Merlinscribe: The Journal of James P. Mallory

Deliverance of Dragons, January Update

2025-01-09T22:09:40Z

First of all, a happy 2025 to everyone.

Deliverance of Dragons is wending its way through the proofing process, wherein the author(s) discover they gave multiple chapters the same title, the same moonturn, and often forgot their calendars completely. Fortunately our copyeditor is a very patient man, and has uncomplainingly caught all our mistakes. Any mistakes remaining are entirely mine: feel free to point them out since we might be able to fix them in the mm paperback.

Once we're past this, copyediting and proofing are done. I'm very excited about getting the book on-press. And then it will be May, and we will all have copies in our hands.

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Update on Deliverance of Dragons Audiobook

2024-10-22T19:38:54Z

We have now sold the rights for Deliverance of Dragons to the same company as the first two books in the trilogy (Brilliance Audio). Its release date will be the same as the initial print edition, so next May.

This update makes me very happy.

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DELIVERANCE OF DRAGONS Update

2024-10-10T21:06:35Z

https://merlinscribe.dreamwidth.org/file/200x200/302.jpg

The link above goes to a thumbnail of the cover. I'm sorry the image is so small; I cannot think of any way to embiggen it. But: News! Tor did not ask for a revision cycle, so I have done the copyedit (in which the CE wonders whether Vieliessar would actually LIE to anyone, and the author falls about laughing) and we're still on track for a May release.

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Questions?

2024-07-20T21:41:06Z

If you have general questions about the World of Obsidian and its lore, post them here and I will answer them as best I can. I say "as best I can" because I have been working on this series since the late Cretaceous period and I may no longer remember some answers.

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The Moon In Hiding

2024-07-20T00:19:49Z

I have just turned in a book to Tor. It is the first book in THE MOON IN HIDING series, set in the same universe as THE HOUSE OF THE FOUR WINDS but a few centuries earlier. I think you'll like it; a bit of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, a bit of BEST IN SHOW...

Tor is probably still reeling from having the 1100 page behemoth dropped on it, so I've heard nothing about the latest book yet. I'll pass on whatever I hear.

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Re: Book 3 of Dragon Prophecy

2024-06-19T23:41:04Z

I heard from Tor this week and they told me that Deliverance of Dragons will be coming out in a simultaneous hardcover and trade paperback edition. Don't know their respective prices, but I will try to find out closer to the release date.

If you want the hardcover, you should order it *specifically* through a bookstore/outlet/mailorder. If it's bricks and mortar, even better, since I don't know if Amazon will be getting the hardcovers at all.

The MM paperback should come out on its usual schedule, about a year after the TPB.

The cover reveal should be pretty soon. I'll let you know.

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Re: Book 3 of Dragon Prophecy

2024-02-20T21:14:19Z

I am pleased to announce that Book Three now has a title and a publication date.

Dragon Prophecy #3: Deliverance of Dragons: The Art of War will be published by Tor Books on May 27, 2025.

I know it's fifteen months from now, but a regular revision-and-production cycle is about 12 months, so we're pretty much in the groove. I haven't seen any revision requests yet, and much as I hope they will bow to my greatness and publish it as it stands, I'm not holding my breath on that. And the longer they delay in asking for revisions, the more I'll have to scramble. We'll see.

Hey, at least it's news, right?

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Happy American Thanksgiving to All Who Celebrate

2023-11-23T22:32:03Z

I see I posted this in entirely the wrong place and most of you won't have seen it. Ah well. Copypasta to the rescue.

A happy day to you all, and I hope it is spent with the family and friends you wish.

No further word on the Dragon Prophecy IX book, but I'm a third of the way through an English Civil War book and making good time. I don't actually expect to hear a peep out of Tor before February, but they could surprise me.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

2023-09-14T22:07:55Z

I would like to announce that on Monday the completed book, whatever its final title turns out to be, was turned in to my agent, who will turn it in to my editor.

There will be a revision cycle, then a production cycle, then the book will be scheduled. It could be as short as a year, or as long as... well, let's don't jinx this. There can be some insane holdups when a book misses its delivery date. It's like cogs in a machine, really.

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My It's Been A Long Time

2023-08-25T00:29:04Z

I see from my posts that it has been a shockingly long time since I did anything like keep you in the loop. I blame this on the fact that March, April, and part of May were spent going in and out of the hospital, and the rest of May and much of June was spent packing to move.

None of these activities, you will note, leaves time or energy to write.

All of which is my craven and deeply apologetic way of explaining why the book isn't done. It's extremely annoying to be 80 pages from the end in April and still there in August.

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My goodness, how time flies. And a Happy Christmas to all

2022-12-24T02:03:01Z

Here is your Christmas surprise: S. has okayed the ending "since you like it so much", so we can bang our way through the rest of the book once we get hold of a Jabberwock, some pruning shears, a plum cake, and a copy of Perry Como's Holiday Hits.

The earliest the book will hit the streets is 2024, but I could be wrong about that...

Onward! We all know what I've been doing (writing), except for December when I was laid up by 'flu or the latest vax. Better the vax than the 'rona, I think.

Fortunately I'd bought my gifts many months ago. Unfortunately, the same did not hold true of my cards. And so you see me here scrambling with what ought to be serene and leisurely updates (and aren't). But I thought you would like to know that DP3 is closer to being done and in editorial hands.

Where they will instantly ask for cuts. The msp will run 800 pages or more.

Best to you all, happiness, and good cheer.

James

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October Update From Tor

2022-10-14T02:40:04Z

Okay so... S finally called my agent! And said she'd read the pages Previous Editor had read. And... in a stunning turn of events that will be a surprise to practically nobody, said she needs a "clearer" draft of the outline of the end. So I whipped that together, cleared up the account slippage at the end, and Agent said it was a thing well and good.

No word about how S likes it. She's back under the cone of silence.

But the longer she leaves me out here on the playground by myself, the more I am going to write without editorial oversight, and the more unhappy I will be when asked to cut it. We'll see.

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Random Comments Page

2022-09-14T01:24:44Z

No news from Tor, alas. I'm starting this new thread because otherwise things get tangled, even though I do see them. I am entering the last 50,000 words of the book. Here's a taste:

______________________________________________________________________

"Are you mad?" the voice from the darkness demanded, sounding astonished. "Do you not know I could destroy you in an eyeblink? Why aren't you afraid of me?"

("Because we can't see you," muttered Runacar.)

"Destruction is easy," Vieliessar said. "My people spent many years waging war upon our own kind. We covered the ground with the dead from our wars, and killing was our pleasure and sport. We thought ourselves masters of the world until the Endarkened came. They kill as easily as they breathe, and we have no force that can withstand them. If I had known I would have to argue with Leutric's weapon, I think I would not have bothered to come."

"'Weapon'," the voice said, sounding insulted. "You do not even know what I am." Suddenly the cloud of Silverlight above Vieliessar's head flared brighter than flame, vanished, and the chamber walls began to give off a bright blue-green glow.

"I, Children of Stars, am a dragon."

#

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merlinscribe @ 2022-09-03T16:14:00

2022-09-03T23:18:32Z

Does anyone remember offhand what the Elvish for "volcano" is before I have to spend half a day searching for it?

Also, somewhere in Book 1 (I think) is an explanation of how Lightborn learn Magery, and I would like to find the exact wording. It goes something like "they learn the spell by perceiving it (in the mind of another Lightborn?) and thereafter know the spell and thus can cast it". This explains why there are so many incompetent Lightborn out there.

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Meet The New Boss

2022-07-19T02:55:09Z

My new editor has been ignoring me. Sound familiar? So anyway, Misty and I have decided just to go straight ahead and finish the book and hand it over. I expect to turn it in by the end of summer, if all goes well on this end. Maybe she'll be thrilled and delighted and put it immediately into production. I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

Wish the news was better.

Meanwhile, there's a new/old deleted scene from TO LIGHT A CANDLE over at the Library:
https://merlinscribe-library.dreamwidth.org/1973.html

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Dragon Prophecy 3: The Art of War. Another confusing update

2022-04-27T18:44:12Z

I am reminded I have been dilatory in sharing the current news about Dragon Prophecy 3. TLDR: this is likely to push the publication date further into the future.

Here we go...

At the beginning of April, I received shocking news. My long-time editor at Tor (and no fan of the Obsidian books) had left the company. The books have been assigned to a new editor, who (potentially; I haven't spoken to her in depth yet), will be a fan of the genre and be a booster for the series.

I don't know much of anything right now. I don't know if New Editor is going to accept the new ending of the book. I don't know how much clout they have in-house. I don't know how the pre-pub process (editorial revisions, copyedit, copyedit check) is going to go with the series under new management. Of course I hope New Editor will adore the books and back my vision for big sprawling epics that do deep-dives into all corners of Jer-a-kaliel.

It's early days yet. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

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Dragon Prophecy 3: The Art of War. An update you won't like.

2021-07-11T04:24:22Z

Dear Friends:

This is not an email I wanted to write. But I have always promised I would keep you "in the loop", as it were, and not simply retreat into a mystifying silence when things happened.

So.

