But some latest bit of news deserves a post. (Actually, there are about ten things I should have written about, but this is the most recent and therefore still remotely fresh; plus, I’m a self-absorbed bastard, so it’s hard not to write *something* about this ). I got an email yesterday and learned that I was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Compton Crook Award. Every year, the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. (BSFS) presents the Compton Crook for the best first novel the year before in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Last year, T.C. McCarthy’s Germline won, and for 2010, it was another Night Shade Books author you might have heard of, Paolo Bacigalupi, who got top honors for Windup Girl. Going back, there are plenty of noteworthy finalists and winners, so it’s a tremendous honor to be considered. I’m stunned, humbled, and absolutely thrilled that Scourge of the Betrayer made the cut. The award will be presented to the winner at Balticon in May.

Thanks to all the BCFS members who selected me for the finals for the Compton Crook this year. E.C. Meyers, Jay Kristoff, Myke Cole, and Heather Anastasiu are also finalists, so kudos to them. Win, lose, or draw, I’m thrilled just to be in the running. There were over 40 authors considered, so being one of the last five standing is its own reward.

OK, it’s time to unveil the cover art for Book 2, Veil of the Deserters. (Wow. That was so bad I’m going to keep it).

I’ve had to keep this under wraps until I got publisher approval. And it was hard. Really hard. Because, frankly, I think this is splendiferous. Uber-awesome. Kickass. Insert other excessive adjective for overexcited celebratory crazy talk here. And I just wanted to share it soooo badly. The book itself won’t be out until the fall/winter, but it feels really good to finally reveal this bad boy.

When Night Shade told me they were going to use a different artist for the second book, I was a little nervous. OK, a lot nervous. But they assured me that Michael C. Hayes was rock solid, and when I visited his site, I had to agree, though being neurotic, I was still a mite uneasy. And this didn’t disappear at all when Night Shade said they wanted this cover art to be a contrast to the first one. I liked the first one. It was moody and evocative and atmospheric. And cool. But then they said some magic words: “action”; “dynamic”; “fight scene”; and “input.”

This last one was big. Typically, writers don’t get a lot of say in the cover art unless they are self-publishing or have last names like McBigshot. But Night Shade Books invited me to give some synopses from some heavy-hitting scenes in the book, and any other notes I wanted to add.

Mistakes were made. They really should have been more specific with their invitation.

I described what Braylar, his sister, Soffjian, and Braylar’s opponent should be wearing and using in excruciating detail. Including tons (and still more tons) of reference pieces—photos from museums, sample images of various coats of plates, ranseurs, some Norwegian mace heads that were carved to resemble demonic faces, lamellar armor, Byzantine scale armor, the way mail isn’t opaque and allows light and shadow through, and rustles during movement. I included the caveat that, yes, it’s fantasy, not historical fiction, but I really tried to capture some realism in the combat scenes in the books, and most covers fail woefully in this regard, and have impractical armor that would be impossible to move in or offer no protection whatsoever. I argued that real armor could be attractive and eye-catching, even if it predated full on plate with all the artistic flourishes, and sent a ridiculous number of images to prove my case. Sure, maybe only purists will notice or care about some of these details, but it was important to me, so I described it in triplicate.

And above all, I stressed about 33 times that Soffjian, while attractive, should absolutely NOT be cheesecake—no cleavage, no mail bikinis, no overt objectification. Her armor needed to be functional, and she needed to look athletic, proficient, dangerous, and no less badass than her brother.

Which is to say, I made a total nuisance of myself, and fully expected the publisher and artist to nod, smile politely, and ignore the hell out of me, all the while thinking, “Who the hell is this jackass? And why did anyone ask him what he thought in the first place?!”

