I’ve been fielding a few questions about the series from curious readers via email so I thought I’d try answering some of them here. Sort of interviewing myself although if the questions get too personal I’m outta here. Plus, it’s raining outside so I’m postponing my run.

Q. When is the next book being published?
A. After taking longer to write than anticipated, the third Iron Elves book, Ashes of a Black Frost, is publishing this October in North America and the UK. Precise dates are always a bit iffy, but everything I’ve seen says October 13 in the UK, and October 18 in North America.

Q. Will you still be offering free, signed bookplates?
A. Absolutely.

Q. You should eat more dark vegetables like broccoli.
A. Mom! I’m in the middle of something, and that wasn’t a question.

Q. Is Ashes of a Black Frost the final book in the series?
A. Yes…almost 100% yes. While I’m loathe to speak in absolutes, for now and for the foreseeable future, the Iron Elves is a trilogy with a beginning, middle, and most importantly, an end. Writing the adventures of Konowa and the lads has been the most satisfying and enjoyable experience of my writing career so far. It’s not easy to say goodbye to that, but in a way I’m not, because those characters are with me forever.

Q. Will you be touring anywhere?
A. Quite possibly, but details are still being worked out. When I have something specific I will post it here and on my website. Oh, I will definitely be at New York Comic Con this October.

Q. OK, why don’t you eat more dark vegetables like broccoli?
A. Sigh. You’re right, I should. Yes…yes…I know…yes…OK…yes, OK…love you, too.

Q. So if the Iron Elves is a trilogy, what comes next?
A. That is an excellent question, and I should have an answer very soon. I will say that I have already started writing a new book. It has strong military elements, is fantasy, but does not use a Napoleonic time frame.

Q. Can we guess?
A. Sure.

Q. Will you tell us if we’re right?
A. Nope, at least not until my agent and publisher shake on it.

Q. When will that be?
A. Could be as early as tomorrow 🙂

Q. Why are you still single? You live in New York City with millions of women and you can’t find one you’ll go out with on a second date? You’re too picky. Grandchildren don’t just fly in on a stork you know.
A. That’s it, this interview is over!

He was clearly the center of attention at the recent San Diego Comic Con. Truth be told, I’m a bit envious. I was thinking of getting a puppy and taking it for a walk in Central Park, but maybe I’ll just go all broody and sharpen the tops of my ears.

If you’re a Facebooker (is that a term?) and looking for something to do between Farmville and tracking down high school ex’s, drop by and say hi on my pages. The Iron Elves page has been up for a while now, but I try to keep it updated with all the latest news on Konowa and the lads. And now I’ve added a new page that will highlight the series I publish at Stackpole Books for those interested in military history.

The Iron Elves page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-Evans-Iron-Elves/435233515470

The Stackpole Military History page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stackpole-Military-History-Series-by-Stackpole-Books/247110561975726

Cheers,

Chris

Fantasies, not all, but a lot, are designed to be big, sweeping adventures. The bigger and, er, sweepier, the better. But just how big have some of these epics grown? The answer – really, really, really big. Gabe Habash over at Publishers Weekly took a stroll through Robert Jordan’s never-ever ending The Wheel of Time and found out it currently clocks in at 11,308 total pages which equates to 4,012,859 total words! (I wonder how many of those words are “the”?) As Gabe also notes for comparison, GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (you might have heard of it, but maybe not, I don’t think it has vampires or zombies 🙂 is a mere 4,304 pages. A piffle. You can read the whole article here: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/?p=6069&utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=f6a3175e8f-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

My contribution to the genre of big sweepiness thus far, even when you include Ashes of a Black Frost not yet out, will probably be around 350,000 words all in, including the fine print on the back cover that lets you know a book about Iron Elves is, in fact, fiction.

If you want to see some folks who have done way more damage to trees than Konowa and the boys, check out this list compiled by Victor Stanciu at walkintomordor.com:

http://walkintomordor.com/the-longest-fantasy-series-and-why-we-read-them

So, the contest. Out of that massive list of huge fantasies (the sweeping is implied at this point) I’ve read exactly three of the series in their totality. If you can guess the three series I’ve read completely you will receive the complete Iron Elves series, in hardcover, signed by yours truly. In fact, I’ll pick three winners (randomly chosen) if more than one gets it right. Ashes isn’t out until October, but I’ll end the contest August 15 and announce the winners then (and you’ll get your signed copy of Ashes when it publishes). And to be sporting about it, you can submit three guesses. I’ll even give you a hint. It’s not Conan, Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, or surprisingly, Discworld.

UPDATE! It was pointed out to me this is insanely hard, and um, yeah, you’re right. So, even if you guess and are wrong, you are still automatically entered to win a complete set of signed copies. If anyone does actually guess right I’ll come up with an even bigger prize.

So which three series could it be…

For the longest time, I never ran or worked out with an iPod. A few months ago I found a little Nano that my parents had given me. I was about to drop it off at the Goodwill store, but decided to see if it worked. It did. Hmmm, says I. I went to the iTunes store and bought a couple of 69 cent songs just to try it out.

I’m hooked.

I checked the store this morning and downloaded 16 songs. I still enjoy running au natural, er, au audial (as in my ears are naked and wide open) but in the gym and on the subway the little Nano has become part of my attire.

I focused mostly on workout tunes today, and in no particular order here are a few of the gems I downloaded:

Stranglehold by Ted Nugent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c3d7QgZr7g

So What by Pink http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaz5tGl5Yho

Bang Your Head by Quiet Riot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEj6b5ZS0tA

Insane in the Brain by Cypress Hill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5oWzB4Xgzw

The Golden Age by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5h-LAvQDCQ

When I was out on Friday with Myke Cole and Peter Brett we were talking about writing and listening to music. Both of them can do it. I can’t. Even music without lyrics mucks up my thought process. On the other hand, when I workout music acts a force multiplier and I go Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).