This Is The October Open Thread

[merlinscribe]

So Blade of Empire is out on 10/24 and the cover looks like this. It's a striking cover—in a Soviet Brutalist way. (That's supposed to be Runacar, I suspect. Now let's see if the image drives sales the way Marketing hopes it will.)

Greetings from the far side of the autumnal equinox (for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere). It's been a busy summer here in the Enchanted Forest, though none of it has involved responding to emails and other notifications from Tor because they haven't sent any. Most of what I'm learning about the progress toward publication of Blade of Empire has come from your comments. They are greatly appreciated!

I have one other project to deliver before going back to work on Scourge of Fate, but it should be out of the way by the end of the month. George RR Martin is a cautionary tale for modern storytellers, as we are all well aware, and I have no intention of forcing those of you who have been gracious enough to come along with me on Vieliessar and Runacar's epic adventure to languish for years without the rest of the story...

Meanwhile, a question: do you want to see snippets from Scourge as it is written—even if they might contain possible spoilers? Or do you want to go into the third book in the trilogy completely unspoiled?

And now, onto the comments backlog...

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Glad to read a post from you. As for the spoiler question. I am someone that anytime I pick up a new book, I would always read the last page first. I do the same thing when I get to a new chapter (in going to the last paragraph first). I know, that is highly odd. As you can guess I do not read much mystery books. I would defeat the purpose in finding out who did it, before I even start reading. As for getting snippets from Scourge, I would love too. I will will say (even though I know you would do this) you should at least mark it. So people that don't want the spoilers want continue reading. Once again just saying I love your books. Almost impossible to put down.

[(Anonymous)]

Will not continue

I hate automatic spelling

[merlinscribe]

Thank you! I will certainly tag and flag spoilers as well as putting them behind a cut.

Once Blade is out there, I will be posting a scene from it that is actually AU, since I decided it didn't work within the context of the larger story.

[iloverandomthings]

Like the person above. I always read the last few pages first. It isn't the ending of the book that's important to me but the journey to that ending.

I would love random snippets from the book.

[merlinscribe]

Excellent!

[(Anonymous)]

I.

WANT.

SNIPPETS.

In a less demanding tone of voice, I certainly love your writing style, which has bled over a bit into my writing, and I'd love to see more of what you write. Spoilers don't really matter to me - I just love a richly detailed world like the Obsidian Universe!

[merlinscribe]

Thank you! I love the World of Obsidian a great deal, and would love to share some of the background worldbuilding that would (probably) slow down the narrative if it was in the book. Also, not every character knows everything about their world, so to a certain extent, the character narrative I follow determines what I can tell.

[(Anonymous)]

Like the above, I don't mind spoilers. Not because I read the last page first, but because I simply won't remember everything. I even have to reread the previous books in a trilogy before I can read the new one (therefore I am reading Crown now)

....When Diana Gabaldon's next Outlander book comes out next year, I'm going to probably miss out on a few weeks of sleep to reread lol. (I also read her Daily Lines with no issue....I will forgot...most of it...)

[merlinscribe]

Thank you! That's good to know. (It's also a help in determining how much exposition is needed, and where it should fall in the context of the story.)

[destofworlds]

I absolutely love world building in books, it is one of the many reasons I love the Obsidian Universe as much as I do. It always makes me sad when good books must be cut, because I always want to know as much as I possibly can. Perhaps (besides the novellas I hope will come in the future) you could possibly do something along the lines of Tolkien's Silmarillion, some sort of collections of stories, general background information, and history.

[(Anonymous)]

Or (though far less likely) an entire history of the Endarkened Wars in 6 volumes would be amazing...

[(Anonymous)]

Unspoiled!

[merlinscribe]

Done! All spoilers will be clearly marked and easy to avoid!

Question?

[(Anonymous)]

I have an odd question - what color is elven blood? In Crown Vieliessar seems to think that it is odd that Idalia's blood is red and the shadows of old palm prints on the shrine are bluish so I thought that elven blood must be silver. However, I'm sure I remember that in Obsidian Mountain books that elven blood was red. Am I remembering wrong or did it change over the centuries? Or is that a question that is answered in a later book?

Re: Question?

