I like to quietly drop new projects onto my ‘Bibliography’ page, partly to see if anyone notices and partly so I’ll remember what I’m supposed to be working on at any given moment. It sounds ridiculous, but I do forget from time to time. Anyway, I thought I’d mention some stuff here on the main entry page and bring you all up to date.<\/p>\n
First, my original novella anthology, Godlike Machines<\/strong>, is slowly wending its way towards publication. The book collects six original novellas. They’re all science fiction and they’re supposed to feature ‘big dumb objects’ or ‘godlike machines’. Well, when you bring creative folk into the mix things morph and change. The stories for the book range from classic ‘god, that’s big and dumb’ stories to stories that are very different indeed. This one has had a very bumpy history. Through no fault of his own, one of the original writers had to drop out and Robert Reed, who is a superhero, stood up and wrote a wonderful story at the last moment. Of course, because I have too much hair on my head and my blood pressure is so low, one of the remaining writers is struggling. I’m finishing up everything else, and hoping the book will come together at the last minute. This should<\/em> be out from the Book Club in about October, from what I understand.<\/p>\n Then there’s Eclipse Two<\/strong>. The book is due in the hands of the good folk at Night Shade in mid-June. I’ve got a small handful of stories already from great people like Nancy Kress, Stephen Baxter, Paul Cornell, and others, and am waiting on the final deadline for stories so I know what the lineup will look like. More than any other project, this book just kind of evolves. I will say that I think this year’s book will be much more science fictional than last year’s, and should be much less slipstreamy. How do I feel about it? Good. I’ll be more relaxed though, when all the stories are in. It’s due out in October, and I just heard some awesome news about the cover. I’ll post about that<\/em> when I can.<\/p>\n I’m also working on Jack Vance 3 with Terry Dowling, a 120,000 word collection of Jack Vance’s short fiction that will appear under the title Wild Thyme, Green Magic: Stories by Jack Vance<\/strong>. It’s been a joy and an honor working on these Vance books with Terry, and I’ll always be grateful to the Vances and Bill at SubPress for the chance. I should be able to post a final table of contents for the book here, but I can say it should have another wonderful Tom Kidd cover and an introduction by Lucius Shepard. We’ve got to deliver it by the end of July, and it should be out in early-ish in 2009.<\/p>\n And then there’s the year’s best. In between everything else, I’m reading for The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 3<\/strong>. I’ve seen a small handful of terrific stories that are on my shortlist, and am sure this should be another great year. Dang. Writing that reminded me that it won’t be long before I’m asked for a draft table of contents. Not sure what’s going to up for the cover on this one. Night Shade have done a wonderful job with the covers for the first two books, but I think we may try a new cover artist this time out. Regardless, this one’s due in mid-November.<\/p>\n I then get my Locus<\/em> Recommended Reading issue holiday (yay!). I don’t have any more books due in 2008, so I’ll spend November and December working with Charles on the recommending reading list and trying to produce an even vaguely sensible essay for the February issue. I’ll also be in Canada for a while around this time. Cool!<\/p>\n That, however, is not all. There are some projects that I’ve started work on that will appear later in 2009 or some time in 2010. First and foremost amongst these is The New Space Opera 2<\/strong>. Gardner and I have been delighted with the reception to the first book, and are already getting stories for the second. For some reason they’re coming in alphabetically by author, so we have stories by Neal Asher and John Barnes. That one should be delivered in mid-2009 for a 2010 publication in the US and Australia. I’m really happy to be doing this one.<\/p>\n Lined up right behind that one is Dreamtime: Legends of Australian Fantasy<\/strong>. I’m co-editing this book with Jack Dann, and it will collect original fantasy novellas by some of Australia’s best selling fantasy writers working in their most famous universes. We’ve got commitments from most of the contributors in place and, again, it’s due in the hands of the wonderful Stephanie Smith in mid-2009 for a 2010 publication in Australia. I’m really delighted to be doing this. Jack and I have been trying for years to do a book together, and this is the first (we have another in deep development).<\/p>\n Then there’s the two ‘series’ books for Night Shade: Eclipse Three<\/strong> and The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 4<\/strong>. I need to take a quiet moment and see what direction Eclipse Three<\/strong> is going to go in. I know we’re doing the book, and I know it needs something special to make it stand out from its predecessors. I’m not sure what, yet, though. I suspect I’ll sit down and start making a wish list of people I’d like to work with, imagine what they might produce, get an idea in my mind of what a book with those people would be like, and then work from there. It’s kind of fun. The fourth year’s best isn’t contracted for yet, but I’m guessing it’ll happen. I have one or two ideas for changes to it, refinements you might say, but basically it’s due November 2009 for a March 2010 publication. A defined part of the rhythm of my year.<\/p>\n Just in case people read all the way to the bottom of this post, some news! Lou Anders and I have just received the greenlight from a major New York publisher for a new anthology project we’re co-editing. It’s been something we’ve been discussing since World Fantasy in Saratoga and I’m very, very excited about it. I can’t say much more right now, except that it should be out in 2010, and it’s way cool.<\/p>\n So, you say, that’s it, then? Well, no. As you know, I do some freelance editing projects on top of the anthology work from time to time. I’m in active discussions with Bill at Subterranean to do something with him next year (announcement very soon, if it comes together). It also seems very likely that I’ll be editing two books for Night Shade next year too. That’s all coming together.<\/p>\n Oh, and I have two proposals I’m working on at the moment. If they sell, that’s me busy till 2011 I’m just going to stop signing up for new things. And yes, that does mean I’m busy :)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I like to quietly drop new projects onto my ‘Bibliography’ page, partly to see if anyone notices and partly so I’ll remember what I’m supposed to be working on at any given moment. It sounds ridiculous, but I do forget from time to time. Anyway, I thought I’d mention some stuff here on the main … Continue reading Updates, or what I’m doing at the moment.<\/span>