Ethan Gage is in trouble again.
Thank you.
When HarperCollins decided last year that the series had run its commercial course and declined to contract for book eight, I thought they might have a point. I warned readers of this blog that Ethan looked headed for retirement.
But a bunch of you shouted, ‘No Way!’ and urged me to keep the Gage family going – possibly through independent publication.
So I am, because I find Ethan and Astiza irresistible. Exactly when and how the next Ethan Gage will appear is yet to be determined (other publishers are pondering) but I can tell you I’ve got him struggling in a Russian snowstorm, while writing on superb Pacific Northwest 80-degree summer days.
Young Harry is standing alertly by, as well.
Congratulate yourselves. It’s all your fault.
The next Ethan Gage novel is in fact one of five book projects I’ve got underway, three of them already written and poised for publication. If you tote up all the other Gage novels I’ve sketched and other book ideas that are somewhere in the idea-to-started stage, you come up with about fifteen more, which should keep me busy until Valentine’s Day, at least.
I’ve found I have as much trouble trying to predict the future as the characters in the most recent Ethan Gage novel, The Three Emperors. Nonetheless, the writing life does seem to keep me busy.
So here’s a forecast:
Aimed for a September publication is a young adult eco-adventure novel set in prehistoric Africa called The Murder of Adam and Eve. This is going to be an indie, with my own publishing company. First time I’ve tried that, so it’s a steep learning curve. But I think readers will be intrigued. It doesn’t follow the expected formula, editors have told me, but it’s a strong narrative with big ideas.
It’s a teen thriller that is a survival story, a romance, and an eco-fable.
In October comes The North Cascades, a gorgeous coffee-table pictorial by Mountaineers Books in Seattle, with me doing the lead essay and other parts. It’s a joy to be connected to a project that is so pretty, and so important.
Napoleon’s Rules: Life and Career Lessons From Bonaparte is kicking around the New York publishing ranks right now. This could be a good indie as well.
And I’ve linked up with a fascinating scientist to help with what could be a real blockbuster of a book, but one that is a few years off from publication.
The Ethan Gage I’m working on, with the tentative title of The Trojan Icon, takes our peripatetic heroes from St. Petersburg to Constantinople, with a lot of bumps along the way. Much writing to do yet, but if it winds up an indie it would appear sometime in 2015.
Then comes the hard part: deciding which of several good ideas (besides more Ethans) to do next.
The easy part is that you readers have got my back. You’re the wingmen, the Sancho, the Cyrano. So thanks for the encouragement – and happy reading!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great news! The Ethan Gage novels are the best series out and I look forward to each new one. Keep up the good work and hopefully Ethan will get his tomahawk and rifle back soon!
Very happy to hear this! Thank you, William. My son and I both love the books and will buy them even if they are only released online as e-Books.
Question: Have you ever considered doing little short story releases via the e-book only format? A lot of writers are keeping readers happy between novels with these, and also filling in back-stories before a novel’s release, or just making them independent stories (often outside the series timelines). Would love to see some quick-hit shorts from you. Think of them as webisodes from a tv series… Lee Child, Barry Eisler, and others have been good at doing this.
Saved your latest Ethan adventure for my vacation just completed in Nags Head North Carolina
and totally enjoyed my evenings and our one bad weather day reading his adventures and reconnecting with his family. Very glad to hear there will be more but sort of expected good news the way the novel ended! Glad to hear of your other projects and will be looking for them. Thanks for the hours of enjoyment!
Richard Ellison
Best news I’ve heard in ages - keep on rollin’
Thanks for all the enjoyment, and for keeping Ethan, et al alive and well.
A retired WWU Business colleague.