Declaring War on The Name of the Wind
Current mood: amused
Category: Writing and Poetry

Attention, Mister Patrick Rothfuss, author of the bestselling debut novel The Name of the Wind [Amazon | Mysterious Galaxy].

I wish you to know that I have read your book and have a great deal of respect for you as an author. After meeting you at the Fantasy Matters conference, not to mention our special time together at ConFusion, I had also come to consider you a friend, sir.

But now your acts have shattered the bounds of civilized behavior. I refer of course to the events of April 22, 2008, when you somehow coopted one T. Hunt into devoting an entire page of his popular web comic to your novel*.

That web comic, as you know, is called Goblins.

First it was the Quill award. Then the New York Times bestseller list. I see you've begun an offensive to claim the Locus award as well. I respect your ambition, and like most authors, was willing to cede you these territories.

But a line must be drawn. Hear me well, Mister Rothfuss. You shall not conquer the goblins. We may be small and weak compared to the doorstopping power of Kvothe and The Name of the Wind, but we are many and we will triumph!

To my friends, fans, and fellow bloggers, I urge you to take up your keyboards and join me in this fight**. Show your support here or in your own blogs. Feel free to repost the above graphic or make up your own. Join me in showing Mister Rothfuss that he might take our awards, he might take our bestseller lists, but he will never take our goblins!

And to Patrick himself, I await your response, sir. The blue line has been drawn.*** Cross it if you dare.

---

*It's actually quite funny. Go check it out.

**On the slim chance anyone doesn't getwhat I'm doing, let me make it clear. I actually like Pat and enjoyed his book a great deal. So anyone who gets truly nasty shall be fed to the goblins. This is all in fun. Now go post a picture of my trilogy beating up Pat's book or something.

***I declare my dodge on you, Pat Rothfuss!

12:09 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Happy Bookday to Me!
Current mood: excited
Category: Writing and Poetry

It's official. Goblin War [Amazon | Mysterious Galaxy] is now available, which means the goblin trilogy is complete. All three books are done and in print.

I have a trilogy. Whoa. It makes me want to go on a world tour and hug all of my readers.

But I don't have that kind of cash, so instead, I'll be hanging out on Amazon, madly clicking the "Refresh" button. I may also blog a bit more today, because it's hard not to ramble on book day, ya know?

In the meantime, as many of you know, I did a blog tour for this release. Those interviews started popping up a few days ago, and I'm going to do my best to keep a master link list here for your reading pleasure. Thanks to everyone who participated!

• SciFiChick interviewed me! She also interviewed Summer Glau a while back, so I'm in great company here.
• Tiffany Trent talks to Relka the goblin about Jig's campaign for president.
• John Glover asks what I plan to do after I become King of the World.
• Apparently, I gave Anton Strout a virtual lapdance as a part of our interview. The things we do for self-promotion...
• Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore made me their affiliate of the month for March.
• Chris Dolley interviews my cats, who are far more entertaining than I am.
• Catherine Shaffer asks about goblin culture, finding an agent, and quitting the day job.
• Writersplot: Confessions of a Fantasy Humorist (where I talk about writing humor)
• Steve Nagy gave me the chance to talk about such important issues as Hostess cupcake ads
• Maria Schneider asks interesting questions about whether the entire trilogy was planned from day one, and who should be the voice of Jig for a hypothetical audio book.
• Charles Tan asks about me, the books, and the blog tour.
• Sylvia asks about American Idol and my panel suggestions for Jimcon.
• Mike Jasper asks about my fondest memories of the goblin trilogy, and whether I'm still having fun.
• Jonathan Moeller asks how the goblin books went from a small press release to being THE premier goblin fantasy trilogy of the early 21st century.
• My High School friend Katie, of PeacefulBend Wineries, helps me figure out the best wine for Jig. (Hint: the bottle must be sturdy enough to be used as a bludgeoning weapon.)
• Joshua Palmatier gives me the chance to confront him about something that's been bothering me for months.
• An interview I did through SFNovelists has been reposted by David B. Coe, Di Francis, Andromeda Spaceways, Wyrdsmiths, and Simon Haynes.

11:10 AM - 7 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

Janet Kagan

As reported in the SFF.net newsgroups today:

"Sorry to have to report the news that Janet Kagan died today of acute Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She was on hospice care toward the end, but ending came fairly quickly."

I first discovered her work years ago, long before I ever dreamed of being an author myself.  She wrote Uhura's Song, one of the best Star Trek novels I ever read. I tracked down Hellspark and Mirabile, her other two books, as well as some of her award-winning short fiction.

But it wasn't until I started trying to break in as an author that I got to know her as a person. She was one of the first real authors to offer advice and support. She was also one of the warmest, kindest people I know in this business.

