cmpriest

She told me then, in that narrow window between fright and madness, “We’re done for, you know. Whatever happens now, we won’t be saved.” Then she backed away, nearly tripping over the top porch stair but catching herself at the last moment.

And it was very nice to meet you both!

Aw, thank YOU for participating :)

As far as publishing goes ... no, no pushback at all, really. It's kind of a long story, but to try to sum up: I was under a multi-book contract with Tor, and my last book was supposed to be a vampire noir project. But when my editor read a sample of Boneshaker in progress [I'd been working on it, on the side], she urged me to swap the two - because she liked it better, and felt like the timing was good.

She really busted her ass to give it the best chance possible, and she did a wonderful job - likewise, the art department with the fabulous Jon Foster cover, and the interior people who added the maps and all the cool little details. From start to finish, the company really stood behind that one, and I remain forever grateful.

Well ... let's see. I have some loose ideas for a direct sequel, but lately I've been hijacked by a much stronger idea for a book that is thematically/structurally/historically related, and I'm hoping to convince my editor to let me do that one, instead. We're planning to get together for drinks and business at DragonCon, so perhaps we'll work it out then.

I am pretty sure that's not possible, since WIL HIMSELF is pretty much the bestest and nicest person ever. TAKE THAT, MR. WHEATON!

As for writing collab ... well, it's never come up - and I won't speak for him, of course, but I am kind of a control nut. I don't write well with others; I don't even do workshops. The only person I ever "collaborated" with was GRRM on Fort Freak, and really that was mostly him telling me what to do - and me doing it, because he is hella-wise and also in charge.

1 - Not much, to be honest. I had this half-assed idea that if the Civil War had gone on longer, the tech would've become more advanced (since nothing spurs innovation quite like warfare) ... but hey, this was all set in Seattle, which let's be real: Not a lot of Civil War action. I didn't really sit down to flesh everything out until Dreadnought - and then, well. I'm from the southeast, where alternate theories of the Late Unpleasantness are kind of a regional pastime. I had a lot to draw from.

Bonus: You'll note there's no reference to the Republic of Texas in Boneshaker. Purely because it hadn't occurred to me yet.

2 - Most of the resistance Boneshaker received had to do with my "terrible historical accuracy." People still sometimes send me mail about how the Pike Place Market wasn't there in 1880, nor was the Smith Tower, etc. etc. etc. And I mean, I know. The book even has an afterward about it. I will never understand how people can read right past poison gas and zombie infestation ... and then get derailed by a little fudged geography.