DRAGON’S LURE, featuring “Perchance to Dream”, a post-Negotiator Janx story:

The mask was nearly as beautiful as the woman bearing it.

Janx knew a thing or two about worlds that went unseen.

and

RUNNING WITH THE PACK, featuring “Blended”, a Regency-era werewolf romance:

The pack had been born savages and had, almost to a man, died that way.

But mostly, wolves died.

And just in case you missed it, THE PHANTOM QUEEN AWAKES, featuring “Cairn Dancer”, a story of the Morrigan, has been available since March:

It was not, in the end, the river which waited, not at all. It was instead the cairns, rough tall stone piles which housed the dead, and honored them. It was their song that called her down the length of the river, inviting them to their sacred place.

A fist made itself known around Mairaed’s heart: a squeeze that took her breath and sent an ache through her body. Her palms cramped; the soles of her feet shuddered, and she sipped barely enough air to whisper, “The dances.”

Go forth! Buy! Enjoy! :)

The Morrigan goddess represented all three to the ancient Celts. Journey with our authors as they tell stories of love, war, hatred, revenge and mortality – each featuring the Morrigan in her many guises.

Re-visit the world of Deverry, and of Nevyn, with a previously unpublished tale by Katharine Kerr, watch the Norse gods meet their Celtic counterparts with Elaine Cunningham, meet a druid who dances for the dead with C.E. Murphy and follow the path of a Roman centurion with Anya Bast.

These are but a few offerings from the stories collection in The Phantom Queen Awakes. If you are searching for a rich blend of dark fantasy, then this is a collection perfect for you.

The Phantom Queen Awakes stories:
Rising Tide: Ruth Shelton
Kiss of the Morrigan: Anya Bast
I Guard Your Death: Lynne Lumsden Green
Gifts of the Morrigan: Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
Cairn Dancer: C. E. Murphy
Washerwoman: Jennifer Lawrence
The Raven’s Curse: Sharon Kae Reamer
Ravens: Mari Ness
The Lass from Far Away: Katharine Kerr
The Trinket: Peter Bell
The Dying Gaul: Michael Bailey
The Children of Badb Catha: James Lecky
The Plain of Pillars: L. J. Hayward
The Silver Branch: Linda Donahue
The Good and Faithful Servant: Martyn Taylor
The White Heifer of Fearchair: T. A. Moore
She Who is Becoming: Elaine Cunningham

N.B.: The Phantom Queen Awakes will be released 14th February 2010 in the US.

UK, Australian and European release dates to follow.

US: $20 + shipping

I’m guest blogging over at Temple Library Reviews about some of the differences between writing comics and novels. Thanks very much to Harry for inviting me to come play at his review site!

As reminded by several persons, THE PRETENDER’S CROWN has been nominated for the 2009 David Gemmell LEGEND Award for Fantasy. It’s on the long list, which is incredibly flattering, and it would be even more flattering to make it to the short list. My understanding is that voting between now and March will winnow the list down, so if you’ve any inclination, here’s the voting page.

And here’s this year’s publication schedule:

February: THE PHANTOM QUEEN AWAKES (anthology with a story of the Morrigan)


May: DRAGON LURE (anthology with a post-Negotiator-trilogy Janx story)


May 29: RUNNING WITH THE PACK (anthology with a Regency werewolf story)


June 1: DEMON HUNTS (book 5 of the Walker Papers. Birthday release date!)


August 31: TRUTHSEEKER (book 1 of the Worldwalker Duology)

That’s certainly a nice way to start the day. :) In celebration, I shall give you a sneak peak at the cover for DEMON HUNTS, book five of the Walker Papers, coming in June 2010, and currently my Favorite Cover EVAR. :)

(Joanne has a HEAD! And a profile and everything! Woot!)

As WALKING DEAD’s release is imminent, let me once more point toward Rabbit Tricks, a Walker Papers short story that fits between COYOTE DREAMS and WALKING DEAD. Enjoy, if you haven’t read it!

In non-Walker Paper news, there’s notification at Scooper Speaks that RUNNING WITH THE PACK, a werewolf anthology featuring stories by myself and fellow Luna author Laura Anne Gilman, as well as many others, will be out in June 2010. (Coincidentally, that’s the same time DEMON HUNTS, book five of the Walker Papers will be out! You’ll be able to buy them both at once! Oops, that made it Walker Papers news, didn’t it?)

THE PHANTOM QUEEN AWAKES anthology has been delayed two months, and will now be out in December 2009 instead of October.

