Camorr - News and Views from Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora books

Roland,

SL's wife also has a livejournal. She's posted much more recently than SL. Based on that journal nothing appears to be out of the ordinary.

Mmm, I know. I listened to it in hope that Lynch would drop a few hints about RoT. But as I said, this thread contains nothing new or ground breaking, but I'm glad you found it entertaining nonetheless ;)

Speaking of Lynch's wife's journal, I would've thought she'd have posted something like 'Scott's been so busy with his book recently' or 'I'm so excited because Scott's book is nearly done.' But nothing from her camp either :( Also, what I find odd is that Scott's still going to conventions and writing articles for magazines etc. I don't understand why he can't post something on a site! Oh, which reminds me, as this is the Scott Lynch thread here's an article he wrote for a magazine on fantasy cliches. It's a good read, if nothing to do with RoT. You can find it here:

http://speculativehorizons.blogspot.com/2008/04/scott-lynch-on-fantasy-clichs.html

What worries me is that Scott's english publisher is still quoting July as a publishing date .... I pray - PRAY - that isn't the case. At any rate, I can't wait for the day we hear something.

Personally, I freakin' hate cliche fantasy novels. I put them down as soon as I've picked them up if the blurb begins like Lynch describes. Probably why I like Lies so much; it's a far cry from all the fantasy norm. Although I did read the David and Leigh Eddings series and they're pretty cliche...

Anywho, here's another random Lynch thing of the day. Very dull, but it proves that Lynch is (probably) still alive. He couldn't pick up his award up at Fantasycon 2008 because he's 'busy writing his third novel'. Does that worry anyone else?Call me optimistic and all but... I kinda thought he'd finished writing it some time ago... If he hasn't even handed in the final manuscript then what's the likely chance it'll be out in feb?

You can watch the tiny, tiny snippet here, if you like: http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=43499237

Nothing incredible, I know, but at least we sorta know he's errr... still actively writing... :|

Just to let everyone know, it is looking very very unlikely that TRoT is going to make the feb deadline now. It's not been officially announced but Scott's publicists have fallen into silence, much like the author, after announcing he still hasn't finished the manuscript. So with that in mind, the date looks likely to be pushed back to July.

Scott also didn't turn up to a recent book signing at a convention. Worrying much?

Good news? The excerpt should be just around the corner. Yay... I think... =/

Anyone got a link to his wife's LJ?

Cheers! It's just reassuring to see a reference being made to SL...just to prove, you know, that he's still alive.

Scott Lynch is celebrating his 31st birthday today. Cheers!

A brief update on his LiveJournal http://scott-lynch.livejournal.com/234808.html
Unfortunately, nothing about RoT :cry:

Brief indeed. :roll:

I must admit I never thought I would be able to say Martin has given us more information about his book in recent months. :?

I've heard at least three different responses to the late books of authors recently.

Pat Rothfuss = "I'm sorry, it is going to be late, I want this to be a great book, and I want to have a life, and it will be read soon" (followed by passive updates, frequent blog posts either on topic or off, and then a post that "I've turned in the first draft".

George Martin = "I'm late, it will be done when it is done, I'm not your bitch". (read Neil Gaiman's response, it is hilarious)

Scott Lynch = ...crickets....crickets.....crickets...

I've said before that I've got plenty to read, so I'm not stressing over any of them. I just think that it is interesting that there have been different responses from different authors to the same issue.

Maybe this is the problem, as this is perhaps an erroneous assumption. I thought I heard that Red Seas Under Red Skies didn't sell that well. Maybe Scott has only a small fanbase, and because he must be aware of what a prodigious talent he has, while lesser authors are enjoying much more success, he may be a little bummed out about it. :?

Well, as you know, Sabetha, I disagree with you that Red Skies wasn't as good as Lies. In fact, I was impressed that for me, Lynch proved his debut wasn't a fluke. Lies was my fave book of 2006 and Red Skies was my fave book of 2007. The only other time in my life that the same author had my fave book in consecutive years was King's Dark Tower novels.

