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THE OLDEST TRICK: Soon Available in Dead-tree Format
I was just cruising by Amazon, like you do, and look what I found:
This is more exciting than it looks
Yes, I know it’s a blank cover. That’s not important right now. What is important is that this blank cover represents the impending release of a Mass Market Paperback edition of The Oldest Trick!
According to Amazon, which has been my most reliable source of publication news thus far, the book (actual, physical book) will be released on September 29th, 2015. So, a month away. Then, all you luddites out there who refuse to read e-books will, at long last, have access to my work. I’ll be able to plan book signings, even! I will have a book I can give my mom to stick on her bookshelf! I will (finally) be able to send out those signed manuscripts I gave away in a contest about six weeks ago!
I will hold in my hands a real, actual bound novel written by me and published by not-me. That should be cathartic, folks.
Some Design Changes
You might have noticed that the heading image changed and the tagline and the font and some other stuff. It occurs to me that, while I still do write science fiction and am very interested in that genre, I am currently more of a fantasy author by trade. I’ve published 2 scifi short stories compared to 6 fantasy stories and 2 (or 1, depending on how you count) fantasy novels, so the writing is on the wall at the moment. If I’m going to have an image on my blog, it should probably have castles and dragons and stuff. I found the image here, for those of you who are interested. I’m not really sure of the artist’s name – there wasn’t very much information available about him or her.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the new look. I think it has some bugs to work out, but it’ll do for now.
As of about now, I’ve been writing this blog for four years. I’ve posted about 450 times, averaging about twice a week, and have had over ten-thousand visits and currently have 1100 followers or so, which seems unbelievable huge to me. I have no idea if this little platform for my “social media presence” is paying off in terms of book sales, but it certainly is a fun time and I’m glad I started doing it. Since that time, I’ve had seven story sales, published 2 (or 1 or 3, depending on how you count) novels, and won one international writing contest. Life is good.
Thank you, all of you, for your support and interest in my work and this blog!
I’m Back (Roadtrip Stats and Guest Blog Fun!)
I’m back! Did you miss me?
…
You didn’t notice I was gone, did you? No, no – don’t deny it. I can see it in your guilty face. Fine.
(slams door)
…
(comes back through door)
But seriously, let me talk about the last week. I went on vacation – visiting family in South Carolina – and that vacation was poorly situated overtop of the release date for The Oldest Trick. I did manage to put up a post about that while I was away, but there were a few things I missed, so I’m here to catch up. First, though, let me provide you with my Roadtrip Stats!
It turns out they actually do this occasionally (click the picture), but it still seems ridiculous.
I have driven from Boston to Hilton Head, South Carolina about twenty five times or so. The last two times, I’ve actually driven myself (and my family). In case you haven’t had the opportunity to journey that far down I-95, let me give you the statistics for this last trip.
Traffic
Best: North Carolina
Worst: New Jersey (by a mile)
Scenery
Best: Maryland (honorable mention: Connecticut)
Worst: North Carolina (I’m looking at you, “South of the Border” signs)
Drivers
Best: Delaware (I mean, assuming you get over the bridge in one piece)
Worst: Virginia (Holy tailgating, Batman!)
Rest Stops
Best: Connecticut (what few there are)
Worst: Virginia (I have seen things I cannot un-see)
Honorable Mention: New Jersey, for having the most batshit crazy rest stops in the western world. I mean, they’re fairly clean, but I’ve never run into a traffic jam in a rest stop except in New Jersey.
Gas Prices
Best: South Carolina (ran into a guy from Pennsylvania in SC who swore he had gone through a time vortex. $2.10 a gallon?)
Worst: Connecticut (The sign said “REGULAR UNLEADED: Blood of First Born + tax”)
Next time I do the trip, I’ll report my findings. I’m pretty sure Jersey is smarting from its upset from the “Worst Drivers” category and clearly Massachusetts should get in there at some point, too. But Virginia…wow. Just amazing.
Publicity Notes
Guest Posts!
- Michelle Hauck’s blog hosted me, wherein I write about sequels.
- AFE Smith hosted me, too, so I discussed conflict.
- Another shout-out to Bishop O’Connell, who let me talk about Guilty Pleasures on his blog.
Features!
- Liana Brooks put me up on her Impulse Buys of the Week blog, too!
Reviews!
- I’ve got ten reviews on Amazon for THE OLDEST TRICK! Come see what people who got the Advance Reader Copies thought!
A big thank you to Liana, Michelle, AFE, and Bishop for letting me sully their blog-space with my ramblings, and thank you to all the kind reviewers out there, too!
