Hey, everybody.
A couple things: Caine Black Knife looks to be the shortest (in word count) of the Acts of Caine, for two reasons:
1) unlike the other two, this one is All About Caine (he's in every single scene), and
2) I'm trying something new with this novel . . . a narrative technique borrowed from comics (and minimalist fiction), one that Scott McCloud, in his seminal work Understanding Comics, refers to as "psychological closure" -- which is a term for how our minds fill in detail that isn't actually shown. Hemingway was probably the greatest English-language master of this technique, and you all know my long-standing affection for Uncle Ernie.
So, essentially, I was (and still am) trying to figure out a way to write an entire novel without any Boring Crap -- you know, the linking narration and scene transitions, the background info-dumps, that kind of shit. Now I know some of you actually like the info-dump kind of stuff (I'm looking at you, Ilya!), but personally I can't stand it . . . and it's my story, after all. If I did it right, all pertinent questions will be answered, at least tangentially. I'm just trying to distill the story . . . if Heroes Die was a sixpack of strong beer, and Blade of Tyshalle was a magnum of amarone, then Caine Black Knife will be a gallon of barrel-proof bourbon.
If I screwed it up . . . ? Well, so it goes. Del Rey no longer expects to make any kind of serious money off Caine -- as near as I can tell, they are publishing this book due to some arm-twisting by my estimable editor, and to keep me happily plugging away on Star Wars. Which works for me.
As for the Bush Administration's ass-hattery, well . . . I get tired of being angry all the time. So I've been pretty much ignoring their crap.
If any of you are interested, I voted for Barack Obama in the Wisconsin primary . . . though if Senator Clinton stages another improbable comeback and wins the Democratic nomination, I will happily support her for President. There are many things to admire about John McCain, but his politics are not among them.
This is the weblog of bestselling author Matthew Woodring Stover. WARNING: use of this product may result in intestinal upset, mental disturbance, sudden mood swings, dental caries and occasional anal leakage. Management denies responsibility for any and all injury.
If you're gonna play Poke the Bear, you better keep in mind the bear doesn't give a shit it's just a game.
About Me
- MWS
- firmly believes that if you don't already know who he is, you're wasting your time hanging around here. Go buy a book or something.
12 comments:
Well, Del Rey's already made it's money off me for CBK. I went out and preordered it pretty much the day after that one person mentioned it was up on Amazon already.
Are they after you for another SW book after Mindor already?
This new style sounds really interesting, I honestly can't think of another character I'd enjoy a whole book from his perspective more than Caine.
Well, so it goes. Del Rey no longer expects to make any kind of serious money off Caine…
Aw, crap. Does this mean no reprints of the first two? (I came late to the game, so I wasn't able to find TPBs of the first two books; I was hoping to be able to upgrade my mass-market copies.)
Dunno. Nothing's written in stone. Reprints could (and should) still happen, but they're unlikely to be anything more than a mass market re-issue.
Awesome! I can't wait for CBK to come out!! I found Heroes Die in Borders a long time ago, well before you started writing SW books, looking for something new to read and have been buying up all your novels ever since. It will be nice to read books set in your world again. Any chance of another Barra novel or a new series? I check amazon.com pretty much on a weekly basis hoping to see a new MWS or Tim O'Brien book.
BTW thanks for posting in your blog a few years back about Scott Lynch's forthcoming debut novel. He's quickly risen to one of my favorite authors and he in turn has led me to Robert Howard and Joe Abercrombie. Any other awesome authors out there you can point out?
-Mike
Hey Matt, how do you feel about all the "lack of experience" accusations aimed at Obama? Do they phase you none or do you disagree with them, or do you agree with them and not care?
Obama already has more political experience than Abraham Lincoln did.
I don't think years in Washington count for shit.
This makes me happy in my yes-yes place.
Well, if there's little chance of reprints, what about the possibility of electronic releases? I know it seems wrong, especially with Blade's views on electronic texts, but it would save a lot of wear and tear on my physical copies. I believe I'm on my 4th or 5th copy of Heroes Die, because the others fell apart from me lending it out.
*smile*
Whachu lookin' at Papa Bear?
So...would you write any more SW books if they didn't help you get your original work published?
What if you didn't need the money?
Just curious. ;)
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