You're invited...

So we are in the final throws of the mass of activity related to:

• The release of The Crown Tower
• The release of The Rose and the Thorn
• The distribution of the Hollow World Kickstarter

So since we are now winding down it's time to celebrate.

First a virtual invitation.  I've got these really cool t-shirts that you can't buy (only be awarded or win) and I'm having a contest right now.  Here is what they look like:

You can enter the contest from this link. Members of the Dark Room (a secret and private group on goodreads) get an extra ballots (one of their perks), but if you want to join The Dark Room here is an invitation for it as well. 

Okay, now for the non-virtual invitations...

Washington DC: Wednesday Sep 25, 2013 (7:00 pm - 8:15 pm)

If you are in or around the Washington D.C. Area this Wednesday night at 7:00 pm  then stop by One More Page Books for the official launch party of The Riyria Chronicles. This is a Fall for the Book Event and I'll be signing books, talking a bit about the new release, and there were be raffle giveaways for wine, tshirt and even some Hollow World books that you can't even get until April 15, 2014. We'll probably go out for a drink after the gathering...place to be determined.

Annapolis MD: Saturday Sep 28, 2013 (all day)

I and a number of members of the Alexandria Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will be enjoying the day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. No I'm not a featured guest or anything like that, but I will be there and will be glad to say hi, shake a hand, or sign a book for those interested.  I'll be checking twitter throughout the day so if you are there as well and want to meet up - just let me know.

New York NY:  Friday Oct 11, 2013 (11:00 - 12:00)

I'll be at the Javits Convention Center as part of New York Comic Con participating on a panel about Epic Fantasy. Others on the panel include Scott Lynch, Peter V. Brett, Elizabeth Bear, Brian Staveley, Drew Karpyshyn. The panel will be moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart from Mysterious Galaxy and we'll be in room 1A17.

New York NY:  Friday Oct 11, 2013 (12:15 - 1:00)

I'll be at the Javits Convention Center at autograph table #21. Even if you have nothing to sign, come and stop by to say hello.

New York NY:  Friday Oct 11, 2013 (2:00 - 3:00)

I'll be at the Javits Convention Center in Orbit's Booth (2218) signing books.  Generally they give away a number of them but if history repeats itself they run out fast - so you might want to get there a little early. Even if all the free books go I'll be at the booth for meet and greet. 

Gaithersburg MD:  Saturday Oct 12, 2013 (7:00 pm - late)

I'm going to be dropping by the bar at the Washington Hilton during Capclave 2013 to say hello to some people who will be in town for the weekend.  Again - drop by and say hi or have a drink.

Gaithersburg MD:  Sunday Oct 13, 2013 (late morning - early afternoon)

Capclave will be winding down, but I'll be around again just kicking back with people and chatting about fantasy and science fiction. Look for me in the bar at the hotel.

Springfield VA: Sunday Nov 3, 2013 (10: 00 - 12:30 pm)

Bookclub discussion: The Crown Tower with the Sci-fi & Fantasy Bookclub of Alexandria we'll be meeting at Houlihan's in the Springfield Hilton. There will be two sessions this is the morning one.

Springfield VA: Sunday Nov 3, 2013 (2:30 pm - 4:00 pm)

Bookclub discussion: The Crown Tower with the Sci-fi & Fantasy Bookclub of Alexandria we'll be meeting at Houlihan's in the Springfield Hilton. There will be two sessions this is the afternoon one.

New York NY: Saturday Nov 9, 2013 (9:00 am - 5:00 pm)

I'll be a guest panelist at the Self-publishing Book Expo at the Hotel Pennsylvania. While I should be available for questions during the meet and greet in the morning, and between sessions, I'll also be on a panel from 3:30 - 4:30 on how to raise funds and build a publishing team when self-publishing. In particular I'll be talking about my success with Kickstarter and how I used the funds to hire the same professionals that produce my traditionally published titles.

Upper Saddle River NJ: Saturday Nov 9, 2013 (7:00 pm - 11:00 pm)

I'll be a guest of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County to discuss writing and publishing. The meeting will be held at the Saddle River Valley Cultural Center. 

