Shadow's Son on Audio

Hey folks!

Shadow's Son is now an audio book. Check it out (and a preview listen) here.

Huge Giveaway Contest

Hey Book Lovers,

I have the honor of being part of a huge book giveaway contest, and you’re invited. I, and over a dozen other writers, have thrown in together to create something huge for you guys.

Here’s how it works:

Each individual author (like moi) is running a contest on his/her own site. The specific details vary from author to author; the contest I run on my site might be very different than the one on Kevin’s site, or Marcy’s site.
However, each contest has a few details in common. Specifically, each of us will select two winners from the contest on our own site. Each of those winners will receive one signed book, free, from the author whose contest they won. So, for instance, if you win here, you’ll win one of my books. If you win on Paul’s site, you’ll win one of his, etc.

But… that’s not the big prize. Once the contests have ended, all the authors involved will get together and choose one single “super-winner” from all the entries on all our sites combined. This one lucky individual will receive a signed book, free, from each and every one of the authors involved.

Yep. Somebody out there’s going to win over a dozen free books.

You can only enter each author’s contest once, but you may enter multiple contests. So you could enter here, on Matt’s site, on Jason’s site, etc. Heck, you can enter on everyone’s site, if you want. (And even if you aren’t selected as the “super winner,” you might win more than one of the individual contests. You never know.)

You can find a complete list of the authors involved, as well as links to their sites, below. But first…

How to Enter Jon’s Contest

Again, these are just the rules for my contest. The rules for entry on other authors’ sites might be very different.

But for me, it’s really simple. All you have to do is go to send me email (messages@jonsprunk.com) with the subject line reading “Crossing the Streams.” In the body of the e-mail, tell me who your favorite character is from fantasy fiction, and why he/she/it is your favorite. (Notice I didn’t say one of my fantasies; any character from any fantasy is acceptable.) You need not go into much detail when you explain why this is your favorite; it can be a single sentence, if that’s all you want to write. Or, you can write a few paragraphs. Whichever you prefer.
I will select two winners. One will be chosen completely at random, so even if you don’t think your explanation is very interesting, don’t worry; you’re still in the running. The other winner will be chosen based on what I think is the most interesting explanation given for a favorite character.
And of course, everyone who enters is also in the running for the random “super-winner” selection.

Entries must be received between February 1st and February 29th, 2012.

And at least for me, that’s it. Really. Easy, no?

Prizes: My two winners, and the super-winner, will receive a signed copy of Shadow’s Son.

The Rest of the Gang

As I said, there’s over a dozen of us involved in this. You can find names, and links, below.

But guys? Do me a favor. If you click on over to one or more of these sites, don’t just look at the contest page, okay? Everyone involved in this contest is a great author or artist. If you like my stuff, you’re sure to like at least some of theirs. So take a few minutes. Poke around. See if any of their work intrigues you. Maybe even buy a couple of books. I know they’d all appreciate it, as I certainly would.
Thanks, and good luck.

Ari Marmell
Elaine Cunningham
Steven Savile
Katherine Kerr
Aaron Rosenberg
Keith Baker
Me (in case you forgot): send email to messages@jonsprunk.com
Nathan Long
Kevin Hearne
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
Matt Forbeck
Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell
Jason Bradley Thompson
Howard Andrew Jones
Paul S. Kemp
Eugie Foster
Scott Oden
Erik Scott deBie

Note: some of these links might not be activate yet, and some have not yet been supplied to me. Just try again in a day or so.

Shadow's Son Chugging On

Hey gang,

I see that Shadow's Son just crossed the "300 ratings" milestone on Goodreads. Even better, it's managed to keep a 3.5-star average. Thanks to everyone who has read it, and to those who took the time to rate/review it.

In other Shadow news, I just finished the copyedits for Shadow's Master and sent it back to the publisher. Still hoping we'll see it on the shelves in early-to-mid spring 2012.

Ay Caramba!

Just received a few copies of the Spanish version of Shadow's Son. With a nice quote from Charlaine Harris on the cover! Me gusto!

Shadow's Son Discussion

Hey folks,

My first book, Shadow's Son, is one of the books being discussed this month at the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club on Goodreads. Come by if you have the inclination and share your thoughts with other readers, and me.

Lure out in Stores

Hey folks,

At long last, Shadow's Lure is out in stores. I took this photo in my local Borders. As you can see, they also have a few copies of Son.

I hope you enjoy the sequel as much I loved writing it. I'm working hard on book three.


--Jon

Villains of Shadow's Son

In my last post, I talked about the heroes of Shadow’s Son, and this week I want to explore the other side of the tracks.

I’ve always enjoyed writing (and reading about) villains, sometimes even more than the heroes. Even when I was little, I was attracted to the dark side. Darth Vader, the Terminator, Hannibal Lector, the Ringwraiths – these were my idols. They didn’t take shit from anyone. Okay, so maybe they exterminated a few people here and there, but you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Am I right? (Don’t answer that. I know I have issues.)

