If you’ve ever dated me – there isn’t room here for my apologies – or read one of my books, you probably concluded that romance is not exactly my forte. Welllllllll, that’s past tense, baby (wait, can I call you baby? Shoot, this could be one of the reasons I get into trouble). I’m not saying I’ve moved into Casanova territory, but then my goal (unlike Tiger Woods) is to get just one woman to believe I am the sun in the sky, the moon at night, and the guy who can say “No, those jeans don’t make you look fat at all” while pondering – for no apparent reason – the curvature of the earth.

So what has me waxing all smoochie? An early review just came out for Ashes of a Black Frost from no less a magazine than the Romantic Times! The Romantic Times. They’re all about getting down, getting it off and then getting it on (I might be paraphrasing a bit). And no, they weren’t using my book as an antonym.

Yup, Ashes scored the coveted 4 out of 4 star review. I think the only thing higher is a heart glazed in honey on a pillow of milk chocolate. But seriously though, I’m thrilled. I always knew I had a pretty good grasp of the military angle, but creating believable relationships, especially of a romantical nature, was and remains a bigger challenge. Ok, so the review doesn’t actual mention the romance, but then, they’re the Romantic Times. I’m guessing they were so taken with emotion that mere words proved inadequate to express the joy and wonder that filled their hearts. That’s my assumption and I’m sticking with it 🙂

To the ladies (and gentlemen) of the Romantic Times, I doff my hat. I said to you (via my publicist), that I was just a writer, standing in front of a reviewer, asking you to love me. And you did.* Soooo, what are you doing Friday night?

Romantic Times

October 2011

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/ashes-black-frost

ASHES OF A BLACK FROST
by Chris Evans

Genre: Fantasy, General Fantasy

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/images/star-4.pngRT Rating

“A fast-paced, action-filled, fitting end to an epic tale between forces of good, evil and those with a bit of both, filled with characters from fairy tales to nightmares who all play their roles beautifully, especially the enigmatic Konowa Swift Dragon. You’ll want to read this trilogy in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding.”

*Thanks to the writers of Notting Hill for that line.

When I’m not writing about Konowa and the lads I spend my hours publishing military history books. (By the way, if you’re into military history, or just curious about what I do all day, please stop by my new Facebook page for Stackpole Books, I’m looking for ideas to spruce it up – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stackpole-Military-History-Series-by-Stackpole-Books/247110561975726 )

I managed to get a watermark of sorts onto this photo, but I had to use the paint program to do it. Is there any easier way? Oh, and if your curiosity remains, the photo shows two German Wehrmacht soldiers from what appear to be a cavalry unit during the invasion of France in the summer of 1940. They’re standing in front of an abandoned French tank, a Renault R35 light infantry tank. The horse in the background on the far left was a mare named Beatrix. She had three colts, one of whom, Henri, became famous for climbing the Eiffel Tower on a drunken night in Paris after the war. A bronzed horseshoe is welded to the east leg of the tower in honor of his adventure.

It’s possible I’m making some of this up.

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/ridley-scott-direct-another-blade-runner-won-t-220747839.html

I just watched it again recently and it was very much on my mind when I saw this article. Not only will it not be a remake of the original (no need to remake a classic) but Ridley Scott will likely helm it again. Without a clue of what the plot will ultimately be, I know it’ll be a movie I want to see. And as extra icing on the cake, Scott is finishing work on Prometheus, a film which the article says started as a sort of a prequel to Alien but has since morphed into something else.

Here’s the site for the movie: http://www.prometheus-movie.com/

Why? Well thank you for asking, or at least reading my question. I’ll tell you why. My uber agent, Don Maass, my brilliant editor, Ed Schlesinger, and the awesome and incredibly supportive Gallery/Pocket Deputy Publisher Anthony Ziccardi, also known as my friend, have done what Congress couldn’t and made a deal that has everyone happy and working. I am, though there are no smores (I always thought they were called schmores) in sight, a happy camper 🙂

There will be many more details to come over the next weeks and months, but for now I can tell you that my next book will be a fantasy with a strong military component (big surprise, right) but it won’t be in the Iron Elves world, and it won’t be using a Napoleonic time frame.

In the meantime, cool stuff is in the works for the Iron Elves. More to come…

First, thanks to everyone who took a guess, or two, or three 🙂 I know it was crazy hard, but hey, even free isn’t free, or something like that.

From that massive list of series (located here – http://walkintomordor.com/the-longest-fantasy-series-and-why-we-read-them) I realized that I had read a sum total of three of them. I’ve read parts of many more, but only three from beginning to end. And they are…

Lord of the Rings (naturally)
Harry Potter (naturally)
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

Two people actually guessed that! What the heck are the odds. Um, probably high. Still, congratulations to saturnboy and Mickanick. You’ve won the complete trilogy in hardcover, signed. Email me with your details and when the third book is available I’ll sign all three and get them in the mail to you.

I had put three sets of books up for the taking, and as there were two correct guesses, that leaves one set to be given away. To be fair and impartial, I wrote down every one’s name on the back of my business cards, turned them over, then shuffled and spread them out again. Oh, but first I made myself a snack of Raisin Bran and almond milk. Feeling satisfied, I came back to the cards, picked them up and shuffled them some more, then spread them out again. I then picked one up and turned it over and saw….

Lanyn. Congratulations, you’re the third winner.

Thanks to everyone who took a guess. I might just try this again, but I’ll come up with a different idea.

Cheers,

Chris