September, 2008 - Wow, so much is new I hardly know where to start.
First of all, welcome to the redesigned website! Doesn't it look great? Kudos to my hardworking husband Michael for bringing it up to date.
Secondly, as many of you know, I now have a blog. I'll try to keep that pretty current, and leave this for quick and easy references for new project announcements and book signings.
Thirdly...I'm doing Star Wars. More about that in the blog.
2008 has been a great year, personally and professionally for me. Not only am I doing SW novels, I am continuing my fantastic relationship with Blizzard by penning ARTHAS, the definitive biography of the fallen paladin who is perhaps the single most famous character in the world of Warcraft, and working on a trilogy that is going to bust what you think of as "typical gaming fantasy" /wide/ open. Trust me on that one.
I've also dipped my toes into a whole new field--manga! I loved the two stories I did for Tokyopop, both Warcraft-based, and I am terribly excited to see the art that Carlos Olivares will create for it. And personally, I count myself blessed to have so many friends and family enriching my life with wonderful and supportive relationships.
The only downside is...I'm so darn busy! But that's the kind of problem you want to have, and I'm grateful for it.
So browse the site, and enjoy!
Appearances:
October 10-11, Blizzcon, Anaheim Convention Center, CA
2007 Signings and Sequels!
Hello everyone! I hope everyone is gearing up to have a great holiday season! Currently I’m very busy, but in a good way. I’m finishing up TWILIGHT, the third in my Dark Templar trilogy. I’m delighted to report that the second book, SHADOW HUNTERS, is out now! From what I’ve heard from my readers, you’ve all enjoyed FIRSTBORN, I hope you like this one just as much!
I’ll be taking a break from my computer to do a couple of signings this season. Both are pretty special—not your ordinary, run of the mill book signings.
December 7-13:
Many of you know that I have participated in a curriculum called the Path of the Ceremonial Arts, hosted by a Boulder organization called All Season’s Chalice. I do not think it is an understatement to say that this organization has profoundly and positively shaped my life and my writing. I’m delighted to be able to assist them with a fundraiser. There are two parts to this.
First, from Friday, December 7, through Thursday December 13, all Boulder Barnes & Noble booksellers purchases made with an accompanying voucher will generate a fundraising gift for All Seasons Chalice/The StarHouse. The donation made by Barnes & Noble is based upon a percentage of your purchase. Please print out a voucher via All Seasons Chalice’s home page at www.thestarhouse.org. This applies to all book, magazine, CD/DVD, gift and café purchases made during the week.
So print out a voucher and bring it to The Boulder Barnes & Noble Store located next to Whole Foods on Pearl Streeth, between 29th and 30th in person or phone in the order to the Boulder store, 303-442-1665 and mention that you have a voucher (Bookfair #176610).
Or best of all….come to my signing on—Sunday, December 9, 1- 2!
All Seasons Chalice will have a table in the store along with several performances throughout the day. The books I know they’ll have for sure are ON FIRE’S WINGS, IN STONE’S CLASP, FIRSTBORN and SHADOW HUNTERS.
Can’t make it to Boulder, but want some personalized books? Or want a wider selection?
Saturday, December 15, 12-3 come visit me at my husband’s framing store, Picture This… in Berthoud, Colorado! We will be having our “Holiday Party” that day, so there will be coffee, cookies, and spiced apple cider. Because this is a unique situation, this is your chance to get a hold of books that you might otherwise not be able to find. I have many copies of books that are out of print that I will be bringing to sell and sign. If you know you will be coming and want to make sure I have a particular book for you, send me an email! I’ll wait to sign it until you’re there to pick it up of course, but I’ll be sure to bring it and set it aside for you.
Picture This…is a beautiful store. We’ve worked very hard to make it a fun place to spend some time. Bring a project you’ve long wanted to get around to having framed, buy a gift certificate, a fine art print, or gifts such as beautiful handmade pottery and jars, shea butter bars, soaps and tasty treats along with your autographed books! Please bring some friends too, we’d love to get word out both about my writing and about the store.
October 8, 2007 - UNDER SEA’S SHADOW print on demand disabled.
I have just learned that the options for printing Under Sea's Shadow have been disabled in the ebook by the publisher. I am very disappointed, and I apologize for any inconvenience this causes for readers who were hoping for a print on demand option.
