M. B. Weston's Blog

This Week’s Final Cut In Movies show (10/25/08): Max Payne

On this week’s show, I'll be discussing Max Payne, why it was absolutely horrific, my Hollywood Villian Cliche list, and other science fiction & fantasy news.

The show will air from 8:00-9:00am & pm and re-air throughout the week at the same times on www.adastraradio.com. To listen to tonight's show:

• Click here to listen via streaming audio on AdAstraRadio.com.
• Click here to download this show’s podcast from M. B. Weston's Podcasts.
• Click here to download this show off iTunes.

Missed Saturday's edition of The Final Cut? Don’t worry, you can catch the re-runs each day from 8:00-9:00am & pm at www.adastraradio.com, or you can download the podcast at M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or by following this link on iTunes.

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut in Movies, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

The Sword of the Vanir: Book III of the Elysian Chronicles Now Under Contract!

It's official! Yesterday, I signed a contract with Wandering Sage Publications for the 3rd book in the Elysian Chronicles series: The Sword of the Vanir. Currently, the manuscript is due to Wandering Sage on April 2nd, but I may push for a May date depending on how my initial research goes.

I've updated The Elysian Chronicles website a bit to include The Sword of the Vanir (click here to see the addition). Note that I don't know what color Wandering Sage will choose for the book cover, so I just picked one.

Here is the tag line I have for the story so far. Let me know what you think!

Earth is still at war;
Rebellion has torn Elysia apart;
And the mornachts, united under Ezzer's ancient enemy,
are poised to strike both fronts.
All hope for peace rests on a team of misfits
scouring Scandinavia for one lone artifact...

THE ELYSIAN CHRONICLES:
THE SWORD OF THE VANIR
by M. B. Weston

This battle will not be won with soldiers.
And this time, Davian can only watch.

He he he. Enjoy!

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

The Elysian Chronicle: October 2008

M. B. Weston's Author Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 5

(If you've kept up with the blog, you already know most of this, but since I post these when I send them out, her it is.)

BREAKING NEWS

Wandering Sage Picks Up the Rights to The Elysian Chronicles!
Wandering Sage Publications, Inc. (the company who is making A Prophecy Forgotten into a graphic novel) has picked up the rights to the entire Elysian Chronicles series, which brings me to my next bit of news:

A Prophecy Forgotten is Now Available in Paperback!
Long story short: Wandering Sage has released A Prophecy Forgotten in trade paperback. I think most of you received an e-mail from me regarding that, but it’s news, so I included it here. You can purchase your copy at any bookstore (use the ISBN #1-933300-09-4) or at these links:

• Amazon.com
• BarnesandNoble.com

Here are some changes in the paperback second edition that are not in the hardcover first edition:

• An added scene in the prologue.
• A few changes here and there for continuity’s sake.
• Grammar corrections (not too many, but a couple)
• A map of Elysia

The A Prophecy Forgotten Limited Edition is Also Available…
…but only through me. Wandering Sage made a limited edition print run of A Prophecy Forgotten for DragonCon, and I’ve still got a few left. If you are interested in purchasing one (signed, of course), please e-mail me at mbweston@elysianchronicles.com.

New A Prophecy Forgotten T-Shirts are Available!
They come in black and red, and I’m starting to run out. I used some of Adam’s artwork for the back, and they are pretty sweet. They cost $15, which includes shipping. I’ve posted the pictures of the front and the back below. If you are interested, e-mail me at mbweston@elysianchronicles.com. Be sure to thank the TSME (Top Secret Military Expert) for the T-shirts, as they were his creation!

The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows Publication Timetable
A change in publishers means a change in timetables. Originally, Wandering Sage and I were thinking Out of the Shadows would come out this month (October), but I wanted to fix a few things. It…um…took me a little longer to fix things than I thought it would (but it was worth it, trust me). Long story short, we’re looking at January/February, but we might get it out by Christmas. No promises, but we are working on it. I will keep everyone posted on my blog.

If you want to receive a postcard, notifying you as soon as new books in the Elysian Chronicles series are released, click here and fill out the form!

