The Empress Sword is my first novel. I worked very hard on it, I’m quite proud of it, but I never let myself loose sight of it being a first novel. I put it out as a podcast so that people would hear it, react to it, and hopefully enjoy it. Behind the scenes I went through the process of submitting it to agents and publishers, dealing with the rejections, making new drafts based on the feedback, and still never really expecting to get more out of it than a learning experience.

So it is with some amazement and much delight that I announce the signing of a contract with Dragon Moon Press to have The Empress Sword published as a trade paperback and ebook. The current plan is to release TES on Memorial Day weekend 2011 and hold the launch party at Balticon 45. As with the publication of any book, that date may change as the editing and publication process move along.

I’ll be sure to keep you all informed about what’s coming up. I’m trying my best to get the last few episodes of the podcast and podiobook out to you as soon as possible. Please be patient, I’m sure you’re going to enjoy the finish.

Thank you all for the support and love you have shown for The Empress Sword. Trust me, it had a lot to do with making this announcement a reality.

We’re all born into a family and if we’re lucky we end up liking a few of them, but they always still matter to us. Throughout our lives we also build a second family. Made up from friends who for one reason or another come to mean more to us than mere friends. Tee Morris is such a friend to me. An accomplished author of both fiction and non-fiction, Tee practically invented the podcast novel. If it wasn’t for his encouragement and seemingly endless enthusiasm I wouldn’t be about to launch my own podcast novel.

Through gatherings I came to know Natalie and also Tee’s darling little girl affectionately known as Sonic Boom. They’re three good people, three people I like, three people I care about, three people I love and now they’re only two.

I grew up in a family rooted in southern Virginia and West Virginia. When there’s a death in that part of the country the community rallies around the family. I remember when my grandmother died there was a constant stream of people I’d never seen before bringing unimaginable amounts of food into the house. They would almost never leave without doing the dishes, making the beds or offering to do some chore or other.

These days my chosen family is scattered to the four winds. No one I feel truly close to lives physically closer than an hour’s drive away. Most live in other states or worse on other continents. It’s hard to imagine us all showing up at Tee’s door with dishes of food, but there’s something else we can do.

Philippa Ballantine, an award winning author who lives in New Zealand, has set up a Chip-In fund for Tee and his daughter. It’s amazing how quickly this fund has grown, but Tee’s a popular and respected guy. And his need right now is great. Please consider a contribution to this fund, you can do so by clicking the widget below. The money will go directly to Tee to help cover funeral expenses and help him start a new life as a single father.

Thank you, Tee, and bless you brother.