Print Copies?
I keep getting people asking me about print copies. I have been assured that they’re coming, I just don’t know quite when. When I know, I promise I’ll let you know, too! In the meantime, I leave you with this dancing chipmunk:
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
RELEASE DAY: The Oldest Trick!
Greetings intrepid Cybernauts and Internetians!
Today is the day! THE DAY! The day that you may own the first installment of my epic fantasy series, The Saga of the Redeemed, as it was intended to be read and enjoyed! Behold, The Oldest Trick!
Compiled for the first time, The Oldest Trick comprises The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood in the Saga of the Redeemed
Tyvian Reldamar gets betrayed by his longtime partner and left for dead in a freezing river. To add insult to injury, his mysterious rescuer took it upon himself to affix Tyvian with an iron ring that prevents the wearer from any evildoing.
Revenge just got complicated.
On his quest to get even, Tyvian navigates dark conspiracies, dodges midnight assassins, and uncovers the plans of the ruthless wizard Banric Sahand. Tyvian will need to use every dirty trick in the book to avoid a painful and ignominious end, even as he learns to work with—and rely on—his motley crew of accomplices, including an adolescent pickpocket, an obese secret-monger, and a fearsome gnoll.
Before we go any further, some buy links:
There! Go forth and contribute to e-commerce, my minions! Okay, so not ‘minions,’ exactly. Pals? Associates? Mildly benevolent strangers?
Oh, and for those of you awaiting a physical copy, that is coming soon – a few weeks, I’m told.
Anyway, here’s the story of why my first two books are in one volume with a different title. This is the definitive version, so in the future I’ll just link back to here. Here we go:
Many moons ago, when Habershaw was even more enthusiastic and naive than he is currently, he was offered a 3-book deal from Harper Voyager – the culmination of a life-long dream. The catch? The first two books would in actuality, be the first book of the series split into two – The Oldest Trick, parts 1 and 2. Me, having no agent (and not for lack of trying) and having no guarantee such an opportunity would come around again, took the deal. Thus, The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood were born, to the confusion of people everywhere. I began to run into people who would ask:
What the hell, Habershaw? This book ends in the middle! Don’t you know how to tell a story?
and reviews that said:
I like this book, but then it stopped in the middle, so I’m knocking off a bunch of stars because screw this guy for leaving me hanging.
In the House of Habershaw, truly there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. But lo! My editor, in her wisdom, convinced the Powers That Be to release an omnibus edition of the two half-books, also known as a single book, and give it the original title. This, dear friends, is that book – a labor of love some five years in the making and the waiting, at last in one single volume.
I am stoked.
Now, if you’ve already read the first two books (and bless you, by the way. Were you here right now, I’d give you a big slobbery wet kiss. Unless that would be weird, in which case I would shake your hand heartily and slap your back in true man-fashion), then you’ve already read this book. No need to buy it again, really – book 3 is on the way, I promise. HOWEVER, now is an ideal time to recommend this book to others. I cannot get the word out alone, my friends! Go forth! Recommend my work to those who like swords, sorcery, derring-do, and snarky anti-heroes. And giant man-eating gnolls.
If you haven’t read it yet, then buy this one. Save the dollar, read the whole thing, love it, leave a review. Let’s get the word out, folks! I think my book is awesome, and I want other people to know it is awesome, too. Let’s do this. Later, when it’s a hit, there’ll be a big party at my house. Big slobbery kisses for everyone.
Unless that’s weird.
The Long Arc: The Challenges of Writing a Series
When I sat down to start writing the Saga of the Redeemed, I knew where it was all going. Maybe not on a micro level (like, the individual scenes for all the books were pretty damn far from being plotted out), but in general, I knew where I wanted Tyvian Reldamar to start and I knew where I wanted him to end up (don’t worry – I won’t spoil anything). I also knew it wouldn’t be contained in a single book. Probably not even three books.
How did I know this? Well, I don’t really know. I think it was because of two reasons, and I think these two reasons are pretty important factors to consider anytime you’re planning to write a book or series of books:
#1: How Big is the World?
Excellent book! Recommended highly!
I don’t mean physically, either. Maybe “deep” is a better word – basically, how much story is there to explore in the setting you’ve created? If you don’t visit every single nation on your world map, will the audience miss it? How much of the world matters in the story, anyway? For Tolkien, of course, he had a vast mythology and epic forces of good and evil clashing, and so he needed a bunch of books to give the story the space he felt it deserved. Likewise, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files just keep going and going and going because it always feels like there’s more to discover. On the other hand, there’s The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison – an excellent, excellent book, mind you – which is contained in a single volume. Why? Well, Maia’s story fits there, neatly and cleanly. There simply isn’t a need for more.