Meet Two New Characters in Out of the Shadows!
My friend, Sandy Lender--author of Choices Meant for Gods, asked for short stories, poetry, etc. about dragons to post on her blog, Today The Dragon Wins. Because Out of the Shadows has dragons in it AND because I refer to something that happened before the Out of the Shadows begins, (a story involving one of the dragons, Kinole, and the dragons' king, Rhys—hint: See A Prophecy Forgotten's "Chapter 19: The Hero Returns" for more information on Rhys.), I decided to write the actual story for Sandy's blog. The story’s tone makes it sound more like a children’s story (I was thinking of a cherubian grandfather telling his grandchildren the story by the fire.) I also had a 1,000 word limit, so it took a lot of finagling to squeeze all of my ideas into that few words. The story gives you a slight preview to a whole new group of creatures in Out of the Shadows and a chance to get to know a few new key players in The Elysian Chronicles saga.

Kinole of the King's Guard

Kinole’s serpentine body soared through the air, and he ignored the raindrops pelting his eyes and sizzling the moment they touched his searing, blue-green scales before evaporating. His heart pounded. Would the other dragons attack him? They were only Tatsu—the smallest of the dragon races, but Kinole was the slightest even of them. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a dragon with deep plum scales gaining on him.

Kinole crashed into a tree trunk and plummeted to the ground. The purple dragon landed on top of him and climbed on his back, digging his claws into Kinole’s shoulder. “Don’t tell a soul what we’re planning, Kinole,” he growled...

For the rest of the story, click here, and be sure to leave a nice comment.

Contract Negotiations Have Begun for The Elysian Chronicles: Book III!
My agent is currently looking over the contract. We’re using The Sword of the Vanir as the working title, but that is subject to change. Keep checking my blog, www.mbwestonblog.com, for up-to-date information.

Listen to A Prophecy Forgotten the way I intended it to sound.
I’m podcasting a chapter every few weeks. These are the current chapters I have uploaded so far:

• Prologue
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6

Hopefully, I will get Chapter 7 out sometime this week.

AUTHOR EVENTS

• The Final Cut Radio Program: Every Saturday from 8:00 to 9:00 am & pm, catch me on The Final Cut in Movies radio program at www.adastraradio.com.
• Saturday, November 15th, Southwest Florida Romance Writers’ Association. I’ll be on a panel there, speaking about…something… I think it’s either on character development or plot.

I don’t have that much going on this month, which is good because Wandering Sage wants the Sword of the Vanir manuscript by April 2nd. Eek! Lots to do!

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

Meet Two New Characters in Out of the Shadows!

Hint: They both have wings, scales, and their breath can wreak havoc...

My friend, Sandy Lender--author of Choices Meant for Gods, asked for short stories, poetry, etc. about dragons to post on her blog, Today The Dragon Wins.

Oh, did I mention that Out of the Shadows, book two of The Elysian Chronicles , has dragons in it? No? Well.. (Flying napalm can always add fun twists to fantasy stories. He he he.)

Anyhow, in Out of the Shadows, I refer to something that happened before the book begins, involving one of the dragons, Kinole, and the dragons' king, Rhys. (Hint: See A Prophecy Forgotten's "Chapter 19: The Hero Returns" for more information on Rhys.) So I decided to write the actual story for Sandy's blog.

Now, I kind of had young children in mind when I wrote it. I guess I was thinking of a cherubian grandfather telling his grandchildren the story by the fire. So the tone may seem childlike, and I guess it was. I also had a 1,000 word limit, so it took a lot of finagling to squeeze all of my ideas into that few words.

The story gives you a slight preview to a whole new group of creatures in Out of the Shadows and a chance to get to know a few new key players in The Elysian Chronicles saga:

Kinole of the King's Guard

Kinole’s serpentine body soared through the air, and he ignored the raindrops pelting his eyes and sizzling the moment they touched his searing, blue-green scales before evaporating. His heart pounded. Would the other dragons attack him? They were only Tatsu—the smallest of the dragon races, but Kinole was the slightest even of them. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a dragon with deep plum scales gaining on him.

