Book release day!

13 August 2019, 02:07 PM

Mary Anna

Book release day!

My new book, Catacombs, launches today!

I'm excited about it for a few reasons. I have a new publisher, Sourcebooks, which recently hit some list or other of top ten publishers in terms of sales. Since I came onboard, Penguin Random house has bought a 45% stake in Sourcebooks and they're the largest publisher in the world, I think. I'm hoping for good things.

It's getting a good reception, with Publishers Weekly using words like "nail-biting," "richly textured," and "character-driven," so that's good.

It's got an Oklahoma City setting, complete with the unbelievable-but-true backstory of a community of hundreds of Chinese immigrants building an underground network of rooms where they could escape poor living conditions and racism on the surface. (Check out OKC on the cover.)

And, for the first time, I got the attention of law enforcement after I chatted with city engineers about how my villain might set off a bomb under the city. I got a phone call from a very nice gentleman making sure that I didn't intend to draw a road map on how to do that and publish it for all to see. I assured him that I had no such plan.

13 August 2019, 02:08 PM

QuirtEvans

Having seen it it person, the cover is GORGEOUS!

(And the book itself is better.) .

13 August 2019, 02:14 PM

Mary Anna

Sourcebooks reportedly has a goal to re-cover some or all of the backlist books to give the series a unified look.

I've already got a draft of the cover of the next one, Fathoms, and it continues this theme of two worlds, above and below. I think that ties in so well with the archaeological theme of the series. The Fathoms cover has an underwater image with a scuba diver where the catacombs are in...well...Catacombs. The existing cover for Rituals has that above/below splitscreen look, and I think all of the others could be configured that way.

13 August 2019, 02:15 PM

Mary Anna

And thank you, dear.

13 August 2019, 02:36 PM

ShiroKuro

First of all, congratulations!!!

Second,

quote:
the unbelievable-but-true backstory of a community of hundreds of Chinese immigrants building an underground network of rooms where they could escape poor living conditions and racism on the surface

Wow! I had no idea! I googled, and I typed in "Oklahoma city Chinese" and it suggested "tunnels" as auto-fill! Wow!

13 August 2019, 02:37 PM

Steve Miller

Exciting!

13 August 2019, 02:40 PM

pianojuggler

Mazel Tov.

13 August 2019, 02:40 PM

Mary Anna

quote:
Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
Wow! I had no idea! I googled, and I typed in "Oklahoma city Chinese" and it suggested "tunnels" as auto-fill! Wow!

It's not currently accessible, but we actually have a 1921 health department report documenting an inspection down there, as well as photos from 1969 when a portion of it was temporarily uncovered while the conference center was being built.

13 August 2019, 02:47 PM

wtg

Congratulations!

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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

13 August 2019, 04:04 PM

AdagioM

I was up past midnight, and realized it was August 13! So I fired up my kindle and downloaded my pre-ordered copy. Took it to the hospital (took a friend for endoscopy) but didn’t get a chance to read. So now it’s ready to rock and roll, but I have some housework to do first, before it gets too warm.

It will be my reward!

13 August 2019, 04:22 PM

So proud of you!

13 August 2019, 06:42 PM

CHAS

Ordered mine
Faye has moved to Oklahoma?
Saw an article and pictures about Ghost Orchids in Florida that are pollinated at night by large moths.
Thought the orchids might be good in one of Faye's stories, but they would not fit into Oklahoma.

13 August 2019, 07:10 PM

Mary Anna

No, Chas, Faye hasn't moved. She just moves around.

This is the second book where she's gone to Oklahoma for work and to visit Joe's dad. The one I'm working on now will take her back to Florida.

13 August 2019, 07:31 PM

CHAS

quote:
Originally posted by Mary Anna:
No, Chas, Faye hasn't moved. She just moves around.

This is the second book where she's gone to Oklahoma for work and to visit Joe's dad. The one I'm working on now will take her back to Florida.

Missed a book. Probably in the stack on my nightstand.
Yep, Burials even has a signature OK tornado on the cover.