the Author
June
29
37 Comments

Cast in Conflict Release Day

Posted in Cast, Elantra, writing.

Today, 29th June 2021, is Cast in Conflict’s publi­ca­tion day.

Cast in Conflict started life as Cast in Isola­tion. My editor(s) liked the title, and I was thinking purely of the book itself. Marketing, however, rightly pointed out that we’d had more than enough isola­tion in the past year, and anything that reminded people of covid shut­downs and quar­an­tines was Not On.

This made sense to all of the people who had liked the former title, which is why it’s now called Cast in Conflict, or ‘Conflict’ as it’s called in this house.

***

Today is also the day after my 2nd covid-19 vacci­na­tion shot. My reac­tion has been pretty mild so far (with the expected wow it hurts to lift my arm), and a touch of the usual Michelle anxiety (but… if I’m not suffering as much as other people did on their 2nd shot, maybe it means it’s not working prop­erly), but besides sore arm, I’m just very tired, so my brain is the brain of a very tired person.

I was the last person of two house­holds (ours, my chil­dren’s godfa­ther’s family) to get the 2nd shot, but only by a couple of days, and both sets of kids are really, really looking forward to the 2 week mark when we can actu­ally see each other in person for more than five minutes at the back porch.

The book­store is now open to walk-in traffic at reduced capacity (the owner wanted to wait to see if Ontario’s/Toronto’s number spiked back up after phase 1 reopening started). I will sign/inscribe copies of Cast in Conflict ordered from the store. (Or any books ordered from the store, but only one person has asked me to sign a book I didn’t write >.>)

 

37 Responses to Cast in Conflict Release Day

  1. Bryan Chauveau says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:10 am

    I absolutely LOVE this series and your novels, and can’t wait for my pre-order to arrive, because I DEVOUR these books in short time.

  2. michelle says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:16 am

    @Bryan: Thank you <3

  3. Aëlynn says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:21 am

    Great to hear you’re doind well all things considered.
    I can’t wait to read the book! Unfor­tu­nately, I got this frus­trating email last week:
    “Please be advised that we have a revised delivery date for the item you ordered.
    Sagara, Michelle “Cast in Conflict (Chron­i­cles of Elantra)”
    Esti­mated arrival date: July 23 2021 — August 26 2021”
    Guess I’ll have to wait a while longer… >_<;

  4. Tracy Perkins says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:33 am

    Michelle so excited about the book. I had zero side effects from the second shot and it has worked beau­ti­fully for the last few months. Enjoy the relief!

  5. michelle says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:45 am

    @Aelynn: I’ve seen people get that notice and get the book very shortly thereafter.

    @Tracy: good to know (we’re running 50/50 in 2 house­holds for good/bad reac­tions to 2nd shots, which is about right statistically :)

  6. Aëlynn says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:54 am

    Fingers crossed the book will turn up sooner rather than later, then!
    (I had two weeks of total brain fog with my first dose, hoping the second one won’t be worse.)

  7. michelle says:
    June 29, 2021 at 11:56 am

    @Aelynn: My mother said the first shot was worse for her than the 2nd. The first shot caused shin­gles pain & migraine. The second just caused tired­ness. Oddly, 2 days after my first shot I had a migraine that lasted 2 days, which has never happened to me before — it was my mother who said “that’s the shot”. 

    So: in our house­hold, all 4 of us had mild reac­tions to 2nd shot; in the godfa­ther’s house­hold, all 4 had stronger reac­tions to 2nd than first

  8. Penny Hill says:
    June 29, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    The second shot gave me a headache, deep arm sore­ness, and a foggy brain which isn’t all that unusual even without The vacci­na­tion! Tylenol was very helpful and the only pain reliever allowed.

  9. Sue Shea says:
    June 29, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    I can’t remember how I found Cast in Shadow but I am so glad I did. I have enjoyed each book in the series and I’m sure Conflict won’t be any different. My reac­tion to both shots was similar to your moth­er’s: The first one really hurt for close to a week but the second not at all. Waiting for those last 14 days to pass was the hardest part.

