Results tagged “excerpt”

I’ve been fortunate to know author Terry Brooks for almost ten years and in that time we have a mutual understanding.

I maintain his website and update it whenever he desires.

As payment, I get to read his books the moment they are written.

The best of deals for a big fan!

Yes, I am very lucky to get the opportunity to read his books early, well before they are published. Usually Terry finishes a book a year in advance of it being published, so I am privy to what is going on in his multiples series long before the readers find out.

The sad part is I have to keep my mouth shut about what I’ve read!

Anyway, it always makes me happy to share early excerpts with Terry’s fans of whatever book is forthcoming. Terry has some of the best fans around and watching them gleefully post their thoughts on his Forums of a released and read excerpt is always fun.

Here is the summary to A Princess of Landover:

After fourteen years, New York Times bestselling fantasy master Terry Brooks has returned to the magic kingdom of Landover. The remarkable realm of dragons, demons, wizards, and wonders that wove an irresistible spell in five classic novels throws open its gates at long last for a brand-new adventure featuring a dazzling cast of characters and creatures.

So begins an eventful odyssey peppered with a formidable dragon, recalcitrant gnomes, an inscrutable magic cat, a handsome librarian, a sinister sorcerer, and more than a few narrow escapes as fate draws Landover’s intrepid princess to the last place she expected to go, and into the thick of a mystery that will put her mettle to the test—and might bring the kingdom to its knees.

Want to read Chapter One of A Princess of Landover?

Here you go—Chapter One!

A Princess of Landover will be published on August 18th in the US and a week later in the UK!

Enjoy the excerpt!

PS: Terry will also be at the San Diego Comic Con in a few days! If you are going, be sure to stop by the Del Rey booth and tell him hello!

I’m always intrigued these days when a foreign writer gets his work translated into English and breaks into my local bookstore. This was not always the case. After all, I have enough books written by English speakers to fill two rooms in cities of zig-zagging piles. Why would I want to burden my hardwood floor with more books from other countries?

I do love books, but come on!

Then a few years ago, I had my eyes opened in a big way. Since the story involved a love of books, I picked up the English translation to the Spanish release Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

It is still my favorite book of the last decade.

If you think about it, a translated work should intrigue everyone. Why, you ask? There are thousands and thousands of hopeful English writers hoping to break into the publishing industry but with a foreign novel an editor doesn’t only take a chance on an uncertain book then must pay extra money to have the book translated. For an editor to feel that strongly about a book means it must be quality.

Well, in a few weeks, I will start reading one such book, another foreign release translated here in the United States—The Stranger by Max Frei.

• “If Harry Potter smoked cigarettes and took a certain matter-of-fact pleasure in administering tough justice, he might like Max Frei, the protagonist of this fantasy novel… Well-written, well-paced grown-up fantasy with a strong dose of reality.” —Kirkus

Following the jump, I have posted the press release for The Stranger as well as an exclusive excerpt from The Stranger!

The book is in bookstores now! Enjoy!

I am in the middle of reading Lamentation by Ken Scholes and so far I am greatly enjoying it! It is quite unique and very well written, two things I demand of fantasy these days, and if you haven’t read it yet go out and buy a copy! Good stuff!

To read the Prelude and Chapter One, click HERE!

One of the simply great things surrounding this series, The Psalms of Issak, is the fact the first two books are completely finished and edited while the third is near completion. Canticle, Book Two, won’t arrive in bookstores until October 13, 2009, giving Ken a great lead time on Book Three. For those of you who like authors to deliver at least once a year, Ken Scholes is the author for you!

The other wonderful thing I am seeing from Tor-Forge is consistent cover art on Ken’s books. I like that. A great deal! And I know the fans do too. Irene Gallo is one of the best art directors in the business and she has outdone herself when it comes to Ken’s covers. Again, great stuff!

Irene and Tor.com have posted a fun and informative article about cover art and the progression artist Greg Manchess took from sketch to finished product as he created the cover art for Canticle.

Enjoy!

Jacqueline Carey posted her monthly update on her website today, and included in it is a link to Chapter One from her forthcoming summer release, Naamah’s Kiss!