When I think back to writing Shadow’s Son, the first villain that comes to mind is Ral. Ral was an accident. He just showed up on the page. I originally planned for him to be just a side character who shows up now and again to irritate Caim and then go away, but from their first interaction on the stairs at The Three Maids, Ral carved out a more unique role for himself.

Ral is Caim’s flipside. He’s what Caim might have become if he started actually enjoying his work. Ral was fun for me because he has no rules. While not as crazy as Heath Ledger’s Joker character, he’s definitely in it for himself and screw everyone else.

Levictus is Caim’s other flipside. Like Caim, he also has a troubled history, but instead of being raised by a nurturing friend like Kas, Levictus is adopted by a man with no scruples, and so any chance he had of letting go of his past and living a normal life is gone from the start. With Levictus, I wanted to show the effects of evil on other evil things. Levictus was created by Vassili, but then grows beyond his creator’s ability to control. That theme of unintended consequences really resonates with me.

Then we come to Archpriest Vassili, the spider at the center of the web. I’ll admit, I don’t really like Vassili much. He’s corrupt, faithless, cowardly, a hypocrite on several levels, and without a single redeeming quality. He ought to run for Congress. But he’s a man with a vision. To be sure, that vision is of himself sitting at the top of the world dictating to everyone else how they should live their lives, but he gets things done, dammit! Well, he tries to, but he’s largely ineffectual because he tries to manipulate events from the back instead of getting in front of them, and that’s something I personally cannot stand. So, killing him off was a pleasure.

There is another villain in the book, one who didn’t get much face time, but who influenced every page. I’m talking about the Shadow. In Shadow’s Son we only get brief glimpses of the real power behind the plots. But the next book will take Caim (and you, Gentle Reader) deeper into the rabbit hole. I suggest you bring a flashlight and something warm to wear.

The villains of Shadow’s Son. Whether you loved them or hated them, I hope you found them compelling.

Heroes of Shadow's Son

I love the heroes of my first book.

Writing about Caim, Kit, and Josey was thrilling and rewarding. I had never felt such a connection to characters before. Now they’re like members of the family. Sometimes I half expect to see Caim coming up from my basement on his way for an evening constitutional and a little mayhem.

The idea of Caim was a process. I had written the beginning of a fantasy assassin novel years and years ago, but abandoned the project after a few chapters. But the idea of the character always stuck with me.

Insider tidbit: Parts of the first scene in Shadow’s Son, when Caim assassinates Duke Reinard, was borrowed from the beginning of that abandoned project.

Years later, I got an idea for a roguish character who gets sucked into a political scheme. I tried plotting the main character as a thief, a sort of cat burglar, but I ran into some snags. Then I remembered that old project with the assassin, and the two ideas merged. That was the real birth of Shadow’s Son.

Writing Caim was a challenge for several reasons. First, Caim is a physical person. He’s not afraid to mix it up with anyone. And although I’ve been a rather physical person for most of my life, including years of martial arts study and working at a job that required “hands on” counseling with sometimes-violent inmates, my personality generally steers me away from conflicts. So I had to subdue that impulse with Caim. Whenever a situation got intense, I tried not to let myself, or him, back down.

Also, Caim has a trouble past. This is something I share with him (although not in nearly the same proportion), and there were times when tapping into that turbulence was painful. But it felt right at the same time, like I wouldn’t be doing Caim proper justice if I didn’t dig deep for those emotions.

Then there’s Kit. When I talk to people who have read the book, they always want to talk about Kit. Yeah, Caim is interesting and conflicted, but Kit is just too cool for school. And she was a blast to write. Letting her say just about anything that came to mind (and there wasn’t anything Caim could about it) was so much fun. And I really liked how she evolved into the perfect foil for Caim. Where he’s often morose and pessimistic, she’s carefree and lighter than air (literally). He wants to live life on his terms, and she’s happy to take things as they come. Oil and water on the surface, but they get along like peas and carrots. The hardest part about writing Kit was not including her as much as I wanted. Shadow’s Son could have easily turned into Kit’s Happy Adventure Time if I wasn’t careful. But the good news is that if you are one of the people who wanted more face-time with Kit, just be patient. She has all new tricks in the sequel, and I think (I hope) you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Ah, Josey. The damsel in distress. According to some, a wooden stereotype who exists only to give Caim someone to rescue. Well, that’s not how I see her. While Caim is the muscles of the book, and Kit is perhaps the soul, Josey is the heart. I only had a rough idea of who she was when I started writing, but with every scene she became clearer in my imagination. By the end I knew she couldn’t be just a throw-away background player; she needed a spotlight of her own. That impression stuck with me after I’d finished the first novel and started on the second. One of the most difficult parts about writing Josey wasn’t her gender, but writing a believable seventeen-year-old without making her into a caricature. Teenagers are so often maligned and patronized in literature, I wanted Josey to ‘sound’ real. And judging by the responses I’ve gotten from actual teenage readers, I feel good about my efforts.

