Results tagged “del rey”

I am almost recovered from the San Diego Comic Con!

Almost.

Next year I think I am going to wear a mile counter on my ankle and find out how many miles I walk per day over the same ground—back and forth, back and forth.

At any rate, I still have a bit of news to bring to you all, and this one is about Terry Brooks. Like many authors who attend a Comic Con, Terry had a panel, had a signing or two and then had some meetings. The panels are always fun. They are made up of a large room filled with people from different backgrounds and reading experiences, and often their questions are even those I have not heard in my ten years as his webmaster.

Suvudu was there to tape the panel.

It comes to you in seven YouTube videos. The opening of the panel is Terry talking about Landover with his editor in chief, Betsy Mitchell, among other things. Later, after Betsy and editor Anne Groell talk briefly about what is coming from Del Rey/Bantam, Terry answers more questions from his fans.

Due to a down microphone, Betsy’s voice is a bit low, but you can hear Terry perfectly.

Hope you enjoy! And remember! A Princess of Landover comes out on August 18th!

Continue onward for the rest of the panel!

When I returned home from the San Diego Comic Con I took a quick look through the daily editions of the Seattle Times newspaper that had accrued, to get reacquainted with what I had missed while being gone. I keep up as best I can on world and local affairs, but am truly partial to the Life section where the articles and discussions on books, music and local cultural events are placed.

As I flipped through, I stopped on a very cool article. It was about the libraries of our area and what people were mostly checking out. Seattle is a bookie city, and its libraries are some of the best used—and loved—in the country. The article writer did a bit of research and posted the top-five books in Fiction and Non-Fiction people were checking out and how many holds were in place.

It was really neat to see what people were reading—new books by Janet Evanovich, Lisa See, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, James Rollins, Malcolm Gladwell and several others.

One shocked me though, mostly for its cover.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.

Yes, it is the classic Regency romance—now with ultra violent zombie mayhem!

Since Seattle holds the Guinness World Record for largest zombie walk in the world at 4200+ stumbling, brain-eating dead, I read a bit deeper into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to learn exactly what it is.

And if you haven’t done so, do so. Sounds awesome!

Then imagine my surprise yesterday when Del Rey announced this!

Terry Brooks went to the San Diego Comic Con to speak on a panel about his forthcoming book A Princess of Landover and hold an autograph session for his numerous fans.

I wasn’t going to let him get away with such an easy time of it!

Terry joined me for an interview early Friday morning at the convention center to talk about the sixth installment in the Landover series, how his convention was going, what he has planned for the next two years of writing, and a hint or two about Book #4 in the Genesis of Shannara series.

Here is that interview.

Disregard the bald man on the right. He doesn’t know what he is talking about!

A Princess of Landoer will be published on August 18th, along with two Landover omnibuses and the newly revised The World of Shannara guide.

And to read an excerpt from A Princess of Landover, click HERE!

I cannot believe we are already in June! It seems just yesterday when I was at the February NY Comic Con and had the chance to meet, interview and hang out with Stephen King comic book writer Robin Furth and The Talisman artist Tony Shasteen!

Remember the NYCC Suvudu videos?

- Robin Furth
- Tony Shasteen

Well, since February, Robin and Tony have been hard at work on The Talisman, the comic book adaptation to the long-time bestselling novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub!

The Talisman #0 will launch the series on October 21, 2009, but those who are attending the San Diego Comic Con will get the true first look at the comic book series, where Del Rey Books will be giving away FREE black and white copies of Issue #0!

We also now know who will be supplying the comic book adaptation cover artwork and who will be supplying the interior coloring! Thanks to the Official June 16th Press Release, we know Massimo Carnevale (Y: The Last Man) will be supplying the cover artwork! He is an extremely talented artist and makes an excellent and award-winning addition to the creative team. And coloring the black and white artwork supplied by Tony Shasteen will be Nei Ruffino, who is currently working on Supergirl and Green Lantern for DC Comics!

The exclusive Comic Con The Talisman #0 can be found at the Del Rey booth (#1129) this July 22-26! To get it, you will have to attend the convention!

Or know someone who is going!

More to come soon!

Today is a sad day.

David Eddings, author of more than 20 fantasy novels and cornerstone of the genre, passed away yesterday at the age of 77.