Whew.  Well that's all that I'm aware of in the fall book festival and convention season. Schedule for 2014 hasn't been set yet but I'm fairly sure I'll be at Legendary Confusion in Detroit in January and The World Fantasy Convention in Washington DC in November 2014. I hope to see some of you at these various places.

National Book Festival

One of the really nice things about living near Washington D.C. is that the National Book Festival comes each year. This year the weather might not co-operate too well but I'm going to make a trip anyway as there are a lot of people I'm interested in hearing from.  Here is a full list of people coming this year. The ones I'm most interested in seeing/hearing from are:

• Paolo Bacigalupi
• Margaret Atwood
• Justin Cronin
• Khaled Hosseini
• Brad Meltzer
• Elizabeth Moon

It's my birthday...and release day...all rolled into one.

Today is my birthday, and when Orbit decided the date for the release of The Rose and the Thorn they probably didn't know about that.  I've received a ton of congratulatory tweets about both and since the release of The Crown Tower a lot of people have been saying how much they are looking forward to The Rose and the Thorn.

Many people are already asking me when the third book in Chronicles will be out.  Well there is no easy answer to that one. For those who haven't read the Author's Note in The Crown Tower, I'm playing the chronicles series very much by ear. If people want more Royce and Hadrian, well then I certainly have some great stories waiting to be told. But if they decide that eight is enough. I've got many non-Riyria tales as well.  If you want to weigh in there is a survey you can answer here.

As for The Rose and the Thorn, the early reviews are positive:

"An excellent second act in the Riyria Chronicles. Michael J. Sullivan's The Rose and the Thorn manages to be even better than The Crown Tower, making this book, and the duology – one of my favourite reads of 2013." ~ Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields

"So far, all of Sullivan's Riyria books have been very well paced, sword and sorcery style action with strong characters, making them fun and easy to read.  I would recommend them to any fan of fantasy, new or veteran, young or old." ~ Reading Realms

"I have to say, that The Rose and the Thorn was an excellent end to the Riyria Chronicles and is every bit as strong as any one of Sullivan’s other books." ~ Fantasy Faction

"I’d say Sullivan has discovered a gold mine of potential stories that will continue to prove popular for as long as he can keep to this winning mix of the familiar formulas, new perspectives, and untold adventures." ~ 52 Book Reviews

"In sum, this book basically gave me more than I bargained for, and in a
good way." ~ The Bibliosanctum

"I highly recommend this book for fans of light fantasy and caper-type stories.  Sullivan has shown how a prequel should be done" ~ Being a Big Sandwhich

"The Rose and the Thorn is another great story from an author that deserves to be read by every fan of fantasy and adventure." ~ Owlcat Mountain

"There is a timelessness about these novels that really makes you yearn for that era." ~ Koeur's Book Reviews

Time is running out....

I received an update from Shawn Speakman and I'm pleased to announce that the first print run of Unfettered has sold extremely well. Shawn did a 5,000 print run and only 500 copies remain, so if you want to get this extraordinary volume of short stories act soon.  If you aren't aware of Unfettered and what it is let me take a moment to introduce you.  

Shawn Speakman beat cancer not just once but twice. His second time around he did so without health care insurance...as no insurance company would pick him up. He amassed several hundred thousand dollars of debt and instead of filling for medical bankruptcy, he created an anthology with stories from some of the biggest names in fantasy...and he even let me contribute a story.

Who contributed to the anthology? Well here's the list: 

Terry Brooks | Patrick Rothfuss | Tad Williams | Carrie Vaughn | Jacqueline Carey | Peter V. Brett | Peter Orullian | R.A. Salvatore | Todd Lockwood | Blake Charlton | Daniel Abraham | Kevin Hearne | Mark Lawrence | David Anthony Durham | Jennifer Bosworth | Robert V.S. Redick | Eldon Thompson | Naomi Novik | Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson | Michael J. Sullivan | Lev Grossman | Shawn Speakman

For my own part, I wrote a Royce and Hadrian story called "The Jester."  It tells the tales of one of their early adventures, and like any good short story (at least short stories that I like) it has a little moral about the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. 

For those prone to ebook reading...there are copies of that as well, but for those that enjoy paper, and are looking for a collectible item of a very special book for a really great cause...then it just makes sense to pick up a copy before they are gone. The book is sold directly from Shawn's company: Grim Oak Press, and you can get a copy for $35 from here.