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Okay, this time I wasn’t really stalking myself. Some other people sent me this stuff, but it’s every bit as good as whatever nonsense I could find about myself on google at 3am.

Chuck McKenzie, who wrote that stellar review on Horrorscope, e-mailed me today to let me know that Dymocks, one of the biggest book retailers in Australia, was placing a bulk-order of multiple copies of The Painted Man for all the stores in their chain. That means each store will be stocking from 10-30 copies, and they will be prominently displayed in the storefronts!!!

They also included an abbreviated version of the Horrorscope review in the Dymocks Southland in-store newsletter, Dymensions, which you can subscribe to here.

In addition to that, my agent wrote to let me know that SFREvu, a prominent online SF publication, posted a review of the book, which you can find here. My sepia ARC cover is even displayed on their home page!

Also in the news, I got the full color printed book jackets for the UK hardback in the mail yesterday, and they look awesome! My editor included the gift they are sending some buyers with the advance read copies: Temporary ward tattoos! They are really sweet, and come with description cards of the demons they protect against. I’ll try and scan all that stuff soon so that I can post it.

I’ve been meaning to get a warding circle tattoo for some time now. I have had 18 unique wards designed by Lauren Cannon, and I’m ready to have them permanently attached. They’ve become something of a signature, as they appear prominently in most of the book related projects and art.

I once promised myself I would get a tattoo for every series I wrote. I have a katana with a Heart-shaped tsuba on my right forearm to represent the Aldun Orion books, and now I need to balance it with something on my left arm for the Painted Man books. It’s time.

Anyone know a good tattoo artist in NYC/Brooklyn?

Posted on July 1, 2008 at 10:16 pm by PeatB
Filed under Events, Reviews, Sales, Writing
1 Comment »

Big news from Prague, the geographical heart of Europe, capital of the Czech Republic, and a city my friend Neil tells me is filled with beauty. (He says the buildings are nice, too.)

Triton publishing has beaten the competition with their offer to purchase translation and distribution rights of the Painted Man and two sequels. This is a fantastic honor, as usually the Czechs are reluctant to purchase rights to unpublished (and therefore untested) books. I hope to do them proud.

If your Czech is a little rusty, I asked google to translate their website.

Posted on July 1, 2008 at 10:11 am by PeatB
Filed under Sales, World Traveler, Writing
6 Comments »

As I hinted a few days ago, I had gotten a call from my agent, saying that he head heard from his Spanish affiliate about offers to buy The Painted Man and its sequels in Spain.

This morning I am proud to announce that my work will now be translated and distributed in Spain by publisher Timun Mas! They have a strong history of working with JABberwocky clients, and I’ve heard great things about them.

I am very excited to have the book come out in Spanish, particularly as a New Yorker, where it is the second most popular language even in the delicious stew of immigrants that is my home. I am totally going to make sure to get a bunch of extra copies.

If I become a bestseller, that will make little Cassie an infanta.

Next on the list is the Czech Republic. We’re talking with them even now, and I should have something to announce soon!

Posted on June 26, 2008 at 1:29 pm by PeatB
Filed under Sales, World Traveler, Writing
3 Comments »

Australian writer/bookseller Chuck McKenzie e-mailed me yesterday, telling me that he read an advance read copy of The Painted Man, and that he loved it. He even took the time to write it up in a stellar book review for the Australian dark fantasy blog HorrorScope. Not only that, but he said he’d be stocking copies in his store.

Chuck manages a Dymocks, which is the Aussie equivalent to a Borders. Harper Collins Australia, who have been amazing, sent him the ARC as part of their marketing campaign. The ARCs were printed in London and shipped down unda, so I figured the British had a week’s head start, but the Harper AU really shot out of the gate, at least in terms of generating feedback. So far all 7 online reviews I’ve gotten have been from Australia.

Anyway, Chuck’s letter was really gratifying, because he is in many ways the ideal critic. He lives on the opposite side of the planet, doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall, loves fantasy, and is experienced in both the creative and the professional aspects of publishing in general and the SF market in particular. The guy has no reason say he liked something he didn’t, much less go out of his way to say something nice and give a new writer with no resume a hand up on a personal level. But he did, and I really appreciate that.

Chalk up one more reason I want to go to Australia some day, even though the idea of that much time cooped up on a plane freaks me out a bit. Probably because of fricken’ LOST. I sure as hell ain’t flying Oceanic.

Posted on June 23, 2008 at 5:07 pm by PeatB
Filed under Musings, Reviews, World Traveler, Writing
7 Comments »

Ah, Google Alerts, what gems you find me! Like this one, from Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review.

Priceless.

Posted on June 22, 2008 at 2:48 pm by PeatB
Filed under Musings, Writing
6 Comments »