Second, I was asked recently to put up a page for my works in progress and my upcoming publications, so I’ve done that: 2010 Publication Schedule. It’s linked at the top of the page and in the inner sidebar, so hopefully people will be able to find it when they go looking, in the future.

Third–and I know this is what you’re all really here for–I’ve posted a teaser chapter for DEMON HUNTS, book five of the Walker Papers, due out in June 2010! Enjoy! :)

Only, because those are the second and third books in the Strongbox Chronicles, and because I don’t have enough copies of THE CARDINAL RULE left to sell any, I went to Amazon so I could get a URL to point people at used copies, and instead found this:

Kindle editions of THE CARDINAL RULE, THE FIREBIRD DECEPTION, and THE PHOENIX LAW, all available as of Monday, February 15th.

And then I went to Barnes & Noble.com and discovered they will be available as of Monday, Feb 15 there, too!

Possibly this makes the physical book offer somewhat moot. However, look: they’re cheap on the Kindle and they’re really fun, fast reads, and I practically guarantee you’ll like them. Anybody know how to launch a massive e-book campaign to get people to go buy those? :)

ETA: All sold out of my copies of the Strongbox Chronicles! Thanks!

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Re-visit the world of Deverry, and of Nevyn, with a previously unpublished tale by Katharine Kerr, watch the Norse gods meet their Celtic counterparts with Elaine Cunningham, meet a druid who dances for the dead with C.E. Murphy and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

The catch to this is it’ll mean paying international shipping rates, which are stiff. On the other hand, I get to Dublin a lot more often than I get anywhere else, so it’s the best way to guarantee getting a signed copy of one (or many) of my books.

We’ll run this essentially the same way Neil Gaiman runs his Dreamhaven signings, which is to say I’ll drop by Chapters when I’m in Dublin and sign anything waiting for me, and the books will subsequently be shipped out. There will not be a pattern to this, although I will make a specific and deliberate effort to stop by Chapters at the beginning of December so that if anyone wants to send somebody a signed CE Murphy book for Christmas, it’ll get there in time.

Chapters doesn’t actually have an online ordering system, so to order my books you’ll need to contact shop@chapters.ie. To quote the lads at Chapters, One point to mention is that if people want personalised inscriptions they would have to pay in full in advance to protect us in the event of changes of mind etc. but I wouldn’t see that as being a major issue.

They *usually* have copies of all my books in. That said, however, it often takes about 10 days to get books from America to Ireland, so if you’re thinking of Christmas gifts, I would highly suggest getting orders in by mid-November in case they’re out of anything.

…and while I’m on the shameless self-promotion wagon, wouldn’t an Ireland 2010 calendar be a nice Christmas present for people? :)

For those interested in the individual issues, the Dabel Brothers Store has issues 1-3 available.