October 1, 2007 - UNDER SEA’S SHADOW is available for download here!
Please check which downloader you use. Some permit you to print out the novel if you have difficulty reading on a computer screen, others will not let you print it.
You can also get the first three books of the Dancer’s trilogy as an e-book “bundle” downloaded here.
The strange new world of e-publishing is proving an interesting one to learn about! Many of you have requested information on where to get a print on demand version of UNDER SEA’S SHADOW. I am currently investigating possibilities for you, I promise! As I’m sure you can appreciate, I do not wish to do anything that might violate my contract, or unwittingly jeopardize a possible future print publication of the novel. In the meantime, I do urge those of you who enjoy e-books to go ahead and download it right away, as it may be some time before I can figure out the print on demand issues. For those of you who want to wait, be patient, this could take a while. My readers who read e-books say they really enjoy the convenience of them, so this might be a nice time to give this technology a shot!
As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support on this series and my other works. My readers are amazing people.
July 23, 2007 - I am going to BlizzCon!
I am thrilled to report that Blizzard has invited me to attend BlizzCon in Anaheim on August 3-4. So far, I’m scheduled to be on a panel with Chris Metzen and Richard Knaak about our contributions to the worlds of Warcraft and StarCraft. I told them that I’d be willing to do a lot more, so we’ll see if they work me as hard as they should. Regardless, believe me, I’m as much of a fan as any of you so look for me in the audiences at panels, wandering the halls, and playing the games! Please feel free to come up and introduce yourself and tell me about what character you play—I’d especially love to hear from you RPers out there. I won’t be revealing who I play so that I can continue to keep my privacy, so you never know…you might have grouped with me in one incarnation or another. See you there!
June 25, 2007 - Salutations, Felicitations, and hello!
This is way overdue, but I have been very busy with adventures, both in my real life and in my novels. Since my last update, so much has happened! So let me backtrack….
May 2007:
FIRSTBORN, the first book in the Dark Templar Trilogy, was published the week after Blizzard made the announcement that StarCraft 2 is in the works. I’ve signed a NDA, but I can tell you this…there are some great things in store for StarCraft fans. The first response I’ve gotten from the book is overwhelmingly positive. Now to hope you all will like the second and third book just as much.
March 2007:
We returned from Australia and I continued working on book 2 of The Dark Templar Trilogy.
December 2006:
RISE OF THE HORDE came out this month. What a wonderful experience writing that was. I received the ultimate compliment when I learned that Blizzard like some of the things I did in this book so much they incorporated them into the game. Response seems to be very good to the book, and I absolutely LOVED writing it. I like to refer to it as “Shakespeare with orcs."
October 2006:
Nothing keeps the blood flowing like completely and spontaneously uprooting your life. My husband and I found ourselves in Australia for six months helping out some friends with their bed and breakfast. It was a fantastic experience. I loved the chance to be up close and personal with such wonderful wildlife (I’m talking the marsupials, not the surfers here), to breathe some of the cleanest air in the world, to see not just the Milky Way but the dark, starless pockets inside it, and to travel to Uluru, Sydney, Melbourne, and along the Great Ocean way. I got to pet koalas, wombats, wallabies, kookaburras, and other animals (and see koalas in the wild!), go camel trekking, sample absinthe (it’s legal there) and have an amazing experience. I also had the challenges of island internet and trying to complete a book with an 18-hour time difference between myself and the rest of the world. Wheee!
September 2006:
Fifteen years to the month, Wizards of the Coast decided somewhat out of the blue (I love surprises like this!) to rerelease my first novel, VAMPIRE OF THE MISTS, as part of their “Ravenloft Covenent” series of rereleases. Somewhere I think I have a button someone made for me at a convention that proclaims “Jander Lives,” and by golly he does. VAMPIRE was released with a brand-spanking-new cover (one of my favorites ever!) in trade paperback, and I had the chance to go back and rewrite a few sentences that have bugged me for a decade and a half. It’s very exciting to see VAMPIRE back on the shelves (and my ego loves the fact that my name is so prominent, I have to admit). It sold quite well and I hope it continues to do well. Jander Sunstar really seemed to strike a chord with readers, more than any other character I’ve yet created. It’s wonderful to think that his story will reach a whole new audience. I came to the realization a while ago that I actually created the first elven vampire in fiction (at least that I’m aware of) and that probably no matter what else I do in my life, I’ll be hard pressed to come up with anything more significant to contribute to genre fiction that an entirely new archetype. Wow. And I guess that also makes me indirectly responsible for all the Kaldorei vampires running around Goldshire. I’m to thank—or to blame, depending on your perspective.
