(Re)Reading SPEAKING STONES

I've started proofreading the corrected OCR manuscript for my novel SPEAKING STONES for the Phoenix Pick (Arc Manor Press) reprint edition. It's nice to read the novel after a decade or so, though it still brings back echoes and memories from the time when I was writing it. It's still not quite like reading someone else's book, but every once in a while I'll read a line and think "That's nice." Which is a good feeling... :-)

SPEAKING STONES is the sequel to DARK WATER'S EMBRACE, which Phoenix Pick brought out late last year in trade paperback format with some of the material that was missing from the original Eod edition -- and which has a much better cover (IMO) than the Eos mmpb. DARK WATER'S EMBRACE is still a favorite book of mine, exploring sexuality and gender and perception. And I like SPEAKING STONES as well, though I think some readers might have been expecting a second DWE and that's not what I gave them. Both books are concerned with prejudice, but while DWE explored sexual/gender prejudice, SPEAKING STONES looks instead at racial prejudice -- which is why I think they form a decent duology.

It'll be nice to have a new trade paperback version of SPEAKING STONES to go with the new trade edition of DARK WATER'S EMBRACE. Should be out before summer (assuming that I get the proofing done...)

Shahid at Arc Manor is doing some nice things with his Phoenix Pick line -- he's bringing back books he'd read and enjoyed, are out-of-print in their original edition, and making them available again. There's a PDF catalog on the site; if you see a book there you find interesting, you ought to pick it up -- support a small press trying to do something good for the field!

Capturing the Elusive Novel -- The Jim Hines Method

Yet another in the "Capturing The Elusive Novel" series, which has previously featured Jim Palmatier, David B. Coe, and Tanya Huff. Our current victim, umm, that is, 'featured author' is Jim Hines (jimhines), the creator of Jig the Goblin and the Stepsisters. Jim is a fine novelist, and someone with a deft and very funny sense of humor. On top of that, he's a lot of fun in person as well. I was pleased to be able to spend some time with him recently at Millennicon and get to know him better. And besides, he has a fantastic con jacket... If you haven't yet read his books, then you owe it to yourself to go out and grab one: they're fun rides!

My only regret is that GOBLIN WAR won't be up against A MAGIC OF TWILIGHT in the Final Four of the Bookspotcentral contest, since both our books were eliminated by our respective opponents in the Elite Eight. Alas -- but at least that saves my book by being overrun by the goblin hordes...

So... let's bring Jim on to talk about his process in the difficult art of writing novels. That's what you're here for, right?

( You don't want to hear me -- you wanna hear Jim! Here he is, behind the cut... )