Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Oh my

I'm turning into one of those terrible bloggers who only turn up to apologise for not blogging. So I'll get the apologies out of the way. Sorry for the long absence... Life has truly been bonkers. Perhaps the most bonkers thing about it is that I have been invited to the Australia 2020 Summit - a gathering in Canberra in which 1000 Australians are supposed to debate future policy. I'm in the Creative Australia stream, as they call it, under the leadership of the Elven Princess herself, Cate Blanchett. Which is at once daunting and exciting. Though who knows if the government will take any notice?

Meanwhile, the big fat proofs of the Australian edition of The Singing are on my dining room table. (And they are big - Penguin is releasing this one in the double size C-format). They look very handsome, and I can't wait to actually have the book in my hand - not long now! And in the past couple of days boxes have been arriving of the new Penguin Australia releases of the Pellinor books (right). They're pretty cool actually - based on the lovely English titles, only with my name in raised silver lettering, like proper airport novels. I think they hit the shops in May. (PS: The only downside is that I feel for those Australian readers who have been buying the books from when they were first released - now there will never be a matching set. Which seems a bit unfair...)

I'm having trouble keeping up (I know that other authors are out in many more countries, but the maths of four books in four countries is already beginning to confuse me). The Riddle is released in Germany on Friday. And then the paperback version of The Crow is out in August ... and I just found the cover online. I think it's gorgeous. And Irc looks more like a crow than on the hardback. On the hardback he looked rather like a seagull.


Meanwhile, I am planning to be in the UK in June, specifically in Norwich, with readings in Cambridge and London, and a few days in Cork in Ireland in early July. I'll be wearing my poetry hat, since I have a new book of poems coming out this year as well, but anyone nearby is welcome to turn up and surprise the poets by asking me to sign a fantasy book (I would quite enjoy that, actually). I'll let you know the dates closer to the day.

I'm beginning to think it's about time I started writing something new. But not another series. I keep returning to Wuthering Heights, one of my favourite books. (Emily Bronte is also one of my favourite poets, and I feel close to poet/novelists these days...) How would it be if I wrote something like that? I have an Idea...

14 comments:

Mallie said...

Congratulations on being invited to 2020 Alison!! thats a huge honour, wow you must be stoked! :D

Cannot wait for the big gorgeous C-format The Singing. Am counting down the days already.

Congrats again!

Anonymous said...

It does sound like you've been busy! 2020 sounds like a wonderful idea! It's great that the government wants to get real ideas from the people. I wish the US was like that!

Raised silver lettering ... does that mean you're moving up in the world?

I might have to take a trip to Norwich or Cambridge in June to stalk you ... er ... get a book signed. *Cough* I'll try to hold back on the stalking.

Elysia said...

its too bad the covers keep changing, i bought the naming when it first came out (in the US) and now the following ones don't match...oh well. the new covers are pretty cool though.

i love Wuthering Heights too! (though I like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte a tad better) I hope you do write something like that, i would definitely enjoy it :]

booksaremoifrenz said...

hi! im a 13 yr old girl from singapore. i reaaly lurved your books.it got me hooked from the first page.pls dont end off wif the fourth book.or write another book about a different land or sth. where do u get ur ideas from? they are soo cool

Anonymous said...

Shucks! I'll just miss you. I'm going to be in London this summer, playing the overawed tourist, but not until July.

I'd love it if you wrote something Wuthering Heights-esque. It's one of my very favourite books. It would be absolutely fascinating to see what you might do with similar material.

Epona said...

Oh Yay for the update, and congrats on the 2020 summit!!
I can't believe your comming to Ireland, will details of your tour be on the poetry section of your website?
You may indeed have at least one fanatic with fantasy books stuffed under arm showing up at your poetry signing, i hope you won't mind!
Just remember to bring a raincoat!!

Seneca said...

Hey! I would so go to England or Ireland just to see you, Alison (i live in the US), but my Mom won't let me :(
I read Wuthering Heights for the frst time over the summer, and i loved it! I got two of my friends to read it, and we talk about it (and the Pellinor books!)all the time. If you wrote something kind of sort of like that, I would definately love to read it.
Looking forward to The Singing!!!
Seneca

Anonymous said...

Cool!
I just bought the Pellinor series, I didn't know that they were coming out with a matching set...

mariel said...

Hi Alison, I love your books and am so excited about The Singing! If you are coming to Norwich, please please please do a signing at the beautiful Waterstones bookshop there! Hope to see you in June!

Yvonne said...

Hi Alison! I'm very excited for the Singing to come out, but I just found out that the US release date has been delayed till next year. Do you know why that is? I'm going to have a hard time waiting!

Charlie X said...

in related news, Amazon (US) has a cover up for the US edition, but they list the release date as February.

Anonymous said...

A new idea? Can you go into detail, or is it a secret? :)

And congrats about 2020!

~Rachel/Icelands/Passionblack3

Alison Croggon said...

Apologies all for the pub dates - they seem to have changed, or perhaps I had them wrong in the first place, and you're all ahead of me. I'll try to update myself today.

England is slightly in doubt at present, it all depends on money, but at this stage I'm still determinedly saying that I'm going...I'll keep you updated on that.

And I don't know what the new book is yet. It will be an "adult" book (though I've always thought of the Pellinor books as grown up). It will be a fantasy, but rather more 19th century middle Europe. Hopefully, it will be a riproaring story of passionate love and implacable revenge... but that's basically all I know until I write it.

ashbar said...

Oh my goodness!! Wow! I can only imagne how honored you must feel! I for one love to read and would one day love to write something as sucessful as all of your literature! You are for sure my role-model!

I am very antsy right now for The Singing, I am getting anxiety, I don't know how much longer I can take this!! WHY CAN'T IT BE SEPTEMBER ALREADY????