Cover Launch: LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF SAUSAGES

Sorry folks, I know monday is usually cover launch day, but things are a little hectic in the Art Dept. and  this week wednesday is cover launch day. But never fear, I have a cover all ready for next monday too!)

Tom Holt is a funny guy. Orbit UK has been publishing him for a long time and I was thrilled to get to redesign his look with his US launch of Blonde Bombshell in June. I can’t wait to start applying the new look to the backlist titles waiting to roll out. But first we have another new book, one which wins for my favorite title of all time* Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sausages.

Tom Holt is all about funny, absurdist scifi/fantasy, and when I read my first Tom Holt book I was pleasantly surprised how like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett it felt. and that’s high praise from me. I really like the humorous scifi/fantasy subgenre, and I think we’ve been packaging it well here at Orbit with the A. Lee Martinez books especially, and I’m really happy to add these books to the list.

I love a chance to hand-draw a cover, because most of the time everything happens solely on the computer. I especially enjoy hand-drawing type. I’ll have to try to work it in to more covers, even if it’s not as purposely rough-style like these covers. (more…)

Limiting the Unlimited

Anything is possible in a novel.  And I do mean anything.  Perhaps the biggest reason I enjoy writing novels is that, no matter what I imagine, I can do it.

If I want to blow up the universe, I can.  If I want to glue it back together immediately afterward, I can.  If I want to write a scene where two gods sit on a couch and talk about dating, no problem.  Done.  And if I want to make a giant space squid eat the moon, no one can stop me.   (more…)

Changeless becomes a New York Times Bestseller!

Changeless by Gail Carriger just hit the New York Times best seller list at #20!

Congratulations to Gail!

Whoo hoo!! We’re over the moon over here and hope you share in our excitement! I need to go find a football team so I can practice chest bumping!

You can check out the first chapter here or check out the video on how we made the cover for the upcoming Blameless here.

Why Griffins?

Available May, 2010

Look, I don’t have anything against dragons. Honest. Dragons appear in two of my own books (not out yet). I love dragons! Especially the ones in RA MacAvoy’s Tea with the Black Dragon and Naomi Novik’s Temeraire and Barbara Hambly’s Dragonsbane. Maybe my favorite dragon of all time appears in Patricia McKillip’s The Cygnet and the Firebird, which right there probably tells you that I especially like my dragons to be powerful, subtle, ancient and wise.

But I’ve always had a soft spot for griffins. (more…)

When is a dwarf not a dwarf? When he’s a garden gnome…

Read on for a great piece from the talented Sally-Ann Spencer on her experience of translating The Dwarves (UK/ US/ ANZ) and The War of the Dwarves (UK/ US / ANZ) from the original German:

Turning German ‘Zwerge’ into English-speaking dwarves isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. For one thing, the English word ‘dwarf’ has two possible plurals: ‘dwarfs’ and ‘dwarves’. Which should be used for the translation? The dwarves of Girdlegard bear a certain resemblance to their counterparts in Middle Earth, so I went with the version popularized by Tolkien. But hang on a minute, (more…)

New Wallpaper Day: The Orphaned Worlds

For our Orbit UK fans, we have a fresh new wallpaper taken from the cover of The Orphaned Worlds by Michael Cobley, the sequel to Seeds of Earth. (You can read more about the book and Michael Cobley here.) I am loving the series illustrations being done by an Orbit favorite Steve Stone and I can’t wait to see the art plastered on all your assorted screens and digital devices. I’ve tried to cover all the standard display aspect ratios and devices (and yes, even the new iPad), but let me know if I’ve missed any important ones.

Enjoy the wallpapers, and don’t forget to pick up The Seeds of Earth and The Orphaned Worlds, both available now!

1024 x 768 |1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 | 1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad | PSP

New Wallpaper Day: The Gaslight Dogs

Here’s a gorgeous wallpaper made from the cover art of The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee, out now. (You can read the cover launch here) The illustration was done by the fantastic Sam Weber, and I’m really thrilled to be able to offer it to you in a whole slew of formats. I tried to cover all the standard aspect ratios/devices (including a hot new iPad version for us disciples of St. Jobs) so let me know if I left an important one out.

And of course, go get a copy of The Gaslight Dogs! To me it felt like a little bit steampunk, a little bit Golden Compass, and a little bit old western, with a great story arc. I can’t wait for more from Karin Lowachee.

Enjoy!

1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 | 1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad | PSP