[merlinscribe]

Not an odd question at all, and the reason it isn't clarified in DP1 is that we aren't seeing a lot of Outsider Viewpoint (yet). The color of Elven blood, compared to human blood, is darker and more purplish. The blood of a human is going to look rather freakishly orange to an Elf. (We must also remember that Elves can see much further into the visible spectrum than humans can, and can distinguish a far wider range of colors. This is going to lead to some rather amusing confusion the first time an Elf tried to teach a human to read trail-wands...

Spoiler away!

[(Anonymous)]

I have no issues with spoilers for current books (if they are out, they are fair game), but I’d rather not know what happens (dragons, but I can’t hear you, la la la la) to wrap up all the plot lines in Scrounge of Fate. When I pick up a physical book I may flip to the middle and read a page or two, but never the last thirty or so pages. Plus, with the size of the cuts Blade of Empire had (or did I not read that correctly in a previous post), who knows if spoilers from Scriunge will end up in the final book? Anyway, I like the idea is snippets because it keeps me in touch with the world and characters (though outtakes would be fine too). One of my favourite authors for fan-communication (and snippet choice!) is Ilona Andrews.

Re: Spoiler away!

[merlinscribe]

Thanks for letting me know, I find the feedback immensely helpful. I'll keep spoilers screened and well-marked here. Unfortunately I have no control over the Amazon Product Page or any of the reviews, and those will spoil frequently. I find that just as annoying as you do.

Also? By the time I've cut a manuscript to my editor's satisfaction, sometimes I find it hard to remember what's been left in the book and what's been excised. This is just as annoying as you might imagine.

Oh, spoilers, or cut scenes or out takes!

[(Anonymous)]

Loved, loved, loved the cut scenes you posted from 'Crown of Vengance' and would be happy with anything that you post. I only read the end of the book when I get to it. :) and spoilers don't bother me at all.

Re: Oh, spoilers, or cut scenes or out takes!

[merlinscribe]

Thank you for responding. For the people who love spoilers, I will post them--but screened and carefully flagged for the spoiler-averse. I expect to be posting some bits and bobs soon.

The second war. The Great War.

[(Anonymous)]

Are there any plans at all to complete the story? The end is written, the middle is written, the prequel is in the works, so my question is what about the Great War? Are there any plans to write that story?

Re: The second war. The Great War.

[merlinscribe]

OH yes. The trilogy is plotted. The working title is "The Glories of the Autumn" (which will undoubtedly change of Tor has anything to say about it) and it deals with the Great War--as well as the story I have been waiting years to write: the defense of Vel-al-Amion by the Seven...

[sanders1800]

I loved Blade of Empire. When I read a book I can get too involved in them. I think this one was the hardest for me to read from all the series. I put my self so much into the characters. That I can get in tears and my stomach gets tied in knots. I hope Scourge of Fate doesn't take as long to come out. I just don't see how those two get together.

I was also wondering if you could post the meaning of the different moon turns? Sword Moon, Thunder Moon, Rain Moon, etc. Some of them I have probably matched up to our months,but I am most likely off on some.

Thanks for another great book.

[merlinscribe]

I am so glad you can immerse yourself in the stories. That is a very great gift, and I value it. I think the most precious gift a reader can give to a writer is to enter their created world and share the pain and joy of the people in it, because that means we've succeeded in making them real to others. There are often scenes that the story demands that I find very hard to write because I know the toll it will take on the characters. (BLADE contained a lot of those.)

Meanwhile, have some worldbuilding. Since the alfaljodthi use a fourteen-moonturn Calendar/Wheel of the Year, I'm not sure it's possible to achieve an exact match. Here are the moonturns in order, lifted from my worknotes. Moonturns begin on the full moon.

