Michael J. Sullivan's Blog, page 61
February 11, 2015
I have a new 4-book deal!
The announcement was made official yesterday in Publisher's Marketplace so I can now openly talk about this. My new series will be released through Random House's fantasy imprint Del Rey, and I couldn't be happier!
Since that news is now out, I can also announce the audio deal, which was actually inked last year. I wanted to keep it on the low-down until we made it through the print/ebook acquisition process. If you would like to read the official press release put out by my agent, you can read it here .
Here are some details:
* The books will be released in hardcover with simultaneous ebook and audio releases, a paperback version will follow afterward (I'm not sure of the timing on those, yet).
* Del Rey has the English print and ebook rights, Recorded Audio has the English audio rights, and now that the announcement is official, my foreign rights agent will start working deals for translations.
* Tim Gerard Reynolds will be the narrator for these books. I had three publishers vying for this series, and for each I had only one requirement...Tim had to be the narrator. The publisher I went for values both mine and Tim's work, and even sweetened the deal by kicking in some extra income for Tim.
* The audio book producer, will once more be Recorded Books, and they will be put into a special program, which will mean a much larger library distribution than the Riyria books. More on this at a later date.
* Release dates are still being worked out, but the first book, Rhune is tentatively set for Summer 2016. That sounds like a long time, but really it'll only be a year from when I'm able to supply them with a "final manuscript." More on this, and the timing of subsequent books, in tomorrow's post.
* The fact that these books are being published by Random House and not Hachette isn't because of Amazon/Hachette dispute last year. Although I can't deny that being with the biggest publisher in the world, who has more leverage wasn't "part" of the decision.
* The fact that these new books aren't published by Orbit/Hachette is not an indication of dissatisfaction between the two of us. Like the audio books, I had one requirement for this new series. I wanted to "take my career to the next level" and this meant a hardcover release. I think Orbit was right to put the Riyria books out as trade paperbacks, but I had no interest in doing that with The First Empire Series. Sometimes a writer's vision for their career doesn't align with the publisher's. There is no harm or foul in such determinations. Fortunately, other publishers agreed with my vision.I'm sure I'll have more posts about this deal, and what it means for the First Empire series and my other projects, but these are the high points that I wanted to get out today. Stay tuned for more!
Since that news is now out, I can also announce the audio deal, which was actually inked last year. I wanted to keep it on the low-down until we made it through the print/ebook acquisition process. If you would like to read the official press release put out by my agent, you can read it here .
Here are some details:
* The books will be released in hardcover with simultaneous ebook and audio releases, a paperback version will follow afterward (I'm not sure of the timing on those, yet).
* Del Rey has the English print and ebook rights, Recorded Audio has the English audio rights, and now that the announcement is official, my foreign rights agent will start working deals for translations.
* Tim Gerard Reynolds will be the narrator for these books. I had three publishers vying for this series, and for each I had only one requirement...Tim had to be the narrator. The publisher I went for values both mine and Tim's work, and even sweetened the deal by kicking in some extra income for Tim.
* The audio book producer, will once more be Recorded Books, and they will be put into a special program, which will mean a much larger library distribution than the Riyria books. More on this at a later date.
* Release dates are still being worked out, but the first book, Rhune is tentatively set for Summer 2016. That sounds like a long time, but really it'll only be a year from when I'm able to supply them with a "final manuscript." More on this, and the timing of subsequent books, in tomorrow's post.
* The fact that these books are being published by Random House and not Hachette isn't because of Amazon/Hachette dispute last year. Although I can't deny that being with the biggest publisher in the world, who has more leverage wasn't "part" of the decision.
* The fact that these new books aren't published by Orbit/Hachette is not an indication of dissatisfaction between the two of us. Like the audio books, I had one requirement for this new series. I wanted to "take my career to the next level" and this meant a hardcover release. I think Orbit was right to put the Riyria books out as trade paperbacks, but I had no interest in doing that with The First Empire Series. Sometimes a writer's vision for their career doesn't align with the publisher's. There is no harm or foul in such determinations. Fortunately, other publishers agreed with my vision.I'm sure I'll have more posts about this deal, and what it means for the First Empire series and my other projects, but these are the high points that I wanted to get out today. Stay tuned for more!
