Queen of Candesce
Nov 05, 2008
Pre-order Queen of Candesce paperback now
It's coming at the end of December. Here's how to get it
Queen of Candesce is already available in hardcover and in audiobook format as well. The paperback edition is on its way.
If you've been holding off buying QofC because it's only in hardcover, I heartily encourage you to give this edition a look. While Pirate Sun has been selling like hotcakes and is getting a very good critical reception, Queen of Candesce is my personal favourite of the Virga books to date (is an author allowed to say stuff like this? My editor may kill me). Rollicking adventure aside, QofC is set in a unique environment even for Virga: the inbred, decadent wheel-world of Spyre. It also features Venera Fanning, who has been one of the most fun characters I've ever written about. Not only that, I think it's the funniest book I've written. It continues the saga of Virga, opening the world, characters, and situation out in new directions. If you enjoyed Sun of Suns, you'll love Queen of Candesce.
And for all of you who complain that I don't promote my work enough: so there!
Aug 25, 2008
Coming in December
Queen of Candesce will be out in paperback in time for New Year's. Here's what the cover looks like
This is my all-time favourite cover for my books, just barely edging out another Martiniere cover, the one for Lady of Mazes. What's so cool about this image is that it's a faithful rendering of the last scene of Chapter 1, but it manages to look like it's some sort of abstract fantasy. In fact, everything in this scene is possible (if not plausible) physically, part of the "Newtoninan SF" principle I've been using in these books.
Aug 06, 2008
Queen of Candesce in audiobook form
The second Virga book is out in audio format.
As previously mentioned, Sun of Suns is out in audiobook format; you can get it at audible.com and also download it directly into your iPhone or iPod Touch from iTunes (i think). But, as promised, the other Virga books are following quickly, and now Queen of Candesce is out!
Pirate Sun should follow in short order. Since each of these books clocks in at about 10 hours in length, they should provide plenty of jogging, exercise-biking, or commuting time.
I'm finding it really interesting listening to these books. I've started with Sun of Suns, and thought initially that it would be really weird and, well, narcissistic if I did more than listen to the first chapter. But the thing is, though I know what's happening and what's to come, and often wince at what I actually wrote down, the experience of hearing the story told by someone else actually changes it. For the very first time since I started writing, I'm having the (partial) experience of encountering my own work as a reader.
There's a certain melancholy to being a writer, in that sense: you write the books you want to read, but once they're done you can't read them. But, while the experience of encountering the books through the readers isn't completely fresh, it's different enough to greatly reduce that sense of melancholy. And I never expected that.