1 Cold Moon [first moonturn of the Wheel of the Year]
2 Ice Moon
3 Storm Moon [early spring]
4 Rain Moon [when tribute goes to the Sanctuary of the Star]
5 Flower Moon [contains kite flying festival]
6 Sword Moon [the beginning of summer, and the war season]
7 Thunder Moon
8 Fire Moon [contains fire-leaping festival]
9 Harvest Moon [the beginning of autumn and harvest; Harvest Court and the end of War Season]
10 Rade Moon [Vieliessar was born this moonturn]
11 Woods Moon
12 Hearth Moon
13 Frost Moon [the first moon of winter]
14 Snow Moon [contains Midwinter festival and the Calling of the Light]

[syriem]

I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED "Crown of Vengeance" & have probably read it about eight times, ruining it in the process. (I have since bought it in hardback.) I got my daughter hooked on it, too. She bought me Blade of Empire for my upcoming birthday & I've just started it. I love that this is a precursor to the the other Trilogy's, as I always wanted to know the story of Vieliessar. Thank you so much for this "escape" into a completely & wonderfully believable story.

[merlinscribe]

Thank you for taking the time to let me know! I'm so glad you and your daughter are enjoying the series together!

Pronunciation

[randirelarwen]

I have a question about pronunciation. I have been reading your books since I was 17. In the last 5 or 6 years I started reading (listening?) the audio books. I started, of course, with the Obsidian Mountain Trilogy, then read (listened?) to the Dragon Prophecy series, and after Blade of Empire decided to listen (read?) to the Enduring Flame series, since I had not before. I was extremely bothered by the lack of continuity in pronunciation. Particularly as it applies to cities and Vieliessar.
That leads me to three questions. The first is: was this deliberate?
I turned to a group forum I take part in and some chose to believe that this shift in pronunciation is perhaps a deliberate shifting of what might happen over thousands of years.
The second question is: what is the proper pronunciation for the cities and Vieliessar?
My third question is this: do you and/or Misty have any say or decision in who narrates the audio books? I enjoy Kate Rudd's narration of The Dragon Prophecy series, though as Susan Erickson was the first I heard I am partial to her. She did a wonderful job voicing so many different characters. To be honest I am about to lose my mind listening to the Enduring Flame narrator. The pronunciations are so different from the other two series and his portrayal of Tiercel and Harrier comes across as whiny, though he does well on many other parts.

Re: Pronunciation

[merlinscribe]

A question. Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question...

(Oh wait. Wrong series.)

To answer your questions as best I may...

1. Since I've never listened to my audiobooks, I can't comment directly, but pronunciation should be consistent within trilogies.

1a. Was the shift in pronunciation deliberate? Yes (if between trilogies): it's one way to show the passage of time. Even the long-lived Elves will change what they call things over time, and humans have much shorter lives, so they do a lot more of it.

2. A guide to the pronunciation of names and places in the Dragon Prophecy Trilogy can be found here: https://merlinscribe.dreamwidth.org/5913.html If there are any specific names not covered here, let me know and I will try to render them for you.

3. Nope! Neither Ms. Lackey nor I have any input on the production of the audiobooks or the selection of their narrators. I'm sorry to hear that Tiercel and Harrier came across as "whiny" for you. They are two of my favorite people and I adored spending time with them.

[chichiri]

I'm really excited that "blade" is finally out!!

I've been a fan of these books since "the outstretched shadow" came out. I wasn't aware "crown" existed until a few months after it was published, but quickly bought and devoted it once I knew about it. "Crown" is my favorite of all the books, so obviously I've been eagerly awaiting "blade" ever since. Sometime during the wait I started visiting here periodically to get updates on "blade."

When I read "crown" my second child was just a baby. Now I have 4 kids (!!) and the only me-time I manage to carve out is web browsing/reading while my toddlers nap on me, which I'm doing now, lol. This means I'm difficult to get gifts for these days and am trying to be considerate by waiting for someone to give me "blade" at Christmas, because it's the only thing I really want at the moment. Waiting is really hard since I've been waiting for it roughly 5 years!

Anyway, this is my long way of requesting you put spoilers behind cuts with warnings for "blade" for at least a few months and "scourge" until publication. :) Though I'll probably cave and read the "scourge" snippits after I've read "blade", lol.

[merlinscribe]

I'm excited that BLADE is out too! And with four young children, I'm actually amazed that you have any "me time" at all, and honored that you choose to spend it reading something I've written. I promise to be careful and conscientious in screening and tagging spoilers, too. It will be something of a learning curve, I suspect.