  10. Dame Trouble says:
    June 29, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    Got an email last night that my pre-ordered copy had shipped, so Yay!
    My son and I both only had sore arms the next day and no other side effects from our second shots.

  11. Andrea Smith says:
    June 30, 2021 at 1:51 am

    I really enjoyed Cast in Conflict and agree with the title change. When you get chance can you put up the spoiler thread? Can’t wait to where Kaylin’s story goes next.
    My first Covid vaccine was unre­mark­able but for the sore arm, the second vaccine kicked my butt. I’m not proud to admit resent­ment to my teenage son brag­ging about “sleeping off the vaccine.” I’m prob­ably one of the few people who appre­ci­ated Covid19’s forced isola­tion with my family. Several months into Covid, I was in a car acci­dent that gave me a concus­sion. As a result I had migraines, sensi­tivity to light and couldn’t read. (auto­book were diffi­cult to compre­hend at times) Cut me off from friends, ok. Cutting me off from escape and fictional friends was a level of hell only my fellow intro­verted, book lovers will under­stand. It took me over a month to read, The Emperor’s Wolves. I very thankful I’ve healed enough to read Cast in Conflict in a few settings. I really appre­ci­ated the words the acknowl­edge­ment section too. Thanks again for sharing your writing, it made 2020 more bearable.

  12. Mary Allen says:
    June 30, 2021 at 11:04 am

    I have read Conflict it was wonderful. I mentioned before I got it early from Barnes and Noble. I am in overkill as I pre-ordered , ordered e‑copy, reserved a copy and put a hold on at the library. I received both shots in April and had no reac­tion to the first but second wiped me out for a day with chills and so so tired. I am just so glad to not have to wear a mask as they really bother me. I do wear one any place it is posted as required but here in Florida I can go pretty much any place except Doctor office and Hospital I reread so much so having two paper back copies is prob­ably a good idea. I have already reread Emper­or’s Wolves five times. I will start Conflict again tonight.

  13. michelle says:
    June 30, 2021 at 11:35 am

    @Andrea: I try to put up a spoiler thread about a week after the Pub Day post (some­times I forget, so this is a good reminder), because I want to give people a chance to read it before­hand. So, yes. 

    Also: when my teenage sons bragged like that, I’d try to strangle them. With love. (In partic­ular, they used to delib­er­ately tower over me when they grew taller than I was. I’d elbow them in the stomach because, well, they were standing close enough, radi­ating smug joy >.>). And: concus­sion T_T. I’m glad to hear you’ve continued to recover!

  14. michelle says:
    June 30, 2021 at 11:37 am

    @Mary Allen: Wow, that is dedi­ca­tion O.o. I admit that if I loved a book, I imme­di­ately run to the web to see if there’s a second book, or a next book, and I admit that I shrieked in horror when I found out that one of them had been pushed back (meaning published later) by months (Megan Whalen Turn­er’s RETURN OF THE THIEF) — but possibly because I work in a book­store, I worry less that I won’t get the book when it’s published :)

  15. Mary Allen says:
    June 30, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    One way I don’t miss a book by a favorite author is to subscribe to their blog. Authors usually keep you posted about their work and deals on them. Also our library has a web site with books on order so I check that regu­larly too. I discov­ered your book Cast in Shadow at a book sale and then found you had written four books in the cast series, The Sun Sword series and Sacred Hunt.
    So happy to have discov­ered your books. It took a while to find the Hunt books at that time they were out of print. Thanks again for hours of pleasure.

  16. Hilary says:
    June 30, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    My ebook arrived yesterday and I stayed up to finish and loved it. I also got the email about delayed delivery from Amazon UK but the print copy arrived today!! I love how Kaylin is devel­oping throughout the series which I have reread in the past month in prepa­ra­tion for Conflict. We’ve had both vacci­na­tions and were in the first tranche as we are over 70 and clin­i­cally vulner­able. My husband was fine with both vacci­na­tions, he had Pfizer and I had AstraZeneca, I had chills and headache with first vacci­na­tion but was fine with second. They are now talking about a possible booster dose in the Autumn.

  17. Joey says:
    June 30, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    Yay for your fully vacci­nated house­holds! My second shot (Pfizer) left me tired and disori­ented for a couple of days, but that was it. Besides sore arm.

