Trudi Canavan's Blog, page 26

Bulgarian Edition of Priestess of the White

An email arrived the other day with an exciting attachment – the cover for the Bulgarian edition of Priestess of the White, published by Vakon Publishing. Seeing my books coming out in other languages all over the world never gets old.

Welcome to my stories of Auraya, Mischief, Dreamweavers and gods, dear Bulgarian readers. I hope you enjoy them!

The Vague Tour Post

At the moment I'm checking the editorial corrections on The Rogue, scouring it for errors and tweaking it to make it, as my art teacher used to say, 'more betterer', which is going to make for a very busy weekend-less couple of weeks. I don't have time to write long and fascinating posts here and there's been no concrete news on new editions or events to come, so I thought I'd simply answer a question I'm asked on Twitter a lot.

Yes, I am going to be doing a tour.

But here's where the details get vague. I can't tell you exactly when or where yet, but I can narrow it down a bit. Part of it will be around the time The Rogue is released (next May), but how much earlier it starts and how long after the release I can't say. It is going to include the UK and France, and very likely Germany and possibly Poland as well. I would expect it to involve mainly capital cities, since we'll have a lot of territory to cover and that doesn't always allow time to visit smaller towns, but who knows?

I can't give much detail yet as it's all still being worked out, so keep an eye on this blog. I'll definitely be posting more information when I have it.

My First Anthology!

I've been eagerly waiting until I had a cover and release date so I could post about this:

Which I think translates to Whispers of the Mist Children and Other Stories. And what a fabulous cover!

Thanks to Martyna and Mateusz, who left info in the comments, I now know that the release date is the 10th of November – so just a few days away. You can check out the blurb here.

And just for the fun of it, here it is run through Googles Translate:

For the first time in the world, Trudi Canavan stories collected in one

volume. The book contains texts from different periods of work of the author, in

including the title story from which she began her writings

career.

To answer the inevitable question… no, there isn't an English version. I'm hoping there will be one eventually, but in the meantime you can still track down the publications in which all but one of the stories appeared by using the info on my Short Stories & Novellas page.

50 Books You Can't Put Down

When I was signing books at Aussiecon4, I noticed that one of the books had a little sticker on it with the above words on it. Turns out that The Magician's Apprentice had been selected to be included in a government/Australia Council for the Arts initiative. I've only just managed to get hold of one of the little guides:

Look – there's my book!

There was a free book, events and iPhone app and giveaways, but I didn't learn until I got the booklet that it all happened during September. But I'm still pretty excited! Thanks for choosing my book Australia Council for the Arts! And I hope it helped get more people into reading.

Cover of The Rogue

I was really excited to receive the cover proof for The Rogue in the mail recently:

It's a little different to The Ambassador's Mission. Like many readers, I'm a bit fussy about covers matching, but I like this change – mainly because I occasionally mistake the cover of The Magician's Apprentice for the The Ambassador's Mission cover and I know I wasn't the only one who did. There's always a push and pull between books having a recognisable style and people getting them mixed up.

The font is the same, and the spines should still match. It's as though the viewpoint is getting a bit closer to the figure for each book. I'm even more curious to see what the cover of The Traitor Queen will be like. Perhaps it'll zoom in even closer to the figure.

I love it and can't wait to see it on bookstore shelves!

Armageddon a Photo for the Blog

Last week I worked through the first round of editorial changes for The Rogue, then on Saturday I rewarded myself by heading into Melbourne to check out Armageddon. We've not been to one of these events before, though we have friends who are regular attendees. It's quite a spectacle, and with all the people in costume posing for photos, I couldn't resist whipping out the iPhone for some snaps:

I love the combo of Jedi and Rebel cheerleader:

Cats! These girls were ready to strike a pose at a moment's notice:

This guy's eyes were freaky:

An awesome Alien costume:

And there was wrestling, too:

I bought a tshirt and we had to try some ice-cream flavoured giant liquorish. I also made a happy discovery – something that ought to have been obvious: there were some talented local artists there. I bought a gorgeous print by Rebecca Clements and some zines by Brendan Halyday.