Also this month, I got to meet some friends of mine from World of Warcraft outside of the game, and to visit Blizzard Headquarters. Blizzard folks are absolutely passionate about what they do. They really love their work and care deeply about it and it shows. It was great to finally meet Chris Metzen after all the time corresponding with him. I got to have lunch with many of the other developers and tell them just how very much I enjoy the game. Fortunately, they seem to like what I do just as much, so I hope to continue to work with them for many books to come!
Dancers Series:
Finally, regarding my Dancers series, thank you all so much for the many emails I’ve received. Right now, there is no set publishing date for UNDER SEA’S SHADOW. However, the book has been written. We’ll all just have to wait and see what happens. Trust me, as soon as I know anything, you, my loyal readers, will be the first to know!
Update - 7/29/2006
Salutations, felicitations and hello!
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve had an update, but I certainly have some great news to share with my readers now. So much I don’t’ really know where to start….so I guess let’s let the calendar be the guide.
AUGUST 2006: The first book in my DANCERS series, ON FIRE’S WINGS, comes out in mass market paperback! They’ve redesigned the cover and I love it. It’s really eye catching and I like the idea of “anchoring” Kevla in her desert surroundings. Kudos to the art department for making a great cover even better! I am also very excited about some of the lovely quotes from the reviews in the front. Right now LUNA Books is making decisions about how to market the next books in the series, so get the word out about the mass market edition to your friends who might be interested. Word of mouth is the best advertising ever!
Oh…and by the way….IN STONE’S CLASP, the sequel to ON FIRE’S WINGS, won the Colorado Author’s League Award for Best Genre Novel of 2005! Here’s what the judge had to say:
“An engaging and fast-paced read. The author’s lively and fresh prose painted one wonderful scene after another. Her world-building was outstanding.”
What makes this award so special is that all genres written by Colorado authors, not just science fiction and fantasy, were considered. I’m very honored to be a two-time winner of this award!
SEPTEMBER 2007: In September of 1991, my first novel, VAMPIRE OF THE MISTS, was published. And this year, it’s getting reprinted for a whole new audience! Twenty-seven novels later, Jander Sunstar is still one of my favorite characters, and judging by the emails I get, still beloved by readers as well. To the best of my knowledge, I’m the first to create and write about elven vampires, and hey—as legacies go, it’s a darn good one. VAMPIRE OF THE MISTS has been out of print for many years, so I am very excited to see this one hit the shelves again. Click here to order Vampire of the Mists: The Ravenloft Covenant!
DECEMBER, 2007: As many of you know, I am very fond of the game World of Warcraft. I had not played Warcraft when I wrote my first novel for Blizzard, LORD OF THE CLANS, but my experience with Blizzard was fantastic. When WoW came out a friend showed me Thrall—a character I’ve grown very fond of. The game looked fantastic, and next thing you know…I’m hooked.
You can imagine how pleased I am to have landed a four book contract with Blizzard! The first book comes out in December, RISE OF THE HORDE, and it tells the story of the orcs and the draenei on Draenor before they went through the portal into Azeroth. I had such a great time fleshing out characters who, frankly, are legendary heroes in the game. The story is epic and tragic—think Shakespeare with orcs. At times like this I wouldn’t trade my job for anything.
Over the next year, I will be writing three more novels for Blizzard, these three set in the StarCraft universe. The trilogy is titled The Dark Templar Trilogy and the first book, which I’m finishing up right now, is called THE FIRSTBORN. It’s kind of a thriller/action/mystery and I really love the characters I’m working with and the voice and feel of the story. I can’t wait for you all to read it.
OTHER PROJECTS: Many of you have written asking to see more of the VOYAGER novels. Right now I think those are going to be pushed to the back burner—Pocket Books, who publishes the Trek novels, also publishes the Warcraft and Starcraft novels, so they know I’m (rather happily) tied up for the next while. I do hope to return to them at some point, but it won’t be for at least another year. I read all of your emails though, and it’s nice to see how many people have enjoyed my take on the series. As for the Dancers series, as I said above, LUNA is playing with various marketing ideas and wants to wait to decide which format is best for the series. UNDER SEA’S SHADOW is written and on my editor’s desk. I can’t wait for you to read it, so let’s get some more readers for the series!