    I’m glad to know CAST IN NETS is still avail­able as a title.

    I will try to remember to ask you to sign a book you didn’t write.

  18. michelle says:
    June 30, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    @Joey: For your infor­ma­tion the book I was asked to sign that I didn’t write was Ender’s Game.

    @Mary: talks about boosters have been ongoing in a lot of places — but boosters only matter if, well, they’re boosting some­thing T_T.

  19. Joey says:
    June 30, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    Ugh. I’ll at least try to choose an author who is your … height.

  20. michelle says:
    July 1, 2021 at 10:28 am

    Joey… Even­tu­ally we’re going to see each other in person again. You know that, right?

  21. KScappace says:
    July 1, 2021 at 11:11 am

    I loved this book! Many surprises for me. I still miss Andellan and the Elemental Garden.

  22. Joey says:
    July 1, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    @The Author: Yes! Prob­ably next year at the earliest? I don’t plan to attend this year’s World Fantasy Con … what about you?

  23. Tchula Ripton says:
    July 1, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    Yay! Just got my copy today! Perfect timing since I just finished reading Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary (which is awesome, btw – if you like sci-fi, you should totally check it out!) Can’t wait to dive into Cast in Conflict later tonight!

    Glad to hear you’ve all gotten your second doses. Drink lots of fluids, it really helps with the side effects. I was tired after my second shot for a couple of days – went to bed at 10PM instead of midnight, and had some minor arm sore­ness, although not as bad as after the initial dose.

    It’s great to get to visit with family and friends again, for sure! I think everyone is just itching to get back out there. And go on vaca­tion! (I know I am. Haven’t been on one in 2 years, so I’m looking forward to off-season September when things are a bit less crowded.) Hope you feel better soon and have a great summer!

  24. Victoria says:
    July 1, 2021 at 8:53 pm

    Hello! I just wanted to say that my family and I love the Cast in Series and cannot wait to devour more! I finished CiCon­flict yesterday and honestly it was incred­ible! My favorite char­ac­ters of yours are Andellen and Liri­enne. I cannot wait to see the further devel­op­ment of Kaylin as she comes to face herself. Hope you feel well after your shot- a Pedi­alyte helped me- and I hope all is well! Have an amazing summer!

  25. michelle says:
    July 2, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    @Joey: We weren’t going to attend anything this year, given border and travel — but WFC is in Montreal, so we could drive there. We’re now consid­ering it seri­ously. We can drive to Worldcon, but it’s a) crossing the border (which I’m willing to do with change of govern­ment) in b) Winter and c) very close to Christmas holidays.

    So, tenta­tive: to Montreal. But that’ll depend a lot on the delta variant, how it spreads, and how effec­tive being fully vacci­nated ends up being in the real world. For our part at home once we’re 2 weeks out of the last person’s “fully vacci­nated” period, we’d like to have family dinners again, as we haven’t for almost a year.

    But Ontario lock­down is in phase 2, which prohibits indoor gath­er­ings of more than 5 people, and as there are already 4 living here, our fully vacci­nated creden­tials matter less.

  26. michelle says:
    July 2, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    @Victoria: thank you :). My parents reading tastes really didn’t overlap with mine, so I always get a kick out of hearing that fami­lies do read my books.

  27. Bee says:
    July 2, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    Love, love, loved the new book. Without giving any spoilers, really loved the agony aunt spin going on — shows char­acter growth. There were some inter­esting elements in this one, and a few comments by char­ac­ters I’m hoping lead to bigger things. Also, we’ve come a long way from the first couple of books where prac­ti­cally all the Hawks were threat­ening Tiamaris about Kaylin being harmed, to him threat­ening death for the same. I might be projecting, but I get sibling vibes from some of their inter­ac­tions. Reminds me of my bro saying things like “no one is allowed to kill you except me”.

    None of my fam reads the series, so I’m currently prod­ding at a friend who recently started it to get caught up so I have someone to chat with. I will be rereading the full series from book one again soon — haven’t done a full read through in a few years. I figure if I’m going to push someone else through the fun, I might as well refresh my memory while I wait another year for the next one. :)

    Glad to hear you and the fam are doing well. Hope the arm has recov­ered from your accident.

