Two years later it’s a thrill to be able to present The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms! The book has been getting wonderful praise across the web, but I wanted to point to this review just in from Bookpage that sums up my feelings  nicely:

Many books are good, some are great, but few are truly important. Add to this last category The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin’s debut novel…In this reviewer’s opinion, this is the must-read fantasy of the year.”

I’m over the moon with the attention Nora (a Nebula nomination!!) and the novel are getting!  Now in printed (and e-book) glory — and at a bookstore (virtual and otherwise) near you.  And if you haven’t yet, be sure to read the first three chapters at Nora’s site.

The book is about two unlikely heroes — a couple on the verge of divorce.  On their way to marriage counseling, they notice a few odd things: a missing guard, a lack of cars on the freeway, and their counselor ripping out the throat of her previous client.

Now it’s up to David and Sarah to work together, save their marriage — and survive in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

The book is chock-full of valuable post-apocalyptic marriage advice, including:

• Balance the workload in your relationship. No one person should be responsible for killing all the zombies.
• Put the small stuff into perspective. It’s better to be wrong and alive than right but eating brains.
• Talk out your big decisions. Hear both opinions before you decide if you’re going to flee the city or hole up with Campbell’s Soup and CNN.
• Share in your activities and interests. If you’re going to kill zombies anyway, why not do it together?
• Plan romantic getaways. Or just getaways.
• Show physical affection. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like bearing the entirety of your spouse’s body weight.

Watch for MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES in September — and in the meantime, why  not go ahead and become a fan now?

We’re very excited for Gail!

Lili hit the New York Times’ Children’s Paperback Bestseller list at #5, kicking ass with her YA novel, Betrayals.  I am very proud to work with her and I’m SUPER  excited for her.  Now I can introduce her to you as NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, Lili Saintcrow!! Yeah!!!

We also have the newest Jill Kismet from Lili out this week – FLESH CIRCUS.  The Cirque de Charnu has arrived – and they’re ready for fresh meat.  Jill Kismet can’t do anything without destroying a fragile truce that has existed between the hellbreed, the hunters, and the Circus.  But when circus performers start dying grotesquely, it’s all Jill can do to keep her head in the game – and out of the lion’s mouth.

First, I learned many things. The foremost of which can be distilled down to four words: Authors talk…about editors.  WHOA!!! I had no idea.  I guess they talk about other things as well, but let’s focus on me…I mean, what I’ve learned.  First, they get together in a secret cabal and they hang out together in large groups where they discuss their respective editors.  WHO KNEW ABOUT THIS AND DIDN’T TELL ME????  That‘s what I want to know.

So, because of this top secret thing that authors do, I have invented two secret weapons. And I want you know that I have both of them on hand for everyone’s authors. I have no problem helping out my fellow editors. So #1 item to buy your editor for Christmas? Well, I can’t tell you that – I can reveal that it is very small and can listen in on all your conversations. ANYWHERE. So, supposedly there is this to help you against evil editors (like me), but be warned. We know where you write.  ALL OF YOU. My second item is also very popular and has to do with force fields. So if you (an author) get too close – i.e. talking distance of another author: POOF and on it goes, leaving both you talking in a vacuum and unable to communicate with each other. It is all part of my awesome plan to divide and conquer. Genius…It comes in many forms.

At this point, I’m guessing that most of you don’t want me to keep on my mad scientist hat and would like to know what actually happened at World Fantasy. I have one word for you: Drinking.  Yes. That was the theme this year at WFC. As it was last year, and the year before and the year before that.  After a long and arduous trip flying out of New York and into San Jose, we arrived mostly in one piece and ready to wine and dine. Orbit was there in full force, which was lovely to see: DongWon Song (Associate Editor), Tim Holman (Publisher), Alex Lencicki (Publicity and Marketing Director), Jack Womack (Publicity Manger) and ME (Really, at this point, do I need an intro? But for you plebians, Devi Pillai, Senior Editor).

