The Lunch of Doom and Good Books

Okay, "Lunch of Doom" is a bit harsh. In fact, my lunch with my editors was very enjoyable, and flew by despite going almost 3 hours long. We ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Thaifoon, and I stuffed my face while listening to Chris and Lisa take turns telling me what needed to be fixed in THE HUNT FOR DARK INFINITY.

The good news is that both of them convinced me they really liked it, and honestly, there is no bad news. Yes, they spent three hours going over their notes, telling me thisses and thats and whatabouts and whathehecks and sayhuhs, but everything they said was brilliant and will make my story much, much better. Seriously, these guys are very talented and are good at what they do.

I now have one month, until July 14, to do my rewrites. Luckily, there are no major, major problems, and only 2 problems that will take somewhat significant work in terms of ripple effects through the whole story. Lots of little fixes, but one month should be plenty of time.

Then Lisa will go into full nitpicky edit mode (this time around was really for content, characterization, plotlines, etc.) and then it will begin readying for ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) sometime in September. Hopefully, we'll be seeing those puppies in late November, early December. (The hardback of Book 2, and paperback of Book 1, will come out in March 2009.)

Meanwhile, my awesome illustrator, Bryan Beus, has read the preliminary draft and is brainstorming and working on the cover art as we speak. I imagine we'll see the cover around late August or early September. Now for THAT, I absolutely can't wait. The cover for Book 2 just might be the most important element in assuring this series takes off (assuming the book is good, and, really, come on). No pressure, Bryan.

Now, I thought I'd report on the latest books I've read. Not really reviews, just reports.

THE GOOD GUY, by Dean Koontz. Perfect book for travelling, lightning fast pace, fun to read. Nothing will knock you over about the plot. But the last line of Chapter 1 is one of the best endings to a first chapter I have ever read.

The only problem I ever have with Mr. Koontz (and based on my BEA report, you know how much I idolize him) is his humor. I just feel like he tries way too hard to be funny sometimes in the banter between characters. Especially in tense situations. It's like a bad summer blockbuster movie. But still, I love him and will read every book he writes.

SPOOK, by Mary Roach. I now have a goal in life to meet this author. She's hilarious, and thinks just like I do. This is a light-hearted, non-fiction account of Mary's attempt to prove to herself, scientifically, that there is an afterlife. It is such a fun and fast read. She does everything from interviewing supposedly reincarnated folks in India to enrolling herself in Medium school. All the while, she cracks you up. Loved it.

THE DARK TOWER, by Stephen King. Okay, I'm currently on Book 5, WOLVES OF THE CALLA. I can't overstate this: I haven't had this much fun reading in a very long time. In fact, I'm forcing myself to read other books in between so I can drag out the enjoyment a little more. (I promised I wouldn't read it until the series was complete and in paperback, which it now is.)

This may be the culmination, climax, whatever you wanna call it in my career as a reader: One of my favorite authors (if not THE favorite), writing an epic story that is so long and so full and so deep and so rich that I can hardly stand it.

It's the uniqueness and contrast I love so much. You have gunslingers and wizards, barren dusty lands and downtown New York City, mafia gangsters and grotesque mutants, cowboys on horses and supersonic monorail trains that talk and love to solve riddles.

It is, simply, the best thing I have ever read.

As Roland would say, I set my watch and warrant on it.