Sunday, September 18, 2011

Horses, a New Harvey and Solomon Tale, and Other Adventures

It has definitely been a busy week, as I'm doing my work as one of the two directors for the broadcasts of the thoroughbred sales at Keeneland here in Lexington. It is a big money event, as in the first week we crossed the $165 million mark in sales, after 20 million in sales yesterday. Definitely a surreal environment, to say the least. Not exactly a crowd that is feeling the pinch of the economic mess going on right now!

Things have been going well on the writing front. Knee-deep in the new Fires in Eden Book,and working on some special short stories that we will have an announcement about very soon.

I finally got my hands on the new Dreams of Steam II: Bolts and Brass, which has the new Harvey and Solomon story. Obviously, with Harry's recent passing (for those of you who don't know, Harry is the basis for the Harvey cat character in these stories), there is a bittersweet aspect, but there is also something elating and enduring as well.

Pulling up into the driveway on Friday, I saw that one of the cats that used to come around and talk with Harry through the front windows was lounging where the UPS box had been set down. I get lots of UPS boxes, and I haven't seen them at the boxes before, so this was both unusual and intriguing. It was almost like Harry's friend was watching over that box until I got home, because I found out later that the UPS truck had arrived not long before.

It was a little emotional opening up the box and holding the new book, but I am so relieved to have this specific story and book, as these stories are a real tribute to Harry. I am going to come out swinging with a big Harvey and Solomon story in 2012, even though I know it will be a very hard process to write it on an emotional level.

I'll be anchored here in Lexington over the next week, but the week following I will be heading out to ARCHON in St. Louis, an excellent convention that is returning to the site it was at in 2009. I hope to visit and spend time with a number of my author friends like Elizabeth Donald, Jimmy Gillentine, Jon Klement, and Georgia Jones, who just got picked up by Blackwyrm Publishing.

Keep an eye on the SSP Blog too, as I'm doing some posts there about the publishing business (and there are some great new regular contributors with the SSP Blog, such as Rodney Carlstrom, Frank Hall, and Ren Garcia.) The addy is
http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com

2 comments:

ediFanoB said...

I think every new new Harvey and Solomon story is a tribute to Harry and with the stories he gets immortal in your and your readers mind.

You are one of the busiest men I know. But I always hope you don't overdue it.

sgzimmer said...

:) I feel the same way, Michael.

I've always said I put every last ounce of effort into what I do, I'm kind of an all or nothing sort of fellow. I will do my best not to have a nuclear meltdown, LOL!

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