But I was stunned and pleasantly surprised—they not only listened, but the artist totally nailed it. The whole thing. The colors, the way everything pops, the movement. And I’m so impressed with the level of detail Michael achieved I can barely put it in words—it’s phenomenal. . . the sleeves and aventail shifting and flowing, the tassel on Soffjian’s ranseur, Braylar’s splinted vambraces, the siblings’ matching long dagger/short sword (a staple of Syldoon and Memoridon armament). And on and on. He used plenty of what I sent as inspiration, and was truly inspired.

Yep, I’m biased, but I think it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s almost a shame we have to put a title and author name on there. Almost.

So, since my birthday comes right after a new year kicks off, this usually prompts me to get all deep and reflective about the last year or two that just passed and to plot the course ahead. Or drink egg nog that’s expired, gripe about my feeble mortality and impending doom, and scream at neighbor kids to get off my lawn.

This time two years ago, I’d been agent hunting for seven or eight months and exhausted more than three-quarters of my dream list. Based on feedback I’d gotten from a number of agents who requested and read the full manuscript, I was at a crossroads—make some significant revisions, or plow ahead querying with the manuscript as it was and let the chips fall. I’d already been working on and off on the thing for a decade, so I was pretty much burnt out. But my gut told me that given that the agents were echoing each other quite a bit (and were allegedly professionals who knew what acquiring editors were likely to pony up for), it was probably smart to reevaluate, make some pretty big changes, and then query the remainder of my list.

I tried talking myself out of this. More than once. It was going to require some big cuts and rewrites. Painful. Lots of dead darlings. Whole villages. Maybe an unincorporated city. It was going to make my eyes bleed. But I grudgingly admitted it was necessary. Or felt necessary. So I gritted my teeth and got to it.

And I’m glad I did, because almost immediately after finishing the revisions and sending a handful of queries out, I got a couple of offers from agents. After long conversations with both and some serious consideration, I chose Michael Harriot. Good choice. A few months later, we had an offer on the table from Night Shade Books. And last May, a leaner, meaner, tweener Scourge of the Betrayer hit the shelves.

I knew the book wouldn’t be for everyone, but initial reviews were generally positive. And in the tail end of 2012 and first week of 2013, I was stunned and thrilled (and you haven’t seen thrilled until you’ve seen a 6’4”, 225# bald guy jumping up and down like a 6-year-old on a Halloween candy bender) to see Scourge pop up on a good number of year-end lists:

Elitist Book Reviews: The Best of 2012
Barnes & Noble: The Best Fantasy of 2012
Battle Hymns: 2012 Books of the Year
A Fantasy Reader: Best New Author/Fantasy Debut of 2012
Fantastical Librarian: Favorite Debuts of 2012
Beauty in Ruins: Best of 2012 (Honorable Mention)
Bookish Mafia: Best Debut of 2012 and Best Fantasy of 2012
Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews: Highlights of 2012
Sense of Wonder: Top 5 Novels of 2012 (Honorable Mention)
Fantasy Book Critic: Top 10 Debuts of 2012
WordTipping: Favorite Reads of 2012
Only the Best of Science Fiction & Fantasy: Top 10 Releases of 2012 (Honorable Mention)
Courtney Schafer (Blog): Favorite Books Read in 2012

Now, I know this is totally subjective. And for everyone who loved the book or was intrigued enough to want to see Book 2 and to include it on a year-end list, there was someone out there who hated the thing and used the pages to line his ferret cage or wipe his ass (note: I hope he got paper cuts. The human, not the ferret.). But still, it’s more rewarding than I can say that some reviewers out there thought enough of Scourge to add it with the main entries or as an honorable mention. And it’s humbling to appear next to the likes of Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson, Brent Weeks, N.K. Jemisin, Mark Lawrence, Stina Leicht, Saladin Ahmed, Myke Cole, Bradley E. Beaulieu, Courtney Schafer, John R. Fultz, Tim Marquitz, or Howard Andrew Jones. Even briefly. Seriously, those are some fantastic writers.

