Yay! I love when my friends blog for me! Kevin is a fellow member of the League of Reluctant Adults, and he has three releases this summer, so here he is!
First, I’d like to thank Stacia for being so spiffy as to let me hang out here. It’s just one o’ many reasons why I owe her something strong in a short glass (which may or not be adorned with a piece of fruit).
One reason I owe her is because of last summer. I’ve been waiting around for my debut since the fall of 2009; I could have debuted in 2010, but Del Rey convinced me to try an unusual release schedule where my first three books would come out only a month apart, blam-blam-blam. Last year, I got to watch how that worked for Stacia, since she had the same release schedule for her Downside books with the same publisher. Aside from all the reviews and chatter about the books on the Internet(s), I saw in bookstores that you couldn’t avoid seeing her titles—all three facing out—unless you were determined to be boring and stay in the nonfiction section.
And then, of course, the covers were so awesome you had to pick them up and see what was up. At least, you had to if you like to look at beautiful people.
Shall I simulate a male reader’s thoughts as he walks by three books featuring Chess Putnam? “Wait. That girl on the cover is hot. And there she is again! Dude! Third time’s the charm! And she’s getting hotter! Why is she looking at me? What is this series about? I wonder if there are any naughty bits inside?”
Watching how it worked was valuable for me since I’d missed out on the last time this had been done—years ago with Naomi Novik’s Temeraire novels. It’s a strategy that encourages avid readers to begin a series with three books in quick succession while simultaneously luring in bookstore browsers with a strong presence on the shelves.
It’s been a long wait to see HOUNDED hit the market, but now it’s out there and will be followed by its sequels in June and July.
I will not even attempt to simulate a female reader’s thoughts on seeing these covers, though I will offer a quote a friend of mine: “Yum!” she said. Succinctly put, I thought.
The series is about a Druid—apparently a yummy one—named Atticus O’Sullivan, who’s been hiding out from Irish gods for a couple of millennia. He keeps his appearance youthful to blend in, and who would object to looking that good forever? The novel begins as the Irish gods find him and he decides to fight instead of run. But this decision will have a sort of domino effect among many pantheons besides the Irish one. You can get a rundown on all the books by clicking here, and since I’m all over the Internet(s) today, including the homes of many Leaguers, you can get a list of what’s going on at which site by visiting my blog.
