by Howard

Desert of Souls Available NOW! PLUS Convention Info!

It’s actually been available for about a year, but it’s just been released this week in trade paperback with a new cover, and in many more stores than ever before. And, as it’s trade paperback, it’s more affordable than ever! Here’ s another handy link for purchasing and reviews!

This news so excited my old friend Ted that he wrote up what he described as an epic poem, which I’ve excerpted below.

Sound out the flooble horns!
Wind up your cow!
The Desert of Souls
is available now!

Praised by the critics!
Adventure’s within!
Brimming with magic
and mayhem and djinn!

There’s actually more, but I figured there’s only so much epic poetry a person can read so early in the morning.

If you’ve been curious about all the good reviews, now’s your chance to pick it up. Asim wants to keep telling stories about his adventures for years to come, and it’s expensive to feed him. He’s a big guy.

If you liked The Desert of Souls, I hope you’ll climb to the top of Mount Crumpet (or Mount Doom, or any handy mountain) with your flooble horn and tell at least three friends (or four friends, or more!) that the book is a good one and carried in stores.

Every sale helps, especially those in physical bookstores. That’s a weird fact, but true — selling from a bookstore proves that your book is worthy of being on the shelf, which means more of your work will be stocked, making it easier to find, and therefore more likely to sell.

In other news, I’ll soon be flying up to sunny Detroit, MI for Epic ConFusion, January 20-22. I hope to be hanging out with my old friend Chris Hocking, and my newer friend — and fellow Arabian fantasist (whose first book debuts in just a few more weeks — pre-order!) Saladin Ahmed. I’ll have a pretty busy schedule Saturday; otherwise I’m apt to be wandering around the dealer room, attending panels, or talking to other writer-types in the bar. I hope I’ll see you there. I’ll be the one with the cherry Coke (stirred, not shaken) and the flooble horn.

Howard’s con schedule:

7pm, Friday Salon F     Fantasy and Horror      Steve Buchheit    Peter V. Brett    Ferrett Steinmetz   Violette Malan    Howard Andrew Jones

10am, Saturday    Athens      Reading     Jay Lake    Howard Andrew Jones

11am, Saturday    Salon F     The Legacy of Thud and Blunder      Scott Lynch Elizabeth Bear      Howard Andrew Jones     Violette Malan

4pm, Saturday     Salon F     Non-Western Fantasy     Peter V. Brett    Kameron Hurley      Christian Klaver  Howard Andrew Jones     Saladin Ahmed

5pm, Saturday     Salon E     Mass Autograph Session EVERYONE

8pm, Saturday     Salon G     Reviews and Criticism   Howard Andrew Jones     Charles P. Zaglanis    Jason Sanford     Christine Purcell Robin Hobb

Wandering the Web and Talking Writing

While things may have been quiet on my official web site, I’ve been wandering the Internet over the last few weeks talking about writing, ancient Arabia, and, naturally, historical fiction author Harold Lamb.

At SF Signal I explore the roots of Arabic fantasy.

Over at Grasping for the Wind I talked about why I loved issue 50 of Sandman, and the influence it had on my writing.

I talk about the influences and authors who led me to ancient Arabia over at the Civilian Reader site.

And I was interviewed at the Civilian Reader site, where I talk a little about the future of Dabir and Asim.

I was invited to talk about my favorite writer, historical fiction pioneer Harold Lamb, over at SffWriterchat. Swashbuckling stuff way ahead of its time.

Over at The Night Bazaar I took a look at three popular writer’s myths, and how true they are.

Lastly, a three part discussion of sword-and-sorcery recorded at the 2010 World Fantasy Convention went live over the last few weeks. Moderated by Jaym Gates and recorded by Patrick Hester, the panel included Alex Bledsoe, James Enge, John Fultz, Ryan Harvey, Howard Andrew Jones (that’s me!), John O’Neill, Sam Sykes, Jason Waltz, and Bill Ward.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

I’m likely to be turning up in other places very soon, though mostly I’ll be writing!

Desert of Souls Places on Best and Notable Lists

Today I was delighted to learn that The Desert of Souls hit the Barnes and Noble Book Clubs’ “Best Fantasy Releases of 2011” list, and in the number 4 slot!