Late summer into fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I’m really looking forward to this one! Thanks again to you, my wonderful readers, for making all of this possible. Keep those emails coming!
Update - 09/1/2005
Well, after what seems like an eternity, it is finally September of 2005 and that means IN STONE’S CLASP, the sequel to ON FIRE’S WINGS, is finally out! I thank all of you, my terrific readers, for your patience. I’ve gotten lots of email from people really champing at the bit for this one. Here on the website you’ll find some quote from some great reviews (hooray!), and an excerpt. Click here to go to the LUNA boards to talk about the book and read a different excerpt, between the two you should have a great feel for the book.
A favor—if you go into a bookstore and don’t see this on the shelves, please ask the manager to order it for you specially or even better, to carry the book and ON FIRE’S WINGS as well. We want to make sure there are lots of copies available for people to stumble across and pick up on a whim. And remember, if you like the book, please get your friends interested in the series sd well. Word of mouth is the best advertising! I’m lining up some book signings and once I have dates confirmed, I will post them here.
I’m almost done with UNDER SEA’S SHADOW. This book has a Celtic feel and a lot of action in it, and deals with, unsurprisingly, the Sea Dancer. I’m really happy with how this is shaping up and saddened that you have to wait so long to read it!
Once things have been confirmed, I may have some very fun Big News to share with you regarding some tie-in work. It’s a real change of pace for me and I’m very excited about it. I really am a fortunate woman, to be able to write novels for a living, and I never forget who is responsible for that—my readers! Thank you, happy Autumn, and happy reading!
Update - 03/26/2005
It’s been a while since I last updated this section, but I have lots of things to tell you about now! First and foremost, I now have the cover for IN STONE’S CLASP, the second book in the Dancers series. I love this! The fantastic LUNA art department have produced yet another winner. Click here to take a look!
The book will be released in September and I’m very excited about it. I’m about to, if you’ll pardon the pun, “dive” into the third book, UNDER SEA’S SHADOW. I am truly enjoying this series and my greatest hope is that you, my wonderful readers, are enjoying it just as much. More updates later as things develop—enjoy the cover!
Update - 11/27/2004
Time for a November/December update! Quite a bit going on. First, in the both good and bad news category, the first edition of Shamizan has sold out. You guys apparently liked it a lot! Don’t worry, once I have a chance to catch my breath, I’ll be working on doing a second edition that’s a “travel version.” Toss it on your sa’abah and go! Watch this space for more info.
I have finished the first draft of the second novel in THE FINAL DANCE series, IN STONE’S CLASP. Very excited about this one! I’m anxiously awaiting the go-ahead to post the cover, it’s quite good. LUNA Books continues to give its authors great covers.
For you TREK fans, STAR TREK VOYAGER: SPIRIT WALK, BOOK ONE—OLD WOUNDS is already out, and BOOK TWO: ENEMY OF MY ENEMY will be out on December 1. These too have great covers and I really enjoyed writing them.
Finally, I hope you are able to join me for a chat at www.startrek.com on November 30, 11 am PST, for the Star Trek Book Club. We’ll be discussing primarily OLD WOUNDS, but I’m pretty happy to talk about almost any subject. It’s too bad that the second one won’t be out, but hopefully I’ll excite everyone enough so they’ll be in line the next day to get it.
I have found that I really need to pull back a bit with my online activities, I’m stretching myself a bit thin these days. I will always read your emails, but I hope you understand that I can no longer answer all of them personally. I will maintain a constant presence at www.luna-books.com under my topic, “The Lorekeeper’s Loft: The Elements and Beyond with Christie Golden,” so find me there if you want to hang with a really super crowd.
As Thanksgiving is around the corner, I would like to give heartfelt thanks to YOU, my wonderful, supportive readers, who make it possible for me to continue to weave stories for you. I am especially grateful to those who have supported my original work—please know that with every copy you buy, you are enabling me to realize my dreams. And for the holidays, I wish for you warm fires, gourmet hot cocoa, the love of family and friends, good health, softly falling snow that cheers (but doesn’t ruin any celebratory travel plans), a soft, snuggly throw, and a really good book or two to curl up with.