• Read Chapter One of Naamah’s Kiss

Jacqueline will also be touring for Naamah’s Kiss and signing a limited amount of online copies at The Signed Page!

Almost makes me want to get a tattoo…

When I began web design in 1996, publicity and marketing were purely print entities for publishers.

Few authors had email. Fewer still had websites. Publishers were just starting to realize the power of the internet(s). They relied on bookstores to spread the word about forthcoming books while releasing hundreds of advanced reader copies into the wild to generate knowledge and discussion among the booksellers—and among the fans.

It is truly amazing how far technology and our use of it has come.

Suvudu.com has been evolving as well since we launched at the San Diego Comic Con last year, slowly upgrading into the initial idea we had for this site. It has been really exciting to be a part of. We started with the blog, moved into a forum and today sees another step in that evolution.

A few more steps remain. But as a reader and fan, today’s step is one I am truly excited about!

Welcome to the Free Library!

Here is the official press release:

The Free Library will allow readers to try these new books. And perhaps more importantly I think, if you’ve read any of these books already and call yourself a true sci-fi/fantasy aficionado, you can now point your friends and family to these books to either find a new favorite author or understand your obsession a bit better. The books are free—spread word around!

This is a section of the site we will be growing into every month. So be sure to check back and see what other books we feature!

But right now, try our new Free Library!

Every Tuesday, author Jim Butcher and his great website are releasing excerpt chapters from his forthcoming Dresden Files book, Turn Coat.

Chapters One and Two have already been released, beginning February 10th. Chapter Three is released today!

To read them, click Turn Coat Excerpts!

More excerpt chapters will be released before Turn Coat is released on April 7!

Jim is one of the coolest people I have met and had in my home. He exudes ironical humor, carries a fun wit, and he inserts all of it into his writing. Turn Coat will be another bestseller, assuredly, and if you have a chance to meet Jim on tour or at a convention I highly recommend it!

Plus I think he is really lucky to have Chris McGrath as his cover artist!

Happy Reading!

R. Scott Bakker has published his new novel The Judging Eye, Book One in The Aspect Emperor, in the UK and it will be released in the US on February 19! Bakker is, quite simply, an amazing writer whose prose at times leaves me to re-read entire paragraphs in its genius. I have not read the new book but I’m sure it will be the same as the others that came before.

Pat at Fantasy Hotlist has posted an interview with Bakker, along with the prologue of The Judging Eye. And Orbit Books has offered the first chapter over on their website!

Hope you enjoyed all of that goodness! The Judging Eye will be published in the US on February 19th! Just a friendly reminder! And if you haven’t read R. Scott Bakker before and you want a challenging great story, read The Darkness That Comes Before! I doubt you will be disappointed!

As I reported HERE in November, the wildly amusing Patrick Rothfuss threw down the gauntlet to his fans—donate money to Heifer International and he would match it.

I also commented on Pat’s huge heart—watermelon-sized is the adjective I think I used.

I was wrong. The heart that thunders inside Pat is the size of a mack truck!

Patrick Rothfuss fans from all over the world have helped Pat raise more than $34,000 for Heifer International, an organization that helps end world hunger, fights poverty, and cares for the environment. Pat, of course, must match those proceeds. See what I mean by a massive heart?

Over the last few weeks, other writers have stepped forward to help Pat by giving rare items to stimulate more donations—and it has worked! In exchange for donations, Pat is giving many cool items for free as an incentive to those who donate. With the influx of these new items from various other writers, there are now hundreds of cool things to win by giving!

And you’ll feel pretty good anyway for donating whatever you can! So give, feel great about it, and get some cool stuff!

In other Patrick Rothfuss news, the Fantasy Hotlist has posted an exclusive excerpt to Wise Man’s Fear, the forthcoming sequel to The Name of the Wind! Check it out!

And after you finish reading, give… give… give… to Heifer International!

Tis the season, after all…

Steven Erikson visited the University Bookstore on September 22nd to promote his new US release, Toll the Hounds—and here is some of that visit!

Steven spent most of the event reading from Toll the Hounds and two poems from Dust of Dreams. He then answered a number of questions from the crowd on a menagerie of different topics—from how he writes to where Malazan came from to why a cliffhanger ending is necessary for next year’s Dust of Dreams.