I was equally surprised to learn that I’d made the Kirkus “New and Notable Science Fiction” list of 2011, which is a list of 9 books that the reviewers seemed to particularly enjoy.

A Remembrance of Euan Harvey

I had thought today I would finally talk about my blog tour. Instead, somewhat numb and dumbstruck, I find myself writing a remembrance.

I just learned that Euan Harvey has passed away.

I first knew Euan from my days helming the first issues of Flashing Swords and frequenting the old SFReader discussion board. He was a fine fellow and a talented writer with a tireless work ethic. He never gave up. It was my privilege to read many of his stories, and to forward them on to Black Gate‘s John O’Neill. And it was my pleasure to receive Euan’s feedback on my own fiction, some of which was so insightful I still reflect on it when considering unrelated works.

Euan was public about his battle with cancer, and with it apparently in remission I was thinking he might have a while left. He, his family, his friends, and his readers deserved much longer.

I cannot claim to have known Euan especially well, but I held him in high regard and had a great deal of respect for him as both a human being and a writer. He was my friend, and I am deeply saddened by his loss. I cannot begin to imagine how those closest to him must feel.

If you knew him, his family, or his work, I hope that you will put them in your prayers or thoughts.

John has just posted a more complete reflection at Black Gate, and other obituaries and remembrances are sure to follow. Douglas Cohen worked with him extensively, and has posted a very thoughtful essay.

Dabir and Asim Return

The new eBook short story collection of Dabir and Asim stories is titled The Waters of Eternity and is NOW available for 2.99 at iBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and likely other places besides. If you’re friends of Dabir and Asim, I hope you’ll help spread the word. A sneak peek of the first four chapters of The Desert of Souls is included at the back of the collection.

Here’s another pic of the eBook cover, by Ervin Serrano.

In other news, work on the next novel is getting closer to completion. I’ve been adding some new wrinkles to the middle parts, which means more excitement, though more trouble for poor Asim. I’ve seen two gorgeous iterations of the cover that I wish I could share. I think that means a final version will be available for showing soon. The Bones of the Old Ones is still scheduled in hardback for late spring/early summer of ’12. And don’t forget the re-release of The Desert of Souls in trade paperback for late January ’12!

Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction Chat

My friend and fellow Pathfinder author, the talented Dave Gross, had been assembling a series of Pathfinder fiction chats over the last few months, and there are two more coming up very, very soon. This month, to accommodate people in more time zones, there are  two Pathfinder Tales chats, each featuring about ten authors of Pathfinder Tales short fiction.

Authors expected to attend include Richard Lee Byers, Elaine Cunningham, J.C. Hay, Dave Gross, Liane Merciel, Erik Mona, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Steven Savile, Amber E. Scott, James Sutter, Bill Ward, and me — at least for the second session.

To prepare for the event, check out the glorious and free web fiction.

The events officially last one hour, but some folks hang out much later, so come on by even if you must be late. To join the event, point your browser to chat.dmtools.org, choose a screen name, and type “/join PFTales.”

Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction Chat I
Saturday, November 19
12:00 PT

Pathfinder Tales Web Fiction Chat II
Monday, November 21
18:00 PT

November News

I’ve only emerged from my writer’s cave a few time over the last few months. Mostly I’ve either been picking away at the upcoming short story collection, or revising the second Dabir and Asim novel, The Bones of the Old Ones, to be released in late spring of 2012.

In mid-October I sat down with the editor/publisher of the first Dabir and Asim story I ever wrote, Fraser Ronald. He and a talented group of friends run a podcast called Accidental Suvivors, and they were kind enough to invite me on for a chat about writing, editing, Harold Lamb, gaming, and related topics. You can find it here.

The new short story collection of Dabir and Asim stories is titled The Waters of Eternity and is available for pre-order now at iBooks, Amazon, and likely other places besides. I’ll have further updates as the release gets closer. For now, though, here’s a pic of the cover. I don’t yet have artist information, but I’ll be supplying it next week.

What, August is Nearly Over?