It is quite difficult writing this post.

I began my foray into fantasy reading with The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks but upon finishing it I went looking for something else to read. I quickly found a dozen books bearing the Del Rey icon. I didn’t know at the time that one man, Lester del Rey, was responsible for finding and publishing the fantastic writers I was about to start reading who included Stephen R. Donaldson, Anne McCaffrey, Barbara Hambly—and David Eddings.

Eddings is known by most fantasy readers, many reading the genre because of him. In 1982, he published Pawn of Prophecy, Book One in the five-book Belgariad series, and it became an overnight success. With wonderfully realized characters like Belgarath, Polgara, Barak, Silk, Garion, Ce’Nedra and so many more, Eddings injected humor and wit into his stories and truly made them unforgettable. The Belgariad series is one of the foundational bricks in the fantasy genre, a series everyone should read—not only for its importance in the history of the genre but because it’s also one fine tale.

Collaborating with his wife Leigh and acknowledging that fact with class, Eddings would spend the next 25 years writing books in long hand that would influence readers and future writers alike.

After publishing The Belgariad, Eddings published its sequel series, The Malloreon. He then went on to create the memorable knight Sparhawk in the three-book Elenium series. Other fantasy works include The Tamuli series, The Redemption of Althalus, and the four-book series The Dreamers. He also published The Losers and a thriller, Regina’s Song.

Proof of Eddings’ popularity can be found in twenty-seven languages.

Sadly, I never had the chance to meet Eddings, but his work influenced my development as a reader and ultimately therefore as a writer. Those who did know Eddings knew an interesting man. He was educated at Reed College, the United States Army and the University of Washington. He worked for Boeing in Seattle. He spent time teaching literature and writing. He never wanted awards; he never wanted praise. All he wanted was to write fun books that might put someone on the path to reading for a lifetime.

He did that for many. He definitely did that for me.

So David Eddings, thank you. You will be sadly missed.

And may your Orb of Aldur shine brightly forever in your stead.

With Lost and Dollhouse over, you may be wondering what to do with your life. Can’t answer that question for you, but I can tell you what to do this weekend.

Central Park Steam Punk Picnic
Saturday - 1-3 PM - Central Park
Get out your Victorian underpants, as it’s time for a Steam Punk picnic. There’ll be events, photo shoots, contests, and lots and lots of goggles!

Super Para Natural Manga Day
Sunday - 11-7 PM - Kinokuniya Bookstore
Kinokuniya, the NY Anime Festival, Alone Together, Bandai, Del Rey Manga, Dark Horse Comics, FUNimation, Right Stuf, Samurai Beat Radio, VIZ Media, and VIZ Pictures present a day of spooky panels, screenings, and contests. Halloween comes early at Kinokuniya!

My twelfth published novel hits the shelves on April 28th.

I gotta say, so far, this never gets old. :)

THE PRETENDER’S CROWN is sequel to last year’s THE QUEEN’S BASTARD, out from Del Rey. They’re stories of sex, politics, murder and betrayal, and in some ways they’re the most fun I’ve ever had writing. Most of my other stuff is urban fantasy, so getting to roll around in the lush, alternate-Elizabethan world of the Inheritors’ Cycle was and is a sheer joy. Complex world-building, political intrigue, unlikeable heroines…what’s not to love?

Okay, maybe that last. Belinda Primrose, heroine of these books, is to me perhaps the most interesting character I’ve written. She’s a seductress, a spy, an assassin, and a manipulator: not precisely lovable qualities. To me, though—and hopefully to others—she is at least compelling. And one of the terrific things about writing THE PRETENDER’S CROWN was finding out just how far this unlikeable character could bend before she broke.

Pretty far, it turns out. Maybe farther than even I thought, which is quite something, given that she lives in my head.

But you’re going to have to read it to find out how.

Happy Release Day. :)

PS: Oh, jeez, I just remembered. While you’re at it, pick up Lane Robins’ KINGS & ASSASSINS, which is also out from Del Rey on April 28th. Between that and PRETENDER’S CROWN, you should be reveling in political backstabbing for a week!

