I usually do this via email a couple times a year, but thought I might also post it here. Without further ado, titles that have been or will be released during the first half of 2004, and which were (and are) represented by yours truly.
Patricia Bray: Devlin’s Justice (March 2004): The third novel in The Sword of Change sequence featuring Devlin of Duncaer. “With the Sword of Light in enemy hands, and betrayed by those he loyally served, Devlin is imprisoned, tortured, and rumored dead..” The first book won the Compton Crook Award and Locus called it: “a promising start to a new series.” Rousing fantasy adventure.
She used to write traditional regency romances, but wanted a change and jumped the fence to epic tales like this…I can’t wait to read the proposal for the book she pitched to me at World Fantasy.
Linda Castillo: Fade to Red (May 2004): Lindsey Metcalf and ex-cop Michael Striker pair up — “Their search for the truth will plunge them into a seedy world darker than they ever imagined–a seductive trap waiting for its next victim…” Linda was a 2001 RITA finalist and “engages the reader with anticipatory suspense…” (Romantic Times). Gripping tale of romantic suspense.
Kept me up all night reading the first time around…I just read her new book which won’t be out until 2005, and it was even better. Linda rocks!
Jo Ann Ferguson: Digging Up Trouble (March 2004) and The Wedding Caper (June 2004): The two most recent installments in her regency mysteries featuring Priscilla and Neville. “Set in a charming village by the sea and filled with a cast of quirky secondary characters, the first in a new series by Ferguson is an amusing blend of mystery and romance.” (Booklist)
These are so much fun!”
Craig Shaw Gardner: Angel – Dark Mirror (April 2004): A really spooky adventure set in Joss Whedon’s ANGEL series by the New York Times best-selling author.
Anne Kelleher: Silver’s Edge (June 2004): From Harlequin’s new fantasy line LUNA. “Through the Shadowlands where the touch of silver was protection, power, and peril.” Marion Zimmer Bradley called one of Anne’s earlier novels “fascinating – a most ingenious blend of science fiction and fantasy.”
This is the first of 9 (!!!) books I sold to LUNA last year; for three different authors. I can’t wait to see how they do. So far, I think they’re doing a great job on covers and packaging. This one is just that sort of ethereal Fae fantasy that gives you daydreams….
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller: Balance of Trade (February 2004): Set in the early space-trading days of the Liaden Universe®, the story of how an ordinary Terran became the pivot point in galactic clash of cultures, and how the more he tried to be just like his father, the less the universe seemed inclined to help. More than that: by trying to survive he became living proof that….A Little Knowledge is A Dangerous Thing.
Mike Shepherd: Kris Longknife – Mutineer (February 2004): Elizabeth Moon says, “Kris Longknife is a gutsy, complex character with a twist of wry humor to leaven the kick-butt attitude. Fast-paced, exciting, nicely detailed, with some innovative touches.” Great military science fiction.
Ssshhhh….this is actually a pseudonym for one of my clients, picking up in his own universe a couple generations down the road.
Dayton Ward w/ Kevin Dilmore: Star Trek, A Time to Sow (April 2004) and Star Trek, A Time to Harvest (May 2004)
Laurin Wittig: Charming the Shrew (May 2004): A captivating story filled with the passion, intrigue, and magic of historical Scotland–where a sharp-tongued beauty meets her match in a man who vows to tame her…as they fight to thwart a scheme that could topple thrones and destroy their homeland.
Et in arcaedia, ego. 
I’ve been impressed by the Luna packaging too. I ran into one of the books on my way out of Barnes & Noble the other day and was intrigued at the cover art and form factor. I couldn’t quite decide if it felt more romancy or more fantasy. I hope the line does well. 🙂
Covers! Pretty pretty covers!
Speaking of which, I’m about to ring you up.
I am SO looking forward to Devlin’s Justice. I loved the first two, as my reviews probably indicated. :>
Silver’s Edge has a GORGEOUS cover. That alone would be enough to attract me to it, even if I wasn’t already giving the LUNA line some close attention. I absolutely loved Mercedes Lackey’s Fairy Godmother… I’ve never been a big Catherine Asaro or Sarah Zettel fan, so I haven’t read those two in the line yet. Knowing you’re selling to the line is all the more encouraging. :>
I can’t wait to get Balance of Trade, either. Mmmmm, Lee and Miller. Mmmmm, Liadin.