But even if making a cameo on some lists like that is validating or gives me the warm fuzzies, I know the book could have been better, tighter, richer. And the goal is to one up it with Veil of the Deserters. I want to make every 5-star review shine brighter, and convince everyone who gave Scourge 3 or 4 stars that it’s worthy or going up the scale for the sequel.

So, that’s what I’m shooting for in 2013. Submitting the manuscript for Veil of the Deserters in July (Crom willing), and seeing it come out in the tail end of the year. The book’s kicking my ass now. I really hope it kicks yours later.

I always feel a little funny doing the promotional thing, sort of like a snake oil sales guy. But in this day and age, if authors don’t pimp themselves on occasion, there aren’t too many other folks who will step up to the plate. Well, there’s Aunt Bathsheeba. But we try to keep her under wraps as much as possible. Like, seriously hidden and restrained. But she is surprisingly wiry and strong, and sometimes gets out in the world to make mischief. I digress. The point is, I’ve got to beat the drum myself here. So, here are the awards I’m eligible for (or someone who worked on Scourge of the Betrayer could be up for):

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Yours truly (Note: this is not a Hugo award, exactly, but the nomination process is remarkably similar, and the form is part and parcel with the Hugo, available on the, you guessed it, Hugo page.)

Best Novel: Scourge of the Betrayer

Best Editor, Long Form: Ross E. Lockhart

Best Professional Artist: J.K. Woodward

And I’m also shamelessly ripping off (ahem, “judiciously appropriating”) Bradley P. Beaulieu’s idea here (it’s ok—he’s plotting to steal my mojo), but if you’re eligible to vote, and you’d like your very own voter copy of Scourge of the Betrayer, please email me (see contact page) with proof of eligibility (your name on the attendee list for WorldCon 2012, 2013, or 2014, the email confirmation or receipt for your membership, etc.) and I’ll be delighted to send you a copy of the book in the format of your choice (PDF, EPUB, or MOBI). Well, not papyrus. Or human skin. So, not any format, and not even any electronic one, but the three I listed. What do you want, it’s free?

Anyway, whether you take me up on that or not, if you are eligible, vote! This country is going to hell in a hand basket, and voter apathy is part of the problem. Don’t be part of the problem.

No, I refer to compartmentalizing, prioritizing, mapping out a day, a week, a month to get things done, keep things moving, and not suffer too many panic attacks trying to juggle the day job, the dad/husband job (fun, but don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t require work, because they are single and stupid if they do), and of course the writing job, continuing on Bloodsounder’s Arc and cranking away at Book II. All without suffering mental illness from sleep deprivation. Or slipping into a fugue statue and wandering around the neighborhood in my moose pajamas, mumbling obscenities to myself.

I do have a hard time balancing during any given day, but I’d have a much harder time if it weren’t for my wife, Kristen. She encourages me and supports me in a multitude of ways, and while the writing itself is a solo affair, it wouldn’t be possible without her patience and understanding as I pursue this crazy dream of someday doing this thing full time.

But beyond the obvious support, on a more practical front she’s done plenty of promotional work for me and the series: organizing the book launch party, calling local bookstores and papers to set up events and interviews, and most recently, building me an Author page on Facebook.

I know it’s really hard to quantify what social media or most other promotional efforts do to boost recognition and generate sales. Mostly it’s anecdotal. And a lot of disagreement about what those anecdotes truly mean, or what we can glean from them. But most writers and agents still seem to agree that you can’t pull a J.D. Salinger in this day and age, and the publishers don’t have the resources, time, or inclination to do the PR and promotional heavy lifting—authors have to do their part to spread the word. Somehow.

I don’t always do a great job of that either, so my gratitude for all my wife’s help is doubled. Trebled. Quadrupled. What comes after quadrupled?

Anyway, check out the FB page if the spirit moves you, and give it a Like if you like. Every bit of support helps.