February 10, 2015
Publisher's Marketplace Deal Levels
For those that don't know, there is a site called Publisher's Marketplace where agents and publishers announce when they sign a new deal. They classify the deals into a few ranges:
* nice deal: $1 - $49,000
* very nice deal $50,000 - $99,000
* good deal $100,000 - $250,000 * significant deal $251,000 - $499,000
* major deal $500,000 and up
The "deal level" isn't always posted, but you can usually find out things such as:
* How many books were sold
* What languages were sold
* Who represents the foreign or media rights
* Not to mention a whole bunch of "other useful things."
If you are thinking of querying agents, it's worth getting an account to see who is selling has sold what to where. It costs a reasonable $25.00 a month.
Tomorrow, I'm going to post about two deals for my new series: The First Empire. If you already have an account - you can find out a few hours early ;-)
* nice deal: $1 - $49,000
* very nice deal $50,000 - $99,000
* good deal $100,000 - $250,000 * significant deal $251,000 - $499,000
* major deal $500,000 and up
The "deal level" isn't always posted, but you can usually find out things such as:
* How many books were sold
* What languages were sold
* Who represents the foreign or media rights
* Not to mention a whole bunch of "other useful things."
If you are thinking of querying agents, it's worth getting an account to see who is selling has sold what to where. It costs a reasonable $25.00 a month.
Tomorrow, I'm going to post about two deals for my new series: The First Empire. If you already have an account - you can find out a few hours early ;-)
February 9, 2015
A little known loop-hole about rights reversion
From time to time, I try to write posts about the business side of writing. Today is one of those times.
These days, the circumstances under which rights to a book revert, are of particular interest to authors. In the past, once a book "ran its course" it had little interest to other publishers. These days, that's not so. There are some publishers that focus on back-list out-of-print-titles (such as Open Road Media) and of course with the rise of self-publishing, the author themselves may have an interest in re-releasing a title.
Some small presses and most of the foreign contracts will have a fixed-length term, usually five to seven years. I LOVE these kinds of contracts because I know exactly when I get the rights back. When it comes to the big-five, though, the contracts are generally written "for the life of copyright" which means seventy years after the author dies. Ouch, that's a long time. That being said, books aren't always with a publisher for that long. Once sales drop to some threshold (either a particular dollar figure or the number of books sold in a given period), then the books revert.
But, there is another way for authors to get their rights back sooner, and it's not often known. It has to do with copyright law, in particular: Section 203(a) and Section 304(c). For today's purposes, I'm only going to discuss works that will matter to most people reading this post and that is anything published after January 1, 1978. For these works an author can request reversion under the following criteria:
Either 35 years from publication or 40 years from the date of an assignment of copyright to a publisher.
Termination must occur within a 5 year period or the reversion right is forfeited.
Termination notice must be served on the copyright holder no later than two years before expiration and up to ten years before beginning of a five year period.
So, let's do an example. For a work published in 1978, the termination window is 2013-2018. The notice must be submitted no later than 2016 and no earlier than 2003.
Thirty-five years is still a REALLY long time, but it is certainly a lot less than seventy years after the author dies.
This is just one of those little-known facts, that might be needed at some point. So I thought I would mention it.
These days, the circumstances under which rights to a book revert, are of particular interest to authors. In the past, once a book "ran its course" it had little interest to other publishers. These days, that's not so. There are some publishers that focus on back-list out-of-print-titles (such as Open Road Media) and of course with the rise of self-publishing, the author themselves may have an interest in re-releasing a title.
Some small presses and most of the foreign contracts will have a fixed-length term, usually five to seven years. I LOVE these kinds of contracts because I know exactly when I get the rights back. When it comes to the big-five, though, the contracts are generally written "for the life of copyright" which means seventy years after the author dies. Ouch, that's a long time. That being said, books aren't always with a publisher for that long. Once sales drop to some threshold (either a particular dollar figure or the number of books sold in a given period), then the books revert.
But, there is another way for authors to get their rights back sooner, and it's not often known. It has to do with copyright law, in particular: Section 203(a) and Section 304(c). For today's purposes, I'm only going to discuss works that will matter to most people reading this post and that is anything published after January 1, 1978. For these works an author can request reversion under the following criteria:
Either 35 years from publication or 40 years from the date of an assignment of copyright to a publisher.