Kinole crashed into a tree trunk and plummeted to the ground. The purple dragon landed on top of him and climbed on his back, digging his claws into Kinole’s shoulder. “Don’t tell a soul what we’re planning, Kinole,” he growled...

For the rest of the story, click here to visit Sandy's blog, Today the Dragon Wins, and be sure to leave a nice comment.

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

The Elysian Chronicles: Book III in Contract Negotiations!

You read it right! Wandering Sage offered me a contract on the third book in The Elysian Chronicles series (that is, the sequel to A Prophecy Forgotten and Out of the Shadows, and my agent is looking over it now. We are using the working title of The Sword of the Vanir. (Those of you who want to win prizes at the Out of the Shadows inagural book signing at the Naples Barnes & Noble (date to be announced MUCH later than now) might want to remember that title.) Of course, the title is subject to change--and it probably will.

My current deadline to turn in the completed manuscript is April 2nd. That means I have a lot of writing to do, and not a lot of time to do it. And I'm trying to figure out how much loose change it will take to get me to Norway for research. Unfortunately with this economy the Weston household is short on loose change, so it might be a trip via Google Earth.

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

The Elysian Chronicles: A Prophecy Forgotten Now Available in Paperback!

I may have blogged on this before--I can't quite remember. If I did, you're reading it again. If I didn't, The Elysian Chronicles: A Prophecy Forgotten is now available in trade paperback! If you have not purchased a copy, do it now, as it is much cheaper than the hardcover.

Wandering Sage and I have made a few key changes in this second edition:

• An extra scene in the prologue.(I don't have it posted on-line.)
• Grammar corrections. (No matter how good a job you do, you'll always find more things that need correcting. We found a few and fixed them.)
• A map of Elysia.

You can purchase the trade paperback version of A Prophecy Forgotten, ISBN 1-933300-09-4, at any bookstore. If they don't have it in stock, please ask them to order it for you. Also, you can purchase A Prophecy Forgotten at these websites:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble.com

Other versions of A Prophecy Forgotten available:

DragonCon Limited Editions
I've got a couple DragonCon Limited Editions left, as well. (There is a story on these; click here for the blog.) (The cover for them is purple instead of blue.) You can't get those from anyone but me. Send me an e-mail at mbweston@elysianchronicles.com if you are interested in a signed copy. (Note that the limited editions do not have a map of Elysia in them.)

Original First Edition Hardcovers
These are out of print, and I no longer have any (well, that I'm willing to sell). There are a couple new and a few used still available on Amazon.com. Click here to purchase the hard cover.

Also, don't forget to check out the new A Prophecy Forgotten T-shirts!

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows Release Status...

Drum roll, please...

I have no date for Out of the Shadows' release, yet. But, I have...a possible month: January/February--maybe even Christmas! These are projected time periods, barring unforeseen circumstances such as:

• Computer viruses (which seem to like screwing things up for me).
• My editor deciding I need to rewrite half the book. (That hasn't happened yet, but you never know.)
• People involved in the project (my editor, my publisher, my book cover artist) having unexpected emergencies. (So far, I think we've covered all of those getting A Prophecy Forgotten ready for DragonCon, including massive floods in St. Louis, a tropical storm down here...)
• Me falling into a coma during the editing process. (Again, that hasn't happened yet, but anything is possible.)
• The entire world losing electricity. (Probably not going to happen, so we are safe there.)

Now, I must be honest.

I'm...um...kind of the reason for the hold up this time--not my publisher. I kind of tweaked the manuscript a little bit, and it took me longer than I had hoped. Then, well, see above regarding the flood, which kind of gave Wandering Sage a few weeks of distractions. But, Out of the Shadows is coming, it will be good, and I'm incredibly excited!

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

New A Prophecy Forgotten T-Shirts Now Available!

That's right! We've got new A Prophecy Forgotten T-shirts, and these feature the art of Adam Black, the artist who will be drawing the A Prophecy Forgotten graphic novel! The shirts come in black or red--and we have one cornflower blue in XL, too.