Manga-philes, sharpen your pencils! The New York Anime Festival 2009 Official Mascot Contest is now live! Partner website theOtaku.com is now accepting designs for original mascot characters, with the winning art to be featured as the convention’s mascot throughout the show and the winning artist to be showered will honor, glory, and prizes!

Suvudu is now offering in the Free Library Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Dramatis Personae!

Fate of the Jedi is the new Star Wars series set almost four decades after the events of Return of the Jedi, where the characters we know and love have become legends in their own right even as they struggle against the Dark Side of the Force. The Dramatis Personae, a free ebook in our Free Library, introduces new readers or readers who need a refresher to what has been going in the last 40 years in the Star Wars universe.

It is a fun read, making me want to pull out the movie trilogies and watch them back to back, but Dramatis Personae also has an excerpt from Book One in Fate of the Jedi, Star Wars: Outcast, written by Aaron Allston!

So, if you are a Star Wars fan, check out the newest book to our Free Library!

And get ready for next month! Got a few new additions coming!

PS: Get well, Aaron!

Hey folks, so this came to my attention from the good folks at Del Rey. Enjoy:

The Fate of the Jedi series has begun! This week, Del Rey Books has released the first book of the nine-book series with Outcast by Aaron Allston. Help spread the word of this exciting new chapter of the Star Wars expanded universe with downloadable PDF e-postcards.

Get an exclusive look at Ben Skywalker’s correspondence with Jaina Solo, in the form of three separate transmissions captured as downloadable PDFs. You can find them at the following locations:

Borders

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Yes, it’s spring in New York. Daylight time is saved. Heavy coats are stowed into closets. But for the manga/anime fan, is there a truer sign of spring than cosplayers dancing in Bryant Park? I think not.

Last Sunday, New York City’s Kinokuniya Bookstore, specialty purveyors of all things Japanese, held an Anime Day celebration. Featuring presentations by the Japan Society, manga-ka Misako Rocks!, Samurai Beat Radio, Keio Academy, and many others (including, of course, Del Rey Manga..) it was a afternoon of fun for area fans.

But, as always, there was no fun that was more fun than the cosplayers. More pics after the jump.

I normally post on Fridays, but not this week, because the Random House offices will be closed. That’s because we’re playing company-wide office merry-go-round: Hundreds of staffers are packing books, manuscripts, files, supplies, everything they own into orange rolling crates and shifting to new office spaces. As I was removing from the corkboard behind my computer all the memorabilia from years of sitting at this desk—and many a long-forgotten desk of yore—I suddenly realized that I could inflict the experience on the readers of Suvudu. Well, heck, it could qualify as an episode in publishing history.

What I’m taking off the board and carefully moving to my new office, six floors up from here with a lovely southern exposure:

• Hand-drawn cartoon by Dan Simmons chronicling a book tour for—as I recall—The Fall of Hyperion, from my days at Bantam long ago

(Click the image to get a closer look.)
• Thank-you card from William Gibson for the present of a spider-monkey skull (upon the signing of a new contract, also at Bantam)
• Photos of two cute Japanese teenagers in cosplay outfits, souvenir of a business trip to Tokyo
• Postcard of Darth Vader sipping a martini, with the words JOIN US! …Lord Vader & Lucas Licensing invite you for cocktails, details to follow
• Photo of Terry Brooks and his wife, Judine


• Voodoo doll liberally festooned with pins, present from a former assistant


• Scroll of honor from the Los Angeles County Probation Department—which runs the Operation Read Literacy Program—in thanks for a donation of hundreds of copies of Fahrenheit 451


• Shoulder patch of the Windy City Rollers (women’s roller derby team), sent by Chicago author Jennifer Stevenson, who’s a skater-in-training


• Button reading “The Editor is always right. You will listen to the Editor. The Editor is God!”


• Another button, this one reading “Cute but Dangerous”—present from an author.


• Yet another button: “Returns Suck.” (Referencing book returns from stores.)

And more. But that’s enough. Even though I’ve filled eight boxes so far, I have lots of packing left to do. And writers wonder why we don’t respond more quickly on their submissions.

Click to Enlarge

Terry Brooks has long been one of the foundational authors of the fantasy genre.

With his 1977 bestselling The Sword of Shannara, he helped publishers realize there was a massive base of readers out there who craved fantasy. From that time, Terry has written numerous Shannara books, each exploring something different, each growing that foundation he helped originally to create.