Termination must occur within a 5 year period or the reversion right is forfeited.
Termination notice must be served on the copyright holder no later than two years before expiration and up to ten years before beginning of a five year period.
So, let's do an example. For a work published in 1978, the termination window is 2013-2018. The notice must be submitted no later than 2016 and no earlier than 2003.
Thirty-five years is still a REALLY long time, but it is certainly a lot less than seventy years after the author dies.
This is just one of those little-known facts, that might be needed at some point. So I thought I would mention it.
February 8, 2015
Blackguards Table of Contents
We are closing in on the final production of the Blackguards Anthology. For those that don't know this was launched with a Kickstarter from Ragnarok Publications.
The foreword will be provided by Glenn Cooke and the two winners for the submission contest are S.R. Cambridge and Clay Sanger. Here's the rundown of the stories in the book:
* Foreword by Glen Cook
* Introduction by J.M. Martin
* “Mainon” by Jean Rabe
* “Irindai” by Bradley P. Beaulieu
* “The Subtler Art” by Cat Rambo
* “Seeds” by Carol Berg
* “Jancy’s Justice” by Kenny Soward
* “Professional Integrity” by Michael J. Sullivan
* “Troll Trouble” by Richard Lee Byers
* “A Better Man” by Paul S. Kemp
* “First Kill” by Django Wexler
* “Manhunt” by Mark Smylie
* “Better to Live than to Die” by John Gwynne
* “The Secret” by Mark Lawrence
* “Friendship” by Laura Resnick
* “The First Kiss” by Clay Sanger
* “The White Rose Thief” by Shawn Speakman
* “A Length of Cherrywood” by Peter Orullian
* “A Taste of Agony” by Tim Marquitz
* “What Gods Demand” by James A. Moore
* “Take You Home” by David Dalglish
* “Seeking the Shadow” by Joseph R. Lallo
* “Sun and Steel” by Jon Sprunk
* “The Betyár and the Magus” by S.R. Cambridge
* “A Kingdom and a Horse” by Snorri Kristjansson
* “Thieves at the Gate” by James Enge
* “His Kikuta Hands” by Lian Hearn
* “The Lord Collector” by Anthony Ryan
* “Scream” by Anton Strout
I'm really looking forward to it!
The foreword will be provided by Glenn Cooke and the two winners for the submission contest are S.R. Cambridge and Clay Sanger. Here's the rundown of the stories in the book:
* Foreword by Glen Cook
* Introduction by J.M. Martin
* “Mainon” by Jean Rabe
* “Irindai” by Bradley P. Beaulieu
* “The Subtler Art” by Cat Rambo
* “Seeds” by Carol Berg
* “Jancy’s Justice” by Kenny Soward
* “Professional Integrity” by Michael J. Sullivan
* “Troll Trouble” by Richard Lee Byers
* “A Better Man” by Paul S. Kemp
* “First Kill” by Django Wexler
* “Manhunt” by Mark Smylie
* “Better to Live than to Die” by John Gwynne
* “The Secret” by Mark Lawrence
* “Friendship” by Laura Resnick
* “The First Kiss” by Clay Sanger
* “The White Rose Thief” by Shawn Speakman
* “A Length of Cherrywood” by Peter Orullian
* “A Taste of Agony” by Tim Marquitz
* “What Gods Demand” by James A. Moore
* “Take You Home” by David Dalglish
* “Seeking the Shadow” by Joseph R. Lallo
* “Sun and Steel” by Jon Sprunk
* “The Betyár and the Magus” by S.R. Cambridge
* “A Kingdom and a Horse” by Snorri Kristjansson
* “Thieves at the Gate” by James Enge
* “His Kikuta Hands” by Lian Hearn
* “The Lord Collector” by Anthony Ryan
* “Scream” by Anton Strout
I'm really looking forward to it!
February 3, 2015
Last Day for Hollow World Giveaway
Just a bit over 17 hours left in the Hollow World Giveaway.
Remember there are two chances to win:
Goodreads (limited to US, UK, and Canada) My parallel giveaway (those outside the US, Canada, and UK have two chances to win when entering this one.