Jeff Salyards Author Page

Another debut Night Shade Books author, E.J. Swift, originally asked me to do this a while back, and being absolutely swamped, I passed. But please check out her site, too. She rocks, and her work is smart and willing to challenge in interesting ways.

Given how late I jumped into this thing, it wasn’t surprising that I couldn’t entice, coerce, or blackmail five other authors, since many have already done it or decided not to, but I did manage to drag four more into the mix:

A.E. Marling: Brood of Bones was his most recent work until a couple of weeks ago, a clever, layered, rich fantasy novel that’s not afraid of risks, and packs plenty of rewards. He has a brand new young adult fantasy novel called Gown of Shadow and Flame, available on Amazon now. Right now. Go see. It’s there.

John Zeleznik: John is a fantasy and young adult author who is also a father and husband, and teaches full times, so I’m sure we’d have plenty of war stories to share about trying to balance writing and the rest of life. The first two books of his series, Season of Destiny, are being shopped by his agent now. Fingers crossed.

Zachary Jernigan: Zack is another Night Shade Books newbie, and his debut, No Return, is slated for release in March, 2013. He’s another one of those writers who seems to delight in bending genres to his whims, and he has a wicked sense of humor. Which is a plus.

Michael J. Sullivan: Micahel is the prolific author of all things Riyria (Chronicles and Revelations), among other works, and is carving out quite a name for himself with fantastic reviews.

Please give them a look—while there are plenty of sensational seasoned writers out there cranking out beautiful novels, it’s always fun to discover some new voices in the field.

Anyway, onto the Q&A. . .
1) What is the working title of your next book?
Veil of the Deserters. The alternative working title is Rock I Routinely Bang My Head Against, Leaving Bloody Smears in the Crevices That Might Actually Be Kind Of Beautiful. Except It’s Blood. On a Rock.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wrote Scourge of the Betrayer pretty much by the seat of my pants, and over a long period of time, and in some places that surely shows. Knowing this, my agent, Michael Harriot, forced me to slavishly come up with a synopsis for the rest of the books in the series. Which I railed against and resisted with every fiber of my being, and even after reluctantly agreeing, still tried to half-ass on more than one occasion. And he’d politely but persistently ask me questions, force me to reconsider things, and rewrite the damn thing, which led to even more profanity-laced resistance. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t just a useful (if excruciating) exercise, but gave me a good idea where things might progress. I still allowed for room to deviate and explore, and who knows, I might have to tear that synopsis into shreds at some point, but it is helpful as a rough map.

So, for those who liked Scourge but pined for a stronger female who wasn’t a whore (ex-whore, to be fair to Lloi), Veil of the Deserters will showcase a nice sibling rivalry between Braylar and his sister, Soffjian (who kicks all kinds of ass, and isn’t a slattern, barmaid, crone, or haughty princess). And for those hungering for more deep world building, the Syldoon and their structure and politics feature prominently, and the more mystical or fantastic elements (the Memoridons, the Godveil, the Deserters, Bloodsounder) are fleshed out considerably in the sequel as well.

3) What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy, as the big old umbrella, and then, depending on your definition of subgenres, anything from dark fantasy to heroic (or at least anti-heroic) fantasy.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I’ve given this far more thought and attention than it warrants, but. . .

Captain Braylar Killcoin: The man is lean, cold, calculating, with a biting sense of humor, and yet somehow still sympathetic. He is also a haunted man, in more ways than one. Ten or 15 years ago, Daniel Day Lewis would have been absolutely perfect. He could have walked in, read one line, and I would have called off the auditions. But he’s a bit older than the role calls for now, so looking at the younger generation of actors, Christian Bale would be a fine choice. He has mad range, he can obviously play haunted (see The Mechanic; seriously, go rent it, it rocks), and he can project dark undercurrents and still manage to be charming and even endearing.

