Simon & Schuster UK has sent us their striking cover for HELLHOLE, my forthcoming original novel with Brian Herbert. cover text: Only the most desperate would ever dare to make a home on Hellhole. Ravaged by volcanic eruptions, destructive storms and asteroid impact, Hellhole is a dumping ground for undesirables, misfits and charlatans. But its location out on the wild frontiers of the Constellation, among the Deep Zone worlds, makes it the final refuge for those fleeing from the rule of Diadem Michella Duchenet—a tyrant with a sweet face, but a dark heart. General Adolphus, the military leader exiled to...
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Last weekend I went with Tim, Joe, and my god-daughter Maren (12) to spectacular Aspen, Colorado, to climb Castle Peak (14,265 ft). The Elk Range near Aspen is best known for the picturesque Maroon Bells…beautiful but dangerous peaks composed of loose, crumbling rock. Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak are often called “the deadly Bells” because of how many climbers have died ascending them. I have climbed all the Fourteeners in the Elks—both Maroon peaks, Pyramid Peak, Capitol Peak, Snowmass, and Castle—but they are beautiful enough to go back. Castle is by far the easiest of the peaks…and since 12-year-old...
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I've mentioned previously the new Young Adult space series that Rebecca and I are writing to support the Challenger Learning Centers, Star Challengers. The first book is about to be released, and the first press release just went out at GenCon last weekend, to be followed up by an official launch at the national Challenger Center conference in St Louis next week. Here's the text of the press release: Challenger Learning Center Announces STAR CHALLENGERS: A Partnership with Catalyst Game Labs and Bestselling Authors to Promote Space Education The Challenger Center for Space Science Education announces an innovative partnership with Catalyst...
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Last week I found myself faced with an avalanche of deadlines. I wrapped up all the pieces, contracts, permissions, copyright listing, contents, bios, and intros for the next Nebula Awards Showcase, which I’m editing. Brian Herbert and I wrapped up the back-and-forth expansion of our chapter outline for The Sisterhood of Dune; we’ve found that the more detail we put into our outlines, the smoother the writing process goes; altogether this outline is over 100 pages long (the novel itself will probably be 600 pages or so). I also finished writing my chapters in the second Star Challengers book, while...
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