Rachel Hartman's Blog, page 10

Soon: Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA

I’m having a lovely time on tour. This is just a reminder that I am going to be at Children’s Book World in Haverford, PA, tomorrow evening at 7pm.

I used to work at this bookstore, so coming back is always a special joy for me. It really is like coming home.

Later this week: Michigan! And then Toronto! See my Appearances page for details.

Farewell to a friend I never met

I want to write about Terry Pratchett, and I don’t even know where to begin. He wrote so many wonderful and consoling things about death (or, y’know, Death) that I feel the tiniest bit guilty for being so very sad he’s gone. I feel like I should be able to face it with some kind of humorous equanimity, something like:

“DON’T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.” — Good Omens

Ahahahaha! And yet. I has all the sad. I’m afraid I’m going to have t...

The NPR review

Many people e-mailed me about this today, but there may still be a few of you who haven’t seen it: In ‘Shadow,’ Change and Growth as a Story Sheds its Scales.

There are bad reviews, and there are good reviews, and there are reviews that leave you feeling like somebody just opened up your chest and pointed at your heart and said, “Look at this, right here.” My slightly awed thanks to Amal El-Mohtar for the anatomy demonstration. It is both gratifying and humbling to be seen.

In other news! Had...

And a good time was had by all

It’s been a long day and I have to get up early to fly to Seattle, but I just wanted to say that the party at Kidsbooks was just wonderful. Thanks to everyone who came out for it. My husband didn’t take a lot of pictures because our friend Liz was taking a LOT of pictures and her pictures are the best. But here’s one of me pontificating:

“This is a book. I have filled it with words for your delectation and edification,” said the author, whose dress had little sparkles on it.

I also got some flo...

March 10th

Here it is! Many thanks to all my readers, for their patience and faith in me, and to the good folks at Random House, who have been nothing but encouraging and kind. The book wouldn’t be here without you all.

A little bit of linkage, and then I’d better start my day. I have a guest post up at My Bookish Ways about the fantasy worlds that have inspired me, and another at Tor.com about my five favourite theological fantasy novels.

Here’s a nice review from Misty at The Book Rat, and another from...

Tomorrow’s the day!

It’s super exciting, although for some reason I still have to do laundry and clean my kitchen. I had hoped that maybe by this point in my career those things would magically happen by themselves, but they don’t seem to.

Be that as it may, here’s an amusement to tide you over: a lovely conversation I had with Christopher Paolini about Shadow Scale, writing, dragons, and music. And probably other stuff, too. It turns out I do babble on. The interview also contains my trademark giggling in copiou...

I’m not one to waste a world

Just to answer a question I’ve been seeing frequently and to provide some reassurance once I’ve answered it:

YES, Shadow Scale is the conclusion to Seraphina’s story. Everything wraps up, perhaps not entirely tidily, but in satisfactory and life-like fashion.

HOWEVER, let this not be a source of sadness for you. Goredd won’t just disappear. Indeed, those who have been with me since my comic book days, before Seraphina, know that Goredd and I have been together a very long time. It’s an enormous...

T minus one week

…and Misty at The Book Rat is up to shenanigans. SHENANIGANS, I tells ya! She asked me all kinds of tricky questions, but I was able to face them down with dignity. Always dignity.

Elsewhere, I stumbled across a particularly nice review of Shadow Scale from Tanita at Finding Wonderland. I have not been reading reviews — in fact I’ve been very strict with myself about this — but I saw a tweet about this one that used the word UNEQUIVOCALLY, and that kind of sucked me in. (My husband, when he re...

And March is come at last

It never ceases to amaze me how the future is so very far away until it’s not. I felt certain this month would never arrive – that it was a myth I’d invented to keep myself going – and now here it is.

A little business: I have updated the Appearances page yet again. I particularly wish to point out to my friends in Michigan that I am doing TWO public events there, in Ann Arbor and Lansing, and I would love to see any or all of you. It’s been a long time.

Shadow Scale just got a starred review i...

Guest post and giveaway

I had a “Thoughtful Thursday” guest post go up yesterday at Fantasy Literature on Weathering a Dearth of Ideas. They’re giving away print copies of Seraphina and Shadow Scale(US and Canada only), details in the intro paragraph. I don’t know how long you can enter, so get over there right away if you’re interested.