 I had a lovely meeting with Sally Harding of the Cooke Agency who is the agent for Jesse Bullington and A. Lee Martinez, both of whom Orbit publishes and the former of whom was at our party later that night at the Loft Bar and Bistro.  I also chatted briefly with Jo Fletcher, the luminous Editorial Director of Gollancz and talked about authors over the pond as well as here.

Our party was smashing, crowded enough that it looked HUGE, I mean, a respectable size, but not such a crush that you got claustrophobic and left after a minute of looking in through the door.  We had a smashing time and we introduced a lot of our new authors (some new to Orbit and some just plain new) to our fellow WFC conventioneers: Jesse Bullington, Robert Jackson Bennett, Gail Carriger, Amanda Downum, Greg Bear, Jon Courtney Grimwood, Terry deHart, Seanan McGuire, Kim Stanley Robinson, Kate Elliott, N. K. Jemisin, Brent Weeks.

Saturday, I had a lovely breakfast of Huevos Rancheros that our waiter recommended – AMAZING.  And then it was a busy day full of meetings. Among them, Laurie McLean at the Larsen-Pomada Agency where we chatted briefly about Jennifer Rardin and her next projects as well as new authors.  We chatted with Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Agency about zombies!

And then, we had afternoon tea with Jon Courtenay Grimwood. It was absolutely lovely and we adored the tea cosies and chatted about life, books, mostly, TEA!!! We also had a lovely time discussing the future – and the past of publishing with Jon Parker and John Berlyne at the Zeno Agency. We also met with the lovely Liza at Locus and discussed the fate of the mass market as well as e-books.  We then had a lovely dinner with the amazing (by Amazing, I mean, New York Times Amazing) writer of The Way of Shadows, Mr. Brent Weeks and his lovely wife Kristi.  The conversation centered around monkeys throwing poo and pork pies. Both of which were NOT related.

And then, we went to Gail Carriger’s amazing party for her launch of Soulless. It was fabulous. And she was lovely enough to remember my obsession (sad as it was) WITH CHEESE!! Now, the highlight of this party – which was busy from the second it opened (authors heard about food – and the rest, as we say, is history….)  — I GOT CARDED. Yes. Me!!! I asked the bartender, REALLY??? in an incredulous voice, to which the Armenian Lover #1 (or so Gail calls him) said, YES, in a very stern voice. I was so happy I almost did a back flip and dug through for my wallet and called everyone to tell them I got carded. Really, the best thing EVER to happen to me at a convention. It almost made me shed a tear of joy!!!  It’s all about the Indian genes people…

And then, there was the bar. Full of drinking, more drinking and drinking. Joining the Orbit team in copious amounts of alcohol (sorry, I meant, joining us for a drink!!!): Amanda Downum and her husband, Jesse Bullington with his friend Molly, Robert Jackson Bennett and his wife Ashley, Brent Weeks with his wife Kristi, Blake Charlton, Myke Cole, Kate McKean, Peter Brett. I believe the evening can be summed up by this tweet.   Many things happened, most of which I’m sure will be up on YouTube very very soon….

Sunday was a quiet breakfast with Gail Carriger, gushing about the party the night before and about book #3 which she just turned in, BLAMELESS.  Oh yeah. Can’t wait for that can you??? Then the long flight to…bed.

Devi

TEMPEST RISING is the story of Jane True, outcast, night swimmer, and half-selkie. It’s a fabulous world full of characters straight out of myth, from rock gnomes that bag groceries to a sea pony named Trill. What made this one really stand out for me was the fact that Jane True  didn’t live in big urban city, but in a small town off the coast of Maine.  The big attraction there? The Old Sow, a whirlpool that once in a while throws out something interesting. Like a dead body.  Which is how Jane True discovers — and is dragged into—a world of supernaturals that she didn’t even know existed in her small and sleepy town.

