What’s Happening?
First Pass Proof for The Gathering of the Lost
First and most importantly, the First Pass Proof for The Gathering of the Lost has just come through. While this means that I have to stop working on Daughter of Blood (The Wall of Night Book Three) and my Rue short story from the Thornspell ‘verse until the proof done, overall I think this is Good News.
That is because First Pass Proof means that the book is in production and rolling fairly inexorably toward publication—which as you may recall is 27 March—and that is something that makes me really happy; even happier given how many of you have been kind enough to let me know that you loved The Heir of Night and are waiting impatiently for Gathering!
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So what else is happening?
Reading Oracle’s Fire and Forthcoming Interview with Mary Victoria
You may recall that I spoke some good words for my friend Mary Victoria at the launch of her third-in-series, Oracle’s Fire, two weeks back, here. Since then I have been steadily reading the book (but no spoilers!) and getting ready to interview Mary on the blog—if not this week then I hope next. So watch this space …
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Launching Barbara Strang’s The Corrosion Zone (HeadworX)
You may also recall that on September 20 I featured Indigo, from Barbara Strang’s new collection The Corrosion Zone, as my Tuesday poem—and spoke very positively of my experience of the collection, here. The official launch of The Corrosion Zone was—like many events—put off by Christchurch’s February 22nd and then June 13 earthquakes. So I am delighted that the collection is now being launched as part of the Canterbury Poets’ Collective (CPC) Spring Reading Season (also deferred from its usual autumn slot because of earthquakes.) And honored to be asked by Barbara to give the official launch speech.
So when and where: this coming Wednesday, 9 November, starting 5.30 pm at the Christchurch Polytechnic Students’ Association venue at 5 Madras Street, on the Christchurch Polytechnic campus.
The launch will be followed by the CPC event with Bill Manhire, Steve Thomas, and Dina Durrer (with $5 entry for this event; Barbara’s book launch is free.)
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SF Signal: Mind Meld
I’m also very pleased to have been asked to participate in an SF Signal Mind Meld on the subject of the advantages of character, as opposed to technology/sense of wonder driven stories in SciFi.
This should be running this week and obviously I’ll let you know when it’s up, but in the meantime, you can check out a few of October’s Mind Melds:
Books That Authors Recommend to Their Friends
The Most Interesting Societies in SF/F
Mainstream Authors Who Should Be Writing Genre Novels
Fun, huh? I’m looking forward to being part of it all.