Sales! New Releases!

First, an apology for the silence here of late. In my last post, I mentioned my father having a medical emergency. A few days later, he passed away. So, for most of this month, I've been dealing with the aftermath. But, my life is slowly settling into a new "normal." I hope to actually start writing some more columns about writing soon. As I slog forward with the Greatshadow rewrites, I'm once again learning new stuff about writing a book that I'd like to share. For instance, one thing I've learned is that every book is really your first book. Sure, I've written other novels before, but Greatshadow is presenting it's own challenges and puzzles and I feel like I'm figuring everything out for the first time. Instead of being frustrated by the idea that I have to forget everything I've learned in order to write this book on it's own terms, it's actually kind of exciting.

But, that's a subject for a future column. Right now, I have some news to share.

First, I learned recently that I've sold another short story. It's called "Return to Sender," and it will be appearing this January at Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. I've been working on a rewrite this weekend. Edmund Shubert, the editor, made some suggestions on taking the story to the next level of polish, and I've learned to appreciate his instincts, after the success of my prior IGMS stories, "To Know All Things That Are In The Earth," and "Silent as Dust." I also respect Ed for turning me down on the previous story I sent him. If you ever have an editor willing to buy everything you write, you should be nervous. The most valuable service any editor provides is to be a gatekeeper allowing only your most deserving works to be placed before the public, and ensuring that your less felicitous tales remain hidden so that they won't embarass you. "Return to Sender" was a story that actually originated due to this blog. A few months back, I was looking for a name of a magic weapon I could use in Greatshadow, and Cindy Hannikman suggested the "Crystal Lance." I made a joke that Crystal Lance sounded like the name of a protagonist for an urban fantasy, then, as often happens, I took the joke seriously and before I knew it I had a full blown tale involving pizza, a Chihuahua, a drunken roommate, an evil cult, a horny angel, a girl with hairy legs, and Elvis.

Back in the summer, I mentioned that "Silent as Dust" would appear in The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2009 Edition, edited by Rich Horton. I'm pleased to announce that, after several delays, the book is finally available! Run out to your local bookstore to order a copy, or purchase it on Amazon by following this link. The book has stories by Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Ian McDonald, Sarah Monette, Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Robert Reed, Patrick Rothfuss, and many more. This seems like a perfect choice for the SF reader in your life, if only there were some culturally significant gift-giving holiday to provide the excuse for shelling out your hard-earned money.

And, if you'd like a book without spending money on it... stay tuned. I'll be involved in a book giveaway in December. Maybe even more than one giveaway. Details soon.

Greatshadow Flies!

To everyone who has signed up as a wise-reader: I just sent out the first three chapters. If you wanted to participate and I somehow missed signing you up, drop me a line at nobodynovelwriter (at) yahoo (dot) com. And, if you haven't signed up but would like to, feel free to jump in at any time.

I'm a little behind due to a family emergency. My father has been extremely ill; he spent 22 days of October in various hospitals, and so far all of November in intensive care hooked to a ventilator. A week ago, I was pretty certain that his body had taken all it could possibly take, but since the weekend he's been improving every day, though improvement is a very relative word. I won't feel like he's out of danger until he's breathing without the aid of a machine.

All the time I've spent on the road and sitting in hospital waiting rooms over the last month has left me really desiring a laptop I could fit in my pocket. If anyone has any netbook recommendations, I'm interested in hearing them.

Now, on to chapter four....