Jaye Wells — author of Red-Headed Stepchild — is visiting Bitten by Books on Wednesday the 20th. Not content just to entertain visitors with her vampire-fang/wooden-stake sharp wit, she’s also got a special prize to give away. Details revealed in the video invite below. And visit Bitten by Books to join the fun!
I’m very pleased to announce that we have acquired Terry DeHart’s debut novel, THE UNIT. Set in Northern California just after the bombs fall, the Sharpe family takes up arms to defend themselves in a world gone mad. This is the gripping story of one suburban family fighting off a band of savage opportunists, struggling to survive a nuclear winter, and testing the limits of family bonds. Terry shows us a global catastrophe through the eyes of the smallest players and the bloody struggle of survival in the actions of the most ordinary, nuclear family.
We have acquired two books from Terry DeHart and will be publishing in Summer of 2010.
Do you find yourself with a gnome in the garden? One that you can’t get rid of?
A unicorn rooting through your trash lately?
Something that’s slippery and slimy living under the bed?
A troll smelling up your closet – and your socks?
For all these issues and more….
CALL NOW
212-364-1177
(That’s a real phone number — go ahead, call it — but long distance charges may apply)
(more…)
Marie Brennan’s IN ASHES LIE is out next month from Orbit (US | UK). In the meantime, she’s releasing an ebook of a new novella set in the same world. Best of all, it’s totally free (although you can donate if you’d like) and it’s available in HTML, Epub, and PDF.
Here’s Marie on the novella:
Today, to mark the one-month countdown to the release of IN ASHES LIE, I’ve posted on my website a free Onyx Court novella titled DEEDS OF MEN. Taking place between MIDNIGHT NEVER COME and its sequel, this story is a murder mystery set at the end of the reign of James I (1625). You don’t need to have read either novel to understand the novella, nor do you need to read this piece to understand ASHES, but I hope it will serve as a fun “extra” for readers who want more of the setting and the characters.
And here’s a description of the book:
A young man lies dead in a Coldharbour alley. Before his death, he uncovered secrets that could threaten the mortal world above and the faerie world below. Now, to find the murderer and protect both realms, Sir Michael Deven will need the help of a man with reason to hate the fae of the Onyx Court — the victim’s own brother.
So what are you waiting for? Download DEEDS OF MEN here.
Ah, John Jude Palencar, how do I love thee? Of all the “big name” fantasy & science fiction illustrators working in the genre, John Jude Palencar has always been my favorite. From a book fan and an art fan’s point of view, I have to say it’s gotten to the point that I will pick up a book simply because J.J.P. did the cover art. It was a fabulous piece of luck for me to be able to work with him in my very first season here at Orbit. Seriously, people, these are the kind of days you love your job.
John Jude Palencar is working on the mass market editions of all of Jo Graham’s books for us, (Hand of Isis is next) and the matchup between art and content couldn’t be better. I love the designs of the trade paperbacks, done by Mario Pulice, the Creative Director of Little Brown, and Debra Lill, a fabulous photographer and illustrator, but it’s always nice to change it up for a re-release in a new format. When the art (an actual oil painting! by Fed-Ex!) came into the office, I ran around like a giddy schoolgirl showing everyone. In fact, I will be very sad to have to eventually send the original art back to Mr. Palencar. (more…)
Of course you do!
To celebrate the release of the much anticipated third title in the Godless World trilogy, Fall of Thanes, Orbit, in conjunction with Brian Ruckley and his hugely popular Winterbirth Facebook page, will be giving away two signed, personalised hardback copies of Fall of Thanes!
The competition will run for two weeks from today and winners will be selected at random on Friday the 8th and Friday the 15th of May.
To be in with a chance of winning simply head over to the Winterbirth Facebook page and become a fan. Every fully signed-up fan of the page will be entered into the draw. Signed up as a Fan already? Then you are already entered!
Brian has very kindly agreed to sign and personalise the books as per the wishes of the lucky winners, and what’s more he will be selecting each winner and posting the prizes with his own fair hands too! (He really does spoil you!)
Employees of Orbit (or its parent companies, Little, Brown and Hachette Livre) are not eligible to win and each entrant can only win once. And of course, you must be a Facebook member to participate.
So, what are you waiting for? Logon and declare your Brian Ruckley Fandom now!
And for those of you who aren’t lucky enough to win but recognise a fab novel when you see one – Fall of Thanes is in shops this month. [UK/US/AUS]
We’re happy to announce that Orbit US has just hired Jack Womack as Publicity Manager, working on both Orbit and Yen books. You may know Jack from his work as a novelist (with 6 books in the SF/F area, including Random Acts of Senseless Violence) or from his guest stints on William Gibson’s blog (check out photos from his recent trip to Barcelona) but he’s also a well known publicist in the S/FF field. He starts today, and we’re hoping soon he’ll be sharing some gems from his book collection at orbitbooks.net.
Over at Grasping for the Wind John has posted a new extract from Kate Griffin’s A Madness of Angels. In this extract, Matthew Swift battles a very big — and very dangerous — litterbug. And if you haven’t yet, make sure to check out the trailer for the book.
We’ve just heard the fantastic news that two Orbit titles, Brent Weeks’ THE WAY OF SHADOWS (US, UK, AUS) and Andrzej Sapkowski’s BLOOD OF ELVES (US), have been shortlisted for the inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award. The Legend Award is unusual in that both the shortlist and the winner are decided by popular vote, rather than committee or convention-goers. We think it’s a great idea. It’s an award that gives general readers and fans everywhere the chance to support the books that they’re actually reading and enjoying. We’re also delighted to see a debut novel such as THE WAY OF SHADOWS on the shortlist. The Legend Award is named after David Gemmell’s own first novel, LEGEND, a modern classic of the fantasy genre.
It’s rare for a publisher to release all three books of a series in three consecutive months. But not as rare as it is for a new author to become the bestselling new Fantasy author in all three of the world’s largest English language markets (the US, UK, and Australia). That’s exactly what’s happened with Brent Weeks’ remarkable Night Angel Trilogy.
Orbit published THE WAY OF SHADOWS, SHADOW’S EDGE, and BEYOND THE SHADOWS in October, November and December last year, and with all three books out in rapid succession the Night Angel Trilogy quickly became a huge success wherever it was available. Brent’s writing has clearly struck a chord with fantasy readers around the globe. As recently reported, THE WAY OF SHADOWS has even debuted on the New York Times extended bestseller list, a full 6 months after its initial publication, proving that word of mouth is continuing to drive new readers to the series all the time.
We’re always thrilled to see one of our authors become a bestseller – but it’s particularly exciting when it’s a new author. Congratulations from all at Orbit to Brent on his remarkable success.
Andrzej Sapkowski is one of Poland’s bestselling authors, but another author only recently launched in the US. BLOOD OF ELVES is based on his character the Witcher — who inspired the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. His first book to be translated into English was THE LAST WISH, which we published last year, and BLOOD OF ELVES will be released in the US next month.
A special Orbit hurrah too for Joe Abercrombie, who has also found his way onto the shortlist with THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS. Orbit is publishing Joe’s new novel, BEST SERVED COLD, in the US in July. And it’s bloody marvelous.
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite book on the DGLA shortlist, which can be found here.
A Madness of Angels
In all good bookstores now! [UK|US]
Click here to find out more about the author and don’t forget check out our full book trailer below!