Soffjian: Braylar’s sister, and every inch the badass he is, though in a much different way. Tall, athletic looking, attractive, but in a severe and sort of dangerous way (as opposed to cheesecake or sex-objecty). The actor playing her needs to exude arrogance, intelligence, and tightly-coiled power. Lena Headey (of Game of Thrones fame) would be rock solid (especially as a brunette). Kate Beckinsdale or Charlize Theron (with darker locks, a la Aeon Flux) would be good backups.

Arkamondos (Arki): This one is tricky—the young actor playing Arki has to convey both naiveté and still be somewhat alert and perceptive; uncertain, sensitive, and wildly out of his depth, and still doggedly persistent. He also needs to pull off being both repelled by his new violent company and fascinated by them at the same time. This requires some deft subtlety and an absence of overacting. Craig Roberts (Jane Eyre) is an up-and-comer with a young Dustin Hoffman vibe who could play vulnerable and still not get dwarfed by the other big names on set (he’s in Red Lights with Robert DeNiro).

Matinios (called Hewpsear): As far as Syldoon go, Hewspear is refined, cultured, and somewhat stately (even if no less skilled at bloodletting than the rest of the company). He is older than the rest of the crew, a counterpoint to his hot-headed cohort, Mulldoos, and generally accepts circumstances with a twinkle in his eye or a knowing wink. If I didn’t tick him off by passing earlier, Daniel Day Lewis would be great, but if he walked, Laurence Fishburne or Jeremy Irons would be fantastic.

Mulldoos: On the surface, Mulldoos is all foul-mouthed, tough as boot leather, fist-clenched badassery. Not only does he not suffer fools, he might backhand them or stab them in the face, depending on his mood. A real tough customer. And beneath that, he’s meaner still. But beneath THAT, he is also fiercely loyal, boldly honest, and would lay down his life for his comrades without question. If he could be coaxed into a non-lead role, Russell Crowe would own this part.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young chronicler has even more of his naivete brutally stripped away as his journeys with the Syldoon expose him to greater deceit, treachery, combat, gross humor, and profanity.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book is published by Night Shade Books, and I’m represented by Folio Literary Management.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I’m still in process right now, a little over a quarter of a way through the first draft. It helps to have a deadline out there to light a fire under my ass, but it can still be slow going sometimes. I hope to finish the first draft in a few months, polish the heck of it for several more, and still get a manuscript in on deadline. Or even before. Although I wouldn’t have any idea how that feels, and it might throw off my entire equilibrium or sense of self, so maybe safer just to shoot for on time.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I sort of hate doing this, but the Green-Eyed Monster and I are drinking buddies, so know that when I mention some wildly successful fantasy book or author, I do so with liquor in hand. Veil of the Deserters shares some of the rough gallows humor of any Joe Abercrombie novel, and a similar “embedded journalist” accompanying a tough military company as T.C. McCarthy’s Germline or Glen Cook’s Black Company books (although the dynamic is decidedly different, as the chronicler in my Bloodsounder’s Arc series is a naïve dork on the outside looking in, rather than a jaded or nihilistic member of the company).

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Scourge of the Betrayer? My wife? My parents? Is this a trick question?

The original idea for the whole series revolving around a scribe accompanying a military troupe came from two sources: Jean Froissart (chronicling a fair chunk of the Hundred Year’s War) and Gerald of Wales (traveling around in, wouldn’t you know it, Wales during the 13th century). The chief difference though, was instead of being a royal clerk or aristocrat, I wanted my chronicler to be a bored scribe who had no clue what he was getting himself into by signing on for the gig, and instead of journeying among warriors who at least paid lip service to chivalric ideals and behavior, he jumped in with a group of excessively violent, crude, and nefarious soldiers led by a cursed captain.

