Blog Archives
Book on Sale! (+ Miscellaneous Horn-tooting)
Haven’t read my debut fantasy novel yet? Well, you’re in luck: both halves of the novel (The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood) are now available in a single omnibus edition (i.e. “the complete novel I intended”) called by its original title, THE OLDEST TRICK. And there is even better news! The e-book version is currently on sale for a mere $1.99! That’s right – for about the cost of a Gatorade from a gym vending machine, you can get the novel reviewers have been calling “a romp in the style of Scott Lynch and Patrick Rothfuss” and “an amalgamation of anime, grimdark, and the top tier of contemporary epic fantasy. ”
So, go and do it now! The sale won’t last forever, and the sooner you get it, the sooner you will be ready for the next installment, NO GOOD DEED, which is scheduled for release on June 21st!
Speaking of which…
No Good Deed‘s final draft was accepted by my editor on Friday, which means all that’s left is the copy edit and then the thing is off to the presses (errr…or digital formaters. Or whoever handles e-books – it’s an e-book initial release). You can pre-order it now on Amazon, and you’ll be hearing an awful lot about it here over the coming two or three months. Stay tuned for promotions of various stripes, once I figure out what the hell those might be.
Oh and by the way…
This is my final year of eligibility for the John W Campbell Award, which is given to new writers in the field of science fiction and fantasy. After two years you are no longer eligible, so if you think I’m great, now is your last chance to act (nominations for the Campbell end at the end of March, BTW). I have a couple things eligible. My novel (see above) and a couple short stories. One you can read for free right here on Escape Pod. I’m fairly proud of it and it has even received a pretty glowing review from SF Bluestocking which I shall excerpt for you here:
“Adaptation and Predation” is an excellent piece of world building, something that is often lacking in short fiction but which Auston Habershaw accomplishes here with panache. His cast of alien species is wonderfully imagined and described, and this short exploration of life in their highly stratified society is simply riveting.
High praise, yes? I think so – I’m very pleased at the review and, should you find it in your heart, feel free to nominate it (and me) for whatever you feel it deserves.
Okay, so there you have it – horn tooting over. I’ll be back later in the week with something more substantive for you folks to read.
Thanks, and talk to you soon!
Reading Your Own Press
The general consensus among writers (or, at least ones that I’ve heard talk about it) is that you shouldn’t read reviews of your work. This makes sense, arguably: good reviews can give you an inflated sense of self-worth, while bad reviews can damage your self-esteem for no good reason.
I spend waaay too much time stalking myself on this site.
But of course I read them. I don’t honestly understand how it’s possible not to. I mean, I didn’t write my books to exist in a vacuum – I want them to be read, dammit! I breathlessly await the audience’s reaction. And why not? My books are as much for them as they are for me. It’s like giving somebody a present but never checking to see if they appreciated it. Who does that? Don’t you want to know? If I told you that just over there inside that room there were a bunch of people leaving anonymous notes about your work performance, wouldn’t you go take a look? They’re talking about you! Don’t you want to know?
If you answered “no” to that question, well, you’re a much stronger person than I. Or perhaps a sociopath.
Maybe both.
So, I’m going to read my reviews. I will do so until they get boring or repetitive or I have the lucky fate of having so damned many of them that I can’t keep up. How, though, to retain my sanity in the face of constant critique? The trick, I think, is to read your reviews with one thought firmly held in your head: This is just their opinion.
If they love the book, then great! But that doesn’t mean everybody will.
If they hate the book, booo! But that doesn’t mean everybody will.
If they call me names, I am rubber and they are glue (etc., etc.).
There will be unfair reviews (both good and bad) there will be fair, well-thought out reviews (both good and bad) and I must be okay with this. Now, I have had the lucky fortune of getting mostly good reviews for my stuff, so hooray for me! I am, of course, deeply appreciative to anyone who wrote a review (good or bad), because that helps other people find my books and confirms to me that, yes, people out there are reading and thinking about what I wrote. This all isn’t just some crazy dream.
So, I say go ahead and read your reviews! Just don’t listen to them. It’s one thing to read your own press, it’s quite another thing to believe it.