Coincidentally, the author, Nicole Peeler, works in Shreveport – and her writing did remind me of a certain waitress from that part of the county.

Nicole has a bunch of links on her website, including a post she did for John Scalzi’s The Big Idea Blog, excerpts from the book, and, of course, the obligatory photos of cats enjoying the book.

Check it out this week in bookstores everywhere. Oh, and I should also tell you that #2, Tracking the Tempest, will be out next July for your reading pleasure.

I’m very excited to tell you that Bite Marks is out today! Yeah! This is Jaz Park’s newest adventure. And this time, she’s in a bit deeper than before with gnomes trying to bring down NASA and a demon bent on dragging a friend’s soul to hell.  But to top it off, she’s also hearing voices in her head – and they’re not all hers.

It’s a wild ride. I hope you’re as excited as I am to check this book out in the bookstores. And I’m over the moon because the next book just delivered into my greedy wittle hands! Which you’ll be seeing next fall…

And be sure to check out Jennifer’s post on “The Ick Factor.”

New Deals.

First, Orbit US/UK has acquired KATE ELLIOTT in a new three-book deal.  She’s doing a totally new series for us and the first book is titled COLD MAGIC. A Victorian fantasy novel set in an alternate world of trolls, dragons, and darker magic, this is a combination of steampunk and adventure fantasy at its most fast—and furious.

Orbit US has acquired KRISTEN PAINTER’s debut novel BLOOD RIGHTS, also in a three-book deal.  Gothic fantasy meets a new twist on vampire fiction—full of politics, intrigue, and blood.

Deliveries.

Alexia Tarabotti #1

CHANGELESS by Gail Carriger, the awesome follow up to SOULLESS (out in October!). A missing husband, preternaturals and a dirigible trip full of hats, parasols and attempted murder… April 2010

Sabina Kane #1

THE MAGE IN BLACK, the follow up to the much talked about RED-HEADED STEPCHILD by Jaye Wells, is the second book in the Sabina Kane series and it’s even better than the first. Demon Fight Club. Need I say more?  Coming in April 2010.

Rachel Neumeier’s LORD OF THE CHANGING WINDS—A novel of griffins and mages, blood and kings and a young girl whose power is at the center of it all. This will be out next summer in MAY 2010, with the follow up, THE LAND OF BURNING SANDS in June 2010.

Out in December 2009

STEALING FIRE by Jo Graham is the tale of Alexander’s soldier, Lydias of Miletus, who having survived the final campaigns of the Alexander the Great’s life now has to deal with the chaos surrounding his death. May 2010. (Her first two books, BLACK SHIPS and HAND OF ISIS are out in mm in December 2009 and January 2010!)

Jane True #1 Out in November

TRACKING THE TEMPEST by Nicole Peeler, Ms. Jane True goes to Boston and almost gets burned to a crisp by another Halfling. Lovely lovely stuff about a young woman new to the supernatural world. July 2010 (Her first novel, TEMPEST RISING is out this November!)

Rachel Aaron has just given us THE SPIRIT THIEF—a fun adventure fantasy about a thief who kidnaps the king of a minor kingdom and gets into more trouble than he could dream of.  October 2010.

Out in February 2010

N.K. Jemisin’s THE BROKEN KINGDOMS—a dark fantasy where a young blind woman finds something a bit more than she expected in the trash heap. November 2010. The first book, THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS.

It’s everything your twisted little heart could ever want. But don’t trust just us — check out this video of Joe talking about the book.

Still not convinced? George R.R. Martin had this to say about Joe’s latest:

Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, could teach even Gully Foyle and Kirth Gersen a few things about revenge. The battles are vivid and visceral, the action brutal, the pace headlong, and Abercrombie piles the betrayals, reversals, and plot twists one atop another to keep us guessing how it will all come out. This is his best book yet. All that’s missing is a map.” — George R.R. Martin

Don’t miss out on the fun, and meet the deadly lady herself: Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins.