It's Coming

I am pleased to report that Avempartha, the second in the Riyria Revelations series, is on time and on schedule to be released April 1st. While you might not find this surprising, after all I promised you it would be, it is in reality just short of a miracle. In fact, Avempartha is reported to be in stock and available from Amazon at this very moment. I will have a “buy page” up and running on my site www.michaelsullivan-author.com this weekend with the anticipation of books shipping out as early as Tuesday night.

Now for some Avempartha Trivia tidbits:

Size matters
Avempartha is the same size as Crown, but whereas Crown had 296 pages, Avempartha has 331—a bit longer a bit heavier.

Missing Parts
There are ten “chapters” in Crown, but the publisher decided to present them as “parts” and subdivide these into chapters. Avempartha will be presented as I originally intended. There are fifteen chapters comprised of simple section breaks. Also chapter names will be more prominent than the number of the chapter. In addition, the chapter name will appear at the top of the page opposed to my name. I trust you will still be able to remember who wrote the book.

Mapping success
Thanks to the wary eye of fans, I corrected a misspelling and a few other mistakes, that I don’t even think anyone noticed. The map has also been split into two sections rather than spread over two pages. Now instead of Avryn being lost in the spine of the book, I have included a full world map on one page and a blow-up of Avryn on the other. I also moved the maps away from the dedication page, so I can now autograph in felt tip pen and not ruin the map on the other side. (My apologies, and my thanks to those who pointed that out.)

Tis the Season
Crown was released in the Fall (October 2008.) Avempartha is being released in the Spring (April 1 2009.) Crown took place in the autumn, Avempartha takes place in the Spring. (No I didn’t plan that.)

Artistic Vision
Just as with Crown, I painted the cover for Avempartha. And while I am maintaining the Celtic knot tradition in the book’s design, I created a new book symbol for Avempartha.

Branded for Life
I added a fantasy code to the back to assist bookstores in properly shelving the book. Some of you may have noticed that Crown is often misplaced in general fiction and I have even found it wandering around the mystery and political sections. Even as I, the author, inform them of the mistake, they still don’t listen, maybe if it is printed on the book itself…

Now just one more thing:
Please be considerate while waiting in those lines that wrap around the outside, and weave through the parking lots of the Amazon booksellers. Remember it is only a book and there is no reason to fight your way to the door.

It is still very cold in many regions above the equator so if you plan to spend the night of March 31st in line please dress appropriately. Bring thermoses of hot drinks and use down-filled sleeping bags not the cloth ones, and place mats or even cardboard underneath if you are on cement.

Keep in mind that Amazon is not accustomed to having long lines stretching out their doors so remember to watch for, and avoid blocking traffic. If the lines stretch into busy roads remember to wear bright colored clothing, or better yet, reflecting vests. Police have already announced they will not allow lines to block streets consisting of four lanes or more.

Those who get in first, please don’t taunt the others in line, that is cruel and could lead to violence. For this same reason, Amazon and local law enforcement are requesting that customer do not bring swords or daggers with them. Also, remember the fifty-book-limit policy. It is there so everyone has a chance. How would you feel if you waited eighteen hours in line only to be turned away steps from the counter?

Re-selling on the grounds of the Amazon stores will not be tolerated. Amazon officials—dressed in uniform and undercover—will be patrolling the lines.

I have heard that Amazon does not have a problem with selling places in line.

In the event news crews arrive at your branch of Amazon, please act dignified in your interviews. It not only hurts the fantasy genre, but literary fanatics in general if you act like movie, music or techy geeks.

When you get your books home, keep them in a cool, dry place. It isn’t necessary, or advisable to sleep with them as you might roll over and crush them.

Be thoughtful of spouses, siblings and others residing in your home and don’t stay up all night with the light on reading and nudging them with comments like, “I knew it!” and “Oh my god!”

And remember that Avempartha, like all my books, are best read slowly to savor each word and soak up the moment because the next one won’t be released for six more months.