One of the things she did was to offer a personalized, hand-made card to anyone who would donate blood. She was a small woman, and the Red Cross wouldn't donate, so this was her way of supporting them. My mother (a regular donor) got in touch with her, and asked if she could send a card to me instead. I still have it.

Of course, this led to Janet and my mother becoming friends. When I sneakily arranged to have Janet send mom a signed copy of Hellspark for her birthday, Janet threw in a hardcover first edition of Uhura's Song as well. That's just who she was.

She wrote one of the most enthusiastic blurbs for Goblin Quest, back when I was still basically a nobody with Five Star. Later on, I invited her to write a story for Heroes in Training, but she was already struggling with health problems at that point.

She was an excellent writer and an even better human being.  I'll miss her.

3:34 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Mysterious Galaxy Affiliate of the Month
Category: Writing and Poetry

Mysterious Galaxy was kind enough to invite me to be their Affiliate of the Month for March.

What does that mean?  Well, if means if you click on the link, you'll get to read a (hopefully) entertaining little post wherein I talk about Jig and the goblin books.  Also, if you buy the books through Mysterious Galaxy during the month of March, leave a comment on their blog.  I'll pick random names and send them stuff.

I've got a lot more blog-related fun coming next week for the official Goblin War release.  Assuming I don't have a nervous breakdown between now and then...

11:58 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Two more books to DAW!!!
Current mood: excited
Category: Writing and Poetry

I've been stressing out a bit, trying to prepare for the March 4 release of Goblin War.  Apparently my publisher decided to reward me

DAW is buying two more books from me!

I'm currently doing editorial revisions on The Stepsister Scheme, which we sold last year.  That book should be out in January of 2009.  DAW is also taking The Mermaid's Madness and Red Hood's Revenge.

Life is good.  I really love these books, and in another year or so, I'll hopefully be pitching the 4th and 5th in the series.  For now though, this is more than enough to keep me busy.

Currently reading : Move Under Ground By Nick Mamatas Release date: 29 March, 2006

12:50 PM - 11 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Goblin Book Giveaway
Category: Writing and Poetry

I mentioned a little while back that I had a few fun ideas for contests as we approach the release of Goblin War [Amazon | Mysterious Galaxy].

As of March 4, I'll be the proud author of a complete trilogy. So I'd like to give away an autographed set of all three books, and I need all of you to suggest who should receive them.

Here's the catch: you can't suggest yourself.

In the past few months, I've sent a copy of Goblin Quest to a youth shelter, and donated both of my goblin books to a local domestic violence shelter (along with a number of other generous authors.) So that's the kind of thing I'm looking for. Maybe it's an organization that desperately needs books. Maybe it's a family that recently lost their library in a fire. Maybe it's an individual who just needs some cheering up.

The goblin books are fun, fairly light reading, and would be appropriate for anyone around 10 or 11 years and up. They're sword & sorcery, so an avid fantasy-hater probably wouldn't be the best recipient. Details about the books are on the web site, if you need to know more before making your suggestion(s).

Suggestions can go in the comments. (If you don't have a MySpace account, or simply don't want to make a public suggestion, you can e-mail me at jim -at- goblinquest.com.) Tell me who you think should get the trilogy, and a brief summary of why. I don't mind multiple suggestions, but please give each one its own comment. Also, make sure I have a way to contact you either through MySpace or e-mail.

I haven't decided exactly how to pick a winner yet, but it will probably be a combination of a group vote here and my own personal preference. Right now, I'm thinking I might choose my top five and let you all vote for the winner.

The deadline is February 19th, after which we'll start picking finalists.

Please feel free to spread the word on this. If I get at least 100 people making suggestions, I'll throw in another set of books.

Currently reading : The Wannoshay Cycle By Michael Jasper Release date: 22 January, 2008

10:05 AM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Goblin War Preview
Category: Writing and Poetry

Starting off the day on a good note, I saw that SciFiChick had listed Goblin Hero [Amazon | Mysterious Galaxy] as one of her top SF/F picks of 2007! (Her review of Goblin Hero is here if you're curious.)

On a different note, I've said before that it can be dangerous to try to withhold too much information from the reader. If you're forcing the characters into awkward silences and omissions, all to build tension, it's probably not going to work. This was something I struggled with in Goblin War [Amazon | Mysterious Galaxy] There are a number of secrets and revelations, and I had to find the proper pace for the characters to discover those secrets.

Yesterday, I discovered another potential pitfall. Even if you do find a natural way to unveil your shocking revelations, sometimes it doesn't matter. Sometimes Harriet Klausner (Amazon.com's 1 reviewer) will spoil every surprise in the first half of the book, all within a single paragraph. I was cranky, to say the least.

