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In addition to the t-shirts I mentioned in the last post, the Messenger today brought another something very special, my sample copies of Der große Basar, the German translation/extended edition of The Great Bazaar.

Der große Basar isn’t just a translation of the US edition, though. It really is unique. In addition to another beautiful cover painting, the German edition has a bunch of all-new  illustrations, including a gorgeous fold-out map of Fort Krasia, The Desert Spear:

Der große Basar also includes Brayan’s Gold, an all-new Arlen Messenger novella exclusive to the German edition. This story isn’t even being published in English, the language it was written in, until later this year! It’s a German worldwide exclusive, at least for the next few months.

Here are some links to recent German reviews since the book came out:

Games Orbit

Faerie Fire

Suite 101

Crazy Culture Clap

Reviews on Thalia Books

Posted on April 26, 2010 at 10:44 pm by PeatB
Filed under Craft, Events, Excisions, Germany, Great Bazaar, Interviews, Messenger, Pimpage, Sales, Warded Art, Writing
4 Comments »

Some fun stuff in the mail today, starting with these kickass O Homem Pintado T-shirts from Edições Gailivro, my Portugese publisher:

If you flip the shirt up over your head, you turn into a demon!

Posted on April 26, 2010 at 5:49 pm by PeatB
Filed under Fan Art, Messenger, Portugal
4 Comments »

What? Two Peephole posts back to back? Can it be true?

Yes, believe it or not, there is so much to talk about that one post didn’t cut it.

Last week, on the day The Desert Spear released in the US, I did an interview for The New York Daily News, which was in the paper on Thursday, April 15. You can see the Daily News article online here.

Apparently the interview was available on the AP, because my agent found the article quite by accident in the Saturday, April 17 edition of the Daily Telegraph, and google pointed it out again in Canada’s Edmonton Journal. The story has since been picked up by various blogs in at least a dozen languages. Wild.

On my return, the lovely Brittany Oat came out to interview me for local Brooklyn station News 12, for a piece that ran on Friday, April 25. If you are a Time Warner or Cablevision customer, you should be able to view the piece online here. It’s pretty awesome.

Posted on April 25, 2010 at 1:04 pm by PeatB
Filed under Desert Spear, Events, Interviews, Movie, Pimpage, Sales, World Traveler, Writing
7 Comments »

The old Peephole has gotten a bit cobwebby the past couple of weeks, and I apologize for that. To say life has been a bit hectic would be a vast understatement. For starters, I flew to London on April 15 to do some signings and promotion for The Desert Spear, which is now in its FOURTH week on the London Times Hardback Fiction Bestseller List (#9, #15, #13, & #12 respectively), as well as to attend London Book Fair and finally meet some of the international publishers I’ve been working with over the last couple of years.

Unbeknownst to me, there was a rumbling in the icy north.

The trip started as usual, with me frantically packing at the last minute, trying to remember and pack everything I could possibly need for the trip, while keeping my luggage limited to two relatively small bags. I managed to make it to the airport on time, miraculously remembering my ticket and passport. I breezed through security, checked the airport bookstores for the Warded Man mmpb (nope), and made it to the gate two hours before my flight. I was set to use the time constructively writing a last-minute guest post for RT (Romantic Times) Book Reviews, but I foolishly decided to sit at the bar and have a drink whilst writing on my phone. Minutes later, I was engaged in conversation with a South African farmer living in Texas and an ex-singer/dancer who was now an IT recruiter. It was an enjoyable enough chat, but hardly conducive to working.

I was feeling guilty about the post being late as I boarded the plane, and started pecking away on it while the plane sat on the tarmac.

And sat.

And sat.

Apparently, some jackass on the ground crew drove his vehicle into the plane, breaking some seal. It took two hours to fix, and another to do the paperwork. In that time, I finished the Romantic Times piece and e-mailed it off. You can read my RT Bookreview Guest Post here.

The plane finally took off, and I contented myself with editing the latest draft of my buddy Myke’s book Latent, watching Sherlock Holmes on the airline entertainment system, and starting Last Argument of Kings, by Joe Abercrombie (and if you’ve not read Abercrombie, get to it so we can discuss!).

I knew I needed to sleep so I could function through the day when the plane landed early in the morning in the UK, but I was too wired and sleep never came. I noticed on the in-flight map that we were taking the long way around the British Isles, circling to come in to Heathrow from the south. We landed 3 hours late at about 9:30 UK time to learn that all Heathrow airport was in chaos, and that all flights for the rest of the day were being diverted/canceled due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland spewing tons of ash high into the atmosphere above British airspace.

WTF?

