milkweed triptych – Page 9

The End

Posted on July 16, 2010January 8, 2025 by eidolon

This morning, over two cups of coffee, I wrote the final scene of Necessary Evil. And, thus, the final scene of the entire Milkweed Triptych.

This is the third novel I’ve finished (not counting one hilariously sucktackular piece of compost in my trunk that will never ever see the light of day). But it’s the first time I’ve finished a trilogy (obviously), and it feels a little different.

It didn’t really hit me until I shut down Word and copied backups to the thumb drives, which is part of my daily ritual for closing out a writing session. And then I realized: “Holy crap. This is the last time I’ll do backups to new Milkweed content.” And I got a little wistful.

(Yes, I’m a sentimental weirdo. Pleased to meet you.)

New Milkweed Story on Tor.com!

Posted on June 8, 2010January 8, 2025 by eidolon

Now up on Tor.com: a standalone story set in the Milkweed universe of Bitter Seeds!

“What Doctor Gottlieb Saw” takes place roughly 18 months before the events in Chapter 1 of Bitter Seeds. (So it takes place maybe 17 years after the prologue, which you can read for free here.) I wrote it entirely as a standalone, so it doesn’t require any foreknowledge of Bitter Seeds.

For people who have read the book, the story might shed a little more light on the relationship between a certain flying man, and a certain perfectly innocent girl who likes to pick flowers and who just happens, maybe, to see the future.

(More thoughts on the story, below the cut.)

Bitter Seeds on Sword and Laser

Posted on May 19, 2010January 8, 2025 by eidolon

Holy cow! The super-cool folks behind the Sword and Laser podcast have chosen Bitter Seeds for their next reading selection. Thanks, Tom and Veronica!

What an honor for a debut novel. (Their previous selection, The Windup Girl, just won the Nebula Award. Way to go, Paolo!)

Audio Book Update

Posted on May 13, 2010January 8, 2025 by eidolon

A quick update on production schedules for the audio production of Bitter Seeds. Nothing is carved in stone, of course, but the contracts have been signed and so things are already moving forward. I’m told that narrator selection should happen in the next couple of weeks, with production to begin soon after that. The recording/production work is expected to take about 3 months.

So, if things go according to plan, the Audible.com production of Bitter Seeds should be available by Labor Day, and quite possibly before that.

Bitter Seeds Going Back for “Rush Reprint”

Posted on May 5, 2010January 8, 2025 by eidolon

So, thanks to a tip from Albuquerque gadabout, man-about-town, and fan extraordinaire Craig Chrissenger, I spent some time corresponding with my editor at Tor today.

Bitter Seeds is currently out of stock at the warehouse, because all copies from the intial print run have been shipped to fulfill bookstore orders. This doesn’t mean the book has sold out — not by a long shot — but it does mean the first batch of orders exceeded expectations. Speaking verrrry cautiously here, that’s good news.

The real question is how many of those copies shipped to bookstores actually sell, and how many get returned to the publisher. It’s possible of course that the entire stock of reprinted copies will end up moldering at the bottom of the Hudson River. (I’m told my optimistic outlook will serve me well in the world of publishing.)