#2: How Much Does the Character Change?
This is crucial. For the most part, stories are about how the protagonist changes as a result of their experiences. Now, there are exceptions (*cough*JamesBond*cough*), but mostly that’s true of almost every story, regardless of genre. We are reading to experience some kind of change, subtle though it may be. The further a journey your character has, the more books you’re going to need to write. Tyvian, in my novels, begins as a shallow, narcissistic, self-involved criminal. The story is about his slow change from that to…something else. Now, I don’t think people change on a dime, nor do I think stories of redemption accomplished in a weekend are convincing (sure, sure – Uncle Paul found Jesus this weekend and is going to stop drinking – what’s this, the seventh time?), and so I feel that Tyvian’s shift must be a gradual one. It is going to take several books to accomplish.
The series, however, presents some significant challenges for the new author, such as myself. At a basic level, you need to get a publisher to keep buying your books (or, I suppose, you can self-publish, but then you need to keep paying for cover art and editing and so on and so forth, so the basic problem is the same, even if the specifics are wholly different). Are my books selling? Well, sure they are! They are pretty steadily floating between 1000th and 2000th place on Amazon for Fantasy novels! So…yeah, people are buying them, but nobody is putting a down-payment on a summer home. I’ve got a contract through Book 3 (which, technically, is Book 2), but I need two more books to finish the story to a point where I feel satisfied walking away.
Can I get a contract for those other two? Can I score an agent to represent me? I don’t know. It’s worrying, frankly, and it’s something you need to consider about your series. They might not want to publish books 5 and 6, no matter how dear they are to you.
Of course the other, perhaps more daunting problem (even if it is more under your control) is actually writing a satisfying series of novels. You know how you read the first book in a series and you’re like “whoah! That was the most awesome thing ever!” and then you read the next one and you’re like “Oh…uhhh…it was okay, I guess,” and then by the time you’re at book 3 you’re totally fed up and the story is lame and you don’t care about the characters anymore?
Yeah, nobody does that on purpose.
All writers try to make their second and third and fourth books every bit as awesome as the first one. The problems, however, are two-fold as I see it. A sequel must:
- Be true to the original in tone and feel.
- Advance the story so that things are totally different.
Oh. Now a short guy with a lightsaber. How interes…zzzzz…
Clearly, these two things are potentially at odds. Doing it well requires you to have a keen grasp of what matters in your story and what does not. This is harder than you think, too. First off, you’ll probably guess wrong – the things you love about your series might not be the same things your audience loves (hence: WRITE REVIEWS, PEOPLE!). Secondly, even assuming you guess correctly, you still need to change things to keep it fresh enough. Remember the Star Wars prequels? Remember how boring they were? Well, each Episode did not sufficiently advance the story we cared about enough to make it work and, furthermore, the world as presented was not deep enough to support all three films. Could you have done them so they worked? Sure! But we would have had to focus on Anakin and his gradual change into a monster rather than on four-armed lightsaber duels and CGI effects.
The pitfall of keeping it fresh, though, is losing the thing that made it fun to begin with. To use George RR Martin’s series, A Sword of Ice and Fire, I’ve basically checked out of the books at this point because the thing that kept me invested – the struggle between the Lannisters and the Starks – is basically over and done with. Everybody I loved is either dead now or changed so as to become lame. The books go on and the world is certainly deep enough, but the characters just aren’t there anymore for me. I’m out.
So, to circle back, I find myself writing Book 4 of The Saga of the Redeemed at the moment and I need to keep reminding myself of why I love this series in the first place (answer: the characters) and what has to change in the story to keep it fresh (maddeningly enough: the characters). It’s a balance, and a difficult one. I mean, honestly, how many more swordfights can Tyvian get in before it becomes boring?
(looks at notes)
Gosh, I hope it’s a lot.
Publicity Notes
Just wanted to take a moment to remind new readers of the Saga of the Redeemed that the first two books are being released in one volume – titled The Oldest Trick – which is how I always intended them to read. A great opportunity to get started and save yourself some dough, to boot. It is currently available for pre-order from:
And probably on Apple iBooks somewhere, but I can’t figure out for the life of me how to find it.
Anyway, preorder today!
