At Long Last--An Update!

 

 

Dear Theodosia Readers and Future Beastologists (and parents, teachers, and educators.)

First of all, don’t faint! This is the looooong overdue update that should have been posted at least two years ago, if not three. For that, I profusely apologize. I will not lie—writing the His Fair Assassin YA trilogy consumed far more of my creative, intellectual, and physical energy than I had ever anticipated and I was not able to pull my head out of that world long enough to even think about mythical animals or Ancient Egypt.  That original delay was further compounded by me getting hit with a slew of ergonomic issues that essentially laid me flat for about eighteen months. (You can read a little more in detail about that here.) So once again, I am hugely sorry for this enormous time gap in getting an update to you. Please know that I have read and treasured each and every one of the letters and emails you have sent me. They brought me great joy as I struggled with my health issues the last several months, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.

As for updates, I’m afraid I don’t have any good news on that front. While co many of you are passionate fans, as of right now, according to my publishers the sales numbers simply don’t warrant continuing with the books at this time. This breaks my heart, as I had always planned two more books in the Beastologist series and at least one more Theodosia book. However, I am also a great believer in never saying never. I do hope to get back to them at some point—but it will not be in the near future as I have contracted projects that commit my writing time through 2020.

Please know that I would never, ever have ended both series on such a cliffhanger if I’d had any idea that would be such a time gap before the next books.

Also please know that I am a huge believer in happy endings, so if any of you or your young readers are overly worried, please assure them that I had only good (if somewhat exciting) things planned for both Nate and Theo.

Once again, I am hugely sorry to have left you with no updates for so long, and perhaps more importantly, want you to know how very much I have treasured you as readers. Both Nate and Theo are very, very close to my heart and I am thrilled that so many of you enjoyed going on their adventures with me. Here’s hoping that some day, I can return to those adventures.

With deep affection,

R. L. LaFevers

Some Updates!

I know, I know, this is LONG overdue! But I have been buried in deadlines and a traveling fool besides.

Speaking of travel, I will be in Pueblo, Colorado February 21 and 22 for their Read OUT LOUD program. One of the sessions is open to the public so if you feel like hearing about the Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist books, stop on by! That's Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 PM at the Rawlings Library, Ryals Room.

And for those of you who are interested, I finally have my YA website LIVE! Feel free to stop on by and say hi and check out my upcoming YA book. (There is also a very cool book trailer!) You can also read the first chapter HERE.

That's about it for now!

Some Book Giveaways!

I just wanted to give people a head's up that there are some giveaways of my books taking place. Small Review and Ruby's Reads are hosting a historical fantasy month ( I KNOW! Awesome idea, yes?)

There is a giveaway here of  your choice of any one Theodosia or Nathaniel Fludd book, so a good opportunity to round out the series.

And there is a chance to win a Grave Mercy ARC here.

(There is also a terrific deconstruction of the Grave Mercy cover here, in case you're interested.)

Good luck!

More Maps

One of the things I love so much about these early maps is that they weren't just directions from Point A to Point B. The maps themselves were intricately illustrated and often reflected the worldview of the time. I love this Ebstorf map.

This kind of map is called a mappa mundi, which is a medieval map of the world. This one was made on a number of stitched together goatskins. I am especially fond of the detail at the top and bottom of the map, (warning: large image!) as well as the left and right sides. You can see the head and feet and hands of God as he holds up the world--a reflection of the science of the time.

For Budding Cartographers!

One the things I thought would be fun here is to occasionally post pictures of the various elements that inspired me in the writing of my books. As I researched the Nathaniel Fludd books, I became fascinated with all the different maps that man has made over the years. Here is a picture of the world's oldest map:

It is Babylonian, and you can read more about it HERE on Wikipedia.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Hello! You’ve probably noticed all the remodeling going on here. That’s because my poor author website was so old and outdated that it was WAY past time to update it. Thus all the updating and remodeling. I actually love this new look quite a lot, with all the little literary sidekicks smiling at me from the fringes.

In related news, as it stands now, I will be publishing my YA, GRAVE MERCY, under Robin LaFevers rather than R. L. LaFevers, so I am building a second website and will post that link here when it is done. Because the YA is so much older and darker than my middle grade, it seemed easier to have two separate websites. This blog will now become attached to my R.L. LaFevers website and be a place mostly for updates, news, and appearances.


So that’s the plan! Until then I will be posting any non-middle grade book related stuff (like thoughts on writing, marketing, or human nature studies) over at Shrinking Violets, and I will be sure to post a link to the YA site when it is ready.

Best Friend Festival and Book Signing!

Carpinteria's First Ever Best Friend Festival & Book Signing!


Theodosia has Sticky Will.

Nathaniel Fludd has Greasle.
And Effie Malone has two best friends!
Not to mention that Mary and Robin have been BFFs for over a decade!


In honor of Best Friends everywhere,
you and your best bud are invited to
a special celebration and book signing on
Sunday, June 26th, 2011
2pm- 4pm at the Curious Cup Bookstore
929 Linden Avenue, Carpinteria.

Featuring Real-Life BFF
R.L. LaFevers & Mary Hershey
signing their new books,
each packed with BIG adventure
and BIG friendships.

Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity
Theodosia & The Last Pharaoh
Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: The Unicorn’s Tale

You don’t want to miss the F-U-N!

Take the BFF Compatibility Quiz
Share your best story about your best friend
Pose for a special photo together
Enter to Win the Best Friend Prize Package!
Refreshments and giveaways.


(A BFF is not required for admission,
and best friends of all ages, genders and species are welcome!

Looking for Themes In All The Wrong Places

Hello!

I was going to come back here and tell you all how I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had two seconds to rub together, let alone time to blog, but you know what? You all are smart cookies. I bet you figured that out on your own. Plus? It is fairly boring to talk about.

So instead I thought I’d talk about something that’s been occupying quite a lot of my mental space lately, namely themes. As in the core themes of our work.

[Warning: Possible navel-gazing ahead.]

Part of this was brought about by the fact that I am having a teensy bit of an identity crisis, genre-wise. I was able to straddle a young middle grade and an older middle grade series fairly well. But I am now pulling a dark, older YA into the mix and it kind of tipped me over in terms of understanding who my audience is, what my relationship to my readers is, how I pull all of those various wildly different parts of the authorial me together. Do I talk about the book that’s out now or the one that I’m working on? Does it matter if they’re two separate age groups?

L.A. Times Festival of Books

Just a quick note to say I'll be signing at the L. A. Times Festival of Books on Saturday, April 30. I'll be in Mysterious Galaxy's booth, #372, at 1:00. Hope to see some of  you there!

We Have A Winner!

And the winner is . . . #5, wldhrsjen3! 
(Chosen by Random Number Generator*)

Jen, email me with your address and I will get those in the mail to you! 

Also? Because my publisher is pure awesome, they have sent me a few extra ARCs so I can give them to any teachers or librarians who entered this drawing. From looking at the comments, I think that means Mrs. Katz and Kari. If you two will also email me, I can get those ARCs in the mail to you!

Thank you so much for participating everyone! And for your enthusiasm for the new books. :-)

*I numbered all the comments here and over on GoodReads one through forty-one, then hit generate.