More details as they develop. :)

The winner is /blythe025, who said I would love to see a story told from the point of view of a priest.

For some reason this idea really caught me. Possibly because I like the priest in the Negotiator trilogy so much, but somehow there’s just a real romanticism to that idea for me. I actually feel like I could build a book around the idea of a priest dealing with the Old Races, though I’m already terribly torn on *when* I would set that story. Or whether it would have to be a longer story, a series of its own, just trying to deal with the religious and spiritual connotations of the Old Races’ existence, from a Western theology’s point of view. I’m just utterly enamored of this idea!

Other ideas, including exceedingly moderate spoilers, are behind the cut.

There were no fewer than five requests/suggestions for a story about Grace. Sadly for all the people who proposed that, you did not win, because I already plan to write a story about Grace someday (I realize you couldn’t possibly have known that, but it’s on my list of things to do). So on the one hand, you didn’t win. On the other, you’ll get your story, eventually. It’ll be at least novella-length, it will be called KISS OF ANGELS, and that’s all I can tell you now. :)

Chelsea got two requests (though somehow it seemed like more). I’m afraid Chelsea’s story will not be told. Chelsea feels it’s none of your business. (My *agent* doesn’t know Chelsea’s story, and I got a whole series of emails from her where she tried to guess it. It drives her nuts. :))

There were also requests for:
- more about Daisani’s secretary Vanessa,
- more about Sarah Hopkins (there’s a part of me that wants to go back and write that whole story, which would be called LONDON BURNING, but I donno, so much of it got told, or at least all the highlights, within the Negotiator trilogy that I’m not sure it’s worth doing…)
- the story of “the first time Malik lost” (I really, *really* liked that idea, I don’t know why I never thought of telling it!)
- the early days of Daisani and Rebecca’s (Margrit’s mother) relationship
- the world before humans arose and the Old Races were still battling it out for who might be in charge (that’d be book-length, I think, & I rather adore the idea)
- the Biali/Alban/Hajnal love triangle
- anything from Janx & Daisani’s past/future (apparently you guys like them as much as I do :))
- more about the selkies in the centuries they were gone

THE CONTEST: tell me (in no more than 50 words) what Old Races story you would like to see told. It doesn’t have to be something that comes organically from the books; you can just randomly want “a story about the djinn” or something.

THE CAVEAT: I may make off with one or more idea and turn it into a story at some point. :)

THE OTHER CAVEAT: This contest is also running at my main blog at mizkit.com/mizkit.livejournal.com, so it’s possible the winning entry won’t actually show up in *this* comment thread. I will, however, post the winner’s entry at both locations, so everybody’ll know who won and for what story idea.

THE WARNING: I expect there will be spoilers for the Negotiator trilogy in this thread. If you don’t want to be spoiled, stay out of the comments.

THE WINNER: will be the person whose story idea I like best!

THE DEADLINE: the contest will end on June 9th. :)

THE OTHER CONTEST: My agent, the incomparable Jennifer Jackson (who apparently started agenting at the tender age of nine), is celebrating her 16th year of being an agent by running a contest for ARCs and books written by her clients. Go read her instructions carefully and participate! :)

The Dabel Brothers bring you three original, never-before-seen tales for FCBD09, including the Dresden Files “Restoration of Faith”; “The Calm Before,” the prelude story to adaptation of the classic film, The Warriors; and “Previously, on Take A Chance,” which steps back in time to the day a gene-altering virus was released into the world. All this, plus a sneak preview of Del Rey’s forthcoming novel, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi – Outcast by Aaron Allston, a bold new adventure for Luke, Han, and your favorite Star Wars characters!

Overall the best cast, I think, came from Liz McClafferty, who suggested the following:

Margrit Knight – Jasika Nicole
Alban Korund – Josh Holloway
Tony Pulcella- Kirk Acevedo
Eliseo Daisani – Robert Downey Jr.
Vanessa Gray – Winona Ryder
Janx – Johnny Depp
Chelsea Huo – Michelle Yeoh
Grace O’Malley – Katie Sackoff
Malik – Skeet Ulrich
Tariq – Gary Dourdan
Kaimana – Pomaika’i Brown
Cara – Dakota Fanning
Biali – Micky Rourke
Hajnal – Faune Chambers
Ausra – Rashida Jones
Russel Lomax – Gary Sinise
Cameron – Jennifer Garner
Cole – Matt Damon
Sarah – Charlize Theron
Ursula – Kristen Stewart
Kate – Emma Watson

Whew. That was *hard*! I gotta make the next contest easier on *me*!