Vacant Graves

Well, it has arrived.

Get ready for some coal town action, creepy secrets, and...

What am I doing?

Don't read my blog today. Go read the book!

A Ramble about Vacant Graves

Vacant Graves is coming out soon and I felt I should say a few things about it. I firmly believe that an artist should never apologize for their work. All art is experimentation, and experimentation is, by its very nature, risk. That said, a little warning never hurt anybody, right?

Well, I've taken some risks with Vacant Graves. There are certain elements in Cruel Numbers that will make no appearance at all in Vacant Graves. It isn't that I was unhappy with Cruel Numbers. But if I'm going to spin Donovan into a series, I'm going to need some leeway. This means that a lot of his adventures are going to occur outside of the city--his 'safe zone,' if you will. For some stories, that translates into a distinct lack of zany Dutch inventors, violent wives, or sarcastic meditations on New York City.

If, like me, you like these things, then be safe in the knowledge that Moira and Verhalen and New York are still there, waiting for the next adventure.

While we're on the topic, there is something else in Vacant Graves I need to address: the technology. I had a decision to make, early on, about how far out of "realistic" science I was going to go with this. The fact is, I love mecholimbs and ornithopters, so 21st century physics are going to have to take a backseat. That's not to say I'm going to ignore reality entirely, though. You'll notice that my steam engines need to get their boiler going (instead of magically turning on, like an internal combustion engine) and that the weight and byproducts of steam technology prevents it from being used in submersibles and ornithopters. For them, I have to go with steam-cranked "kinetic energy banks," or as you might call them, 'springs.'

Yes, I'm aware of the irony. I refuse to put a steam engine into a physics-defying vehicle because I want it to be real. I can't help it. There's a logic to how ornithopters would work, and steam engines don't fit. I guess I have to plead 'poetic license.'

And add that ornithopters just plain kick ass, so we should give them a break.

Anyway, for all this discussion of ornithopters, they don't show up in Vacant Graves. I guess I mention them now because I know they exist in Donovan's world and they don't exist in ours, so there is a certain guilt there, the guilt of a man who loves science and tries to be scientific whenever he can. They aren't the only technology that defies our science, either. Without giving too much away, Vacant Graves is driven by an impossible technology. It is going to set the stage, in fact, for many impossible technologies that will appear throughout Donovan's adventures.

I hope that doesn't bother anyone. The fact is, I couldn't just leave Donovan investigating financial conspiracies and dragging little girls out of brothels. As much as I gussy it up as 'alternate history,' the Magnocracy is really steampunk and steampunk is about the impossible.

You've been warned and, I hope, whetted.


So read on you crazy diamonds.

Hotel Food

       The bread was hard and the filling was some
kind of potted meat with a bit of mustard.
       Phoebe’s face fell when she saw them. “What’s this?”
       I tore the sandwich apart with relish. “Food,” I said
between bites.
       “Are you sure? What kind of meat is this?”
       "Jesus, I don’t know. The kind that comes in a can.”
       “This came out of a can? We preserve fruits and such
at home, but not meat. Are you sure it’s safe?”
       “It’s all I ate when I was in the army.”
       “General Sherman said ‘war is hell.’ I didn’t know
that’s what he meant.”
       “You get used to it.”
       “But…what sort of animal is it?”
       I shrugged. “The tasty kind. It probably had hooves.
Who knows? Just eat it.”
       “It looks old.”
       “It is. But the canning process preserved it.” I
laughed. “You would never have made it in the city,
you silly minx. Everything comes in a can, not just
preserves.”
       I sipped my coffee and watched with amusement as
the country girl’s hunger finally won out. She choked
the sandwich down like she was eating a raw lamprey.

[Excerpt from VACANT GRAVES, coming this February]

No More Hints

Here it is, a sneak peak of the cover copy Carina produced for Vacant Graves:

"Book two of The Magnocracy Series

Donovan Schist's current job was supposed to be an easy one: grab Phoebe Mosey before pimp and murderer Stanny Slash does, and drag her back home to Ohio—kicking and screaming if necessary. But when a blazing river halts their steam train in the middle of nowhere, the veteran turned detective starts to wish he had stayed in New York.

With a homicidal Stanny hot on their trail—maybe poisoning Stanny's man was a bad idea—Donovan needs to get Phoebe out of Juniper Junction fast. Even if that means taking a few jobs for some quick cash.

He doesn't expect to find a mining company on the brink of war with a union, or bloodthirsty strike-breakers itching to use a steam tank and other weapons he hasn't seen since the War of Southern Secession. Or that underneath it all lies something much darker—an unspeakably diabolical conspiracy…

For more Donovan Schist mysteries, check out Cruel Numbers"

Look for it February 2013.

More Vacant Graves News

Got to see the cover art this week for Vacant Graves (February 2013 for those who forgot). I think it's finalized but I need to make sure before I post it here. It's the right mix of creepy and awesome while still being true to the story (though the guy on the cover has a top hat again. I just keep telling myself that it must be someone else because Donovan has a bowler goddamit).

I've also got a new video hint for you about Vacant Graves. Ambiguous, I know. Hopefully that excites you. Does it excite you? It excites me.

Rather than worry about copyright issues I decided to link someone who recorded their music specifically for YouTube. There's a lot of great voices out there. It's one of the things I love about YouTube.

I had a real blog for you but it's 800 words and I haven't trimmed it down yet. If you look at the time stamp, you will see that I'm having one of those days. Or you could say 'one of those nights' and it would be just as true.

Another hint...

More Donovan

Those of you who enjoyed Cruel Numbers will be happy to know that Donovan's next adventure, Vacant Graves, has officially been picked up by Carina. It should hit the (digital) shelves in February of 2013. More tantalizing details to follow...