First of all, apologies are necessary for my notable, lengthy failure to do any blog posting. Partly this is due to my being discouraged by most of my blog posts being eaten by some malware, partly the result of the press of other affairs, but mostly this was caused by inertia and lack of initiative.
Apologia being said, let me provide what news there is. Most of it isn’t very encouraging. Treble Heart Books, the publisher of two of my novels, The Pirooters and Napoleon Concerto, has gone out of business. As a result, the books are no longer in print (although individual copies of the novels can be ordered directly from me). Kudos and thanks to Lee Emory, Treble Heart’s publisher, who gave me some of my first and most important breaks in the business by publishing these books. I wish Lee Emory the very best of luck in all her future endeavors. Roman Hell is my only novel now available from a publisher (Amber Quill). Withersin Press, the publisher of Escape From Byzantium, went out of business in 2012. I will attempt to find other publishers who might be interested in reprinting the three novels. Please wish me luck.
With respect to my latest novel, The Aztec Key, I’ve been trying to find an agent to represent it. So far I’ve received only rejections, either form or personalized, but I continue to hope that I will hear from an interested agent. While I’m waiting for that to occur, I’ve started a new novel, tentatively titled The Confessions Of Septimus P. Nasby. If I finish it, the book would be a picaresque novel about the misadventures of a complete scoundrel during the Civil War. The main theme would be how the protagonist’s constant scheming and manipulation is regularly foiled by the idealism of people around him, both good and bad. Again, please hope for my success in both endeavors.
That’s about it as far as choses litteraire go. I chose the Holbein picture of Terminus above because he was the Roman god of boundary lines. It appears that my writing career (such as it is) has crossed a boundary and is now drifting into new, uncharted territory. I promise to post more on this blog as I learn about this previously undiscovered country.