Polish Editions of The Ambassador's Mission

September was a month off from writing for me, but I wouldn't call it a holiday. Aussiecon4 was a fun start to the month, then we had a few days with friends staying after the con. After that, things got busy and exhausting as our old falling apart kitchen was emptied, ripped out and a new one put in. These things always seem to take longer than they're meant to, so it's only during this week that we've finally got the last item removed from the old kitchen put back, reclaimed the laundry (which we were using as a temporary kitchen) and settled back into a normal routine.

October? Is it October already?

I'm about to pick up The Rogue again to apply a few tweaks that I and Orbit want to make. In the meantime, look at what arrived in my mailbox the other day:

Yep, the Polish edition of The Ambassador's Mission. Looking at the Galeria Ksiazki website, I think the release day is 16th June.

I hope my Polish readers enjoy returning to the world of the Black Magician Trilogy!

70(ish) Free Books!

Aussie readers, how would you like to win every new release book from Orbit Australia in 2011? That will be around 70 books (including The Rogue). Then check out…

My AussieCon4 'Report'

I had grand pans of blogging, or at least tweeting, during the con, but due to the lack of iPhones in Australian stores and not finding time to discover how to buy wifi time at the convention centre, those plans just never came together. So here are my notes on each day of the con:

Thursday

Once we'd arrived, registered and I'd picked up my programming schedule, we joined everyone milling around waiting for the opening ceremony to begin.

There was the usual welcome and introductions, and a very amusing film. After it the ceremony finished, I headed for the dealer's room. Lots of people had the same idea, so it was very crowded and I only managed to see part of it. I bought some books and kept bumping into people I knew. Con time set in (where it goes way too fast unless you're stuck in/on a panel that isn't going well) and suddenly it was time for my first panel.

"Magic Mean Streets" was about setting stories in cities. My fellow panelists were Ellen Kushner and Carol Ryles. We explored reasons for preferring the urban scenario, and advantages in sticking to it rather than wandering around. My mapping experience came in handy when the discussion turned to naming cities.

Next was the launch of Helen Merrick's The Secret Feminist Cabal by Tess Williams and the 30 second opening ceremony for Dudcon, held in the Hilton bar. We joined a bunch of fans for dinner on the promenade, with the gas towers providing entertainment for locals and visitors alike. Then Paul and I headed home.

Friday

The next morning we started early, getting up at 7am and catching the train in. I arrived at the con to find it quiet, but the centre filled rapidly and I found friends to talk to until it was time for the launch of Kaaren Warren's anthology, Dead Sea Fruit. Karren is an amazing writer of horror and fantasy and a lovely person. It was a two-book launch, the other being Angela Slatter's The Girl With No Hands.

Next I had an absolutely delicious lunch at Pure South with the lovely Tim Holman from my publisher's New York office. We talked about the tour next year and the books I'll be writing after the Traitor Spy Trilogy. Then I had to race back for my kaffeeklatch, which is now my favourite thing to do at a con. For the participants I brought the first, unedited chapter of The Rogue, signed bookplates and a card featuring my painting for The Novice. I answered questions and told stories to a lovely bunch of people, and the hour was over much too quickly.

Afterwards I headed back to the hotel to finally check in. We had quick early dinner then headed back for the Ditmar Awards Ceremony, which Paul was running. It went mostly without a hitch, and we had enough time to get back to hotel and change into our costumes for the AHWA Nightmare Ball.

There were some fabulous costumes there. Plus champagne and dancing.

(first photo by Orbit Australia)

It had been a very long, busy day and by the end of the ball we were too tired to check out parties and went to bed.

Saturday

Feeling better than I expected to after such a long Friday, I went to the dealer's room to check out what I'd missed before. I ordered t-shirts and bought a bag, and a steampunk pendant from Dark Nouveau. I checked out the art show and was very impressed by the high quality of work there.

I finally saw a panel: "The Writer and the Audience: Online interaction and public personae". In my notes I wrote "… trick of carrying on a conversation with a million people, but each feels like he is making eye-contact" and "Not separating friends from professionals/readership is a cardinal sin". We also learned of 'Twitter valets' – people who are hired to write someone else's tweets. (I'd never do that – I'm having too much fun over on Twitter!)

I had to leave early, since I had my second panel to get to: "Thinking in Trilogies". This time I was panelling with fellow Aussies Glenda Larke, Russell Kirkpatrick and Fiona MacIntosh. We all have very different ways of writing, which made the discussion interesting to us as well as the audience.