About a month ago, around the time I was expecting my revision letter for The Art of War, what I got instead was an email from my agent that Tor was rejecting the book. This is a fairly rare occurrence, especially for the ninth book in a series. They said they required major changes before they would consider accepting the book.

Since they would not specify what these changes should be, aside from "a better ending", there is a bit of a scramble going on, especially when working within the constraints of eight previous books of lore and canon.

I have one in mind, and it should certainly work, since Ancaladar told Vestakia about it all the way back in the first trilogy, but right now you know as much as I do about the state of play. Negotiations, as they say, are ongoing.

I am currently, and off my own bat, revising the manuscript so that I can add on the sort of ending Tor may be thinking of. As it stands right now, The Art of War is more like a book report on the book I actually wanted to write—and I have to find room for another rather large chunk of story. Somehow.

I am very sorry. I did not expect anything like this to happen, and I apologize.

TL;DR: The Art of War will not be out this year because editor.

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Re: Book 3 of Dragon Prophecy UPDATE!

2021-05-04T04:24:30Z

We at last progress! Not enough to have a publication date, but I have heard rumors that Ye Ed will be sending me an editorial letter soon (ie. within the next six weeks). For the uninitiated, this means they send me a list of changes they want to see made in the manuscript, and I attempt to make them. Hopefully this is the one and only round of revisions, in which case the book will then be added to the publication schedule.

I dare not speculate as to when that publication might occur, but I shall keep you posted.

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AND THERE WILL BE DRAGONS!

2020-12-21T03:10:15Z

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters, Comrades and Friends....

The book is finished.

It's done, complete, and as much of the story as fits into 200K words is told. I am now doing a last read-through, checking for glitches, making sure I've fixed everything my first readers pointed out, and all that sort of thing. I will be delivering it to Tor in January, since there is absolutely no reason to deliver anything in December, and then...

We wait.

Well, actually, *you* wait. *I* will be off writing another book set in the "One Dozen Daughters" universe, though not, alas, the sequel to "House of the Four Winds". The title is KINGDOM AND CROWN (at the moment) and it's set about two hundred years earlier.

The war is over. The Queen is dead. The Lord Protector who rules the land has outlawed magic. But the Queen's daughter has survived...

It should be fun. And at least I will stop thinking in Old Elvish for a while.

Everyone have a Joyous Solstice, Happy December, Glorious Sol Invictus, and suchlike. I will post updates when I get them, but based on past experience, there's going to be nothing much but the sound of keyboard clicks for several months to come.

Stay safe, everyone.

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The September "I Am Not Dead" Post

2020-09-04T01:16:37Z

I apologize for my absence from this blog. It is about to resume. And no, the book is not finished, but unlike other authors who are years behind on their fantasy series, at least I did not make a dog's breakfast of the Hugos.

By this point I do not want to predict either a delivery date or a publication date lest Earth be hit by a giant meteor, but be of good courage. And on that note, allow me to present an excerpt from the WIP from another universe. To wit, pages that I wrote for a version of the book that turned out to be a plot-detour leading to a sign that said "BRIDGE OUT". But perhaps they will amuse. I don't think there are any particular spoilers in this, but as always, do not click if you are spoiler-averse.

I will get them added to the Library sometime before the heat death of the universe. Really.

( at least it isn't a glacier )

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A Note From Castle Carbonek

2020-03-26T07:24:55Z

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive and well. My daily life has actually changed very little, but I am keenly aware of friends and family who do not have my options. Stay safe, everyone.

—James

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Best Wishes To All

2019-12-24T00:18:39Z

Best wishes for all of you. I hope your holiday season is at the very least not a vector of additional harm, if not actively joyful (as some are not), and for the coming New Year I wish you (all of you) hope. And, if appropriate, joy.

I will be back in January--or sooner, as time permits--to answer posts and write a few myself.

--James

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PROBABLY ALL OF THEN ELVEN HOUSES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER #

2019-11-16T00:31:34Z

Good evening, my friends and fellow adventurers. Below the cut are my essential notes about the Hundred Houses. There should be no spoilers for the current trilogy there, but read at your own risk.

Most of these entries are necessarily incomplete; this is basically where I note particular facts about each House as it arises in the narrative.

Also, there are probably some errors here when the stylesheet was Overtaken By Events. Feel free to query. I promise I will answer all of these comments EVENTUALLY.

( Read more... )

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November Open Thread

2019-11-08T01:05:23Z

Starting a new open thread. Ask your questions here!

( SPOILER!!! )

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The State Of Things That Are

2019-10-18T03:48:24Z

I've just posted some more new material. It ends on a cliffhanger, um...sorry? It took longer than I thought it would to format and post the material, so the comments queue will have to wait for the weekend, alas.

Have fun, do good.

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