If I’ve been remiss in updating this blog, it’s only because I’m deep, deep in research for the new novel. I have, however, hit upon an entertaining diversion for the next week or so, for those who have been missing me. More on that tomorrow.
A quick note – VOICE OF THE FALCONER has been pushed back to Winter, 2009. This sounds dire (at least, those friends I’ve told are mourning), but really it’s a good thing. It was done at the suggestion of Dan Conaway, my new agent, for reasons to do with profitable release times and book-momentum, in connection to THE MASTER OF VERONA coming out in trade paperback in Fall of this year. My only sadness is that I wanted a novel out in 2008. But a delay of three months is apparently a boon, so I will take it as such.
Lastly, I recently opened the mail to discover a marvelous little treasure from my friend Rita Severi. She was the translator for the poetry of Mauello Guidio in MV. She just sent me a copy of her latest work, a side-by-side translation of Maurice Hewlett’s MADONNA DEL PESCO, aka MADONNA OF THE PEACH TREE. It’s labelled una storia di Verona. Published in Bologna, 2007. Thank you, Rita – I can’t wait for a break in the research to crack it.
Okay, back to Romans and Jews.
So, when you say Winter ’09, you mean January or February 2009. Right? ‘Cause that’s acceptable. But if you mean Christmas 2009, I’ma git cranky.
Also, how does this work? Didn’t your publisher already have a date? How did they react to your agent wanting to change it? Or is that business as usual?
Still first century AD research? You could at least give a little hint what the new novel is about; it’s one of my favourite times. 🙂
No, no crankiness – Feb 09 sounds about right. And yeah, business as usual.
Gabriele – yes, very much 1st century AD. To be specific, 70-96. You want hints? Sure. The prologue takes place in Jerusalem, and one of my leads is a Titus Flavius. Cognomen? Sorry, that’s restricted.
Hope that’s a maddeningly clever enough clue.
Cheers,
DB
Lol, the hints are good enough for me.
You should join our inofficial Roman club; there are three people – including myself – who write about that period, and now it’s four. *grin*