And we have some signing dates for the release of Salute the Dark. These are:

Weekend of the 5th February — SFX Weekender convention, at which I will be signing books, either at a pre-arranged time or just mug me as and when the opportunity arises. Mid-panel is probably not recommended.

Saturday 13th February — signing around lunchtime (figure 1.00pm start in all likelihood) at Waterstones, Broad Street, Reading (not the one in the Oracle). (Waterstones, 89a Broad Street, Reading, RG1 2AP, 0118 958 1270)

Saturday 20th February — signing at 11.00am in Garforth Library , (1–5 Main Street, Garforth, Leeds —  — Contact Garforth Bookshop — Leeds — 0113 286 3534) and then:

Saturday 20th February (again) — signing at 3.00pm at Travelling Man, Leeds (32 Central Road
Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6DE, 0113 242 7227)

All welcome and please do come along if you're in the area.

I will also sign some stock for Tor and, probably, some for Forbidden Planet in London. I'm aware that some readers outside the UK are interested in getting hold of signed copies, and the easiest way might be to make enquiries at Forbidden Planet or any of the above places. I would hope that somewhere in possession of signed copies would be willing to post them to you. Authorial enquiries will follow and if I get a definite route for the smuggling of signed copies onto the continent I will disseminate the information here.

In other news, we have tropes! Check it out: and yes, I know that, from a certain point of view, this is essentially pointing out all the cliches I've resorted to, but on the other hand, I'm in decent company, and better writers than I have pointed out that there is a reason certain concepts keep turning up in literature, films and the like (1)

I should also draw your attention to Jon Sullivan's website, firstly because he's a fantastic author, but also because he's currently displaying all the cover designs he's produced for the series, including some of the recently completed US edition pictures, such as the US Blood of the Mantis that gave me goosebumps.

 

(1) No, not just because writers are lazy.