Monthly Archives: September 2010

Greetings All: Yeah, it’s a tough new world. We heard from a couple of you that COMING OF THE STORM didn’t show up in your local news stand rack. For reasons that we still haven’t been able to ferret out, Simon & Schuster shipped fewer copies than normal of COMING OF THE STORM in paperback. Lots fewer. So please note: If you have been waiting to read the adventures of Black Shell and Pearl Hand as they hunt the fowl de Soto, you’ve got order on line, or hit your local bookstore. Wal Mart still has copies, but they will be pulled within the next week or two. So why is it a “tough new world?” Bookselling is changing by the moment. In February ebooks made up 2% of the market. In July, they made up 11%. We haven’t heard today’s numbers, but they are growing. Prognosticators expect ebooks to top out at around 35% of the market. So, how many print copies does a publisher print? Not just of a Gear title, but of all the other paperbacks they are releasing that month? COMING OF THE STORM fell into that chasm of uncertainty. So, here it is: If you want it, you’d better scramble. Collectors, pay attention. COMING OF THE STORM is on third printing in paperback. First editions are still out there, but you’ve got to search them out. Finally, once I finish the blog entry, I’m off to do the newsletter. You can subscribe by clicking on the “monthly midden” button on the home page. The newsletter goes into greater detail about the books and projects we’re working on. We wish you all the best. If you’re a book person, a true bibliophile, welcome to the Tough New World!

Greetings All: We’re still in awe. The opportunity to give a lecture in the great kiva at Aztec National Monument in New Mexico was a humbling and wonderful experience. This was, after all, the beating spiritual heart of the post-Chaco Anasazi world. Knowing that we were talking from the very seat of Power, we poured our hearts into making this the best presentation ever. Hopefully those who attended enjoyed the lecture and have a new appreciation of our nation’s Native heritage and how it shaped our American identity. We set an attendence record and almost filled the kiva. Afterwards the park bookstore sold out of copies for us to sign. To all who attended, thank you for coming. We know that some of you drove all the way from Abiquiu. We wish to thank Cyressa Bloom and the great staff at Aztec for all their hard work. Head archaeologist–and long-time friend–Gary Brown, gave us a fantastic tour of the East Ruin, the mystery tri-wall (or four-wall) mound, and the environs. These areas are currently off limits for visitors–a real shame given that seeing them exponentially expands a person’s understanding and appreciation of the Aztec site’s three great houses. Like all archaeologists, Gary is struggling to get funding to expand his ability to interpret the site’s archaeology. Please write your congressmen and senators. They seem to be throwing money around as if it were food in an elementary school cafeteria. Maybe they could throw some Aztec’s way where it would actually be put to use. Gary, Donna, bless you both for a wonderful evening under the trees, spectacular enchiladas, and the chance to catch up after all these years. We ask that anyone reading this visit Aztec National Monument in northern New Mexico. The Great Kiva is the finest example of a restored Anasazi structure anywhere. You will be delighted and amazed. Finally, we would like to thank Andy at Arches Bookstore in Moab, Utah. He carries our latest titles in one of the last and best independent bookstores in America. When you travel through Moab, Andy’s store is on the east side of Main Street. Drop in and say hello.

Greetings All: We’re packing to head to Aztec, New Mexico, where we will be giving a lecture at Aztec Ruins on September 10th at 7:00 p.m. We are looking forward to being in the Southwest. The temperatures should have cooled down a little by the time we get there, and the Equinox shadows will be stretching across the desert like cool fingers. Not only that, the Mexican food, influenced by Native American cuisine and flavors, is just unbelievably good. We’ll gain weight, and it’ll be worth every ounce. Not only that, we’ll spend a good deal of time wandering around archaeological sites, studying the ruins, considering where to set future books. After Aztec, we’ll be off to Phoenix for a few days, then we’re back in Cortez, Colorado from September 17-19th to teach a Writers’ Workshop at the Cortez Cultural Center. We hope to see some of you in Aztec or Cortez! Take care and enjoy the autumn brilliance. Michael and Kathleen