The Sorcerer’s Widow: Progress Report Sixteen

No actual news, really, but I had to log on here to clean out some spam, so I figured I’d post. It’s scheduled for June now instead of May — sorry about that. I still haven’t seen the cover art.

Once I’ve mailed out all the donor copies, I’ll start the next Ethshar serial. It will be either Ishta’s Companion or Stone Unturned, don’t yet know which. Both titles are subject to change.

Ishta’s Companion has been known by several titles over the last thirty years — yes, it’s that old an idea. I think I’ve mostly referred to it as A Stranger in the Forest. I’m midway through writing Chapter Four of maybe twenty.

Stone Unturned has also had several titles, but in a much briefer period; around here I’ve generally called it “the big fat Ethshar novel,” because none of the previous titles were any good. This one looks like it might stick. I’m midway through writing Chapter Five of… a lot. Like, maybe fifty, if it stays a single novel. It could split into three or more — not the usual way, being chopped up chronologically, but by getting split among the viewpoint characters. If that happens, three of the pieces will be Lord Landessin’s Gallery, The Petrified Prince, and The Demon’s Master. Lord Landessin’s Gallery was previously known as The Wizard’s Garden. A couple of other old story ideas, A Slave of Wizardry and Pender the Jeweler, are probably also going to be incorporated into this one. (The Petrified Prince is new.)

Stone Unturned may be too complex to do as a serial; we’ll see.

Anyway, whichever serial it is, it should start in late June or early July. I hope.