But the Shannara series is not his only series, and many fantasy readers overlook Magic Kingdom of Landover!

Magic Kingdom For Sale—Sold! began a new bestselling series for Terry in 1986. The novel was a vast departure from the three sprawling epic fantasies he had written before it, the story of Chicago lawyer Ben Holiday and his purchasing of a real magic kingdom. Right from the start Terry told his readers Ben Holiday was an alter ego of sorts, as Terry used the fictional character to discuss his transition from lawyer to full-time writer. Terry wrote five volumes about Ben Holiday, his magic kingdom of Landover, and a whole cast of unique characters—the last novel, Witches’ Brew, published in 1995.

After 14 years, Terry has returned to the Magic Kingdom of Landover series with the forthcoming novel, A Princess of Landover!

To celebrate Terry’s August 2009 return to The Magic Kingdom of Landover, Del Rey Books asked artist Steve Stone to create two new pieces of artwork to be used on collected omnibuses of the first five books in the series. The first omnibus, The Magic Kingdom of Landover: Volume I, contains the three novels Magic Kingdom For Sale—Sold!, The Black Unicorn and Wizard At Large. Volume II contains the two novels The Tangle Box and Witches’ Brew.

Today is March 1st. I decided to showcase the first cover, posted above.

On April 1st, Del Rey Books and I will send out the first of a new series of monthly Terry Brooks newsletters. The April newsletter will include the covers to Volume II and the new book, A Princess of Landover. Additional newsletters will contain more information, interviews with Terry, several fun contests, excerpts from all the books—and some other surprises!

Not signed up for Terry’s newsletter? Visit www.TerryBrooks.net and use the sign-up form at the bottom of the front page. It’s that easy.

The return to Landover has begun!

Every comic con has a highlight for those who go—and a highlight for one person might not be for another.

For me, the 2009 NY Comic Con will always be remembered as the first time I met Robin Furth.

The Dark Tower series, written by Stephen King, is a foundational piece in who I am. I am a fantasy reader at heart, but the combination of fantasy, horror and western really gripped me at a young age and it followed me long into adulthood. Roland Deschain is probably my favorite character in literature and those he surrounds himself with—from David, Alain, Bert and Susan, to Oy, Jake, Eddie and Susannah—live inside of me like they do for millions of other Dark Tower fans (junkies).

I have two framed Michael Whelan prints, both with the Dark Tower in the background, both with Roland staring longingly at it from a vast distance.

To remind me of my own Tower I hope to gain entrance to one day.

Robin Furth has her own Tower of sorts. She is the person responsible for researching the Dark Tower series from The Gunslinger to Wizard & Glass, enabling Stephen King to finish his saga with barely a continuity glitch. She has worked closely with Stephen King and the Dark Tower series for years, and to talk to to her about her experiences was fantastic. She exudes Dark Tower lore and I always love being around people like that. She is also one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met—always carrying a ready smile, always willing to put people at ease.

Robin has recently signed on with Del Rey Books to adapt The Talisman, a novel written by both Stephen King and Peter Straub which is irrevocably tied into the Dark Tower series. Along with artist Tony Shasteen, Robin will bring the story of Jack Sawyer to life as he tries to save two worlds and two mothers.

And so far I love what I am hearing and what I have seen from this project!

Here is my Interview with Robin Furth!

Part I of VIII: The Mistress behind The Tailsman!

To watch the rest of Robin’s interview (Parts II-VIII), make the jump!

Being Stephen King must be something grand! I swear!

Why? Because although he is really talented and financially stable and is successful and has a supportive family and has seen his stories come alive in various forms over the years, he also gets to work with some of the best people to adapt his projects into different mediums—and they do it right.

Just look at the Dark Tower comic book series as an example.

The Talisman, written by Stephen King & Peter Straub, is one of my favorite books. It also ties into the Dark Tower series and you all already know what a huge fan I am of Roland’s journey. Now that Del Rey Books has begun adapting The Talisman into a monthly comic book series, you can bet you’ll be seeing more posts like this one concerning the progress of the project.

We all know who Robin Furth is. She was Stephen King’s Dark Tower research assistant and now she is plotting and writing his comic book adaptations. She has a direct line to the man himself, so that always bodes well.