So, Veil of the Deserters (or Bloody Rock) continues this saga, only Arki (the scribe) has managed to gain enough traction with the group that he isn’t entirely in the dark about every little thing this time, and his naivete and charming innocence is being slowly whittled away. Chunk by bloody chunk. He comes to learn about the politics among various Syldoon factions, the purpose and power of the Memoridons, and some inkling of what might actually lie beyond the Godveil. And all I’ll say about that is the Syldoon don’t subscribe to the theory of letting sleeping dogs lie. And that might be bad. Very bad.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
Besides the gratuitous sex and violence, creative cursing, and pitch black humor, you mean?

Not a damn thing.

Sometimes, I get so Jeffcentric that I forget to do things. Like say thanks. Scourge of the Betrayer published almost six months ago. Hard to believe, but there it is. So while I continue to crank away at Book 2 and look forward to the paperback of Scourge coming out in a couple of months, I just wanted to lift my nose up from what I was doing (sleeping on the grindstone, probably, which is more painful than it sounds, even when it’s not moving), and tell everyone who bought the book thanks for your patronage. And to anyone who reviewed it on a blog, or Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, etc., thank you for taking the time to write something up and share it. And to those who have helped promote it, shared some of my posts, blogged about it, invited me to do an interview, or just mentioned it to the checkout guy at Piggly Wiggly, you rock.

Being a debut writer is fun, but also daunting sometimes. I get so caught up worrying about how the book is doing, or writing the next one and having cold sweats about a sophomore slump, or wondering how much sleep deprivation I can endure before I have a bona fide mental disorder, that I sometimes forget to stop and pause and reflect.

And appreciate.

Being a newbie, I don’t know what’s usual or not. Maybe composers reach out to authors with similar offers all the time. I’m going to pretend otherwise. I like feeling special. But either way, it’s still really cool.

So of course I agreed. And the composer, Will Musser (http://www.willmusser.com/), recently sent me the first track. This serves as kind of an overture for the book, and tries to weave several different elements of the book in one track, which, while very ambitious, results in something pretty powerful, in my opinion anyway. It’s really interesting to see or hear another artist’s interpretation of something you created. Will wanted to convey some mystery associated with the Syldoon and their agenda, and the brutality they are capable of, as well as capturing the haunting quality of Braylar and the cursed weapon he possesses. Again, that’s a lot to cover in a track that’s under four minutes long, but I think Will did a fantastic job—there are a lot layers here, a lot of movement, and plenty of depth.

If you drop by, let me know what you think.

The Syldoon

I did what I could to lend a hand and support this weekend, but there wasn’t a tremendous amount I really could do beyond that. I’ve lost several people in my life over the years—all grandparents, aunts, uncles, both parents, and my brother—so I know what grief feels like. I could relate, sympathize But I also know that each time it’s different. You’re at a different point in your life, the relationship is unique, and the way they depart is never the same. Even if you’ve lost someone, and you know how painful that hurt was to you, how much it ached or burned or devastated, you don’t know precisely what another griever is experiencing, or how they need to cope with it. All you can do is be there really.

But even a weekend with that kind of gravity, there were some moments of levity. My wife, Kris, like me, uses humor to deal with serious stuff. She gave a lovely and poignant reading in honor of her brother, and peppered it with some touching but really funny moments.

And then I had my own personal little episodes. Kristen has a young nephew, Brandon, who was running around the hall near me and suddenly started doing the pee-pee dance. I asked if he needed help, and he nodded fast. I escorted him into the restroom and then stopped dead in my tracks. I have three girls, and zero boys. Which means I know diddly squat about how to help a boy use the restroom. Did I hold him up to the urinal and hope for the best? Did I position him on the toilet? If so, how did I account for the anatomical differences and trajectory that involved? I mean, sure, I have the requisite equipment—I know how I go about it. But I don’t remember anything about being under two feet tall.

I said, “OK. Tell me what you usually do here. What do I need to do?” Brandon looked at me like I was about the dumbest person on the planet, and was probably second-guessing asking me for help right about then. But he talked me through it and we made it out without any horrible splash patterns.

That pretty much summed up just how useful I was this weekend.

But for today, I hold my bald dome up high.