Here is the front:

(It's actually much straighter than that. I scanned the shirt into my computer, and it wrinkled.)

The back looks like this:

 
Underneath the picture are the words "A Prophecy Forgotten by M. B. Weston" and the website, "www.elysianchronicles.com." (I couldn't fit all of it into my scanner.) Below is the original artwork, by the way. (Doesn't Adam just rock?)

The shirts cost $15 (which includes shipping), and they are going fast. If you are interested in a T-shirt, please e-mail me at mbweston@elysianchronicles.com.

Oh, and if you like red, here it is: 

Also, I can't take much credit for the "Got Demons?" idea (or the "Got Wings?" buttons idea). Both of those ideas were purely from the brain of the TSME (Top Secret Military Expert). So thank him when you see him. (Except you won't. After all, that's why there is an E in TSME.)

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

DragonCon Limited Edition Version of A Prophecy Forgotten Now Available!

For DragonCon, my publisher (Wandering Sage Publications) decide to create a limited edition trade paperback of A Prophecy Forgotten. We set to work immediately, knowing time was of essence.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the week before DragonCon. Wandering Sage called, saying the proof they had gotten back from the printer was not working. Something was horribly wrong.

To make an incredibly long story short, the horrible thing that went wrong was a computer virus--practically untraceable. The result? Wandering Sage had to re-upload all their files, re-format the entire book, and send it back to the printer, hoping everything worked--in about 6 hours.

They shipped the books overnightto DragonCon (on their dollar--not mine) where they arrived at the hotel on Saturday.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to take a moment to applaud Dave Barlow and Wandering Sage for the work they put into getting the limited editions to Atlanta in time for me to sell them. I've never been in this situation with other publishers, so I don't know how they might have reacted, but I know that Wandering Sage really went above and beyond on this one. They could have just given up and left me at DragonCon with my last 15 copies of my hardcover. I know personally that Dave lost a lot of sleep to come through on this, and he deserves a big THANK YOU!

I still have a few of the limited editions left. You can't get them in stores; you have to buy them directly from me (meaning they'll be signed)! They are $20, which includes shipping charges. If you are interested in purchasing one, please send me an e-mail at mbweston@elysianchronicles.com.

Like the regular version of the trade paperback, the limited edition has:

• An added scene in the prologue.
• A few changes here and there--most of them due to the watchful eye of the TSME.
• Grammar corrections. (This is not to say that my original publisher did a poor job in editing. I think they did a fine job, but creating a perfectly-edited novel is a statistical impossibility. A few people were so kind as to point out a few grammar mistakes in the first edition, which we fixed in this edition.)

Unlike the regular paperback, there are only about 150 copies of the limited edition, making it extremely rare. (How can you tell the difference? The limited edition's cover is purple instead of blue.)

A quick note: due to the virus, there are a few formating errors in the limited edition. (Personally, I think they make it that much more valuable.) A font change was the main culprit, making the book take up more pages than planned, which threw the Table of Contents off track. But the words are exactly the same. I've found that most people choose the limited edition when they can.

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

This Week’s Final Cut In Movies show (10/18/08): The City of Ember

On this week’s show, I'll be discussing The City of Ember, rules to follow if you ever find yourself caught in a science fiction or fantasy movie, the the evils of communist dictatorships, and other science fiction & fantasy news.

The show will air from 8:00-9:00am & pm and re-air throughout the week at the same times on www.adastraradio.com. To listen to tonight's show:

• Click here to listen via streaming audio on AdAstraRadio.com.
• Click here to download this show’s podcast.
• Click here to download this show off iTunes.

Missed Saturday's edition of The Final Cut? Don’t worry, you can catch the re-runs each day from 8:00-9:00am & pm at www.adastraradio.com, or you can download the podcast at M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or by following this link on iTunes.

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, which is being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. Weston is also the host of The Final Cut, an internet radio talk show about science fiction and fantasy movies on Ad Astra Radio, which can also be heard as a podcast on M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.