Afterwards I headed to the dealer's room again to sign books at the Orbit table. I'd bumped into the much-loved former 'web goddess' of the Voyager Online forum previously and suggested dinner, then set about gathering anyone from that old circle of friends I could find. We ended up with 14 people, which proved difficult because, despite us meeting at 6pm and heading straight out, most restaurants were too busy to accommodate a group that large. Eventually the people at Left Bank put us on a table usually reserved for customers waiting for a table. Top marks for this restaurant, by the way. The food was great, and I got that rare feeling that the staff were happy and enjoying themselves.

Afterwards I met up with Paul at the London in 2014 party. We bought supporting memberships. Hopefully they'll win the bid and we'll be able to come to the UK for Worldcon in 2014.

Sunday

I'd thought that, with only one program item to attend each day, I'd have plenty of time to see program items at the con, but it wasn't turning out that way. I decided I had to make a greater effort to see panels. So I headed for "Anachronist Fiction: Successors to Steampunk" to see where this sort of fiction is heading (since I have a bit of a story idea that might be kind of 'punkish'). It was very thought-provoking.

At midday I did a signing. At the beginning of the con I'd left some books at the free book table and, as I'd hoped, some people had picked them up, liked what they read and bought more. It also meant that I was busy signing for the entire hour – a benefit I hadn't anticipated. And I also signed The Tentacle!

I grabbed a quick lunch with Paul and Joel Shepherd, then headed back to see more panels. First there was "Dreaming Down-Under, Again" then "20 Years of Aurealis". I was surprised at how nostalgic the latter made me feel (I worked as designer and Art Director for the magazine for nine years). Afterwards I headed for the dealers room yet again, where I bought the Classic Australian SF series the team have put out.

By then it was time for the Hugos. First we hit the Hugo reception party, at which there was much schmoozing and admiring of evening dresses, then the Awards. Finally, I invited the very talented new writer, Foz Meadows, to be my 'and guest' as Paul was helping tidy up and would meet me later. There was much hob-nobbing with famous people and I watched with amusement as China Mieville was surrounded by an ever growing circle of giggling girls as the night progressed. Afterwards we lingered at some of the other parties before heading back to our room.

(last two photos by Paul Ewins)

Monday

I started the day chatting to members of FWOR in the hotel cafe, then picked up the t-shirts I'd ordered and buy yet more books. I fit in another panel: "The Lure of a Good Map" which was good and reminded me of how awesome DM Cornish is. After lunch I had my last panel: "Getting Edgy: the disreputable protagonist in modern fantasy" but was worried that I'd have to do it on my own since all the other panelists were either sick or had gone home. Fortunately the lovely Campbell winner, Seanan McGuire had joined the panel, Ellen Kushner made it after all, and my pal Jane Routely roped in the crime writer Lindy Cameron, who I once worked with, back in the olden days at Lonely Planet Publications. Afterwards we retreated to the green room for tea and coffee, and I taught Ellen Kushner and John Clute how to do a tim tam slam.

Then it was time for the closing ceremony. This involved a lot of declarations of 'it was great' but also 'never again'. There's always that anxiety in the last days of a con that it's all going too fast, but by the time you get to the last day you're ready for it to become a wonderful memory – and get some sleep.

And then get stuck into reading all the books you've bought…

The Rogue Delivered!

Yesterday I sent off The Rogue, book two of the Traitor Spy Trilogy, to the publisher. Woohoo!

What next? Well, for the book there's quite a bit more work to do. It goes first to the Editorial Director, then I'll tackle any changes to be made. It goes to the copy editor next, then I'll check the corrections, deal with any queries, and do one more read through. Then I get a copy set out like the finished book, and I'll check any changes I made. After that I don't see it again until the printed book arrives on my doorstep, and then in the bookshops around the middle of next year.

For me, it means I'm free to prepare for Aussiecon4. After that we are having a new kitchen put in. It will be so nice to have a stove with all four burners working, no gaps where drawers fell apart, more bench space and a kitchen set out like a kitchen rather than a bar! (The house was built in the early 70s, and I suspect that the architect didn't like to cook.)

Then, in October, I get started on The Traitor Queen. Ideas are already popping into my head for book three. But they're just going to have to stay there for now. I'm having a much needed break!