[(Anonymous)]

I just want to say how much I have enjoyed this journey through the world you have created. I love how the reader can experience the darkness that permeates the very fabric of your novels, but still find hope in the innate goodness of the characters you have created. As an aspiring author myself, I find the balance between the power of the villain and the power of the protagonist difficult to maintain in a believable fashion. There has to be just enough darkness within the novel to provide opposition, without snuffing out all hope and just leaving me depressed for weeks on end (*cough cough* Star Wars III).

I do have one question. I have noticed that the stylistic choices present in your books with Mercedes Lackey are significantly different from the tone created in Lackey’s own books. So my question is this: who does most of the actual writing of the books in the Obsidian world? Does one of you show more of a presence in the process than the other, or is it a more collaborative effort?

There is also another question I have, about the publication process. How much say do you as the author have in the formatting of the book itself? Did you have any say in any of the cover art? Are you satisfied with the way the cover art portrays your characters? What changes, if any, would you make?

Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to a response.

[merlinscribe]

Thank you so much for your kind words. It's often difficult to set up a proper balance between the forces of Good and the forces of Evil (some times are more difficult than others *G*).

(We do not discuss *cough*Star Wars III: No Guts No Story*cough* in this household, as Diogenes dislikes wails of frustration and despair.)

And on to the questions!

The Obsidian books are collaborations. That being said, "collaboraiton" is a very broad church. Ms. Lackey set up the parameters of the world and often provides the entire plot, as well as other elements to incorporate into the story. That being said, most of the writing in the last two trilogies has been mine; Ms. Lackey reads the finished manuscript at will often polish a bit here and there before we send it off to Our Mutual Agent and thence to the publisher.

As for the actual physical book, the author has zero input into cover art, book design, and typeface/formatting. One learns very early on to judge a cover in terms of how likely it is to sell the book and to indicate the publisher's support of the book, and by that standard, Tor has treated us very *VERY* well. That being said, the covers are not very accurate...but then, that is not their function.

A partial list of the ways the books stray from accurate representation: Valdien is the wrong color, Ancaladar is much too small, the Elven armor is neither the right design or the right color, and so on. While some of these things are actually described in the course of the book, others, like the full details of the armor, are not--simply because everyone in the stories already *knows* those details and to enumerate them at length would derail the forward motion of the narrative.

If there's someone out there who can draw and who is willing to trawl the series for all of the various details of Elven armor, I would love to see the result. Until then, alas, we are all left with our imaginations.

Scourge of Fate updates?

[(Anonymous)]

I just finished Blade of Empire from my local library, and was looking for when the third book in the trilogy will be out. The last update you gave on Scourge was here, so I guess it is not yet scheduled. As a person with a short memory, I hope I will remember to check back periodically for updates as I desperately want to find out what happens next.

Re: Scourge of Fate updates?

[merlinscribe]

Alas, no: it is neither finished nor scheduled. Do check back every now and then, as I post updates and sometimes snippets.

Scourge

[(Anonymous)]

Hello,

Just WHEN is the 3rd book being released? Obviously someone hasn't learnt from George RR Martin that most readers are not impressed with having to wait years for a book. I am really starting to regret ever starting to read these books because of the long time between each one. Sorry to rant but really....

Re: Scourge

[merlinscribe]

Believe me, I understand your ire. I've lost all hope that Tor will ever release any of the books in a timely fashion. Admittedly the third book in the current trilogy has not yet been turned in, but since my editor waits months and sometimes years to read the submitted draft, it's rather daunting.

Scourge of Fate

[(Anonymous)]

Any progress or news on Scourge? i am a dedicated fan. Horribly impatient tho. I want to know how it all fits together! :-)

Re: Scourge of Fate

[(Anonymous)]

I second this question!! I'm sure that I am not the only fan waiting for the release of book 3. Is there a way we can contact TOR to let them know that the fan base is VERY unhappy at the slower than snail-like pace that books are being released?!?! I have now read all of the Obsidian books and such a minimum of 6 times.....and would really like a new story to read!

Scourge of Fate

[(Anonymous)]

I waited for Blade of Empire, I will.wait for Scourge... just please don't leave me eternally hanging. Any updates?

Re: Scourge of Fate

[merlinscribe]

I should have a vague publication date from Tor by March. Hang in there!