However, I do agree with you regarding Greg Keyes, and I've already read and enjoyed the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone tetralogy. Keyes is a very good craftsman with many three-dimensional characters in a fully realized fantasy setting. I don't think he does anything particularly original in the genre, but what he does, he does well. I also liked his Age of Unreason tetralogy, which is a less traditional fantasy, incorporating an alternate magival reality of our own world during the Age of Enlightenment, with people like Isaac Newton as major characters. 8-)

Are these available on iTunes?

Spider, I agree with everything you said about RSURS. Took the words right out of my mouth. I did love the book, it's just the end really did unravel. I highly doubt (and hope) Sabetha will be one dimensional considering she's had so much build up and is meant to be a kind of female version of Locke. I think if Sabetha's character is a major flop, anticipation for his future books wont be too promising (unless, of course, the plotline is an absolute win).

Well, I can't imagine that they would have kept this a secret for so long... And triplets, I'm suspicious... But anything is possible, I guess!

On a different topic, I don't know if you've noticed by Scott has been unusually active on his Live Journal the last few days. He's also scheduled to participate in ArmadilloCon in August. Has he decided to put an end to his prolonged silence?

I think we should be on the look-out! Here is an exchange between Scott and someone anonymous on his Live Journal:

Now that we've all had our big, horny festival of fan/author agreement, can we start talking about when the shit your next book is coming out?

-DP

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: EA Games.
[info]scott_lynch
2009-07-29 04:16 am UTC (link)
Oh my fucking god, I had the temerity to write something I wanted to write about in my own Livejournal.

Next week is the week of multiple big announcements.

Some people are incredibly rude, BTW... Authors are not readers' bitches! ;)

I sincerely hope this is the news we've all been waitng for.

Scott is on twitter: http://twitter.com/scottlynch78

For anyone who lives in Texas, Scott will also be attending ArmadilloCon. He'll be doing a reading, workshops, panels and other things. All listed here (ah, desciptions are by Lynch himself, taken from his blog):

Friday, August 14
***************

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Give or take)-- Writer's Workshop
I will be one of the sixteen instructors at this year's Armadillocon writer's workshop, which will be going on most of the day with breaks for lunch, discussion, and bitter, bitter recrimination.

7:00 PM -- Opening Ceremonies
A beginning is a delicate time.

***************
Saturday, August 15
***************

11:00 AM -- City Building (Panel)
I have been known to toss a city or two into my work, here and there.

3:00 PM -- Fannish Feud
From what I hear, this is a gameshow-style affair where two teams square off in a trivia or guessing contest. I don't know much about the opposition, and I bear them no personal malice, but we're definitely going to paint the walls with their blood and make orphans of their children.

5:00 PM -- Religion and Mysticism in SF/F (Panel)
Holy fanboy squealing, Batman, I'm on a panel with Joan Vinge!

***************
Sunday, August 16
***************

10:00 AM -- Autographing Session
All books cheerfully defaced.

1:00 PM -- Villains (Panel)
Holy expectant fanboy moaning, Batman, I'm on a panel with Elizabeth Moon!

3:00 PM -- Guest of Honor Reading
I will be sliced open and my entrails will be read to thunderous applause. Maybe I still have time to suggest some alternate plans to the committee.

--

Will anyone be going? If anyone's going to the reading, take a video camera!

Aye, he said the same thing to that rude comment someone left him earlier. I hope it's good news! And I hope he leaves an excerpt on his blog like he did with RSURS! :D

Have you ever noticed the disclaimer notes at the bottom of each of the pages of his web site?

Scott's just announced the release on an online pulp-like serial novel Queen of the Iron Sands!
http://www.scottlynch.us/ironsands.html

Why you should never start a fight with Mr Lynch: http://scott-lynch.livejournal.com/242033.html

YOU WILL LOSE SUCKA.

8-)

I have to admit Scott Lynch has me concerned. He came back in a blaze of glory, started posting and twitting, attending cons and even put out a ‘free’ online serial book. I loved reading his occasional LJ posts and adored Queen of the Iron Sands. Not as much as the prologue to RoT, but I don’t think I’ve enjoyed anything I’ve read as much as Locke and his life in Camorr.

