Story Time: Brillig

This week’s Story Time, with apologies to Lewis Carroll, is “Brillig.”

I’ve always loved the poem “Jabberwocky,” partly because it never made a lot of sense, mostly for the wordplay. Reciting it aloud, which at one time I could do, always struck me as asking for trouble, however. Why? Darned if I know. But I thought it worth thinking about, which is one way a story will manifest–just thinking about something and writing it down. About the same time, Sean Wallace at Prime Books (later publisher of the Yamada series) was putting together a short run of weird fiction chapbooks called, wait for it, Jabberwocky. This one appeared in Jabberwocky #2.

Fresh From the Box

Fresh From the Box

Fresh From the Box

I guess you could call it a perk of being the author that you get to see the books straight from the printer instead of, you know, actually waiting for the publication date. Only the irony of seeing them first is that I’ve already read the darn thing. Multiple times. I do consider it a good thing that they exist, and will soon be going into sales channels and possibly a B&N near you.

My thanks to the publisher, Sean Wallace, and the editor, Paula Guran of Prime Books for making it happen.

Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate – Update

Yamada_BTG_cover-V06b-PrimeI’ve reviewed and responded to the copyedit of To Break the Demon Gate, my editor at Prime has responded to my response, everything’s approved, and I have a copy of the final text. Bio, dedication, and the Suggested Reading List (end matter) are all turned in. Once the final cover design is completed it’s off to the printers. I don’t anticipate any change to the cover art, but there’s lettering to look at back cover copy and such to lay out, none of which, thank goodness, is up to me. So everything looks good for the December (official) release. There will be review copies of course, probably electronic, but at the moment I don’t know when these will be ready.

I still anticipate the PS Publishing edition to be out before the American edition, I just have no idea when. It may still happen this month, but I have no solid information on that. I’ll be sure to announce as soon as it’s available. I will point out that there will be a few textual differences between the editions, mostly minor, but they won’t be identical, not even counting the differences between American and British usage.

Yamada Monogatari: To Edit the Demon Gate

Yamada_BTG_cover-V06b-PrimeI just received the copyedited manuscript for To Break the Demon Gate. Not a huge deal in itself. More like one of those pesky background details that have to be sorted before you get a chance to actually, you know, read it. But a marker of progress on the way to the eventual release. I’d like to thank Paula Guran in advance for doing her best to catch my quirks and writerly tiks before the rest of you see them, thus saving me endless embarrassment.

Now, if only I could get her to volunteer to screen the installments of Power’s Shadow before they go live…

Reprints, This and That but not the Other

Now that the contracts are signed and everything’s more or less final, I can mention that I’ve sold a reprint, “Lady of the Ghost Willow” (Beneath Ceaseless Skies) toThe Mammoth Book of Warriors & Wizardry ed by Sean Wallace. It should be out later this year. The lineup is impressive, see below.

 

 

 

 

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