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Lots going on as we approach the Sept. 1 international launch of The Painted Man. My trip to London for the launch (Aug. 28 – Sept. 6) is fast approaching, and I am a bundle of nerves and excitement for my first signings and live interviews, not to mention seeing the book in hardcover for the first time, and in stores, no less!

But for all that’s happening, I’ve had little time to blog for obvious reasons. So I’ll try to make this quick:

Dave-Brendon de Burgh, a deputy bookstore manager in South Africa who read an advance copy of the book asked me to do an interview for his South African SF blog. You can read the full text of the interview here.

***UPDATE*** You can also find my interview with Dave on the Fascination Books Website.

Also in the news, an Australian news site called Cairns posted a very positive book review of The Painted Man. I’ve been getting a lot of buzz from Australia. I need to make an excuse to go there. Fingers crossed for WorldCon in 2010!

Yesterday, I received advance copies of The Warded Man (the US version of The Painted Man), which include an amazingly glowing letter from my editor in the front, and a 7 page interview with me in the back. Look for free copies to be given away at the Del Rey booth at the New York ComicCon at the Jacob Javits Center on February 6-8. I will be on hand to sign them for you!

I have a post percolating about the sweet US cover, but here’s a quick look in the meantime:

Posted on August 14, 2008 at 10:55 am by PeatB
Filed under Interviews, Reviews, World Traveler, Writing
6 Comments »

Maybe not the best choice of book to read a 3 week old…

Posted on August 13, 2008 at 11:03 pm by PeatB
Filed under Cassie, Life, Reviews, Writing
3 Comments »

Okay, before this blog becomes nothing more than a vehicle for kvelling grandparents to show off baby pictures, I’d like to shift gears.

One of the most wonderful aspects of the whole process of getting my work published has been the many talented people who have lent their creative energy to bringing my creations to life. When I was sitting at the keyboard a couple of years ago picturing all this stuff in my head, I had no idea how many wonderful things would come from it, like the background image on the Succor page of this site by Angela Jayne Barnett, the portrait and wards by Lauren K. Cannon, the Spear of Anoch Sun by Ollin Sword design, and the amazing maps and covers by book publishers worldwide.

Well, add a couple more to the list. First off, my wonderful wife had custom keychains made for me with the palm ward from the Arlen Avatar. They look awesome, and even detach so I can keep my car keys separate. Do I have a great wife, or what?

But that’s just the beginning. Upon hearing that my wedding ring wasn’t fitting well in the summertime, the beautiful and talented Fotini Marcopulos offered to make me a replacement, and did she ever! She took the ward designs Lauren created and used them to make metal stamps for jewelry, allowing her to “ward” just about anything. My wedding ring is now not only a lasting symbol of love, but also proof against Flame, Rock, Water, Wind, and Wood demons. Check it out:

Not to leave Dani out of things, Fotini also secretly did another amazing custom job, making her a warded charm bracelet. It’s so awesome I don’t know what else to say about it, so just check out the picture I took:

Check out more of Fotini’s creative jewelry fashions at Fotini Designs. If you want some custom warded pieces, by all means, let her know. She has the metal stamps on hand if you want to secure your jewels from corelings.

How did I get so lucky as to be surrounded by such amazing people? I must have been a saint in my last life.

Posted on August 6, 2008 at 7:41 pm by PeatB
Filed under Craft, Life, Musings, Writing
8 Comments »

Posted on August 6, 2008 at 4:26 pm by PeatB
Filed under Cassie
4 Comments »

So I’ve had to adjust my work habits slightly now that the Infanta has arrived on her bed of linens and sequins and silk, but never fear, I am still working, albeit more slowly and sleepily.

Officially, I am taking a month off from writing while we care for the little bundle of joy. I am then heading out to London for the UK book launch, at which point the vacation ends and I’m back on quota until The Desert Spear is done.

Unofficially, I am working whenever the opportunity presents itself. Mostly just jotting down ideas, but that’s every bit as important as prose in the long run.

Thankfully, I am quite used to working on my phone, so I can write even while the little bundle of joy sleeps in my arms. Even more exciting, the new model is in stores! My HP Ipaq smartphone is like 2-3 generations old. It’s the 6515, and not even the good version of that model, since it only runs crapass Windows Mobile 3.1. Lately, it crashes a lot, too, and some of the features (like texting) don’t always work on the first (or fifth) reboot. The new version, the Ipaq 910, supposedly has a far more stable operating system, and a much more robust processor, along with all the features I have come to love and owe my current career to. If the keyboard is good, I’m sold. It’s wicked expensive, but hey, it’s a business expense! Now if I can just find enough time to escape to the store…

BTW, if you are in London on Sept. 4, please be the only person to come to my first signing! I would like to sign at least one book while I sit there for an hour and people who’ve never heard of me walk by shaking their heads in pity.

Posted on July 31, 2008 at 1:15 pm by PeatB
Filed under Cassie, Craft, Events, Life, Musings, World Traveler, Writing
10 Comments »