For those not familiar with this book...here is a bit of information to help you decide if it might be for you:
THE FUTURE IS COMING...FOR SOME, SOONER THAN OTHERS.Ellis Rogers is an ordinary man who is about to embark on an extraordinary journey. All his life he has played it safe and done the right thing but when diagnosed with a terminal illness he’s willing to take an insane gamble. He’s built a time machine in his garage, and if it works, he’ll face a world that challenges his understanding of what it means to be human, what it takes to love, and the cost of paradise. He could find more than a cure for his illness; he might find what everyone has been searching for since time began…but only if he can survive Hollow World. Welcome to the future and a new sci-fantasy thriller from the bestselling author of The Riyria Revelations.
REVIEWS “This is a clever and thought-provoking story, with loads of interesting ideas, some adrenalin-pumping action and plenty of humour...overall an entertaining read with Pax being one of my favourite characters of the year.” — Pauline M. Ross, Fantasy Review Barn
"This is social science fiction that H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov could have written, with the cultural touchstones of today. A modernized classic, Hollow World is the perfect novel for both new and nostalgic science fiction readers.” — Justin Landon, Staffer's Book Reviews
“Michael J. Sullivan has made a name for himself with his excellent series of fantasy novels and Hollow World proves he can deftly tackle science fiction just as skillfully. The ideas are big and the future plausible, this is one of those rare gems you'll be thinking about long after you put it down.” — Bryce Lee, Only the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
BEST OF & MOST ANTICIPATED LISTS 2014 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee2014 Barnes and Noble Top Fantasy and Science Fiction Picks for AprilOnly the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Top 7 books of 2014The Qwillery's Brannigan Cheney’s Top 3 books of 2014The Fictional Hangout’s 2014 Best Books of the YearThe Book Probe's 2014 Most Anticipating Sci-Fi NovelsRanting Dragon’s Ten Fantasy and Science-Fiction Novels worth reading in April 2014The Bibliosanctum's Top 10 Reads of 2013Indie Fantasy’s Best Book List for 2014Fantasy Review Barn's Barney Award for outstanding reads of 2013Ranting Dragon's 30 Most Anticipated Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels for 2014
Good luck on the drawing!
February 1, 2015
Fantasy Faction's Top Books of 2014
Another Best Fantasy of 2014 came out, and this one is a whopper. The folks at Fantasy Faction picked out more than 50 books that they wanted to highlight from 2014. I found a lot of books that I would expect on such a list, and some that are new to me that I want to check out. Hopefully you will to. Here is a link to their article.
And here are the covers for the books:
The titles include are:Assail (Malazan Empire, #6) by Ian C. EsslemontBanished (The Blackhart Legacy, #1) by Liz de JagerBlood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth, #1) by Jon SprunkBlood Will Follow (The Valhalla Saga, #2) by Snorri KristjanssonDust and Light (The Sanctuary Duet, #1) by Carol BergFoxglove Summer (Peter Grant, #5) by Ben AaronovitchFull Fathom Five (Craft Sequence, #3) by Max GladstoneMirror Sight (Green Rider, #5) by Kristen BritainMurder (Mayhem, #2) by Sarah PinboroughNight of the Hunter (Companions Codex, #1; Legend of Drizzt, #25) by R.A. SalvatoreSeal of the Worm (Shadows of the Apt, #10) by Adrian TchaikovskyShattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7) by Kevin HearneSteles of the Sky (Eternal Sky #3) by Elizabeth BearSworn in Steel (Tales of the Kin, #2) by Douglas HulickThe Boy with the Porcelain (Erebus Sequence, #1) by Den PatrickThe Dark Defiles (A Land Fit for Heroes, #3) by Richard K. MorganThe Fell Sword (The Traitor Son Cycle, #2) by Miles CameronThe Gospel of Loki by Joanne M HarrisThe High Druid’s Blade (The Defenders of Shannara, #1) by Terry BrooksThe Magician’s Land (The Magicians, #3) by Lev GrossmanThe Shadow Throne (The Shadow Campaigns, #2) by Django WexlerThe Splintered Gods (The Memory of Flames #6) by Stephen DeasThe Widow’s House (The Dagger and the Coin, #4) by Daniel AbrahamThief’s Magic (Millenium’s Rule, #1) by Trudi CanavanTower Lord (Raven’s Shadow, #2) by Anthony RyanValor (The Faithful and the Fallen #2) by John GwynneVeil of the Deserters (Bloodsounder’s Arc, #2) by Jeff SalyardsThe Goblin Emperor by