There are eight parts to the video:

• Part 1: Steven talking about his true poetic side and reading a poem from the Malazan series.
• Part 2: Steven reading a chapter excerpt from Toll the Hounds
• Part 3: Steven reading a chapter excerpt from Toll the Hounds
• Part 4: Steven reading the Chapter III poem from Dust of Dreams.
• Part 5: Steven talking about the impending cliffhanger at the end of the forthcoming novel, Dust of Dreams.
• Part 6: Steven talks about the origins of Malazan.
• Part 7: Steven speaks to how he stays on a yearly schedule—and a secret!
• Part 8: Steven talks about how he keeps track of such a large world—or doesn’t.

Steve is a wonderful speaker. If you ever get a chance to attend an event of his, do so. And if you haven’t already, pick up Gardens of the Moon, Book One of The Malazan Book of the Fallen!

Terry Brooks visited the University Bookstore on August 26th to promote his new book, The Gypsy Morph—and he was caught on video!

At the event, Terry spoke about his future works, answered questions from the audience, and read an excerpt from the forthcoming 2009 Magic Kingdom of Landover novel. There are five parts to the video:

• Part 1: Terry thanking Duane Wilkins, bookseller extraordinaire!
• Part 2: Terry talking about the Genesis of Shannara and reading from the forthcoming Magic Kingdom of Landover novel.
• Part 3: Terry reading from the forthcoming Magic Kingdom of Landover novel.
• Part 4: Terry reading from the forthcoming Magic Kingdom of Landover novel.
• Part 5: Terry speaking about his sister Laurie’s forthcoming book Selkie Girl and answering questions from the crowd.

We hope you enjoy the videos and the Magic Kingdom of Landover excerpt! There will be a few more videos uploaded this week—one from Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Dune), another with Steven Erikson (Malazan)!

I have known Robin Hobb AKA Another Name for almost 10 years. She is one of those authors who writes great novels to only go out on tour and share a sparkling personality with her fans. She is one of the kindest people I know. That coupled with her wonderful novels makes her one of those writers I suggest everyone read at some point.

In November 2007, Robin let known she was writing on a stand-alone novel:

In early August, Robin posted two versions of the Prologue to Dragon Keeper. As Robin writes she tends to do her editing over the top of the previous version—leaving no trail of her story’s evolution—but here she shows a part of the writing process that she goes through with every book she writes and some of the very real worries a writer has in keeping continuity and uniformity in check. Enjoy!

Karen Marie Moning has released an advance excerpt of Chapter 3 from her forthcoming novel, Faefever. This is the third (and last) free sneak peek from the book available to fans before it goes on sale September 16th. Click on the animated book image below to view the excerpt (or click here if you can’t see the flash image).

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And in case you missed the previous free samples, you can read them here.

Brisingr, Book Three in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, will be published on September 20th.

Random House and Knopf Books have released several small excerpts or interesting spoiler tidbits from Brisingr over the last two months, driving Paolini fans wild with speculation and enthusiasm. Yesterday was the newest: Chapter Excerpt from Brisingr!

If you are fan of Eragon and Eldest, there you go—a new excerpt from the next book! Enjoy!

As we mentioned in a previous post, Karen Marie Moning is giving readers the chance to read three free excerpts from her forthcoming novel, Faefever before it goes on sale September 16th. It seems fans really enjoyed the first installment (over 37,000 views after one week). Chapter 2 has just been made available to readers. Click on the animated book image below to view the excerpt (or click here if you can’t see the flash image).

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And in case you missed the Prologue and Chapter 1, you can read the excerpt here.

Karen Marie Moning is giving readers the chance to read three free excerpts from her forthcoming novel, Faefever before it goes on sale September 16th. This is the third installment of Moning’s New York Times bestselling Fever series staring MacKayla “Mac” Lane (Darkfever and Bloodfever were the first two installments).

Read the Prologue and Chapter One by clicking on the animated book image below (click here if you cannot see the flash animation).

This is Moning’s second offer of free content for fans in August. A full audiobook podcast of Darkfever, is already available at www.darkfeverpodcast.com (and of course iTunes and Podiobooks).

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