That was an intense weekend. (And I need fashion design help.)

OryCon, followed by my first ever book signing at Powell’s. Thanks to everyone who came out, and all the new friends I made. (And that poor girl that I talked into liking epic, military SF in spite of herself. She did at least friend me on facebook so I could apologize for dragging her down into Jessica’s world, but I suspect she wasn’t fighting too hard.)

Make your plans now.  I’ll be there next year.  And several people have threatened to make sure that the Con Committee puts me on panels, since I missed all that fun this year. Maybe, I’ll even get invited back to Powell’s again for more signings.  That was kinda awesome.

And no, I’m still only barely coherent after going for three days, then the signing, then dinner with some big gun writers that are friends of my wife and her sister, and then driving back to Seattle in the middle of the night so I could make it to work Monday morning.  (I would greatly appreciate if you could each recruit a dozen friends to buy my books so I didn’t have too day-job any more.  Pants sucks.)

Also, a bit of trivia: I’ve talked about the various definitions of readers, being social, casual, and voracious. I may have finally gotten my first collector, as well. Up until last week, there had been a story that had NEVER sold a copy, on any platform. It’s in one of the Mirror Collections, so it has been (hopefully) read, but several people have bought the first in the set (one of my favorites) and ignored the second. Sunday, on top of all the other weirdness, I finally sold a copy of The Horse Thief. Whoever, you are, congratulations on being my first official “gotta have them all” reader.  Let me know if you would like me to do something silly like sign a hard-copy of the cover for you, as a memorial trophy.  🙂

And please let me know what you think.  In my copious spare time, I have been slowly extending all of my fantasy characters.  I just turned in a new Brak story for a collection that will come out in the spring.  Suren, Kaleph, and several others will eventually bubble up, usually as palate cleansers between longer projects. (The Gilded Cage, the third Javier, was between Last of the Immortals and the current project. Have a fourth Javier planned, and just no damned time.)

What other news?

Holidays are upon us. The might mean less blogging, but mostly because I’m trying to get a novel done with all my spare time, plus I’m traveling to see the family. You’ll still see me on Facebook, and you can always email me here or there.

Winter is upon us.  I drove through chewy rain this morning, coming over the pass with a bunch of knuckleheads who probably have no business being out in the rain, let alone trying to drive in it. Soon, I’m going to have to start taking the long way around the mountains to get to work.

The new novel comes along apace.  I got to sit next to Mark Ferrari and his lovely wife, Shannon Page, at the signing, and I might be able to afford having Mark do a trio of covers for the new trilogy, which will be kinda my definition of having made it as a writer.

Also, if you know any wizards with fabric, I need some help. At OryCon, I saw a LOT of people cosplaying Manticore and the Honor Harrington books. Fabulous Publisher Babe(tm) leans over at one point and suggests that one of these days, someone is going to want to walk up in the uniform of a Command Centurion from Aquitaine, and that I better be able to tell them exactly how to do that.

I have the images in my head. I went back and re-read the appropriate sections of the books where I describe the uniforms. I have made it a point not to bog down the narrative with useless details, unlike some of the SF Writers I know who like to go into excruciatingly boring detail to show off. It should be just enough to carry the story along, and no more. (Tolkien and I would come to blows over the correct verbiage necessary to tell your tale, most likely.)

If you know anyone who does magic with cloth, I would appreciate an introduction. As I work out the next novel, I’m giving serious thought to uniforms, so that I can give someone the exact pattern numbers from McCalls or wherever, the correct colors, and the correct measurement ratios. (I promise more detail in Jessica’s fourth book, Goddess of War, but I’m not there yet. There are also surprises enough to keep everyone jumping and giggling.)

And, one of these days, I need to commission someone to make me an Aquitainian Navy uniform. Possibly First Fleet Lord, but we’ll see. It would be so amazingly awesome to have cosplaying fans, the last thing I want to do is look at one and say “but you did it wrong…” (Someone thwap me upside the head if it looks like those words are about to come out of my mouth, okay?)

Okay, about out of words.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Y’all have no idea how awesome it is to meet and interact with fans. And to know people are enjoying my books.

shade and sweet water

bd

west of the mountains, WA