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August 2008
Summer greetings. This month marks the publication of Cavalier Vert (a.k.a. Green Rider) in France. I hope the book finds its way into the hands of many readers who enjoy it.
Coming up next month will be the publication of my story, "Justine and the Mountie" in the anthology Imaginary Friends, edited by John Marco. By the way, I'll be doing a guest entry at John's blog sometime mid-month. You can check John's blog via www.johnmarco.com.
Other than that, it's work, work, work!April 2008
Happy spring! Though here in the north country, we're still not sure it's arrived. It has been, by all accounts, a long and dreary winter, but there have been some bright spots. First, there is you the reader. Thanks to you, The High King's Tomb has done very well, and I've been humbled by its reception out in the big, wide world. And, while it's all well and good to write a story, it is the reader that is the key to making it come to life, because without readers, it's just a bunch of words on paper. Readers and reading should be celebrated! I may be a writer, but I'm also a reader, and books quite literally helped me make it through some tough patches this winter. They swept me away into other worlds and helped me forget about my troubles for a while. Reading is, well, magical.
The second bright spot is that thanks to my readers (do you see a trend here?) making the Green Rider books popular, I have a new contract with my publisher, DAW Books, for more Green Rider books. The fourth book, which I've been working on, is the last of the old contract. The new contract will allow the series to continue.
Third: The Green Rider series is not only available in North America, but in several countries around the world as well. I'm pleased to add France to that list, with publisher Bragelonne. The first book will be appearing there this summer. Also, my first two books had been published in Germany, but the publisher dropped its SF and Fantasy line, orphaning several authors. I'm pleased to announce that another publisher in Germany has picked up the series: Heyne Verlag. They will be republishing the first two books, in addition to bringing out the third.
Finally, my short story, "Chafing the Bogey Man", is now available in the anthology, Misspelled, edited by Julie E. Czerneda. The April 1st release date is no accident. ;-)Until next time, be safe and well, and again, thank you to my readers.
November 9, 2007
Borders online has just posted an excerpt from The High King's Tomb for those who wish to sample the book. You can read it by clicking here. And yes! It's out! Finally!!! Enjoy! :-)
October 29, 2007
Hey, I've got a book coming out! The High King's Tomb is officially released November 6, but you may see it trickle into some bookstores sooner.
If you are attending World Fantasy Convention this weekend, be sure to join Julie Czerneda and I for a book launch party for Tomb and her novel Reap the Wild Wind. The launch party will be at 1:00 p.m. in Suite 558. There will be pithy commentary, a brief reading by me, and lots of goodies. Hope to see you there.October 2007
A new interview with me has been posted at the Fantasy Book Critic:
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2007/10/interview-with-kristen-britain.htmlSeptember 2007
The Fantasy Book Critic is offering a giveaway contest for advance reading copies of The High King's Tomb. Go to http://www.fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com for details.
And in October I'll be appearing with fellow fantasist, Jim Hetley, at the Bangor Book Festival in October. Check the Appearances page for details.
July 2007
Recently I sold my short story, "Justine and the Mountie" to the anthology Imaginary Friends, edited by John Marco and John Helfers. It will appear sometime in the future from DAW Books (no date yet). It's in the spirit of my other short story "Chafing the Bogey Man," forthcoming in the spring in the anthology Misspelled, also from DAW Books, and edited by Julie Czerneda. Shall we say I exhibit my more nutty side in these stories? I do like peanut butter...
Meanwhile, I'll be proofing the galleys for The High King's Tomb!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.June 2007
It has arrived! The artwork for the upcoming novel is here.
(click the image for a larger one of the full cover)
June 2007
Where does the time go? The bunchberries are popping out, phoebes are nesting over my porch once again, and hummingbirds are buzzing around the feeder. Well, finally, the waiting is over. My editor read my manuscript, and here is the news worthy of print: Donato Giancola is the new cover artist, and he did a fabulous job for the cover of book 3. I will share it with you when I can. The third book is titled, The High King's Tomb, and still appears to be on shedule for a November 2007 release. If you are going to be in Portland, Maine June 24th, join me and three other writers for a panel on fantasy at the Maine Festival of the Book. More information is located on the Appearances page.