The Oldest Trick RELEASE DATE CHANGE
So, funny story:
The other day I was stalking myself on Amazon (like you do) and I checked out the entry for my upcoming novel, The Oldest Trick, an omnibus of the first two books of The Saga of the Redeemed. If you haven’t read the books yet, this is a great way to start and will save you a whole dollar.
Anyway, there I was looking at the book and how it’s ranking at the moment and so on when I noticed that the release date, which had been July 14th, had been changed to August 11th.
Nobody had told me this, so I shot my editor an e-mail and, lo and behold, turns out that is, in fact, true – they changed the release date on me. This also means the (long awaited) paperback version is also pushed back a few more weeks. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a problem, but:
- Tor.com has me listed as of Monday with the old release date.
- I just promised some nice people signed copies of the book once it is released in paperback, which seems like it will take another two months or so.
So, I feel that apologies are in order: I’m sorry, internet, for the release date changing and me only telling you about it now. I didn’t know.
Four more weeks? Grrrr!
What I’m not sorry for is how awesome the book is and how much you will love it. You just have to wait a few more weeks to get it all in one volume. Can’t wait? Well you can buy Part 1 and Part 2 right now anywhere fine e-books are sold!
And, in the meantime, I leave you with a picture of this adorable, somewhat annoyed little puppy.
THE OLDEST TRICK Giveaway Results!
THIS fine volume will soon be yours, winners!
A.F.E. Smith’s Release Party for Darkhaven completed on Saturday, and along with it my little contest to give away some signed copies of THE OLDEST TRICK. And now, for the results of that contest:
<cue drumroll>
And the winners are:
Diana So/ Diana Southammavong
Penny Mmarks/ Penny Burns Marks
Clare Roden
falicesidoma/ Felicia Sidoma
Neil Jacob David
Rebekah Kreyling
But…but…there’s SIX of them?!
Yes. Everybody will have to share. (Kidding, kidding).
Well, I had six people enter in total, so I figured the difference between signing and mailing six books and signing and mailing three was inconsequential enough that I would have felt pretty stingy if I didn’t give everyone a prize. Yes, yes – I’m a softy.
What To Do Now?
The book won’t be released in paperback for a few weeks. In order to know where to send it, I’m going to need the winners to contact me (via e-mail or PM on my Facebook page–see the Contact Me tab at the top of this page) so I can get addresses and such. Feel free to do so anytime, but I’d recommend doing it soon before I get distracted with other things. Strike while the iron is hot, I say!
Congratulations, all, and thanks for playing!
As for the rest of you, who missed the party and so on, please check out The Oldest Trick in e-book on July 14th (or pre-order now!) or in paperback form a few weeks later. Come watch scoundrel and villain Tyvian Reldamar attempt to gain revenge against his traitorous business partner despite being cursed with a magic ring that forbids him to do evil! Swashbucking fantasy adventure in the style of Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson! Don’t miss it!
Win a Signed Copy of THE OLDEST TRICK! Today only!
You could win this, and with my name scribbled in it! Surely, your descendants will sing of this immortal day!
Today is a very special day. My friend, A.F.E. Smith, has a book out today. It’s called DARKHAVEN, and it sounds really cool, and you should all buy it. To celebrate, AFE is throwing a release party, at which you can win many prizes and much wealth. Well, prizes. Mostly in the form of books or artwork from your favorite authors. Which, now that I think of it, is very much the same thing as wealth.
But I digress.
I, the intrepid author of this, your fourth or fifth favorite blog, am participating in this party in two very important ways.
Way the First
Ms. Smith will be interviewing me on her release party page at 3pm EST (or 8pm UK time). You can ask questions, too! Stop on by and join in the fun!
Way the Second
To support AFE’s release, I’m putting up some of my own books for a prize. I will be giving away 3 signed copies of THE OLDEST TRICK, my latest fantasy novel (see sidebar). Here’s how to win:
- AMUSE ME! The challenge is as follows: tell me a fantasy (or Dungeons and Dragons) related joke in the comments or, if you’d prefer, post an amusing fantasy-related picture or meme (or link to it). The funniest three win the prize!
- To make it easier for me to contact you (and for you to know that you won), please follow this blog (I’ll post the winners tomorrow). Then I can coordinate where to send your book with you via e-mail.
That’s it! Get posting, and I hope to talk to you at the interview!
(Note: The paperback release of THE OLDEST TRICK probably isn’t until August 11th, so it might be a few weeks before I can mail your book to you. Sorry for the delay, but I’ll do the best I can. Thanks so much for playing!)
Announcing: THE OLDEST TRICK, releasing on July 14th!