Then it just stopped. The first warning sign was a weird post on his LJ, it wasn’t the post that was weird, that was a fairly typical author ‘keep it nice or I won’t publish your comment’ rant, but the way it was dated, Jan 1st 2020 and the title of Aloha. Admittedly Aloha can mean hello as well as goodbye, but still worrying. He hasn’t updated his LJ or his Twitter for about 2 weeks and he’s nearly a week late on the most recent Queen of the Iron Sands chapter. I hope he’s okay, although I think the online community would have heard something if he wasn’t. Part of me hopes that the reason for radio silence is that he’s very close to completing RoT and just wants to get it done, handed in and get working on the next thing.

The fact that he’s done this before is what bothers me. I don’t mind him not doing the book (actually I do, because I want to read the damn thing! However that’s being churlish and childish), but I hate not knowing what happened and why he’s cut all contact with his fans again.

At least we know the reason George Martin hasn’t finished A Dance with Dragons is because it’s low on his list of personal priorities.

Anyone know anything?

Hi Sabetha (we must stop meeting like this :))

I know Scott tends to sort of drop in and out, he’s not unlike other authors I follow in that regard, but everything was going along so positively and then WHAM! I really thought RoT was close, but then again I’ve been guilty of that with A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, although I now no longer hold much hope for ADwD (the author just doesn’t seem to have the level of interest to continue), just with the prologue and everything.

It’s good to know that Mr Lynch is still alive, although I did kind of wonder. His Twitter and LJ posts do say that he still works as a fire fighter and he says he got a migraine brought on by smoke inhalation in one of his Twitter posts, just before his most recent vanishing act.

The non appearance of Chapter 5 of QotIS is disappointing. It wasn’t totally non profit as such, you could donate (I did) if you felt so inclined. I wonder if his publishers kiboshed it. ‘What do you mean you’re giving writing away for free? Are you insane?’

He doesn’t say a lot about RoT it is true, although he drops the occasional morsel our way. In fact his last proper LJ post mentioned a continuity mistake he’d found. While I’d like to hear more about RoT, I also don’t want too much leaked information to spoil the surprises that I am positive Scott’s very vivid imagination have conjured up for us. I’m reading Lies for the 4th time and he’s still able to surprise and delight me at various junctures of the book.

Hi again Sabetha,

You’re not alone in favouring Lies plot over RSURS. I actually did like Red Seas, but Lies was better. I think if taken in isolation, or if Red Seas had been written first, it would have been better received. Lies was a hard act to follow. A number of reviews for Red Seas did say that his use of language and sheer writing ability had improved. I’m intending to reread it when I finish Lies, that will be my 3rd complete reread.

I don’t feel sorry for Scott about the emails. He probably deletes most of them, although due to the continuing hassles with his email he doesn’t seem to receive them in any case. I once sent him a gushing fan email, but never received a reply. In some ways Scott made a rod for his own back when he was young and cocky, riding high on the success of Lies and knowing that RSURS was ready to roll. He did an interview where he said that he wouldn’t be late with a book, that his publishers had a contract written in blood that they could hunt him down and kill him if he was late with a book. Brave words, young man. Brave words. Bet he wishes he could take that back now.

Most authors don’t seem to want to update readers overly much with progress reports. The only one I know who does do it is Brandon Sanderson, and considering that he’s finishing a series with some of the most rabid fans out there this is not all that surprising. Scott apparently doesn’t like to show anyone unfinished drafts, which I also find at odds with earlier and current actions. Queen of the Iron Sands, while entertaining, would not be publishable without considerable editing and tidying up. It’s almost like a rough draft of a work in progress. Scott Lynch is also the same guy who kept a blog about the writing of his first novel, something that wound up being Lies. He has slabs of it on there and he talks about how much he’s done, word counts, thought processes, the works. It’s still out there, it was written in 2003 – 2004 I think. Google Scott Lynch and you’ll find it.

A near 2 year delay (I figure if we see Republic in 2010 it will be about this time) is nothing. Fans of George Martin’s (the writer, not the music producer. The writer pretentiously styles himself George R R Martin, yeah sure you have the same middle initials as Tolkein, George) A Song Of Ice and Fire have been waiting over 4 years for half a book. He finished the first half of the 4th book A Feast For Crows in 2005 and said in the author’s note at the back that he believed he’d have the rest done in a year or so. People are still waiting and there seems to be no end in sight. Hopefully Scott doesn’t pull a ‘Martin’ on us or hasn’t contracted the dread writers disease of Martinitis.