Katherine AddisonBroken Monsters by Lauren BeukesThe Emperor’s Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1) by Brian StaveleyDreamer’s Pool (Blackthorn And Grim #1) by Juliet MarillierThe Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage, #2) by Brian McclellanRuin And Rising (The Grisha, #3) by Leigh BardugoSon of the Morning by Mark AlderTraitor’s Blade (Greatcoats, #1) by Sebastien De CastellShadowplay (Micah Grey, #2) by Laura LamAge of Iron (Iron Age, #1) by Angus WatsonThe Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga, #1) by Kameron HurleyDreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3) by Laini TaylorSkin Game (Dresden Files, #15) by Jim ButcherRed Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, #1) by Pierce BrownThe Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1) by Erika JohansenSmiler’s Fair (The Hollow Gods, #1) by Rebecca LeveneThe City Stained Red (Bring Down Heaven, #1) by Sam SykesHalf A King (Shattered Sea, #1) by Joe AbercrombiePrince of Fools (The Red Queen’s War, #1) by Mark LawrenceBreach Zone (Shadow Ops, #3) by Myke ColeCity of Stairs by Robert Jackson BennettThe Copper Promise (The Copper Promise, #1) by Jennifer WilliamsThe Broken Eye (Lightbringer, #3) by Brent WeeksWords of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) by Brandon SandersonFool’s Assassin (The Fitz And the Fool Trilogy, #1) by Robin HobbWell done...to all the authors, and well done too goes out to Fantasy Faction for putting together such a comprehensive list.
January 30, 2015
Blackguards Artwork
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is anxiously awaiting the release of Ragnorok's Blackguards Anthology. I know the guys and gals over there are hard at work at it. I've turned in my final version (with some pretty fun tuckerization) and contacted the people who paid to have me look over their stuff. I'm still waiting on Emails for the first day Hollow World entrants, and as soon as those are in I'll be mailing them out.
In the meantime, I thought people would like to see some of the artwork for the book. Here's the image for my piece, "Professional Integrity."
I don't want to tell you too much about what is going on in the scene depicted...dont' want to have early spoilers and all. But I can say that I think it was a good choice for the story being told. If you would like to see the other images, Ragnorak Publications has posted them online and you can scroll through them here .
I love seeing these early "sneak peeks." I'm already speculating on what some of the stories are about, and can't wait to get my own copy. I hope you'll enjoy reading "Professional Integrity" just as much as I enjoyed writing it.
January 28, 2015
Today's word is... asyndeton
I doubt my household is "average." Being a writer, I often discuss topics that most would find out of the ordinary (and some downright frightening). "How long does it take to dissolve a body in hydrochloric acid?"
The other night a friend of mine came over for dinner, and my wife and I were debating the realistic population density of a primitive society in a 100 square mile area. We, of course, dragged him into it. Dinner at our house comes with a fair amount of implied nonsense.
Today, my wife and I debated a stylistic aspect of writing. I "knew" I was right, but I didn't have a reference to point to (and yes I realize that I was ending a sentence with a preposition). I asked Robin to go out and find the grammar rule that allows me to do what I wanted to do without being "grammatically incorrect."
I'm sure we had this discussion before...maybe several years ago, but we had both remembered the outcome differently. I'm blogging on it now, so that when the issue comes up three or four years from now, I can point to this post ;-)
Okay, just a bit more background and then we'll get into asyndeton...what it is and why I care. There is a person in my writer's group who is having issues with a non-responsive agent. He also does some self-publishing, and his sales to date are not where they should be given the strength of the story. So, Robin and I decided to help him out. For his self-published work, I was going to make a new cover, and Robin was going to format it for print and ebook.
While looking at the book Robin came across many sentences like this:
She licked her lips, reached for her purse, foraged in it.
Which I thought was perfectly valid (even if it wasn't the way I would have written it). Robin, on the other hand, wanted to change it to:
She licked her lips, reached for her purse, and foraged in it.
