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Here’s a new story by Robert McCammon, written exclusively for this website! Click on the title or the link to read the story.

“The Old Man and The Hill”

Polish publisher Vesper has revealed the proposed cover for their upcoming Polish translation of Swan Song. The art is by Maciej Kamuda. Vesper plans to publish three or four Robert McCammon translations in the second half of 2024. In recent years, they’ve published translations of Speaks the Nightbird, The Queen of Bedlam, Boy’s Life, The Listener, and Usher’s Passing.

Eddie Generous of Unnerving Books has published the latest issue of Unnerving Magazine as a free PDF magazine. Issue 19 includes a brand new Q&A with Robert McCammon, in addition to fiction from other writers.

To read the interview, simply go to the Unnerving Books website and click on the cover of Issue 19.

Variety: Peacock Horror Thriller Series ‘Teacup’ Rounds Out Main Cast

From Variety:

Scott Speedman Joins Yvonne Strahovski in Peacock Horror Thriller Series ‘Teacup’

From The Cinemaholic:

Chaske Spencer to Star in James Wan’s Peacock Series Teacup

From Deadline

Yvonne Strahovski Joins Peacock’s Ian McCulloch/James Wan Horror Drama ‘Teacup’

Sure!

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“Gremont is not a good man,” said Kel. “It is why he was exiled.”

“I know that. Of all people,” Antonetta added, in a low voice, “I thought you, at least, did not believe me completely foolish.”

 A feeling like despair seized him. She was so close he could see her pulse beating in her throat, the rise and fall of her locket with her quick breaths, yet she felt as distant as she had ever been.

“You pretend to foolishness,” he said. “It is your armor.”

She raised her head at that, and looked at him. Her blue eyes so dark they seemed black in the low light. “We all have armor,” she said. “As if you do not have yours, Kel Anjuman.”

He choked on the words he could not say. I am the Prince’s armor. I cannot have my own.

“Antonetta —”

She took a step back. “You are not my father, not brother or lover,” she said. “You have no rights here.”

He does not have a POV in book one. One thing to keep in mind — the last thing we heard about Jaime is that he's missing. As of the start of LKOF, he's still missing. So looking for him is part of the story, and figuring out where he is.

Caveat: I have Covid so I am somewhat feverish. Hopefully nothing I say is totally incoherent.

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Hello! I can't tell you exactly how many people know about Kit's heritage and who they are, as that would be a major spoiler for TWP. Certainly his family and friends are trying to keep a tight lid on the information, but secrets can be hard to keep.

When Round Tom met Kit, he could obviously tell that Kit had fey heritage (he referred to him as "cousin") and that Kit had an important/royal vibe about him ("he did a little thing where he jumped in a circle and made some odd gestures in the air, then bowed towards me"), but there's no indication that Round Tom knows exactly who he is or what his deal is, and as a faerie who doesn't concern himself with politics, Tom would be unlikely to. General Winter, on the other hand, does know, but has likely been sworn to secrecy by Kieran. It would only be very ancient and powerful faeries who know a lot of history (and maybe even knew Auraline, like Mother Hawthorn did) who could recognize Kit for what he is on sight. None of the faeries Kit interacted with at the Shadow Market in L.A. fit the bill.

Hi Cassie!! Sorry to bother you but I feel like Ty would be more likely to have panic attacks than Dru. I have evaluated the situation and Ty seems to have more trauma and anxiety than her. Adding onto that I’m hoping Kit and Ash don’t have too similar powers. I feel like Kit should be more powerful as Ash only as Ash didn’t get much powers especially since the king didn’t have the black volume the whole time he had Ash. I also think Kit she be more powerful than Magnus for reasons.

I’ve gotten a lot of emails about how Ty should be the one who has panic attacks, not Dru. Usually the idea is that he should have panic attacks because he has ‘more trauma and anxiety’ than Dru, specifically because of Livvy’s death and Ty being “more close” to her.

The thing is, that isn’t how characters work because it isn’t how people work. “Amount of trauma” is not an objective measurable thing, and not everyone responds the same ways even to the same things happening to them.

Of course Ty and Dru have both experienced trauma. But it is not as if there is a certain “level of trauma”, like “level 6” beyond which everyone has panic attacks, and Ty is a trauma 7 while Dru is only a trauma 5. None of that is how people work or panic disorders work or really how anything works. The question is a lot about, I think, an anxiety that somehow because Dru has panic attacks this means the narrative will consider Ty to have no trauma at all and be dandy about everything, and I can only say that that’s not the case.