Kris Longknife is on my short list of books to read (as opposed to the MUCH LONGER list…). Looks good. BTW, the copyright page gives away who the author is. :>
Looks like a good roundup. Have some cookies. 🙂
(deleted and reposted due to brain-skip on my part. Don’t ask me why, I’ve already forgotten what I was thinking.)
Mmmm….cookies…. *g*
I’m glad you liked the Devlin books. Let me know what you think of the new one. As for the Liaden book — what is it you were waiting for, again? *smile*
The cover for _Silver’s_Edge_ attracted my attention immediately, and I had to scroll down to see which one it was. Definitely good packaging! And I’m looking forward to that one — I’ve liked Anne’s previous stuff.
Would Kev like the Kris Longknife, d’you think?
If he likes the Honor Harrington kind of thing he may very well enjoy this one (and its sequels). I’m not sure whether he’s read the previous books (about Kris’ grandparents involved in interstellar war) under the not-so-secret pseudonym (which pointed out was on the copyright page).
BTW – if you haven’t tried out any of Linda Castillo’s stuff yet, I think you’d really like Fade to Red. It’s dark, though.
So you realize I’m curious which one is the non-so-secret pseudonym. *smile* Because I’m sure I should know this, and I can’t remember!!!
I’ll point Kev towards it. Once I figure out the thing I’ve forgotten above, he may or may not want to check it out, so I’ll see. *smiles*
I’m not sure if I’ve read Linda Castillo’s stuff yet — I’ll look for it. You know dark doesn’t bother me. I’ll put it on my list of things to look for!
I have the book sitting on the stairs to go up and be Readerwared, so I can’t look at it at the moment. But I suspect that the author’s first name is the same in both the real and pseudonym.
You suspect correctly.
Cool. I was wondering when he would have more books out.
Of course, I picked this one up on it’s own merits, so hopefully it’ll do well.
That was my guess… based on things I think I remembered.
mmm. The Silver cover doesn’t catch me, but the description sounds yummy…
I really think the jpg doesn’t do it justice. I have a coverflat here in my office and it’s much nicer. The book is basically about three women who get caught up in a plot that may well lead to war between the Fae and the human realm.
Sounds like a very good set.
And of course, in the medium to long term, there will be Bear’s novels. I might even spring for the rare hardcover purchase in those cases…
The Liaden and the Shepherd sound good to me.
These are just the books coming out between January and June of 2004. I don’t get to “pimp” Bear (AKA ) until 2005! *sigh*
That’s true.
And I actually followed Bear’s mention of your booklist here. I didn’t know (but should have, of course) that you had an LJ and all that.
Ah well. And so it goes.
Craig Shaw Gardner’s one of the only novelizationists (to coin a phrase) that I’ll bother with. =)
The _Silver’s Edge_ cover is quite classy. I was surprised to see that it was from Harlequin. Everyone says the Luna books are several cuts above; I suppose I should try some and then see if I can delude myself into trying to write something appropriate.
Luna’s a fantasy line, even though it’s owned by Harlequin. It’s fantastic to hear the Luna books are several cuts above (particularly since I’m one of Jenn’s Luna authors), but I sort of wonder if people are comparing apples and oranges. One has different expectations from a fantasy novel than from a romance novel, after all.
Well, the thing is, that most of the people I know who’ve discussed it with me are sf/f readers and writers. I would expect them to be more than willing to judge Luna harshly. So for them to grant that the quality is good is saying something.
Hmm, wonder if my library carries some of these. I love romantic subplots in my sf/f, but I hate sf/f trappings tacked onto a low-quality romance.
I love romantic subplots in my sf/f, but I hate sf/f trappings tacked onto a low-quality romance.
Me too! As an agent who handles both genres (and there are only a few agents of my acquaintance who straddle that fence), I get a disturbing number of queries that seem to be the latter. I guess they figure I’ll be more open to “experimental settings” in romance because I work with sf/f writers. And it’s depressing to sit there and want to write them back and say – just because your hero is an alien and has a ray gun, this is *not* science fiction. And, of course, it also tends to make the romance angle not so good and not so believable, in most cases. Patricia Bray and Anne Kelleher are clients of mine that have written for both genres, but I’m beginning to suspect that’s a somewhat rare talent (though it’s certainly been done — but which is J.D. Robb exactly?). What’s interesting to note is that while I frequently get romances attempting to masquerade as sf/f, I almost never get it the other way around.