So, by now you’ve heard me jawing about my two novels (The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood) which, together, really comprise a single novel. That single novel was the one I originally submitted to Harper Voyager and now, after being apart for so very long, they are together again at last! This is my vision as I originally intended it – the director’s cut, if you will (though, really, it isn’t any different than the other two books, just presented back-to-back in one volume).
To avoid any potential confusion, you will note that the cover artists have combined both covers into one bold, yellow vision.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my book has been reunited with itself and now you can read the entirety of The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood in one volume under its original title, THE OLDEST TRICK!
(pause here for applause.)
(c’mon – just one golf-clap! humor me!)
Okay, anyway, here’s the blub:
Compiled for the first time, The Oldest Trick comprises The Iron Ring and Iron and Blood in the Saga of the Redeemed
Tyvian Reldamar gets betrayed by his longtime partner and left for dead in a freezing river. To add insult to injury, his mysterious rescuer took it upon himself to affix Tyvian with an iron ring that prevents the wearer from any evildoing.
Revenge just got complicated.
On his quest to get even, Tyvian navigates dark conspiracies, dodges midnight assassins, and uncovers the plans of the ruthless wizard Banric Sahand. Tyvian will need to use every dirty trick in the book to avoid a painful and ignominious end, even as he learns to work with—and rely on—his motley crew of accomplices, including an adolescent pickpocket, an obese secret-monger, and a fearsome gnoll.
The extra good news is this: those of you tired of shelling out $5 for the two separate books can now purchase this single volume for a mere $4! That’s a 20% savings, folks!
Pre-order now:
And everywhere else fine e-books are sold!
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Why yes, there is! I have been told by my editor that this, sleek, attractive compendium of derring-do and things fantastic will be available in paperback! Yes, no more fuddling with those bizarre, complicated e-reading mechanisms! No, actual trees will be slaughtered and mashed down into paper just so you may flip about the pages of Tyvian’s world to your heart’s content!
(note: all paper will very likely be recycled. No actual trees were harmed during the production of this message)
Now, I don’t know just when the paperback version will be out – “a few weeks after the 14th” is what I was told – but it is coming, and it will be glorious.
AND ALSO:
Did you see how I’m now listed as an AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR? Do you wonder why that is? Why, because I won an award, of course! The Writers of the Future Award to be precise. Read my award winning story (and many other such stories) here, in this year’s anthology!
Hey, Look: Cover Art!
Hello, Friends! Happy New Year!
My, my, but I have been a busy little bee. When last we spoke, I told you I had writing to do. Well, over this break I have revised/rewritten some 100,000 words or so. Yes, I know. I am only about two and half chapters or so (not counting the Epilogue) away from finishing the fourth draft and third complete draft of All That Glitters – my sequel to The Iron Ring and Blood and Iron. It rocks. When this draft is done (ideally tomorrow), I will be sending it off to beta readers just to make sure my assessment of its quality isn’t some elaborate fever dream of my overtaxed imagination.
Speaking of The Iron Ring (release date is February 10th, 2015, so…a little over a month away!), I got to see some of the preliminary cover art a few weeks back. I’ve been sitting on it all this time, waiting for the finalized cover art to be confirmed, but I’m tired of waiting and I need something quick and simple to post on this blog to bring it back to life. So, without further ado, here is what the cover of my debut novel may look like:
The other versions had this same image, just varying type and font layouts.
Now, this is very exciting. I wasn’t sure what to expect for a cover, and this isn’t what I expected, to be honest (I had in my mind some Charlie’s Angels-
Behold! Thumbnail version!
esque tableau of my main characters engaged in various acts of derring-do), but I do like this. It’s very striking and simple and I just love the font. Of note, as this is an e-book release, the simple elemental design makes a lot of sense. Everybody is going to see this thing as a thumbnail, which means an intricate art style would be wasted – this grabs the attention and displays a key plot element (Tyvian’s infernal, behavior-modifying iron ring).
Anyway, when the really super-official title art is released, I’ll be sure to let everybody know. For now, this post is just to say I’m back, I missed you all, and I’ve got a lot more stuff to do. Be seeing you around!
Running Silent, Running Deep…
I alluded to you all on Monday that I might have to take a blog-writing hiatus as I try to get some serious writing done this semester break. This is your notice that such is happening…now.
DIVE DIVE DIVE! <claxon sounds>
To tide you over, here is a picture of a submarine I found.
Anyway, I’ll see you all on the other side of the holidays unless something particularly interesting develops (the cover art for The Iron Ring should be coming soon, so when that’s up, I’ll post).
Happy New Year!
Auston Habershaw 