It looked like some sort of dark ladybird. I'm alarmed if ladybirds have started mutating into new hostile species. And it's a bit of a cheek really, going around being all cute, red and spotty one moment, and the next suddenly sucking your blood. But perhaps it wasn't a ladybird at all, but some new killer variety, moving north into Britain as a result of temperature increases. I worry about global warming bringing harmful new bugs to London. In general, you could say I don't like bugs.
The paperback of Thraxas Under Siege, the eighth book in the series, will be released in the USA soon, in August I think. It's been out in hardback for a while.I wrote a blog a few months ago about the ending of the Thraxas series, and this blog still gets replies, many of them very unhappy about the whole thing. And one or two of them quite angry at me for not writing a ninth book. I appreciate people's replies on that blog, and wish I could be more accommodating in producing a new Thraxas book. But I don't know what to do about that, I'm afraid, as I explain in the blog.
Here is a brief interview with me about Lonely Werewolf Girl on the news page at the SCI-FI channel. The book is selling really well in the USA, and has already been reprinted. I'm about to reprint it here too. So this is all good. I'm writing a sequel at the moment, which is going very slowly.
A vampire ladybug...
ReplyDeleteOr even better: a were-ladybug!
That's what you get for writing fantasy. Nature imitate art.
Be careful of Thraxis fans that clamor for more books! The cautionary tale to end all cautionary tales about disgruntled fans and attempts at ending series is Stephen King's "Misery."
ReplyDeleteAnd it brings me joy that LWG is selling well in the US - yay!
Bloody bugs! I sat in my neighbor's garden over the bank holiday and got so many bites on my head I though I had caught headlice from my children, not to mention the enormous chunk gnawed out of my arm by some hungry insect.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Alice X
I think what they are is an rather evil bug called the Aisian Ladybug. They LOOK nearly the same as the nice ones, but they bite.
ReplyDeleteWe aquired them over here a few years ago, and they are REAL smart about getting inside...
I will miss new Thraxes, but as long as you don't stop writing, I am sure what you think up next will be equaly delightful....It's important as a writer to do different things, and important to know when to move on.
These bugs may well be vamppire varieties, I've been worrying about this for a while. I'm sure my blood would be extra-tasty for them.
ReplyDeleteAs for Misery, well, that's something new to worry about that I hadn't thought of yet. It's practically certain I'll suffer at the hands of a mad reader one day :-(
Alice! You managed to post a reply! Am pleased to learn you are anti-bug too.
OK, now I'm off to read up on Asian Ladybugs on the internet, and see if there's any defence against them.
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ReplyDeleteTries to resist making bad Buggy The Ladybird Slayer joke.
ReplyDeleteFails.
Hey Martin,
ReplyDeleteA very accomplished American with agoraphobia died today at 84. Thought you might be interested in his obit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/business/media/16cnd-schwartz.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Have you considered shopping Thraxas 9 around to another publisher? Nine being the number of magic, I think it would behoove you to finish the series with a big climatic novel. I fully expect to check this site for the next 10 years to see if you ever do get 9 published. I enjoyed Thraxas that much, and I am picky. LWG looks interesting, well done!
It's dissapointing that the Thraxas series has come to an end, I can't express how much pleasure and enjoyment your series has brought to me, and is now being brought to my friend who's already gone through the first 5 books in 2 days, he just can't put them down. But I hold out hope that as you become more successful and publishers become better prepared to offer you a fair deal that you can return to the series and offer us all a proper conclusion.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the mean time I've got the rest of your bibliography to go through.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Martin
ReplyDeleteI was thinking: what if your fans mailed you in $100 each? When you get the sum you want, you could self-publish book nine.
Neil Gaiman wrote a very nice blog post about the attitude of some fans to an author not continuing a series they want. It was prompted by a question from one of his readers about George R. R. Martin, and I think his absolutely spot-on attitude is summed up by the wonderful line "George R.R. Martin is not your bitch."
ReplyDeleteAs has been said above, I tremendously enjoyed the Thraxas series and I do hope you have the opportunity (in all the elements of a writer's career that that word requires) to continue, especially as it ended on something of a cliffhanger. But, you're not our bitch and your life is your own. Anyone getting angry about this should be politely pointed to Neil's blog post:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html
Trust me to pick up my old Thraxas (Traxas, in my case)books again, searching a wee bit online and discover it's been discontinued....well you created it, so it's yours to end it or put it on hold.
ReplyDeleteYou were out of luck in this country already anyways.(the Netherlands. Don't try to read my blog - it's not a blog, it's a course diary. I disliked the course so my writing is cynical. It's also Dutch, of course)
T(h)raxas was discontinued here long time ago. In the Netherlands it got published by Het Spectrum Publishers, who gave up on publishing fiction entirely and basically threw the fantasy/sf out of the window. Most of it got picked up by other publishers who mangled the genre just like Het Spectrum had done, before it all got settled into other publishers. (--> Discworld)
They all however neglected to pick up Thraxas....and the fund leftovers of Het Spectrum got sold and I bought the only 3 parts ever translated into Dutch. (yes, that would be the parts one to three).
I considered buying the following parts in English, but whilst I'm allowed to say I'm perfectly fluent, reading in English can be tiresome for me, and I read to relax (well I try to anyways). Not to mention it wouldn't be easy for me to buy 'm as online payment is something I never got in to.
This is not a request to send me following books - although I doubt you saw it like that to begin with.
Sorry to hear about the agoraphobia - is it something that just came on or was it always dormant in the back of your mind? (if I may ask - I have a policy of asking things but not expecting an answer, because I respect it if people don't want to answer).
Anyways, enjoying the first 3 books in a reread (and a reread is always helpful to find out if you really like something), so thanks for that! I'll keep an eye out for the following parts...
Yours sincerely,
Linda