It’s like most so-called science fiction movies–the vast majority of them are just action movies dressed up with lasers and (on a good day) aliens! No speculative element at all.
Anyway, good for you for being picky. Errr…selective!
Oh! *laugh* Ahem. Sorry, I made a bad assumption there. Oh, well, that’s extra cool, then, to hear that they’re considering the Luna titles to be a cut above. Excellent! And in the future I shall try to remember the whole problem with ‘assume’… o.o 🙂
_The _Silver’s Edge_ cover is quite classy. I was surprised to see that it was from Harlequin.
Also — if these people are judging it by category romance packaging (e.g. Harlequin series lines) — have a look at some of the books that have been coming out of MIRA (the division of Harelquin targeting mainstream fiction oriented towards women). Like Diane Chamberlain’s Her Mother’s Shadow or Erica Spindler’s Forbidden Fruit. has a point about expectations — the market for category has certain patterns that Harlequin is adept at catering to — but things like MIRA, the upcoming HQN, and LUNA are a whole new approach.
I’ve been wandering around Harlequin’s website and saving their guidelines for their various sidelines, just in case. A number of writers I know are still too snobby to be interested in selling to anything remotely associated with Harlequin. Seems a little self-defeating.
Snobby, hm? I suppose that’s as valid an opinion as any other. But I have to wonder, firstly, if they’re published already. And, secondly, if they’re aware of how much LUNA was paying for publication rights. *curious*
A couple of them have sold novels; several have sold short stories. Some seem to not even have considered it because they automatically assumed it was “romancy” (in a negative sense). Presumably a good agent would tell them otherwise!
Good pay, eh? *takes notes*
Okay….do tell… what is “romancy” (in a negative sense)? Since I do also work in the romance genre, I’m accustomed to hearing the arguments about how it’s derivative and lacking in originality and so forth. Which, imo, aren’t necessarily true. But are still a popular perception. Is that what these people mean by that? (And I know I might be asking for conjecture here.)
And – yes – can’t really complain about the offers we received. Oh, sure, a few niggly things showed up in the contract language that made me pitch a fit, but that’s generally the case. *wry grin*
I suppose “romancy” means overblown, poorly written, formulaic, sexist, and fluffy. I’m just speculating, though. I suspect it comes from people who’ve just read a handful of the really hackneyed ones that are practically written by machine.
But, of course, there are lots more out there. It’s like condemning fantasy based on TSR’s output.
I just haven’t gotten anyone to admit to reading romance long enough to recommend any authors to me, besides Diana Galbaldon.
Teresa Medeiros.
Susan Krinard.
Maggie Shayne.
Donna Boyd.
There’s a few authors that I particularly like who write otherworldly/paranormaly/not-always-mainstream romance.
For starters. 🙂
*takes notes* =)
I second the recommendation for Teresa Medeiros. She was one of the romance writers that finally convinced me I might be able to find some stuff in the genre I was comfortable (enthusiastic, even *g*) representing. Let’s see….
Contemporary:
Jennie Crusie (if you like hilarity)
Linda Castillo (who is also a client of mine)
Erica Spindler
Suzanne Brockmann
Lisa Gardner
Katherine Sutcliffe
Historical:
Teresa Medeiros (the aforementioned)
Julie Garwood
Victoria Alexander
Lisa Kleypas
Mary Balogh
Suzanne Enoch
Paranormal:
Susan Krinard
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Christine Feehan
Interesting (to me)….my contemporary list is heavily weighted in the romantic suspense subgenre. In fact, some of them – at this point in their careers – are so into the suspense, I’m not even exactly sure they still technically fall into romance (e.g. Lisa Gardner). But I know they still get a pretty hefty crossover readership.
These are all single title authors above (though some of them have written categories as well). There are a *lot* of category writers. It’s hard to sort them all out, and recommend particulars. Conventional wisdom has it that it’s easier to break into publication via category. That may be partially true at this point because many of the commercial publishers no longer take unsolicited or unagented submissions, but Harlequin does. However, the issue that then occurs, is transiting from category to single title, which can have complications both from a craft perspective and a marketing perspective. (similar to being an award-winning sf/f short story writer and deciding to launch one’s first novel).