Happy holidays everyone!
Update - 8/11/2004
Well, the signings and the good reviews just keep coming. I will be “acting locally” on Saturday, August 21, at the Book Rack in Loveland, CO. It’s located on 4th street—you can’t miss it! I will be signing and selling Shamizan sets, and perhaps, time and space permitting, doing a reading as well. I’ll be there from 2-4 p.m. Drop on in!
I’m delighted to say that I have six reviews for On Fire's Wings up at Amazon.com and (thus far!) they are all five stars! Many thanks to my terrific and supportive readers who took the time to post their reviews. And from Allaboutromance.com comes another good review—read the excerpt under “What People Are Saying” here.
The summer is winding down and I’m hard at work on IN STONE’S CLASP. As soon as I get the go-ahead, I will post the cover art and the back cover copy on the website.
Enjoy your late summer!
A SLIGHT CORRECTION - 6/7/2004
I have been so busy with all my various projects that I made a small mistake on an emailed newsletter that some of you may have recently received. My appearance at the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek will be on Monday, July 26, at 7:30 p.m., not July 23.
On July 23, I will be appearing at the Luna Booth at the San Diego Comicon. I hope to see many of you there. Maybe we can play a game of Shamizan!
Update, June 30, 2004
Well, tomorrow is the big day! On Fire's Wings will officially be released and I will be the featured author, all month, at www.luna-books.com. On the site will be an interview, a forum thread where you can chat with me, and lots of contests with some great prizes! I also recently gave an interview to a great new website called Revision 14 - www.revision14.com. You can read the interview here. The site focuses on helping would be writers and has lots of good information. July is shaping up to be a very busy month. Don't forget to check here for where you can see me.
I know, I know, it’s been far too long since I’ve updated the website! But I have some good excuses. Here’s a brief rundown on what’s been happening with me (don’t worry, it’s all good news!)
“DANCING” IN DELIGHT
Well, first, as many of you know, I have contracted with the brand new fantasy imprint for three, perhaps more, new fantasy novels! The first book in “The Final Dance” series is called On Fire’s wings, and there is (or will shortly be) an excerpt posted here. The book itself comes out in July.
Two things that are particularly fun are a couple of companion items to the book. We will soon have the rules and the board to a brand new game called Shamizan available for downloading (they will also be at the www.LUNA-books.com site.) Shamizan is a game my heroine and hero loved to play as children, and reflects the Arukani way of looking at life. There will be instructions on how to make the pieces (very easy) or if you like, you can by a professional, hand-made set! Also, a wonderful local bookstore called Sisters’ Sojourn has created a wonderful oil blend in honor of the book called, yes, “On Fire’s Wings.” Links will be posted soon for the game and the oil, which you can buy separately or with the book as a package. Too fun! Keep checking in, we’ll let you know when the game and oils are complete and ready to ship!
I’m going to be doing a chat at LUNA-books.com on July 13, and I have lots of signings set up in Colorado. LUNA is also bringing me to the San Diego Comic-Con in late July, so look for me there if you’re going and come say hello! If you’d like to attend a signing, check out the “appearances” section.
And of course, now that On Fire’s Wings is finished, I’m hard at work on the sequel, IN STONE’S CLASP, which should be out next summer.
STILL TREKKING ALONG
And for all you Trek fans, I haven’t forgotten you! In November, look for Star Trek Voyaker: Spirit Walk, Book One —Old Wounds, and in December—just in time for the holidays—its sequel, ENEMY OF MY ENEMY. These two, the first starring Captain Chakotay, were a lot of fun to write. I really think readers will enjoy them. Check out the “Media related books” section for covers, back cover copy, and excerpts,
MOVING ON UP
Up to Loveland, Colorado, from Denver! In May we relocated to this lovely smaller town, and a lovely smaller house. We really like it here and are enjoying a quieter pace. But the move was very hectic, so I’m glad to be settled. A real highlight—I am having a beautiful office built in the basement! Since it’s below ground, I embraced the hobbit side of the Force (nothing like a good mixed metaphor) and am anticipating a warm, friendly, cozy study rather like Bag End. I’ll keep you posted!
Again, as you may have read in the FAQs, email has become a victim of my success. While I read and appreciate every letter, I am no longer able to respond personally to each one as I used to. I will do my best, though. In the meantime, please know that I do appreciate your emails.
|