But what about the artist, Tony Shasteen? What will his artwork look like? If you are like me, artwork can kill a comic book reading experience. Will that happen with The Talisman comic book adaptation?

I’m happy to see it won’t!

Below are two character designs/sketches penciled by Tony Shasteen. He has done four or five others as well. These were the first two to be approved by Stephen King: Morgan Sloat and Speedy Parker - Click to Enlarge!
I have to do a re-read of The Talisman as it has been at least eight years since I read it for the second time, but those character designs look great to me! And I can’t wait to see Jack and his mother and the Queen and Wolf and… M-O-O-N, that spells moon!

So, what do you think of the character designs?

I spent the week going over the second drafts of upcoming novels by two authors whose books are on the 2009 Del Rey schedule. Note I said second drafts. These came in in response to long letters requesting changes to the novels’ first drafts. And in response to each of these second drafts, I wrote up still further notes requesting a third and final draft.

These are not baby authors I’m talking about. Each has numerous books to his/her credit. Even so, these authors understand that each new book is a fresh chance to win new readers—or alienate old ones. A smart author will accept valid criticism no matter what the cost in rewrite time.

My thanks to this week’s writers—and you know who you are—for going to the trouble of responding both carefully and cheerfully to my editorial notes. One of my personal maxims is that the manuscript doesn’t exist which does not need editing. Yet we’ve all read published books that could have been so much better with certain changes made. Reviewers and online commentators often say, “Where was the editor?” And it’s true, sometimes the editor hasn’t done a serious job on the book, or hasn’t pushed the author hard enough to make necessary changes.

Other times, though, it’s an author’s stubbornness that results in a less-than-satisfactory finished product. [more after the jump]

Perhaps I should qualify that statement before a vast moan arises from the ranks of aspiring Del Rey authors. To be precise, it’s not that we’re publishing too many books; if pressed to delete some from the 2009 list I’d have a very hard time complying. But I’ve just spent all week writing what seemed like eight hundred and ninety-seven TIs for the fall ‘09 titles and am utterly exhausted.

What’s a TI? It stands for Title Information sheet, and it is the most important document an editor will ever create for his or her book—yea, even more important than the contract request or the editorial revision letter.

Its primary users are the sales force. The TIs provide our reps core information on each title in one succinct document, which they will refer to again and again as they make sales calls on booksellers and other accounts. Under the heading Keynote, for example, we give them a one-line description of the book. Under Positioning Statement we tell them how the book fits into the Del Rey list and try to give a sense of its relative importance within the season. And under Key Selling Points we give them reasons that they can pass along to their customers as to why this book will sell.

Aspiring authors can catch an editor’s eye by thinking in these terms.

[more after the jump]

It may be young to the anime convention scene, but the recently concluded New York Anime Festival is already a must-attend event for otaku of every kind. Screenings, panels, concerts, dealers, camaraderie, community…NYAF had it all.

But for all the excitement at NYAF of Bakugan and cosplay, of Iron Chefs and silken neckties, there was only one word on the lips of NYAF attendees in the know.

What’s the word?

Just watch:

Del Rey and LucasBooks Announce Extension of Star Wars Publishing Contract and New Multi-Book Series

Maintaining a relationship that began more than 30 years ago, LucasBooks and Del Rey are slated to publish another 45 Star Wars titles from 2009 through the end of 2013. The titles will include 35 novels and 10 nonfiction books.

Read more…

Want to get into the 2008 New York Anime Festival for free without having to sneak in or bribe someone? Fancy yourself an artist like Yoshitaka Amano? Then this contest is for you!

To enter the contest, submit one (1) anime-style portrait or rendering of yourself and one (1) unaltered photograph for comparison to said portrait to info@suvudu.com between 12:01 AM EDT September 10, 2008 and midnight on September 18, 2008.

There will be four (4) First Prize Winners. Each First Prize Winner will receive two (2) weekend passes to the New York Anime Festival and three Random House manga books.

Judging the submissions will be Ali Kokeman and Tricia Narwani from Del Rey Manga!

For the official rules of this contest, click HERE!

Get those pencils sharpened, inks bled, colors mixed!

And good luck!