K. Rowling at a midnight launch event for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leading up to the book release at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, 2007.

The winners will attend "J.K. Rowling and the Moonlight Signing" at London's Natural History Museum and will join 1,700 fans who will have the opportunity to meet J.K. Rowling and have their book signed. They will also be among the lucky 500 fans who will be selected to attend a midnight reading with their favorite author. The Scholastic sweepstakes winners will be given a copy of the U.S. edition of the book.

But hurry: Entries must be received by June 15, 2007.

For more information: www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/events/sweepstakes.htm

This event sounds fun if you're going to be in the Anaheim, Calif., area in early June.

What: West Coast Wizard Rockfest

Featuring:
The Remus Lupins
The Hermione Crookshanks Experience
The Parselmouths
Sue and the Hufflepuffs
A Couple of Harrys
Firenze and the Centaurs
Dumbledore's Army
Potter and the Lightning Bolts
The Gollum Haters
The Bandon Banshees
The Hinky Punks
Catchlove
Logan. Zon. Acoustic

When:
Saturday, June 2
12pm to 6pm
(Entry starts at 11am)

Where:
Haskett Library of Anaheim
2650 W. Broadway
Anaheim, Calif.

Benefits:
PS ARTS
www.psarts.org

Cost:
A minimum $7 donation is appreciated but not required

For more information:
harrypotter.meetup.com/399/calendar/5803828/

Sorry for the late notice, but I found this in my email just now.

Emerson Spartz and Ben Schoen from MuggleNet.com will be signing their New York Times Bestselling book, MuggleNet.com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 tomorrow at the Barnes and Noble in Newport Beach, Calif.

This appearance is part of a tour of bookstores all over the country they are making this summer. Apparently, their sprint break tour was quite successful.

"We really hope you'll come out and see us," the authors say. "As always, we'll be giving away sweet prizes courtesy of our sponsor Alivan's and tons of free stickers (how can you say no to free stickers?!). Seriously though - we'll be fun."

Here are the details -- and remember, if you go, please let them know The Genre Traveler sent you:

What:
MuggleNet's Ben and Emerson Book Signing

When:
Sunday, May 27, 2007
2pm

Where:
Barnes and Noble
401 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, Calif. 92660

About the Book:
In this book, Spartz and Schoen present a wide range of facts and predictions about the most popular storylines, favorite characters, and final outcome of the Harry Potter saga. They draw on their intimate knowledge of the previous six books, as well as tips and suggestions made by millions of MuggleNet.com fans, as well as a personal interview with J.K. Rowling.

Have you seen Sanctuary yet? Starring Amanda Tapping (Stargate: SG-1) as Helen Magnus (right) and written by Damian Kindler, a veteran science fiction writer and producer, the trailer and first webisode are already available online at www.sanctuaryforall.com (at least that's what the press release says -- I looked on Thursday afternoon and only found the trailer).

Coming this weekend, Webisode #2 will be premiered at MCM Expo, London’s biggest two-day movie, comic and media show. Tapping and Kindler will be there to introduce the webisode and will also be available for autograph signings and discussions about Sanctuary throughout the event.

Webisode 2 is scheduled to be available online Monday, May 28, 2007.

DETAILS
What:
World Premiere of Sanctuary Webisode 2

Where:
London’s MCM Expo
ExCel London

When:
Saturday and Sunday,
May 26-27, 2007

For more information:
www.mcmexpo.net

NOTE: If you go to this event, please let them know that you heard about it from The Genre Traveler.

Many are predicting that gas prices in the U.S. will be curbing many people's travel plans this summer. I just learned of one place that is trying to reduce the impact of rising gas prices on their business and it can benefit genre travelers heading out to Orlando. Here's the info:

VillaDirect (www.villadirect.com), a vacation rental management company in Central Florida, will provide guests booking a minimum seven-night stay in any of VillaDirect’s more than 550 vacation pool homes, town homes or condominiums now through June 30 with a $50 gas card upon check-in. In addition, anyone staying seven nights or more will have their "end of stay" house cleaning fee waived -- an added savings of up to $150.

Rentals range in size from 900 to 4,820 square feet and include such amenities as "plush furnishings, full kitchens, washers and dryers, cable or satellite TV, not to mention a private pool." Also, more than 50 percent of VillaDirect’s homes, town homes and condominiums feature a games room, equipped with pool table, air-hockey or foosball. Also, "many of VillaDirect’s vacation rental units offer multiple master suites with private bath, themed kids’ bedrooms with PlayStation or Xbox game systems and access to the resort-style amenities within the gated communities where they are located."

This "Tanks-A-Lot" special can be booked online by using promo code "Fuel" or by asking for promotion, "Free Tank of Gas" when making a phone reservation. (Note: Gift cards will be given at time of check-in, and are not refundable or replaceable. This special cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions including construction discounts.) For more information, visit VillaDirect.com or call (877) 259-9908.