There’s one other hero I’d like to mention. Of all the book’s secondary characters, the one I loved the most was Mat, despite his brief appearance in the book. Mathias Finneus, the extravagant godfather of Othir’s assassination ring. Originally, Mat was the leader of a guild of assassins, and Caim was his star pupil. But as I wrote their scene the idea took hold of me that Mat was more a business partner than a boss (and assassin guilds have been done to death, let’s face it). I was sorry to see Mat go, but I only killed him because I loved him so much.

If there was a hero of the book that you particular enjoyed (or didn’t), let’s talk about him or her.

Award Finalist

Hey folks,

Just a quick note. Shadow's Son is a finalist for the Compton Crook Award, given out at Balticon each year. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Steel City Con Report

Last weekend I was a guest at the Steel City Con in Monroeville, PA. The coordinator, Dominic Alessandria, and his staff put on a very impressive event. There were scores of booths selling all sorts of collectibles, comics, old movie posters, and original artwork. I was, I think, the only author there.

My table was right across from Adam West, the original Batman, and a replica of the show's Batmobile--the biggest draws at the con. So I got a lot of traffic past my table. Unfortunately, this wasn't the right crowd for a fantasy novelist. I signed a few copies of Shadow's Son, but not a lot. Still, it was a cool experience. Lots of toys and people in costumes.

The highlight for me was meeting Melissa from "My World...in words and pages," who has been very supportive of my book in her blog. She lives near Pittsburgh and made the drive out, which was completely awesome.

My next convention is the Pittsburgh ComiCon (April 15-17).

Interview at Suvudu.com

Hey sports fans,

Check out the brand-new interview I did with suvudu.com here.

Ciao.

New Lure Bookmarks

I just received some bookmarks for Shadow's Lure to take to signings and conventions. Big thanks to the staff over at Prometheus/Pyr Books. They look outstanding (again).

(Sorry the picture appears sideways. Blogger is acting weird.)

Signed Copies Available

I've teamed up with the local Borders to make signed copies of my books available to people who live too far away to attend my signings. Just contact the store, and they'll send it to you. Normal mailing charges apply, of course.


Borders
5125 Jonestown Road
Harrisburg, PA 17112
USA
(717) 541-9727


Special thanks to the staff and management of Borders for extending this courtesy.

Whose voice is it anyway?

A question from a reader has sparked some thoughts in my head. She asked (to paraphrase) if I believed in the things my characters said. Or, to be blunter, am I speaking my personal views through my characters?

On the face of it, the quick answer is no. For example, the main character of Shadow’s Son is a professional killer who sees little difference between assassination and killing an enemy soldier in war. I disagree; I think there is a world of difference.

But, as I think deeper, I have to acknowledge that my stories – and the characters who inhabit them – do represent a certain worldview particular to me. Just as our actions speak louder than our words, I have to “own” my work. That doesn’t mean I condone violence or murder, or treachery or zealotry, as much as it conveys that I see such things as essential components of our world. We can look away or ignore them (sometimes at our own peril), but that doesn’t make them go away.

But there are more positive aspects to such ownership, as well. Many of my stories include observations about valor, duty, and honor – concepts I very much favor. And there is love, which I enjoy in abundance in my personal life, and I’m sure bleeds over into my writing.

So, if my characters are not mouthpieces for my personal philosophies, they are enablers at the very least, fictional ping-pong paddles volleying my notions back and forth, often without a clear-cut winner. And I think I’m okay with that.

French Copies Have Arrived

Sacrebleu! My copies of the French version of Shadow's Son arrived today. Hmmm, the cover art looks familiar...

Thanks to Eddie, and the fine folks at Bragelonne, for such a beautiful book.

French Ebook

Just received the contract for French rights to ebook versions of the Shadow trilogy.

Shadow's Son has been doing well on the Kindle here in the U.S.. For everyone who has asked, I'm still waiting for news about other e-format versions. I'll keep you posted.

October Events

This month I have a few book-related events:

Two book signings for Shadow's Son:

* Oct. 2 - Borders at Lycoming Mall. 2-4 pm.
* Oct. 17 - Barnes&Noble at State College, 12-3 pm., with uber-talented author Susan Kelley.


The Hour of the Wolf radio appearance has been postponed until Nov. 13. (5-7 am.)

Shadow's Son In Germany

I just learned that Shadow's Son is in stores in Germany right now. So, hello to my new German friends.

The book will appear in French in mid-October.

Mother Russia, how are you sleeping?

We just learned that Shadow's Son will be published in Russia by AST. That makes eight publishers so far, reaching a growing number of nations across the globe.

Thanks to the fine folks at Pyr Books and my agent, Eddie.


In related news, Shadow's Son will also be an audio book here in the States. I don't have a date for that yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Podcast Interview

Hey folks,

You can check out the brand-new podcast interview I did with the guys at SF Signal.

Thanks, John & John.