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The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas

The Adamantine Palace is classic fantasy with all the major ingredients: magic, dragons, knights, castles and all the trimmings. There is, however, one missing element: the hero. Stephen Deas writes a really interesting, very complex first novel, kicking off the Memory of Flames series, but I can't figure out who the hero is.

The point of view in The Adamantine Palace switches among five major characters. At times Deas takes us behind the eyes of a few other characters, but there are five major players, three of whom are really central. Between Prince Jehal (a truly Machiavellian villain), Queen Shezira, and Speaker Hyram, these are as sordid and despicable a crew of power hungry nobility as any in Read More

It occurs to me that there are very many interviews with fantasy authors to be found on the Internet - this very site conducts many of them, and I've enjoyed every one! However, few people bother to talk to the long-suffering partners behind those who create the books we know and love. It is fun for us to dip into the fantasy worlds created by these authors -- but how must it feel to the people who dwell in them full-time? With this in mind, I decided to create a feature called Living With The Writer, where we talk to those significant others.

First up is Michaela Deas, wife of Stephen Deas who wrote The Adamantine Palace, one of the  great debuts in 2009 (John's and Robert T.'s review of this book can be found here). Let me know how... Read More

We recently asked some of your favorite speculative fiction authors about what they're currently working on. Here's what they had to say:

Rachel Aaron: I'm signed up to write a new series! Unfortunately I can't get into details yet, but it's going to be very different from ELI MOONPRESS, though hopefully no less awesome.

Danielle Ackley-McPhail: Now that the ETERNAL CYCLE trilogy has been wrapped up I'm working on a number of anthologies for 2013. Three are to be published by Dark Quest Books: Best Laid Plans (Book 5 in the DEFENDING THE FUTURE anthology series), Gaslight and Grimm: Steampunk Faerie Tales, and Eternal Flame Read More

Some of your favorite authors take some time to answer our questions:
Got any news to share with us?
Jennifer Armintrout: I'm very excited to be working with Resplendence Publishing on a series of shape-shifter romances centered around a clan of werewolves in an alternate fourteenth century England. My hope is to continue with these in several different time periods, all with wolves from the same clan.

Steven R. Boyett: I just finished my first unsolicited short piece in over a decade, a novelette called "Hard Silver." I'm stoked that Bill Schafer picked it up for his wonderful Subterranean (pub date not yet set). It was liberating t... Read More

Some of your favorite authors take some time to answer our questions:


Got any news to share?
 
Stephen Deas: The Black Mausoleum came out in August and The King's Assassin will hit the shelves in a couple of days.

Bradley Beaulieu: I'm headed to the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto, Canada at the end of this month. I'll be doing a reading there, and there's also the mass autograph signing, so if anyone happens to be there, please stop by and say hello. I'd love to see you.



Laura Bickle: My first YA novel, The Hallowed Ones, was r... Read More

Some of your favorite authors take some time to answer our questions:
Got any news to share?
Morgan Keyes (Mindy Klasky): Darkbeast hit stores on August 28 -- it's a traditional middle grade fantasy novel about a girl who has to choose between saving her best friend (a raven) and following the religious expectations of her people. I'll be making a number of personal appearances (check out my website -- and I am always happy to make school visits (in person, if close enough, or by Skype.)


Michael J. Sullivan: I'm pleased to announce that I'll have a new series coming out from Orbit called THE RIYRIA CHRONICLES. These will be prequels that explore how Royce and Hadrian first met an... Read More

Some of your favorite authors take some time to answer our questions:


What are you working on these days?


Morgan Keyes (Mindy Klasky): I just finished the sequel to Darkbeast, which is tentatively called Darkbeast Rebellion. (It should be in stores about a year from now.) Next up, I'm working on a totally new fantasy series, about a boy born without magic in a society where everyone else has special powers.

Stephen Deas: Edits to my next dragon book and the first draft of the one after. Other things I can't talk about just yet, but I can say that I'm putting ideas together for a collaborative Space Opera series.

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