Hi Grim Oakers,
Two big announcements today!
First, Grim Oak Press has acquired the rights to produce beautiful and limited editions of works by bestselling author Tad Williams.
Grim Oak will start with Tailchaser's Song, the book that launched Tad's career. It's a story I absolutely love. I first read it when I was waiting on publication of To Green Angel Tower, and I became a life-long Tad fan at that point. Every book he writes, Tad always delivers beautiful prose, vivid characters, and powerful narratives. Those are found in his first book and if you haven't read it, you should.
For Tailchaser's Song, I knew I needed an artist that could bring full-on whimsical. Like John Howe has done for Tolkien's work. I chose amazing artist Stephanie Law. She uses watercolor and inks to capture the magical layers and patterns found in nature and wildlife. Who better to bring Fritti Tailchaser's tale to life?
The pre-order period for Tailchaser's Song will begin September 1st at 11AM PDT. Mark your calendars.
But that's not where our Tad Williams news ends. Grim Oak has also acquired the rights to The Dragonbone Chair and its two sequels. I need not share how important these books are. Even George R. R. Martin points directly at the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy as inspiration for A Song of Ice & Fire. I consider MS&T as one of the best epic fantasies of all-time. I have no doubt others will echo that sentiment too.
When considering who would bring Osten Ard to life in these new, high-end volumes, I needed someone I could trust. It takes a special kind of talent to follow in Michael Whelan's brush strokes, obviously. I chose Donato Giancola, who has a firm grasp of "the epic" in his work. He's up to the challenge and I can't wait to see him bring Osten Ard to life in an entirely new way. The pre-order period for The Dragonbone Chair will come early next year.
Tailchaser's Song and The Dragonbone Chair will feature full-color interiors. Those who own the limited and lettered editions of Tailchaser's Song will have first refusal rights to matching numbers/letters on The Dragonbone Chair, exactly how we did it with Feist's Faerie Tale and Magician.
One quick note: Thank you Betsy Wollheim and DAW Books for trusting Grim Oak Press. We won't let you down!
The other cool piece of news I want to share today deals with Michael J. Sullivan and his forthcoming new fantasy novel, Nolyn. The first book in The Rise and Fall trilogy publishes in less than a month on August 3rd. It is getting great reviews so far. If you haven't pre-ordered your copy yet and you live in Canada, Indigo is offering the book at a 30% discount as part of their "Most Anticipated SF&F Books of the Summer." Take advantage now while you can!
More news tomorrow. And more news the day after. And more news the day ever that. Stay tuned!
Shawn Speakman
Publisher & Creative Director