One thing I rarely see acknowledged in these letters is that Ty is not grieving Livvy currently. Everyone else in his family is, but he lives with her, she talks to him all the time, she’s entirely present in his life. Yes, she is a ghost, but people can get by on a lot less than Ty has with Livvy. I think it’s worth noting that what Ty is currently experiencing re: Livvy is not grief but denial.

At the end of the day, there are all sorts of ways of responding to trauma and grief. The acknowledgement that someone has been through trauma is not something they have to earn, nor are panic attacks a thing given to one character at the expense of another who has somehow deserved them more. What is important about how characters respond to loss and trauma is that it be consistent with the character and their growth, and that’s something that can’t be evaluated before a book is read. :)

As for Kit having the most powers of anyone, well, we will see. It’s not really how power works in the Shadowhunter world. We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about whether Clary or Magnus is more powerful because what they can do is so different, and what Kit and Ash can do is also very different. Also in evaluating who gets what power level I would say it’s important to consider whether they will be friends or deadly enemies – which is something we don’t yet know!

A new ebook edition of Robert McCammon’s 2018 novel The Listener will be released by Open Road Media on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. The new cover is by Mauricio Diaz.

The ebook can be pre-ordered from Amazon US and Barnes & Noble.

I think Kitty is hard to beat. It definitely wasn't planned, either!

We'll definitely have specific character art for TWP. I can't promise a specific artist just because it's up to them if they have the time, or are working on something else, etc. But there's a lot of wonderful artists so no worries.

Website TheCinemaholic reports:

Peacock’s contemporary horror thriller series ‘Teacup’ starts filming in Atlanta, Georgia, later this month. Ian McCulloch penned the series drawing inspiration from Robert McCammon’s 1988 novel ‘Stinger.’ E.L. Katz is set to direct the premiere episode and James Wan serves as an executive producer.

I’m still not sure that’s actually the title of the show, but who knows? You can read the full article on TheCinemaholic.

French publisher Monsieur Toussaint Louverture is reprinting their translation of Boy’s Life for publication on March 22, 2024. This new edition of Zephyr, Alabama removes the Alex Green artwork in favor of an elegant dustjacket that matches the style of the majority of their publications.

It can be pre-ordered from Amazon.fr, among many other sites.

The cover has been added to the Book Cover Gallery.

I mean, I think it's legit to be worried about Clary. We know Janus is focused on her, and that what he wants from her (undying love, for starters) is not anything she is in a position to give, or would want to give. We know Janus has Big Plans for the future and those involve Clary but they sure don't involve Jace, so there's that.

There will be interactions between Clary and Janus, more than Clary and Ash, at least at first. I think her feelings about Ash are very dependent on the kind of person Ash turns out to be, and we don't know much about that yet.

Clary and the other OGs will be indeed, in TWP but not the focus, and Clary/Jace still aren't the focus on Black Volume, as Malec are the focus. There is a Clace short story in the Better in Black short story collection that maybe addresses more of what you're asking about, so maybe that's the tidbit?

Right now, the romance. Kit and Ty are delightful as are Ash & Dru.

*laughs*

Ok:

"I do have one question," said Ash. "What's a rodeo?"

I don't think it's a spoiler — I've been using sensitivity readers for a while, including for the Carstairs family in TLH, for Anna, for Thomas and Matthew, and in TDA for Diana, for Ty, for the Rosales and even for Jules in terms of parenting a child with autism. And that is not a complete list!

You are right, they haven't always been in the acknowledgements, because it's up to the sensitivity readers in question whether they want to be mentioned or not. With Sword Catcher, I went through my publisher to find sensitivity readers as opposed to reaching out through networks (I found sensitivity readers for Diana, for instance, by reaching out through my local health center which provides gender-affirming care), which resulted I think in a lot more people who were cool with being in the acknowlegements.

Which is to say: I will definitely be using sensitivity readers in TWP, specifically to address Ty, and also to work with trauma issues and representations of sexuality, among other things.

There are super cute scenes in Secrets of Blackthorn Hall and Ghosts of the Shadow Market with Mina, Tessa, Kit and Jem. And we start off the Kit and Ty storyline at Cirenworth in TWP, so we will see Kit with his family, and Mina is always cute. :) No teasers yet tho!