The rest of the trip was series of up and down adventures I will relate soon, all with the overhanging threat of being stranded abroad indefinitely. Attempts were made to book a cruise home on the Queen Mary 2 (sold out) and even on a cargo freighter (also sold out). I was seriously entertaining the idea of taking the Eurostar to Paris, followed by an overnight train to Madrid, then flying to Boston and taking a train back to New York City, and then a subway to Brooklyn.

I get tired just typing that.

But then, by some twist of fate or divine intervention, UK airspace opened back up the day I was set to leave, and my flight went off on time without a hitch. We made it through the ash cloud and back to New York safely. While I was waiting in line at Customs, I took my phone out of flight mode and downloaded my e-mail, only to find an even greater miracle.

The Desert Spear made #35 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller list!

That’s right. Arlen and Jardir are now Times bestsellers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Best coming home present EVER.

Posted on April 25, 2010 at 12:43 pm by PeatB
Filed under Appearances, Desert Spear, Events, Life, Musings, Reviews, Sales, Tech, World Traveler, Writing
6 Comments »

As I’ve mentioned, I will be flying out to London tonight to do some signings, see some old friends, and attend the London Book Fair. You can find more information on my trip, including signings and how to join me on Saturday for a walk in the country, see here.

In the meantime, a couple of great spoiler-free interviews have gone live. The first one I mentioned yesterday, but it’s worth repeating because I think this is one of the best interviews I’ve ever been given. It’s with Simcha at SFF chat, whose thoughtful and probing questions were really amazing. The permanent link is here: SFF Chat Desert Spear Interview.

Also, author Kevin Hearne interviews me on his site Writer’s Grove, with 3 serious and 2 funny questions, including the age-old question: Who would win in a fight, Chuck Norris or Gandalf? See interview here: Writer’s Grove 3:2 Interview with Peter Brett.

Desert Spear US Release Day yesterday went really well. As per my usual habit, I went to every major bookstore in Brooklyn and Manhattan, signing whatever stock they had and inserting signed bookplates. My feet are literally blistered, but after a full day of subways, yellow cabs, and miles of walking, I managed to sign 81 books, mostly The Desert Spear, but also some of The Warded Man mass market paperbacks that had been reordered since my last round a couple of weeks ago. The MMPB just went back on press today to meet the incredible demand there’s been for the book. I am so happy to see it doing well on my home turf.

If you’re interested in scoring a signed copy, here’s the breakdown:

1. B&N – Brooklyn 7th ave.
Signed & Plated 4 Warded Man mmpbs. Desert Spear not stocked yet, and the sales guy refused to look in the back for it. >(

2. B&N – Brooklyn Court St.
Sold out Warded Man mmpb. Signed & plated 4 Desert Spears.

3. Borders – Broadway @ Pine St.
Signed & plated 3 Warded Man mmpbs & 1 Desert Spear

4. B&N – Warren St. a block or two from Chambers
Signed & plated 2 Desert Spears

5. B&N – 8th St. and Ave. of Americas
Signed & plated 3 Desert Spears

6. B&N – Union Sq
Signed & plated 5 Warded Man mmpbs & 7 Desert Spears

7. Borders – 2nd & 32nd
Desert Spear not stocked yet, and the sales lady refused to look in the back for it. >(

8. B&N – 3rd 54
Signed & plated 1 Warded Man mmpb & 8 Desert Spears

9. Borders – Park & 57
Signed & plated 2 Warded Man mmpbs & 3 Desert Spears

10. B&N – 86 & Lex East side
Signed & plated 4 Desert Spears

11. B&N – 82 & Bway West side
Signed & plated 2 Warded Man mmpbs & 8 Desert Spears

12. B&N – 66 & Bway
Signed & plated 4 Desert Spears

13. Borders – Columbus Circle
Signed & plated 4 Desert Spears

14. B&N – 5th 46
Signed & plated 4 Warded Man mmpbs & 6 Desert Spears

15. Borders – 33 & 7th
Signed & plated 1 Warded Man mmpb & 5 Desert Spears

I will be going around to London stores this weekend to do the same thing, so if you live in the area and are interested in signed first edition books, be on the lookout! The Desert Spear UK edition is entering its second printing as well, so get a first edition while you can!

Oh, and all the bookplate orders up to April 10 or so have been fulfilled, so expect them soon if you ordered one. There are still a bunch left if anyone is still interested.

Follow me on twitter while I’m gone: @PVBrett

Posted on April 14, 2010 at 1:04 pm by PeatB
Filed under Appearances, Bookplate, Desert Spear, Events, Fans, Interviews, Life, Sales, Warded Man, World Traveler, Writing
13 Comments »