I have several new developments to report this week. The third Dabir and Asim novel is coming along nicely, although I’m still tinkering with book 2, and the short story collection will be heading off to the copyeditor this week.

I sat down for an interview with Ryan Costello Jr.  of 3.5 Private Sanctuaryat GenCon, and he asked me some great questions about my Pathfinder Tales novel, Plague of Shadows. You can find that interview, along with a look ahead at the Pathfinder Tales line from the indispensable Pierce Waters of Paizo, by clicking here.

Lastly, I have been power watching an anime that exceeded my expectations. I discussed it in more detail at Black Gate, but here’s the start.

I haven’t watched much anime in my time. Frankly I haven’t gotten a lot out of the shows I’ve seen, many of which seem to consist of posing in the midst of fights and shouting at opponents. But I chanced upon something a few weeks back that began with potential and then delivered on it episode after episode. I found fabulous world building and strong character arcs.  I watched half hour after half hour the way I devour chapter after chapter in a great fantasy novel, poised on the edge of my seat wondering how things would resolve.

The show that so enthralled me is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The series is set in an alternate world in the 1900s, one very similar to our own, except that alchemy works. Those talented and diligent enough can transform matter from one state to another — fix a broken radio into one that works, or transform a metal bar into a sword. The story’s protagonists are a pair of young brothers of tremendous talent who used their powers to commit the ultimate alchemical taboo: they tried to bring their dead mother back to life. They paid a terrible price when the transmutation went horribly wrong, and spend much of the series trying to put things right.

As the young men search for solutions, they uncover  hidden layers to the way alchemy, their country, and their world, truly work. As the mysteries deepen, so do the characters and the world. I really don’t want to say much more for fear of ruining the many unfolding surprises.

If, like me, you’re unused to anime, there are a few caveats. There are occasional odd tonal shifts. For instance, when characters feel a really strong emotion (like anger or sadness) they’re often briefly transformed into caricatures of themselves, with exaggerated features. Some of the humor doesn’t translate and comes off as a bit goofy, and characters do sometimes speak over dramatically or are too revealing of their motivations when they talk. I wasn’t sure what to make of it after the first one or two shows, but kept watching… and I was glad I did. Most of the time it works, and overall it works brilliantly. Male and female characters are given strong roles, and face difficult choices.

The rest of this article can be found at the Black Gate web site.

Fictional Frontiers Interview

I got to sit down and talk with Sohaib Awan of Fictional Frontiers about The Desert of Souls, Black Gate, sword-and-sorcery, and Harold Lamb. Sohaib asked some questions that really got me thinking (and I wish I’d segued my discussion of 80s adventure movies into my discussion of earlier adventure movies, but ah well). I’ve begun listening into Sohaib’s show in the weeks since, and I’m pretty sure other speculative fiction fans will find the show not only entertaining, but insightful. My interview is here; the site for Fictional Frontiers itself is here.

How To Write Magical Words

I’m a fan of books aimed at writers, and I’m always delighted to find another good one.

How to Write Magical Words: A Writer’s Companion debuted in January 2011. Unlike most “how to write” books that I’ve ever seen, Magical Words is presented in bite-size chunks. The authors take turns writing about various topics, presenting short essays with information, advice, and helpful anecdotes, then get out of the way for the next essay. None of which are more than four or five pages long. It’s an ideal approach for someone working in this busy modern world, or for someone under deadline, or with kids, or who wants to read a little something before sitting down to write for the day, and editor Edmund Schubert is to be commended for the structure.

The book is broadly divided into seven categories, like “Characters, Dialogue, & Point of View” or “Self-Editing,” into which each of the short essays is placed. Perhaps because the material originated on the web site magicalwords.net there’s an approachable, conversational quality to the advice — indeed, the contributing writers often react and expand upon the advice in the concluding remarks to each essay. As I read my way through the book I found myself looking more and more forward to seeing what the other writers would add, and what alternative perspective they might be able to offer. It was a lot like listening to a group of helpful professional writers as they trade tips among themselves — one has the sense that they are not so much talking at you as talking in a group in which you yourself would be welcome to drop in and ask for a few tips.

The rest of this essay can be found at the Black Gate web site.