Ketchup

Aha ha HA ha ha ha ha! I got you again, Kat!

I was going to call this entry "Rok Pandemie, or, I Think I See A Pattern Developing Here"... but honestly, messing with Kat's mind is just too sweet. ;)

This is the cover for the Czech edition of Plague Year, which I'm told is due out in February. Love the gas mask. Love the byline above the title. Love it love it love it. I think the whole concept has a stark, metallic feel almost like a Terminator movie poster, nicely offset by the caution grid across the bottom and the blood red biohazard symbol. Nicely done, BBArt! Also, the book is in hard cover, which is what every paperback writer dreams about. Wow.

Labels: Czech Republic, PLAGUE YEAR, Rok pandemie, teasing Kat

It's been a good week. I'm nearly done with a brand new fun short story (a rarity for me) despite fighting a nasty sore throat-with-cough, hooray... and there's been more excitement overseas. This is the cover of the April issue of Pevnost, the Czech Republic's top genre magazine of horror, fantasy, and sci fi. It says so right there behind the awesome vampire soldier, who's just about the coolest thing I've ever seen, with the possible exception of my own name in the table of contents.

Included in this issue is "Zamrziá Obloha," better known to you and me as "The Frozen Sky," which I've always considered one of my best stories. It's got a high concept, it's dark, driving, and there's a smart, tough hero. Apparently other people think so, too. That pleasant clinking you hear behind my sick groans and sneezing is the sound of dominoes!

I'm told that editors from two of the Czech Republic's largest publishing houses were struck by the story, went out of their way to find U.S. editions of my novels, and, whammie, we had a small bidding war between BB Art and Triton. It's official. BB Art, which also publishes books by Stuart Woods, James Rollins, and Douglas Preston, won Czech rights for Plague Year and War. We're very excited.
Also included with "Zamrziá Obloha" were these original illustrations of Alexis Vonderach and her freaky blind amphibian opponents by Karel Zeman, reproduced here with permission, all rights reserved. Nice work, man! These pictures look exactly like what the story looks like in my head. ;)

Illustrations © 2009 Karel Zeman

Labels: Czech Republic, foreign rights, Pevnost, Plague Year and War

More good news from afar. My novelette “The Frozen Sky” remains my favorite of all my short fiction (it's dark and freaky!) and it’s well on its way to becoming my most successful, too. This week “Sky” was bought by the Czech sf/f magazine Pevnost, where it will run in their October issue. This is an award-winning publication, full-color, glossy cover. Sweet. Give ‘em a peek at http://www.pevnost.cz/ I have little idea what any of that says, but it’s an awesome-looking site. Excitement!

Also this week, the good folks at the U.K.-based-but-world-spanning podcasters of Starship Sofa have released “The Frozen Sky” as an audio file read by Amy H. Sturgis in her cool, poised, and totally hot British accent, which is perfect for the main character, who is also European. Check it out at http://www.starshipsofa.com

Amy’s delivery is hands-down superior, and they paired me with a Spider Robinson story, which is just gravy on the ice cream! ;)

Labels: audio, Czech Republic, foreign sales, podcast, The Frozen Sky