  28. Wai-kwong Wong says:
    July 3, 2021 at 3:19 am

    Hello Michelle — The book was wonderful, the old title was much more appropriate.

  29. michelle says:
    July 3, 2021 at 10:21 am

    @Wai: That’s what we thought as well – but we were thinking entirely and only of the contents of the book, and the moment we heard what marketing had to say, we under­stood. There was no conflict (ahem), just the “find a different title”. (We would include editor, not parasites.)

    @Bee: Thank you :)

  30. Grace says:
    July 3, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    I just got it as an ebook, it was wonderful to get to know the cohort and the fieflords better, although, the way the fieflords were mentioned in earlier books always made it seem like more of them were horrible crimelords.
    And Ynpharion appeared! Him and Night­shade are my favorite char­ac­ters. I want to meet Durandel again, though.

  31. Clinton Wayne Maples says:
    July 4, 2021 at 10:10 pm

    Love the series but concerned that this book in partic­ular would only appeal or be read­able by fans of the series.

  32. michelle says:
    July 5, 2021 at 10:03 am

    @Clinton: It’s a constant struggle to try to keep books acces­sible to new readers =/. But this is about the conse­quences of actions taken in WISDOM, and I couldn’t see a way to avoid that dependency.

  33. Joey says:
    July 7, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    Yes, the delta variant. I decided to pass on Worldcon due to the timing you described, though it would’ve been fun to visit D.C. again. Am still not a fan of World Fantasy Cons, but I thought it might be a possi­bility for you. Wasn’t sure how travel between provinces would be affected. If you do attend, I hope you have a safe and wonderful time!

  34. michelle says:
    July 7, 2021 at 12:46 pm

    @Joey: I’m not 100% certain we’ll be going, but I did buy member­ships. At this point, I wouldn’t consider it if we couldn’t drive – prior to covid, I frequently got sick because of air travel. Like, every time I land in Australia, I’m sick for 3 days =/. I don’t imagine that there will be a lot of people there, even if we do go. Hope­fully 2022 is better — but I’m now watching the UK and Israel (and the vacci­nated parts of the US; I expect the less vacci­nated parts to have what they currently have – high numbers, packed hospi­tals, more deaths). The UK is a bit discour­aging. While they plan to fully open up, as expected, their numbers are climbing — but if it’s high numbers and no hospi­tal­iza­tion, that’s about the best we can expect. Except, of course, hospital numbers have climbed with cases (I think one stat was 38% in a week). 

    I would – like everyone else I know – love for things to go back to ‘normal’. But I’m just not certain what the shape of normal will be. It seems clear to me that vacci­na­tions don’t prevent delta completely; it seems to prevent delta with short expo­sure, but… if someone in your house/family catches it, that’s constant expo­sure and successful avoid­ance seems less certain.

  35. Joey says:
    July 8, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    I really want to visit London (England — LOL!) early next year and was hopeful even a month ago, but it’s defi­nitely looking worse rather than better. 

    Wasn’t aware you regu­larly had diffi­culty with air travel. Maybe masks could help?

  36. Jazzlet says:
    July 10, 2021 at 2:15 pm

    Thank you for Cast in Conflict, and all of the Cast books leading up to it, I may have said this before, but it bears repeating — you are one of less than a handful of authors whose creations allow me to get so out of myself that I forget my chronic pain, a great gift.

    As a British reader I can’t recom­mend visiting here in the fore­see­able future, our new Health Secre­tary will not take notice of the data, he is convinced that precau­tions of any sort will further damage the economy, and that is his sacred God. I have had both vacci­na­tions, but even so we are setting ourselves up to brew more vari­ants, so I and most people I know are still taking all precau­tions including of course not going to places people gather. To me the HS has it back­wards, I am not going out to spend because I am not convinced it is safe to do so, but what do I know?

  37. Joey says:
    July 10, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    @Jazzlet: Thank you for your thoughts regarding travel to your country. I have friends in the UK and, as far as I can tell, they all feel the same way you do.

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