the Author

Category Archives: DAW

June
18
50 Comments

Publication day: WAR

Posted in DAW.

ETA: It’s come to my atten­tion else­where on-line that some readers think WAR is the final book in the Essalieyan universe. They are… not happy with it because of all the things the book isn’t. I forget, because I live too much inside my own head, that what I’ve known for years – and talked about for the same years – simply isn’t known by everyone who is… not me. War is the final book in the House War series arc. It’s the final book in the arc that belongs to Jewel Markess ATer­afin. WAR is not the final Essalieyan book. I’ve sold the first four books of what will be the final arc in this universe: The Burning Crown. It’s June 18th in North America, which means — as of midnight last … Continue reading →

May
29
33 Comments

State of the Writer, May 2019

Posted in DAW, ebooks, Elantra, Essalieyan, Mira.

This month saw my thir­tieth wedding anniver­sary. I finished, and then revised for submis­sion, Cast in Wisdom, and it is, until copy-edits, at Mira. I finished a novella of ques­tion­able length (49k), which was one of two short story prompts for the pixel project charity over two years ago T_T. Speaking of short story prompts that were even less short, ahem. Today, I opened the unti­tled Severn novel, and the unti­tled first book in The Burning Crown arc. Between the two, there’s 100k words, but I had to put them aside to write Cast in Wisdom and reread all the other West words (which, to be honest, I have not quite finished yet. There’s some­thing vaguely like home­work about this, and … I’m not sure I enjoy turning the … Continue reading →

March
24
27 Comments

State of the Author, March 2019 edition

Posted in Elantra, Essalieyan, chapters, Mira, Books, Cast, DAW.

I am, for the moment, done with the Writing Process posts, in part because they were an attempt to answer a ques­tion which has cropped up in different ways over the last few years. They were an enor­mous amount of fun for me. I do have one more post — about the evolu­tion of process — but it’s half-finished, and it has been set aside in favour of taxes. Which is about as much fun as it sounds. Taxes are being done early this year because the annual writing retreat has been moved forward to the end of April. Which would mean I’d be in a different country at about the time Tax Panic sets in. So: early tax filing for me. Writing news: First, the next Cast … Continue reading →

February
19
58 Comments

Firstborn Publication Day!

Posted in Books, DAW, Essalieyan.

It’s been three and three quarter years since the publi­ca­tion of Oracle, the sixth book in The House War series in hard­cover. Today, on February 19, 2019, book seven, First­born, has been released into the wild, dressed to go out in style in a cover by Jody Lee. It is avail­able in audio­book format from audible​.com (appar­ently an audible​.com exclu­sive, judging by the banner across the cover). It is avail­able in hard­cover and as an ebook. (It is avail­able as an ebook in Australia.) I am both excited and nervous.

February
2
32 Comments

Firstborn: Preview Chapter

Posted in DAW, Essalieyan, chapters.

ETA: First­born will be avail­able in ebook and hard­cover on the 19th of February, 2019. This is a hectic release month, the first time I have ever had two books published at essen­tially the same time. No, this was not partic­u­larly smart on my part, but I didn’t want to push either book back a month. It’s been three and three quarter years since the last West novel was published, and in the main, as a reader, I don’t care if two books I want are published in the same month. My pock­et­book might whine a little, but I am gleeful, because that’s just the way I am as a reader. Of other people’s books. Most authors can’t read their own books as if they’re readers, sadly. I posted the prologue last year … Continue reading →