Darkside Press has received copies of STAR CHANGES from the printer, and is in the process of filling advance orders. However, the process has been slowed down due to the fact that Kathy Pelan, wife of publisher John Pelan, who is basically the "shipping department," was stabbed by a mugger last week and is currently hospitalized. I am sure that we all send her our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Meanwhile John is attempting to fill orders in as expeditious a manner as is possible consistent with his duties to his family in this time of crisis. I am sure that he appreciates everyone's patience. It is indeed a beautiful book, and I am proud to be associated with it.
For those of you who have held off ordering this book because of the forthcoming Night Shade Books "Collected Fantasies" series, I should fill you in on the background. John approached me about doing STAR CHANGES back in early 2003. A certain Fabian slowness in providing microfilms from the university library that posseses them coupled with my being out of action when I broke my arm in September of 2003 delayed its completion until early this year.
Then Night Shade Books was able to obtain permission to do the "Collected Fantasies" series. This is coming along, but that same library is not being any more forthcoming in providing copies for sundry housekeeping reasons that I won't go into because they are so breathtakingly BORING!!!! I just received the rest of the manuscripts for volume one earlier this month, and while work on the texts is coming along nicely, it is slow, deliberate work.
Bottom line is that volume one will probably appear this Christmas or shortly afterward, with two more volumes in 2006 and the rest in 2007. I've been paid for STAR CHANGES, so it doesn't make any financial difference to me if another copy ever sells, but I would urge all Smith fans who aren't poverty stricken to get a copy, because otherwise you won't have all of the stories until almost 2008, and I also am quite proud of the introduction I wrote on CAS' career as a scientifictionist. I don't want to see John lose money because I had an accident and couldn't do any work for several months.
Also, if the book sells out, that will make it easier for me to try to sell it to a couple of other markets that I would like to see CAS penetrate and increase his readership. This was the main reason I did the book, but developments are screwing up my strategies! (Clausewitz was right about battle plans never surviving contact with the enemy, but I didn't realize that it applies to marketing and consumers as well!)
Thanks.
Scott
[
www.darksidepress.com]