AND ONE MORE THING: Never, ever ever ever respond to reviews. Ever. Not good ones, not bad ones, not middle ones–NEVER. Under any circumstances whatsoever. Why? How about all of these reasons.
No Good Deed Updates!
So, more and more folks are bugging me about when the sequel to The Oldest Trick comes out. As my last editor just left Harper and I have a new one, the release date has been pushed back to June 21st where, hopefully, it will stay. I am still waiting for edit notes from my new editor and, once I get them, I’ll be turning them around fairly quickly (I hope). So, just a few months left to wait, I swear!
For now, you can pre-order the book on Amazon and, when it releases, an e-copy will find its way to your device promptly. Until then, I promise to be doing my best to get you the best damned Tyvian story there is. Thanks for all your support!
Proof I’m Not Crazy: Reviews!
I have a book signing tomorrow at Pandemonium Books and Games in Cambridge, MA (7pm-9pm). Please come!
Hey! HEY YOU! I’ve got a book? You like books, doncha? How about you read MY BOOK! Hey! HEY!
Associated with such an event, however, is the permanent and paralyzing fear that no one, in fact, will show up. It might seem like, outside of a few friends and family who might pop in, nobody much cares about my book or my career or the fact that the fantasy genre exists at all. All of it, ultimately, must be some kind of consensual delusion on the part of myself, my publisher, and the bookseller.
But I’m not crazy. For one thing, there’s Kameron Hurley’s lovely post on how our work matters. For another, there are reviews of my book, which, but for a singular exception, have all been simply lovely. Also, here’s the best part: I don’t even know all of those people.
So, as an effort to pump myself up AND as an effort to drum up attention for my novel, The Oldest Trick, just now released in paperback, let me collect for you a selection of review highlights.
Habershaw has a deft, sure touch and his characters are delicious. This is a well-crafted, gripping adventure.
~Samantha Murray, Amazon, 5 Stars
The Oldest Trick is a stand-out debut from talented new writer, Auston Habershaw. Intricate and deft world-building, strong characterization, a wry sense of humour and satisfying twists all infuse this novel. Well worth a look.
~Charcoal Chicken, Amazon, 5 Stars
Auston Habershaw’s attention to detail in creating his world of Alandar is nothing short of stunning (care to take a ride on spirit train anyone?).
~Steve Pantazis, Amazon, 5 Stars
Alandar is, quite simply, unlike any other place I’ve visited in fantasy. Habershaw tears down well-worn tropes and builds them into something new and unexpected.
~Daniel J Davis, Amazon, 5 Stars
An epic fantasy rollick in the style of Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch...Richly envisioned without getting bogged down in exposition, and bursting with action.
~John Perich, Amazon, 4 Stars
Alandar, the world of The Oldest Trick, is awesome. It’s dark and fantastical, full of magic and assassins and pickpockets. To me, it’s an amalgamation of anime, grimdark and the top tier of contemporary epic fantasy. The characters are slick, and not without motivations.
~ChappyZach, Amazon, 5 Stars
Auston Habershaw’s The Iron Ring is an explosive debut by a talented new voice in fantasy. It is remarkably well-written, fast-paced, and highly entertaining. The main character evokes images of Scott Lynch’s Locke Lamora, quick-witted, charming, and rogue-like, while the worldbuilding is as deep and complex – yet logical – as any Brandon Sanderson book.
~Nathan Garrison, Goodreads, 4 Stars
I freaking love this series. This is how high-fantasy should be done. Can’t wait for the next one.
~Brooke Johnson, Goodreads, 4 Stars
Compared with The Lies of Locke Lamora or The Name of the Wind, this book should only get 4.35 stars, compared with pretty much every other fantasy novel it’s 4.68 stars, rounded up to a well-deserved five. It’s been some time since I have read a fantasy-trilogy/series? that had me this excited. Most highly recommended.
~Tom Loock, Goodreads, 5 Stars
So there, see? I’m not a lunatic. This book is worth your time. Either the world is crazy, or I’m pretty good at this. So get out there and meet Tyvian Reldamar, scoundrel extraordinaire, as he struggles with his cursed ring and tries to get revenge without being bad.
And if you do, leave a review when you’re finished, okay?
Auston Habershaw 