"No, I cried!" the first has a much better flow. While your edit is more "conventional," I like that this author took the less trodden path.
For most of the morning, Robin didn't think the first was grammatically correct. But I told her I do it all the time so it must be. She shot back with, just because you do it doesn't make it "correct." Authors are allowed to bend and break rules, and those in traditional publishing are granted more leeway in this regard then self-published authors (whether that should be the case is a topic for another day).
Anyway, I told Robin that if she added that "and" into a sentence of mine, I'd rip it out, so, she better find a rule that allows me to do so. Bottom line, I didn't want to fight with her each time I made such a construction, and if I had the rules of grammar on my side it strengthens my case ;-).
Hence, we finally get to the point of this post, the asyndeton. Which is (I suspect) a little-known rule of grammar. It took Robin quite a while to track down, but now that she has, I'm recording it for future reference.
So what is it? Here's the definition from the website, Literary Devices:
"Asyndeton refers to a practice in literature whereby the author purposely leaves out conjunctions in the sentence, while maintaining the grammatical accuracy of the phrase. Asyndeton as a literary tool [that] helps in shortening up the implied meaning of the entire phrase and presenting it in a succinct form. This compact version helps in creating an immediate impact whereby the reader is instantly attuned to what the writer is trying to convey. Use of this literary device helps in creating a strong impact and such sentences have greater recall worth since the idea is presented in a nutshell."
If we delve a bit deeper, we find there are three general reasons for using asyndeton ( according to grammar and education portion of about.com )."When [asyndeton] is used in a series of words, phrases, or clauses, it suggests the series is somehow incomplete, that there is more the writer could have included." "Asyndeton can also create ironic juxtapositions that invite readers into collaborative relationships with writers: because there are no explicit connections between phrases and clauses, readers must supply them to reconstruct the writer's intent."
"Asyndeton can also quicken the pace of prose, especially when it is used between clauses and sentences."So, there you have it. Perhaps you just learned a new word today, as well. If you're coming over this weekend for the Super Bowl party, I'll expect you to be able to recite its meaning or no nachos for you!
January 23, 2015
In praise of independent bookstores
This post isn't the first time I've raved about
One More Page Books
, and I'm sure it won't be the last. They're an independent bookstore in Arlington Virginia who really knows how to "do it right."First, they don't just sell books, but delicious chocolate and fine wine too. Three things that go perfectly together.
Second, they do events... a lot of events . Not only do they have author signings but they also have story time for the kiddies, eight different book clubs, and even have sponsored author panel discussions for budding authors. I've launched three of my series there, and they were huge successes.
Plus, as you can see by this photo they recently posted on Twitter, they provide special promotion to local authors. What more could you want?
While looking through their calendar of events, I noticed their 4th year anniversary is this month. How exciting! At a time when the huge bookstores are struggling, and fears of Amazon taking over the world run rampant, it's good to see one of the "little guys" who do well by doing it right. Oh, and maybe they aren't such little guys, after all. After all, when the President of The United States of America drops by your store (I kid you not). You are definitely doing something right!
So congratulations One More Page Books for all you do on behalf of readers and authors alike. If you are in Northern Virginia, stop by and show your support, and if you're not local - find an independent bookstore near you and give them some lovin'.
January 22, 2015
A high school student's opinion on modern Fantasy and Sci-fi.
I
saw this review for The Crown Tower
through Twitter. It was very well written, extremely complimentary, and reminded me of one of the reasons why I write books. I love seeing people foster a love for reading. When they are still in school...it's even better! If it hadn't been for my brother introducing me to Tolkien's works, I might never have become a reader...and certainly not a writer. So to find Rebekah Drew is not only reading, but also blogging and helping others find books they might love, really made my day.
I've been reading her reviews (both for my books and others) ever since I first saw her review for Theft of Swords back in 2014. We seem to share a lot of the same tastes in books (not surprising since I write books I like to read). And even when we disagree, I find she gives good support for her ratings of the books.
Blogging, like novel writing, is primarily a labor of love, and I know it would really make Rebekah's days for some people to stop by her site, and see what she's saying about the books she reads. Who knows, you might just find your next great book to love and that would make me, and Rebekah very happy.