Thank you everyone for your patience. Truly, I was on the edge myself awaiting details! In the meantime, I'll be making the few corrections my editor asked for, and working on other projects. Enjoy the change of season!November 2006
It's a time of frost and leafless trees and impending winter. It's also a time of waiting, waiting, waiting... The third Green Rider book is tentatively scheduled to appear a year from now in November 2007. Tentative means tentative, and the date could move. If it does, I'll post it here. Meanwhile, I've been waiting (there's that word again!) for my editor to fit the manuscript into her reading schedule, so I can eventually work on revisions. I'm not announcing the title until it's official (in other words, when my publisher agrees to it), and I haven't yet had official word on who the cover artist will be. So, a lot is still up in the air.
However, I haven't been sitting around biting my fingernails. Not too much, anyway. I've been working on the fourth Green Rider book.
Until next time, have a wonderful autumn.
July 2006
Happy summer! As usual, the writing life treks quietly on... I am, however, pleased to announce that my fantasy short story, "Chafing the Bogey Man," will be appearing in the anthology Misspelled, due out from DAW Books sometime in 2007, and edited by Julie E. Czerneda (Famous Award-Winning SF Author/Editor). When I receive a more specific publication date, I'll certainly post it. It is safe to say you haven't seen anything like "Chafing the Bogey Man" from me before...
The GR3 manuscript is going through some polishing before I send it off to my editor this month. I expect she'll have some things she wants me to fix. This is a looong book, and it's hard to say who has been more tormented by it -- me or my characters.
Everyone please have a safe season and enjoy the good stuff it brings. Wild blueberries -- yeah!
March 2006
No news is good news? Truly, if there were things to report, I'd update this section more often. I'm still working hard! It's just about spring as I write this, so maybe hope springs eternal that I'll one day have some sort of news to report. In the meantime, keep on reading. And keep hoping?
October 28, 2005
Keith Parkinson, the man who created the amazing artwork for my books and so many others, passed away just a couple days ago. I'm still reeling from the news. I did not know Keith well and we never met in person, but in all our communications he was always friendly and fun. A truly cool guy. The day I heard he was to be my cover artist, I was so unbelievably thrilled the cats had to peel me off the ceiling. I will never forget his gift to me of two color pinter's proofs of the Green Rider cover art, which has been an inspiration to me over the years. I'm so lucky to have benefitted from his talent and vision, and I am sorry for all of us who love his art. I also extend my deepest sympathy to Keith's family and friends. Donations in Keith's name can be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Hurricane Relief
American Red Cross
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
September 2005
Shhh... Writer at work!
May 2005
Perhaps I shouldn't call this an "update", but an "undate". If you wish to discover the status of the third Green Rider book, scroll on down to the December undate. Things are pretty status quo, though I'm pleased to be making progress. Why does it take so long to write a novel? I don't know. It just does. There are an awful lot of words to contend with, I can tell you that. Sometimes they want to flow, sometimes they stop up while the brain pauses to strategize plot. Sometimes the words are worth keeping, other times one needs to purge a day's worth of words for the good of the novel. Occasionally I'm thrilled when I get to use particular words, like "sepulchral" and "offal". On other occasions, it seems like I'm inundated with boring "ifs, ands, or buts."
I am committed to finishing this novel as soon as I can, but not by sacrificing the quality of the work, or at the expense of my quality of life. I have placed a moratorium on all travel (can you tell I used to work for the government?) until I finish this first unedited draft. I'll probably be missing my only niece's highschool graduation and the ensuing revelry. There have to be some sacrifices, I suppose, including eating, drinking, and making merry...
If you want to know what happens once that first draft is finished and handed over to the editor, check ye olde FAQ page.
In the meantime, there are lots of other great books to check out, and some interesting flicks hitting the screens this spring and summer, so there's plenty of entertainment to go around. As for me? Well, I'm keeping Karigan and company very, very busy. Muwahaha!March 2005
Forthcoming from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd., this spring is the anthology, Fantastic Companions, second book in the Realms of Wonder series edited by Julie E. Czerneda. While I did not contribute a story to the anthology (several terrific writers did), I did write the introduction, which was tons of fun for me. Available in Canada June 2005 and in the USA in August 2005.
Cover art by Heather Bruton
ISBN 1-55041-863-7
December 2004
It's December and the short days and deep dark nights are upon us - at least on this side of the world. Here is the latest:
-There is still no release date for Green Rider 3. I'm still writing.
-Green Rider 3 still has no title.
-For e-book fans, Green Rider is available for download from Palm Digital Media.Sounds pretty much like past news items? Yep, the writing/publishing life is sorta like that, kinda slooow. In the meantime, here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