You'll notice I'm not linking to the review. It's not up at Amazon yet, but it will be. And Klausner tends to post her reviews all over the place. So if you're the kind of person who dislikes spoilers, consider this a warning to avoid that particular review.

And for those of you who want a taste of what's to come on March 4, I've gone ahead and posted the first chapter of Goblin War at http://www.sff.net/people/jchines/GW.pdf. Consider it a belated Christmas present, and feel free to pass the link to anyone you think might be interested. Let me know what you think!  But please try to keep comments spoiler-free

Currently reading : The Wannoshay Cycle By Michael Jasper Release date: 22 January, 2008

6:03 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

A Goblin Christmas Carol

(For those who haven't read the books, Golaka is the goblin chef.)

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Golaka made for me
Twelve dwarven drumsticks,
Eleven pixie meat pies,
Ten orcs all greasy,
Nine wizards basted,
Eight elves well-roasted,
Seven stews of halfling,
Six troll kabobs,
Five would-be chiefs,
Four dragon steaks,
Three klak beers,
Two princes fried,
And a manwich in mushroom gravy.

Happy holidays, all!

Currently reading : The Cipher: A Novel of Crosspointe By Diana Pharaoh Francis Release date: 06 November, 2007

11:40 AM - 8 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Vintage, by Steve Berman
Category: Writing and Poetry

Earlier this week, I finished reading Steve Berman's debut novel Vintage [Amazon | Mysterious Galaxy]. In a nutshell, Vintage tells the story of a lonely goth boy who discovers that a brush with death has given him the ability to see ghosts. He falls for the ghost of a high school jock named Josh who died 1957, but soon learns that "romanticizing the dead is a poor choice."* (That there is what we call an understatement.)

This is a book that had me flashing back to my own teenage years: the isolation and confusion, the awkward crushes, the friendships ... it's vivid and well-written and real. The protagonist's initial crush on Josh, followed by his surprise that Josh might actually return his feelings, reminded me a lot of my own first relationships. It all feels genuine, and somehow personal.

Berman got me thinking about the portrayal of homosexuality. There's often the expectation that if a character is not straight, then his/her sexuality must be a core theme of the book. (I've seen similar complaints about race.) After all, why would the author write about a non-white, non-straight character if not to bash the reader over the head with message? While the protagonist in Vintage does struggle with issues of sexuality, what teenager doesn't? The book at its heart wasn't a story of sexuality, but a story about love and relationships. And also ghosts.

Stepping down from my soapbox, the secondary characters in Vintage are equally engaging, especially Second Mike. Second Mike was named of his older brother who disappeared, and I couldn't decide whether the character himself or his background were more fascinating to read about. While most of the characters fall into the goth teen crowd, none felt like stereotypes. They were real people, with real problems. If there was the occasional bit of angst and interpersonal drama, well, they're teenagers. Drama and angst are a required part of teenage life.

Vintage is a quick read, at a bit over 150 pages. It's billed as a Young Adult book in some places, but I'm struggling a bit with that description. Several scenes are more sexually explicit than I'm comfortable with. It may be that I'm getting old and cranky. I also stopped to ask myself if my discomfort came from the fact that it was gay sex instead of straight. I don't believe that's a factor**. I think I'm just a little uncomfortable reading about 17- and 15-year-olds fooling around to this extent. I know it happens, and it's a very real part of teenage life, but . . . I'd call this a personal preference, and not a judgment on the book.

Overall, it's a good book, and well worth reading. The love story is touching. The ghost stuff provides a dark fantasy element. The characters are a great deal of fun. What more do you need?

From the Author's web site: 1/5 of the royalties from Vintage will be donated to charities helping gay teens:10% will be donated to the GSA Network, which assists Gay-Straight Student Alliances in high schools; another 10% donated to the Trevor Project, which works to prevent suicide among gay youth.

---
*From a great interview between Berman and Holly Black, at http://velvetmafia.com/interview/22.berman.php
**I'm a 33-year-old straight white male from the midwest. I'm fairly sure I dug out my ingrained homophobia years ago, but I also believe it's important to continue to check yourself and your beliefs.

Currently reading : The Cipher: A Novel of Crosspointe By Diana Pharaoh Francis Release date: 06 November, 2007

12:59 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Interview with the Agent
Category: Writing and Poetry

For those of you who are interested, I've posted an interview with my agent, Steve Mancino, over on LiveJournal: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/326122.html

Steve is the one who sold my goblin series to DAW, along with the first book of my princess series.  He's also sold the goblins to France, Germany, Russia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.  I've got no complaints.

5:41 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment